FUNDRAISING
You may not know this, but World Race requires a racer to fundraise. A racer cannot just have his parents write a check for the entire amount of the race. I was not at all excited about having to fundraise–it was totally outside my comfort zone.
Now that the fundraising season is over, my mind is absolutely blown from the amount of support from family and friends that has come through. I didn’t know that people could be so generous, and I am very, very thankful!
Throughout my fundraising process, Jesus has shown himself to me in amazing ways. After I had first been accepted to the World Race, $14,951 looked like an impassible roadblock—like a tsunami wave frozen in time and too slick to climb over, or like you’re at the bottom of Mt. Everest with no oxygen tanks—I thought it was impossible and that I would never raise even close to that sum of money.
Two months later, I’m fully funded and sitting there with my mind completely amazed.
TRAINING CAMP
You may have (or may not) have noticed, but in early July, I was gone for 10 days. Where was I?, you may ask. Was I on vacation? Was I lost in the wilderness?…well, maybe the second one, sort of!
July 6-16, I was in Gainesville, GA at training (boot) camp for my World Race Gap Year! Those 10 days were some of the most fun and both spiritually and physically rejuvenating days of my life. I met so many new people, who are burdened for the needy, that I will be able to call my best friends for these next nine months.
Through worship, devotions, scripture readings, and constant presence of the Lord, I feel like my faith grew during this period of time.
Several challenges included:
1. each team being challenged to hike 2.2 miles uphill in a 38 minute timeframe, with full packs loaded on our backs, and in hot Georgia humidity and sunshine.
2. eating a seasoned cricket for the first time, and it wasn’t bad!
3. surviving on less amounts of food, to simulate being in a foreign country, in which smaller amounts are served daily.
With that, I am super stoked to launch in 16 days and can’t wait to be reunited with all my new friends and to serve the poor and needy overseas, sharing with them the love of Jesus Christ!
Please keep me, and my team, in your prayers over these next nine months.
Thanks so much to all my supporters and friends.
