Hello from Chicago!!
(home of the Chicago Cubs and some other team, The Art Institute, The El, Portillo’s Italian beef, Lou Malnati’s Chicago style pizza and my personal favorite, the beautiful beaches of Lake Michigan!)
I am anxious to meet everyone on the team, but I figure you would like to know a little more about me than where I am from.
This is my family in Oregon, where my mom is from. We LOVE to hike, backpack, and be outside!!
I am an Art Teacher in Algonquin, IL and love to create art alongside my students/make up projects/learn new techniques for drawing, painting, ceramics, sculpture, etc.
I grew up most of my life in the Chicago area but I feel that most of my growing up has happened on my travels. My family loves to travel and we would often road trip to Oregon, California, Washington DC to see family and all of the sights along the way. I learned how to drive behind the wheel from Chicago to West Virginia, 15 hours and my permit in the family minivan. When I was in high school, I discovered the excitement of traveling internationally when I went to Mexico. Soda has never tasted the same to me after Manzanita Sol made with real sugar. When I was in college, I expanded my travel horizons to India, Africa, and Nassau where I discovered a raw and desperate trust on the Lord for my safety in some bizarre situations.
After college, I landed a good job teaching Art at a private school in the area. I have been living and working a north-west Chicago suburb for two years now teaching Art(now in the public schools) but I have been feeling very discontent staying around the area for some reason.
I have known since my first trip in High School that God has put a unique interest in my life to discover other cultures, connect with the people, share His love and spirit, be His hands and feet, and live in a way that I NEED to trust Him with each day and each task.
Each day here I have less and less of a desire to accumulate stuff, live a comfortable life, or brag about a good job and fine living.
Actually, more than anything, I would like to sell/give away all of my stuff, live with only what can fit in a backpack, and be trained and discipled as a missionary in the world, with the world.
Enter: THE WORLD RACE.
Jacob and Erin (world race alumni and advisors) confirmed along with my family and all of my close friends that THE WORLD RACE fits the description of the kind of training and ministry God would have me join into for this next year to discover His calling for my life. I can see with every step of this process that God is working through the ministry of AIM and the ministry of THE WORLD RACE and I am excited to be part of something God is doing through all of the willing people who are on the field already and will be part of the October 2010 team.
I am so excited to get to know YOU too!
Sincerely,
Mary McCoy
