When I was first accepted to the World Race, I looked at the $18,000 goal and said “Psh, no problemo. God’s got that covered.” As I approach my launch date of August 3rd, that number seems to grow bigger and bigger. But in these few months of fundraising, God has been teaching me a few things that I wanted to share with you.
Fundraising is easily the biggest thing on my mind leading up to the trip. “How am I going to get that money?” I wonder about this often. After speaking to many of my teammates, this seems to be their number one concern as well. But I am already learning that I am asking the wrong question and focusing on the wrong things. I need to be trusting and obedient rather than worrisome and idle. I trust God because I know His promises hold true and I can rest in that truth. I’ve realized that it is God (not me) who provides and it is the Holy Spirit (not me) that moves others to give.
Matthew 6:33 tells me to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…” When I seek His kingdom first I recognize the call I had on my life to go on the World Race, and I recognized how fundraising leads me to take steps of faith and obedience to that call. This has given me a much different perspective on fundraising than I originally had when I applied for the trip. Fundraising for this trip has an eternal impact: it is Kingdom focused.
I already feel the love and support that many people have given me, and it has had a huge impact on my life already. God moves the body of Christ to do big things, and the body of Christ is powerful when it flexes. Now just imagine that impact being multiplied through the individuals, the orphans, the tribes, the men and women that I will be serving on this trip. When you give to a World Racer, or any missionary, you are also giving to the hundreds of lives they are going to touch.
When it comes to giving, I don’t want people to support me just because they know me and want to help out… I want people to support me because they believe in what I’m doing as much as I do. I believe in the transformational love of Jesus Christ, and that’s what this is about: the transformation of lives for the Kingdom of God. I am going on the World Race not to fix it or save it, but to serve and to love it because it is God’s unconditional love that transforms me. How can I not ask God to send me?
Thanks for reading this post! I hope it encourages you to see the things I am learning… God is teaching us all something in our individual journeys through life and it is a blessing to get to share this, even if it is a quick post. In order for me to launch in August there are a few deadlines I need to meet! My first deadline is $5,000 by May 18th and we are halfway there (we need another $2,500). We’ve got 1 month to meet that, and I believe I could even set a goal of making it to $6,000 by that time. Thanks to all those who have supported me so far, and lets get that $2,500 this next month.
Here is a list of all the deadlines I will need to meeet:
Deadline 1 Deadline 2 Deadline 3 Deadline 4
May 18- $5,000 July 20- $10,000 August 30- $13,000 November 30- $18,600
