Dear Friends and family
This year i have been blessed with the opportunity to join and partner with Adventures in Missions on their world race gap year. I’m so excited to be a part the September group where we will be going to the Philippines, Nepal, Ethiopia, Costa Rica, and Nicaragua for nine months total. We will be given the opportunity to build relationships while we serve and love on the people in the local communities. It is really special the fact that we will be able to really pour our lives into the people of these countries and be intentional on building relationships and showing them God’s heart for them during the time that we are there.
This past year has been amazing one where God has revealed so much to me. I have been pushed and stretched in areas of my life where I would have never been bold enough to do, had it been left up to me. This especially happened in my last trip to Honduras in March of this year. I had the opportunity to be a co leader on the evangelism team for my youth group. If you know me, you know I don’t like to talk in front of people especially in front of a big crowd. Being a part of the evangelism team in Honduras was already a challenge, especially since I speak Spanish and I was going to help interpret. But then, on Sunday morning, our youth pastor decided to put me on the spot and ask me if I would like to interpret for the Sunday service. My immediate response was no as I felt the fear rise up in me. However, I knew that I had to be bold and step forward and do it. And I’m so glad I put my fear aside and came to realize that it wasn’t about me but that through interpreting i am able to be used to help provide the message from one language to another so that they may also hear the good news.
That trip was a special one. God really began to remind me of something he had spoken to me the year before. God had been giving me the desire to go and serve in the area of international missions. But it honestly scared me. Leaving my family for a long period of time was hard to overcome. Not being able to be there for them when they need something or when something is wrong is really hard to bear. At home, I help my mom financially, so when I brought this up to her, she didn’t really like the idea of me leaving.
This really made it hard for me because I take the responsibility of helping my family very seriously. But many friends and eventually even my mother began to really encourage me to go. Every time I would come up with some excuse, God and his great humor made sure to let me know that money (or whatever the excuse was that day) would not stop HIS plan for my life. Even my own doubts could not stop His plan. Once I began to listen and obey, doors began to really start opening up from all kinds of different directions. And here I am now on this new adventure, trusting and believing that He will provide both for this trip and for my family!
When I first heard of the world race, it never really grabbed my attention and I didn’t know what it was. A friend who is also participating in the World Race (only on a different route), brought it up during one of our worship nights. She was asking for prayer to know if this was where God was calling her. It wasn’t till after my trip to Honduras in March that I knew I was supposed to go. I just didn’t know when. Interestingly, God had been drawing my attention to the country of Nepal for the past 5 months. I would ignore because I didn’t know the answers. What, Why, How… Nepal? After returning from Honduras, it seemed that everywhere I went, Nepal would come up either in conversations or I would see it somewhere. I began to pray for clarity and direction and one day my friend sent me a link to one of the routes that she thought was cool and was thinking about maybe doing. I didn’t open the link right away, but I was at home later that night and was curious so i opened it up and the first thing that came up was Nepal.
Of course this caught my attention and so I decided to look into it but I still wasn’t going to jump into something, just like that. I began to pray and ask the Lord if that is where He was calling me to next. It didn’t take long before Jesus really started putting a passion in my heart for the world race. I was getting really excited for what we would get to do and the time we get to serve and invest in people. So I began to ask questions and really researched it. I decided to apply and the next thing I knew, I was accepted to be a part of this amazing experience.
I won’t say that it was easy to say yes and decide to go. I would much rather stay where my friends and family are, but that would be too easy. God has bigger and better plans for me, but if I would have let fear hold be back, I would not have the chance to be a part in what he wants to do in me and through me. God has been so good to me since I gave and surrendered my life to Jesus. When it comes to my family, I still struggle with fully trusting that Jesus will provide for them. This is a leap of faith, but I’m ready to go and serve, and love on others showing them God’s love. When I come back, I know that my family will be okay and everything that happened at home and on race will be part of my testimony to be used to glorify God.
This next chapter in my life is going to be amazing, yet also challenging at times and difficult. Just knowing that we will be leaving everything behind like comfort and family, all to seek jesus wholeheartedly. I’m so excited to be used in God’s plan while serving the people of these five different countries. My team and I will be growing as a group and family while on the world race, and right now we are all trying to help each other reach our goals by encouraging each other every day. Right now I am in the process of trying to raise $14000 to be able to go share the good news and serve His people all for God’s glory. I would really appreciate if you could partner with me in prayer for these next few months to reach my goals, as well as during the 9 month outreach. If you would like to stay up to date on where I’m at on this adventure, you can subscribe to my blog at arturomarquez.theworldrace.org where I will be posting updates regularly throughout my adventure with the World Race. Also, if you would like to make a donation to my trip, you can do so at the link as well. If you don’t want to make a donation online you can also send me a check made payable to Adventures in Missions, and be sure NOT to include my name anywhere on the check.
Send the checks to:
605 S Harrison St Apt. 28
Olathe, KS 66061
And I will be sure to get the donations to the World Race.
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
Thank you so much again for your prayers, support and encouragement!
Arturo Marquez
Adventures In Missions is a tax-exempt organization under IRS code 501(c)(3) and is a member of the ECFA. (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). Due to IRS and ECFA regulations governing the administration of tax deductible donations given in support of a particular trip/program, support contributions given on behalf of an individual will be used to offset the costs of the trip/program you are involved in. All contributions are non-refundable regardless of the participant’s success in completing the program.
