Hi Friends!
I am so excited you have decided to join this journey with me. I am excited & also realizing how much of a crazy commitment I have made. Going into training camp I am feeling intimidated & nervous. I know God is going to meet me each step of the way, but realizing I am going to be spending 11 months away from everything I’ve ever known – it’s all just beginning to set in!
I wanted to share with you some ways I could really use your prayer while I am at training camp. I will be there August 8-18th & I am turning off my cell phone as an act of fasting & as a way to prepare for the possible things I might encounter while abroad. I am devoting the entirety of the next 10 days to getting to know my squad.
Some things to know from this blog forward:
-I am on N Squad & our color is red
-When I refer to my “team,” this is the group of people I am doing day-to-day life & ministry with when we are in-country. Usually teams are composed of 5-10 people. So depending on the ministry or organization we are partnering with, we will be divided up according to the needs of the place we are serving. I believe we will travel as a squad (about 30 people) from county to country & city to city. Our teams will be mixed up throughout the year, so I might be on as many as 4 or 5 teams throughout the year.
-I hope to be blogging every week or every other week while I’m on the field & I hope to share lots of pictures with you so you have a better understanding of what my day to day life looks like.
I am so thankful for your support & continued prayers as I invest in this new chapter in my life!
Fundraising update:
I have ~$10,000 of my needed $18,000. God is providing & I feel so encouraged as I look ahead into the next few months. My goal is to be fully funded by the time I leave in October. I believe we can do itJ
Some prayer requests:
-I have been managing some significant hip & back pain & have invested in some quality supplies for sleeping. I would appreciate prayer for physical strength during our fitness test (some time in the middle of the 10 days). I believe we have to walk about 2.5 miles with all of our gear.
-God has already provided me with so much peace about this entire trip & I am reminded I need to take one thing at a time. Would you please pray for this sense of peace & excited-anticipation as I begin to get a better picture of what my life will look like for the next year?
-Pray for team unity & ease of communication. My squad & specifically my team, while I’m on the field, will be my main community & we will be living & traveling together as Jesus did with his disciples. Just as in Jesus’ day – there are lots of people with various preferences, personalities, ways of doing things, & styles of communication – so prayer that we will all get along & learn to love each other quickly.
-Prayer for safety for each person attending camp, for travel mercies, & for open & soft hearts as we all prepare to receive what the Lord has for us.
It is a joy & a pleasure sharing this wild life with you!
P.S. packing was at first overwhelming, but then my friend & now WorldRace alumni spent a few hours with me yesterday organizing, talking through, & helping me manage to fit the majority of my things into a 70L (~18 gal) backpack! Thank you Lauren!! At the airport this morning it all weighed in around 40lbs, which is what is recommended!
Love,
Maddie
P.P.S. suuuuper thankful for my sweet & thoughtful friend Hannah. She knows my soul & love for coffee. She gave me this adorable to-go mug & enough coffee to get me through training camp. I rest knowing I am so cared for & I am so loved by my people.
