On Wednesday, October 26 of 2016, one of the last few days of World Race Training Camp, I found out who would be on my official World Race Team. We had all been at Training Camp for over a week, and we were all sick, exhausted, hungry and happy. We were all kind of getting used to sleeping outside and spending most of our time exercising, worshipping or listening to wise people. We were getting the hang of training camp, and the only thing left to worry about was our team formation.
As we drew nearer and nearer to the end of training camp, anxiety about team-builders grew. From the 58 people we’d had on Squad S, the group of people who I would be traveling with from country to country, we would be split up into teams of 6 or 7 people. In the days leading up to official team formations, we had been doing team-building exercises with mock-up teams so our S Squad leaders could form teams of people who could work well together. During each of these team-building exercises, I would look around at the people they’d grouped me with and imagine what it would be like to spend months living with them overseas. Every time, I could picture it and feel so excited and confident about my mock-team, but when I entered the room of the final team-builder, I was a little confused.
Before entering the room that this last team-builder would take place in, I had heard from other people that this last mock-team would most likely be our official team. After our squad leader called out groups of names, I, along with the other names read aloud, entered a room and sat around the table. When I looked at the girls around me, Elisabeth, Meghan, Saraya, Hillary and Anna Beth, I realized I hadn’t had a single team-builder with any of them; I hadn’t even really had a full conversation with most of them. Looking back, I’m pretty sure we were all confused and a little worried, but that feeling quickly subsided.
After a short communication team-building exercise, and a long prayer session aloud, I felt more and more confident. As we all walked outside together, we became giddy. “It just feels right!” we said. And it did. We came up with a team name: Cotton, which was a symbol that had come up in our prayer sessions that symbolized softness and strength. Cotton is incredibly versatile and is used to feed people, clothe people and protect people. I had found my team, and that Wednesday, we found out that, as we had hoped, we were officially teammates.
Since this happened over a month and a half ago, a lot has changed. After a few months of struggling with fundraising, both Elisabeth and Meghan transferred to routes leaving in August of 2017 instead of January. Elisabeth, who I’d lived near and had a blast driving to training camp with, will be leaving in August to go the countries in Asia, Africa and South America. Meghan will be going on the Expedition route in August, where she will be ministering to people who have never even heard the name of Jesus. These two girls will always be apart of Team Cotton, and will continue to serve the Lord in such amazing ways.
Unfortunately, this means our team is down to 4 people, so we are being split up. Hillary and Anna Beth will be joining Team Joyful Fortitude, while Saraya and I will be joining Team Remas. Although I am still reeling from this disappointing change so close to launch, I feel so lucky to be joining a team of amazing girls. These girls, Maggie, Caitlin, Sara, Leah, Hannah and Saraya will be my family for the first few months of my time overseas, and possibly longer. I have had the opportunity to get to know a few of these girls and I know the Lord will do so much through this new team.
What I need right now is prayer. Although I’m so excited and honored to be joining Team Remas, I am still mourning Team Cotton. As I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post, change hits me hard. I have trouble going with the flow, especially in situations like this, where a year of my life is filled with uncertainty already. The rest of Team Cotton needs prayer as well. Pray that Saraya, Hillary, Anna Beth and I do well in our new teams and that the Lord uses our teams for His glory. Also pray for Elisabeth and Meghan, because this is still a huge change for them. They will have to go to training camp again and join new teams, so please pray that they are encouraged.
I’m not quite sure how to feel during this turbulent time. I’m leaving for Launch in 3 weeks and I feel like there’s so much left to do. Did I mention I need prayer? Since coming home, there’s been a lot of spiritual warfare going on in me and around me. I‘m completely overwhelmed, and constantly having to ask the Lord to remind me, once again, why I’m doing this. The answer is typically “because I’ve asked this of you.” Sometimes that’s good enough for me, but most times I want more. He likes to remind me that where I belong isn’t dependent upon my family or friends… and that’s a hard one for me. But he’s also reminded me that I’m here in Houston, near most of my family, for a reason. I’ve received more help and encouragement than ever, since I’ve come home, and I’m so thankful for the people who have been there for me during this time.
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Last thing: It’s Christmas time, and many people have asked me what they can get me for Christmas, and all I can say is “boring stuff”. I need the boring stuff. So if you are one of those people who would like to help me out this Christmas, please take a look at my Amazon Wishlist. It’s a list of boring stuff that I need. Another way you can give is by donating to my personal funds that I need to raise. Since I was accepted to the World Race, my car as broken down about a million times. Because of this, I’m in credit card debt from all of the repairs, as well the cost of vaccines, and I need to have this all paid off before I leave. I’m slowly chipping away at this, but since I’m not working full-time anymore, it’s been difficult. I will be selling my car to raise money towards this, so if you’d like to help out by buying a 1999 Honda, please let me know! Other than those things, all I want this Christmas is a great, stress-free time with my family.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
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Here are some important dates coming up:
January 8 – LAUNCH! It’s in just 3 weeks, and I’ll be boarding a plane for India just a few days after.
January 24 – I’ll be spending my 23rd birthday in India!
February 28 – My $13,000 fundraising deadline, which I’ve PASSED!
April 30 – FULLY FUNDED DEADLINE! As of today, I have fund raised $15,926, which means I only have $1,091 left!
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 only $1,091 left to raise before I am fully funded. I’m SO close! If you would like to help me get to $17,017 you can make a donation by check or online. Please make checks payable to Adventures in Missions P.O. Box 742570, Atlanta, GA 30374-2570. Make sure to specify in the check memo 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.
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. Right now, I am selling calligraphy greeting cards, so if you’re interested, contact me!
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.
