SO!!! There have been questions and wonderings and I am here to clarify and hopefully answer some of those.
My financial deadline has been extended. I now have until AUGUST 23rd to hit $6500, officially IN my World Race account, to be able to leave in September with the rest of my squad and wonderful teammates.
That is THIS FRIDAY.
As of right now I still have $5300. Any amount given after August 14th has yet to be processed (frustrating I know). So that also means that as of right now I really have no concept of what has been donated since then. But I don't want to take any chances either. Please, if you were waiting to donate, don't put it off any longer! It will still take a few days to process even if you do make a donation before the 23rd, so really I need people to love on me… right now? Haha. This is one of those crucial deadline moments, and I will only have 2 more after this!
(Note: although checks do not have the electronic fee, they also DO take longer to process because of mailing time, sorting, processing, and then finally account funding confirmation from the bank. AIM needs to make sure that all funds are 100% supported before they accredit any amount to our accounts. A check could take anywhere up to 2 weeks before I see proof of it in my account, so please do not immediately freak out when you donate and it does not show up in my numbers.) Also, I personally adjust the money meter at the top of my page. I have to check my account and manually update it, so your donation will not automatically show up on my page after you press submit. So again please do not freak out when you donate and the numbers on my blog do not immediately reflect that.
There have also been questions about what happens to the money if I don't make this deadline. The answer is, nothing. It stays in my account. If I miss this deadline it is not the end of the Race for me. I simply leave in January instead of leaving in September. So really that is not the worst thing in the world. However, I do have two other deadlines that are a lot more pertinent. The next deadline is in December (3 months on the field), in which I need to have $11,000 in my account; and for the FINAL deadline I need the full $16,285 by March (6 months on the field). If I miss either of these financial deadlines, it IS the end of the race for me. I am allowed to stay for as long as my funding will support, and then I am sent home. Now for both of those deadlines I will be on the field, without much internet connection and obviously away from home, so I won't be able to do much fundraising at all aside from the occasional update, petition on this blog and on Facebook. So this means the more I can Fundraise NOW before I leave, the better! 🙂 It is one of the worst things to be out doing missionary work and hoping and praying that you don't get sent home, so I am hoping to be as relieved of that stress as possible, so I can be as present as possible wherever I am. (Because people DO get sent home, and reading those blogs is heartbreaking, but probably not as heartbreaking as having to write them).
With that being said, I am so incredibly THANKFUL toward everyone that has loved on me, and supported me in order to help me make it this far. People have done some incredibly loving things for me. From any amount given, to anonymous donors, to my teammates and squadmates not only writing incredibly sweet blogs to advertise for me- but actually donating their own personal money even when they need to raise their own funding; these are all ways that I have been blessed with financial and emotional support. God is so good and I have received so much encouragement, it has been beautiful. Thank you for all the facebook messages, all the texts, all the prayers, all the LOVE. You are truly amazing and make this world a better place not just by helping send me into it, but also by your kindness and generosity. THANK YOU.
Also, while my more emotional blogs are moving, I think it is good to present logistics and factual information in order to keep all of you updated. So if you have any more questions, about anything, I want to do a Q&A blog. Feel free to email me at [email protected], message me on Facebook, or simply leave a comment below and I will write a blog answering as many questions as I possibly can.
Thanks again, and I hope to hear from you soon!
