It’s getting real folks!! I spent five hours at REI the other Saturday and ended up with some gear! 
I also got some shots I was having the hardest time finding somewhere I could get a Yellow Fever shot and I finally got a call back. It turns out there is a shortage of the shots making it difficult to get. The nurse said every shot has a name to it. I got one because the person it was kept for didn’t need it after all! The nurse said God knew I needed one!
So shots are done… Major gear is bought… Training camp dates are set and coming up in 87 days… and, DRUM ROLL PLEASE… I have reached my first goal of $5000!!! 2 months ahead of schedule!!! To be exact I have $5343, Praise the Lord!!!
Thank you to each and every one who is making this journey possible! I am overwhelmed again and again by how the Lord is providing and the people and places he is using. I still need $12,583, a number that is a lot smaller than it used to be, so if you feel like you are able to help me out in this capacity that would be amazing! To donate go to the top of my blog and click the donate button and follow the directions, make sure you specify that it is for Maria Beiler. I need to reach $10,000 by September. My goal is to be fully funded before I leave in October!
This will be the second Race for my tent, which I think is cool! I got it from a former racer and had her sign it with a list of the countries she went to! Get ready Kelty tent round 2 is coming up!
