Fundraising update: I am $6,313 into this! That is 38% funded and I don’t even have the words to thank all of you for it! I literally cannot believe the amount that people are giving and it brings tears to my eyes to think about it. I never would have thought, in a million years, that people would be so generous for this dream that I have. Every donation that I get is one step closer to being fully funded before I leave and for that I am speechless! Seriously, you people are really something. Side note: when checks are sent to Adventures it takes over a week to show in my account and when you give online it takes a few days to show so if you have given and haven’t heard from me, don’t freak out!
SO on the topic of fundraising; I will be putting in a T-shirt order NEXT WEEK (March 1) so if you have ordered one, I need your money. If you haven’t ordered one but would like to then I need your size and your money so hit me up, people! They come in YM-Adult 3XL and cost $20 each. If I put in the order next week then they will be in around March 10th or so and I will hand deliver them to you! I can also pick up your cash or check this week if that is easier or you can pay through PayPal! You people rock my world!
I have been reading this book about Jaycee Dugard and feel like someone out there needs to hear this. You may have heard about Jaycee, she was kidnapped when she was 11 and held captive for 18 years by a convicted sex offender. We all know where this story goes. 18 years of pure hell, being raped repeatedly, having 2 children by her captor and being overlooked by parole officers that made at least 60 visits to the home while she was there. This story is so horrid that I have to read it in sections, taking breaks often. It is like nothing I have ever read in my life. The details are nightmarish and most things I have to read twice because I can’t even comprehend what is on the page. Last night I decided that I wanted to find an interview with Jaycee and of course anyone that is anybody is interviewed by Diane Sawyer so I watched a whole hour of this. Throughout the interview they are going through details of the kidnapping and then the hell that Jaycee lived through. At one point Diane ask “how did you stay sane through all of this?” Jaycee’s response had me ugly crying. She simply said “because I was alive and being alive meant that there was still hope.” Wait, what? A lot of times you hear from people in these situations that they would rather die than go through it. Not this girl though. She held on to a hope that she was going to be free one day.
Later on in the interview Diane is literally speechless and tells Jaycee that she is trying to understand how she survived. How she found the will to live. Another response that caused tears. Jaycee said that while her life has been bad and she wonders every day how she made it, everyone is fighting battles. She said that she constantly wonders how her mom survived the 18 years of the unknown and how other people survive seeing war or anything else. I was so blown away by this because this girl who has lived in hell for 18 years is saying that your fight matters. That your battle is no easier than hers. That your battle is your own and my battle is my own. They are reality. They are personal. I may not have been kidnapped and held captive for 18 years but I have faced battles that have been so real in the moment, so hard to deal with. Just because you haven’t been living in a shed for 18 years doesn’t mean that your fight doesn’t matter. We shouldn’t feel like we have to downplay what is going on in our lives just because we are “Christians” and we signed up for a life of picking up our cross. I catch myself saying so many times “well, if they are living in those circumstances than I should put on my big girl panties and get over what’s going on in my life.” I should just be thankful I have a job even if I hate it. I should just be thankful I have a family even if we are in a disagreement. I should just be thankful that I can walk around when other people have no legs. Yes, we should be thankful. Yes, we should find joy in all things. Yes. But it doesn’t change the reality of cancer, or friendship/family troubles, hating jobs or going through a breakup. That battle is reality and we have to realize that. God doesn’t see Jaycee’s battle any differently than He sees yours. He comes on the scene just as quickly to help us all. Whether you’re having a meltdown over living out of a pack for a year or whether you are on your deathbed He is with you all the same. Be encouraged that while you have breath in your lungs there is hope. Be encouraged that He knows the number of hairs on your head and He cares for you even more than the sparrows of the field.
Thank you to everyone that cares to read this and know what is going on in my life. This journey has already been so incredible and I can’t imagine what the year holds in the future! I promise that when I get out on the field you all will know exactly what your money is doing and how it is leading people to this Jesus that we so love. Please continue to pray for not only me but also my team. They are a group of world changers and I cannot wait to do life with them. Satan has really been after all of us physically and mentally and so we know that God has big things in store for the 11 months that we get to spend together. Go click on the “Meet My Team” tap on the left and see how the Lord is working in their lives through all of this, too! Seriously team, I love you guys and wish that everyone had the chance to meet you!
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