[First published on 9/8/2015. To view the original newsletter, click here.]
Hello friends!
Hope everyone had a fun and safe summer! Time sure flies during these sun-filled months…so much so that I haven’t been able to send a newsletter in almost 2 months! (Sorry for that!)
There has been a couple of changes in the past few weeks so here are some updates on what’s new.
ROUTE UPDATE
The Southeast Asia and Eastern Europe portions of my trip have slightly changed. Below is my new route (for now):
Jan. 2016 – Thailand
Feb. 2016 – Cambodia
Mar. 2016 – Vietnam (new)
Apr. 2016 – Indonesia (new)
May 2016 – Latvia (new)
Jun. 2016 – Ukraine
Jul. 2016 – Romania
Aug. 2016 – Bosnia (new)
Sep. 2016 – Zambia
Oct. 2016 – Botswana
Nov. 2016 – South Africa
I was told to expect a lot of twists and turns while on The World Race…so I guess it’s not all that surprising to get one before it even starts!
Please continue to pray for the people of these countries, that they will be open to hearing and experiencing the Gospel once our team arrives!
PREPARATIONS UPDATE
For the trip: Now that my Race launch date is only a few months away, I have begun checking off items from my To-Do list. First, this past week I’ve spent much of my free time buying the necessary gear for my trip. Luckily my route is through mostly warmer climates so I won’t have to pack as much, but it’ll still be close to 50 pounds that I have to carry around! And second, I’ll be making appointments soon to get my health checked out and to have my shots taken. There’s a laundry list of vaccinations that I may need…hopefully I won’t forget any!
Please pray that I’ll be able to get these done soon and without any issues, as they are beginning to take a mental toll on me. Let me tell you…it’s not easy trying to buy stuff to take for an entire year!
For work and personal time: Story time…so my initial plan was to quit my job later this month and go out to San Diego for a few weeks and stay with my brother and sister-in-law…to get some much needed R&R and soak in some of that Cali sun 🙂 I would then come back in mid November and finish preparations at home until I leave in January. And I was all ready to give my two-week notice last week when the opportunity to work half-time was brought up. I didn’t think my company would allow me to work half-time and also remotely from San Diego (which is why I planned on just quitting) but just when we started to discuss it, one of my coworkers emailed his two-week resignation as well. So now because of his unexpected departure soon, there’s a much stronger possibility for me to work half-time and even remotely while I’m in San Diego!
Please pray for the conversation with my boss later this week to go well and that I will be allowed to work half-time remotely. If all goes well, I may be able to keep working until mid December. And that would be a huge blessing since I could make some extra money for my Race and also for health insurance! I burn easily in that Cali sun…
FUNDRAISING UPDATE
Thank you to those who have donated financially!!! Your support and belief in what I am doing for the Lord continue to be a huge source of strength for me!
As of now, I have raised $1,505 of my $16,562 goal (9%)! I know I still have a long way to go, but I’m already so grateful and humbled by how God provides using the people and friends He has blessed me with over the years. So again, thank you!
So I kinda dropped the ball on this…but apparently I have some deadlines to meet for my individual fundraising. And the first deadline is $3,500 by September 25. Yes, I know it’s only a few weeks away, but I ask that you continue to prayerfully consider supporting me for this kingdom-building journey! And if I don’t have my job by the end of this month, I’ll need as much help as I can get!
Please use the link below if you’d like to donate!
[Select Support a World Racer and enter my full name, Sang Yeop Park!]
So thank you again, everyone! Until next time…from Cali 🙂
By His Love,
Sang Park
