Dear friends and family,
An update for you! What an experience this has been so far. For those of you who didn’t receive my first letter and might not be aware, I will be embarking on a mission trip for 11 months beginning in October. When I first decided to apply for The World Race back in January, I didn’t think I’d be this stressed out! Between work and fundraising and trying to get things in order for this trip and moving and traveling for weddings and Dr. appointments and trying to stay active and healthy… Sheesh, I don’t know how to balance it all. Being an adult is a lot harder than I expected and my organization skills are not really where they should be.
Despite all the challenges I’ve been facing, I have been blessed in this process by a number of individuals. I want to say thank you to everyone who has invested in this mission so far. A number of family members and close friends have given, as well as a few strangers! It’s such a Joyful and humbling feeling to have support from individuals I don’t even know. I’ve also received a few anonymous donations which, if you’re reading this, I want to extend a special thank you to. It’s hard not knowing who gave, but you have truly blessed me in a big way. Thank you all. You have each given me such a meaningful gift and I can’t thank you enough.
I am currently just over $5400. Wow! A month ago I was so nervous I wouldn’t raise enough by training camp in August, and now I’ve reached my first goal! I needed to be at 5k by August 10th and I’ll need 10k by October when I leave. If you haven’t given but would like to (or have given and would like to give more) please feel free to contact me with any questions you have about donating or about The World Race. If you are unable to support me financially at this time, no hard feelings and absolutely no pressure! You can still support me by keeping me in prayer as this mission approaches.
Specifically, please pray for guidance. I often have very jumbled thoughts that flood my brain, and I can easily get distracted from what God is trying to convey to me. I’m struggling to decide how much of my own money I want to invest in this. I’ve been told that some people don’t use any of their own funds, while others pay for the whole thing themselves… and unfortunately, there’s no right way to fundraise. Please also pray that I keep Him at the center of this whole adventure, instead of romanticizing the trip itself. I am so eager to see and learn from other cultures, but I don’t want to forget why I’m going in the first place. This is for God and His vision for the future, not just for me and my self-serving goals.
You can also support me by donating anything you might have lying around that you have been wanting to get rid of! I will be having a garage sale August 27th/28th. If there is anything you would be willing to donate, please contact me and I will work out a way to have things picked up. I’ve also had a few dear friends offer to help me out with fundraising. My good friend Ashley is a yoga instructor and says she’ll help me organize a donation class or two. Also, my hairdresser Genevieve has agreed to have a donation haircut day! Thank you both for your support. If anyone else has ideas that can help me reach my 10k goal by October please let me know.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this and for being a part of this exciting journey!
Gillian Anema
