Training Camp

Training camp has been amazing! 

 

We got to Gainesville, Georgia last Thursday and we have been non-stop since. Training camp has consisted of teachings over the gospel, teachings over cultures, worship sessions, sleeping in tents, chores, and learning to live in community.

 

We have learned many things surrounding the idea of culture, and how to spread the gospel to those people groups. We learned that Cambodia and Thailand are from a Shame/Honor culture. This is important for both interactions with them, but also in spreading the gospel.

 

We will not change the gospel to fit the needs of these people. However, the idea that no matter what you do you will never be ashamed away from God. We can receive honor when we allow Jesus to change our lives.

 

In an Honor/Shame culture, people are basically kicked out of the family when they shame the family. There are a lot of stories where someone will come to faith in Jesus and they will be kicked out of the family because they “shamed” them. In a western culture, we don’t always have to think about giving up our whole family for him. We are walking into a culture where accepting Jesus could bring the end of family relations for future followers.

 

Here’s the thing, Jesus is worth it!

 

Along with these very impactful and practical teachings, we have had some spectacular worship nights! I’ll explain more in a second, but they have been awesome.

 

Another nice thing we got to do was do everything as a community. Cleaning dishes, worship, teachings, sleeping in big tents, and even a day of fun competitions called “Squad wars”.

 

How has the Lord worked in my life

I’m literally typing this holding back tears. This week has been one of the most spiritually impactful weeks of my life.

 

In short, I have felt the love of Jesus in a way I have never experienced before. That is a very churchy answer, and one I have heard many times. However, I have felt a love I have never experienced before. 

 

One thing in particular that I have been working through is the idea of shame. I am getting emotional as I am typing this. I have always dealt with shame, but I always knew the Lord had forgiven me and through him I am a new creation.

 

However, whenever I got here I realized how broken I was in this area.

 

We have had these amazing 30-45 minute worship times everyday, and it has been through these times that stuff started to show up.

I realized when I became truly vulnerable before the Lord I was ashamed. 

 

I have cried everyday.

 

The cries started with fear, and being scared of the vulnerability. Then it moved from fear to grief. My whole life I have kept myself to such a high standard, and I just always expected that’s what the Lord wanted. I know the Word says his yoke is easy and his burden is light and I thought I believed it. However, I learned I truly struggled with it.

 

The Lord revealed to me that I have been masking this hurt and shame of myself. I masked it through obsessive TV watching, Caffeine, working, being in a constant state of busyness, and through sin struggles of sexual immorality. 

 

I get here and all of that is gone. It’s just me and the Lord.

 

All week he has been breaking strongholds. Breaking chains. Bringing freedom. I have been on this journey with him that has compounded everyday. Every worship session has felt like it has been dedicated to me. All the teachings have been exactly what I have needed. I am not exaggerating, I feel like they have spied on me the past few years, and planned the whole week based on what I needed. Of course they didn’t, but it has definitely felt like it!

 

Last night we had a spiritual revival and commissioning service. I didn’t know quite what to expect, but God was like, “Watch this!”.

 

The service starts with worship for a bit, and speakers come in and read scripture between times of worship. After this happens, they open up the opportunity for people to get baptized and/or get baptized in the holy spirit.

 

I feel a tug from the spirit to get baptized in the holy spirit. I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I knew it was a big part of the early church in Acts. Especially after Jesus came back, and appeared to the disciples.

 

So wanting to be obedient I go to the front, and ask one of the ladies that I want to be baptized in the holy spirit. She asks me for my name, and then puts her hands on my shoulders.

 

To preface, I haven’t had a single conversation with this lady all week, and she just met me. 

 

She starts praying over and for me. I felt the spirit, and she started speaking boldly about things she should not have known. I honestly don’t remember everything she said, but I cried the whole time. I do remember a few main points that she felt like the Lord was trying to tell me.

 

One, I need to wait patiently in his presence. She talked about the pressure I felt that I wasn’t doing enough for him. That I was trying to create things and make things happen. That I felt like I had to stick to a certain pace of life, but that he wants me to be patient. Not just patient, but at his feet. I just felt him saying, “Andrew, you are safe at my feet. You are safe.”

 

Two, give up your own understanding. I wasn’t quite sure why he said this at first. We had been singing a song about giving up our understanding for his understanding, however I was still confused.

 

Lastly, the Lord spoke something through this lady to me that completely broke me.

 

Andrew, he is proud of you…

 

I have been blessed with a lot of important people in my life who tell me this, but hearing it from him was different. 

 

The prayer concluded with the lady saying she felt like the Lord wanted me to rest in this truth, because he wanted to do something in my heart. That it might not make sense now, but that’s ok.

 

So I go off and spend time with him. I do more crying. I couldn’t get over the fact that he is proud of me. It’s not, “he was”, proud of you, but he is proud of you in the present tense. After probably 25-30 minutes, I feel another tug of the spirit. 

 

At this time, people are getting baptized and healed from bondage, and chains from the enemy. People are finding freedom, and experiencing Jesus in a way they have never experienced before. In this moment, I felt a tug from the Lord to go get baptized.

 

I’m like God. I have already been baptized. Once when I was 8, and again when I was 16. I know I am saved, so why do I need to do it again? Then I had a big realization. The Lord told me to give up my own understanding. He knows I have been baptized already before. He knows I have surrendered my life to him. It doesn’t have to make sense. I was worshiping, and I had been waiting patiently in his presence for him to move. This was it.

 

So after some convincing myself, I chose obedience.

 

I go in, and I get prayed over again. These ladies start saying these things that they shouldn’t have known.

 

“Andrew I feel deep inside, God wants you to feel like a Lion. However, right now you feel like a small cat. Andrew God is telling you that you are that lion.”

 

“Andrew, God is not your coach. He is not demanding. He is a friend. He is your friend.”

 

I am balling my eyes out. They ask me, “What do you feel like the Lord is telling you? Say it out loud.”.

 

I proceed to say out loud, “Andrew, I am proud of you”, multiple times till I am yelling it.

 

I sat down, and they baptized me.

 

Besides the fact this will go down as one of the biggest moments of my life, another thought came into mind. 

 

I look around, and I feel so intimate to everyone in the room. You have people from all around the world, different cultures, different life experiences, different denominations, but we all have one thing in common. We Love Jesus.

 

How you can be praying for me

We will be heading to Cambodia first. There we will be joining a school that teaches kids English, joining a soccer/sport ministry, and teaching older kids English as well.

 

There is a little bit of nerves when it comes to travels, so prayer for safe passage all the way to Cambodia will be needed. Also, I think the Jet lag will be tough once I land.

 

The most important thing I need prayer for is patience. I will not be able to do anything impact without the spirit. I need to be patient in his presence, and wait to see what he needs me to do. He knows what he wants done. He wants a partnership with me on this trip. I just need to be still enough to hear what great things he wants to do, and be obedient in his promptings.