Hey everyone!

And just like that, training camp is over. This morning we gathered our stuff and caravaned our way down to Fort Myers Florida to do hurricane relief. I found myself almost a little sad packing up my tent. This was weird because before coming on the race I really didn’t consider myself a camping girl. But I think I’ve begun to embrace the granola outdoorsy world race aesthetic.

Our squad took on Mount Yonah as part of our physical training. We hiked up and spent the night at the top. It was a complete backpacking experience with hot dogs and smores over a fire for dinner - very camp of us. On a real note though, we got to watch the sunset and stargaze from the top of the mountain. Looking out over Georgia was mesmerizing. The colors and vastness of the sky instill such an incredible sense of awe. God really is such an artist.

It feels so easy to focus on God’s goodness when all you can see is his creation spread out in front of you. However on the other hand it does not feel as easy when you’re quarantined, laying on the training center concrete floor. This is where I spent several days because I had strep throat! It was one of the most painful and miserable illnesses I have ever experienced and it extremely humbled me. But now I am all better (praise the Lord!) and God has given me a new appreciation for health.

I got better just in time to join my team for local ministry. We somehow got assigned to volunteer work at a corn maze. I really thought I was going to miss all of the fun fall activities because I was away from home, but instead my team got our fall girl moment cleaning and arranging pumpkins. We had a blast and the people we were volunteering for were the sweetest people ever. Southern hospitality apparently is a real thing. The whole experience was just a blessing.

The end of training camp snuck up so fast. In my mind there is absolutely no way that we’re already a month deep. But at the same time I’ve been so humbled, learned so much, grown so much, and become so close with the people here. When I think about it that way, there’s no way it’s been ONLY a month. I can't wait to see what the next eight months bring.

For those of you who have been praying, thank you so much! Please pray for continued health for me and my team!

- Sophie

P.S. don’t worry, the baptism blog is in the works :)