Currently in: Timisoara, Romania
You just need to address them individually, and be sure to look them in the eye. That’s how you get a response. And target couples because men usually want to impress the women with them. In the winter, make sure you look reeeeally cold, and people will feel sorry for you.
Before the World Race, the most I ever had to fundraise was $300 in college. We took it to the streets of Ann Arbor with buckets, and I became great at the psychology behind asking strangers for money. I relied on my own strength, experience, and knowledge.
$16,250.
When I saw that, I wanted to be prepared. I wanted to make sure I had enough money to cover the entire journey. I wanted to rely on myself. Asking people for money is awkward. But God told me to do it. I humbled myself. I asked. I asked almost everybody I knew. And yet I still relied on my own effort. The more people I kept asking and reminding, the more likely people would donate, right?
But God asked me to dive even deeper in trusting Him.
I wanted to be fully funded by the start of the Race but He had a bigger lesson for me. I wasn’t fully funded by the start of the Race. And I wasn’t fully funded by the final deadline. AND I wasn’t fully funded a month after the final deadline. Being abroad, it was nearly impossible to put in as much effort as I did at home. As most of you know, I wrote an email and blogged but I just about stopped asking people individually. I already knew that I belonged here, and He asked me to simply pray, be patient, and trust. So I did that, and in His long and arduous timing, He provided!
Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU to every person who has been with me in this journey…those who have sent encouraging messages, prayed, donated, and so forth. In the end, it’s not about me but about furthering His Kingdom, and I’m excited that you get to be a part of it 🙂
