My dearly loved friends and family,
Where do I even begin with all my thanks to you for helping
make this year possible? One friend
suggested I design t-shirts, with a picture of me grinning and holding a
‘thumbs up’, and mail them to everyone, but I figured not many would really
enjoy that. 🙂 (I suppose if anyone really wants one like
that, perhaps I could arrange it. Ha ha!)
I wish I could have come home with gifts of the world for
each of you, but alas, I have too many people who love me and have invested time,
prayer and money into me and my journey to do that. Now finally, is the letter
that instead of asking for money, is telling you to cease sending checks to
AIM!!
Thanks to God that through you, all $13,000 of my support
came in, right up to the very end. At
the beginning, I wasn’t sure I would make it all the way through, but the Lord
wanted to prove his great faithfulness to me in the midst of my lack of
faith. Many of you have been faithful
financial supporters of the last 2 years of this crazy adventure called my
life, and even more have given gifts when you can, many anonymously, making
sacrifices to invest in the Kingdom of God.
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Also, the amazing prayer backing I had was undeniable. I could feel your prayers when I needed
them, and truly believe that my great health during the year, and the awesome
team unity we experienced were greatly due to those prayers. I never want to be without such a great
spiritual support!
There are a few people I wish to thank especially, which is
risky, because I may leave someone out, but I have to at least have a go at it!
*Mom and Dad – Thanks for always supporting and
encouraging me to go where I feel God leads, without restraint or
complaint. I have a feeling that is a
blessing I don’t even fully understand.
You have set me free to fly, and still welcome me home with open
arms. Thanks for letting me grow,
loving me unconditionally, and praying me through the rough spots of my life,
even when it’s been hard on you. I love
you both!
*All my siblings – Anne (Juli, Aidan), Seth, Mike, Heidi, Hannah,
Karyssa and Daniel – I love you all so much! You make me NEED to come home.
Thanks for always supporting me, emotionally and financially (by loaning
me some spending money this year!). I’m
around to stay for a while to just be with you!
*My grandparents – you are all amazing. Thanks for encouraging me to go on this
crazy trip, and not ever telling me that I was crazy for doing it! I couldn’t ever have better grandparents
than you. You have loved me, prayed for me, funded me – thank you! I love you!
*Lynn, Janet, Diane, Cathy D – your prayers, and
money are so appreciated, but even more – carepackages and friendships. Thanks for commenting on my blogs, so that I
wouldn’t forget to email you. I have
established friendships with you from around the world when I have known you
for many years without that. I am so
blessed by your sacrifices, your honest hearts and your incredible
encouragement! I look forward to
continuing in person!
*Greg and Julie – I always know you are behind me,
lifting me up in prayer and encouraging me.
I loved seeing your names in my e-mail, announcing you had commented on
my blog – thanks for asking about me when my blogs were inconsistently posted. I
can’t wait to talk more with you about my trip. Thank you for the sacrifices
you have made, because you know the value of investing in the Kingdom. I have much to learn from you both.
*Everyone who was ever a volunteer in New Orleans with
me. It blesses me to no end that
God uses people who pass for such a short time through my life to support me in
my journey. I sincerely wish I could
see you all again, and share life with one another again. (I may make it to Auburn, WA this year…) What an amazing bunch of people you all
are. Thank you for your continued support
this year.
*There are many of you that surprised me with your gifts,
showing up in the middle of the year, when I needed money – people I know and
people I didn’t know, or still don’t.
Thanks for being obedient when the Lord said ‘give.’ I always wanted to
jump up and down and give you all hugs when I saw your names. Thanks for loving me. Hundreds of dollars
came in anonymously, and it’s hard for me to just chill out and not wonder,
wonder, wonder from whom it came. 🙂 But for all of that,
to all of whoever you may be, many thanks.
*To all those who have prayed for me – everyone I know and each of you that I don’t know, or know you are praying for me. I couldn’t have done this without you.
I pray that God richly blesses you all in awesome ways,
for your obedience and faithfulness to Him.
Your investment is truly into the Kingdom of God, in so many ways.
