Dear Friends and Family,
I hope this letter finds you well! I wanted to write you this letter to let you know about an amazing happening that is unfolding in my life. For the last four and a half years, I attended Iowa State University where I was on the track and field team and studied child, adult & family services and psychology. After graduating this past December, I returned home to Nebraska and began to job hunt. Although I enjoyed being home with my family, the Lord kept closing the door to places I had applied and I just was not content with the jobs I was finding. I felt drawn to look at options abroad. Enter the World Race.
Through an organization called Adventures in Missions, I was accepted into the World Race program in which I will be serving as a missionary to 11 different countries over the span of 11 months. Departing July 2014, I will be traveling to Swaziland, Botswana, South Africa, Romania, Moldova, India, Nepal, Thailand, Cambodia, Nicaragua and Guatemala. On the World Race, my team and I will be partnering with local ministries in the communities to show the love of Christ through working in orphanages, feeding the hungry, ministering to women and children trapped in prostitution as a result of human trafficking, building houses, encouraging those suffering from HIV, teaching English, and more depending on the needs of the community.
For the 11 months, I will be sleeping in a tent and living out of a backpack alongside a close team of other young adults. We will travel, live, and work together to be an encouragement to those we serve while also strengthening and challenging one another. I am so grateful for this opportunity for personal and spiritual growth while serving those in need. However, I will not be able to do this journey alone. Ways that you can come alongside me in support are….
1) Encouragement – You can visit tressaborchardt.theworldrace.org and subscribe to my blog by clicking “Sign Up for Update Alerts”. Throughout the year I will be posting pictures and journal entries about what is happening in the field and what God is doing in and through my team. Also, I would love to hear from you through the “Contact Me” tab.
2) Prayers – Please keep me in your prayers. Pray for my team, the countries we will be in and the people we will meet. As you follow my blog, I ask you to pray for the obstacles that we are bound to come across as well as the celebrations that we will experience.
3) Financial Support – I need your help to raise $16,252, by my sixth month abroad, which will cover my training, food, accommodations, travel expenses, and insurance while in the field. I ask that you partner with me to accomplish this goal. This seems like a large amount, but if 163 people contribute a one-time $100, or 80 people gave $25 monthly from May until December 30, 2014, I would be fully funded. You can contribute by mailing a check- payable to Adventures in Missions, along with the enclosed support card, or by donating online through my blog by clicking “Support Me!” and following the instructions for giving either a one-time or monthly donation. All donations are tax deductible.
Thank you for being a part of this exciting new adventure in my life! I can’t wait to see some of the awesome things that the Lord has in store for me. So, are you ready, will you join my team?
Love always,
Tressa Borchardt
