This past year at Adventures in Missions has been fantastic. I’ve always said I wanted to do media for missions, and that’s exactly what I get to do.
If you’re on my support team, you know that I’ve committed to staying at Adventures for at least another year.
Because we as an organization are so committed to good stewardship and keeping costs low for our participants, our staff support raise much of their salaries.
As a domestic based missionary, it’s always a struggle to fundraise. We’re not swaddling African orphans or saving children from trafficking directly. But Jesus gives us amazing opportunities here too.
And I can’t do them without you.
We serve a God who writes great stories – stories of risk, trust, and challenge. Stories of creation, redemption, and making beautiful things out of the dust. Here in the Marketing Department at Adventures in Missions, we don’t write sales copy to bait and switch people into buying our product – we tell the stories of what God is doing on the field and invite people into his story.
So whether that means writing blogs, posting on social media, writing brochures, writing for the website, or taking pictures, this is my job. This is my 9-5. And these stories are part of what mobilizes a generation to go to the nations.
This is another favorite part of my job. Training Camps are some of the most fantastic weeks of our year. These are the weeks where we see hundreds from our generation take the next step of faith in their lives and prepare to go to the nations.
Training racers includes praying for them, worshipping alongside them, challenging them, teaching them, facilitating team formations and other training exercises, and having a ton of fun. It’s like being on the field and being a camp counselor all wrapped up into one. And it rocks.
As Adventures staff that are trained in Project Leading we are equipped to lead teams to any of our 50 or so global locations. We do some logistical set up, financial management, team facilitation, and on-field ministry.
This year, as you know, I was able to lead a trip to Haiti. It was a time where we got to see Jesus show up for us in incredible ways, and I was challenged to see myself as a leader again. My team was incredible, and I’ve been absolutely humbled by the stories they have written about our time there.
One of the main parts of my job includes social media management. At first glance, it may sound like a really lame excuse for a job. “I’m sorry, your job is FACEBOOK?” But we get the chance to post our blogs, post updates from the field, encourage our fans, etc.
Because we take the time to use things like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest well, we see tens of thousands reached weekly. We see people encouraged to keep going in their faith. We see people make decisions to give their lives to Jesus. We see people go to the nations.
If you haven’t heard, Adventures in Missions puts on a red-carpet, black tie awards show every other October called Epoch Awards. Our team has spent the Spring asking people to nominate their “unsung hero” and have announced the finalists today – all of whom are in the running to win some of the $50,000 we’re giving away.
Not only are absolutely excited to announce that writers like Bob Goff and Jon Acuff will be presenting the awards, along with music from All Sons & Daughters, but we are beyond blessed to be the catalyst to keep people in ministry and further their impact.
Well, we’ve already talked about story. But if the only people telling the story of what God is doing are the six of us sitting in the writing/creative office right now, we’re not going to get very far.
That’s why we’re committed to teaching all our participants about storytelling. For me, this is multifaceted. Besides teaching about writing and social media at Training Camps and as a facilitator in our new Story Track program, I am also developing a Story Coaching program for our Racers so they have a skilled staff member there to walk with them the whole Race and help them continually improve in sharing the story God is writing all over the world.
This one is new for me, and I couldn’t be more excited about it. After each World Race, we invite participants back to our home base in Georgia and love on them for a week. We host reunions, worship together, teach about re-entry, provide counseling (not even kidding, feed them, and help them figure out what’s next.
As a coach, I’ll get to meet with a small team of Racers each night and lead them through discussions on processing the Race and figuring out what’s next. It’s kind of like the other side of Training Camp. Which is awesome, because my first squads will be the first ones I worked with at Camp. How cool is that?
After a pretty rough year, attending Passion City Church has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. Besides being pastored by Louie Giglio, we’re lead in worship by amazing men like Chris Tomlin and David Crowder. It has been the catalyst for refreshment and perseverance in my faith and in my life. I serve at least twice a month during a service as a volunteer and am able to attend Vision and Leadership meetings with this amazing team.
But there’s a catch. It’s an hour away. So I literally cannot attend without your help.
I’m kind of just being silly, but at the same time I’m not. I believe that as an adult, I have the responsibility to steward my finances and health. I believe that it honors the Lord when I pay my bills (we’re talking basic ones here, like rent and car insurance). I also believe it honors the Lord to eat healthy food full of vitamins and not get sick.
While some people are comfortable eating only rice, beans, and ramen noodles forever to save money, I have been convicted that I need to take care of my body so that I can continue to serve the Lord. And ramen noodles are off the grocery list. And I’ve taken over all my financial bills. Here’s to being an adult!
Recently, at Passion City Church, we went through a series on generosity. And I’ve committed to tithe regularly as well as give extra when I can. I want to live like I believe what I say I believe – that God will always provide for his children and I don’t need to hold on too tightly to the world.
I also want to be someone that, while being wise in stewardship, is someone who buys someone else’s coffee, bakes them cupcakes for their birthday, or puts a little gift in someone else’s support account. But this above-and-beyond is actually impossible without you. And I want it to be a part of who I am.
In order to do all these things I need to raise $12,000 of my salary. Currently, I have $3,088.52 in my support account along with many committed monthly donors. Assuming many of them continue, I’m anticipating a new need of around $4,000. So, depending on what category you are, here’s how you can help.
New Supporters (One Time OR Monthly): Click the SUPPORT ME HERE button below and plug in the amount and months you are able to help. Please, please, please EMAIL ME or FACEBOOK me with amounts and months so that I know what to expect, along with your mailing address so that I can send you a thank-you!
Currently Monthly Supporters: Click the SUPPORT ME HERE button below and plug in the amount and months you are able to help. Even if you have done this before, most of you only committed through this month (August 2013), so you’ll need to re-input your information. Please, please, please EMAIL ME or FACEBOOK me with amounts and months so that I know what to expect, along with your mailing address so that I can send you a thank-you!
