Training Camp Complete and Ministry in Mississippi

Hey friends and family!

So much has happened in the past two weeks! First off, we officially survived boot camp (training camp)! Woot woot! Second, we completed our first week of domestic ministry in Mississippi! I can’t believe that I have already been on the race for one month! Time has both flown by and crawled by in all the different moments! Moving into my second month on the race, the most overwhelming feeling is a sense of thankfulness for the opportunity to be here and for all of the new experiences, friendships, and growth in my faith and relationship with the Lord! So much has happened in such a short period of time, but God has been so good and is already teaching me so much! 

Training Camp Recap! Thinking back on training camp, a few things stand out! 

On a spiritual level, all throughout training camp I felt that God was constantly drawing me closer to Himself, and forcing me to rely on Him for everything. Training camp stripped me of all comforts and everything I’ve turned to for comfort in the past. Instead, I am learning that the Lord is the only true source of life that can fill me up. I am also learning to live with my eyes more focused on the Lord and to take the focus off of myself and to look more outwardly and upwardly in my everyday life. God is teaching me more and more what it looks like to live with Him as my main focus and priority in everything that I am doing. 

On a relational level, I am so so thankful for each and every person on my squad! It has just been so cool to be surrounded by a Christ-centered community that is pushing forward and seeking God together. Coming from a public school background, being surrounded by other Christ followers is not something that I am used to, and it has been the biggest blessing and has been such a huge part of this amazing experience! M-squad is my absolute favorite and I am so grateful for the community that is continually forming and deepening!

Here are some of my favorite parts of the last week of training camp!

Awesome worship nights!

 Squad picture in front of the gorgeous rainbow!

Cuddle pile after movie night!

Hiking Mount Yonah! Unfortunately, we got rained out and had to turn back early, but it was still so nice to get out and into the mountains a bit!

Meet Team Salt and Light (aka SNL)! This will be my team (small group within my squad) for the next 9 months! I love them all so much already!

M-squad takes on Ministry in Macon, Mississippi! Last week, we traveled to Macon, Mississippi for a week of ministry in the United States before heading overseas. It was a great week of connecting with the local people, connecting with my squad, helping with church renovations, and lots of games and laughs! My team spent the majority of our time working with a local church and helping with some different projects, including renovating the back trailer for the youth group, painting a few rooms in the church, and organizing different areas! We also got to get to know some people from the Choctaw Native American community! Our squad went to the Choctaw church for youth group and Sunday church, and we even got to spend Saturday afternoon playing games at the park with the Choctaw community! We played some basketball, football, softball, and tag on the playground and it was so great to get to know the kids, especially the youth! Here are some pictures from the week!

Renovating the back trailer for the youth group!

Painting the trailer!

Baking cookies!

Charcuterie and game night with the squad!

Me and Rachel, our host!

Having open eyes and an open heart! Another lesson that I have been learning lately is embracing a slower pace of life! Some of my favorite moments in Mississippi came out of accepting and leaning into slowing down and keeping my eyes open to see the opportunities for connection around me. I had multiple great impromptu conversations at the local coffee shop and some great conversations with our host (Shoutout Rachel😁)! As I am growing in my ability to slow down and set my to-do list aside, I am seeing so much more of the ways that God wants to move through the mundane, everyday interactions of life!

Praises! God has been so good! The past two weeks have been full of things to praise God for, so here are just a few!

• Connections with the people in Mississippi!
• Safe travels to and from Mississippi!
• Fun squad bonding times like game night and making meals together!
• Beauty of God’s creation, especially so many beautiful sunsets and rainbows!
• Time this upcoming week to process and rest in God!

Prayers! On Sunday night, my squad returned to Georgia for debrief week! We will be here in Georgia for a week, and leave for Malaysia on Monday! Here are some ways you can join me in prayer this week before we head overseas!

• A refreshing week full of rest in the Lord!
• Prayers for all those affected by Hurricane Helene, specifically for World Race K-squad! One of the other World Race gap year squads was doing domestic ministry in Asheville, North Carolina when the hurricane hit. They lost a majority of their gear, so please be praying for K-squad as they recover both physically and emotionally!
• Preparation of the hearts of the people we will encounter in Malaysia!
• Connections and deepening of relationships with squadmates and teammates!
• Safe travels to Malaysia next week!

Thank you all for being here! Your prayers and support mean the world to me! 

Until next time,

Alia