First off HAPPY EASTER!!!! HE IS RISEN!!!!!!! (a few days late, but oh well)
So this month we as a squad were challenged by our awesome advisor (who checks in with us once a month by either phone or email to help guide and support us as we not only prepare before, but during the Race as well) to write 4 blogs during the month of April, and if you know me you’ll know that I love a good challenge (Me going on the World Race is a prime example of this by the way hahahahaha) anyways CHALLENGE ACCEPTED! I must admit that I had trouble coming up with ideas outside of my geography lessons blogs that I have been doing 1 per month til I leave, but then I realized that today marks the halfway point of my year of preparation to when I launch in October! CRAZY!!!! It even still feels a bit weird to say that I’m halfway to launch. So in honor if this I have decided to give a halfway update as far my pre race preparations are going, and let you, my readers, tell you what I have been learning in advance of leaving. So here it goes:
1.Mental preparation: I think that it has finally hit me that I am actually going to be serving on a year long mission trip as over the past few months it still felt like it was a dream since I had never imagined that I could do something like this especially since I thought that even tho I am still a young adult I am on the higher end of the age limit so I thought that there was no way that I was going to get accepted based on my age alone, but one of the things that God reminded me of is the fact that he will use anyone he wants no matter what their circumstances are or if there is something that is holding them back for his service to his Kingdom NO MATTER WHAT. There are plenty of examples in the Bible about God using average joe’s to do great things in his name for his Kingdom even if they thought that they weren’t worthy to do so despite something they felt would hold them back from serving God such as Moses and his speech impairment (which by the way Moses is one of my favorite characters from the Old testament as I see myself in him in so many ways). this is something that I have to keep reminding myself, and help put things into prespective.
2. Fundraising update: I wrote and mailed my first round of my support letter, and I am happy to report that thanks to my letters I HAVE RAISED MY 1ST G!!!!!!!!! SO A HUGE SHOUTOUT TO ALL MY SUPPORTERS OUT THERE!!!!! THANK YOU THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH!!!! Only 17k to go! haha. Seriously tho I am very grateful for all the financial support that I have been given, and it really means a lot to me that you would donate your hard earned money to this amazing adventure that I am going on, so once again thank you.
I’m also still waiting word on if my grant request will be approved by my church’s mission on outreach committee. If that does get approved then it will help me out so much.
I still have tshirts and pens available to order with all proceeds going to my fundraising efforts is anyone is interested. I also will be at the Greenmead Flea Market on June 3rd, selling some things with all the funds going to my fundraising efforts as well (not to mention I do need to downsize anyways, so this is the perfect excuse to do that!)
Plus I’ve been busting my tail off at Target, working as many hours as I can to continue my own personal financial commitment to going on the Race even planning on going overnight to help with a remodel at another store later this month for 6 weeks to help get hours/money to put towards my own goal. Yeah I’m crazy, but I know it’s all gonna be worth it in the end.
3. I have finally been able to “meet” and talk to a few members of my squad via social media like facebook & IG, groupme and Skype, and let me tell you from the few that I have talked with via technology they all seem like they are going to be pretty incredible young Christian adults, and I can already tell that this is going to be a special squad (I wish we were assigned a squad letter now, but that’s not til training camp), and we are going to be doing amazing things out on the Race. It’s also cool to talk to them via Skype, and knowing that even if we are all spread all across the US it seems like we are closer, and we have already had such awesome discussions about various topics. All of this makes me excited to go to training camp in August, and meet all of them in person rather then just through a computer (well more like the Skype app on my phone). I have a feeling that all squad month is gonna be pretty awesome as well.
I gotta give shoutouts to Samuel, Re, Sarah Ann, Britt, and Brooklynn (as those are the members of my squad who I’ve met via Skype so far) and I’ve also talked to these awesome peeps as well as a few more via the groupme app as well. In a later blog, I’ll introduce you to more of my squad & my first team, so stay tuned for that!
4. Physical preparation: I have been do my best to get to the gym to workout, and while I have successful in going to workout, I haven’t been going as often as I like, but I’ll keep at it especially since having to “run” 2 miles under a certain time with full pack at the end of training camp scares me just a bit and I’m afraid that I am going to fail at it since I am not a runner no matter how hard I train, and I’m in pretty good shape too. I guess I’m worried failing that test, and missing out on leaving for the World Race just cause I suck at running.
I have also visited a travel clinic and have begun getting all the required vaccines that I need for this adventure not to mention getting a script for Malaria preventive as well (since even tho I am a Civil War reenactor, I don’t want to risk being that accurate). You should see the huge packet of information I got from them. I am overwhelmed by it to be honest.
Here is the list of vaccines that I need both normal and exotic since people have been asking me this question:
Normal: DPT/MMR/Polio/pneumonia/Meningitis boosters as well as I’ll be getting the flu shot before I go too. I’ve already had my rounds of both Hep A/B vaccine so I’m set on that one. I am naturally immune to the chicken pox, so I don’t need that vaccine.
Now for the exotic ones that I will be getting: Typhoid/yellow fever/Japanese Encephalitis & Rabies (yes you read that right I need a rabies shot)
5. There have been so many truths that God has reveled to me in both my quiet time with him & through BSF as he has put so many words on my heart that I will most likely end up writing another blog just on that topic.
6. I have been busy downloading both my music & movie playlist for the upcoming year. I have a wide range of music that I listen to. My movie playlist is mostly made up of comedies/ action & adventure/historical based. One of my goals is to watch all the Marvel movies from beginning to now in the order that they are meant to be watched while on the Race. I just wish there was a way that I could follow my sports teams while being gone. Also both of these things have come up a lot in other racers blogs that I have been following to try to get an idea of what I might be facing while out in the field which their stories are so cool, uplifting & encouraging plus there is also some TMI stories but that’s life on the Race, and I hope to be able to share with you, my readers and supporters my own stories like those as well (well maybe not the TMI ones)
On the topic of my blog, I have been told by several people who have read my blog ( I also post my blogs to my facebook page) including my former HS history teacher that I am excellent writer, and that I should think about writing a book about my World Race experience. Now I don’t feel like I am a strong enough storyteller/writer to do that, but if God puts it on my heart to share my story that way then I might consider doing it.
My only other question is this: “If I do manage to write a full book about my World Race experience, “would people read it and will it make a good movie?” (kidding about the movie part).
I’ve tried writing a chapter story before, and finished it, but I just think that it’s on a ok level since as I just said I’m not a strong writer. So we will see as the jury is still out on that, but as I’ve said before if God leads me to turn my blog/ World Race experience into a full book then I’m going to do it.
Sorry this post is so long, but it is pretty cool what God has been showing/teaching in all this preparation months leading up to launch. I can already tell that I am becoming more open to him showing me these things & not fighting it as bad like I would have before, but that’s not to stay I’ve dug my heels in somewhat over these couple of months, I’m just saying that I can feel myself beginning to grow in ways in preparation for the year to come that while I may hate it now, I know that this growth is gonna show up while out in the field when I’m going to least expect it, and when it does then I know it was worth it.
Keep Donating!!!!!!!! YOU ARE ALL AWESOME!!!!!!
Til next time your fellow sister in Christ,
Bonnie
Psalm 18:2
#yolo
#Godsquad
#fools4Jesus
#fools4him
#blogitlikeitshot
