[For the sake of those who might attend this program in the future, I can't tell you everything that happened during these 2 weeks of ground school. So all secrets will be replaced with the code word *PEANUTBUTTER* Thank you for your cooperation.]
And there's probably a lot of mix ups in this post. The past two weeks were kind of a blur. It took me forever to remember all the things we did... in order. And I probably missed some events. Oh well.
Day 0 Saturday
Orientation. I met some the other students and their families. I convinced one of the families to adopt me for the day since my parents couldn't be there. (Thank you Kimberly). Once the parents left, we met all our leaders and introduced ourselves. After that, we were sent back to our rooms to fetch our phones and other electronics. There will be no electonic distractions during ground school. This was the night we would be given our uniforms and officially starting ground school. It was a crazy night.
Day 1 Sunday
We were abruptly awoken by the sound of *PEANUTBUTTER*. We learned how to march and how to keep our uniforms perfectly in sync with everyone elses uniform. We had Physical Training (PT). For those who worked out this summer (I did) PT was pretty good. Lunch was rather interesting, considering that it was *PEANUTBUTTER*. We also had a class to practice sharing testimonies and sharing the story of the Bible. My temporary team of three girls and our leader made spaghetti for dinner that night. This was a long long day.
Day 2 Monday
More marching. PT seems to be different everyday... whether it's running, marching long distance, extreme work outs etc. Almost every meal was made by one of our teams. But before meals we always had PT. Today was the day we had room inspections (I think. Most days just seem like a blur now). Then we split up in random groups and did a special *PEANUTBUTTER* test which helped us learn to work as a team. Tonight we got to put on normal clothes and practice sharing stories and the Bible with random people in the city. It was also the day we heard about the singer Josh Garrels. He's definitely my new favorite music artist.
Day 3 Tuesday
More marching... we are getting better. If we forget any part of our uniform, leave anyone behind, show up late, don't show respect, etc. we are punished... a.k.a. smoked. And everyday we also have about an hour for quiet time... and we are not allowed to fall asleep (or we get smoked). I enjoyed this day because we did some rock climbing and other things that people do on cliffs. Oh, I forgot to mention earlier that we do this thing called gaurd duty every night. It basically means less sleep and more responsibility.
Day 4 Wednesday
Today we did the normal... march, PT, quiet time, cook food. We put on our daily field uniforms (really big black cargo pants, tan shirt, tan boots, black boonie hat) and we got in groups to pick up trash. Then we were in for a big surprise when our leaders led us to a grassy clearing and put *PEANUTBUTTER* on us and then proceeded to lead us down a *PEANUTBUTTER*. It was a crazy experience and a good lesson.
Day 5 Thursday
Today was interesting. It rained some. We had a pretty good dinner and we sang some worship songs afterwards. Then one of our leaders got us excited by telling us we were going to have a *PEANUTBUTTER* night... but we were also skeptical because we had our PT uniforms on. We were led into a small room that was extremely *PEANUTBUTTER*. We were given specific directions to follow. It was a long evening.
Day 6 Friday
We did the normal PT etc. then we were given a list of things to pack because we were going out to *PEANUTBUTTER* to spend the night, and then go *PEANUTBUTTER* on Saturday. It was meant to be a more relaxing weekend, which was very nice.
Day 7 Saturday
*PEANUTBUTTER* was so fun! Later we arrived back on campus.
Day 8 Sunday
We got to go to church! But it was hard to stay awake during the service due to lack of sleep from gaurd duty. We had delicious *PEANUTBUTTER* for lunch. But after all this, it was back to the strenuous life of ground school. We packed up to live outside for the rest of the week. We did a lot of digging (firepits and "bathrooms"), collecting firewood, building tents, and other camping stuff. No electricity, no heating or cooling systems. The food was never cooked perfectly. We had a lot more responsibilities and we still had to set the alarm for gaurd duties every night. So that was our life for the rest of the week. We also got to write down our preferences for where we would want to serve in the Spring or what leader we may want to be with.
Day 9 Monday
PT, quiet time, breakfast, etc. Then we did a lot of manual labor around campus. PT is always crazy and different than the day before. Surprisingly though, we also did night PT today. We got in groups to carry these huge *PEANUTBUTTER* up to a monument. We learned a good lesson about how brave men who fought for a cause and gave their lives for it. It's crazy to think about it. Believers should be just as willing if not more willing to give their lives for their cause too. We got in pairs and prayed. I loved that time that we had. Afterwards, we got in formation and marched. We marched and didn't stop... our leader marched us right into *PEANUTBUTTER* which turned out to be very scary at first. Yelling and whooping helped distract from the *PEANUTBUTTER*. The cool breeze didn't help either. Then we marched back and picked up our huge *PEANUTBUTTER* and marched back to campus. It was a cold night for camping.
Day 10 Tuesday
The previous day we were given 2 *PEANUTBUTTER* to take care of. It was extremely annoying. They were loud and made a mess. We even had had to take them to gaurd duty with us. But today was a sad and cold day for us and the *PEANUTBUTTER*. The rest is *PEANUTBUTTER*.
Day 11 Wednesday
Today was the day we had our final PT test. Then later we cleared out a place in the forest for the "Exodus". Then we put on PT gear and headed out to the field to play a big game of Murder Ball. (tackle football. no protection. hospital trips are almost inevitable.) We also found out our final team that we would be going overseas with in the Spring. It all happened that night. It was so exciting meeting my team and finding out our destination. We will be in a cold mountainous area in central Asia. There are two other girls on my team and I love our leader too. We prayed and then talked about what we might be doing in central Asia. I'm extremely excited. ...but after all this excitement, we began the hardest part of ground school. It involved staying awake and focused for the next four hours while sitting and listening to a *PEANUTBUTTER*.
Day 12 Thursday
We did a special PT that morning that involved *PEANUTBUTTER*, carrying heavy *PEANUTBUTTER*, teamwork, and lots of walking. After that we made breakfast and prepared for the Exodus. The Exodus was basically *PEANUTBUTTER*. But after that, we were done. Finished with ground school. It felt SO good. We could do nothing but collapse on the ground in pure joy. The leaders had us march for the last time out in front of the dorm building for the cross ceremony. It was beautiful. Then we had the best meal I had ever tasted. And truthfully that's the last thing I remember of Thursday. Showering and sleeping never felt so wonderful. Praise the Lord.
Day 13 Friday
The guys were so nice and got up before 8 (which was supposed to be our breakfast time) and they made french toast, eggs, and hashbrowns for everyone. We got to wear normal clothes today and we had a debriefing session to talk about ground school and how the rest of the semester would work. We got our laptops, watches, cell phones, and wallets back. Number 1 priority was to call my mom and dad. Priority number 2: proclaim to Facebook that I survived and thrived. Then my team went out to dinner. The leaders are finally my good friends, and not my intimidating masters.
Saturday
I've been reflecting on all that I've learned these past 2 weeks. Though it was probably the hardest two weeks of my life, it was also the time that God taught me the most. The first week, God showed me the sin my life, down to the tiniest bits. I've been full of pride, so judgemental, selfish, and often careless. Every one of my actions has a consequence. Each action affects others and that effect could be bigger than I imagined. Losing or forgetting one thing could mean a huge punishment for someone else.
The second week, I felt distant from God, which is totally not true because God never leaves or forsakes us. What I really felt distant from... was comfort. It's SO easy to be tight with God when I'm at home doing quiet time on my bed with no distractions, perfect temperature, a full stomach, and a good night's rest. But when I've had little sleep, tasteless food, I'm sitting in the dry grass, ants crawling on my leg, sun beating down on my back, it's HARD to focus on God. I'm so sorry for ever taking for granted the spare time I had to spend with God, to serve. I've been filled with joy, peace, patience, and great love that I'm so excited to spread. Thank you all for prayers. God was there every moment, working in every participant. Greater things are yet to come.
Joshua 1:9 "Have I not commanded you? Be STRONG and COURAGEOUS. Do not be terrified, do not be discouraged. For the Lord your God WILL be with you wherever you GO."
