Our first two weeks!
Hello from Gainesville Georgia! As I am writing this latest blog my team and I are re-packing our bags, taking our final bucket showers, and attending our final training sessions. In two days time, Squad P will be heading to the Atlanta International Airport and boarding our flight to Guatemala. More updates to come from that adventure as it begins, for now I want to let y’all know how the Lord has moved here in the states and in the hearts of my squad.
Let me set the scene for our first two weeks here on The World Race. Shortly after saying our final goodbyes to family and friends, the twenty-nine members of Squad P loads themselves onto a number of Adventure in Missions vans and makes the hour drive from Atlanta to Gainesville. Packed in like sardines our team shared stories of where we came from and delighted in the ideas of where we would be going. An hour after we had packed our bags and ourselves into the vans, we arrived at the Adventures in Missions campus in the “jungle” of Georgia. We walked down to our squad p campsite and set up what would be our home for the next two weeks. The next week was filled with lots of worship, prayer, and reflection on our personal relationship with the Lord and what it would look like once we arrived on the mission field. The first week was exactly what the Doctor ordered. We had a detox from our technology and a deep dive into the Word. We grow closer as a team and became more firm in our walks of faith.
We started our second and final week of training camp with more practical training for being on the field. Our first task was a timed hike with our full packs in the Georgia rain. Suffice to say, I was soaked with a combination of rain and sweat. I will add, much like John added in the gospel, my team got there first. After the physical activities our team shared in what would became a rather welcome treat throughout the next week, hot showers! We cleaned ourselves up, ate our cuisine of the night (it was Indian) and made our way to our night sessions. The second weeks sessions focused on the logistics of working on the field and in teams. We also received our first teams of the trip and our positions within our teams and squad as a whole. I have the privilege of working on a team with Jakson McDaniel, Jordan Dexter, Michael McKnight, Sarah Dodd, and Alyssa Philips. My first role on our squad is to work alongside Maggie Prokosch as one of the two Storytellers on our squad. We are excited to work together to bring the stories of the field to all of you who are supporting and praying for us at home. After all of our logistical training and information sessions we finished the week with SQUAD WARS!! This was a fun opportunity to compete with the other squads here on campus before we all head out Sunday night. Our squad performed pretty well and ended up placing second out of five.
While I would love to share everything about our time here in Gainesville, I think I would need several days to write down how transformational our time has already been these past two weeks. Just like always if you have any questions or would like to talk about stuff I am doing, message me or leave a comment!
I’ll leave you with our squad motto.
Because we bear the image of Christ, and are filled with the Holy Spirit, we will steward what the Father has entrusted to us through TRUTH, LOVE, INTEGRITY, SERVICE, and FAITH.
Please continue to be praying and keeping us in your thoughts.
Much Love and God Bless
Jaden Roberts
