Dear Mom & Dad,
You already know all about a little thing that AIM offers to parents of World Racers called Parent Vision Trip (PVT), but I’m going to re-explain it for the sake of everyone else reading this letter. PVT is an opportunity for World Racers to give their parents a small taste of this crazy adventure that we’ve dedicated 11 months of our lives to in the hopes that they will come away with a new understanding of their sometimes-seemingly-insane children. It is a week-long trip where parents join their children on the field and do life alongside of them, except this life looks radically different from anything that most of our parents have ever experienced.
Your PVT will take place from in late July in the beautiful country of THAILAND, a country that I’ve been excited to go to since day 1 of this World Race adventure!! I’m pretty sure it’s a place you both would love to visit as well. 🙂 And I know for a fact that you’ve been missing your baby girl more than words can say as I’ve been trotting the globe for Jesus over the past four months! Just imagine how you’ll be missing me 3 months from now, and keep that in mind as I lay this next little bit of information on you – the cost of this trip is $695, plus airfare and travel insurance. I know…ouch. But please, please, please don’t write this whole thing off just yet simply because of finances!
Please, dearest parents, remember all of the times that the Lord has come through for me and provided everything I could possibly need with regards to finances. Remember how He blessed our entire family through the Levine Scholars Program when we had no idea how I was going to be able to pay for college. Remember my World Race Chick-fil-a night and all of countless ways that He has already provided nearly $14,000 so that I can be on this incredible journey right now!! Remember that your Heavenly Father loves and desires to bless you and satisfy all of your desires with GOOD things (Psalm 103:5 & Psalm 145:19).
I’d now like to take an opportunity to address everyone else who is reading this public letter to my parents. I try to be as completely honest as possible with you all in my blog posts, and this is no exception. So the truth is that I want my parents to share this part of my Race with me, probably more than I’ve ever wanted them to be involved with anything in my life. I am asking the Lord for big things on their behalf, and here are a few reasons why:
Because they have seen so many miracles on my behalf, but I desperately want them to see the Lord perform a miracle on THEIR behalf. Getting to join me on the field for PVT would be a whopper of a miracle in all of our books.
Because I want them to experience a new culture, language, way of life…everything that makes international travel so life-changing!
Because I want the World Race to draw me closer to my parents than ever before, even as I am having 11 months worth of experiences that they may never understand. But let’s be honest, having them sit next to me on a tuk-tuk for a week would certainly improve the chances of us growing closer.
Because I have two hardworking parents who haven’t had a real vacation in years and, to be honest, I think they deserve to get away from the daily grind for a little while.
Because I have experienced the Lord in new, exciting and absolutely life-changing ways on the World Race, and I want that for them too!
But above all, I want my parents at PVT because I love them.
So here’s my request – friends, family, acquaintances, generous supporters, please help my parents get to Thailand. They need two round trip flights and $695 each to cover ground costs of the Parent Vision Trip, which includes food, accommodations, and lots of sweet, sweet time with their favorite daughter in the whole wide world. Words have continuously failed me as I’ve attempted to thank all of the people who have made the World Race a reality for me, but my own mind fails me now as I try to imagine the incredible joy it would be to have my parents at PVT. Dearest, friends, family, and gracious supporters, would you join me in praying for a financial miracle from the Lord and consider personally helping to make this dream a reality for my parents and I? You can contact my dad, Lee Schulte, at [email protected] if you are at all inspired by this little letter and would like to help make this trip possible for them. Oh, and did I mention that they don’t know I’m writing this blog post? Whoops.
Dear Mom & Dad, please come to Thailand. Also, please don’t be mad at me for posting this blog asking for money on your behalf without telling you about it first. You can thank me when you get to Thailand. 🙂
With love and wanderlust,
Cassady
(AKA Sass, Sassy, Sassafras, and your favorite daughter in the whole wide world)
