Ten Days!

  Can it really be only ten days away?  I have a list going of all I need to accomplish in the next eleven days.  Some are larger, time-consuming tasks such as "unpack that pack and eliminate something because you're going to break your back carrying all that stuff!", and some are little reminders, such as "go outside in the freezing cold and get your sunglasses out of your car to pack them since you can never seem to remember to grab them anytime you get out of your car!"  It's not quite that detailed on my list, but it's implied.

Everything I will be taking with me...out of the pack

Everything I will be taking with me...in the pack(s)

  The big blue pack in the lower picture has most of what is on the tables in the first picture inside.  The daypack has some basic items that will be carried in it while out and about, and the big, green, round thing is my new bug net!  I changed my mind from the first bug net (see November's post) to a Sansbug net.  It pops open like a tent and has plenty of wiggle room, is lightweight, and while it takes up more room than the previous one, it was also cheaper! (Bonus!!)

  I would absolutely love your encouragement, prayers, and thoughts while I'm away!  Although I won't have immediate access to internet, I would love to open up my inbox to a plethora of notes from my supporters!  Feel free to Facebook message me, email me, or use the contact form on the right sidebar to write me a note throughout the next six months!

  Tomorrow is my final day at work.  I am so eager to be done working and focus 100% on the trip and spending my final days with friends and family.

  I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas and have a wonderful New Year!  Thank you for your support!!

Three Weeks

  I'd say it's high time I posted an update, don't you?

  In three weeks, I will be in Indiana with my ten teammates and two leaders, training and team building.  My brain is having a hard time wrapping itself around that fact.  That, or I'm in denial.

  December 31st marks my last day at work.  I am eager to be done so I can focus on prep and spending time with my family and friends.  This time of year is always busy in retail, but I enjoy it since the time tends to go quickly.

  Someone asked me recently, "How do you even prepare for such a trip?"  Practice with the little things here and there.  I've spent a couple nights on my sleeping pad and in my sleeping bag.  I got really hot in the middle of the night and moved to the couch.  The next morning, I realized, "I'm inevitably going to get hot on this trip, and there will be no couch to move to!"  So I tried it again the next night, and woke up the next morning on the couch!  Wonder how that happened...
  Another way I've been preparing is walking on the treadmill with my 40-pound backpack.  Yikes!  I've also been practicing a basic, and quick morning routine.  Hopefully, I'll be able to practice more with this when I'm done with work, since I do want to look half-way nice while on the clock.  But, I'm cutting down the time I spend in front of the mirror, doing my makeup and hair, and reducing the amount of products I use.

  Some prayer requests:
   - Wisdom as I finalize packing; what's necessary, what's not, etc.
   - Peace as I get ready to leave home...this is an area I'm particularly struggling with.
   - Quick team bonding when we meet in Indiana on the 11th.
   - Health and safety for my whole team.

Thank you for all your prayers, encouragement, and support!

Sierra

Create My Playlist!

  I want your music suggestions!

  "Where words fail, music speaks."  That accurately describes what music means to me.  Music lifts my mood, helps me focus, and draws me closer to Christ.  On my upcoming Caribbean Immersion, there will undoubtedly be times when I'll be wanting to listen to music, and I want YOUR help creating my playlist!  What are some songs that lift your spirits or speak to you?  I'd love to put them on my playlist for six months!  Comment your music suggestions below!

  Two months from today is when I leave!  I can't believe it's SO close!  I am thrilled to tell you that I am 90% funded!  To meet my November 30th deadline, I need only 10% more within the next three weeks!  Will you consider sponsoring me?

  For those of you who have been praying for my wisdom regarding malaria pills: THANK YOU!  A generous donor provided me the financial ability to get malaria pills.  And a little more research into the areas I was told I needed the pills revealed that I didn't need them in both Belize and Haiti -- just Haiti.  This means I only need approximately seven week's worth...not fourteen!  That made a world of difference, because as I mentioned in my previous post, I am very conscious about what I put in my body.

Love in Christ,

  

November's Updates and Prayer Requests

  It's November 1st, which means I have two-and-a-half months before I leave.  With working and the holidays approaching, these couple months are going to be gone in a flash - yes, I say that every time.  Especially since I work in retail and Christmas things were stocked earlier this week (yikes!).

  I have begun shopping!  In fact, I'm just about finished.  Shopping for minimal, quality gear for such a long trip, and attempting to do so frugally is frustrating and stressful to say the least.  I thankfully have found some good deals at REI as well as some good products.  Purchasing gear has made the trip much more real!  I am more excited now (although I'm a little nervous about sleeping in my mosquito net...going to be a *little* tight to say the least).  This picture doesn't show it, but there is a rod above the head that makes a tiny little tent to crawl into and so the netting isn't on your face.

  I have also purchased my airline ticket to Indiana for initial training!  The flight to and from Indiana (the first and last flights of the trip) are left to team members to purchase.  I was excited to get a good deal on the flight and am now able to check that off my list!  Like shopping, this completed task makes the trip more tangible to me.

  Please pray for me as I make a decision regarding malaria pills.  Both Haiti and Belize have a high risk for malaria, so Experience Mission encourages us to consider taking pills while in those two locations.  On one hand, I am scared to go without that protection.  And on the other, I am conscious about what I put in my body and know there is a risk of scary side effects.  Plus, I found out that the malaria pills that I would choose (based on a lot of research), cost a lot of money.  Prayer for clarity as I make this decision would be very much appreciated.

  Praise God, I am 82% funded!!!  November is upon us and that leaves only 30 days to raise my final 18%!  Will you consider joining my financial support team?  Any amount helps and it is all tax-deductible!  Please pray about supporting me financially.

My Pre-Immersion Experience

  On Friday, my family and I returned from a ten-day trip to Brazil to visit some friends.  We had a great time, even though it was different than any other vacation we've taken before.  Because we were with our friends, we were living just like Brazilians.  I couldn't help but think of how that trip will be similar to my upcoming six-month immersion.

  In just those ten days, I was starting to understand some Portuguese (not much, some), and could read some of it too!  I began to think of how much Haitian Creole I'll be able to learn in the four to seven weeks I'll spend in Haiti!  Although, my goal is to start learning Creole before I leave, anyway. :)

  We had different sleeping situations than here, ate different foods, and experienced different driving (read: insane driving!).  It really helped me catch a glimpse of what my life will look like starting in just a couple months!

  I also had to go without a few things.  Such as constant connection -- we got some internet, but went without it for a couple days.  I do believe I'll be going without it for several weeks at a time next year, but it gave me a little bit of practice. :)  I didn't put makeup on, didn't use my hair dryer (because it stopped working the day we got there), and survived hundred-degree heat without air conditioning.

  This vacation made me more excited for my Caribbean Immersion!  Some exciting things happened while I was in Brazil, too.  A couple others joined the team, so now there are nine of us going, plus our two leaders!  Today is our first conference call together!  I am beyond excited for this big step for our team.  We'll meet each other, get to learn important info about the trip, and ask questions. And being the planner I am, I have plenty of questions.  Also, tonight, my dad is taking me shopping for some gear!  I have been researching and researching backpacks, sleeping bags, sleeping pads, pillows, etc.  I feel like the trip will become that much more real when I have some items that will be bringing me through those six months.

  I am currently 62% funded, praise the Lord!  Thank you to all who have generously donated!  My new goal is to be 100% by November 31st.  With how busy December will be with the holidays and being a month away from my leaving, I feel it best to focus on being with my family, rather than fundraising.  Therefore, my goal has moved up.  This leaves about a month and a half to raise the remaining 38%.  Would you consider joining my support team?  Any amount helps and it is all tax-deductible!  Please pray about supporting me on this trip.  You can click on the button below to donate online or through  mail.

In Christ,

Countdown: Four Months.

  There's only four months left before I leave.  However, with my schedule this fall, I am positive that those four months will FLY by.

  Today, a Facebook group was created for my team!  I am so thrilled to get to know the individuals that I will be serving with for six months!  Having this way of communicating makes the trip feel much more real.  As we continue to be added to the group this week, I'm excited to take the time to get to know everyone and find out more what those six months will look like and how I can be specifically preparing for the Immersion.

  More exciting news: I am 55% funded!!  I am SO grateful for all of you who have donated towards my trip.  And to those of you who have been praying for me, thank you!!  I can't express how much your support means to me.

  If you are interested in financially supporting me, click the button below.  All donations are tax-deductible.

In Christ,

  

My Fears

  Honesty.

  I've loved following various blogs and websites of missionaries and ministries for updates over the past several years.  I like to know what they're doing, how the Lord is working through them, and how specifically I can pray for them.  While I love to read about the "ups", it's also nice when they're honest and explain their "downs".  Because it reminds me they're human.  It reminds me to pray specifically for those "downs".  And it reminds me that soon, I'll most likely read an update about how they overcame the struggles, or more...how Christ helped them overcome the struggles.

  So, in case you're like me, today I turn to honesty.  I'll share a glimpse of what is going on in my mind as I prepare for this trip.  Believe you me, I am beyond EXCITED about this trip.  I can't wait!  However, there will undoubtedly be struggles.  Several people have asked me in the past few weeks, "What are the struggles you will encounter?" or, "What do you think the hardest part will be?".

• It's going to be HOT.  I was in St. Louis last week and it was 116 degree heat index.  That's insane.  It was a struggle to be outside.  I was sweating everywhere (any question about bringing makeup on this trip has been decided), I felt like I couldn't breathe because of the humidity, and I was just uncomfortable.   One part of me was saying, "Hey, it's good practice at least for your trip!", and the other part of me was saying, "How on EARTH are you going to make it in this heat for SIX MONTHS???"!  So...long story short, the heat will be a struggle.
• I will miss my family.  Now, I was not the girl to get homesick at camp.  In fact, the first year of camp (I was in first grade), I told my mom I didn't want to come home when she came to pick me up.  I am an independent individual who is pretty adventurous (in most areas).  However, I am close with my family.  I love my mom, dad, sister, and brother with all of my heart, and I will admit it has brought me to tears thinking of not seeing them for six months.
• Besides being hot, I will be living uncomfortably.  This was something that Experience Mission told me in my interview...pretty much getting it out there that this wasn't going to be easy.  I will be living in host homes in each country, sleeping on the ground, with a mosquito net tucked around me.  Now, with my Tempur-Pedic mattress at home, this doesn't sound the most comfortable.
• I will have to ride motorcycles.  In Haiti, motorcycles are the taxis.  And to make sure you're getting the full picture...they aren't Harley-Davidsons.  The previous three fears are ones I can deal with.  THIS, I am actually dreading, in all honesty.
• I can't quite wrap my mind around leaving in five months for six months.  There's something a little unnerving for me about this due to the fact that I'm a planner.  I feel like five months is a lifetime and I have so much excess time before I need to begin purchasing gear, asking more detailed questions, meeting my teammates, etc.  I'm nervous because I don't know when it will set in...when it will be real to me.  

  Now, that's not the full list of fears, but I'm going to have to have something to write about in the coming months! :)  HOWEVER, despite those fears, as I'm sure you're thinking, "Why is she even going?", I am still beyond excited.  So, to counter those fears, here are five things I'm excited about:

• It's going to be HOT.  Spending a January (and February, March, April, May) that is over 30 degrees is going to be interesting.  It means I'm in a different part of the world.  It means I'm traveling - which is my dream.  I'll learn to deal with it, and I'll learn to rely on the Lord when my energy is drained from the excessive sweating.
• I will miss my family.  A.A. Milne said, "How lucky am I to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard."  I am beyond blessed with a family whom I will miss, a family who will [hopefully] miss me, and who will make coming home to so sweet!  Additionally, being away for six months will stretch me as an individual and challenge me to be even more independent.
• I will be living uncomfortably.  When I was in Haiti two years ago, I noticed so many things that I take for granted.  I will inevitably notice more as I not only travel to Haiti, but New York City, Belize, and Jamaica.  I pray that I learn to be grateful for even the small things, and to not be greedy about needing more of this, more of that.  
• I will have to ride motorcycles.  Let's be honest, I'm not particularly excited about this.  However, I'm excited to be on this adventure.  For one, I get to serve the Lord and bless His people and His communities!  Second, I love experiencing new cultures - learning their ways, meeting the people, etc.  Riding motorcycles are a part of Haiti's culture...so I'm going to make myself be excited about it. 
• I can't quite wrap my mind around leaving in five months for six months.  While I'm a planner, I'm a little relieved that I'm not frantically searching and purchasing gear yet.  I'm glad that I'm not over analyzing the details and double-checking my packing list five months ahead of time.  Frankly, I'm surprised I haven't been doing that.  But right now, I must admit, it's nice to be living in the moment.  I'm glad it's still August and that I have a FIVE months before I leave my family, before I have to be packed, before I get on a plane to meet the team I'll be spending six months with.  Taking this time to work, spend quality time with my family and friends, taking my time to make important decisions regarding the trip, etc. is really nice and I don't want to take those things for granted.  Because in five short months, those are things I won't be doing for a while.

  In my last post, I showed you a payment plan.  In December, I will owe the full $8,800.  But in between now and then, each month, there is a specific amount due.  For August 11th, the amount is $1,760.  I am pleased to show you that, as of August 5th, this is my status bar:

  Praise be to GOD!!  I am 25% funded!  I am so in AWE of His goodness through each of those who have given.  I would be grateful and honored if you would consider donating to my 6-Month Caribbean Immersion.

Blessings,

A Trip of Change

  I recently went back to my journal entries from when I went to Haiti in 2013.  Oh the memories are so sweet!  I wanted to share a simple thought from one...a thought that still rings true today.

"Haiti was incredible!  I would do it again ten times

over.  I want to go back; Haiti has my heart now --

I loved it there.  God changed my heart."

  I am beyond thrilled and grateful to be returning to Haiti.  I remember so many moments from when I was there.  I can't wait to relive some of the experiences and gain so many more.  When my team returned, we shared our experience with our church congregation.  This is what I shared (well, I lost my voice so Lynel shared what I wrote :)

  On Friday, we went to a small village.  This is a new village, about two or three months old, located on the side of a mountain and consisted of about seven homes and almost forty people.  We were welcomed into a home where a family of seven or eight lived.  It had one bed, two small pieces of furniture, and several small children -- including a one-month old. 

  As I sat in this shelter of metal and tarps, I remembered that I used to complain about sharing a room with my sister -- a bedroom larger than this.  And this family is sharing that "room" with eight people and it's the only room they have.

  After our time in the village, some of our team climbed the rest of the mountain.  When I finally reached the top, all I saw was beauty and God's creativity.  I realized, standing up there, that even amidst all the hurt, amidst all the spiritual darkness, amidst all of the poverty...there is beauty.  It's as if God placed those majestic mountains, and the blue Caribbean Sea in a land where poverty thrives to remind us that He is there...that He always has been there...and that He always will be there, creating beauty amidst poverty.

  I can't wait to see what else God reveals to me on this trip!  Not only in Haiti, but in New York, in Jamaica, and in Belize!   God taught me and changed me so much in one week in Haiti.  Imagine what He'll do in six months in four different locations serving Him!

The home we visited in the village.

The Majestic Mountains

  Experience Mission has a developed timeline that I must follow with reaching fundraising goals.  This timeline is as follows:

Date                              Amount Raised

August 11th........................................................$1,760

September 11th...................................................$3,080

October 11th.......................................................$4,400

November 11th...................................................$6,600

December 11th....................................................$8,800

   

  If you are interested in sponsoring my Caribbean Immersion, please click the image below.

In Christ,

Partner with Me

  I wanted to share a few ways God has already blessed this trip!

• At the beginning of June, I transferred from working at the St. Cloud Target store, to the store in Rogers as a front-end supervisor.  Only three weeks later I found out I would be participating in this Immersion.  My leaders at my new store have been so supportive and are allowing me to take a six-month Leave of Absence!
• The day she received my postcard in the mail, a friend of mine taped it in her prayer journal.  It is such a blessing to know I am being actively prayed for and supported!
• Normally, with something this big, I get anxiety, wondering if it was the right decision.  With this trip, I am so excited and felt at peace about going.  I have not experienced anxiety at all!
• My family is so supportive!  I am so grateful for their support and encouragement as I pursue God's calling in my life.

  I would be grateful if you joined my support team!  I will need prayer in the coming months, as well as while I’m away.  Knowing I have friends and family supporting me will be a huge encouragement when I’m gone for six months.  I also ask you to consider financially supporting this trip.  This Immersion will cost almost $9,000.  I am confident that the Lord wants me on this trip, and I know because of that, He will provide the necessary finances.  I realize this is a big decision, and I would be grateful for your consideration.  There are two ways you can donate.  You can give on the Experience Mission website or mail in the pre-addressed envelope and giving card that came with this letter.  If you mail in your donations, ensure your check is written out to “Experience Mission”, and write my EM UserID “SPER1005” on the memo line - checks will not be tax-deductible if not made out to Experience Mission.  Mail checks to:

Experience Mission

Immersion Program

PO Box 719

Port Hadlock, WA 98339

  

  To donate online, click here:

  Thank you in advance for your support and prayer!  I have started a blog that I will be updating with pre-trip reports, as well as updates while I’m gone!  I also encourage you to read EM’s blog, which will be updated by my teammates and I during the trip.

  In Christ,

How This Trip Came to Be

Hi there!

  In January of 2016, I will be embarking on a six-month mission Immersion trip.  On this trip, my teammates and I will be traveling to New York City, Haiti, Jamaica, and Belize after some training in Indiana.  I'm here now to tell you the story of how this came about.

  If you know me at all, you will know that I am a planner.  I am a list-making, color-coding, alphabetizing, planning fanatic.  I like to have a plan in order for everything.  This past year, I was finishing up my Bachelors degree in Organizational Leadership.  But I had no idea what I'd be doing after graduation.  There were a couple things I wanted to, like move up at Target, go on a missions trip, travel for leisure, etc., but I didn't see any doors opening right away for any of them.  In 2013, I had taken a mission trip with my church to Haiti and it changed my whole perspective on life and I fell in love with the people of Haiti, as well as the country and culture.  I wanted to return...but when?  I had no idea (and I didn't like that).

  Towards the middle of the school year, I began looking at summer internships with ministries in Haiti.  I read, thought, and prayed about many of them, and even applied to some, but never felt at peace about any of them.  In February, I came across Experience Missions, an organization which organize short-term mission trips, internships, and Immersion trips, the latter of which is what I'm doing.  According to EM, "Immersion challenges team members to put themselves second, to be vulnerable and uncomfortable for the sake of others."  Immersion is program that allows young adults to gain cross-cultural experience with a focus in ministry.  As I read about it, I felt immediately that this was what God wanted me to do.  EM focuses on being rather than doing, and I'm incredibly excited about that aspect.  I inquired about the Caribbean Immersion for this summer, but quickly realized that I wouldn't be able to go with my schedule.  Disappointed, I moved on to finish school, hoping God would lead me in His timing to where He wanted me to go.

  Fast forward to the beginning of June, I was a college graduate, had transferred job locations, and was now a supervisor at Target.  I began looking at grad schools, because despite my exclamation I had made earlier in the year ("I am NEVER going back to school!"), I realized I had an unquenchable thirst for learning, and needed a goal to work towards.  As I was researching, I remembered that Immersion program from months prior, and decided to take a second look.  Taking time to re-read everything about the program, I felt just as excited, just as at-peace, and just as called as in February.  So I applied and was accepted.  So now, in about six months, I'll be traveling to Indiana to begin a six-month journey.

  I would be grateful if you joined my support team!  I will need prayer in the coming months, as well as while I’m away.  Knowing I have friends and family supporting me will be a huge encouragement when I’m gone for six months.  If you're interested in supporting my trip financially, there will be more information that will be coming, so keep your eye out!  

  Thank you in advance for your support and prayer!  This blog will include any new updates before the trip, as well as while I'm gone.  

  In Christ,