hey everybody ! it's only been about a week since i last blogged but i just had to come on here and tell you all about the world race open house! this saturday my mom and i (and baby everly!) drove down to gainesville, georgia to the adventures in missions (AIM) base! 

before applying for the race i watched numerous vlogs and had seen many pictures from training camp, so the base seemed oddly familiar, even though this was my first time seeing it! the staff was so friendly and the place felt super homey! 

i was the first person from my own squad that was there so i was super nervous knowing i was about to meet some of the people i had been talking to for about a month! and soon after i was meeting ella, hailey, andi, jaide, coryn, and abby! and i also met my advisor, drew, and some other staff like carly (who was my advisor when i was in general admissions). and quickly we got along and were cracking jokes! 

we sat through a bunch of sessions about fundraising, a day-in-the-life of a racer, insurance (yikes!), and the heart and mission of AIM! they talked a lot about pouring ourselves out to people and bringing kingdom into all the world! we are fisher of men and we must leave ALL behind to properly be the missionary we are. i also loved learning more about the heart behind fundraising, as it is a ministry in itself and is an incredible tool to use in missions and with the people around you. 

as the day went on things just became so real for me. i'm leaving the country with some of these people, and in about 8 months i will find myself back in gainesville for 10 days of training camp. i never could have imagined myself in a place like this, and i'm blown away by God everyday of this journey. 

if you have any questions about the things i learned i would love to talk to you (or email!) so just let me know! love this place already!

below are some pictures some the pictures my squadmates i took !! see yall soon! 

-gretchen