Hello All!
This blog is going to contain updates from last week.
September 25-29 were our last few days of training camp. It was such a fun week that consisted of so many new experiences and opportunities. I couldn’t believe that the final week of training camp was already here, but I was also excited for all these new experiences. Each day consisted of a different ministry practice to prepare us for the field. Some of the practices consisted of evangelizing at Walmart, helping at a food bank, doing wash for others, cooking a meal for everyone on campus, and learning how to do Kids Ministry.
MONDAY (September 25th):
On Monday, we had a two hour session on teaching/writing a sermon. My leader, Bill, gave the lesson and challenged us to write our own sermon in preparation for if we ever are spontaneously asked to speak. He gave us this technique called Build a Map to use when we’re writing.
Build a Map
ME- Share a story to establish a personal connection with your audience.
WE- Raise a need that everyone in the audience will feel or can relate to.
GOD- Introduce scripture and talk about what God says on this topic.
YOU- Share what the audience can do to step into this change.
WE- Bring it back to we and ask “what does this mean for us a body?”
They then gave us an hour to go write one or pray about what God wants us to write. I prayed about it for a bit and then started to write down some ideas until one stood out to me. I am still in the process of writing it, but I will definitely share more about it when I am finished.
Later that day, my team went to volunteer at a food bank called Good Samaritans Food Bank. We started by helping sort clothes and drinks in preparation for when they would be open to the public in an hour. When the time came to serve the public, we met to pray first and then opened the doors! We pushed grocery carts for people that needed help and even got to pray for so many of them! I had the privilege to pray for a mom and her daughter who previously lost their house. She was so sweet and I know that the Lord has so many amazing things in store for her and her daughter. I also got the chance to practice my Spanish with a few of the people there. I really enjoyed the challenge and they were all very patient and even corrected me when needed! I had such an amazing time there and it was so evident that the Lord is at work in all of their lives.
TUESDAY (September 26th):
Tuesday morning we had breakout sessions which are basically two sessions that happen at the same time, but you choose which one you want to go to. I chose to go to the one on Kids Ministry. They gave us a lot of tips on how to interact with kids, what boundaries to set with them, how to discipline them, etc. The two speakers speaking gave us examples of what they experienced on their races and how they handled each thing that came their way. The second breakout session I went to was on prayer. It was on how prayer is a key part of ministry and all the ways we can utilize it while on the field and dealing with a language barrier.
In the afternoon, my team went back to the food bank to do some more work for them. Four of us went to the laundromat to do wash for them and were even able to do our own wash! It was such a neat experience because I had never been to a laundromat before. After we finished up our work at the food bank, we went to a place called Culver’s for dinner. Most of the girls who were from the south were raving about this place so we went there to try it. I’ll admit, it wasn’t much better than Dairy Queen or McDonald’s, so I didn’t quite get the hype about it. However, it was a fun outing with my team.
WEDNESDAY (September 27th):
Wednesday morning, we had a “scenario session” which is when they give us scenario and we put it into action. Our scenario was Kids Ministry and we had to prepare something to teach the “kids.” They took three different teams and put them together. While one team was going, the other team had to pretend to be kids and were told how to act each time. When my team went, the kids were pretending to be sad, but we had to cheer them up and get them to participate. We chose to teach them a song called “Yo Tengo Gozo Gozo Gozo En Mi Corazon!” It was a very interesting experience, but in the end we did win them over. Later, when both gap years came back together, they made my team get up in front of everyone and teach them the song! Everyone still had to act like kids and it was so challenging trying to get about 100 other people to focus. I was also trying not to laugh because it was hilarious watching a bunch of grown ups act like children! lol
That afternoon, my team got paired up with a boy’s team from the other gap year program to go evangelizing at Walmart. They wanted to mix us up and put us with new people, so I got paired up with two guys. They were so much fun to be with and evangelize with. It was very evident how on fire for God they are. We talked to about 6 people and through it all, they kept encouraging me and teaching me as well because it was my first time evangelizing like that. I had such an amazing experience and loved interacting with the different people in Walmart!
THURSDAY (September 28th):
Thursday was more of a chill day for my team. We got up early and made breakfast burritos for everyone on campus which turned out so delicious if I do say so myself. We had a session on house visits and got to actually do house visits. Our leaders dressed up and pretended to be from different cultures and we were given house visit assignments. Us girls had to wear skirts and shirts that covered our elbows. My team split in half because we had two house assignments. Two of my teammates and I did a house visit to a woman that was Muslim. The leader who played her was a very good actor and did a great job of recreating a scenario. I was very shy and timid because again, it was a leader I knew and I felt awkward talking to someone I knew as if I didn’t know them. However, my teammates did a great job and encouraged me along the way. We did a good job of bouncing off of each others’ points. It was such a great practice for what house visits could be like. In the afternoon, when everyone else left to go do ministry, my team stayed behind because our ministry was making breakfast for everyone. I took the afternoon to clean my tent, nap, spend time with God, and just rest. It was a very peaceful afternoon. That night, we had an event for all of us girls called Beauty for Ashes. They decorated the training center and planned worship and some activities for us to do in smaller groups. All of us girls wore dresses and did our hair. I had so much fun and kept cracking up because it was the most ready I’d gotten since being on the race! It was a beautiful night filled with the Spirit, vulnerability, and community. Following the event, we had an all night prayer watch. We each took 30 minute shifts throughout the night to pray for different topics. My shift was at 3, but I stayed up until 4 because there was a lot of Spiritual Warfare going on that night and prayer was very much needed.
FRIDAY (September 29th):
Friday was a very chill day that consisted of preparing to leave for stateside ministry. Not much went on during the day, but later that night we had Revival Night Worship. It was such an amazing night filled with the Holy Spirit. I literally had chills just listening to everyone worship and praise the Lord. It was such a great way to end training camp.
I hope you enjoyed this update and another one will be coming on Sunday!
Blessings,
Emma
