It is amazing to me how much my life has drastically changed in the short span of the last five days. Over the course of this week I have learned so many lessons spiritually, in cheerleading, and teaching, and have met the people who will become like family to me as we travel together this summer.
I am now a part of an organization called FCC which stands for the Fellowship of Christian Cheerleaders, which travels the country and teaches cheerleading camps for middle and high school squads across the country. This week all the staff members came together for what we call "work week" to learn how to run a camp effectively and also get to know each other.
Addi and I left for Georgia Monday morning and I grilled her on what the atmosphere was going to be like when we arrived. I have never been a big fan of new things and change, so I was nervous about what I would encounter upon our arrival. I was (and still am!) so thankful that I had her to help talk me through each step of the process and lovingly answer any questions that I asked.
Work week officially began on Tuesday evening, and the directors wasted no time in getting us sweating. We started out with tumbling, and quickly moved to stunting, where I was placed as a base. I hadn't based anything more than a prep before in my life, so my stomach cringed with nerves as I began putting up different stunts. Some stunts I performed well for not having much experience, but others didn't come as easily. I was really beginning to feel discouraged when disaster struck.
I was basing a girl doing a full-down, and when she twisted around, her elbow drilled me in the cace. It hurt, but I was prepared to just walk it off before jumping right back in, that is, until I saw the way people were looking at me. I felt my upper lip and drew my fingers back, covered in blood. I ran to the bathroom and placed myself in front of the mirror to assess the damage. I had a X about a quarter of an inch long on my top lip, and, after noticing my top teeth covered in blood as well, a wound on the inside of my mouth too. When I had made contact with the elbow, it had pushed my lip under my teeth, so I had essentially bitten right through my upper lip.
Three hours later I was sitting on a bed in the emergency room, wincing as the physicians assistant slathered up my wound with super glue, discouraged, and desperately wanting to be somewhere else.
Over the following days I was not allowed to do much stunting for fear that I would bump my lip and cause it to split open again. On Day 2 of work week I assumed the nickname "Scarface," which, by the end of the week, I responded faster to than my own name.
Work week was run like the camps that we will be putting on in the weeks to come, with opportunities for hands on experience as well as some note-taking sessions. The only spare moments to be had were at mealtimes, and getting more than 6 or 7 hours of sleep a night was a major accomplishment. FCC staff stunted, tumbled, laughed, and ached together constantly, and at the end of every evening, worshipped together at the hotel.
The week proved to be a very challenging experience at many times. I often battled feelings of inadequacy and insecurity, wondering why I had been chosen for staff when it seemed that I was one of the the least talented people present. I was also very overwhelmed and scared about all the responsibilities I would have once camps began, and fought tears often. I was so thankful for every encouraging word that was spoken to me during the long days, whether it was about my facials, or how tight my motions were, because each kind word lifted me up more than anyone could have known.
The very last night of work week, Cary Coleman, the president of FCC spoke to us and asked us to surrender any junk that we might have in our lives that would hold us back from reaching campers for Christ this summer. He listed off several areas of life that may need to be reconciled before God, and when the words "fear and insecurity" came out of his mouth, I felt my heart knocking around in my chest. I had been battling fear and insecurity for days. So, last night I surrendered my negative feelings, and prayed and talked with my dear friend Addi.
I really hope that over this summer, God will use me. I'm not the most talented cheerleader ever, but in the Bible, the ordinary people God used for extraordinary purposes were not always the best of the best in their arenas either. Gideon was called into battle despite his weaknesses, Moses was called to speak Pharaoh despite his speech problem, and David was called to kill Goliath despite his age. Therefore, I am choosing to trust that I will be equipped with everything I need to make a difference in the lives of cheerleaders where ever I end up, form lasting relationships, and have a lot of fun with my staff members along the way.
My family for the summer. I'm on the right hand side in bunny ears, making a funny face because the glue on my lip made smiling with teeth impossible. Stay tuned for many pictures of me making stupid faces on Facebook, folks.
