So I'm standing in line at the 99¢ store today when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around to find a cute little old lady standing behind me. She asks me about the t-shirt I'm wearing. Now mind you I'm at the store at 9:00 am because I need eggs for an awesome omelet I'm planning on having for breakfast. I've literally gotten out of bed, changed my top, and put on some flip flops before I ran out of the house. The shirt I'd happened to choose this morning was from a youth event called Teen Break that I used to work when I lived in Lake Havasu City. I explained to the lady that I got the t-shirt from an event I worked at. She asks me if I'm a Christian, and I tell her that yes I am. She then proceeds to tell me about how much Jesus has changed her life. I hear her say that she loves to pray, so I tell her that I'm going on a missions trip this coming week, and I ask her to pray for me. So she reaches out to touch my shoulder as she starts to pray, right there in line while the check out lady is ringing up the eggs that I have now forgetten all about. How COOL is that! I don't think I'll forget that experience anytime soon!
I've got a lot of news to share, so lets just get started! The most important piece of news I have to share is that I got my plane ticket! I ended up finding a pretty good price flying out of LAX, so I booked it. I was going to just drive to and from California, since it's only a 4 hour trip, but then my dad in all of his generosity offered to buy me a ticket from Las Vegas to LAX.
A few days before I leave for Spain there's a great worship conference at the church I use to attend in California. It's called Worship Central. I went last year, and it was really good. This year's conference has actually been expanded so it's two days long. I'm flying into California on Friday the 24th so that I can go. So as of right now I'll be attending the conference on Friday and Saturday, and then on Sunday my flight leaves for Spain. I know I've said it before, but I'm really excited about getting the opportunity to go and be a part of what they do in Ibiza.
I also got my passport in the mail this week. So I guess that makes me an official U.S. citizen. I applied for it before I left California, and it took exactly four weeks for me to get it in the mail. I've had a passport before, but unfortunately I let it expire. The new passports have an electronic chip inside of them, pretty hi-tech!
I got my official invite from the 24-7 Ibiza team today...so I am now officially a part of the April missions team. YEAH! I was getting a little nervous! Now it's just a matter of getting all the details in order. Most importantly I need to buy a plane ticket, and boy are they pricey. It's looking like I'll be flying into Barcelona, and someone will meet me there and fly with me to Ibiza. I can't tell you how excited I am about getting this opportunity.
I've said it before, and I'll say it again...THANKS to everyone who's donated so far! Keep checking back for more updates!
Hello everyone! Thanks so much for checking up on my progress! As you can see, the fundraising has been going really well. People have been donating online via Paypal, and I've gotten a few checks in the mail in response to a fundraising letter I sent out. I've sent in my application to the 24/7 Ibiza ministry, and I'm just waiting for them to check my references and give me the okay. Once I get that I'll start shopping for my plane ticket! Thanks again and again to everyone who's donated so far. Keep checking back for more updates!
I've started to get donations, and I'm really excited! Today I mailed out a fundraising letter to some friends and family who don't frequent Myspace or Facebook. Hopefully those donations will start to come in soon. I'm on my way! I've added the names of everyone who has donated to my Wall of Fame. I just want to note that Jake and Stefani Long were my first official contributors. Thanks you two!
I also want to say a huge thank you to everyone who's donated so far. Check out my cool fundraising thermometer to see how much I've raised.
I'm looking for 300 Awesome people who will donate $10 each to help send me on my missions trip to Ibiza. Will you be one of my 300? If you donate $10 (or more!) I'll add your name to my wall of fame! Plus I'll do your laundry for a year...okay maybe not that last one!
Hello to everyone who's checking out my fundraising blog! Thanks so much for stopping by.
I just wanted to get a little more in depth about the trip, and about why I want to go. If you watch the video in the post below this one, you'll get a pretty good idea of what 24-7 Ibiza does. It's an extremely unique ministry for a unique area of the world. I've been following the 24-7 prayer movement for a few years now. It's a ministry that started in Europe and has spread all over the world. It all started in a prayer room when they decided to see what would happen if they prayed for 24 hours a day for one week. The cool thing is that once they started praying they never stopped. And that was 10 years ago!
For those of you who don't know me well prayer is my passion! I love the fact that no matter where I am, or what time of day it is, I can commune with God. I think there's something so powerful about that! The Missions trip I'm trying to raise money for is actually a prayer trip. The ministry in Ibiza has a team come down in April before the busy season to basically saturate the area in prayer. This team will be preparing the ground for the teams that will come in later during the busy season.
When I read about this missions opportunity, I just started to cry. For those of you who know me well, you know that doesn't happen easily! I think I was just overwhelmed because I knew I wanted to go instantly. I think I probably cried because my first thought was "I won't be able to go because I can't afford it." It was like I instantly counted myself out. But then something inside me just encouraged me to fight, and to not give up. So that's what I'm doing. I have to believe that if God wants me to go on this trip that he will provide the funds. It's been a long time since I've had to really trust God for something so tangible. I either raise the money, or I don't get to go.
If you can give, I would appreciate it very much! I figure if I can find 300 people to donate $10 a piece I would be really close to my goal. Believe me when I say I understand if you can't afford to give. Another way you could support me is through prayer. When you're done reading this post, take a moment to pray that God would provide the funds I'll need to go.
However you choose to support me, either financially or through prayer or both...I thank you!
Don't forget to check back! I'll be updating this blog regularly with my progress.
