July 2010 Newsletter
September 2010 World Race
It is summer!!! I�fm going to begin with saying how much I have absolutely LOVED this summer! It has been exactly what I needed after a very busy school year! I started the summer with a week of having absolutely no schedule. I slept in, went shopping, visited bookstores, went out with friends, etc. I was then able to spend a long weekend in Indianapolis with some of my closest friends from Swallow Robin Hall. It was wonderful to visit people I see regularly, but also some friends I hadn�ft seen in a couple of years! Later in June I went with three friends from high school to Nashville, TN. We went to see the Nashville Rising concert, which was a benefit concert to raise funds for the Nashville flood victims. We went non-stop for three days and were able to sightsee, swim, go downtown, go to the concert, and even sleep for a few hours at some point! Right now I am back for my 3rd summer of teaching summer school at Pui Tak Center in Chinatown! I am really thankful for this summer and all the opportunities I have had to visit with so many people! Reality has hit and I�fm beginning to realize 11 months is a long time and I will be saying good-bye to all of my friends and family for a long time! I was saying to a friend the other day how much I�fm enjoying this time of rest and appreciating my time with my friends and family before I leave!
Thank You!
Thank you, thank you, thank you for your continued support! Thank you for answering God�fs call in your life towards this ministry. This fundraising process has been amazing, difficult, humbling, challenging, etc. I cannot thank you enough for all of you who are joining me in this mission around the world through prayer, finances, and other ways of support. THANK YOU!
Support Update�c.
In Account: $5,007.00
Pledges: $2,018.00
Total: $7,025.00
Still Needed: $7,275.00
Several of you have asked if I can continue accepting financial support after I launch. The answer is YES! In order to leave for the Philippines in September I need to have $8,500 IN my account. The rest can be raised within the first 3 months of the trip. Ideally, it would be best to have all money raised and/or pledged before I leave, as internet access may be sporadic once we are out on the mission field. God has provided in so many ways thus far and I am continuing to trust that He will provide all the funds in HIS timing!
�@How can I donate?
1. You can send a check to Adventures in Missions at P.O. Box 534470 Atlanta, GA 30353-4470. You will need to include my support card, or write “Appealed by Bridget McNamara” in the memo line. This is VERY important. If not, your donation will go to the general fund for the World Race. If you need a new support card, please let me know and I will put one in the mail immediately!
2. You can donate with debit or credit card through my blog: http://bridgetmcnamara.theworldrace.org. You will see a Support Me! Link on the left hand side. You will then be able to follow the directions to make your donation. On the first page you will select “support a racer” and then type in my name. Please note that 5% of your donation will be deducted from my support account when using a credit card to pay for fees from the credit card company.
3. You can follow the steps of #2, but you will choose “bank draft option”. Please note that 3% will be deducted from the donation to pay for bank fees.
4. Remember that ALL donations are tax-deductible!
5. Due to the cost of fees for debit, credit, and bank draft options it is best to donate with a check when making a donation of $100 or more.
Fundraisers
The Threads of Hope fundraiser has been going well! Thank you to those of you who have purchased bracelets and helped me sell them! You all sold them at school, work, internships at police stations, to the mayor of Richton Park, students, friends, and family! Thank you! I was able to sell several to my students and co-workers at Living Word Christian Academy, as well as to my former students and teachers at Salem Christian School when I had the opportunity to speak at Salem�fs chapel a few weeks ago. A couple weeks ago my family and I also sold over 200 at Evergreen Park�fs �gDay in the Park�h festival! This has been a great fundraiser, as it gives me the opportunity to share with so many people about the Threads of Hope ministry and the World Race! I still have several to sell. Would you be interested in purchasing some handmade bracelets from the Philippines? Half of the proceeds go directly to the families in Puerto Galera, Philippines. The other half goes directly towards the World Race. Each bracelet is $1.00. Read more on my blog at http://bridgetmcnamara.theworldrace.org/?filename=threads-of-hope-video1
Walk-A-Thon
The Walk-A-Thon will take place the morning of July 10, 2010. There is a group of about 10 of my supporters who will be participating in a 10K walk along Lake Michigan. The participants are finding people to sponsor them for the 10K walk. Thank you so much to those of you who are walking and sponsoring walkers! Are you interested in participating? Or, are you interested in sponsoring a walker? We still need more walkers and sponsors! Please contact me at [email protected] or 708-927-9056.
�@Garage Sale
Thank you to those of you who donated towards the Garage Sale fundraiser! I truly appreciate your support in such a variety of ways. Going into it, I had a goal of $500. In the end we raised approximately $84. I�fll be honest, I was extremely disappointed at first. To fall so far short of my goal was not what I expected. However, as I�fm constantly learning, God has a plan in all of this! I was able to meet quite a few people who were interested in hearing what I was doing and that gave me the opportunity to share with them. I am also working on selling a few of the larger items separately. All additional funds will go directly towards my World Race account. Also, that $84 officially pushed us over the $7,000 mark!
Books, books, and more books�c..
If you entered the McNamara household you would see more books than you would know what to do with! My mom loves to read and I grew up going to bookstores with her and getting lost in a book for hours! I love to read! In fact, next to figuring out what to pack, my next biggest concern was how many books I could squeeze into my pack for the World Race! Which leads to my latest fundraiser�c After the garage sale, I still had several boxes of books that were not sold. Currently, I�fm going through them and selecting the books that can be sold to Half Price Books and other bookstores. I�fm aware this won�ft be a huge fundraiser. However, every little bit helps! Do you have any books that you no longer want? If so, please contact me at [email protected] or (708) 927-9056. I would love to come and pick them up for you and sell them to a bookstore! I�fm looking for gently used books of all genres! Half Price Books also accepts DVD�fs. No magazines, manuals, etc. All proceeds will go directly towards my World Race account!
How can I be praying for you? My team is praying specifically for the ministries we’ll be participating in, fundraising, physical health, preparations, team unity, and our supporters! Please let me know how I can be specifically be praying for you!
1. Pray for the people we will meet all around the world over the next year. Pray for open hearts and open minds for the people around the world, as well as my team. Pray that we are bold in what He has called us to do.
2. Training Camp: Training camp is taking place in White, Georgia, from July 24-August 1. This will be the first time that my entire team meets! The purpose of training camp is to prepare us spiritually, emotionally, and physically for our year on the mission field. During training camp my squad of 75 people will be divided into small teams. Our teams of 6 or 7 people will spend the entire 11 months traveling and ministering together all over the world. I am very excited about finally meeting my team, but also nervous!
3. Fundraising: Continue to pray for the fundraising aspect of this trip. God is providing! I am seeing that constantly! So far He has brought in over $7,000. That is incredible! Continue to pray for my supporters, potential supporters, fundraisers, etc.
4. Last minute details: As the time to leave comes closer there is more and more to think about and accomplish! Forms that need to be filled out, bills that need to be paid, fundraising to do, and the list goes on and on. Please be praying for all these things. I know that they will all get done in time, but the little details can cause quite a bit of panic at times!
What will you be doing?
We will be participating in a variety of ministries�c.From caring for orphans in Kenya to befriending women trapped in prostitution in Thailand�cCheck out my blog at http://bridgetmcnamara.theworldrace.org to find out more about each country and ministry opportunities.
A sneak peek�cThe Philippines (September): This Asian island nation, once a Spanish colony and an American protectorate, is a country in tension, trying to cross the threshold between the third and first world. It offers a variety of landscapes – beaches, mountains, volcanic lakes – and languages, with Tagalog as the national tongue. The Catholic Church is a substantial piece of the religious pie, however, Islam is growing in the island of Mindinao. The Filipino people and culture love music and dance and community. While there, you may find yourself living with and giving hope to the destitute, caring for orphans, and challenging the growing number of Christ-followers to rise up.
