I think this time at CGA will be more life-changing than The World Race.
One of the biggest things people experience on The Race is true community. The community that is formed on the race is crazy and, in a way exaggerates real life. Adventures does this on purpose I think; they create an environment where vulnerability feels more safe, and when everyone is being super vulnerable with each other they naturally create a very close community. One of the hardest things about coming home from the race is the lack of community. When you experience such a dramatic form of community and you learn what it looks like to move as a true body you can’t easily go back to how life used to be. To be frank, most people in America do not truly know what deep community is. There are exceptions, obviously, but in-large people are very task and schedule focused and building those sorts of deep relationships do not fit into that mind set very well. The hardest thing for returning racers is trying to build those relationships, and many racers I have talked to (and including myself) even started feeling a bit depressed after coming off the field. The race is an overwhelming introduction to community, but it does not teach how to build that once back in America.
When I signed up for CGA I did not know what I was signing up for. I knew God wanted me here, I knew this was a good step to take towards leading world race trips, and I figured I would probably have the community back again. This is not just some training program though, this is so serious. So far we have spent a lot of time diving into the depths of who we are individually, finding our weaknesses and our blind spots and taking them to The Lord and sometimes just weeping because it hurts. We are knowing ourselves and how to lead ourselves, because if you can’t lead yourself you have no business leading other people. We are also growing ourselves, putting into action things that are very scary and/or difficult, this is the safest place to fail. For instance, one day a speaker came in and taught us about evangelizing, and the next day they sent us out and said ‘now go do it’. We had no tracks, we did not bring our bibles, we were just to do it. I think CGA will be the most growing thing I have ever done. The goal here is truly to be able to lead people as a servant and build community with intention and vulnerability. If the World Race was an introduction to community, CGA is how to create it, and so much more.
Honestly though, this is possibly one of the hardest things I have ever done. It is not like school, or training, or a normal discipleship program. This is exploring my failings and shortcomings and blind spots, leaning into the hard times so that God can teach through them and change me into the leader He wants. God is tearing me down, destroying me, to build his own leader out of me. There are many more lessons on vulnerability and brokenness coming, and later in CGA we will move on to other areas of leadership.
Support raising update:
I am at about $2,500 out of $6,000 and the deadline is for that $6,000 is December 1st. If you want to join my team you can support me here (all donations are tax deductible). If everyone in CGA meets the support raising goal by December 1st we will do a Capstone trip somewhere for a few weeks after CGA to put into practice all the things that have been instilled into us over these months. Prayer support is always needed, specifically you could pray for the willingness to lean into the hard things and pain so that The Lord can grow me as much as possible.
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