So, we have it… We have been told when we will be heading out on the World Race. Drumroll please…… I will be leaving the weekend of September 5th! That is 85 days away. Yell it with me, 85 days!
Currently, between the money in my World Race account and the money being collected at my church, I have been given and have raised 9,680.00 dollars (6,280.00=online donations, cash donations given directly to me, and t-shirt sales! 3,400.00 from church fundraisers and donations given to the church for me!) I just have to take a moment to thank everyone who has donated to this mission trip or participated in a fundraiser. Every single dollar counts and the support I’ve gotten has been overwhelming, humbling and so reaffirming.
As a side note to that, I have 8 individuals who have gone above and beyond to help fund me to go and I can’t tell you what a blessing it is. I wish I could tell everyone who the 8 are. I wish I could shout their names from the roof top, but I know none of them would want that, because they didn’t do it to build up a name for or to glorify themselves but did (and continue to do) it to glorify Christ and honor His command to go and spread the gospel among the nations.
If you are one of those 8 who have donated, thank you. I can’t even come up with the words to explain what an immense blessing you have been to me.
You know, for a while I got so caught up in the numbers, the end result and what I still needed that I honestly forgot to look at just how much the Lord has given me already.. Yes, I would like to be fully funded by the beginning of September but I already have 9,680.00. That is a ton of money. What an honor to be given such a responsibility and how humbling to see the Lord moving people to give so that I may fulfill that responsibility. Look at what God has done. It is easy to see the need above the provision, the bad over the good, the leaps and bounds backwards instead of the baby steps forward. Especially lately when we’ve been faced (or bombarded really) with so much negativity and so many distractions in the media. I have found myself getting bogged down by it. But then I remember Jesus and the fact that nothing is bigger than Him. I look at what all He has done and how He has changed me and others I am close to and I am reminded that while satan is tricky and certainly showing just how much power he has lately, there is no one more powerful than God. Thanks to His provision and the willingness to give He has placed in people’s hearts, I will be sharing that great and awesome power with others. The Lord will be giving others the same sense of hope He, several years ago, gave to me… And He will be using me to do it.
Thank you a thousand times for your giving spirit and your desire to see the Lords work done.. And thank you for believing in me enough to choose me over the other very worthy christian charities and organizations you could have given to instead. It means the world to me. I’m really doing this thing guys! In 85 days my home will be a tent, electricity will be an extravagant treat, squatty potties will be a norm and things such as showers and toilet paper will be luxuries I rarely enjoy. I will sweat more, smell worse, work harder, see more giant spiders, eat weirder foods and get sicker than I ever have before. I will also be shown what it is to be a disciple of Christ, cry tears of praise and joy, grow as a Christian and a person, and open myself up to more cultures/people/food than I ever imagined. This won’t be the greatest year of my life. It won’t be the best thing that ever happened to me, and it certainly won’t always be fun and easy (this is NO vacation guys) but it will turn my world upside down and leave my butt face-planted in the dirt, mind blown and heart full. It will challenge and change me and while I am sometimes terrified, I can’t wait to see how the Lord works on and through me.
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Upcoming fundraisers:
-We are selling Avon bug guard and skin so soft! Contact me if you’d like to order some.
-Adopt a square
-Church picnic/cake auction at the Lake Serene Clubhouse
-Adopt a country mason jars (coming in July!!)
-Church Spaghetti luncheon (July)
(There are a few more being planned as well)
My fundraisers have gone so well thus far, but the majority of my support has come from donations (specifically from the 8 blessedly generous souls I mentioned earlier). If you feel the Lord leading you to give and would like to donate you can click that support me button on the left hand side! You can also partner with me to make monthly reoccurring donations. If you can’t help financially but want to know what you can do, please put me and my squad in your prayers! We are stepping completely out of our comfort zones and can use all of the prayer we can get! I also am in need of some smaller gear. If you would like to purchase something, get in contact with me and I can give you a list of things I do not have yet!
As usual, thank you for reading and loving on me like you do! Praise God for this season of fundraising and preparing. Also, for the supportive people He has placed in my life!
