Dear Friends and Family,
I hope this letter reaches you well and that this summer has treated you kindly. I have been busy myself. Between family reunions, trips to the lake, traveling with friends, hiking, reading, and work this summer has flown by. I turned 26 last month and have been living in Provo for 20 months. I have a great job and am very blessed with friends and family that keep me busy. But all of these things are not why I am writing you. I wanted to tell you a little bit about what has been going on in my heart and some amazing things that are happening spiritually in my life. Almost exactly a year ago I broke off a 5 year relationship and an engagement that had been holding me back for some time and made a commitment to myself and the Lord that I would start listening to and following Him. This was not an easy thing to do, but since then I have been blessed beyond measure. I landed an amazing job and have been promoted through the ranks. I have been blessed by amazing friendships and women who have made me stronger and more confident than ever. My family relationships have healed and I have grown closer than ever to those that I love. I have always felt that my journey through life, though flawed and troubled at times, has been leading me somewhere. The trials I have gone through, though it didn’t feel like it at the time, were made to shape me and mold me into the woman I am today so that I can be strong for His purposes. And this is what I am writing you about.
I believe that I have been called to do a mission. God first placed this on my heart in January while I was browsing online and came across the Adventures in Missions website. I immediately posted it to Facebook and thought, “This would be an awesome opportunity for someone who had the guts, but not me.” After a little bit of thought I quickly disregarded it and moved on with my life. However, about three months ago it came up again and this time with a fury that was unmistakable. I started researching the race more and more and got super excited at the thought of doing it. On a whim I applied, and by the grace of God I was accepted. At first I was not sure that I really wanted to, or could, do it. I started praying about it hard and several times a day. I struggled with the thought of leaving my life and wondered if the race was really right for me. Luckily our God is a God of commitment and communication and He quickly affirmed that this is what He wanted out of me, first with a sermon at church and then with a 40 day “Spiritual Journey” that I didn’t know I was on until it was over. Now I am confident that this is what He wants me to do. For as Jesus says in Matthew 6:19 “Don’t store up treasures here on earth where they can be eaten by moths and get rusty and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven where they will never become moth-eaten and rusty and where they will be safe from thieves.” This is what God wants for me and I know He will pave the way for me both financially and spiritually, now as I prepare for this trip, and once again when I get home.
So here I go, out into the unknown where anything can happen and where I must rely on God and others to get me through. This will be an exciting and challenging adventure for me and one that I am confident will change me for the better, forever. The organization I will be traveling with is called Adventures in Missions and the trip I am signed up for is called the World Race, January Route 4. My journey will take me around the world to 11 different countries in 11 months where I will be working with orphans, gypsies, prostitutes, and anyone who needs and wants to learn about God’s love. I will be doing anything from outreach to door to door to helping build churches. I am super excited about this opportunity and can’t wait to get started. You can learn more about it and research my exact route by visiting the website at http://www.worldrace.org/.
So as you read this letter I ask of you to become a part of my ministry and in any way, shape, or form you can, help and support me. I have a blog on the World Race website where you can follow my journey from the start, (now) to finish at http://desiraeholdaway.theworldrace.org. I am also going to need a ton of prayer and emotional support to get me through this. So I ask now for your prayers and any kind of support you can give me. I will also be needing gear as I will be living out of a backpack for the entire year. The gear I need and do not have includes:
-An internal Frame Backpack between 4,200-5,000 cu in. (For a woman)
-A two-person freestanding tent (no stakes, 4lbs or less)
-A “pack duffle” or “airporter” to protect my pack in while I am traveling
-A nice sleeping pad
-A Footprint (piece of material that goes underneath tent to protect the floor)
If you have any of these items and feel you can part with them for at least a year, I would greatly appreciate it. Along with these travel items I also need to come up with $15,500 to pay for the trip (this covers travel, food, and lodging), and an additional $6,000 to cover my bills and expenses while I am gone, and various items on the field. I am working hard to come up with the majority of the expense on my own and will probably be able to pay about $10,000 of the trip cost out of pocket. However, I will need to rely on the graciousness of my supporters (you) to come up with the rest. If God places in your heart and you are able to contribute anything, it will be greatly appreciated. Your prayers and emotional support are greatly appreciated as well. In this letter I have included a fundraising card that you can fill out and send in with any contribution option you choose (no cash please). Also, you can go online and contribute with an electronic check or debit/credit card by clicking donate on the home page and entering my name as the recipient.
Please feel free to call me, email me, and talk to me about any of this. I would love any input you have including what God is doing in your life, your trips or travel experiences to any of the places I am going, advice, educational materials, jokes, books to read, etc. Also please follow my blog. I will be writing a few times monthly before I leave, and a few times weekly once I am there so you can stay updated on what is going on and the work I am doing.
Thank you again for choosing to be a part of my ministry and supporting me and I hope this next year is full of God’s grace and love for you.
