ESOAL!!!!! (Emotionally Stretching Event of a Liftetime!!!!!!!)

I sat in my dorm room, anticipating the upcoming event. I was almost ready, and was confident that the Lord would carry me through this challenge. Still, it didn't stop me from wearing my 98% polyester and water resistant socks!!! :D I knew that the Lord was going to teach me a lot, I just didn't realize exactly how much.
We were all trying to carry on with our day as normal. Trying to forget that the most intense event in the history of Teen Mania is about to happen, is not as easy as it sounds. In my ministry placement, I did my best to focus on those I would be speaking with on the phone.
Once work was done we all had to go the auditorium for the Wednesday night service. We sat down waiting for the worship band to come up but ironically, there were no instruments set up on stage like there usually are. Soon enough, pastor Heath Stoner came up to the front and told everyone who was not participating in ESOAL to leave the Auditorium and everyone who was participating to move the chairs off to the side. Right then and there, everyone knew, ESOAL was about to begin.
Mr. Heath Stoner talked to us about the next few steps we were supposed to take in order to be ready for ESOAL. After he finished, he told our group to head down to the football field for some training. About five minuets later we were all down there doing exercises till our arms and legs felt like rubber bands. Once that was over, everyone was ordered to go out to "The Anvil". The anvil is a big cement slab, which at that time was covered in puddles of water. We all lined up in our companies and platoons. (Each platoon had about 9 people, and each company had four or five platoons.) Our company represented South Carolina.
Immediately after we lined up on the anvil, they had us do a lot of various exercises. Some of these were push-ups, sit-ups, squats, jumping jacks, wacky jacks, flutter kicks, rolls, Jane Fonda's, and any other exercise that they could come up with. When ever we messed up, which was quite frequently by the way, we would go get, what they called "Wet and Sandy". This process consisted of, running as fast as we could down to this large 30 foot long, 5 or 6 inch deep puddle and rolling in it. We would then continue by getting out of the water and running a few feet in front of us, into a large sand pit. Then we would fall in the sand and roll, therefore becoming wet and sandy. After we completed the process called "Wet and Sandy", we would run back up onto the anvil as fast as we could and get back into our lines. This continued deep into the night and into the morning. At 2:00 a.m. (this time is an estimation, because we weren't aloud to have a clock or watch), they told us to go to sleep... on the wet anvil. No pillow. No sleeping bag. Nothing but our own flesh and blood for warmth. Before long all the young men and women were gathered into similar gender groups on the wet, puddly (not sure that's a word) anvil. We attempting to sleep, as soft cold raindrops fell on our shivering bodies.
After about 10 or so minuets of attempting this corporate sleep, I decided to leave the anvil for a while. Sleeping in the rain with nothing to sleep on but a wet slab of concrete is a pretty difficult thing to do. I headed off toward the plastic out-houses they had set up for everyone. I ended up running into a group of people that were contemplating sleeping in the out-house because it was so much warmer in there than the cold, wet cement. I started to think they were losing it. Then I began considering the idea. Oh well, It didn't matter anyway. Before I had time to figure out whether or not I wanted to try and sleep in an out-house, I heard a mega-phone tell everyone who was not at the anvil to make their way over to the anvil. I quickly jogged back to my inevitable pain.
After everyone returned they had us do some more workouts, and a lot more people got to go get wet and sandy. After all the strenuous and joyful exercises, they told us to line up in our formations standing at attention. Our majors were coming. We heard a loud rumbling noise. Lights flickered on and off over a small hill just ahead of us. In a few moments, 11 different vehicles came rumbling over the hill. Each vehicle was carrying the flag, major, and captains of each specific company. It was terrifying, yet at the same time, it was honoring. We had come out here to beat our bodies and make them our slaves. We had made it through all this training, and now the real thing was about to start.
continued…
After we were assigned our majors, the training got harder. We went through intense exercises and with small 5-10 minuet intervals of sleep. We would get wet and sandy, and would go onto the anvil and do a variety of activities that involved rolling, crawling, and hopping around the wet anvil. Then, as a consequence for not performing these exercises perfectly, we would once again roll into the lovely pits of water and sand.
My body was cold, wet, shivering, and sore while I attempted to stand at attention. All I could do, was try and have joy, and embrace the situation I was in. Whenever I went to roll through the sand and water, I did my best to have a smile on my face in spite of it. Sometimes it would get to the point where I would be laughing at how strange and surreal all of it was. The things we did got more and more difficult as time inched along. We would do things like pull a bus up a hill, go through flooded obstacle courses, and have a lot of long runs to various places. Finally, it happened. The training ended and what they liked to call "Phase 2" began.
So just to explain to you about some of the "Phases" of ESOAL, Phase 1 was called Training. That is everything that happened so far, in this blog, and it lasted about a day and a half I would assume. Phase 2, also called "The Push" was a lot different. Soon after starting "Phase 2" we were wishing we were back on the anvil getting "Wet and Sandy". It was harder. It was a lot harder.
Some of the things that made Phase 2 harder was the food. During training we had things like clumpy oatmeal, pinto beans, (note that all of this was cold and filled with rain water), and of course lentils. During phase 2 we still had the rain water lentils, but we also had some nice green bean and sweet pea baby food. All I can say, is the green bean didn't stay down too long. Pretty gross. D:
The next thing I want to tell you about the infamous event called "Sleep, no Sleep" but before I do, let me help you see into the mind of an ESOAL participant. Well, when ever you are in the middle of one of their exercise/activities, all you can think is, "I can't believe I'm doing this!". When you are sitting down eating your cold, rain water food, all you can think is, "I could be in my warm bed!" or "I could be eating normal food right now!" or "I've already learned enough from this". You have to constantly remind yourself that you are there because God has you there for this short season. You have to remember that the joy of the Lord is the only strength you can rely on, and without it you are not going to make it.
There is a thing called "Ringing Out" I'd like to tell you about before I get back to "Sleep no Sleep". This is the Phrase used to describe the choice to quit ESOAL and go back to the dorms. Already over half of the people who began ESOAL had rung out under the pressure. There is one reason for this and one reason alone and this I believe with all of my heart. It is simply, they were trusting in themselves going into this, or they stopped trusting in the Lord during it. We heard that bell sound during the night, morning, and afternoon, as people chose to let their flesh control them. Now, there were some cases where they were injured to the point where they could no longer keep going with ESOAL, but it wasn't very often. Most of the time they just gave up.
So all that to say, "Sleep no Sleep" was the event during ESOAL where people Rung Out of ESOAL the most. It always happened during the night. They would have these four or five tubs of freezing cold water, which usually had large ice blocks in them. We would each have to get into the tub for about 10 seconds. After that, we would go by a Bonn fire for a little bit and go back to our sleeping bags, soaking wet. They would give us about 5-10 minuets to sleep, and then repeat the process about two more times during the night. I can only thank the Lord for getting me through it, because "Ringing Out" was definitely on my mind during that time.
Well, this blog is getting pretty long so I'll cut it short for now. Long story short, we were lined up in our platoons shortly after being told that we had entered "Phase three" of ESOAL . At that point Mr. Hasz, also called "The General" told us that one more person was going to ring the bell. Then he had one person come and ring everyone out of ESOAL because we had reached the end!!!!!!! We shouted louder than we had ever shouted in our lives, full of joy and gladness!!! God had triumphed over my flesh and my desires, and carried me through the most intense time of my life, I've yet to have.
I learned something very important during this process. I learned that I can do nothing without the Lord. I learned that under intense circumstances, I would lean on God and not myself. I also learned that when you go through things like this alone, It's impossible, but in a platoon of young men and women who all are in love with Christ, it is more than possible. So, step out in faith. Do the things God gives you to do, and never give up. He will never leave you nor forsake you. Nothing can separate you from His Love
GOD BLESS EVERYBODY!!!!!!! (Philippians 4:13) :D

PS: If you would like to see some videos from the ESOAL event you can look at Trailerclub.blogspot.com. If you are wanting to see videos where I specifically am going through them, you go to the same place and you look for videos about "283". That's the number I was called by during ESOAL. (No names allowed.) I love all of you a whole lot!!!!!!! Later!