Dear Family and Friends,
Let me introduce myself for those who don’t know me. My name is Elise. I grew up in Charlotte, NC and am currently a Senior Youth Ministry Major at Anderson University in Anderson, SC. I will be graduating in May (yay!) which raises a lot of questions about what I will be doing after college.
After a lot of prayer, confusion, and dreaming about what it might look like, God has shown me that I am not supposed to do what everyone else does when they get out of school (aka get married or get a 9-to-5 job). It is my pleasure to announce that I will be leaving in October of 2016 to go on the World Race with Adventures in Missions!
But what is the World Race? Good question! The World Race is a long-term mission trip where I will spend each month in a different country for a total of eleven countries in eleven months! During that year, I will live out a backpacking backpack and possibly live in my tent for some of those months. (As some of you know, this is right up my alley! So excited!) I will be traveling to each country with a large group of 49 people and will be doing ministry with a group of 7 people once in each country. One of the unique things about the World Race is that it’s not only a mission trip but also an intensive discipleship program designed to launch my generation into our specific kingdom calling. I will get to grow in extraordinary ways on this trip.
Where will you be going? The route I have chosen will take me to the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Zimbabwe, Zambia, Malawi, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, and Latvia. This may change as we get closer and political situations in the countries are assessed for safety.
What kind of missions will you be doing? This is an excellent question upon which I can only speculate at this point. Other World Race participants I’ve talked to or read blogs that they have written say they have partnered with churches and ministries in local communities to preach the Gospel, planted churches, worked in orphanages, ministered to women and children trapped in prostitution as a result of human trafficking, and brought the restorative hope of the Father’s love to many people groups.
What can I do to help? God calls all of us to go and spread the Gospel. You may not be able to drop everything and go to another country to share the Gospel with people but I can. By supporting me to go on this trip you are going yourself. To support me on this mission trip you can:
1) Pray! God works through prayer. Pray that my team and I are preparing the way we should through deepening relationships with Him. But also pray that we will have protection and that the hearts and minds of the people with whom we will be coming in contact will be ready to hear the Gospel.
2) Read and Follow! I cannot tell you how much I want you guys to enjoy this trip with me! For this reason, I will be writing a blog and posting it here every couple of weeks so you can know what I am up to and how things are going. Please read them and enjoy them!
3) Donate! To be honest, this is the biggest hurdle for me to overcome. By January of 2017, I have to have raised roughly $17,000 (once the gear I will need is factored in). That averages roughly $1,600 a month over the next year. (Can you tell I like math?) That money will cover airfare, transportation, housing, and food once I am on the race so pretty much everything but money for personal needs so that we can focus on doing missions.
You can make a one-time donation or make a monthly donation pledge. All donations are tax deductible.
There are 3 ways you can donate:
1) Check/Money Order – They should be payable to Adventures in Missions with my name in the memo line (Elise Swepston) and mailed to: Adventures in Missions, PO Box 742570, Atlanta, GA 30374-2570. ***Please mail only one check per envelope, as checks are processed mechanically.***
2) EFT (Dynapay) – Go to adventures.org/dynapay to fill out an online form for a monthly Electronic Funds Transfer from a checking account. ***No transaction fee will be charged for donations made through EFT.***
3) Lastly, Credit Card/Bank Transfer – Click on the “Support Me” link on the left-hand side of this blog site, and you will be directed through the process of making a one-time, monthly, or quarterly gift by credit card or bank transfer. ***This does have a transaction fee!***
I am so excited to be going on this trip! I have been on mission trips to Chicago and Puerto Rico before but never something so long or so far away. It will change my life in ways that I cannot imagine, and I am ready for it. I am so excited for you to join me on this adventure!
Thank you so much!
In Christ,
Elise
Required Disclaimer: Adventures In Missions is a tax-exempt organization under IRS code 501(c)(3) and is a member of the ECFA (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). Due to IRS and ECFA regulations governing the administration of tax deductible donations given in support of a particular trip/program, support contributions given on behalf of an individual will be used to offset the cost of the trip/program they are involved in. All contributions are non-refundable regardless of the participant’s success in completing the program.
