2 July 2011

Today was our small group’s last day of kitchen duty! We did a clean-up after breakfast, and then we were done. We all had to pack our own lunches during breakfast too, because today was the day of the big road-trip to Tennessee and the World Race! We piled into the two buses (plus two other cars, and to trailers for luggage and sound equipment), and we were off! North Carolina is BEAUTIFUL, and I was so grateful for the opportunity to see a little more of it. The parts we were driving through reminded me a little of the Natal Midlands – very green, wooded and mountainous. We stopped for lunch at a stunning place called Lake Junaluska (where we were entertained by what seemed to be an inter-youth group volley ball match and a VERY cute little boy and his bunny rabbit). One of the buses just wouldn’t get going again – but luckily it turned out that it was just gas (how American am I becoming?!). Towards the end of the trip we wound along the Nantahala River, which is soooooooo pretty! After what felt like an AGE (lots of stops for loo-breaks with so many travellers – 41 bodies in total!) we eventually arrived in Tennessee, at the mountain camp-site. We were greeted by some VERY enthusiastic welcoming-committee types, and shown to our lodgings. All the soon-to-be-World-Racers are staying in their tents dotted about the field, so we’re living it up in luxury compared to them. Luxury here equals three-tiered bunk beds! But the cabins are rather sweet – all out of wood. There are 20 of us girls in one room! Should be fun.

After putting our stuff down, we headed towards the meeting hall. We had supper outside, and then a great time of worship with Jonathan and Melissa and band. We were all holding back a little, so as not to frighten the wide-eyed racers! Some still looked a little freaked out... but it’s ok, we’ll gradually warm them up to it! There was a brief intro to what the World Race is all about. The speaker was saying that often God has to bring us out before He can bring us in – like the Israelites coming out of Egypt so that they could enter the promised land. God has to take us out of our comfort and the way we like to do things, so that He can take us into adventure, and into a bigger picture of who He is. The first few days of this training time is all about people’s hearts – where they’re at. We can’t be effective at loving people until we know how to love ourselves. I think this is going to be a fun weekend! Looking forward to seeing what God does :o)

The sign outside our cabin said "18 Inch Woman" (singular). Sounded like something out of a carnival show: "And now for the 18 Inch Woman!" Well, we stayed in her dressing room.