Why should you support me? Why invest in someone you may not even really know?
The fundraising goal is an intimidating number, there is no question about that, but part of doing this has been having to put aside my pride, opening myself up, and trusting that it is not a number too big for God to take care of.
“Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”
I always wondered, “What makes a person just drop everything to follow Christ, to follow their heart?” The disciples didn’t even know Jesus, they were simply just working and going about their daily routines, and in one moment they were given the opportunity to do something else, and they immediately dropped everything and followed him, without knowing where they would be going or what they would be doing.
The World Race, a trip through 11 countries in 11 months with the purpose of spreading love and serving others. What attracted me so much to this mission trip was that it is not only about helping others, it is also about improving yourself, learning who God made you to be. The application process itself makes you reflect on your life, and all the struggles and trials you have gone through and are still going through. Years ago, if someone had told me this trip was a possibility, I would have dropped everything in a heart beat to do it, no questions asked.
But I have to admit when this opportunity presented itself a few months ago I was hesitant, but why? I have found myself the last several years running through the motions, getting caught in my comfort zone. Work full-time, school full-time, friendships, relationships, and just trying to have a social life outside of those things, never truly feeling satisfied or happy. I have carried around this longing, an unexplainable restlessness inside of me for more… never feeling like I was doing what I was meant to do. For too long I let Satan feed me the lies that he tries to feed all of us, the main one being that I am not worthy, that I don’t have what it takes, and that the mistakes I have made are beyond forgiveness.
My life has been quite the roller coaster, and I found myself searching for control over it, for stability. Even in the events of the last few months, those things that I put my worth in, relationships, my career, my internship, were all stripped away and I found myself feeling like an absolute failure. I felt like the life I had been working for, all the hard work I had put into it, all the countless hours and sleepless nights, were all for nothing. We work so hard for things that in only a moment can all be taken away. Maybe we have to be stripped of the things that we put our self worth in so that God can show us our true worth. We cannot control the things that happen to us, we can only choose how we react to those things, what we do with them. I would be lying if I said I have handled all the situations that have come my way in a healthy manner, because I haven’t. Sometimes I have been so hurt, or so angry, that I would do anything to numb those feelings. I am human, and I will be the first to say I have made a lot of mistakes. Change does not happen overnight; it takes time, it takes steps, it takes a desire to want to do things differently, and it’s a learning process that God constantly takes us through.
I believe that God put a calling on my heart, and that He puts a calling in all of ours hearts, and I believe that God can use anything bad we have been through for good. I spent a lot of my life blaming others around me for all the circumstances I have been through, when in reality the person I blamed the most was myself. It is hard to forgive others, but it is even harder to forgive ourselves. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. God is teaching me that I do have so much to offer still, that I am worthy, that He has been here even when I didn’t think that He was, and that He loves me and has so much still planned for me. He has opened and closed so many doors to get me right where I am. I have had to learn that it’s okay to not have it all figured out, that I have to stop trying to control my life and just let God take the wheel.
I truly believe that God knows the deepest desires of our hearts, and mine has always been to be involved in mission travel and in service to others, even if I felt like it was something beyond my reach. I believe that if you let God take the hurt, the pain, and the hard things that we have gone through, He can turn it around and use us to help others get through those things. How can one person relate to another if they have never been through anything? Why else are we here for if not to help others? We are called to be courageous, to step outside our comfort zones, to make a difference in the lives around us, to give people hope, to love the people who have been put in our paths, that’s what it is all about. I want this opportunity to be hands on, to experience God in a real way, and to see Him alive and in action.
I know in my heart God opened this door, and I am ready to walk through it, and all I can do now is rely on the generosity of others to make this year long ministry and this experience of a life time actually happen.
If you have found it in your heart to invest in me, just know that I could never thank you enough for your kindness, and I truly am forever grateful. Even if you are unable to donate, I would still love for you to follow me on my Blog, to pass my story along, and to just keep me in your thoughts and prayers.
If you choose to support me, simply click on the “Support Me!“ tab at the top of my page. Below you will find the information you will need.
What’s even more exciting is this: when you invest in me, a Challenge Donor has agreed for every $100 you invest, the Challenge Donor will match your $100 by $50. That means your $100 really becomes a $150 investment in me!
I am part of the January 2016 World Race, Route 2. My route goes to:
Peru Ecuador Colombia Montenegro Bulgaria Albania
Nepal India Malaysia Thailand Cambodia
These are my Fundraising Deadlines for the full goal of $16,962 :
$ 3,900 – Due 9/25/2015 (Fundraising Goal 1 – 23%) HAS BEEN MET! 🙂
$10,000 – Due 12/18/2016 (Fundraising Goal 2 – 59%)
$13,000 – Due 2/29/2016 (Fundraising Goal 3 – 77%)
$16,962 – Due 4/09/2016 (Fundraising Goal 4 – 100%)
Adventures In Missions is a tax-exempt organization under IRS code 501(c)(3) and is a member of the ECFA. (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). Due to IRS and ECFA regulations governing the administration of tax deductible donations given in support of a particular trip/program, support contributions given on behalf of an individual will be used to offset the costs of the trip/program you are involved in. All contributions are non-refundable regardless of the participant’s success in completing the program.
