Being back in my hometown church was HARD. Walking up the sidewalk to clock in for my first day of work after being off of work for two weeks was DIFFICULT. As I entered the building, I was embraced with hugs and “I missed you’s”! As much as everyone was happy to see me back, tears started welling in my eyes. I missed my Sojourners – my new community.
Training camp started out with worship and ended in worship….but not everything in between was easy. If you read my previous blog post, we were humbled and broken down. Deep secrets and insecurities that we had were brought to the surface and dealt with. Wounds that have festered for years were cleaned, healed, and left without scars.
We started telling three minute testimonies after a day or two of being together. We were raw and emotional. We loved on each other even though we have all made a lot of mistakes. That’s the cool thing about having a relationship with God. He doesn’t care what you have done, he still loves you and will forgive you if you repent. And, the people that believe in that don’t judge you either.
A word that was revealed to our squad leader for our squad was “unity”. Let me tell you, the Holy Spirit does not disappoint. My squad has 40 members, plus all the leadership. Leaving camp, I felt like I had known them my whole life. We lifted each other up in prayer. I got hugs daily, probably even hourly. (Come on!!) We pursued each other to know how Papa was working. We shared tears of joy, tears of sadness, and were vulnerable. We worshiped hard. (YES!!) Our men on our squad washed the ladies feet to show us how important we are to them and to society. We rallied as a team and made sure our last teammate crossed the finish line before the 38 minutes were up. (Yes, all FORTY of us finished in time!) The ladies circled the men and prayed over them letting them know that we also had their backs and were fighting for them. Did I mention we worshiped … and prayed? AND DOMINATED SQUAD WARS (please watch our dance routine–below!)
It was raw. It was real. It was the sovereign reign of God. This must be a glimpse of Heaven. A glimpse that I want others to know and feel for an eternity.
This is my prayer…
Papa, I love you! I have been WRecked and ready to share your love to all the nations. May people see your handiwork when they look into my eyes and when they see me smile. Let my love be genuine and reflect all of you. Let me be brave and share your good news boldly. Let me trust in you and your sovereignty over my life. Amen.
