What World Race Training Camp Is Like!

Today is officially the last day of training camp! That is so insane to say because I feel like I just got to Georgia. My squad and the other 9 month squad will depart for a domestic missions trip to North Carolina tomorrow (Sep 20). We will be doing disaster relief in the Black mountain area for people still recovering from Hurricane Helene. We’ll be there 6 days and come back to Gainesville for a 5 day debrief. Afterwards we depart for Colombia!
Anyways, training camp has been awesome. I have really come to love it. We’re sleeping in our own tents we packed in a beautiful area just outside of town. I actually really enjoy sleeping in my tent and it’s very comfy. Thanks again Aunt Rachael for the awesome gear! Our days have been filled with so much and my squad and I have actually been very busy. I’ve tried multiple times to write a blog and I finally have a chance right now. I’m at a laundromat currently with some of my squad girls. We usually do bucket laundry at camp but we all wanted clean laundry for North Carolina. Anyways, yes I’ve been busy but it has been awesome. What happens each day changes a lot but usually it’s a combination of sessions, worship, prayer, team or squad building, etc. Essentially I’m learning a lot about God, the people around me, and how to better serve both. It’s been so cool. God has done such cool things for me and other people here. One thing I’ve really loved is the worship and sessions. The worship is so powerful and I love to see others surrender themselves to the Lord. The sessions are full of so much great information. Thankfully I’m someone who loves learning, because we’ve had lots of sessions. I’d say a session is sort of a mix between a sermon and just theological teaching. So interesting to me.
At training camp we also get a Sabbath day to spend almost entirely how we want. Recently we were given the opportunity to leave campus and that has been so fun. I’ve been going to coffee shops or target with my squad mates. It’s surprisingly bonding to get to see them in a different context besides training camp and we definitely grow closer on the days we get to explore Gainesville. I of course try to get intentional bible studies or time with the Lord on my Sabbath days too. I’ve had some that are more restful than others but overall, I love a good Sabbath day.
Another cool thing we did just a few days ago was hike a mountain! It’s called Mount Yonah. It’s a 2.2 mile hike up and 1500 feet in elevation. Needless to say, it was strenuous and harder than I thought it would be. However the view was so rewarding and one of the best I’d ever seen. We also hiked with backpacks and slept on top of the mountain, hiking back down in the dark of the morning to make it back to camp for worship. That hike was so rewarding and now I can say I’ve hiked a mountain in Georgia. So cool! That’s one thing about training camp, you’ll get a million new experiences in such a condensed period of time. I’m sure the same will be true of my whole mission trip.
Anyways these are just some of the highlights of training camp! I seriously loved it so much and had very few hard days, praise God! I miss family and home of course, but I also have already made such deep connections with people that it would be hard to part with this too. Praise God! I honestly didn’t think I would enjoy training camp but wow I have loved it! Even things like taking a bucket shower I’ve come to love so much. Even with a unit shower at my disposal, somehow from day one a cold bucket shower is my go to. Perhaps because they’re so refreshing and also bonding when you take friends. I really could go on and on about all the amazing things that happened at training camp, but I’m only at the laundromat for so long! I hope to give more frequent updates in the future, especially when I’m in country. Thank you so much for reading my all-over-the place, informal blog. I greatly appreciate your support!
Maddie
September 19, 2025