Let me let you in on a little something. This week we found out the exact day we leave leave for our first country, Guatemala, which is AWESOME. Everyone on my squad is beside his/herself with excitement and anticipation, yours truly included. So, America, it's been real, but I will be leaving you on September 10th! Now, to enlighten you on World Race lingo, the word for the day we leave the country and the few days of training and worship that come before it is LAUNCH. So, when I post statuses or tweet about "Launch," that is what I'm speaking about.
Now, onto bigger things. Once a wise professor told me, "You have to swallow the frogs one at a time, and swallow the big frogs first." She said this to me right before I performed my final jury before graduation. For those of you not immersed in music major culture, jury is not jury duty, it is your final exam for your instrument. In vocal juries, you walk in and sing one prepared piece for a panel of music faculty, then they ask you to sing something else from your repertoire for the semester (which they have on a piece of paper in front of them). Usually you go in with a foreign language piece to sing first, and then pray they don't select another foreign language piece for you to sing, because, let's be honest, if they do, most of the time you fake a lot of whatever the language is. Anyway, jury is easily the most nerve-wracking 20 minutes of your life every. single. time. So, right before my final jury of my undergraduate career, my dear friend, Dr. Galloway, says this thing to me about swallowing frogs. And it struck me. She was basically saying, "Get the big things out of the way first so that the little things will seem easier." And she was right. After I performed my final jury, everything else on my graduation checklist seemed to pass almost effortlessly in comparison.
All this to say, I am about to swallow a big frog here:
I need your support more desperately than ever before. It is difficult to ask people for their prayers and for their financial support. But I am asking because I am called to the Race by a remarkable God who wants daily to remind us that He is more than the box we place Him in. God is bigger than money. He is bigger than our idols, and than everything we worship instead of Him. I truly believe He can and will provide for me financially. Prayer will obviously always be the priority. I haven't even begun the race yet, and I have already seen him answer so many of my prayers.
My current fundraising status is as follows: I need about $1,100 more to meet my goal in order to be able to launch. All checks have to be sent in by August 4th and all online donations have to be made by August 14th. I am hopeful about this goal. I know $1,100 is a lot of money, but I also know that God loves to surprise His children. I am praying that He will provide and I hope He will do that through some of you.
Here are the ways you can contribute:
1.) Click on the "Support Me!" tab underneath my picture on the left of the page. You can donate any amount (there is none too small) and it will go directly into my account.
2.) You can mail a check to this address:
Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
Please write SANDERSSARAH in the memo as to assure the donation makes it to the right place.
3.) Adventures in Missions, who the Race is sponsored through, has a partnership with a non-profit organization called Food for the Hungry. For every child that is sponsored for a year ($32/month) through the link on my blog, I receive a $50 dollar donation into my account. You feed a child and sponsor a Racer. Incredible. And bonus! Several of the countries I am going to are sponsored by this awesome organization. Click the link on the left side of my page that says "Support your World Racer by sponsoring a child."
Thanks you so much for even considering partnering with me in this journey. To God be the glory always!
Grace and peace,
Sarah
