July has been a rough month. I struggle to write a blog post that isn’t exciting and positive concerning my preparations towards leaving in September, but honestly, life has been hard.
People continue to ask me if I am getting more and more excited about leaving and going on the World Race. Without a doubt, I am excited and cannot wait for this new page in my life to begin, however at the same time, I am currently feeling overwhelmed with all of the details that need to come together, dreading all of the people I will have to say good bye to, and struggling to trust in God that he will provide the funding for my missions trip. Ever since returning to the U.S. from Ecuador and finding out that the job I had lined up didn’t pull through, I have had a lot of time on my own. Though I have tried to take advantage of the this free time to get everything done, it has really been a lonely period and I have had to struggle through dark moments of doubt, temptation, and isolation. I have attempted to fill up my evenings as much as possible, which has been really good, but having so much time on my own during the day has not been healthy for me. Furthermore, my fund raising has hit an all time low during the month of July. Though I want to trust in God more then ever, I cannot help but question if I have hit the plateau of my fund raising even though I am not even half way there. All of this to say, I desperately need your prayers now more then ever.
On a more positive note, I have slowly but surely been obtaining the different gear that is necessary for my trip. Being the indecisive individual that I am, I have read hundreds of reviews, talked to many different people, and have visited REI three times in the last week alone. So the gathering of my gear has not been a small ordeal to say the least. BUT, I have managed to purchase my bag, tent, sleeping pad, rain coat and other small things and I am down to needing just a few items before I should have everything ready. Also, in the last week or two, I have had the opportunity to talk with a couple individuals who have previously gone on the World Race and was able to glean a lot of knowledge from their time away. I am so thankful for these conversations that have allowed me to be more prepared, know what to purchase, what to expect, and what to look forward to as I begin my journey in September.
My tent set up inside my room…
Furthermore, I have had several opportunities to catch up and spend some quality time with a lot of good friends in the Southern California area. It has been a lot of fun seeing old college friends and recounting a lot of good memories. I look back and see how blessed I have been to have the opportunity to be friends with some amazing people over the last 7 years. In addition, God has allowed some new friends to develop in the last few months with the church that I have been attending. Though the timing seems unfortunate since I am leaving, I have been blessed and encouraged by them during this short period of time.
Lastly, though it is uncomfortable for me to constantly be bringing up my support raising, I do ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with me by donating to my missions trip. In two days, I have a deadline of $7000 that I need to meet. Currently, I am at $6300 and I need to raise $700 in two days. Also, on August 18th, I have a deadline of $8500 that I need to meet in order to be cleared to leave in September. Thank you for joining in these efforts up till now and I am very thankful for each and everyone of you. Please be praying that God would bring people into my life who would capture the vision that I have and want to be a partner in this amazing opportunity. Thanks!
