Jul
7
The SPECIAL
Filed Under AIA Track & Field Ministry
The SPECIAL is a unique competition put on by Athletes in Action. It is the ULTIMATE competition and from what I’ve gathered, not one SPECIAL is the same as the others. I had heard about this over the years and have heard how challenging and rewarding (afterwards) it is. I decided to partake in it this camp for a couple reasons. 1) I wanted to feel and experience what so many had gone through…to be able to understand them and feel what they felt and 2) I wanted to experience the challenge.
The three track teams were going to take on this SPECIAL and at lunch before it all began, there was a draft. Eight captains were chosen by the staff – 2 captains for each team (male and female). Before we began, we helped officiate a track meet at Lebanon High School.
Towards the end of the meet, it started raining and by the time we left, it began to downpour. We headed out to the AIA track and the SPECIAL began about 9:30pm. The entire SPECIAL lasted from 9:30pm Tuesday evening and lasted until about noon Wednesday afternoon. The most sleep anyone got was maybe 3 hours…maybe. And yes, those times are correct, no typo there.
Greg Thompson, a member of the Latin America track tour, is an amazing photographer and put together a slide show for everyone. He captured the intensity, the exhaustion and the brokenness brilliantly. Check out the video here
The competition consisted of angle ball, ultimate frisbee, relays, speed kickball, more relays, a wee bit of sleep, the ark of the covenant, water relays followed by the infamous Galgatha run.
Below is what I posted on our team blog following the competition:
The last 24 hours can only be described with one word…intense. The three track teams endured the gruelling SPECIAL. I (Jodi) have been affiliated with Athletes in Action for many years and had heard about the SPECIAL and have been on staff for four months, yet never had done it nor seen it. I decided to participate for a couple of reasons. The first was to experience all that I had heard from so many people and the second was to be able to relate and understand what so many people have gone through. I knew it was going to be tough and I questioned whether or not I would be able to finish, since it has been like 6 years since I was in the best shape of my life.
I had heard from many people how amazing and how spiritual the SPECIAL is and moments where they just felt the presence of God. I didn’t necessarily have a moment like that. We started out at 9:30pm last night, in the pouring rain, with games of angle ball (sweet game), ultimate frisbee (the game our team just could not pull together), speed kickball, random relays and the 20min relay. The rain came and went, which just added to the experience. After all of that, at about 2:30am, we were allowed to finally get to bed…but not for long. Depending upon how your team finished up, that determined what time you needed to wake up in the morning – the first team needing to wake up at 5am, then 5:30, then 6, then 6:30. The next activity was to carry the “ark of the covenant” (a long 4×4 with a tire hanging from it) all over headquarter’s campus on a scavenger hunt to find 5 quizzes. After a brief break, we were then off to the pool for more relays. A lot of people were taken out of their element, but it was so encouraging to see everyone else surround each other with support – whether they were on your “team” or not.
Then came my moment. After all of those activities, we headed out to the part of the SPECIAL I had been dreading. I had heard about this and was not necessarily looking forward to it. After being wiped out, cramped up and just physically and mentally tired, we headed up “Galgatha.” We were given a 4 foot 2×4 and we had to run down a hill and then run back up the hill with the 2×4 placed on our back/shoulders and if becoming a human cross. Afterwards we were told the entire loop consisted of about a mile. On my way down, a song popped into my head and I began to repeat the words to the chorus, Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe. Sin had left a crimson stain, He washed it white as snow. Having experienced a FRACTION of what He went through on that Good Friday, these words brought a whole new meaning. As I reached the bottom of the hill and placed that 2×4 on top of my shoulders and started making my way back up, I couldn’t help but to be consumed with an overwhelming feeling of deep gratitude. As I went up, I could hardly move. I tried running, but my hamstrings and hip flexors were so tight. I praised God. He took this same road (an infinitely harder road) so I don’t have to. He stepped in to take my place…to accept the consequences of my sins. He was our ultimate sacrifice, our true redeemer, our true Savior.
By experiencing a fraction of what our Lord and Savior went through, I am humbled that someone would sacrifice themself for people all over the world – those who came, those who were and those who are still to come. Jesus paid it all and all of it to Him I owe. The crimson stain that sin poured out over the world, was washed white as snow the day Jesus Christ died on that cross and rose again.