In the wake of the past couple of months and all that has happened it became clear to me that some changes needed to be made. I never doubted for a moment that the World Race was something that God had called me to do and that this was the season that He was calling me to start walking in that direction. However with in light of recent events, the car crashes and other circumstances, something had to give.
So I would like to announce that instead of leaving on the World Race with August route 3 I have decided to defer to an October route. I believe that the extra months of preparation will be a great help and blessing. While I am sad to leave my old route, since that group of countries is so much a part of why I was going on the Race in the first place, and I had already started to build relationships with my squad mates, I would like to focus on all of the reasons why deferring is going to be awesome!
1. The route that I have chosen covers a wider span geographically.
What I wanted most from a route was one that wouldn’t just take me to one area but allow me to serve in all parts of the world instead of just one area. And while still including some of the countries from my original route (such as Thailand, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador) also includes countries that were on my “wish list” but not on my original route (such as China)
2. More time for fundraising.
God has been so faithful and support has been steadily coming in. My Tailoring for Thailand fundraiser has been particularly popular with the promotion help from many friends. However since it is my person desire to leave for the race fully funded the added months make that even more feasible. (And my new route costs less which is an added bonus)
3. More time for vaccinations.
What more do I need to say? Getting stuck with a bunch of needles is no fun, might as well spread it out.
4. Actually getting to see my family before I go.
As much as I love being busy and rushing around the idea of getting to go home for a couple of weeks to hang out with the fam before traveling the world for a year sounds kind of nice.
5. The National Fine Arts Festival
My Aug route would have had me leaving either right after or during the national competition of the fine arts program I work with. And while seeing my kids perform for the last time and then jumping on a plane sounds super fun… Not doing that sounds even better. Leaving in October will take the pressure of those weeks and give me the freedom to focus on my kids instead of simultaneously trying to prepare to leave the country.
While these are the biggest benefits there are dozens of other pros to this decision. I really believe that having the extra time to prepare will make all of the difference in being able to go out and minister across the world.
Thank you so much to all of those who have support me throughout this process. From funds to prayers to encouragement I would not be able to do this without each and every one of your contributions.
