Intro:

Hello everyone and welcome to my blog! Here I will post regular updates(or at least attempt to), about my experiences leading up to launch, training camp, on the mission field, and everything God is doing in and through me and my squad in our faith journeys. I finally launch in 11 days, so here is what things are looking like right about now!

Preparation:

As of a few weeks ago, I am officially fully funded! I am so grateful for everyone who has supported me, whether you have donated your time, money, or prayers, it all means so much. The fundraising goal of $19,700 seemed like such a scary, impossible number, but thanks to God’s sovereign provision, I was able to hit that goal before launch, many months before I needed to. I have also gathered most of the equipment necessary for the trip, and on the mental side, although there are some nerves, they are far outweighed by my excitement and anticipation!

What God Has Been Teaching Me:

In the time leading up to launch, God has been teaching me so much! The main thing is just to trust Him and His plan for me. Trust Him with my finances, my health and safety, and my future, both during this trip and after. He has also taught me to have no fear, such as fear of rejection, persecution, failure, or that I’m doing the wrong thing following through with this mission. Ultimately God will have His way with me, and wherever that takes me is where I’ll be content and serve Him to the fullest of my ability!

The People:

This stage of life is awesome because I get to meet and work alongside so many amazing people, but it also means saying goodbye to others. It’s definitely hard for me to say goodbye to my friends and family here in Ohio, as I have so much love for them. My family, friends, church community, and run club have played such a significant role in my faith, and life in general, especially in this last year or so. I love these people so much and will miss them quite a bit, but sometimes obedience to God requires sacrifice. On the bright side, my squad of roughly 40 people is shaping up to be the best squad I could’ve asked for. I’ve had the privilege of meeting some of them in person, and they are all incredible people! Those that I haven’t met, I am so excited to because they all seem so cool. The conversations we have over group texts and calls have brought us to be pretty close with one another, even though most of us haven’t met many others in person. I am so excited to grow alongside these like-minded believers, and I can’t wait for new friendships that will last a lifetime!

Conclusion:

To close, I just want to say thanks again for everyone who has supported me in this last year preparing for this trip! This is something I am very passionate about and I know it’s going to change my life. Please keep me and my squad in your prayers, and I’ll try my best to keep everyone updated in this next season of my life!

- Wes