Hey everyone, I wanted to give y’all a quick update on what’s going on, but first I want to give a shout out to those of you who have prayed, donated, and supported me over these past couple of months. Also, thank you for subscribing to my blog and partnering with me through this journey!! You guys are the best and knowing I have you all in my corner means the world to me.
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“Aren’t you supposed to be leaving the country next week??”
If I had a nickel for every time I heard this in the past week or two, I’d be rich (or at least closer to being fully-funded). To clarify, I’m not leaving the country next week, but those who have asked me this question weren’t entirely wrong.
When I got accepted to The World Race I was originally leaving in October. October 5thto be exact… that’s three days from now… holy cow. I can’t even imagine what I would be feeling in this moment if I were supposed to leave in three days. Somehow those three days have turned into three months.
With that being said, I will now be leaving on the JANUARY ROUTE. Same mission, same funds just different countries and a different launch date. Which means…TRAINING CAMP(Oct 15) is only 13 DAYS AWAY and WORLD RACE LAUNCH(January 3) is only 92 DAYS AWAY! Time is flying by!As of this past July, I have decided to leave in January 2019! This post is long overdue, but better late than never, amiright??
Short synopsis of why I switched my route…
Before I decided to switch routes, I prayed and talked to friends/family for two months about leaving at a later date. The months following my graduation in May had been a lot busier than I anticipated (medical outreach trip to Cambodia, visiting friends/family in New York and Massachusetts, family vacation to Ireland and Martha’s Vineyard, GRE course, etc.) All much-needed time with the people that I love the most, but not a ton of time for the long “to-do” list I had before I left in October.
At the time, I also decided to take the GRE for PA school before I left and wanted more time to study and not feel rushed (This has since changed, but more to come on this topic).
Over the summer, I had hopes to continue my fundraising, which I was not able to do away from home. And last but not least, my sweet friend Catherine Anne had asked me to be in her wedding on November 16th, not expecting me to stay for her wedding. But being one of my closest friend, I couldn’t pass up the joy of being a part of her big day and celebrating her marriage to John Tyler.
MY NEW ROUTE: January 2019 Route 2
Now that I have a new launch date, I also have new countries!! (All of which I am super excited for!)
West Africa
Cote d’Ivoire
Ghana
Togo
Southeast Asia
Thailand
Malaysia
Indonesia
Philippines
South America
Argentina
Chile
Bolivia
Peru
MORE UPDATES
Upon returning from the Race, I have decided to apply for Dental School. << It has always been in the back of my mind, but I never actually thought those words would be coming out of my mouth. My dad has been drilling the thought of dentistry into my head since I was born and for most of my life I have rejected this thought because if I’m being honest, I didn’t want to be told what to do and I wanted to figure out what I truly wanted to do on my own. But after a lot of reflection and prayer, I have decided for myself that this is a field I am passionate about and want to pursue.
PRAISE and PRAYER REQUESTS:
Praise:
The Lord has blessed me with meeting my first fundraising goal of $5,000. Thank you to everyone who has donated thus far. I really can’t thank you all enough. Your generosity is overwhelming.
Prayer:
I will be leaving for training camp in 13 days!!!!! Leave it to me to not have any of my gear… whoops.
Prayers for vulnerability and unity among my team. For my heart to be open, honest, and teachable. For the Lord to do big things and (spiritually, mentally, & physically) prepare my team for this crazy adventure.
I also have yet to learn how to pitch my own tent (so prayers for that would be appreciated).
Y’all are the best!!!
All my love,
Jess
