Hello everyone!
I will post again later about how amazing training camp was and what God did later on. I wanted to in the meantime graciously thank all of you who have been supporting me financially, in prayer, and in words of encouragement. You have all been such an amazing blessing!
I wanted you all to recognize how much every dollar does matter. My friend Kristina had an amazing blog on this and thought I would share as her words were so powerful. Thanks Kristina for letting me use this!
You may not have a bunch of money to give away and are wondering "Is supporting (Susan's) World Race with the little bit that I have to offer worth it? Will my donation even matter at all?" And if you're REALLY like me and need to see exactly why it's worth it, allow me to put things into perspective for you.
1 US DOLLAR IS EQUIVALENT TO …..
7.83 Guatemalan Quetzal 24.61 Nicaraguan Córdoba 499.80 Costa Rican Colón
30.93 Thai Baht 3.16 Malaysian Ringgit 4,088.32 Cambodian Riel
59.35 Indian Rupees 95.23 Nepalese Rupee 29.71 Mozambican Metical
9.93 Swaziland Lilageni 9.90 South African Rand
Your $1 stretches a VERY LONG WAY in the countries that I will be serving in. And since our budgets in these countries are very small (approximately $5/day), your donation can help me eat, sleep, and live for a week in any of these given countries. But your support isn't just about helping ME survive and travel from country to country safely. But think about the impact you'll be making in the lives of people all around the world. People who live on even less than the $5/day that I'll be allotted.
For example, Nicaragua, the poorest country in Central America and the second poorest in the Hemisphere, has widespread underemployment and poverty. 79.9% of the population live with less than $2 per day. According to the FAO, 27% of all Nicaraguans are suffering from undernourishment; the highest percentage in Central America. Your support means that we can help meet very physical and tangible needs of some of the poorest and undernourished people in the world.
Or what about Thailand? Health and employment wise, they aren't as bad off as Nicaragua natives, and in general, they are living on more than $5/day. But each year, somewhere between 700,000 and 4 million women, children, and men are trafficked into modern forms of slavery worldwide. Southeast Asian countries are especially notorious for their involvement, and Thailand, in particular, has developed into both a sending and receiving country for trafficking victims. Now, I can't end prostitution and sex slavery alone. But what I CAN do is minister to at least one young lady about Christ's love. To pay for an hour of a "bar girl" in Thailand costs approximately 2500 baht (or ~$80). When you have not experienced any form of real love, it doesn't take long to know and appreciate the difference between someone who wants to use you and someone who wants to save you.
In Swaziland, 60% of the population live on less than the equivalent of US$1.25 per day. Life expectance for the total population is 29 years old. This is one of the lowest in the world! As reported in the 2012 CIA World FactBook, Swaziland has the highest HIV infection rate in the world. Polygamy is legal in many African cultures and the Swazi culture is seeing the emergence of a great deal of unfaithfulness within marriage. When there are multiple wives (sexual partners) the disease gets spread that much faster. Experts say that an entire generation of Swazi people will be wiped out and by 2050 the entire country will be gone, unless profound change is realized. I'm tearing up just at the fact that an entire country is full of hopelessness. Imagine what could happen if a group of people spent a month there, sharing not only God's love but also His law. Imagine if they saw young people like them explaining what the word says about marriage and sexual purity while living out what Jesus says about love and serving. Imagine if this word caught root in the lives of some of the orphans and younger generation. Imagine being a part of saving an entire nation!
If you're still wondering if it's worth it …. let me just tell you, it absolutely is! When you support my World Race, you aren't just sending (Susan) around the world. Please know that I don't take my mission lightly. I understand the great possibilities that can occur by spending one month in 11 different countries. I understand that everyone who supports me has a desire to change the world and that I am a representative for them. Please consider allowing me to represent you as well.
