It’s amazing to think that the Lord already knew the things I would love to do and experience and has made this opportunity available to me!
I am ready to encounter the realities of this world. I am ready to encounter God and come to know him more. I am ready to go.
As a believer in Christ, I know I have not been called to an easy and comfortable life (Read Matthew 10). I am answering a call to live uncomfortably, simplistically and radically.
Words cannot express the amount of excitement I have for the upcoming year of my life! As all of you very well know, serving and traveling are just about my two favorite things. After struggling to know whether or not to go to grad school, I finally decided explore my options to travel and work internationally. I started to look at organizations like International Justice Mission and the Peace Corps. Although both are great organizations that are well know, I felt like there was something more for me than staying in one country for a year.
I began remembering this organization called the World Race. I had heard about the World Race in the summer of 2010 and was immediately drawn to the aspects of service, ministry and travel around the world. (In fact, I was so set on going then that I wrote in my journal: World Race 2012 11 countries in one year!) I met a group of World Racers when I was in Thailand working with an organization called Self Help and Empowerment to combat human trafficking this past summer. Hearing them talk about how their lives have been changed because of the people they have met, the struggles they had encountered and the opportunities to make a difference captured my attention to the point that I had not stopped thinking about it until I took the step of faith applied for the World Race this past February.
I am very excited to announce that this coming September, I will have the opportunity to travel to 11 countries in 11 months with the World Race! The World Race is a program that is part of a missions organization Adventures in Missions (A.I.M.). During our time abroad, we will work with churches, organizations and communities where people are in need. This includes orphaneges, hospitals and victims of human trafficking. As of now we have 62 participants from all over the nation and will be traveling to Zimbabwe/Botswana, South Africa, Swaziland, India, Philipines, China, Ukraine, Moldova, Honduras, Nicaragua and Costa Rica/Panama (our squad will be broken down into teams in each country).
I am writing to you because I would appreciate first and foremost, your prayers. As I am preparing to leave this coming September, I know that we are going to encounter trials of many kinds while we are in each country. I ask that you would pray for our squad and teams to be unified as one body and that we would all be preparing for this journey that the Lord has allowed for us to go on. Pray for safety and financial support to be met by each person.
With any mission’s trip, financial support is always needed. However, I am fully confident that the cost will be completely met. This trip will cost $15,500 which includes: food, lodging, travel (air, land and sea) and training camp in mid-July in Atlanta, GA. This does not include travel to training camp, launch destination or travel back to our home city once the trip is over; medical insurance, vaccinations, equipment needed for the race (such as a pack, tent, sleeping bag, etc.) or personal expenses. In total, I will need approximately $18,000 to cover all expenses.
If 15 people can give a monthly donation of $94 a month for 11months, the included cost for the trip will be fully covered ($15,510). In order to launch, I will need $6,500. If 100 people can give $65 monthly from May to September, I will have $1,300 per month needed to be fully covered before launch date.
I know that the amount is large, but being confident in the Lord, I am not letting those numbers scare me away from this incredible opportunity. In fact, 99% of the World Racers have met all the financial support. That is over 1,000 racers!
In this letter, I have enclosed a response card. If you are compelled to give please make checks payable to Adventures In Missions and return the response card with your donation to Adventures In Missions, PO Box 534470, Atlanta, GA, 30353-4470. The response card will provide A.I.M. with the information necessary to send you a receipt for your donation. If you would prefer to make your donation online, feel free to do so by going to sarahernandez.theworldrace.org and click the ‘support me!’ button on the left. Personal checks are also welcomed (this will help me with expenses not covered in the trip). Once they are received by me, I will send out a personal thank you card.
As you all know, any contribution of any amount will help me. I am ready to be challenged, changed and renewed. It is extremely exciting to wait in expectation as we prepare for this season of life and anticipate the lives that we will come in contact with. I want to thank you in advance for any prayers and financial support for this trip. It truly means more than words can describe! May God continually bless you with all you do.
With Sincere Gratitude,
Sara Hernandez
