***PLEASE DO NOT DONATE THROUGH THIS BLOG***
In September 2015 I set out on a journey of a lifetime; The World Race. If you know me, you probably already knew this, as it is a huge part of my story now. What I didn’t know then was that once I left the field, my World Race journey wouldn’t be over. What I didn’t know was that my first month of eleven would be one of my favorites and most impactful. What I now know, nearly 2 years later, is that I’m going back.
About 7 months ago I started a new job, a job I love. While I love my job, my heart still beats to serve overseas. I had an inner battle before starting this job to decide if I should stay or if I should go, again. Well, God is good! Upon receiving this job, I realized that for the first time ever I would have vacation days! I didn’t just get a few, I got nearly a whole month. Now I know it is unreasonable to take off an entire month at once, but what if I broke it up? I knew there would be weddings and a family vacation, but then what? God made it clear that these days were a gift from Him. I thought about short term missions and what that looked like but they often fell during times of the year that didn’t work with my schedule. I thought about just traveling to see more of the world, which I still want to do, but I felt God had something else in mind. It was then that the decision was made, I will go back to serve with ministry hosts that I already know from my time on the field!
By doing this, I can go whenever I want and when the ministry needs a few extra hands. I reached out to my ministry host in Costa Rica and she was so open to the idea of me coming back. Roughly 6 months later, I emailed her again and we decided to tie down some dates in November. For about 10 days, I will be going to San Jose, Costa Rica to serve with an amazing ministry called, Conexion, alongside my hosts from the World Race! In those 10 days I will be assisting with a workshop with over 200 kids, helping to prepare for the holiday season by creating games for holiday parties, going back to the prison to love on the women Conexion serves there and being extra hands to any medical mission or miscellaneous needs the ministry has.
There are a few ways you can join me and get involved!
1. Prayerfully. Above all of the physical and financial needs, I need prayer. Prayer for God’s faithfulness in carrying out the planning and logistics of such a trip. Prayer for the ministry, Conexion, and for ways that I can help them. Prayer for the fundraising efforts. And honestly, prayer for my heart as I go back to a place that means so much to me without some of the people that mean even more to me.
2. Donations. There are three types of donations you can take part in. There is a financial donation that you can give any amount you feel is right, you can buy a t-shirt/tank/long-sleeve with all proceeds going towards the trip or you can donate items for the ministry donation drive!
My goal is to raise $1,000 to cover the cost of flight, food and other transportation/lodging I would need as it pertains to the ministry. Any expense outside of those listed above, I will pay for out of pocket. Any money I raise over that goal or any money that I don’t use will go directly toward the Conexion ministry and their efforts to love on and be a light to the communities they serve in Costa Rica. Back by popular demand and request, I am selling t-shirts again to raise the funds! All proceeds to the shirts will go directly to my fundraising efforts. I have a few colors and even a few styles (tanks, short-sleeve and long-sleeve) this time around. The tanks and short-sleeves are $20 and the long-sleeves are $25. Shipping options are available to those residing outside of the St. Louis Metro area. Payments can be made by PayPal, Venmo, cash or check. Any donation amount above the t-shirt costs are welcome! Please note: unlike my previous mission trips, donations are not tax-deductible. Payments for t-shirts must be received before I place my first order on August 15th. Shirts will be in roughly 2 weeks later and dispersed from there the same week they arrive. A link to the shirts is at the bottom of this blog!
I’m flying Southwest. Why is that important? Because I can check 2 bags for free! Why does that matter? Because I can use a whole bag to bring Conexion some essentials as they prepare for their holiday season! Just as a little fun fact, things that are cheap in America can be much more expensive and hard to find in Costa Rica. So in addition to t-shirt selling, I am doing a donation drive to support the ministry with essentials for their upcoming holiday season. A few things they know they will need is scotch tape and cheap wrapping paper. As small gifts for the prison ministry, they are looking for things like Chapstick, hotel sized hygiene stuff, bookmarks, etc. There may be more needs as I get closer to leaving but those are things they already know they will need! I have set up an Amazon list that you can purchase those items from and have them sent to me. (Amazon Donation List) However you also have the option to buy the items yourself and give/send them to me!
I am so excited for this journey and can’t wait to build up a team of support to do this with! If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to me.
FAQ:
Why Costa Rica? Didn’t you go to 11 countries? What makes Costa Rica stand out?
Costa Rica stood out for so many reasons. But I am going to direct you to a few blogs I wrote about Costa Rica to give you a better idea of why this month meant so much to me. There are pictures of my time there and videos in some of them too!
Who are you going with? Your church, an organization?
I am going solo! I am not going with a church or organization. I am planning and carrying out all of the logistics on my own by collaborating with my ministry host, Beth.
How long will you be gone?
I will be gone for 11 days. Keep in mind that roughly 2 of those days will be spent traveling.
Will you be blogging again while you are gone?
Honestly, I doubt it. With it being such a short time, I can’t imagine having much extra time to do that. But, I do plan to write once I get back so that everyone has a full update on how it went! I’m sure you can also expect a few Instagram posts. I am also hoping to get some videos to throw together a quick montage of my time there for all to see!
Much love,
Brittany
***Please note that I have started a new blog and will continue posting to it on occasion. Below is a link to see the shirts on that blog!***
