Hello friends and family,
With my launch date only a few days away now, it feels as though my adventure is finally about to begin. However, to say that this is the start of my journey would discount all that I’ve experienced this past year through applying and getting accepted to the World Race, then preparing and fundraising.
This season has been full of God’s grace, love and promise. I admit that a year ago I was hesitant to commit to all that the World Race entailed; agreeing to live out of my comfort zone for 11 months and, mostly, committing to fundraise $16,617. At the time, I was in my senior year of college. My friends were applying to jobs where they’d have a secure and stable income. I thought joining them in that would be the easy route for sure – have my own money and not have to rely on others to make the things that I want to happen happen. I knew that raising over sixteen thousand dollars would require a lot of help from others and a lot of trust in God, but He was extending me an invitation for something more. I’ve learned that while my independence is a blessing and a benefit to me in many ways, it is also my downfall. I have trouble relying on others for help; I want to be able to support myself and get things done without help from others. Part of that stems from past experiences of being let down by others and part of it is simply that asking for help requires a level of vulnerability. But God is bigger than all of that. God has moved through my fear and anxiety and what I’ve experienced has been eye-opening and enriching in so many ways.
I’ve experienced God in the multiple ways that people have shown UP and shown OUT, offering their gifts, time, energy, love. What at the start felt so intimidating and lonely, now feels like an unshakeable force. My relationships are deeper, community stronger and multiplied, and my faith bigger. So, thank you, thank you to all who have joined my army 🙂
I’m also happy to say that I am currently 70% funded with $11,760 (this amount does not show in my fundraising bar on my blog due to monthly donations that have not been processed yet). This means that I am less than $5000 away from my goal!
I’ve been getting a lot of questions about my fundraising and whether or not I can still go even though I’m not fully funded yet. The answer is yes. We have been given deadlines to meet along the way and have to be fully funded by April 30th.
Other updates: I launch on Friday, Jan. 6th and my first country is Uganda! There have been a few changes to what was my original route. My team’s finalized route is as follows:
January: Uganda
February: Rwanda
March: Ethiopia
April: Malaysia
May: Thailand
June: Cambodia
July: India
August: Nepal
September: Costa Rica
October: Nicaragua
November: Guatemala
I will be blogging about my experiences throughout my journey. To stay updated, subscribe to my blog and get them sent right to your email! If you’re considering supporting my trip click on “donate” at the top of my page and follow the instructions from there.
Thanks for reading! Let the next adventure begin.
Jessi
