the ending of one adventure begets the start of another

This week marks the last week. The last week of the lease at my college house, Cherokee.

Cherokee has been such the place. It's provided many memories, laughter, late night studying, and conversations. I am so thankful for the time that I have been able to live here. The past 2 years I have lived with 8 different girls, yet only 5 of us lived there at a time. Each semester I had the opportunity to share my room with a different girl. I learned how to share one shower with 4 others and what time of the day was best to hang in the hammock. I lived in a room with no closet, but with a slanted door and ceiling, and I participated in the Cherokee tradition of Wednesday night dinner and Friday morning breakfast.

Cherokee's got character. It's not much to look at, but it feels a lot bigger once you get inside.

The original Cherokee girls, fall semester 2011. 

(Julia, Amy, Emily, me, and Tessa) 

With the chapter of college and College Park living coming to a close, I am so excited to start this new chapter of GAiN and Texas living. Just another month and 26% of support to go until the new adventure starts!

The first adventure: support raising

My job at GAiN is funded by support. GAiN is a non-profit & a ministry and doesn't have any central funds to fund employees. My task this summer has been to build a team of financial partners who will support me monetarily as I work next year. I have been contacting people to meet up with them, telling them what I will be doing, and asking them to come on this adventure and partner with me next year.

If you asked me before if I would ever take a job that required raising support, I would have laughed. No way. I am too independent and I don't want to depend on people. But God had a different idea. Since going through this journey my attitude has changed. I have seen so many blessings come out of support raising.

1. It gives others the chance to be a part of what GAiN is doing. Not everyone can or wants to go and travel to different developing countries to bring humanitarian aid, and not everyone has the curriculum development skills set that I do in order to further GAiN's health programs. But many people still want to be a part and support the work we are doing, and this is a way that they can do so.

2. It has reminded me that we are not supposed to live independent of one another. While I would like to keep my life on the private side, I've realized that life is not meant to be lived in isolation; it's meant to be shared. Life is sacred and sharing how you are impacting others, what God is doing in your life, and your perspective on it all is so important.

3. It makes me so passionate about my work. In support raising, you meet up with many people to ask them to partner with you. During this time I get a chance to talk about what I will be doing and the specifics of my work. It is a time that I get to remind myself what I am doing and why I am doing it.

This summer is the season of support raising. And just like that it will be over and I will be in Texas. For now I am trying to live in the moment and cherish this part of life that I am in. To date, I am 62% supported and it has been incredible to watch God pull in support from all over!