Adventures WorldRace SethBarnes Sponsorship Giving

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Dear Supporters, Thank You!
 
     A Biblical Perspective       Down to Business!       
How to Give Smart!      
 

A Biblical Perspective

 
I am very excited that you have chosen to partner with me in this trip and I thank you for being obedient to share however God has laid it on your heart to share.
In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, Paul describes the current body of Christ as the church, and we are all members of the one body. Some of us are hands, some are feet, some are eyes, ears, hearts… Christ is the head, the part of the body that directs the other parts of the body to action. I would call myself a hand, foot or mouth, because I’ll be traveling (foot-action) around the world to help with felt needs (hand-action) of many poor people and also to proclaim the gospel of righteousness (mouth-action) to those who will listen.
But what use is a hand or foot or mouth without a heart, a part of the body which, in obedience to the command of the head (Christ) gives support to the other members of the body so that they can function effectively? Without your obedience I, the hand, would be useless, because I could not perform my task in effective single-mindedness because I’d also have to be a heart, supporting myself spiritually and financially. And without the obedience of a handfootmouth what would you, the heart, be? The heart by itself can do little to change the world unless it also tries to be a handfootmouth, in which case it can neither be an effective heart nor hand because it will try to be both.
And perhaps you have felt this tension. You want to do handfootmouth work, to see good being worked in the world, but you don’t have time to be an effective handfootmouth like perhaps you envision yourself being. Likewise, I’ll be dedicating almost an entire year of time to being a handfootmouth, but because of this dedication I can not be a heart and support myself. And this is why, truly, we are partners, because we need each other to effectively perform our own duties (in obedience to Christ) in order to perform the work God has purposed for the body of Christ as a whole in the world. You are not so much supporting me as you are supporting the purpose of Christ, and I am not so much working for you as I am working for the purpose of Christ, and we will both be rewarded according to our obedience to Him.
 
So again, I thank you for choosing to be a willing heart in this ministry of Christ, of healing, hope and reconciliation in the world. Neither you nor I can fathom in its entirety the impact we will have on the world through this or any other good work. On this trip I may help save the life of a young man who will later grow up to be a peacemaker of peoples and nations, and he may lead many to the Lord, even though we may never see it, and you will have helped enable me to be God’s hand there to help him live. Oh the possibilities!
 

Down to Business!

 
And now down to business! The world race requires the following deadlines for fundraising to be met in order to for me to continue my attendance on this trip (green denotes a met goal):

  • $150 Deposit – 2 Weeks after acceptance.
  • $1,000 – Before coming to Ignition Training Camp, that is: by May 22nd, 2010.
  • $7,000 – 1 Month before the trip, that is: by June 1, 2010.
  • $8,500 – 1 Week before the trip, that is: by June 24th, 2010.
  • $11,500 – End of Month 3 On the Field, that is: by September 30th, 2010.
  • $14,300 – End of Month 6 On the Field, that is: by December 31st, 2010.
 
As I’ve previously written, I have no doubt that “God will meet all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” And as I believe that I have a calling to do this, He will supply what I need, and He does it through your obedience to his calling you to give; whether or not He has called you is between you and Him. My God is a big God who chooses to work often in subtle ways. If you are reading this and you’re not a supporter already and you’re feeling that little nudge to give, please pray to the Lord and ask him if He is the one knocking, for Him and I both love willing and cheerful givers who give a gift generously, “not as one grudgingly given.” (2 Cor. 9:5) Please help me to meet these goals!
 
The $14,300 are just the expenses directly related to things like airfare (which is most of the cost) after the trip starts, transportation expenses, basic lodging (where available) and other such logistical things that are part of world travel, and these are the expenses that I request your explicit assistance for.
Those expenses aside, you may remember in my letter that I mentioned that “many of costs I will have to bear alone,” and many of those costs are intangible costs, such as the setback to pursuing a career if I choose to do so when I return. But I will also be bearing a significant financial burden in preparation for the trip. Thus far I am expecting to personally spend around $2500 in preparation for this trip. The items which I have thus far itemized are
  • $150 Deposit
  • $75 – Typhoid Vaccination
  • $50 – Tetanus, Diptheria, Polio Vaccination
  • $80 – Hep A Vaccination
  • $275 – Japanese Encephalitis Vaccination
  • $350 – International medical insurance
  • $60 – Yellow Fever Vaccination
  • $600 – Rabies vaccination 
  • $600 – Two round-trip flights to Georgia, one for training and the other for launch on July 1st.
  • $300 – Tent accessories and a quality tent that will keep bad stuff out and hold up for 11 months!
  • $200 – Large, internal frame backpack with which to haul all of my belongings for 11 months!
  • $100-$200 – A tough digital camera to last 11 months, which I will use to keep you, my supporters, connected visually with the ministries we’ll be taking part in.
 Now, these are things which I willingly and cheerfully invest in (especially the rabies vacc!), and I am not asking for your support to help me with these purchases. In fact, I will be selling MANY of my own possessions to ease these burdens of preparation, and I will sell them joyfully! Now if you are inclined to help me bear these costs, I certainly welcome your assistance, and you may contact me personally if you wish to do so! 

How to Give Smart!

 
There is a smart way and a not so smart way and an even less smarter way to give to this ministry in which we are privileged to participate. There is also an easiest way, a not so easy way, and an even less easier way to give (but they are all easy!)
 
The Smart Way: As far as I know, the smartest way to give is by mailing a check to Adventures In Missions, PO Box 534470, Atlanta, GA 30353-4470, with “WOODLEYJAMES,” or “FOR JAMES WOODLEY” in the memo line. Be sure to send this check in with the Support Card to make doubly sure that it goes to the proper place. Though the smartest way, this is also the least easiest. But you and I both prefer this way because as far as I know there is no service fee for donating in this way.
 
 The Other Way: The next way to give is through the “Support James!” link in the column to the left of this webpage. Here you will be given two methods of donation. The smartest of these two is the Bank Draft option. If you choose to donate through this option then a 3% service fee will be deducted from your donation. That means 3% of your donation goes bye-bye! If you choose not to give this way you may still choose…
 
The Other, Other way: The next way is to click “Support James!” in the left column and use the Credit Card option, where you enter card information just like you where making an online purchase. If you choose to go this route, then a 5% service fee will be deducted from your donation. That may not sound like much, but if everyone chooses to donate a sum of $14,300 by this method, $715 disappears into service fees!
 
The Conclusion: The conclusion of the matter is that if you would like to maximize the effectiveness of your gift, please give The Smart Way!
 
Thank you, and may God bless you
according to your obedience
to whatever He has called you!