boot camp!

hey y’all! I am back in Texas after a week of training in Gainesville, GA and I am feeling great! A few things I learned in the past week were: bucket showers actually aren’t that bad, African food isn’t ummm for me, I ADORE sleeping in my tent, and the Lord is still so good. A week of so much discomfort raised a lot of emotions and questions, but God met me in the middle of all of it and reminded me that He is so faithful even in our deepest hurts.

The amount of gospel conversations that I got to be a part of this week was absolutely incredible. We were reminded in a sermon about the importance of giving the Holy Spirit “habitation rights” instead of just “visitation rights”. Our faith is about so much more than a “camp high“ or a really powerful sermon. The living spirit of the Lord dwells in us, and the moments when we really don’t even WANT Him there to interrupt our fleshly desires can turn into the most holy encounters with the love of God.

Living through this week with over 40 other people (at all times) was a challenge, but Paul’s words rang so true when we realized that the trials and testings of our limits and beliefs and faith created perseverance in our own lives, and a net of tight bonds that I don’t think this community/family will ever be able to shake. The Lord was moving and working in so many hearts individually this week, but He didn’t stop there! He brought us together and gave us the boldness to proclaim these testimonies, and the result was a body that began to develop deep unity, trust, comfort, and a realization of the truth that we have everything in common because of what Christ did for us! HOW COOL IS THAT!!!

This week I had too many moments to count where either on my own, with a few friends, or even as a squad we just sat in the presence of the Lord and soaked in His goodness and love, and almost always we were left speechless. We were left sitting around a table, looking each other in the eyes, and the only words we could come up with were “wow. God is good to us”. How beautiful is it that we serve a God who doesn’t need to reveal to us the “great questions of life” or the confusing theological details, but simply can leave us speechless with who He is. 

Going home is tough after a time like this and the feeling of leaving Gap H for the next 2 months was one of the hardest things. Our squad truly represents the body of Christ so well and we compliment each other beautifully, but the Lord is the only person who truly completes us. So while its so difficult to be apart, we are all still completely satisfied with more than we will ever need because we have the love of the Lord washing over us constantly. 

Gap H, I love you. 

I am so grateful to come alongside you and encourage, build up, and carry you through the rest of our lives. Thank the Lord that we have each other and that He gave me a group of 40 brothers and sisters to love me in such a Christ-centered way and to constantly reveal more of our Father to me. I miss you so much already (as you already know because its been one day and I can’t stop calling and texting you guys) and I can’t wait to be back in Georgia with you so soon. Let’s live these next 2 months in a way that grows us, stretches us, and brings us new stories of Kingdom on Earth to tell when September 11th comes.

82 days—it can’t come soon enough.

His love + mine,

bree