Dear family and friends,
I am excited to share the news with you about the decision I have made to participate in the Gap Year Program this coming fall! The Gap Year is a nine month long mission trip traveling to three different continents, where I will stay three months in each place with a designated team.
Beginning in September, I will be traveling to Botswana, Malaysia, and Guatemala doing mission work and spreading the word and love of God. In July, to prepare for this trip, I will attend a training camp, and there I will meet others who have decided to embark on this journey as well. I will be assigned a “team” who I will be ministering and doing missions with for nine months. As someone who likes to have schedules and control of how I spend my time, God is teaching me that He is in complete control and during this process I will have to walk by faith and not by sight. First, I’m going to back track and tell you all how The Lord placed this mission on my heart.
The summer before senior year I went to Costa Rica on a mission trip with Rock Bridge Community Church. It was there that The Lord instilled in me the desire to love those who are lost and broken. (Mark 16:15 “And He said to them: go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.”) After this experience it was hard for me to come back to high school knowing that there were so many people who still did not know about the love of Jesus. I know that missions are needed everywhere and that also includes high school, but I feel like God has called me to the foreign nations. At the beginning of senior year when everyone around me was applying to colleges, the Lord did not place that desire on my heart. I do wish to attend college when I return from my trip, but God has other plans for me this year. Therefore, instead of applying to college for the 2015-2016 school year, I have applied to the Gap Year Program, which is supported by the popular mission organization Adventures in Missions.
I’m so excited to go on this journey and I would love for you all to be a part of it! So, I have a few requests of you all. First, I ask for prayers for not only for myself but for my team that God will fully equip our hearts, souls, and minds for this journey. I also ask for prayer that we will be a light to the lost and share the word of Jesus. Secondly, I’m going to have a blog and I would love for you all to stay updated because I will be posting what God’s doing in my life to prepare me for my trip, and then also how He’s using my team and myself while we are there. You can find this at shelbierichardson.theworldrace.org . Lastly, I ask that you will pray that my financial needs for the trip will be met. The total cost of my trip is $12,480. It’s a large number, I know! But I have faith that God is going to provide for me. This cost includes EVERYTHING for nine months. Please pray, and if you feel called to support me, these are my financial deadlines. (please see fund raising card in envelope)
- $6,000 – Due 5/8/2015 (17 weeks prior to trip)
- $9,000 – Due 7/3/2015 (9 weeks prior to trip)
- $11,900.00 + $580.00 (*Insurance) = $12,480.00 – Total Due 8/21/2015 (2 weeks prior to trip.
If you have any questions or would just like to talk about my trip feel free to contact me any time!
You can text me or call me at (706)-537-6587 or email me at [email protected]
Thank you all so much for the support and prayers! I love you all very much!
Your sister in Christ,
Shelbie Richardson
