16 hrs in 600 words

7:30 am – Wake up

I wake up to the birds chirping… as in the ring tone. That, or the sound of footsteps outside my tent. To start, I’ll go to the bathroom, also known as the porta potty. Writing that made me realize what a weird word “porta” is. But those 5 square feet are the only form of privacy around this joint.

8:15 am – Personal devotions

I’ll go sit on the deck where the morning sun lights up the pages of the Bible. Currently, I’m reading Jeremiah. The fall of Judah… ya know light stuff. I’m usually acquainted with a cup of tea, considering coffee isn’t much of an option out here. Rip

9:00 am – Breakfast

Meals are one big gambling game, that you can rarely win. I’ve had more cereal in the last few weeks than I have in my whole life. Current favorite combo: rice krispies and cheerios.

10:00 am – Team devotionals

This has become my favorite time of day. We’re going through the book of Romans. Reading it alongside such prayerful women of the Lord has breathed new life into the words I had read 3 times before.

11:00 am – Worship/Session

In worship we’ve begun to go through the 7 Hebrew meanings of praise and walk them out.

Halal – undignified praise

Yadah – thankful praise

Zamar – instrumental praise

Barak – to kneel in praise

These are the few we have practiced so far.

As far as the sessions, we’ve talked about the Trinity, cultural lenses, other religions, apologetics, evangelism, the Old Testament, the spiritual realm and healing. It’s a little bit of information overload. But I’m grateful that AIM cares about our holistic walk with Christ, in preparation for ministry.

12:30 pm – Squad time

We debrief what we’ve learned with the whole squad. Sitting in a circle of 45 people sharing our thoughts may seem chaotic, but the spirit leads those conversations with such kindness.

1:30 pm – Lunch

With the combination of people changing for every meal, every time I sit down it’s different. In the best way. I’ve seen Gods unique design in every individual and got to hear a wide variety of stories.

2:30 pm – Personal time

After we get our dishes to a moderate level of cleanliness, we have some time to ourselves. Most times the designated hang out spot is the fortress of hammocks stacked 5 high on 4 sides. I’ll usually take some time to process all the things the Lord is teaching me. That or I’ll start a conversation that hinders me from doing the tasks I need to do. For example, laundry, but laundry in a TASK. Plus my clothes never seem to be clean anyhow. So talking to people it is!

3:30 pm – 2nd Session

Most days we will do two sessions in one day. To be honest, these days are the more exhausting than the others. But it’s worth it because God always reveals something new to me through the teachings.

5:00 pm – Team time

We break in teams, my team is 6 people and our leader:

Kailey is so joyful and encouraging

Audrey is a prayerful women of God

Natalie is full of praise and song

Skylar is a kind but passionate soul

Josephine is so strong and brave

Emmery leads us with such grace and in powerful prayer

This makes for such a fun and fruitful dynamic.

7:00 pm – Dinner

For dinner, you would think we’re lining up for free Taylor Swift concert tickets (even though the only thing I care about Taylor Swift is in regards to her salvation). So yeah dinners are always pretty good. As far as the conversation, people become like playing cards. You never know what kind of hand you’re going to get. But whether we’re talking about if you put the milk or the cereal in first, or the creation of the world, it is all centered around fellowship.

8:00 pm – Personal time!

I usually stay after dinner on the dining deck to talk about life and whatnot. Then I’ll make my way over to the the circle drive to have a worship sesh of some kind. There’s the musically talented people, and me. That goes on for some time before I make my way back to my tent.

11:00 – Lights out

Alright… goodnight.