What do all three of those things have in common? Read on to find out!
If you’ve been following me for any amount of time, you’ll have noticed that at the bottom of each of my blogs I snuck a little heading that looked like this:
“Financial update:”
It would always be followed by an update on…*gasp* shocker….how my fundraising was doing. It was always my least favorite part of every blog to do because I really don’t like asking people for money…especially when I can’t thank them in person with a song, a fireworks display, or at least some sort of dance.
Well, my dearest & most beloved readers, I am beyond bursting-at-the-seams excited to announce thaaaaaaat….drum roll please!!!
I AM FULLY FUNDED AS OF THE END OF LAST MONTH!!!!!!!
$16,255 raised out of $16,255 needed. Wow. Absolutely unbelievable.
THANK YOU A THOUSAND LIFETIMES OVER!
Truly, my friends, I could not have gotten to this place without all of your prayers & donations.
I am teary-eyed, weary-hearted, & weak-in-the-knees grateful to each and every single one of you whether you donated $1 or over $1,000.
You all have given me hope in one of the most difficult years of my life. You have given me a reason to keep fighting. You’ve showed me again & again that people I do & don’t know believe in me- believe in redemption – believe in never giving up.
From the deepest part of my soul I thank you.
I plan to keep this blog going for a while even after the race. If, over the past year or so you’ve decided that you like reading about what I’m up to & the crazy things I’m thinking about & you’d like to see how I’m doing, you can find me on facebook, subscribe to this blog, or simply keep checking back every once in a while.
I know my journey doesn’t end in the next & final month of the World Race. This 11 month mission trip is only the beginning of one crazy whirlwind of an adventure that is my life.
For those of you interested, my After The Race Plans (& after ample visiting with friends & family) are the following:
-I’ll be spending the first couple weeks doing some much needed visiting with family & friends (all the while accompanied by one of my beloved & best friends on my squad, Deborah).
-Thanks to Cyndee & the rest of the Buck family, I will be learning how to drive stick….that should be interesting. I wonder if it will feel like the fast & furious movies made it out to be. I’ll let you all know.
-I’ll be at Olentangy Orange High School’s band camp working as a flute tech (like I’ve done every year since I was eligible).
-I plan on looking into getting my pilot’s license with a focus on missions.
-I’ll definitely keep traveling.
-I plan on purchasing a nice bicycle on which I will train for a potential cross-country (USA) biking excursion (I might even do it for a cause)
-I will be doing camping & exploration with friends & family in our oh so beautiful national parks
-my best friend Jessie & I will be doing a cross country road trip starting May 2016 (we’ll be hitting each state so give me a shoutout if you’ve got a couch, some floor space, or a back yard open)
-I plan to read more (Donald Miller is first on the list…he’s been the Yoda to my Luke Skywalker on the World Race)
-I plan to stay in shape physically & spiritually
-I’ll keep dancing, running, writing poetry, finding my voice, & learning guitar
-In the future future (future squared means I don’t know when but it’ll definitely happen) I’ll be visiting my dear friend Kaili & her family in Hawaii where Team Shark Bait will teach me how to surf & be cool.
-At some point I’m sure I’ll find a way to make money for myself again.
-Depending on how things go, I may or may not go back to school for psychology
-I’ll probably get married to a pretty awesome guy somewhere down the line & start a family (after dating said awesome guy for a little while of course). Sweet.
-Ultimate goal: die happy surrounded by people that love me & finally go to heaven to be with Jesus. Even sweeter.
The end.
Any questions? Feel free to email me =o) thank you, everyone, again!
Until Next Time,
~ Vashti W.
Be sure to check my facebook page for random albums of my time on the World Race. The countries you can find pictures of me in will be:
• Haiti • Bolivia • Peru • Ecuador • Malawi • Zambia • Zimbabwe • Malaysia • Thailand • Cambodia • (& soon enough) Vietnam •
