Dear friends and family,
American guru, Leo F. Buscaglia said it
best: “Life is uncharted
territory. It reveals its story one moment at a time.” As I write to you from the uncharted
territory of South Carolina, my path here has been interesting to say the
least. The past year of 2009 I worked at Honey Rock Camp up in the
Northwoods of WI. When that ended, I
moved home temporarily to live with my parents. I say, “temporary”
because my intention was to move in with a friend in Greenville, SC after a
month of being home. The end of the month came rather quickly, but surely
as the sun rises I was true to my word and headed off with my SUV filled to the
brim, hope in my heart, without the least bit of what to expect from my journey
to come. Five months later, I am still as uncertain of my “life’s
leading” as when I first came down here, having already worked for a pizza
delivery, a temp agency, Georgia Tech’s ropes course and now with Dunbar
Armored, driving an armored truck. And to those who have asked and to those who
are thinking the question…yes, I do carry a gun. It certainly has been
a wild adventure but nothing compared to the one to come. Which is the reason for this letter.
Over the course of my time down here in the South, God
has been faithful in providing clarity to some of life’s events, while still
remaining silent about others. All the
while asking me daily if I trust Him and will remain obedient to Him? I
answered Him with my acceptance to the World Race, an eleven month program in
which I will travel with a core group of 6-8 other people to eleven different
countries sharing the gospel and acting out the Kingdom of God throughout South
America, Africa, and Asia.
God has truly blessed me with an adventurous spirit
and a love for people. Even more so He
has placed a yearning on my heart to give up all that I hold familiar and
comfortable to go out and love the “least of these”. I am feeling a tug
toward mission work but don’t have a clear grip as to where. My prayers
and hopes for this eleven month journey are that God would use me in ways that
I never thought possible, that my relationship with my Creator would look more
and more like a marriage in which the two become one and that I would be
burdened and drawn to wherever He wills me to be next.
In order to do what the Father has called me to do, I
humbly write to you, as one who has had an impact on the direction of my life.
I am calling out to you, my brother, my sister in Christ to act in love, to be
the hands and feet of Christ not only to me but to the group I will be
traveling with and the people who we will get the privilege to bless. I
am asking for prayer first and foremost for I know God is in this and He will
provide, while at the same time I know Satan would love to stop that from
happening. Scriptures say that we do not fight against flesh and blood
but against spiritual forces of the evil one. We will be battling against
the gates of Hell and expect to meet opposition. We can use all the prayer and encouragement
we can get.
Secondly I am asking for financial
support. I believe God blesses us so that we can joyfully bless
others. I see that more and more personally as I seek to live out the
Kingdom of God. Specifically I need to raise close to $15,000 for the
eleven months. I have been asking the
Lord to provide 5 people who would donate $100/month, 10 people to donate
$50/month, and 20 people to donate $25/month for the eleven months. I am also asking the Lord for a handful of
people who would be willing to support me personally, as I have a few personal
expenses and the money that is donated directly to Adventure In Missions in my
name does not cover such expenses. It
only covers my traveling, food and training.
I
have enclosed a response card and a pre-addressed envelope which invites you to
share in this ministry. Please make checks payable to Adventures In Missions
and return the response card with your donation to Adventures In Missions PO
Box 534470 Atlanta, GA 30353-4470. The response card will provide AIM with the
information necessary to send you a receipt for your donation. Please send all
donations by October 1st, 2010. Adventures In Missions is registered with the Internal Revenue Service
as a 501 (c) (3) nonprofit organization. Donors will receive receipts for their
gifts with the understanding that the disbursement of those gifts lies
completely at the discretion of Adventures In Missions and that the gifts are
non-refundable and non-transferable, per IRS regulations. Gifts may be tax
deductible; please consult a tax advisor. You may also donate online at www.theworldrace.org.
If you feel so compelled to help sponsor my expenses or would simply like more
information please feel free to contact me via any of the ways listed at the
top of this letter. I would ask that
you, after much prayer and thought, would donate as early as possible, as I
have to have half of my support raised before I leave in October.
I can’t express how excited I am to see
the way God will move in the next few months as we prepare and even more so on
the mission field. The greatest part
about starting this journey is knowing that God is in this and that His name is
being glorified through His children, both you and I and in the way you choose
to support this ministry. I prayerfully
hope you consider joining me as we, together, help issue in the Kingdom of God.
In His Grace, Mercy
& Love,
