Back from Training!

WoW, what an interesting last week!  Started off AMAZING, became a bit challenging but ended with great knowledge..

Last Tuesday we left Croatia for the Amazing race and training in Czech.  We had to start driving at 12 that night and did not arrive till 12 that next day.  Needless to say, we were all VERY exhausted.  We had to meet up with the other intern teams in the Prague airport for our race rules and departure.  By 345 we were on our way!

When we were given our first clue we headed to the bus and made our way into the busy town.  After finishing our first challenge (finding a specific shoe store) we were given our next clue to head into Pragues town square.  This is where my team went into full gear!  The challenge was to be given a picture of a structure somewhere within a mile radius, find the structure and answer a question form a JV staff.  If we got the question wrong we had to go back to the starting point.  If answered correctly, we were given a puzzle piece.  When we answered all 8 and collected all 8 pieces we were able to move onto our next challenge.  As we ran ALL around the square, what we did not notice was that we were the ONLY ones running.  When we headed to our next challenge we took over first place.  By 730 that evening we ended up in the best hostel that I have ever been in and took our first place price (breakfast in the morning).
By the way, at the beginning we were given so much money and with that money we could use it for food and travel, if we ran out before we crossed the finish line... then it looks like we would be hitch-hiking a long way:) 
As the next morning came we were feeling great; fully rested, had a great breakfast and leaving 15 minutes before the next group!  We told ourselves its a great day for a morning run and we were OFF!!!!  This day consisted of a LOT of running, eating brains and intestines (not joking.. actual brain and intestines.. someone actually had a tooth in theirs..ahhh).  We spent time in a cemetery, bus stations, running back and forth on the charelston bridge, one of our teammates even had to get a nose piercing. There was a legend in Prague that if you and your lover put a lock at this certain place and throw the key in the river that your love would last forever, well over time there became an OVERLOAD of locks, like hundreds of locks on this little gate.  Our challenge was to be given a key and to find which lock goes to that key.  When we got the lock we ran to the train station (5pm)where we met another JV staff and collect our prize (a yummie dinner)!  After dinner we were told that we had to wait for the other teams to arrive and then we would all be taking a 12 o'clock train.
next thing you know we are on a 5 hour trip to the Poland where we had our next day adventures.  When we got off the train we were ALL equaled out.  However, team Croatia was prepared:) after the second challenge that morning we were back in the lead!  We had teams on our back the entire last day so there was a lot more stress which just made us run harder.  Our last challenge was to paint and hammer in posts (when finished would create a sheep pen).  We finished about 3 posts before any other group and had to book it to the cars.  An hour later we were crossing the finish line!!!!!!!!! 
Later on that night we were told that we ended up running 11 miles the first day and who knows about the second or third.. WOW we were tired!!!!!

It was so exciting to see our team work together!  The entire time we were encouraging each other, in prayer, full or energy.. I truly can explain how close to perfection it was!

After the race we went to the JV camp, it was the most beautiful location in Czech.  This was a very challenging week.  I had a very strange feeling while I was there.  I was feeling insecure, very introverted, quiet...  I could not explain why I was feeling this until the last night we went through Ephesians ch. 6 on spiritual warfare.  I realized thats EXACTLY what was going on with me.  The next morning I had emails from 3 of the greatest friends filled with encouraging, loving words!!!!  I was able to reflect the entire drive back to Croatia and I kid you not, while in the drive..poof.. I felt this great weight lifted off of me.  Through prayer and reflection I realized how much spiritual warfare goes on in Europe.  It is scary to think how easy it is for us to be mislead by lies and insecurities.  But I pray that it makes me that much more dependent on the Lord.