Dear family & friends,
In my life I have been taught to follow my dreams and to work diligently to make them come true. My Junior year in high school, God had given me the passion to serve, which led me to apply forI a two week mission trip to Malawi with my youth group. I was able to travel the world to walk alongside and serve in another country. For a while I felt that had fulfilled my passion, but was I wrong. My passion became contagious, and the next summer my dad and I went for a two week mission trip back to Malawi!
I’m about to finish my first year of college and my passion for world missions hasn’t wavered, so I have decided that I’m going to follow God on a nine month journey of ministry in three different countries; El Salvador, Malawi, and the Philippines! It’s called The World Race Gap Year and is through an organization called Adventures in Missions. I will be in a squad of 20 people as we spend three months in each country doing various ministries. Some of the ministries we may be doing are; working in an orphanage, teaching bible study, door to door, home and church rehabilitation and planting of churches. These will all depend on what is needed at the time we are in each country.This is an exciting, but a huge step of faith for me as I understand it’s going to be an extremely hard and real journey.
Speaking of hard journey…did I mention we pack everything we need for nine months in a gigantic backpack?! For most this sounds silly because I’m barely 4’11, but I promise I can do it. If you are starting to worry about my safety please let me lift that load of your shoulders. Our squad leader is in contact with the staff of World Race at least once a week. World Race also keeps active contact with their international contacts. Our route will be changed and we will be removed from an area if there are unsafe conditions. I know that this is where God has called me to serve and I am secure knowing that there is no safer place to be than in the will of God.
When I decided to do this I also took on the challenge of raising $12,500 in about six months! I am writing to ask you to prayerfully consider being a partner with me in the areas of financial support and prayer. This journey wasn’t meant to be done alone, and if you are able to support me that would be wonderful! Please take time to pray about this and see what would be possible for you. (You will find the financial giving information with the attached sheet.) As I embark on this journey I will need lots of prayer. I have made prayer cards that will keep you updated of where I am at, where I’m going, and the prayer requests for myself and our squad. I’m so glad I can share this journey with you all. I am incredibly excited for this adventure and cannot wait to see what God has in store!
Love,
Jenna Pawlak
