This post is to give some general updates as to my journey so far and what I have been doing to prepare. Please be praying that I will know where to focus my time and energy over the next month as I make final preparations for the World Race.
BBQ Chicken Fundraiser – 8/12
So, this event did not go as planned nor as well as I had hoped for and at the end of the day, I had 1/3 of the chicken left. I took some to church the next morning and sold all that I took. Then my dad took some to his work on Monday. He ended up selling so many that he had to ask for more to be brought to his work. Even though, I dropped the price so I could just get rid of the chicken, so many people were generous and purposely overpaid and/or made donations that I ended up raising about the amount I was hoping for in the first place. Also, God used that to show me how I needed to learn to be thankful at all times not just when things are working out according to my plans.
Shirts – 7/29-8/14
I sold almost 30 shirts and raised over $300. In a way this fundraiser was easy as I didn’t have much to do as far as organizing goes. Shirts just came in and I now have to sort and deliver them. Hopefully, I can complete that by Tuesday.
Car Wash – 8/19
This fundraiser was less stressful than the BBQ chicken the previous week. I especially appreciated the fact that everyone was at one location. My family, several friends from church, and a coworker helped out. We washed quite the several vehicles including 2 motorcycles. A few people (including a Jimmy John’s delivery guy) gave donations while stopped at the light without coming and getting their car washed. I think everyone’s favorite donation was the one that included a box of Strite’s donuts.
Training Camp – 8/20-8/30
On August 19, I drove down to a fellow squad member’s house. Monica happens to live right near the halfway point between where I live and Gainesville, GA where the training camp occurred. She drove the rest of the way on Sunday. So much happened at training camp that a brief summary or even just one post would not be sufficient so the next several posts will be devoted to highlighting different events related to training camp.
Fundraising Update
Currently, I am 44% funded with $7,900 raised so far. This means I have $2,100 left to raise before the next fundraising deadline on September 22nd and slightly over $10,100 in total by the end of January 2018. God has been faithful in providing thus far and I am continuing to trust that He will provide the rest of the funds needed. There are several different stories I could tell of how exactly He has provided but for now I’ll just share one. A friend took a few of my prayer cards and handed them out at her church. One of the Sunday school classes then raised $250 to support me. These are people I don’t even know and yet they have blessed me so much.
Equipment
In order to go I needed a pack, tent, sleeping pad, sandals, tennis shoes, sleeping pad, rain jacket and daypack. I had people offer to let me borrow a pack, tent, and sleeping pad and was able to find the other items on sale. What I thought was going to cost me about $1,000-$1,500 ended up being $350-$400. Only God can provide like that.
Upcoming Events
I have been invited to speak at a Ruritan meeting on September 6 and at a friend’s church on September 10. I am also considering the possibility of having a bake sale later in September.
September 13 will be my last day at Sharp Shopper where I have worked for the past 4 years. (My first day was July 29, 2013.)
On October 6th, I will have to be down in Atlanta, GA for some final training before heading to Guatemala.
