Dear friends and family,
Last summer I had the opportunity to travel to the Philippines for a missions trip with my youth group. We visited many communities, met so many amazing people and learned wonderful things about their ways of loving the Lord. When I came home, I immediately began telling my friends the countless stories of my time there and as I talked about the wonderful friendships that had formed, I quickly realized that the country of the Philippines had done way more for me, than I had for them. It is apparent that the joy missions brings me is untouchable, I have fallen in love with the way it changes me each and every time, and I know that the Lord has so much more in store for me when it comes to travelling and volunteering. I knew that my time in the missions field was far from over, but when to begin the journey was the question. I prayed hard about my decisions of the future and considered all of my options.
On another note, as I’m sure all of you can remember, senior year is full of laughter and spirit, but the good times are met with the stress and anticipations of what is to come. I have applied to all of the schools that seem to fit me, but I have decided that once I know where I want to go, I will defer for a year. I will be leaving next September and joining 54 amazing teammates on the missions trip of a lifetime. We will be travelling for nine months, spending time on 3 different continents and sharing the love of the Lord as we go. I have been truly blessed with this opportunity and cannot wait to see what this journey will bring.
On this trip I am going to have the opportunity to serve in the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Botswana, South Africa and the Philippines. In each of these countries I will have the opportunity to work alongside local churches, schools and communities. Each country is going to hold something beautiful and I cannot wait to see what it is.
Of course with an amazing trip comes a not so amazing price tag. The cost of my trip is $14,951 and without donations I will not be able to cover the costs. I reach out to all of you with the highest of hopes that I can receive both support financially and prayerfully from everyone. I ask that you pray for safety in each country and in our traveling. I ask that you pray for courage for my teammates and I, courage to take risks for the Lord. I ask that you pray for these countries, that we will be able to help and impact them in many ways.
If you would like to donate financially, you can do so by going to www.laurenmccarter.theworldrace.org, where you will see a orange “Donate!” button. Continue by filling out the questions and check to make sure that “Lauren McCarter” is written in the Participant blank. This blog will be my home for the next year. I will be updating the blog before, during, and after my trip, letting all of you know how my trip has been going.
Adventures In Missions is a tax-exempt organization under IRS code 501(c)(3) and is a member of the ECFA. (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). Due to IRS and ECFA regulations governing the administration of tax deductible donations given in support of a particular trip/program, support contributions given on behalf of an individual will be used to offset the costs of the trip/program you are involved in. All contributions are non-refundable regardless of the participant’s success in completing the program.
I am beyond blessed with this amazing opportunity and am very happy to say that I have all of you alongside of me in my journey. Thank you ahead of time for the prayers and financial support, and I promise to keep you all updated on my progress.
Thank you,
Lauren McCarter
John 12:26 “Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My father will honor the one who serves me.”
