Merry Christmas everyone! I have been caught up in a storm of sugar cookies, Christmas lights, and anticipation for this Christmas and what will come in the weeks that follow. When I am not scraping the ice off of my windshield or going to play practice (I’m in the Christmas play somehow this year but I have no idea how it happened) or hanging out with the three kiddos I babysit I am getting ready for the World Race which will soon be my life. I recently added a lot of you to receive automatic updates every time I post a new blog. Some because you requested it and others simply because I had your e-mail address and I wanted to share this journey with you….mwahaha.
In the craziness that is my life I have not been as good about posting blogs as I should be but I am hoping to be more consistent when I am out in the field. Some will be serious stories or me just venting about my struggles, others will be for fun and some, like today’s, will be an informational update. So here are some things you may be interested in knowing:
WHEN I LEAVE
My launch date from the United States is January 10th, 2012. I will be leaving from Kalispell on January 9tharound 4p.m. and fly to Fort Lauderdale where I will meet up with my squad. We will then fly to our first country: El Salvador where we will be living for the next month.
WHERE I'M GOING
As of today I do not have a lot of info about what we will be doing there but here is what I do know. My team and I (Team Tharros) will be living in La Libertad which is on the west coast of El Salvador. The town has a population of about 35,000 and the pictures I’ve seen look very beautiful and I am SO excited to be going to a warmer climate! We will be working with a local church there working with their missionary program, evangelizing, and supporting the church. Knowing this has made this whole trip start to sink in as a reality. It’s going to be a crazy ride!
WHAT I NEED
I met my December deadline as far a finances go, and then some! I was so blessed by the wonderful people in my community and would like to give a special thanks to Vicky Creamer for letting me speak to the women of her three bible studies, they blessed incredibly with their support and prayers and I came away with $1,400 in just two days. I am just made it over the halfway mark! I currently have $8,350.60 in my account and pledges for about $1,500 more. So I am getting near my March deadline which is $11,000. I must be fully funded by June ($15,500). God had provided for my every need financially and I have not once been short on money for anything I need on this trip. Trusting him with my finances has been the hardest part of this journey so far, but God had shown me over and over how he can work through me and the people around me and is fully capable of providing anything and everything I could ever think of.
PRAYER
Okay, well this is now the longest blog I’ve ever written so I better wrap it up. Please pray that God would go before us as we go to the city of La Libertad and for those we will meet and speak to. Please pray for the Lord’s provision financially and that He would give me the strength to do all I need to do before I leave. I deeply appreciate the support I have from all of you, prayer or otherwise. A very Merry Christmas to all of you. I hope everyone has a wonder day with those you love most and my we never get over the wonder that God gave His Son to us. For us.
