Questions that have (probably) recently crossed your mind include:
Why can’t you seem to post anything but another fundraiser?
Where do you come from?
What do your parents think about this?
… and …
What made you think I’m interested in investing in this?
We all know that one person… the one posting flawless photos of themselves paired with a perfectly articulated quote. No one is photo-bombing the picture, and even though they just posted a snapchat story of themselves eating an entire pizza, their waistline looks perfectly trimmed. They’ve scored themselves a hunky boyfriend, and they’re posting another self-promoting social media post about how great their life is right. in. your. face.
We all know that one person. And a lot of the time, it feels like me.
This is an open note to myself, really. The shameless self-promoter.
In a previous blog post, I talked about how it made me feel when people ask me if I’m ready for the trip. My answer is still a partial “no,” but now, I’m two months closer to leaving. My worries have partially subsided, but the pressure to raise support has exponentially increased. My first deadline is quickly approaching and I’ve known from day one that the power to raise $18,000 won’t come from within myself, it’s only going to come from Jesus.
But that doesn’t mean I’m not willing to plan, be intentional, and be bold in my request.
I may appear to you as a shameless self-promoter. But the truth is: I’m not. It’s more of a shamefull self-promoter layered in a thick coat of stress. I’m going through a lot right now. I’m in the middle of wrapping up grad school, working full time, and trying to put away money for this trip. On top of all of that, I carve out blocks of time to work on fundraising. I know, I know.. join the club, right?! Just hear me out.
Social media self-promoters are famous for a few things, and the most notorious includes exclusively promoting themselves to one crowd: those one social media. To you guys, it appears that I fall into that category. But there’s a lot going on behind the scenes. For the past two months I’ve been working on finding different venues to raise support with. I’ve:
- Scheduled springtime festivals, where I will sell my handmade crafts
- Partnered with a handful of local businesses, partnering with them to promote both their services, and share the news about my trip
- Planned car washes
- Recruited volunteers for said carwashes
- Painted signs
- Ordered promo materials
- Brainstormed ideas for fundraisers where the donor receives something in exchange for the money, versus you just donating $$
- I could go on and on
The truth is: I am working really, really hard to raise support. And I’m trying to do it the right way. As I outlined above, there is a lot of behind-the-scenes work that you’re not seeing. Before I post something or put an idea into action, I pray over it. Last weekend, I laid my hands on & prayed over a dozen mason jars prior to posting my change jar fundraiser on Facebook. There is a lot of intentional, pre-planned investment going into this.
If I am going to be a vessel for the Lord and carry out what I wholeheartedly believe is His plan for me, then I am going to do it BOLDY and UNAPOLOGETICALLY. My passion for missions work and my desire to grow in Him through doing that is not a new whim, but rather a call & desire that has been in the slow cooker, if you will, for a long time.
The Lord is working through me to reach my supporters. Slowly but surely, whether I see the results in my support account or not, there are eyes reading this blog & people seeing my calls to action. This journey to 11 different countries is not solely for people in other countries, it’s for YOU too. God’s call on you to pray for me, my teammates, and support us is permeating. And this entire venture will be marked by success the second that my boldness, courage, and willingness to follow God to random corners of the world inspires you to step out in your faith as well.
So, I’m sorry that I keep having to flood your timeline with things you may not be interested in. Believe it or not, I don’t want to annoy you. But you know what?
I’m not a self-promoter. The World Race isn’t about me, and this money isn’t going into my pockets. Your support enables me to GLORIFY the name of the Lord in a broken world. It enables me to share his mercies with people that need to hear about it. I’m willing to sacrifice my comfort and desires to further our Father’s Kingdom. I have a vision that our Father may be worshiped and glorified across all nations, and if constant social media posts is a step I have to take do it, then so be it.
