Here I am, sitting in my bed in Oradea, Romania, thinking about the first five months of the race. We are almost at the halfway point, and sometimes its easy to get caught up in things and forget to soak it all in. Tonight we are taking an overnight train to Bucharest, from there we fly to Qatar where we have an overnight layover, followed by a morning flight to Johannesburg, South Africa, and finally a 20 hour busride to Cape Town, where we will be spending next month doing surf and soccer ministry with street kids. If this isn’t the life, I don’t know what is.
I have made it this far because of you; your consistent prayers, well timed encouragement, and unbelievably generous financial support. $15,500 is no piece of cake to raise, especially for a guy like me a year out of college, but God has this under control and has opened the hearts of many to donate $13,611 so far. I greatly appreciate each and every gift given. Wow, talk about confirmation that this is exactly where I need to be.
Here is a small taste of where that money has gone so far and the impact YOU have had:
– In Ecuador I lived in the jungle of Huaticocha, doing door to door ministry with a village that has been hurt by the gospel in the past. They have been abandoned by people proclaiming Jesus, their families ruined by their infidelities and hypocrisy. They don’t want to hear what we have to say because we will just leave them, right? God was able to open up so many hearts and enable us to encourage Pastor Ivan as he worked to establish the church he set up in the basement of his home. Only through forgiveness can the resentment towards Christians heal. You helped make this possible.
– In Peru my team lived in the slums of Victor Raul, located on the outskirts of Trujilo. We worked to build a chidren’s home that would eventually house the kids at the daycare in town where we also spent out time. These kids had next to nothing. They had parents who had either abandoned them or just left them to roam the streets. They had no manners, no clean clothes, and were shown little love or appreciation. I was able to show them love, and work towards giving them a better home. Your showed these kids love through your support.
– In Bolivia I worked with a group of Americans at the International Orphanage Union, whose primary aim was to build and fund orphanages to pull kids off the streets of Cochabamba. My time was mostly spent working at a restauarant that funded these orphanages. I peeled potatoes, chopped lettuce, served customers, and washed a heck load of dishes. And I loved it. This was the unseen aspect of giving orphans a home; I may never see the kids that I helped give a family to. You may never see in person where your support is going, but it made my work here in Bolivia possible.
– In Albania, I lived in a college apartment and spent all day on campus hanging out and talking with students, as a part of Campus Crusade. Through countless coffee dates, a picnic, games of pool, soccer, and basketball, and an English Club, I was able to build relationships with students from this mostly Muslim campus community. Akim, born a Muslim, was one of the few students who spoke English, and thus we were able to hang out with him almost every day. Akim loved anything competitive, and this made us find a common ground to connect with him. He didn’t accept Christ while we were there, but I hope that he in our lives the freedom it means to live in Christ. You made it possible for me to connect with Akim.
– And finally, this month in Romania, I lived on at an orphanage, but didn’t see too many kids. Instead, I did construction every day, digging trenches for future houses where new families from the orphanage will live. They would have paid contractors to do this work, but they don’t have the money. The houses have been left unfinished for months now. You helped pay for these houses to finally get closer to being completed.
You aren’t going around the world; you weren’t physically in any of these countries, but you are HERE, because I couldn’t be here without you, and thus you are a huge part of the difference that is being made in all of these countries.
I write all these things and remember the impact made so far to help shed some light on how you have helped so far. I am still in need of $1,889 by December 31st if I am going to able to be fully funded and stay for the full 11 months on this trip. Please pray and see if God would have you be a real part of what is going on all over the world by be a part of making it possible for me to stay and continue what I have started over these first five months. Any and all gifts are much appreciated, and please feel free to get in touch with me via email or the “contact me” tab on the left side of the page.
I love you all, thanks so much for everything!
I’m peacin’ out to South Africa tonight, check out this video for a preview of the ministry my team will be doing next month!
Cheers,
Steven
