We are in the single digits!! Only NINE (9) DAYS until I report to Atlanta for my World Race Launch. How did it get here so fast??
I’ve never been engaged or planned a wedding, but I follow a lot of people on social media who have, and from what I can tell, there is something incomparably exciting about being in the single digits of a countdown to something so life-changing. So I think I know how they feel! I’ve known that I would be going on the World Race – an 11 month mission trip to 11 countries that incorporates deep, challenging community and discipleship – since January. But it wasn’t until the last few weeks that I realized… whoa… this is really happening!
9 days… WOW!
Here’s 9 things I want to share with you to commemorate 9 days until I leave for Launch.
1. I’m excited. Since Training Camp (and all that ensued at Training Camp that you can read about here), I have been feeling rearing and ready to GO. I want to dive into the deep, challenging discipleship and grow in faith. I want to experience all that God has for me through the World Race. I want to get started!
2. I’m scared. The World Race is not just a fun, exciting adventure to 11 countries. It’s also hard, challenging, painful, and unlike anything I’ve experienced before. It requires trusting strangers. It requires perseverance. It requires more faith than I have ever had to exercise up until this point. Yikes, guys, this year is going to be so so so hard. And I’m scared. I’ve cried a bunch of times just thinking about it. I know it’s going to be an awesome year, but there’s no denying it will also be my hardest year to-date.
3. Saying goodbye has been both sweet and hard. I visited my college town, Harrisonburg, for a week and a half to see all of my people there and say goodbye. Then I visited my boyfriend, Jonathan, in Blacksburg for a few days to say goodbye. Goodbyes are hard, even if it is just “see you later.” It’s been hard to say goodbye to someone knowing that it will be an entire year until I see them again. It’s been hard to say goodbye to someone knowing that I won’t be actively a part of their life for the next year, and I won’t be there for them the way I used to be. It’s been really hard. But it’s been so, so sweet knowing that God is good and God is in control. He’s a provider, and He cares deeply for us. I can leave for the World Race, knowing and trusting that my family and friends that I “leave behind” are not abandoned by the Father! That’s a truth I can rest in.
4. I am beyond thankful for the incredible support I have received from so many people in my life. There’s going to be a separate blog post in a few days all about this one, but I just needed to brag on y’all for a second. A few days ago, I posted my Amazon World Race Wish List on Facebook. It had a whole bunch of items on it that I still needed for my trip. I posted the link at 12:30am, and when I woke up and checked it at 9:30am, all of the items had been purchased! I am quite literally blown away!! Y’all’s generosity and support has been above and beyond what I ever could have hoped or asked for. I thank God for y’all every day!
5. A sneak peek into what my life is going to look like next month! My team, Wild Fires, will be living and serving in Ciudad Vieja, Guatemala doing projects in a school, helping local missionaries disciple middle and high school students, and following Holy Spirit into relationships and opportunities to make His Name great!
6. How you can be praying for me and my team: safety in travelling to Cuidad Vieja and safety while we are there; opportunities to share Christ’s love and His Gospel to the people we meet; healthy communication and community on our team; peace about leaving home and joyful expectation for what God is going to do in and through us on this journey; and funding.
7. I am very close to being fully funded! That being said, as strange as this sounds, I ask that you not donate to my World Race past this point. If you would like to support me financially, I ask that you direct your donations to one of my squadmates. The Csterhood is a Body of Christ that cannot function at its best if members are not fully engaged or are missing. As we launch in 9 days, there are Csters who will be leaving the country without their full funding. Fundraising overseas while engaged in full-time missionary work is incredibly stressful, and if they do not meet their financial deadlines, they may be at risk to coming back home early. PLEASE consider supporting one of my squadmates financially. You can access their blogs from the left-hand panel through the button that says, “Meet My Squad,” or by clicking the hyperlink. You may also send me an email ([email protected]) and I can tell you who is in need of funding. Thank you in advance for supporting ME in this way!
8. Fundraising success! Thank you to everyone who donated, big and small, to my paper recycling drive! Between the two trips we took to the recycling company, y’all helped me raise $204! Sweeeet! Thank you for the huge response! The two trailers combined weighed 5,640lb! Thanks a ton! 😉
9. Last thing for now, enjoy this fall-themed joke since I’ll be gone before fall actually shows up haha!
What did one pumpkin say to the other pumpkin?
“You look GOURDgeous!”
Ahaha! There’s plenty more where that came from, folks.
Thanks again for your incredible support. I can’t wait to send you updates FROM THE FIELD! (Although I am super nervous and I’ve cried a lot, so encouragement and prayers appreciated!)
xoxo
Jess
