Hi all!
Merry Christmas! Today is such an special day. It’s the day designated to celebrate our Lord’s miraculous birth. It is meant to be full of celebration, hopefully full of laughter, joy, Christmas movies and maybe a family tradition or two. For my family, we usually have a huge party with about 14 family members from New York, New Jersey, and California all congregating at my grandma’s house. This year is a little different, and unfortunately that means that I won’t see my extended family for the second year in a row, but I have been so blessed to have such a wonderfully close bond with all of them. I miss them, and even with the fresh canvas of snow spreading across the Chicagoland area, it doesn’t quite feel like Christmas without a coffee outing with my uncle, sledding with the cousins, or a late night opening presents with the family with laughter that can be heard from down the street. It has been a good Christmas, don’t get me wrong, Christmas to me means that my whole family is around the house. While I miss the hustle and bustle of family around the house, I am thankful for the family that is here. This year marks one with my mom, dad, brother, grandma and I for Christmas, which makes this a quieter ones than past, but we have some family around which is more important than anything.
This year has been a year that did not turn out as planned. I thought I was going to graduate and do something I wanted to do for a living. I didn’t know what it was, so God took me by the horns and lead me anyway, but in a direction that landed me in a spot I knew nothing about…the world of retail…how I got there or what to do when I did was terrifyingly uncertain. I have been following Him ever since He told me I needed to do this mission tour and He would supply the funds, and He has surprised me every step of the way. The first goal to meet was $5,000 and we crushed that. The second goal was $10,000 by December 18, and we crushed that, $13,000 by Launch on January 12, and we have already met that goal. I just have about $2,000 left to raise and I don’t want to come this far just to not be able to complete the trip by not having raised all the funds. That is where I need some help from y’all.
As I draw closer to launch, I’m finding that there are more and more things on my to-do list which adds to my stress level, but I am encouraged by the amount of support I seem to have both prayerfully and financially. I have been blown away by all the support! I have just a little bit over $2,000 left to raise and then I’m FULLY FUNDED!!! I leave in 17 days!!! I would love for you all to follow my blog as I begin this new journey in my life. Fundraising in and of itself is a journey and as this part of journey comes to a close with the remaining funds trickling in, I’m reminded of how blessed I am during the Christmas season. I can’t get through this coming year without the support of all of you. If you feel the desire to support me, I have two fundraisers still going and I would love to have you guys be a part of them. I still have the pie in the face fundraiser *only valid till the end of this week!!!* and I have another fundraiser called “Adopt-a-Box” and I’ve got a few boxes filled, but the rest need to be filled! For the pies, please contact me and tell me how many pies you wish to have thrown in my face. For the Adopt a box fundraiser, pick a number in a box and that is the amount you pay. There is also the donation button on my blog home page that you may donate as well, if you wish to not participate in the two fundraisers. I am so close!! I only need $2,000 to be fully funded and that is NOT a lot in retrospect of what I needed to raise! Please help me get to this trip that I’m being called to do. I can’t do it without you. Leaving fully funded would be the best Christmas present I could possibly get.
