Hello friends, supporters, family, strangers! And welcome to Mary’s March Madness! I took the idea behind my sister’s fundraiser and blended it with my own and voila, here we are! (:
Before I explain the what’s and how’s of the fundraiser, I’d like to say a few words of thanks and encouragement. Thank you to those who have generously invested in me and my race, whether by multiple faithful donations or surprising singular giving. Thank you for having a heart of love for me and a spirit of faith in the Lord, trusting that He is doing work in me and through me on this Race. I can’t say enough how much that means to me. It’s a little uncomfortable and anxiety-inducing to ask for support, especially of the monetary kind. I’m plagued with doubts of whether I have the right to ask, of whether it truly is a worthwhile venture for people to financially support. I’m overcome by self-conscious thoughts and fears of burdening or annoying people. And I’m poked and prodded by feelings of guilt and selfishness and unworthiness. But I’m realizing how much of me those thoughts and feelings are filled with, when it’s not about me at all. It’s about what the Lord is doing and the different ways He pulls us into it. In this case, He’s pulled me in as participant in the field and recipient of His grace in that setting. And I believe He has called many of you to be participant in the sending as my support network and recipient of His grace through that. Ultimately, we’re always investing into the kingdom, in different ways depending on the season and situation, but if we’re to expect an outpouring of Him into us and through us, there must be a pouring out from and of us into Him. Time, money, relationships, dreams, skills, etc. And He takes what we give and uses it to bless, grow, encourage, and employ the Body. This Race that I’m on this year is not something I’m going at alone: each of my supporters are with me on this journey. How you pray for me and give in support of me and spur on with words of truth and encouragement are all vital parts of my race, from strengthening my spirit to providing the actual means for me to physically be here. So I ask you to please, don’t stop praying or giving or reaching out. Not just for and to me, but to anyone else the Lord calls out in your life.
That said, I thought I’d try to get a little creative and “fun” with my effort to raise my last leg of support. So, in honor of my birthday, aka, Papa’s marvelous creation of me and purposeful crafting of my life, I thought I’d designate the entire month of March for a fundraiser. (:
If you are so led to help me celebrate God’s gift of life to me, you can do so specifically by donating to my WR account! And thereby helping me raise the remaining $3,577 I have left to raise!! I will be turning 25 on March 15th, so I will call it the “25 for 25” Campaign. And here are the ways that I will express my gratitude:
– $25 (-$49) donation: A personalized Thank You picture with a fun feature (either a cool location or object or creature or person), posted on Facebook and emailed personally.
– $50 (-$99) donation: A personalized Thank You video with a fun feature (same as above).
– $100 (-$199) donation: A personalized TY video AND 1 Truth. You can ask me anything you want to know about me or my Race via comment or email and I will answer it in my blog.
– $200 (or more) donation: A personalized TY video AND 1 Challenge. You can challenge me to do something on the Race, like a dare. Within reason: consider safety/health and finances and appropriate conduct. It can be of fun/silly nature or bold/adventurous/fear-conquering or faith building/practicing. Get creative! *For this one, up to two people May partner up to make up the $200 mark together to submit one challenge. Just note that in a separate comment or email.
The deadline for all of this is MARCH 31st! Thank you and have fun! I hope to have many interesting questions to answer and fun challenges to tackle! (:
As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions you may have!
