Hello from Dallas! In the 13 short days that I’m away from home, I’ll be exploring Texas, ringing in the New Year with a road trip, passing through 4 states, sleeping in at least 5 different beds, attending the Passion conference with some dear squad mates, celebrating the 1-year anniversary of my World Race launch, and taking part in Project Searchlight (which is, in a nutshell, the final, final debrief for World Racers). I packed up my trusty pack (his name is Duke) once again, this time with winter clothes instead of a year’s worth of necessities, and sat on what felt like one of the shortest flights ever (Denver to Dallas, which is about 2 hours), and the limbo of only being somewhere for a short amount of time has begun yet again.
In the midst of this limbo, many people have been asking me what comes next. The short answer? I’m not entirely sure! There are a TON of options on the table at this point, and there are many incredible (and exciting!) opportunities that I know the Lord can and will work through. I want to be faithful to seek Him in what comes next and continue to ask that God would give me His desires.
While I’m not sure what this next year is going to look like, I know that an opportunity has been placed before me that I’m really excited for. I’ve been given the chance to lead a Passport trip (short-term trip for 18-21-year-old guys and gals) in July of 2018! There are a few reasons that I wanted to pursue leading a Passport Trip.
- I asked the Lord what the often-times ambiguous idea of “missions” is supposed to look like in my life now that the Race is over. He didn’t give me a 10-year plan, or even a 5-year plan, but He did show me Passport leading as a way to pour into a generation He has undoubtedly called me to (high school and college-aged people).
- God so clearly broke out of the box I had put Him in while I was on my Race, and to be completely honest, it was really scary. I didn’t know what was happening, and often times, I didn’t even know what I was thinking or feeling. I was at an incredibly vulnerable place on my Race, and without the community of friends and leaders who surrounded me and fought for me so fearlessly, I don’t think I would have come out of the Race the same person I am sitting here writing this. As much as I’m enabled by the Spirit of God, I want to be that for others.
- I’m not quick to love others by serving them. I’m much quicker to love by giving words of affirmation or spending time with people. And while on my Race, I saw time and time again how closely leadership and service are related. Leading a group of young adults will stretch and grow me, and while it may not always be comfortable, this is a huge area of growth I want to jump into.
- I want to learn more about what it looks like to disciple others. I’ve been hugely blessed to have amazing women come alongside me throughout my life and share their hearts with me in ways that encouraged me to pursue the Lord even more. For a long time, I assumed I needed to _____ (do, learn, be, have, etc.) more in order to disciple others. Thanks to God speaking through some dear friends, He’s told me that that mindset is a lie and that He wants to use me to do big things.
Woohoo! Guys, I’m reall stoked about this! I’m excited for the growth process, both now and during the actual trip itself. I’m excited to work with Adventures In Missions again and to get to know their heart even more. I’m excited to learn more about service, leadership, and discipleship. I’m excited to pour into those we will be serving and working alongside while we’re gone. Which begs the question… WHERE WILL WE BE GOING?
We’ll be going to (drumroll please…)
Either India, Zambia, Ecuador, or Nicaragua! I’ll find out at the end of January, and I’ll let you guys know as soon as I know. Regardless of our destination, I still have to do a bit of fundraising. But my goal this time feels vastly different than my fundraising goal for the Race.
Unlike my $17,000 goal of fundraising for my Race, I only have to raise $2,500 total for Passport leading. Woohoo! I am going to spend the spring of 2018 working and saving, and am going to personally raise 40% ($1,000) of the total $2,500. This means that my total outside fundraising goal is only $1,500, and that if 30 people donate $50, I’ll reach my total fundraising goal! How cool is that?
I made a GENERAL spreadsheet of what I have to raise and where the funds are going, which you can see below:
As a way to honor those who are giving, I’ll be mailing a postcard from the country we are in to everyone who donates $50+!
Would you consider becoming a one-time or monthly donor? To do so, simply click on the orange DONATE button on the fundraising bar at the top of this blog. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel welcome to send me an e-mail personally at [email protected].
Thank you so much for continuing to take part in my journey through prayer and financial giving. I’m excited to continue to continue to update you on my fundraising process, as well as everything I’m experiencing and learning throughout this time. Be blessed, friends!
