Dear
Friends & Family,
Howdy! I hope this letter finds you well. I am thankful for this opportunity to share with you what God has been doing in my life over the past few months. As many of you know, I graduated from Texas A&M University in May and received my Bachelor of Science degree in Interdisciplinary Studies. So I’m all set to become a teacher, right? Well, not in the way I expected. God has different plans for me! From the time I was a freshman in high school, I have had a passion for missionary work. I was 14 when I first told God that if He called me towards foreign missions, I would go. I had no idea what a commitment I was making at the time!
As some of you know, two summers ago I spent a month in Chanchen, Mexico, a small Mayan village in the Yucatan jungle, teaching English classes and sharing the Gospel. I, in my small-mindedness, thought I had finally fulfilled God’s call for me towards missions. Just one more thing I needed to check off my list before I could live the life I wanted to live: a good job, decent income, husband, and a white picket fence. But as graduation drew near, the whisper that resounded in my heart to leave, to abandon my plans and possessions to pursue God’s heart for the nations, began to sound more like a scream.
Enter the World Race. After months of prayer, applications, and interviews, I finally felt God’s specific direction in this call to leave. I have been accepted to a program called the World Race, an 11-month mission trip across 11 countries. My team and I will be ministering to “the least of these” in the countries of the Philippines, India, Nepal, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam, Romania, Ukraine, Uganda, Tanzania, and Kenya. Just a few of our ministries will include teaching English, working in orphanages, building houses, hosting vacation Bible schools, prison ministry, raising awareness about human trafficking, and, above all, sharing the love of Christ with those who may not even know that such a glorious Hope exists.
I am so thankful for this opportunity that is before me, and I trust that God will meet all my needs. Ultimately, my prayer is that He will do that through you. My heart’s cry over the past few months has reflected that of missionary John Keith Falconer, who once said, “I have but one candle of life to burn, and I would rather burn it out in a land filled with darkness than in a land flooded with light.” That being said, will you walk with me into this land filled with darkness? I would be honored if you could partner financially and prayerfully with me in this ministry. I am specifically asking for five people who will commit to pray for me each day until I return. Also, I must raise $14,300 for the year that goes directly to Adventures in Missions, the missions organization that hosts the World Race. This will cover most of my expenses while on the field.
If you would like, please contact me to request a response card. The response card will provide AIM with all necessary information to send you a receipt for your donation. They request that you send all donations by August 1st. Adventures in Missions is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donors will receive receipts for their gifts with the understanding that the disbursement of those gifts lies completely at the discretion of Adventures In Missions and that the gifts are non-refundable and non-transferable, per IRS regulations. Gifts may be tax deductible; please consult a tax advisor.
I am very excited about how God will use me and what He will teach me through this experience. As Jesus said in Matthew 13:44, “The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.” My prayer is that you will walk with me in this process of selling all I have to joyfully pursue the kingdom of heaven. I hope not only to be a blessing to those I serve, but also to you. My desire is to go as your representative of Jesus Christ. I hope you will prayerfully consider being part of my ministry. Thank you so much!
In Him,
Marlena Griffey
