My beloved Family and Friends,
I hope this letter finds you well and you are experiencing the joy of fellowshipping with our Lord in your daily life. These past 5 years have been a season of foundation building – being stripped of my natural propensity to run ahead of God and learning to trust Him to initiate the seasons of my life. In that time I let go of romantic notions of what it means to live radically for Christ and was shown how with Him the mundane and ordinary are holy and beautiful. I am still learning to walk with Him and work with Him, watch how He does things and learn the unforced rhythm of grace. In many ways it seemed that He has been more interested in making me grounded in Him and His grace, so that I might serve Him more broadly, more safely and more deeply.
At the end of 2012 I was laid off from my job as a Commercial Property Manager. I had suspected this for several months and been seeking His face for what He might have for me next. During that time I began to see the ways I had limited God in terms of what He could say to me and finally saw that all that time I had thought I was waiting for Him, it had in fact been Him who was waiting for me. Waiting for me to be ready. Waiting for me to be willing. So I prayed a Yes, not knowing what it might be, but expectant that He would tell me soon. A few weeks later I heard about the World Race. I read more the heart behind it in Seth Barnes book, “Kingdom Journeys. It captured in so many ways what I had been hungering for: transformation, being taken to a place of total dependence, carrying the light of God in this vulnerable self and being on mission in community. I applied, interviewed, listened for God, and received my acceptance the same day I was given notice that I was being laid off.
The World Race is an 11-month Christian mission trip to 11 different countries around the world. My route is July Route 1: Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, South Africa, Mozambique, Swaziland, Nepal, India, Turkey, Bulgaria, and Romania. I will travel with a “squad” of 40-50 other racers. We will serve in partnership with churches and ministries in the local communities to plant churches, do manual labor, visit lepers, or minister to women and children caught in human trafficking. In many ways it is about walking away from the crutches I’m prone to lean on to learn to rely on God. It’s about abandonment, brokenness, dependence and intimacy. Being emptied that He might be the one to do the filling.
I would love for nothing more than for you to come with me on this journey. There are 2 main ways that you can be a part of this ministry: by supporting me in prayer or financially. The trip itself costs $15,500, which does not include personal costs such as vaccines, medical insurance, and camping gear. If 50 people pledge to give me $25 for 12 months, I would have nearly all of my support raised!
I am so grateful for the opportunity God has given me and I am thankful for the love and support you all have shown me to get me to this point. Thank you for taking the time to read this and for considering partnering with me on this journey. I hope I can continue to share about my journey with you through my blog!
Ways to Give:
Check: Make checks payable to Adventures in Missions with “CHIANG, TINA” in the memo line. Include a fundraising card (enclosed) with your name and address.
Mail to: Adventures in Missions
PO Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470
Credit/Debit/Bank Draft: click “Support Me!” and follow the directions to make this online donation. (Note: there is a small processing fee.)
DynaPay: This online system allows for recurring monthly donations to be made without a processing fee. See http://adventures.org/dynapay for more information.
