Don’t worry, I AM coming home! In fact, I’ll be home in 20 days! I can’t even begin to tell you how insane that is to me. This has been such an incredible year and the Lord has grown me in ways that I would have never imagined. Honestly, the thought of coming home terrifies me! BUT, the Lord has been speaking into my future for quite a few months and I’m here to tell you where He is leading me next.
On January 17th, I will be moving to Gainesville, GA to attend CGA or Center for Global Action through Adventures in Missions (the same organization that puts on the World Race)! CGA is a 5 month leadership and discipleship program meant to mobilize World Race alumni into their kingdom calling. I will be required to read and memorize scripture, attend classes 5 days a week, work a part-time job where I will incorporate the things I am learning in class, and end the semester with a mission trip in America.
I know without a doubt that this is where the Lord wants me in this next season and that it will lead me to the bigger purpose that He has for my life!
In order to attend CGA, I need to raise $5,850. This will cover the course and all of my utilities and housing for 5 months. I know that most of you reading this donated toward my World Race and I am forever grateful. I ask that you would prayerfully consider partnering with me on this journey that the Lord has me on!
If you would like more information or have already made a decision to donate (just click the Donate button at the top of this page!), please continue reading for my support letter and the different ways that you can be supporting me.
Thank you so much for taking time to read this!
Living wholly for the Lord,
Hannah
Friends and Family,
I hope this letter finds you well! I am currently in the mountains of Lesotho, Africa, in my 11th and last month of the World Race. I will be back on American soil in less than one month and will start preparing for the next chapter that the Lord has called me too. During this year, the Lord has revealed bits and pieces of my future and I am writing to share with you about my next step in ministry.
In the book of Matthew, Jesus makes a simple statement that I believe we all overlook or feel we aren’t qualified to answer. Matthew 10:39 says: “If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it.”
As most of you know, at 28, the Lord asked me to do just that. He asked me to put everything in my life on hold and go away with Him, to lay down everything I had worked for and clung too. He asked me to relinquish control and to learn what it looks like to depend on Him and trust in Him, and that is exactly what I did.
Through the World Race, the Lord showed me brokenness and beauty in people and places all over the world. He gave me deep and meaningful relationships with the people I was traveling with and the people I met along the way. He walked me through hard things and drew me closer in those times. He showed me my gifts from the Holy Spirit and gave me the authority to walk in them boldly and with confidence. He taught me how to live with a Kingdom mindset and how life is ministry. He brought me into an intimate relationship with Him and showed me His faithfulness, provision, goodness, and also He revealed to me what the ultimate purpose of my life is – to glorify Him!
Before the World Race, I had a career that I was passionate about and that I truly loved but the Lord has asked me to lay that down, at least for now. He is guiding me in a new direction and the next step begins in January. On January 17th I will be moving to Gainesville, Georgia to attend CGA or Center for Global Action!
CGA is a program run through Adventures in Missions, the same organization that orchestrates the World Race. It is a five-month leadership and discipleship program designed for World Race alumni to follow their calling, bringing the Kingdom of God all over the world and to mobilize alumni to be passionate followers of Jesus who live out their faith whether at home, professionally, or overseas.
There are five key components of CGA: identity formation, emotional/physical/spiritual health, communication, and leadership. I’m expected to study and memorize scripture, actively make disciples in the surrounding community, attend classes, work a part-time job, volunteer in the community, and meet with my mentor. Practically, I will be learning what it looks like to lead through servanthood, focusing on how to be a Christ-like leader and how to steward leadership well.
This upcoming season is crucial for the many upcoming seasons in my future. God has made it abundantly clear that He is going to use this program to help me pursue my calling. That may include leading international missions, going into the corporate workplace, or starting my own ministry. I am so excited to see how the Lord will challenge me, how I will grow in this season, and how I will become a leader not only for His Kingdom but also for His glory.
I will face many challenges in this next season, similarly to the race. One of my greatest challenges is raising financial support. In total, I need to raise $5,850. This financial support covers all of the program costs, housing and utility costs for all 5 months, and a domestic mission trip at the end of the program. I will be obtaining a part-time job in Gainesville to cover my other expenses such as food and gas.
Many of you supported me financially for the World Race and I can’t even begin to express my gratitude for your generosity. As I take this step of faith, I trust that the Lord will provide again. I would like to invite you to join me in taking part in this next Kingdom Journey. Would you prayerfully consider partnering with me in this next season? Whether your support is a one-time gift or a monthly donation, each is treasured and cherished. If you choose to support me in the next season, you will be investing in the ministry God has called me to and, this time, it is in America!
I would also like to invite you to support me in prayer. This is by far the most important form of support and it would mean so much to have a team of people praying for me in this next season.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for the amazing love and support you offered me during my race! I look forward to partnering with you again. If you would like to donate, you can go to my blog at www.hannahapplewhite.adventurescga.org. Click the “Donate!” button at the top of the page to make a tax-deductible donation. You can also venmo me at hla211 or send checks to the address below.
Hannah Applewhite
175 Amberwood Dr.
Anderson SC, 29621
Your Sister in Christ,
Hannah Applewhite
If you would like to learn more about CGA or have any questions, you can contact me at [email protected] or (864)934-0631.
