It seemed like an unreachable amount. To travel to 11 different countries in 11 months cost an overwhelming $16,277. I found out about the race when I was 18, and I thought about it on and off for three years. I applied the day I turned 21, I sat in the White Rabbit (a local coffee shop) overwhelmed by the application process alone. I saw that a Georgia area code was calling me one day during my Spanish class and ignored it, only to call back and hear that I was accepted. I started to fundraise and went to training camp, followed by leaving the country on July 2 to begin the race in South Africa. And now I am closing up month 5 in Nepal, checking off things slowly on my to-do list before we leave to Vietnam tomorrow.
Before I left, I thought it was pride that made me unwilling to tell family, friends, and people I have never even met before that I needed help with fundraising. But I realized that it’s not pride that keeps me from reaching out, but rather it’s a matter of vulnerability. I always feel awkward taking money from people, let alone asking them to help me by donating an amount that was so large.
You know what really sucked? Having someone tell me that I wasn’t going to get ahead of a single deadline in fundraising, that they felt like God was for sure going to provide but at the wire. You know what was even worse? It was three people who said this to me before I left. And sure enough, I have met every deadline, but only at the last minute. God’s funny like that. Each time I’ve been extremely nervous, quick to forget his provision for this and every other time he has shown up in my life. I laughed as funds trickled in for my third deadline, not because it was particularly funny, but more at my disbelief.
So here I am $5,653 away from being fully funded and the final deadline is January 1st, roughly 38 days away. Seem unreachable? Suddenly it doesn’t to me anymore. My teammate Chantai was the one who told me that fundraising is vulnerable, but she also told me to be daring in it and see how the Lord shows up. So here I am, vulnerably daring and letting you know that I need help to meet my next deadline. I need 38 people to pledge to donate a one time donation of $150.00 and I will be fully funded. You can donate any amount still and it all helps, but I ask that you pray about if $150.00 is something you will be able to do. I also ask that you continue to pray as I have completed half the race, and are about to get into the last half. Finally I ask that you help me by sharing this blog and getting the word out there.
God is rocking me all the time; he shows me things that breaks my heart as it also breaks his, certain things have been brought to the surface that I thought I had dealt with that I instead just pushed down. He has given me certain desires and dreams for my life. These last five months have been the hardest best experience I’ve done and I am eagerly awaiting the next six, both the good and rough.
