During the last week we finally got to meet our team/family for the next year and we were taken to the bush just outside of town for some teambuilding, at least that was what we thought. On the first day we got to challenge ourselves on different levels, seeing if we can keep our eye on the goal while paint balls are whizzing all around you, reaching new heights walking on ropes a few meters up in the air and lastly testing our communication skills.
However the next morning at 4am we were woken up with the Survivor theme song blaring from the sound system. We all gathered with our flashlights, hats and water bottles, ready to go and watch the sunrise from the nearest hill. Once we were on top we were informed that we will not be returing to the campsite for the next three days, we need to collect food that has been placed all over, find an allocated campsite and build our own shelter. Tree mail will be delivered throughout the day informing us of our next move/challenge and the reward was always our next meal or items from your bag in the cabin not too far away.
It was amazing to see how the Lord can unite people as a body once we are willing to submit to Him. Everyone helped out and did their best in the challenges and although our team didn't win all of the challenges we felt like winners because we tried to honour the Lord through our actions and words and to keep our integrity throughout, even if it meant that we all had to eat dog food (which by the way does not taste like real meat). The evenings were tough, sleeping on a bed of grass, leaves or sand without any blankets in thr freezing cold and with the shelters leaking.
This made me realise how comfortable we live without really identifying with those less fortunate than us, because in the end we return to the comfort of our own lives. I did not always understand why we had to go through this, challenging ourselves to this extreme, but looking at the work the Lord has done in our team I will not change a thing! We learnt how to praise God in the good times, but also in the bad times, how to not only trust God, but the people He has placed around us and lastly that we live in excess, all we REALLY need is God!