Training Camp

After 3 nights on a plane, 5 airplane meals and 2 layovers in both Paris and Dubai, we made it to Bishkek Kyrgyzstan!

Firstly, a recap of the past 3 weeks of training in Gainesville, Georgia…

Week 1: We took a 15 weeks Perspectives course in the span of 5 days. So from 9am to 9pm we sat in class listening to several different speakers testify to the mission of God. From Genesis to Revelation we overviewed God’s heart for the nations.

   My biggest takeaways:

He wants representation of every nation, tribe and tongue around His throne!

He’s not coming back until He gets the full reward of His suffering.

“Worship doesn’t exist, therefore missions does” -John Piper

We are ALL called to partner in reconciling people back to Him.

The great commission is nothing without the great commandment.

Week 2-3: Full of random worship breakouts, shivering in the Georgia cold, time with old friends and new, 80 people sleeping on the floor of one room, scenarios to prepare for situations overseas (ex. house visits and markets), praying continually, crying, talking over tea, revival nights, squad wars, evangelizing in target, baptisms, sessions and loads of laughing.

There’s so much to share from all these things but I’ll just share a few testimonies for the sake of your time.

During these 2 weeks I experienced to deeper measures the greatness of His love for me. The first revival night, I was overcome by the power of God. My body was physically responding to His greatness and I couldn’t even hold myself up. I saw a picture of myself laying on the alter before God and Him taking a deep breath of the aroma around me. I received a word from Hannah a few days earlier about how my worship was a strong and sweet scent to the Lord. It may be distasteful to people around me, but to continue to offer my whole self as an offering to God.

We are most eager to share the love of Christ when we know it for ourselves.

I and 2 new girls doing a semesters trip went to target for outreach. We shared our personal testimonies and prayed over one another. Then we started a conversation with a man outside of target and he allowed us to pray for him. He told us that he had been in search of a sign from God and decided he’s going to return to church to pursue God. During another encounter, we got rejected to pray for a man and his family at one point. But we prayed as he walked away and we were encouraged to remain faithful because God was gonna move regardless.

One other time I want to share about, is our time doing church as a squad. Earlier in the week, we listened to a teaching about the correlation between the body of Christ and murmurations. If you don’t know, a murmuration is a group of starling birds flying and changing directions together to create beautiful patterns in the air. Its main purpose, however, is to discourage predators. With that in mind, we as the body of believers each have a small part in a grand movement of God. When we are individually attuned to His voice and direction, we move more cohesively with others. We are each responsible for our own obedience and should communicate with the people nearest to us to move in a similar manner.

Squad church was a time were I saw the beauty of this come to life. Both Joel and I did a two part teaching on intimacy with the Lord. Then we proceeded with worship in response. But what made this time of worship unique was the flow of freedom. One person would start a song. Another person would take it somewhere new. Another person would share a verse. Another a word from God. Another anointing everyone. Another starting a new beat. Another leading prayer. Another getting prayer for. Each person being a different instrument of God to create a melodious sound unto the Lord. We were all moving in different ways, but all together to become something beautiful to minister to Gods heart and to draw others into the heart of God.

The Lord is so great and I will never reach the end of Him but to be at even the beginning is an honor and privilege. I’m so thankful for the things He’s stirred in my heart and the freedom He’s walked me into during this time. I encourage you to seek His heart out more deeply in your own life.

U squad!!

The sleeping setup

Our perspectives class

Nightly prayer walks

Pre worship teaching

Squad church

Squad wars

Baptisms

Last day of training camp

Sharing the gospel with a man from Paris

For more from Kyrgyzstan… stay tuned:)