Dear Friends and Family,
I hope all is well with you during this season. I wanted to write and tell you all that has been happening in my life lately. As you may know, I will be graduating from Cottey College with a bachelor’s degree in English this coming Spring. I cannot believe how time has flown by! In addition to this momentous occasion, God has called me to follow His heart onto the mission field and I will be leaving for a mission trip in July 2013.
The call of the Lord on my life has been much like the encounter that Isaiah had in Isaiah 6:5-8 “Then said I, Woe is me! For I am undone and ruined, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts” (verse 5). I came to realize that who, what, where, and how I was wasn’t working. My heart was broken before the Lord, both for my own condition and for the condition of the world as a whole. I believe I needed to come to this place of brokenness and vulnerability for God to start His work in me; for as Charles Spurgeon once said, “God will never do anything with us till He has first of all undone us.” Then God brought me to verse 6 and 7 of Isaiah 6.
“Then flew one of the seraphim [heavenly beings] to me, having a live coal in his hand which he had taken with tongs from off the altar; And with it he touched my mouth and said, Behold, this has touched your lips; your iniquity and guilt are taken away, and your sin is completely atoned for and forgiven.” The Lord has set me on fire, purified me through the flame of that burning coal. And now it is time for me to take heed to the voice of the Lord as in verse 8 “Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.”
I will serve through the organization Adventures in Missions in a program called The World Race. The World Race is an 11 month mission trip to 11 different countries. On my trip, I will travel to Ireland, Romania, Ukraine, India, Nepal, Mozambique, Swaziland, South Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, and Taiwan. During The World Race, a team of 40-50 other missionaries and I will serve in partnership with a variety of different churches and ministries to preach the good news, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In addition, my team and I will work together to plant churches, care for orphans, minister to women and children who have fallen victim to sex-trafficking, teach in local schools, etc. Our prayer is to bring hope through God’s love and the healing power of Jesus to the lost and hurting people of our world.
I am so thankful for the opportunity that God has set before me to serve Him and I trust that He will provide for my every need. Ultimately, my prayer is that He will do that through you. I am writing to ask if you would think about partnering with me during this journey. I ask that you would consider supporting me prayerfully and or financially as I serve through this ministry. I must raise $15,500 in order to go on The World Race, which will cover all of my expenses in the field. This financial support can be given as a one-time gift or as a monthly donation, wherein you choose the amount you wish to give and the length of time you wish to donate. If 25 people pledge $51.67 a month for 12 months, I would have 100% of the funds necessary for my trip. If 50 people pledge $25.84 a month for 12 months, I would also have 100% of my trip paid for.
I have enclosed a response card, inviting you to share in this ministry with me. Please make checks payable to Adventures in Missions and return the response card with your donation to Adventures In Missions, PO Box 534470, Atlanta, GA, 30353-4470. In addition, when filling out your checks, on the memo line, please write it out for CarpenterLaceyS. The response card will provide AIM with the information necessary to send you a receipt for your donation. If you would prefer to make your donation online, you may do so by visiting my blog site at: laceycarpenter.theworldrace.org. Just click the “Support Me” link in the upper left side of the page and complete your donation as instructed. This blog will also be my means of communication to the world back home during my trip, so if you wish, you can keep up to date with our ministry through it. I will also be writing on my blog in the months prior to our departure to let you all know how God is preparing me and working in my life.
I am so excited to see how God will move in my life and in the lives of others in the coming year. I pray that I may be a blessing to those I serve and I want to thank you in advance for your prayers and financial support. May God bless you as you prayerfully consider partnering with me in this ministry.
Joyfully and Lovingly,
Lacey Carpenter
