“Why am I doing this?” It’s a question I’ve asked myself often in regards to the World Race. I’m supposed to be writing a blog once a month but honestly, I’ve been struggling trying to figure out what to write about. It all seems pretty mundane and simple: raising $17,017 is hard. I’ve considered just writing “Raising $17,017 is hard” as my blog post and being done with it, but I think Future AnnaGrace would really appreciate Present AnnaGrace documenting my fundraising experience a little bit more than that.
I was accepted to the World Race in January and almost immediately after, the “unexpected expenses” that people kept telling me about started rollin’ in. I’m a big planner, so unexpected expenses are kind of unacceptable in my mind. Because of this, it seems as if calling my mom in stress-tears has become a part of my weekly routine. Once in a while, I’ll stop and realize how much I have to do, raise, sell and pay off and ask myself “why am I doing this?” As much as I’d like to say that it’s because I’m such a good Christian and “I just can’t imagine not doing what God has asked of me”, sometimes the only thing that’s keeping me going is asking God “can you please just make me want to do this again?” I’m also constantly asking him to fight off these doubts, because there are a bunch of them. The cool thing is, my God answers prayers.
Although these past few months have been filled with trials, God has also shown me that the World Race is not about me. It’s also not just about what we do on the field. The fundraising is a part of the journey as well. If you want to know what uncertainty feels like, try fundraising for the World Race. It’s scary, but I’ll tell you this: my faith has been strengthened. God comes through.
Now, here’s an update on my fundraising: A few of weeks ago I started a fundraiser called Adopt-A-Country. This fundraiser gives you a way to be more involved in and knowledgeable about any country or countries that you would like! For example, if you chose to adopt Nepal, you will receive a letter and a cute little card with more information about Nepal, prayer requests and a list of birthdays in the month that my team and I will be in Nepal (February). Then, during my first week in Nepal, I’ll send you a post card with more specific prayer requests and information about our mission. During the last week, I’ll send you a detailed letter about what exactly we did and saw in Nepal, as well as all of the cool things God did through our group. All it takes is $20 per country you adopt, and you’ll be so in-the-know about your adopted country! I have about 18 cards per country, so If all cards are adopted, I’ll have raised $4,000! That’s huge! This fundraiser has been pretty great. Many people are actually adopting all 11 countries! Others have countries that they were already passionate about, so they were so excited to be able to be so involved in my trip.
Also, on July 9th Vintage Paris (a coffee shop in Branson-ish) will be having an all-day courtyard sale for me so that I can sell all of my stuff (clothes, furniture, artwork, etc.). There will be lots to buy and live music! It’s also a pretty incredible coffee shop, so if you live nearby please come and look around! I will also be selling my Threads of Hope bracelets, as well as the Adopt-A-Country cards.
Another big update is that my timeline has changed a little bit. After chatting with my boss about the crazy upcoming months with training camp and stuff, we decided that I won’t be working in the office after leaving for training camp, leaving in October rather than December. So, I’ll be moving out of Branson on October 18, and heading to training camp in Georgia! I plan on visiting my sisters in Jacksonville, FL after training. Past that, I have no idea what I’ll be doing. As excited I am to see the next few months a little bit more clearly, it also speeds it all up a little bit which is really scary. Queue the stress-crying phone call to my mom, it’s time to pack up and say goodbye to Branson. Well, in 3 months.
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How can you help?
First and foremost, prayer. This whole thing will be one of the most challenging and scary things I’ve ever done. Just pray that the Lord keeps my squad and me safe, and that He prepares our hearts, minds, and bodies during these months leading to our launch. Also, pray for our fundraising efforts and that people receive us well.
As I’ve mentioned, I have the daunting task of raising $17,017 to cover my living and travel costs while I’m away, and there are several ways to help me in this. You can donate to my trip as a one-time gift or as monthly donations, allowing you to choose the amount and beginning and end date. If you would like to do this, please make checks payable to Adventures in Missions P.O. Box 742570, Atlanta, GA 30374-2570. Make sure to specify that you would like the donation to go to AnnaGrace Mercer or your donation will not be sent to my account. If you would prefer to make a donation online, you may do so by clicking the “Support Me” link on the left side of the page and complete your donation as instructed. Keep in mind, though, that a 5% credit card fee will be taken out of the donation for credit card processing. Also know that these donations are not refundable.
I am selling bracelets for Threads of Hope, and you can get one (or a bunch!) by contacting me on Facebook, through email, or calling or texting me. They’re absolutely gorgeous handmade bracelets, and half of the proceeds go towards helping at risk families in the Philippines.
If you can, PLEASE come to my courtyard sale on July 9th! I will be selling lots of great stuff and it’ll be a really fun day with live music, cool stuff, and maybe even cookies!
Another way to help me is, if you’re in need of calligraphy work (hello SNU brides!) I would love to do that for you, as well as any design or photography work you may need.
Lastly, share this! You can never have too much prayer and support!
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If you have any questions, or just want to talk about my trip with me over coffee, I would love to hear from you! You can call or text me at 832-622-3174, or you can email me at [email protected], or message me on Facebook.
