Hello friends and family! Here is one final blog before I leave for Panama:
I am writing to you from launch in Atlanta, Georgia! My squad is reunited, my team is reunited, and my goodbyes have all been said. We (fellow racers and I) are all feeling every possible emotion, and we are so, so excited to finally head to our first country! We have had some training sessions (safety/risk management, the importance of self-awareness, offering helpful feedback, etc.), and we’ve been practicing how to eat on a tight budget. We have had worship sessions, reminders to root our identity in Christ, and talks about allowing ourselves to be fathered by our Father. It has been so good.
Two needs:
1. Fundraising! I still need approximately $7,500 to be fully funded, and I have until November to raise this amount. But! I have until September 30th to raise another $1,500. I get to launch with my squad, but I need to meet these deadlines to be able to complete the race. Y’all have blown me away in this process, and I am so grateful! Please continue supporting me in this way.
2. Prayer! This journey will be – and already has been – messy and hard and beautiful and exciting and fun and stretching and needs to be covered in prayer. Here is a list of prayer requests my team and I have put together for this month:
Lakota: adjusting to life without family around
Marah: gratitude that she gets to teach and pray that skills she has learned (education major) will come out during this time
Sandy: to allow herself to be led by the Spirit, have the peace of God pouring out of her, and TO BE FUNDED
Jessie B: boldness and not being afraid to approach strangers and share the Gospel
Emma: creative motivation and proper emotional processing
Jessie L: trusting Father with loved ones so I can be present in Panama and being completely grounded in my identity in Christ
Again, thank you tons for walking alongside me in encouragement, relationship, fundraising, and prayer. There were many moments this past year that my strength to continue on this journey came from the Lord, and he often used you to show it to me. I love you tons, and I’m so excited to keep sharing this adventure with you!
