Training Day

Jul 3, 2008

I thought I’d be bored. It’s tough flying 28 hours to Africa only to spend a day training. However, Rebecca of the Thrive Africa staff  was able to educate us completely, leaving us feeling surprisingly ready (or as ready as we can be with so many unknowns) and yet not drowning in an overkill of info.

After lunch (during which one of our team–whom shall remain nameless for now–ate the leftovers off nearly everyone’s plate), we worked with Josh, another Thrive staff, who led us to a low ropes obstacle course. Not only was it a heap of fun, we learned a lot about each other as well. For example, DSC_0054 I discovered Kevin has—how shall we say—limited balance skills. Fortunately, he isn’t planning to join the circus. However, standing stronger than his wobbly legs was his obvious natural leadership ability packaged in a soon-to-be-a-college-freshman’s body. VERY cool. I also learned my own husband has an uncanny ability on a tight rope (who knew???), as well as Mitch (a football player) and Bethany (who just came to us after spending some time in a broken Kenya). DSC_0061 Laura’s uncharacteristically long arms came in quite handy as she stretched from rope to rope, and—this comes as no surprise—she never failed to encourage anyone who was struggling. Alex hunkered down in a perfect weightlifting stance while expertly sliding step by step on an unstable cable (effective, not picturesque).

Long story short, though none of us were graceful or experts by any means, we each did our part while the other twelve encouraged and applauded and cheered (thank you, Lauren & Alyssa). This show of faith and support left me thinking our highly comic display was—in fact—beautiful. Though we began this adventure 48 hours ago as an oddly mixed assortment of thirteen, many of whom didn’t know each other, we emerged from today’s training as a unified and dynamic family who absolutely adore each other. DSC_0056

Tomorrow, here we come.

2 Comments

  1. Marla

    Thanks for the blog entries. I couldn’t get through them without a tear, which made me glad I haven’t seen that movie you were talking about… I’m so proud of all of you, venturing out into an unfamiliar world to do Jesus’ work. It sounds like you’re having a blast geting to know each other and preparing for your next task. Keep us posted! We’ll be watching you every step of the way, and praying for your continued excitement, energy, and health!

    Reply
  2. Jan @ Bold & Free

    I’m in trouble if you have to have rope skills to go to Africa. LOL.

    And no shots of you? Hmm. Tell DH you should be in the next one.

    Reply

Submit a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Download a Preview of Michele's New Book,
A Faith that Will Not Fail

A Faith that Will Not Fail is available for pre order. Get a free preview of the book by filling out the form below..

Thank you! I am excited to have you on board.

Get the Video Series in Your Inbox

You'll receive one video in your inbox for 7 days.  

Done! Check your email to confirm.

Get the 7-Day Video Series Delivered to YourEmail

You will receive one video per day for seven consecutive days.

Great! Check your email to confirm.

Let's Stick Together

 By subscribing you are agreeing to receive Michele's occasional blog posts, videos and newsletters in your email. Subscribers get exclusive access to her free premium resources.

Yay! Thank you! I am excited to have you on board.

Skip to content