Dear Family and Friends,
I hope this letter finds you and your family well! I know quite a few of you have not heard from me in a while, so I would like to start out by catching you all up on my life and the things God has been doing. As most of you know, back in May of 2014 I finished attending school at Huntington University in Indiana studying Youth Ministry and Recreation and Sports Ministry. Literally the week after I packed my bags and went to the San Francisco/Oakland, California area for the summer and worked with Youth Works as a service coordinator in which I partnered with a lot of service organizations in the inner city where I lead different youth groups that came for the week in ministry and service projects. It was a very growing and eye-opening opportunity where God taught me a lot of patience and grace and being flexible along with a lot about poverty in my own country. My eyes saw things, crazy, sad and terrible things, that I never imagined I would see in person in my life. But I also saw God work in some amazing ways too!
After I got home in August of 2014 from that trip, I was still not having any luck finding a Youth Pastor job and so after a few weeks of serious prayer I decided to pack up and move to Nashville where I did my 6 month ministry internship the year prior. When I moved there about the first week of September I ended up finding some work doing woodworking for a friend of mines business/ministry and also picked up a part time job at one of the local YMCA’s working with kids and teens. About October of that same year, the pastor of the church that I interned at approached me with the opportunity to temporarily step in as interim youth pastor for a few months while they work on hiring a new guy, as their original youth pastor got promoted. And so of course I jumped right on that opportunity! Well long story short the guy that they were wanting to hire lived overseas and required a visa. Well that visa took much longer than expected and I ended staying in that position for around a year and a half until this past January as the visa finally got approved for him and his family. Saying goodbye to those students was one of the hardest things I ever had to do, but I would do it all over again as that was the best, most influential and rewarding year and a half of my life.
When I found out my time as Interim Youth Pastor would be ending I started applying for jobs all over the country. I couldn’t even count how many resumes I sent out. Well about the middle of February, a large, well know church out in California offered me a job. I loved it there when I visited and know I would have thrived there, but for some crazy reason I felt God telling me to say no. It was not easy, but I listened. Shortly after, I ended up having two more churches that were pursuing me and had multiple interviews with them. Well, the interview process was starting slow down with them and I wasn’t really hearing anything back from either place. I was really struggling with that and asking God why, and begging Him to please let one of them offer me a job as I was getting discouraged.
Well about three or 3 or so weeks ago I was more discouraged than I probably have ever been and just laid everything out to God and told Him I was about done, I was getting emotionally and spiritually exhausted waiting for Him to pull through. I prayed that He would do something soon, that I surrender everything to Him. He took that to heart and told me to do probably the most scary, terrifying and craziest thing I ever imagined. And that was to be a missionary overseas for a year through Adventures In Missions and their World Race program! Now when I felt God put that on my heart, I was like NO WAY! Not happening! Not a chance! That’s so much money! I can’t live out of a backpack for a year! And I wrestled with Him about it for a while! But like He always does, He eventually won and I said the most terrifying “Yes God” of my entire life. But as soon as I worked up the courage and faith to hit that “Apply” button, I felt this unbelievable and overwhelming peace and I knew right then, this is God’s next journey for me. And while yes I am still terrified, I am also very excited for this next journey that will be life changing, where my faith and trust will be stretched farther than it’s ever been, which also both excites and terrifies me at the same time.
So what exactly is Adventures in Missions and the World Race? Well I’d be happy to tell you! Adventures in Missions is a short-term missions organization established in 1989 based out of Georgia and have taken over 10,000 people onto the mission field overseas. In 2006 they added a component to their organization called World Race. It is a journey to 11 countries in 11 months to serve “the least of these” while amongst real and raw community. It facilitates discipleship through the process of discovering the abundant life He promised. It births partnerships with ministries around the world and really requires Luke 10-like faith. I will be doing anything from helping feed the poor both physically and spiritually, loving on people in the slums and dumps, vacation Bible schools, be in orphanages, ministering to those in the sex trade and human trafficking, to ministering to those who have early death signed to their name because of HIV/AIDS, and doing some teaching in churches and possibly even jails all while partnering with local churches and organizations spreading the hope and love of Jesus Christ. And also all while living out of a back pack for a year and some months sleeping in just tents, while other months being blessed with a bed. The countries I will be having the opportunity share the love of Jesus to are Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, Philippines, Kenya, Uganda, and Rwanda all not necessarily in that order.
Now you may be asking yourself, “Where do I come in in all of this?” Great question! Let me tell you! All of us have a mission and calling for our lives; for some of you that may be some type of business, being a teacher, politics, coach, stay-at-home parent, etc. Whatever it is, God can use you in great and mighty ways for his kingdom and glory. My calling that I received when I was about 15 years old is to be in full-time ministry sharing the love of Jesus. Sometimes that’s looks like working for a church or other ministry organization that pays for you to live and minister there. Other times God calls us to places that that it is not possible without the help of people like you, also willing to step out in faith financially and be an impactful part of life-change that is going to happen.
Now this calling on my life to live out Luke 10 faith and The Great Commission is not a cheap calling, one that I cannot do on my own. Terrifyingly expensive actually, but I believe that if God calls you to it, He will make a way for it and that even if just one life is changed for Jesus, that is worth far more than any amount of money.
The cost of trip alone is $16,561.00, but along with all the supplies I will need to live out of a back-pack for a year (proper backpack, tent, sleeping bag, mosquito net, waterproof compression packing bags, headlamp, immunizations) and other miscellaneous items, I will need to raise $19,000-$20,000 dollars for the trip (unless I get some of those things donated). I need to raise $5,000 of this by no later than July 22nd and the rest of it by the 1st of October, which is only a few months away and I know seems like a lot and a large mountain to climb, but I firmly believe God will provide and make a way.
Will you prayerfully consider being apart the calling through your finances and prayer to help share the most amazing love and hope of Jesus? Will you take a leap of faith and help send me into the world to shed hope and light in dark places?
If you feel God calling you to be a part of this journey with me, there are a few ways you can do that. First and foremost is prayer. Prayer for me and my team for our health and safety and that He would prepare our hearts for the things He is going to do in our lives and the lives of those we come in contact with. Prayer for the churches and organizations we will be partnering with and pray that many lives will be changed for Jesus.
Secondly, you can be a part of this calling financially. It’s a tall mountain to climb, so every little bit helps as I believe God will fully provide. There are a few ways you can do this. One, you can send a check made out to Adventures In Missions along with the little fundraising card in this letter to Adventures in Missions P.O. Box 742570, Atlanta, GA 30374-2570 with my name in the memo line. Two, you can go to my blog (andrewtrausch.theworldrace.org) and donate through there with debit or credit card and while you are there make sure you subscribe to my blog as that is where I will be keeping everyone updated on what is happening and how God is working in my life and the lives of others. Thirdly, as I will need money for supplies and gear, you can send a check to me personally to 516 N Williams St. Paulding, OH 45879. (Adventures In Missions is a tax-exempt organization under IRS code 501(c)(3) and is a member of the ECFA. (Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability). Due to IRS and ECFA regulations governing the administration of tax deductible donations given in support of a particular trip/program, support contributions given on behalf of an individual will be used to offset the costs of the trip/program you are involved in. All contributions are non-refundable regardless of the participant’s success in completing the program.)
I want to thank you in advance for your prayers and for your gift that will be helping impact the lives of many people. I cannot wait to start sharing stories with you all about all that God is doing. Here’s to the scariest, most exciting, God surrendering year of my life!
If you have any questions about the trip or donations, please do not hesitate to call me. My cell number is 419-796-8980.
Blessings,
Andrew Trausch
