A year and a half ago, I was accepted for the World Race, an 11 month mission trip to 11 different countries. I had signed up for the Unscripted Route, which meant that none of our ministry would be planned, and my team and I would pray each morning and be led by the Holy Spirit to share the Gospel and God’s love wherever and however He led us to.
At the time I was just starting steroid treatments and preparing to have my thyroid surgically removed in order to treat Graves’ disease—an autoimmune disease that causes the thyroid to become hyperactive. My treatments and surgery proved successful, and within a few months my thyroid levels were stabilized with medication, my symptoms started to fade, and I announced that I would be leaving for the World Race in January 2019.
I started fundraising and was met with lots of support from friends and family, but it wasn’t soon after that I started to notice some troubling symptoms. At first, these symptoms were assumed to be a result of my body adjusting to new medication and life without a thyroid, but as the symptoms progressed, it became evident that there was something else going on.
A month and a half before I was supposed to launch on the World Race I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, a condition causing chronic muscle and joint pain, fatigue, insomnia, digestive issues, mood swings, brain fog, and more debilitating symptoms. As much as that diagnosis felt like a punch in the stomach, it wasn’t unexpected. I feel God gave me a lot of peace, even when my body felt anything but peaceful.
I decided to postpone the World Race for a later time so I could focus on my health and allow my body the rest and care it needed to heal. I began working with a health coach who specializes in helping women with Fibromyalgia manage their symptoms (she also has Fibromyalgia herself!), and temporarily set the World Race to the side.
I am delighted to say that after a long and hard 9 months (and by God’s grace), I’ve been able to reduce my symptoms significantly and even eliminate a few! Although there are still a few symptoms that affect me on a daily basis (see prayer points below), I’m happy to announce that I will be launching on the World Race in January 2020! I will still be doing the Unscripted route (meaning unplanned ministry) and will be traveling to Bolivia, Chile, Argentina, Spain, Montenegro, Macedonia, Greece, Ethiopia, Kenya, India, and Nepal.
Here are a few things you should know (and how you can support me)
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All the funds that I raised last year through donations, t-shirt sales, and others will be going towards the cost of this new World Race route. So if you donated or bought a t-shirt last year, THANK YOU! Those funds will still be supporting my on the World Race.
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So many of you bought t-shirts last year and I love to see you guys still wearing them! I will be designing new t-shirts and selling them on my new art shop which you can find here: www.maddierose.threadless.com I will be making an announcement once I publish some designs that I’ll be using to specifically fundraise for the World Race, but until then you can check out my shop and maybe make a purchase from the designs I already have on there 🙂
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You can make a tax deductible donation through Adventures in Missions by clicking the “donate” button above, or by clicking here
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If you would like to make a tax deductible check donation, please contact me
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Get email updates by clicking the “subscribe for updates” button above. You’ll get an email whenever I publish a new blog post, and I’ll also be sending regular updates when I’m on the World Race. This is a great way to support me and stay up to date with where I am and what I’m doing!
Prayer Points:
I cannot do this without your prayers and support! I know so many of you have been following my health journey and have been praying for me this year, and I’m so thankful. I would love prayer in these specific areas:
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Since the start of this year, God has been doing an incredible healing work in my body and other areas of my life, and although the healing process has been slow and long, God’s glory has shone through it. As I mentioned above, there are still a few symptoms that I deal with on a daily basis, but I feel strongly that these will not be symptoms I need to carry with me when I leave for the World Race. I would love for you to pray specifically that the following symptoms will fade as I continue to heal over the next 4 months: widespread muscle pain, fatigue, brain fog, and mood swings.
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Although the full fundraising amount isn’t due before I leave in January, I would love to be fully funded before I go so I can be more focused on God’s work and less on fundraising. I ask that you would pray for an abundance of finances over the next 4 months and that I’ll be fully funded before I leave!
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There are around 20 other young people who will be doing the Unscripted route with me, and we’re all busy preparing and fundraising for the World Race. I ask that you pray for their fundraising, greater support from family and friends, and God’s peace as we all prepare for this crazy journey. Also, if you feel led to give to anyone else in my group, you can go to the following link, click any of their names, and click the “donate” tab: https://www.worldrace.org/?tab=participants&group=20W01UN
Thank you
I thank you so much for reading this through, and thank you for your support! I appreciate every single person who has reached out to me, prayed for me, and supported me over this last year. I am so excited to finally begin this journey after a year and a half of waiting and I’m so glad to have you by my side!
God bless,
Maddie Hodgett
