Hello friends and family!! It is crazy to think that this is my last week as a student at Aquinas College. I will graduate this Saturday and be giving a short welcoming speech at the baccalaureate mass that morning. It is truly an honor and I am so enthused to share a little light from the Lord before the festive day.
April went by in the blink of an eye. I had a blast celebrating my birthday on the 18th. It was truly a blessed day filled with lots of love. I also had my last day at Pink Lemonade and held a fundraiser there for my trip. A portion of the profits went to the World Race, and I couldn’t be more thankful with the turnout. I will miss that place so much. By boss, Jill has mentored me a lot this year. I hope one day to become a successful entrepreneur, like herself. As of right now I have $6,398 raised for the World Race, and that is 78% of my $8,200 goal. I have no words. I am so thankful.
Of all the love and generous gifts I have received recently, the most meaningful one came from a dear old friend. During my freshman year at Aquinas I became close with a sweet and loving girl from Rochester, Olivia Gentile. She only stayed here for a year before moving to CMU, but our bond that was formed will forever last. Both of us have been very busy the last couple years and haven’t stayed as close as when we only lived a floor apart. But despite that, we still have a loving friendship and I will always cheer her on from a distance. She recently reached out to me and asked if she could write a piece on me for her Journalism class. I was honored to have come to her mind. I answered a series of questions and she created this heartwarming article…
Hannah Busch is a strong, intelligent and independent woman; but she wasn’t always this way. When she was younger she was full of insecurities and doubts, but these feelings pushed her towards God. Hannah has learned about God her whole life but He never played as big of a role in her life as He does now.
When Hannah was a little girl she dreamed of being a teacher. So, once she got accepted to Aquinas College she pursued a degree in education. To get more experience in this field of study, Hannah decided to work for a nonprofit organization that helped kids who are less fortunate to be able to have meals. This nonprofit organization is called Kids Food Basket. Hannah enjoyed volunteering for them so much that she even ended up having an internship with them.
This was the start of her change in career goals. After she fell in love with Kids Food Basket, she fell in love with nonprofits in general. Her passion for helping and teaching people grew. After her junior year at Aquinas she decided she needed to change her career path to something more nonprofit related. So she switched her degree from education to a double major in community leadership, which is nonprofit administration, and business administration.
“I realized that I loved being with children, but I ultimately just love helping people in general. I also realized that it is impossible to plan your life out by yourself. After surrendering to the Lord, I have been open to where He takes me and I am so thankful that I didn’t get what I thought I wanted,” she explains.
Hannah’s new dream is to own her own business that enables women in developing countries to have their own careers to make a living for themselves and families. She is considering partnering with corporates in the United States to sponsor women and teach necessary skills.
“I have gained a lot of empowerment within myself and I want to help other women gain that as well,” Hannah says.
In May of 2017 Hannah went on an eighteen-day mission trip to Peru. There she worked with women in a maternity ward, a house with orphans, and also went with doctors to the slums.
“It was the most impactful experience of my life. These people had next to nothing, but they were some of the happiest I’d ever met,” she explains.
Hannah found out about The World Race through a book called the Lipstick Gospel. The book is a testimonial about a college student who found Jesus in her time at school. The student then goes on to endure The World Race after graduation.
She goes on to say, “I wasn’t settled with the idea of finishing school and going right into a career. I also felt that God was calling me to do more. He has blessed me with more than enough, and now it is my turn to use those blessing to reach others.”
Hannah hopes to learn from the people she works with. She knows she can’t completely change the world but she is doing what she can to spread Jesus’ love to people. She wants to come back a better version of herself.
The World Race won’t be easy for her. She will be away from home for eleven months, only able to communicate with friends and family on a Wi-Fi connection. All Hannah will have with her is a seventy-pound backpack, a small daypack, and a tent with a sleeping bag. All of which she will carry from country to country.
“I have devoted a lot of my time this year to grow in my faith and rely more on the Lord than what is around me for my strength. Because on the field, that is all ill have,” Hannah says.
To prepare for this trip she has been fundraising a lot. The trip in total will cost $18,200; she is paying for $10,000 of that and raising the other $8,200. So far, Hannah has sixty-nine percent of her goal and still has one more fundraiser left before she has to leave.
“It is a very humbling process and one of the hardest things I have had to do,” says Hannah.
As of right now, Hannah only has a small idea of what she will be doing after she completes The World Race. When she comes back, she will have no money, no car and only a few thousand dollars in loans. She is trying to stay very positive about her future.
“I have no idea who I will be when I return home. I will be moving back home with my parents and be figuring it out from there. I have the glass half full mindset, and I know everything will work out,” Hannah explains.
Her background has been full of service. She helped many people in Peru, worked on a task force to combat sexual assault, worked with Mental Heath education in West Michigan, has fed and taught children, and led a women’s Christian empowerment group.
Hannah wants to run her own business, raise a family, and write a book in the future. She is still figuring out everything she needs to get there; but The World Race will bring her one step closer to following her dreams.
“I love Jesus and helping others. I have a lot of faith in God that he will make all of my dreams come true,” Hannah says.
Source:
Hannah Busch: (517) 599-9599, [email protected]
As always, I’m praying for all of you. Have a wonderful week.
xo,
Hannah
