HEY GUYS! Today I am sending out my fundraising letter, which will hopefully give you all a better understanding of what the World Race is all about. If you wish to receive one in your mailbox simply holler at me with your address and I will be sure to send one your way!
If you choose to support my mission, this letter will include a physical copy of my fundraising card which will make the donation process a little easier for ya!
But for now, here it is in blog form!
Easily accessible to all!
Dear Friends and Family,
For those of you who have yet to hear, in August of 2018 I will be embarking on the World Race and I am sending you this letter inviting you to join me in prayer as I begin this journey!
For quite some time I have been seeking God’s direction for my life. After graduating high school I began to feel restless for something, but I had no idea what.
I struggled with trying to understand how to follow a call to a place and a community of people that I knew nothing about.
After a couple months, I pushed that whisper aside to follow a different path, one that wasn’t necessarily wrong, but deep in my heart I could still feel that ever-present tug to be a part of something greater.
Now years later, the Lord has finally revealed his mission to me.
He has asked me to stop comparing my success to the success of those around me.
He has asked me to surrender my fearful heart to his BOLD plan for me.
He has called me to go out to His nations to share HIS love and serve HIS people as HE did.
He has been both gentle and relentless with His call and I am putting every ounce of my trust in Him and answering with a resounding “yes.”
I am following the call to actively be the hands and feet of Christ in an incredibly real way.
While I enjoy being so close to home surrounded by friends and family, Jesus has asked me to serve a new community of people in a totally new and exciting way!
A call to leave behind my comfortable life and serve the Lord in a more expansive way.
I have been EXTREMELY blessed to have the opportunity to live out this call through a program called The World Race, with an organization called Adventures in Missions.
The World Race is an 11 month mission trip during which you are brought to 11 different countries sharing the gospel and spreading HOPE.
I have been blessed enough to be accepted to a Route leaving in August of 2018.
Over the span of these 11 months I will be visiting Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Myanmar, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia to serve the lost and broken.
My team and I will be partnering with churches and local communities to do ministry such as visiting orphanages and hospitals, teaching English, planting churches, ministering to woman and children trapped in prostitution as a result of human trafficking, feeding victims of natural disasters, building houses and community with all those we encounter as well as many other works – all while preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
While each country will be a completely different experience, our mission through every single one of them is simple; to help those in need, to spread the love of Christ, and to bring restorative hope to tribes and nations in desperate need.
The majority of these ministries will be completely new to me, but the Lord is so faithful, and I have no doubt that when the Lord calls, He also provides. So while it may seem daunting, I find peace in knowing that He has called me to this mission; therefore, He will give me the graces that I need to fulfill it.
My desire is to use this time to GROW.
To grow in faith and love.
To grow in bravery and boldness.
To grow in compassion, understanding, and strength.
And most importantly, to grow in CHRIST.
My desire is to be more Christ-like when I return.
Jesus purchased each and every one of us at a price of unsurpassable worth all because he wanted us. He did it purely out of his great love.
I want to open my heart to the truths about myself and others and to immerse myself in the implausible, never-ending love that our God has for his children.
I want to say “no” to selfishness.
I want to experience an entirely new level of intimacy with our Lord and Savior.
I want to learn to see not only with my eyes, but through the windows of my soul.
How I interact with others and with my environment, how I pray, and how I work, I want all of that to be impacted. I want to approach everything I see, touch, and do as something sacred. I want to learn how to approach everything in such a way that I would make my God proud. Seeing and interacting with things as they are, as God intended them to be, and as God intended us to see them.
I am beyond excited to see God’s work up close and personal over the next year and a half. It is going to be an absolutely extraordinary and life changing experience!
But in order for this to happen, I need your help. I will be facing many challenges all throughout the World Race, but as I prepare one of my greatest challenges is reaching my financial goal.
Like most mission organizations, all participants are required to fundraise their own financial support.
As I take this massive step in trusting the Lord, I am also humbly asking you to prayerfully consider joining me in this faith filled adventure.
First and foremost, I ask you to please pray for my team and I as we grow in community with one another.
Secondly, if you are moved to donate financially for this mission I have the daunting task of raising $18,000 for this ministry opportunity.
This will cover all travel expenses while I am out on the field – including lodging, insurance, transportation, and food over these 11 months.
This money will also go toward our ministry partners in these countries who are such a HUGE part of what makes this mission possible, so every little bit is a remarkable blessing.
While it may be my experience, this money is really being raised so that people across the nations may be served as Christ served and loved as He loved. So by praying with me, and/or giving financially, you also become a part of the astonishing work that I know God will be doing.
If you feel called to partner with me in this unforgettable way, you can donate by:
—Going directly to my blog http://makennalabranche.theworldrace.org/ (while you’re there you can subscribe to my page in order to get updates via email about where I am and what I am doing) Click on the “Donate!” button on the right side of the screen, fill in my name, the amount you wish to give(THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU), and select a one time, monthly, or quarterly donation.
—Check
If you choose to donate by writing a check be sure to make it out to Adventures in Missions with my name in the memo line (Makenna Labranche – World Race) and include the fundraising card, which I have included, to ensure your donation goes towards my trip!
You can mail your check directly to Adventures in Missions (AIM)
at (P.O. Box 742570, Atlanta, GA 30374-2570)
Thank you for including me in your thoughts and prayers as I prepare my heart for this spectacular journey!
Please pray for my family, my team, and myself as God prepares the way for us and the hearts of those we will meet.
I hope that you choose to join me in serving the Lord and serving others in this amazing way.
If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me!
I hope to hear from you soon and please consider telling others about my story!
I have enclosed a response card with my information inviting you to share in this ministry.
Thank you in advance for all of your prayers and support!
God Bless,
Makenna Labranche
Appeal ID: LABRANCHEMAKENNA
Thank you so so much for taking the time out of your day and making it all the way to the end of my letter!
As previously stated, if you would like to have a copy mailed to you with my fundraising card enclosed I would be beyond thrilled to make that happen!
Thanks again!
Much love!
