God has been so faithful to me.
The fact that I’m even on the World Race is a blessing in itself. Not to mention all of the things God has provided for me over the last 8 months. I’ve realized the more that I die to self and I start living for God and loving other’s, the more He provides for me. I have to be honest with you, I’m a prideful person. I like to do things completely on my own and I hate asking for favors. But God has been teaching me that this life I’m living isn’t about me- it’s about Him, it’s about the Kingdom.
Fundraising for the World Race was the most horrifying thing I’ve ever done in my life. I spent nearly a year asking people to give me money. I hated it. I never quite got over the hump that I was burdening people, or that I looked incompetent or weak because I was asking for money. It was fear of man that was driving me, not goodness of the Lord. I cared so much about what other people would think of me. I believed people thought I wasn’t wise with my money and therefore asking for handouts.
I believed asking for help, meant I was weak.
It took a lot out of me to be persistent about the fundraisers I was holding and to mail out letters to others, even after receiving so many NO’s. I knew that God was calling me onto the mission field and I knew that because He was calling me here, He would provide.
By the third month of my Race I was fully funded. I arrived at the airport in Thailand with an email stating somebody had paid the full amount to my race page. I was floored. I truthfully didn’t believe God would provide for me in that way. And then after, I quickly pocketed the thought,
“I will never do this again.”
Oh how naive I am to think that God wouldn’t test me again in my financial pride once more.
So here I am, starting month 9 of my Race and I am asking you to partner with me for financial assistance.
The original money that was fundraised covers all of my travel, food and living expenses while I am on the field. We typically get anywhere from $1-$5/day to eat off of. This includes travel days and ‘adventure’ days.
Let’s be honest, it’s 2018 and you can’t find a meal in a city for less than $5, let alone three meals. I’ve been living off of Doritos for a week now and I think my stomach is about to implode on me.
If I want to access Wifi to talk to my family, I have to go to a coffee shop. And in Cusco, the only one with decent wifi to connect is Starbucks. I can’t afford weekly Starbucks in the states when I have a decent job, let alone a missionary overseas.
The money I raised doesn’t fund shampoo, or personal toilet paper, or bless up if I want to have somebody do my laundry for me.
All this to say, life on the field is rough and I’ve nearly maxed out my personal savings account. I’m in quite a pinch and I’m humbly asking you to partner with me in supporting my personal savings account for daily budget needs. I will also be buying a plane ticket home after the Race, which isn’t covered in our fundraising expenses.
This isn’t easy for me to write, and I don’t mean for it to sound like a “woe is me” post. I believe that the Lord wants to humble me and invite other’s into the realities of my life, and offer an opportunity to partner with me in this way.
If you would like to partner with me financially, you can do so at:
Venmo: @Juliana-Grinols
PayPal: Juliana Grinols (email associated: [email protected])
or shoot me an email at [email protected] and we can work something else out!
Yuck this whole thing makes me feel icky, but the Lord is good and I know you will all see my heart behind this! Thank you so much for your continued support and endless love. I am so so lucky to have a community behind me that believes in me and the work that I am doing.
Thank you all so much!
