Heyyyoo. I’ve been accepted to the World Race for exactly 2 months now which means I’ve been fundraising for about 2 months, and I’ve learned some things along the way!! So I thought I’d share…
1. There are actually a lot of nice people in the world. I’ve been experiencing first hand people’s encouragement and generosity, it’s truly amazing! I’m averaging over $1,000 in donations per month and if people continue giving generously like they are right now, I’ll be fully funded in due time.
2. Everyone loves a good t-shirt. I received 113 pre-orders for shirts! THAT’S A LOT. But then placed my order for 200 & now I’ve already sold a little over 150 in total! I’m very thankful for everyone who has bought one. With that being said, I still have 40ish shirts left to sell so let me know if you want one! Check my Facebook, Insta, or comment below.
3. Talk to strangers. I know your parents might have raised you saying, “don’t talk to strangers” but I disagree. Here’s why: On Black Friday I went shopping and stood in the line of Kohl’s for far too long. BUT my grandma, mom, and I struck up a conversation with the man standing in front of us.. after a while we were talking about the world race and he told me he has also done missions too! Before he left Kohl’s he pulled out his wallet and gave me $20 for my trip. How kind!! But it doesn’t stop there. Just yesterday, I was standing in line (lol something about long lines..) at the Post Office to mail some t-shirts and my grandma and I struck up another conversation with the women standing around us. Again, the world race got mentioned and the women said they know people who have done missions too. We also talked about church, YoungLife, and babysitting (all things I love). Then, before one woman walked out I said “it was nice talking with you in line” and she shook my hand and said “this is for your trip.” I looked down and it was a $100 bill. WOW!! AMAZING!! Coming from a total stranger!! See, strangers can be friends too. I am in awe of their kindness.
4. God is providing, and He will continue to do so. Just about every time I get worked up and stressed about raising $16,600 God seems to put something in front of me that reminds me He is going to provide the money. For example, in the car on the way to the Post Office I told my grandma “sometimes I get worried about raising $16,600” but then shortly after I received a very unexpected gift from that lady. And it makes me think, why did I ever doubt God to begin with?? In His timing, things will work out.
5. Mentorship is a beautiful thing. When I got accepted to do the World Race, it came with one condition: I had to find a mentor and open up to her. And honestly, it was the last thing I wanted to do but I’m coming to find that being vulnerable also allows you to learn a lot about yourself and grow from it. So Kayla if you’re reading this, Hi you’re awesome.
6. Proofread. And then proofread again. I made typos on my fundraising letters AND business cards. Oops.
And that’s the main things I’ve learned!! There’s some other cool stories and if you want to hear, leave a comment and I might just share some more!
Happy Holidays & God Bless!!!
