Training camp.  I really wasn't sure what to expect at all. I didn't know what it would be like to meet the girls on my team or what we would be doing for the next four days.  As it turns out, all the girls on my team and my leader are incredibly lovely.  As for what we would be doing..we have:
– Tried to communicate to leaders while they are speaking a tribal language. 
– Had a dance off
– Made a tent in a field out of two tarps and some rope.  And then sleeping in it. And only being allowed to bring three things.

We have also had amazing sessions.  The biggest day at training camp for me was Sunday.  I was so exhausted from having zero sleep the night before, (the night of the campout) I seriously wanted to  crawl in bed.  Little did I know what God had in store for me.  

We had a session on surrendering and listened to God for what he told us we needed to surrender to him.  Then we wrote this on a log and after praying with a leader, we started off on our hike.  As I'm climbing up this small mountain in Toccoa Falls, God is chiseling away at my anxieties and fears.  I can feel him releasing me from what I thought defined me.  One of the leaders along the way asked if the log we we are carrying was the weight of what we wrote on it.  If not, we were told to pick up rocks and sticks on our way.  So, I di.   Another leader asked if we were ready to surrender it.  It felt amazing to say yes and to know that it was fully in God's hands. I felt a weight lifted off my shoulder!  

In our session Sunday night, we focused on listening prayer.  First, we got into groups and closed our eyes.  A leader would come up and tap someone on the shoulder to go into the middle.  The people in my group started telling me what God was saying about me, still not knowing who I was.  Amazingly encouraging and uplifting.  After this, we did the same thing in partners.  A girl, again not knowing who I was, started telling me how she kept hearing  freedom and I'm not bound anymore.  It hit home for me and felt like a continuation of the afternoon.  It is also encouraging listening for someone else, telling them what you heard and it hitting home for them.  The Lord met with us and used each of us to encourage someone else.

It was said at one of our sessions that even after we've been freed, we are still acting like we are chained.  I believe chains were broken last night and freedom reigned.  I am so incredibly excited to see the way that God will break chains and restore hearts in Cambodia!

My team working on our canvas – we had to paint what we wanted our team to represe3nt/ do in Cambodia.

Finished! 🙂