Hello Everyone!
I hope this letter finds you happy and healthy! I wanted to send a quick letter telling you about an amazing opportunity that God has given me recently!
About two weeks ago, my friend from Vanguard University returned home from a mission’s trip abroad and came straight over to my house to tell me about the trip! She had travelled to 11 countries in 11 months to places like Nicaragua, Honduras, India, Thailand, Rwanda, etc, with the simple goal of serving the least of these and introducing Jesus to His children! Well after three hours of hearing about her involvement in God’s work in places of extreme poverty and corruption, she looked at me and said, “God is calling you on this trip.”
I thought she was crazy! After all, I went to college less than an hour away from home so I could see my parents every weekend, how could I possibly manage to leave EVERYTHING I know for ELEVEN MONTHS!
It is amazing how small our fears and reservations become when God starts opening doors. Immediately after my friend left, I began to pray. I prayed for an easy decision. I cannot tell you how easy this decision has been since then. Every plan that I had made for myself failed and every selfish reason I had to stay, disappeared. He has made it so clear that The World Race is His plan for my life in 2012.
Since deciding that God wanted me to travel the world sharing His love with His children, I began a lengthy application process, and one week ago, I received a call saying THAT I WAS ACCEPTED!! What an affirmation! I am so excited for the many adventures and blessings that I will be a part of this next year!!
So what exactly will I be doing?! It is completely up in the air!! Every month I will be in a new country doing something completely different from the month before. The tentative schedule of countries I will be visiting is: El Salvador, Nicaragua, Honduras, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Tanzania, Rwanda, Uganda, Nepal, and India. I will be doing everything ranging from teaching English, aiding in the freedom of children in sex and drug trafficking, building houses and orphanages, planting and harvesting the crops, helping in churches, and LOVING God’s Children!!
In order to cover my living and travel expenses for the next year, I have to raise $15,500. When I first heard this I was completely overwhelmed!! How am I going to come up with that kind of money! Then I read Matthew 6:33-34 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself…” Well I am seeking His kingdom, and I know God will provide. He always has and He always will.
For this reason, I am asking you to partner with me on this journey to fulfill God’s plan for my life and those I will meet along the way. I am asking you to help me feed God’s children physically and spiritually. I would like to invite you on this trip of complete surrender to GOD’S PLAN with me.
I will be blogging about my entire trip as often as I can at Ericashappie.theworldrace.org so that you can see how your donation to my life and those around me will be used.
The organization I will be going through is called Adventures With Missions and the more specific group I will be involved with is called the World Race. I would love if you would check out the site and hear about all the amazing things I will be involved with this next year!!!
The World Race Website:
http://www.theworldrace.org/
Below is the URL that will lead you to a place where you can donate.
https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=partFund&multi=
My donation deadlines are below and any amount is more than appreciated and will be such a blessing to my life, and more importantly, those I will be serving.
- $150 Deposit – Due 10/4/2011 (2 weeks after you’re acceptance date.)
- $3,500 – Due 10/2/2011 (2 weeks before Training Camp)
- $6,500 – Due 12/18/2011 (2 weeks prior to your trip)
- $11,000 – Due 4/1/2012 (End of 3 months on the field)
- $15,500 – Total Due 7/1/2012 (End of 6 months on the field)
(As you can see I am already getting a very late start to this process, But God provides!! And if it is His will, He will create a way!)
Thank you so much for your time, prayers, love and support!!
Erica Shappie
951) 526-4458
[email protected]
