What’s going on?
For those of you who have known me for awhile, you know that God has placed missions on my heart. I went on my first mission trip out of the US when I was in 8th grade. I remember feeling a push from God to go, but I didn’t know why. I didn’t know the other people going very well, and most of them were in high school. I also got miserably sick the first two days we were there. But I had so much fun building homes and serving God’s people. I was given new perspective as I met families who had dirt floors, dirty clothes, and just very little, yet were full of joy because of their relationship with Jesus. I knew from that point that whatever I did with my life I wanted to use it to serve God’s people.
So how did I end up here?
I stumbled upon the World Race in 2012. I was involved with Intervarsity in my senior year of college and we went to Urbana 2012 (a big missions conference). After signing up for the conference I saw the World Race being advertised on the website and about had an excited/nervous heart attack when I looked into it. Pretty much all of my loves in life (traveling, serving in other countries, learning about/experiencing other cultures, being able to use my Spanish, growing in my relationship with Christ) were sitting in front of me and I wanted to go right then (despite the fact I was in the middle of my senior year of college). I also discovered a girl I went to school with was on the Race at that time, so I followed her blog. After lots of prayer and guidance from my parents and mentors I decided it would not be wise to go on the Race right away after graduation. I am a nurse, and leaving right after school and then trying to get started in my career later would have been a major struggle. Not impossible, but a struggle. So I committed to work as a nurse for at least 2 years before I considered going on the world Race. And two years will be in July 2015!
Wait, this is crazy!
I know. But this is something I really feel like I’m supposed to be a part of. I have been so incredibly blessed in my life and I need to share that with others. So many things in the past few months have made it clear that this is what I am supposed to do. Yes it will be hard. Yes it will be uncomfortable. But my life is way too comfortable right now.
So why go abroad? Why not save all that money I need to raise and support local missions in my hometown? I think it is wonderful and necessary to support local missions and I am currently actively involved in my community. But I know that this is something God is calling me to. God calls each person to something different, and this is my calling. The only thing I can do is follow.
Where are you going exactly?
Where I will most likely be headed next summer:
Albania
Romania
Malawi
Zambia
Thailand
Cambodia
Malaysia
Ecuador
Peru
Bolivia
Chile
What are you going to be doing? Is this a medical trip?
This is not a medical trip. But if I’ve learned anything about nursing, it is that you don’t have to work in a hospital to use your nursing skills. I could be doing any number of things that could possibly include painting, building, loving on orphans, digging holes, working in a coffee shop, ministering to prostitutes, leading a college bible study, running VBS, praying over people, volunteering in hospitals, growing in community with my teammates, or teaching English. I will not know ahead of time exactly what I will be doing, but I trust God that He will place my team and I where we are most needed.
How can I help?
Please pray for me! I cannot go on this adventure without prayer support from all of you. I will be out of my comfort zone both literally and figuratively, and will need all the support I can get. I also need to raise $16,266 to cover all of my expenses (lodging, transportation, food, training camp). This is a great undertaking, and I cannot do it without you. If you would like to support me financially you can do so in one of the following ways:
Donate by check made out to Adventures in Missions, my name on the memo line. Mail to: Adventures in Missions, PO Box 742570, Atlanta, GA 30374-2570. Please send check with this card: https://www.adventures.org/valkyrie/mystuff/mobilization/documents/support_card.asp?FirstName=Sarah&LastName=Yount&PreferredFirstName=Sarah&Account_Type_Id=1&Appeal_Id=YOUNTSARAH&AccountType=World%20Race
Donate online by credit or debit card. Click on the Support Me tab on the left hand column of my blog. Donations made by this route are tax deductible. There is no longer a processing fee!
If you wish to make a recurring monthly donation you can do so through dynapay. Go to adventures.org/dynapay to fill out a form. There is no transaction fee.
Send money to my home address: 1312 Crown Ct Bloomington IL 61704. This may be put toward gear, flight tickets, vaccines, or go into my general fund.
Watch my blog or your email for possible future fundraising events!
Thanks ahead of time for joining me in this amazing adventure!
