Hi Family & Friends and Family Friends!
If you don’t already know me, my name is Erin Howey. I am a 27 year old born and bred Springfield, Missourian who woke up one day in February 2015, looked around my comfortable high rise apartment in downtown Chicago and asked myself, “Is this it? Is this my life?” Here I was living MY DREAM! I had a great career working in advertising, a great apartment I just moved in to, a great social life – everything in my life was great, right? But I wanted more – I needed more. I continued going on about my days, but Jesus was doing work inside of me.
I wanted adventure. I wanted greatness. I wanted purpose.
I grew up going to church religiously (pun intended) and became a Christian at the age of seven. I was very much involved in church throughout those key years of adolescence and into high school, going on two mission trips to Mexico with my church youth group. Towards the end of my junior year of high school, satan really got a hold of my heart and I started to become a person I didn’t recognize. I was desperate, selfish, dishonest, angry, discontent – and using humor to deflect the negative connotation I had about myself and the things I had done.
Now at 27 and ten years of deflecting from the truth, I finally started listening to what God was trying to tell me. “YOU ARE WORTH SO MUCH MORE!” He was there all along but I was so wrapped up in my own depiction of what a Christ disciple is, how they act, what they do – that I wasn’t allowing myself to feel worthy of forgiveness or hear what great things He had in store for me.
Through the album “Welcome to the New” by Mercy Me, Jesus spoke to me. Every song on that album resonated with where I was at, in my life. My favorite song on the album is called “Wishful Thinking” – and this is the lyric that started to soften my hardened heart and allow me to realize that His plan is always better than ours:
“Well, I guess I’m better late than not at all.
Or did you plan it this way all along?
‘Cause without suffering grace is hard to see,
So maybe I’m right where I’m supposed to be.”
I needed adventure. I needed greatness. I needed purpose.
I began searching online for Christian mission trips and came across The World Race. After watching the video on the homepage, I knew that He was calling me to do this. He was calling me to break free from the chains of sin and start walking in the freedom of forgiveness, by serving others in His name. JESUS CHRIST!
So after months, and months and months of prayer, back and forth, some more prayer and some more back and forth – I finally finished my online application, online interview and phone interview and a week later I was officially accepted to join the January 2016 World Race Route 4. What does that mean? It means that I will be spreading the love of Jesus through door to door ministry, loving on the children in orphanages, working with human and sex trafficking victims, building homes from the ground up and loving people the way Jesus does. I will be traveling to 11 countries in 11 months – Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Chile and Argentina.
And He said to them, “Go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” – Mark 16:15
So you have probably figured out by now that I am sending you this letter for support, whether that support comes through the power of prayer, encouraging words or financial donation – all is welcome and much appreciated. My goal in total is $16,562. If 100 people donated $25 a month for 6 months – I would almost be completely funded.
I have enclosed the donation card with this letter. Please reach out to me by email or phone if you have any questions or concerns regarding this mission and how your donation will be used – or want to know more about my story and decision to move forward with this life changing adventure. If you decide to write a check, please include [HOWEYERIN] in the memo line – to ensure your donation goes towards my race.
If you are interested in following my adventures leading up to, during and after the race please visit my blog at: www.erinhowey.theworldrace.org.
Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and for all your love and support. Here’s to my #11n11 adventure!
With much love and gratitude,
Erin Howey
