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A lot has happened since I made the decision just over a month ago to go on the World Race and I’d love to share some things with you… My squad, the group of individuals I will travel with, now has over 50 members! Thanks to social media I have been able to connect with many of them on Facebook and Skype. I even got to meet and have coffee with one girl who is from the Twin Cities! I’m very excited to get to know and serve with these people and how neat it will be to have 50 new friends from all around the United States. World Race announced our training dates. I will spend 10 days, July 6-16, training with my squad mates in Georgia. The weather should be nice and hot to prepare us all for the race! During this time we will have ministry training and take a physical activity test to ensure we are fit enough to carry our heavy packs. We will have many different obstacles thrown at us to prepare us for anything that could happen on the race. We also will find out who is on our team and who will be made leaders. Our team will be the people that we serve with in each country, usually made up of 6-7 people. So we travel as a squad but then split up into teams each month. Another part of preparing is…packing! Yes I realize I still have about 7 months still until I leave, but I have already begun making a packing list, or maybe a better way to put that is “making a wish list”. There is a lot of gear that we need for the race, as I will spend the 11 months living out of a backpack, which will contain my few clothes, a tent, sleeping bag, and any other necessities. I’ve found already that I spend a lot of my free time reading blogs by past racers about what to pack, searching and reading product reviews online, and watching for a good deals to pop up. So far I have purchased the backpack that I will pack everything in and a tent! The pictures below are of my suitcase and home for the 11 months I am gone. I had a lot of fun practicing setting up my tent in my dorm room!
Also since deciding to go on the race, I have begun fundraising. This has been a very humbling experience for me, asking for help with finances is extremely uncomfortable. It has already forced me to trust God more on something that is very much out of my control. The process is going very well, and I have really enjoyed my time getting together with friends and family. I’m looking forward to getting together with more of you when I come home this summer. Thank you so much for your support! Sharing my story and asking people to partner with me has been so encouraging. I’ve watched how each time I tell my story, God continues to light the spark in my heart for the ministry that much more. In case you are wondering how much I need to raise and what the deadlines are, here they are:
I’ve set quite a lofty goal for myself too. My goal is to raise the entire amount before September 1st. I am fully trusting that God will provide and feel that raising the money before I leave will allow me to be more present on the field when I leave the beginning of September. The most important thing that has happen since my decision is that God has over and over again confirmed that the World Race is where he has called me to be for the next year. In the process of sharing my story and why I am going, I have found that God continues to give me a stronger desire to leave and serve Him through serving the least of us. Not only am I excited about possibly living in an orphanage, teaching English, working with the sex trafficking industry, and so much more, I have found that I am also very excited about using my ministry and experience to influence others back home. My hope is that those of you who follow and read my blog will be able to feel ownership in the work my team and I will be doing. I am praying that you and those you share this blog with will be touched by the work you see the Lord doing around the World through us. If any of you want to hear more about my ministry or have questions feel free to email me at [email protected] or call/text me at 815-276-1497. Blogging is very new to me, so if there are topics I am not touching on that you want to hear more about, PLEASE let me know! I would love to share! |
