A lot can happen in a year. Approximately one year ago, I was in the beginning stages of fundraising for the World Race. Support letters had been sent out and I was in the midst of planning handfuls of events hoping to engage people to partner with me on this journey. And, I was incredibly anxious. In order to attend training camp, I knew I’d need to meet the first financial deadline by the end of September. I was unsure of how the Lord would provide an insurmountable-feeling amount of money. To be honest, I wasn’t totally certain that He would provide. It all felt paralyzingly scary and big and I had no clue how I’d get to that first $3,500. Yet, here I sit, one year later with my final support goal of $16,285 achieved nearly 4 months ago.
A year ago, I was preparing for a garage sale to be hosted at my mom’s house. I was driving around town with her, collecting donations and packing them into her garage, sweat pouring down my back. We were advertising and conversing about details and sending frantic emails to collect things like tables for display and volunteers for set up. We were shooting text messages back and forth: “Did she drop off the bookcase?” “How much should we ask for the grill?” “Will your shirts arrive in time?” “Do you still have that poster board?” Yet, somehow, all of the details fell into place. We sat in her yard for a full day in the blazing hot sun bartering with people and having conversations about the purpose of the sale. In some strange way, I think it prepared me for the market life overseas. But, I digress. At the end of the day, we counted the money and found almost $2,000 and I was blown away.
I’m in awe of God’s provision. This whole process to me has been a true testament of the Lord’s goodness and faithfulness. Not only did He provide financially for me, He provided an incredible team of supporters for me. There are countless pieces of evidence of God’s movement through my support raising journey. I can’t tell you how many times I logged on to my account and saw a donation from a name that I never would have expected. So often, I was blown away by the way the Lord moved in people’s hearts to give to this process and invest in this journey for me. And, I’ve been floored by the emotional and prayer support as well. All year, I’ve carried a ziplock bag full of notes of encouragement to open at different times and they have come in incredibly handy. My email inbox and Facebook and blog comments have been steadily filled with words of life from people at home. The Lord has shown me again and again the way that he cares for me through you.
Today, I’m asking you to consider supporting me once again. On the weekend of September 19th (Friday 8am-3pm and Saturday 8am-1pm), my mom will be hosting another garage sale to raise funds for my personal account in order to help me transition home. Stop by the sale and see what there is to take home! If you’d like more info on the sale or how to help, email my mom at [email protected]. Perhaps you’d be interested in helping with a financial donation but the very thought of a garage sale gives you a splitting headache. I understand. In that case, there are a couple of options. You could drop a check in the mail to my mom’s house (1650 Douglas Ave. Dunedin, FL 34698) and she will get it deposited to my account. Or, you could donate online directly to my personal account via PayPal. Just let me know if that is something you’re interested in and we can work out the details! You can email me at [email protected] or leave a comment on my blog. I’m fasting Facebook for the month of September so if you contact me on there, I may not get it.
I’m so thankful to have a community of people that is not just incredibly supportive but is a safe space to ask for help and share needs. Please in no way feel obligated to give if that is not something that is feasible for you right now. And know that my heart is only to ask and never to expect. My squad will land on US soil at the end of November and from there, my plan is to spend the month of December at home, catching up with friends and family and making a healthy transition from the Race back into “normal”. I’m hoping to have lots of opportunities to share stories and hear stories and soak in the relationships that I’ve missed out on this year. From there, I’m not sure what the plan will be. Right now, the plan is to take in each moment that’s left in the World Race because the time is getting ever shorter.
