It’s day 4 at training camp in Gainesville, Georgia at the AIM headquarters and it’s been awesome. Since I’ve been here all my fear about an all-girl team has been thrown away. The head-leaders within these few days have told us about the concept of “giving feedback” to one another. My first thoughts, “What do they mean as feedback? Like feedback on my life, how I do what I do?? I don’t want anyone’s help. Are they joking?” Nope, they were not joking.
I continued to listen to what they were explaining about this so-called “feedback.” My initial judgment didn’t last long because once I grasped the concept of how we, the team should act and be, I didn’t know why I never was told about feedback before! Our team should be a safe place, a place of consideration and courage, always prefering someone over ourself, trusting and loving . We should never bring the constructive criticism to others. Meaning after someone gives you feedback that is constructive criticism, you don’t go back and tell everyone how mean Emma is because you’re offended or try to justify yourself. We have the right to feel offended but we don’t have any right to infect everyone, and why would we want everyone else to be infected with your misery, you feel crappy so why make others feel crappy? We must take the time to process the feedback and it probably won’t be offensive anymore because you realized they were saying it out of love. The leaders weren’t telling us to agree with all feedback we recieve but rather telling us to listen to it and realize feedback most likely is something we don’t notice we do! Clearly there are no fights, no rights, and no entitlements. Nobody is entitled to anything, we are all equal and full of God’s love for one another! The response should always be thank you.
The core reason for giving feedback is believing that the people in your community, your team, your life, are in the process of becoming the best possible version of themselves, and with the best of intentions we can help mold eachother into the greatest women God created us to be. So did I mention that 90% of feedback is positive? YUP, I found out about good feedback, amazingly, loving feedback.
So in order to give it we need to be courageous, compassionate, and truthful for and to one another. The concept is to observe one another and make a suggestion to either help or to tell when we are most glowing with God’s love and beauty.
((I wish all girls and women could grasp this concept.))
Here is my story about feedback: Wednesday, September 8th I arrived at the airport in Atlanta, Georgia. I had just gotten my luggage and was sweating so much because of how nervous I felt (also because of how sick the flight had made me feel obviously I would get motion sick). I was walking around a bend in the airport and saw a group of people my age sitting in this big atrium with tons of luggage, I knew that was my team. I started to panic, my eyes swelled up with tears, I was ready to run into the phone booth that was across the way call my Mom and tell her to tell my Dad he had to come pick me up because I didn’t want to go anymore. And honestly if my trip wasn’t God-led I would have already sprinted half way home (I lose my breath when I sing for 10 seconds so I don’t know how the sprinting would have occured) but God pushed me and told me to go. I walked down the way and was now standing in the entrance way to the atrium. He pushed me in.
I asked if this was the right place that Adventures In Missions was meeting and the answer was yes. I walked over to where team Swaziland was sitting and as of 1:30 pm it consisted of myself, Rachel, Merideth, Emily, and Emma. I looked at them all and said Hi (obviously…what else would I have said?). I was still shaking and not directly looking at any of them but when I looked up, I saw Rachel’s gorgeous face and became still. She was smiling such a big, joyful smile with a consistent giggle every 2 seconds or so. I have never felt more relieved, happy, peaceful, and grateful at the same time and never had I felt any of those feelings when looking at someone’s face It was the weirdest thing that I was at peace because of Rachel and she didn’t even know it. She kept my feet on the ground and I had only known her for 5 minutes, not even! I felt God’s love and sincerity through her and onto me, literally I can’t even explain how at peace I was. It was like the lake upstate when it wasn’t moving from the wind, it was just gently swaying, calm and peaceful. All my fear and doubt were gone. Rachel impacted my life incredibly so and she had no idea, she made the biggest difference in my life and I’ll forever remember that moment.
The following night I told Rachel this story along with team Swazi. I wanted to let her know my feedback about how vastly she changed my life, forever. I couldn’t hold it in, I told her with tears in my eyes how much of a difference she made, how comforted I had felt when her beauty and joyful giggle were dancing around my head in the same moment I wanted to run home. She said thank you and that was that. I know she will remember what I said to her especially because I will keep reminding her how she changed my choice to stay or run from God’s plan for my life. 😀 !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can’t wait to see what God has planned for Rachel in Swaziland and more and all the difference she will make all over the world. Can you imagine how much of a difference she’ll make with God’s help and others, if this is how much she impacted me?!!!
Feedback is awesome.
P.S. The rest of The Swazi Bunch are also the greatest people ever (don’t they look super in the picture above?!). I already love them so much, it’s the weirdest thing to feel so close after only 4 days of knowing eachother. We leave tomorrow for Swaziland, Africa and we all are so grateful to have the opportunity to be holding orphans while there. Thank you GOD, we’ll be bold for you! AMEN!
love love love,
Dauna Lynn DeMarsico !
