Many of my teammates are writing blogs about expectations of Training Camp, but I sort of knew what to expect. My most ardent blog followers will know of my previous involvement with The World Race and the adversity I encountered during Training Camp in May. Those experiences are what led me to defer to the Kenya Real Life trip. I realized that I was nowhere near ready enough to give up 11 months to God. So now here I am preparing to depart for Kenya for 3 1/2 months. Am I ready?
Upon arrival in Atlanta this past Friday, we were shuttled to a homeless shelter for the night in the heart of downtown. There, our first mission was to go out into the streets of the ATL to try to build relationships with the locals. It was a thrilling night. I ended up playing chess in an awesome urban park, talking with Joe about a truck driving career, and gazing in wonderment at the dressed up participants of Dragon-Con.
Going out into a city and stiking up conversations with the locals is a skill that I do not possess in droves. In fact, my first exposure to this was in Chattanooga, TN during the last Training Camp. That opportunity certainly made me more sure of myself as I walked aimlessly around Atlanta at 10:30 P.M. on a Friday night.
The rest of Training Camp was pretty similar to World Race camp. Am I prepared? Am I ready? Am I feeling strong and courageous? I suppose only time can tell. This is only the beginning. But I do know one thing…there will be movement in Kenya.
