I leave in Odessa, Texas in exactly 5 days. That is an exciting, yet overwhelming thought. I am excited to be in the Philippines. I am excited to meet the children I will be hanging out with and learn more about the ministry (www.growourworld.com) my team and I will be serving with. I am excited to step into warm weather and experience all of the wild adventures that will take place these next 11 months.
Packing is hard. Packing your house (tent), your bed (sleeping bag, pad, liner, and pillow), your clothes, your toiletries, your shoes, and other random gadgets is not an easy task when your space is limited and you are going to be carrying it on your back & shoulders. However, simple reminders that everything will be okay and that this year will be one of much pruning my reliance on things to keep me safe, clean and feeling well and that God will show me that He is all I need to hang onto help me get through all of the emotions.
I wanted to take a minute before I leave to answer a few questions that I have been asked by numerous people.
1) Will I be able to communicate while I’m gone?
Yes! There are several ways I will be able to keep you all updated — Blog Posts, (this being my primary mode of communication, E-mail, FaceTime, iMessage, Kik Messaging app (username: kylajamz), and Skype. I will only be communicating when wireless internet is available, which will be less often than here at home and frequency will be unknown each month. But I also want to be very present in ministry, so I will not be available 24/7 even if I end up in a place where I have internet more often. This year is about going out and seeing what God wants me to do in the context of reaching the people we encounter overseas, not about staying connected with home while I am gone. Please feel free to send me emails, messages, etc. I will reply when I can and I can assure you they will be very much appreciated and likely at a time that I need to hear from home. Lastly, I will not have an address to mail things to.
2) Am I ready?
Absolutely! As ready as I possibly can be! I don’t think a person can ever truly be ready for the World Race. But something that I have learned a lot recently is: God qualifies the called, and if I just trust in Him, that is all that matters.
3) Am I nervous?
Not so much anymore. I have had so much clarity and peace about this specific mission from the moment I heard it’s name, and God has been working & taking away fear and replacing it with hope, joy, and excitement.
4) Am I fully funded?
No! As you can see above I need a couple thousand dollars to reach my fundraising goal. To donate please click “Support Me”. All donations are tax deductible and there are no processing fees for online donations.
*Note: The PayPal button is only for those who do not care to receive a tax-deductible donation receipt. That option created to send funds directly to me if you prefer to do it that way.
5) What countries am I going to?
Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Ireland, Bulgaria, Moldova, & Romania. This route could possibly change order or destinations throughout the year depending on varying factors.
6) When will I return?
I am not sure yet. We are just barely getting started! We won’t know that date until closer to the end of the trip.
7) How long will I be in each country?
Roughly 3-4 weeks (may vary due to travel time to ministry location).
8) Which country am I most excited to go to?
At first my response to this was Ireland because that is the country that has been on my heart for the longest time. However, I really and truly am excited to visit all of these! To experience new places that I have never known much about or even thought of and to see various cultures and people groups and how they live fascinates me!
9) Why do I need a tent?
Each month will be completely different. Some months we could be sleeping on bunk beds, others we could be sleeping on the floor (on our sleeping pads). Some months we could all be staying in one big room and tents would serve as bug nets and “privacy” ‘rooms.’ And yes, some months we will be camping outside in our tents. So we must be prepared!
10) What will I be doing each month?
Each month will be completely different. The ministry work we will be doing will look different, sometimes even day-to-day. We could be working with kids, elderly, hospital patients, prison inmates, human trafficking victims and/or survivors, teaching, helping build micro-farms, building houses, sports camps, pub ministry, holding babies all day, etc. The community need is where the focus will be.
11) What will I do when I get home?
I am not sure yet. There is absolutely no possible way for anyone to know what will happen to their life in one day or one month, much less one year. And I am completely ok with that. There are many, many dreams I have and things that have been placed on my heart and I can only wait and see how God unfolds it all and connects the dots for me to see what will come next!
Thank you for everyone who has helped me get this far! I hope that you will subscribe to this blog so that you can keep up with my updates through the year! If you would like to help me reach my full funding goal to complete this 11 month mission, you can make a donation by clicking the “Support Me” button on the left-hand side menu or located next to the progress bar at the top of this page. Thank you so much for reading and I hope you have a wonderfully blessed day!
