Training camp has now ended and I am so excited to get started with expanding The Kingdom! I have gotten to know my squad-mates so well over the last month and a half. We've laughed together; we've cried together, we've sweat and bled together. I cannot wait to experience so much more with them over the coming months. After training camp ended, the guys from our squad and the guys from W squad (the other gap year squad) drove up to Mayfield, Kentucky to do some domestic missions work. Around two years ago, this town was hit by a major tornado and many families lost their homes and had no where to go. An organization called Samaritan's Purse immediately came to their aid. Since the tragic event, Samaritan's Purse has built over 20 homes with the goal of building 60 new homes. After finishing a home, they give it away to the families totally free of charge. Our mission was to go and help in any way we can. We spent a week going to the homes and working for around 6 hours each day. I did jobs such as insulation, painting and trimming, learning many new skills along the way. At the beginning, they asked for volunteers to do devotionals each morning and the Lord told me to volunteer to do the devotional on the last day of the week. So, on the last day, I got in front of all the gap year guys, and each of the foremen from Samaritan's Purse and gave a devotional that I spent a few hours writing and coming up with the day before. The Lord helped me tremendously to write it and I was proud of what He gave me. I used many scriptures and some of my own testimony and it turned out great. (I will link the devotional if you'd like to listen). After Kentucky, we drove back to Georgia to have a week-long debrief. I am so excited to head to Cambodia and take what I learned in Kentucky to apply it all over the world!

[audio m4a="http://joelsimons.theworldrace.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9073/2023/12/Joels-Devotional.m4a"][/audio]