panhandling,

my first mission trip was to portland, OR to work with an organization that helps homeless youth. our first day, they had an activity planned for us where they dropped us off in the middle of the city – we had not been allowed to change our clothes, shower, brush our teeth, anything. come as you a r e – they gave us a checklist – we were to pretend we had just arrived, with no where to say, and had to find shelters, soup houses, how much a bus ride costs etc…

and we were supposed to panhandle.

no big deal.

except,

only one out of eight of us were actually able to bring ourselves to ask for money.

standing on the street corner with people walking by, i would open my mouth. close it. reach out my hand. pull it back. make eye contact. look away.

i couldn’t do it.

i couldn’t do it, and it wasn’t even real – standing there felt humiliating, i felt
like people walking by were judging me and i felt ashamed. my pride kept me from being able to ask for money, money we were just going to give back to the homeless anyway, and it was so humbling – because it gave me a new appreciation for how people must feel when they have no other choice but to stand on street corners with signs out of cardboard boxes – humbly asking for our help.

i am so blessed. i am not homeless. i do not have to panhandle.
i can’t even imagine what that must truly feel like.

but it was an eye opening experience.

(this is the blog i don’t want to write, but need to).
talking about money is uncomfortable,
but i need your help.

i am here to humbly ask you to support me in this journey.

i am going to break down the fundraising below, so that i can be completely
transparent with you in this process.

i need to raise $18,017.

let’s break it down.

DEADLINES:
$150 deposit – 2 weeks after acceptance.
$5,000 due 7/21/2017
$10,000 due 9/22/2017
$13,000 due 11/30/2017
$18,017 due 1/31/2018

however, if i’m being honest, my goal is to be fully funded before leaving in
october 2017.

training camp (our 10 day training prior to leaving) – $360
field support (helping us get supplies, local contacts etc…) – $721
WR development program (improvements and developments, project searchlight) – $2,162 administrative fees (processing, paying the staff, etc…) – $3,063 world racer (that’s me!) – $11,711.05

what does this mean? that 65% of the money will go directly towards my expenses for the 11 months. this can further be broken down:

intercontinental travel: $5270
food: $1522
lodging: $2225
transportation: $1288
misc. supplies: $1405

and for further transparency: this does not cover some of the personal expenses, which i am going to be working on and saving towards. i will need to purchase a fair amount of gear for the race, which adds up. life doesn’t stop during the race, which means i will have bills that need to be paid. in addition, i am hoping to have some savings for when i return because it takes at least three months if not more to start working as a nurse practitioner again.

HOW TO DONATE.
(ALL DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE).
to donate you can:

1) go to this blog and click “donate” at the top. this will allow you to donate
online. please note there is a small processing fee if you donate online.
a) you can do a one time donation or a monthly donation. most of us don’t have
$100 or $50 dollars at a time, but $5 a month for the next few months would
really add up!

2) mail a check to adventures in missions:
a) make it out to: adventures in missions
b) write my name in the memo line
c) mail to: adventures in missions, PO box 742570, atlanta, GA 30374-2570

3) through one of my upcoming fundraising activities (stay tuned C: ). TBA.

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO KNOW? 1) donations can take 7 – 10 days to process (checks may take longer)
2) this means you may not see it deducted from your bank account until then
3) it also means it can take that long to show up in the adjusted amount on my blog

if i get fully funded: I WILL TELL YOU ALL IMMEDIATELY – so that even if the numbers have not been updated on the blog – YOU WILL KNOW.

*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 participants success completing the program.

*WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
1) this organization is held accountable for the donations.
2) YOUR DONATIONS ARE TAX DEDUCTIBLE
3) but not refundable regardless of my ability to complete the trip (which, i fully
intend to!).

PLEASE KNOW THAT ANY AMOUNT AT ANY TIME WOULD BE A HUGE HELP.

whatever support you can offer, whether emotional, spiritual, or financial, it makes such a big difference. and it makes you just as much a part of this journey as me. without you, i wouldn’t be able to do this – so every place i go, every person i
meet, every act of God’s love and compassion and every humanitarian activity i am able to take part in – it will be because of you. you are impacting the world too.

you are apart of this story.

thank you so much for all of your encouragement and support. i can’t tell you how much i appreciate it.

if you have any questions, PLEASE contact me!

stay tuned to hear more about fundraising activities, and ways you and i can learn more about each country together!

God bless, <3
jaclyn