Training Camp!

Oh hey from week one!!! Been learning lots at training camp – mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually, all the things. Flooding tents, bugs, porta potties and all the things was more challenging than I ever thought but being in an awesome community of new friends who love Jesus with their everything was sweeter than I could have ever imagined.

One of my favorite moments was getting to evangelize in town one day and having the opportunity to talk to a young single mom about life while her kids got us decorated with all sorts of new tattoos. She told us how people just showing up sharing Jesus makes her know that God has to be real and was such a reminder to me of how intentionally we are pursued by God.

We’re all done with training and on our 3 day trek all the way to Indoneisa complete with our airport jailbreak adventure in Boston.

Anyways meet my new friends and let me share some things I’ve been learning, reading, praying!!

3.4 billion people have never heard the name of Jesus. They are considered unreached and have no access to the Gospel, the life saving good news. But our God is a god who has more thoughts about each and every one of us than grains of sand (Psalms 139:17-18).

The living God is a missionary God who has had a plan from the beginning to bring all nations home to Him. The price Jesus paid for our salvation costs God everything. We’re priceless.

The Father’s heart should drive us because the heart the Father has for us is gentle and lowly (Matthew 11:28-30). He is so full of compassion and empathy. The depths of His soul cry out to sinners and sufferers, begging them to come home and rest in His embrace. He wants all of our heavy, everything we think we cannot carry, all of our burdens in exchange for His. His burden that is oh so light and easy to carry. His yoke that mends the soul. Our hearts are holy ground for His gentle and lowly Spirit to reside.

Simply care for the other people around you and live out Jesus. That’s what people really need. There’s no accidental way to end up in love with Jesus. And once you are, you should share it with everyone you encounter.

Even if you perfect failure time and time again, God can still pick you up. Condemnation gives you an identity according to a trespass. The devil first attacked Jesus identity when He was tempted in Matthew 4. The enemy wants to define you by your failures and sins. We were made in the image of God which has been marred by this broken world of sin. Jesus loves us too much to leave us the way we are. He created you to reflect a unique part of Him. If we’re so caught up in comparison to the people around us we are not reflecting our own piece. We were created out of love for love. Your value was settled at the cross, Jesus said “you are worth my blood, my life, my everything.” Let that sink in… you are worth EVERYTHING to the God of the universe. He stood in our place and said “I’ll serve your time.” Live like you’ve been saved by a friend closer than a brother.

Because He is saying “Oh my child you are SO loved. I’m pursuing you so hard even when you don’t see it. Lay it all down at my feet. Let there honestly be nothing you hold onto. I never intended for you to live like that. You are my precious daughter, oh so perfect to me. I died for you. I paid it all. You never have to worry, you’re safe with me. You are all together wonderful my darling and I love you.”

So hype! So fun! So training camp!