Dear Friends and Family,
As most of you know, I am a senior in high school this year and will be graduating soon. Since the start of 10th grade, God has been placing the idea of taking a gap year to travel the world and spread the Gospel on my heart. In the beginning, I had so many questions and concerns as to whether or not taking a gap year was really what I, or God, wanted me to do. I already had my own plans set in place, but as I began to listen to God’s call, I realized he had been preparing me for something else all along.
It wasn’t until I got the opportunity to sit in a small village in Senegal, Africa with some goats and my dear friend Bass Ba that I understood exactly what it was that God was calling me to do. Throughout middle school and high school, God has helped me to grow in my faith and my love for ministry by blessing me with experience in multiple mission trips across the states, as well as serving in various positions at my church. Ministering in Africa, however, was really what opened my eyes to the love God has given me for serving in international missions.
In taking a leap of faith, I applied to the World Race Gap Year this past summer. I knew that if God was truly calling me to take this path, then He would open this door for me and lead me through it. A few weeks later, I was overjoyed to find out that I had been accepted.
The World Race Gap Year is a program through Adventures in Missions, which has been an interdenominational missions organization since 1989. This program is a 9 month mission trip to three countries. It gives young adults (ages 18-20) the opportunity to fulfill the great commission by going out and spreading God’s love and good news to the ends of the earth. This program facilitates spiritual discipline, training in cross-cultural ministry, and leadership tools. It gives Racers the opportunity to explore the talents, spiritual gifts, and passions God has equipped them with to serve His kingdom. It is a program that reaches the unreachable and loves the forgotten.
My route will include Guatemala, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Nepal. My team and I will serve by building relationships with the surrounding communities through children’s ministry, teaching English, and doing outreach in local villages. We will also be providing safe houses for rescued trafficking victims, hosting a feeding program for Venezuelan refugees, and bringing the message of the Gospel to the earth’s most distant corners.
How To Support Me
The World Race has been a long-time dream for me, but it is not a dream I can fulfill alone. God has blessed me beyond measure with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to love and serve His people around the world, but I know it will not be an easy adventure as my team and I will surely face many spiritual, emotional, and physical trials. The greatest support I could ever receive is that of prayer. Would you consider praying for open hearts and minds, selfless attitudes, safety, and the opportunities to bring God’s light to the darkest parts of the world?
The second way you can support me is financially. I need to raise $15,800. This cost will cover all my transportation, food, housing, insurance, and other field expenses during my 9 month mission trip. Would you please prayerfully consider partnering with me on this journey? Any size donation would be greatly appreciated and a huge help in sending me on God’s mission. All donations are tax deductible.
There are two methods of donating:
- Via my blog [https://briannaschwer.theworldrace.org] where you can also subscribe to keep updated on my journey as I prepare for and experience my time in Guatemala, Ecuador, and Nepal.
- By check. Please make the check payable to Adventures in Missions and make sure to put my name – Brianna Schwer – in the memo line. I have enclosed a fundraising card that must be filled out and sent with any check. Mail to: Adventures in Missions, PO Box 742570, Atlanta, GA 30374-2570.
Please don’t hesitate to contact me on my blog if you have any further questions.
I am so excited for this adventure that God has called me to, and it is my hope that you would be excited too. Thank you for your consideration in supporting me!
With love,
Brianna
**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 participant’s success in completing the program.
