Thank you to everyone who has invested me thus far! I’ve hit my first milestone: passing my $1,000 mark!!
Not going to lie, I was daunted when I was first told that I had to raise $16,254. It seemed like an impossible number at the time. But I was reminded of the quote, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” So I took a deep breath and took that first step. Slowly but surely I’ve been making progress and I was floored when I finally reached this marker!
In this new season of my life I’m laying down my foundations again. I’m preparing myself spiritually, financially, physically, emotionally, and mentally for this mission trip. It has been an extremely humbling experience to cast away my pride and humbly start from the beginning again. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
In the spiritual aspect of my life, I’ve been trying to spend quality time with God each day. My goal is to do devos daily! It’s been a struggle at times, especially now that this is a new semester and I’m adjusting to my new schedule. However, the basis for everything in my life is my time spent with God. He’s my main priority. In addition, I’ve been serving in church. I help out at Collide, our Youth Ministry, and it gives me great joy to serve on Thursdays!
As for my financial side in life, it’s been humbling asking for donations for my mission trip. However, God has shown me great insight into this sector of my life. I do get stressed out at times, but the remedy that God has shown me for this is to give back. Ironic, no? It’s AWESOME. Giving my time and tithing my money has been such a blessing in my life. It reminds me of what it is like to be in someone else’s shoes and helping out others. God keeps showing me this and I’m constantly blown away.
In addition to giving back, I’m also an employee of the Pacific Asian Center for Entreprenuership (PACE). This is the first time in my college career that I’m working and going to school simultaneously. I’ve literally lived in PACE since my freshmen year of college and it’s been my home ever since. I love the atmosphere and most importantly the people. They are like family to me! It’s a privilege being able to work with them.
The best part about getting a part-time job is that I get to tithe 10% and save 15% of what I make!! Having way more money to invest in others is the greatest feeling in the world and I LOVE it! Not to mention I get to save up for the future!
When I transitioned into this new season of my life, I realized I was dealing with my stress through eating comfort food. That’s a big no no! So I took steps in order to deal with my physical side. My body is a temple and I want to be strong and healthy. I have the privilege of being able to be a part of the 8-week fitness challenge for my church and it’s wonderful being held accountable and moving in the right direction. I’m at the start of week 4 and I’m excited to see how much progress I make!
At the start of every semester since my freshman year of college I’ve created goals. One of my goals is to dance hula again. I haven’t danced since my senior year in high school. I’m beyond excited because I have the privilege of being a part of the Dance Ministry at New Hope Diamond Head. It’s incredible because I get to combine my two favorite things: hula and worshiping God! I can’t sing well so I love to express myself through dance. It’s humbling learning a new style of hula and going back to the foundations, but I’m excited to learn and grow!
I’ve touched upon a few aspects of my life and what I’m trying to do to lay down my foundations. The financial support is incredible, but prayers, help, and advice have provided so much value to me too! No dollar amount can express the amount of help that has been poured into my life. I’m truly blessed to have you in my life.
If you are not yet a part of this journey with me, you are welcome to join the family! There are many ways to come on this journey with me. You can join my journey by supporting me with a monthly or one-time contribution. For monthly pledges, you have the option to choose the start and end date at any time. Envelopes are enclosed for your convenience. Please make your check payable to AIM and write “Kaili Taniguchi” on the memo line. All contributions are tax deductible.
If you would like to donate online, you can do so by clicking on the “Support Me!” tab on my blog. If you can support me in a financial way, I would be very grateful.
Most importantly, I also need your prayer support. Prayer is the fuel that will allow us to be successful as we follow God’s leading in ministry in these countries. Since prayer support is so important to the success of this mission, I would like to know if I could count on you in that area.
In addition, you can also support me through donating miles or helping me with camping gear for this journey. Since I live in Hawaii, I will need to fly to and from the training camp in Georgia, and fly to the launch point and return home from our return point. I will also need items such as a 2-person free standing tent, backpack, mess kit, etc.
I would appreciate any support that you are willing to offer me in the service of God! You can also keep updated via my website: 808worldmissions.weebly.com.
If you are already on this journey with me, thank you again for all your support! I’m excited to see where this adventure takes us! Our God is an AWESOME God!
