A huge shout out and big thanks to Ed Byrne and The Brillion News for writing an article about my mission trip! And putting me on the front page….This is the article that he wrote.
Wittmann heading to ‘marathon’ mission
By Ed Byrne The Brillion News
HILBERT – Nicole Wittmann isn’t doing it half way.
When she decided to go on a Christian overseas mission, she picked a doozie. Instead of a week in a foreign country, Wittmann is going on a mission as a part of The World Race.
It amounts to doing foreign mission work in 11 different countries for 11 months – a month in each country.
A Hilbert High School graduate, Nicole went to Concordia University of Wisconsin in Mequon, planning to get a degree in education.
Instead, she detoured her plans into Christian education and ended up working as the Director of Christian Education for a Missouri Synod Lutheran church about two hours south of Chicago.
“I just felt God saying ‘You need to go and do this mission thing,’” she said.
A college friend introduced Nicole to The World Race (www.worldrace.org). It’s an 11 month commitment to do missionary work in 11 different countries through the Adventures in Missions organization, headquartered in Georgia.
The World Race mission commitment will cost Nicole $17,700. “I was accepted back in July, and have been fundraising since then,” she said. “I just got back from training camp in Georgia.”
That’s where she met the team she will work with for the next year
“We did different field scenarios and we tried different foods that we’re going to be experiencing when we go overseas,” Nicole said.
There are 33 people on the “squad” that includes Nicole. They come from throughout the U.S., and Nicole’s squad also includes a woman from Ireland.
“Within those 33 we break into smaller teams and, on my team, there are six of us,” she said. Nicole’s team will be going to Ghana, Cambodia, Thailand, Miramar, Nepal, India, Belize, El Salvador, Nicaragua and two other countries.
“It is a non-denominational organization – we have Catholics, Lutherans, Methodists, Baptists and nondenominational Christians,” Nicole said.
The fundraising has been all over the map – brat fries, bake sale, a chili feed and letters asking for donations. She was about $11,000 raised so far.
“I am very blessed with the support from my family and friends,” she said.
Nicole is working part-time to support herself, but also working full-time on fundraising to make the mission work possible.
The work
“Our goal is just to spread the Kingdom of God,” Nicole said. “In each of the countries, we will be partnering with local ministry groups there. Our tasks are whatever [those groups] need at that time.”
The might be running Sunday School, teaching Vacation Bible School classes, doing physical labor, and in southeast Asia, working with victims of human trafficking.
“We will be just kind of meeting the needs of the ministry at that time,” she said. “We are not sure until we get to each country … Christ calls us to do that.”
When Nicole talks about her call to the missions, you have the sense that this isn’t just a year off from “real life” for her. It sounds like a long-term commitment.
“I really enjoyed working in the church but I also have a heart for missions and wanting to do mission work, so maybe this is an opportunity that leads to being a full-time missionary,” Nicole said;. “Or maybe I’ll go back to the church, or into something totally different.”
She’s just taking it a year for a time, for now.
The studies at Concordia played a big role. It was there that she was taken out of her “faith comfort zone” and realized that faith, taken seriously, is not just a place of comfort.
She also took a class at Concordia called “The Great Commission” – Christ’s call to go out and make disciples of all nations. She enjoyed that class and the idea of missionary work.
Nicole major in Lay Ministry and Theology, switching from an Elementary Education major after experiencing an immersion in faith at Camp Luther.
“I worked at Camp Luther, and also at Lutheran Haven in Idaho,” Nicole said. “That had a huge part, and my family has been so supportive in this transition.”
She said her family was hesitant to encourage her at first, but now they understand that it is God calling her to do missionary work, and so she’d best follow that call.
“The World Race teaches us that it’s not just a journey for the racer going n a trip, but also a journey for the parents as well, because they’re really growing through their kids,” Nicole said.
Nicole will be gone in 2018 and the clock is ticking away. The time to leave is getting closer and closer.
But guess what?
She isn’t getting cold feet in her missionary shoes.
“I can’t see myself doing anything else next year,” she said.
To learn more about The World Race, visit Nicole’s blog at nicolewittmann.theworldrace.org and visit the website of the parent organization at https://www.adventures.org
Nicole’s Favorites- Colors: bright orange and camo
- Season: deer hunting
- Holiday:Christmas
- Meal: Steak, potatoes, corn on the grill
- Bible verse: “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” ~ Romans 12:12. Book: If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got To Get Out of the Boat, by John Ortberg.
- Movie: The Little Rascals and The Lion King.
- TV show: Survivor.
- Item on my bucket list: buy a bucket
- Be interdenominational.
- Unify as the body of Christ.
- Partner through the local church.
- Mobilize and make disciples.
- Listen in prayer.
- Be a church without walls.
- Minister to the poor, the oppressed, and the hopeless.
- Innovate and fail fast.
- Empower people to go and grow something.
- Choose people over projects.
