11 Countries, 11 Months, 1 Mission
“The ones who are crazy enough to change the world are usually the ones that do.” Some might think it is crazy to sell all your possessions, pack up a bag and head out for an 11 month, 11 country journey to live and volunteer in some of the saddest slums the world has to offer. But if you were asked by God, would you?
Just recently I resigned from my job as a Fundraising Campaign Leader for a well known international charity whose primary objective is improving the lives and rights of children living in poverty. This position allowed me to travel to parts of Canada to educate, advocate and encourage every day people to reach out a helping hand to those who need it the most. What I found out after a year in this position is three things. One, people are often generous. Two, people are often not generous at all. And three, we all have no clue what is really happening out there in the world. This is not a lecture on Western ignorance, nor is it a suggestion to consume ourselves with grief through education on world issues.
This is simply a realization that as a human being it is difficult to understand what we cannot see. What I have also noticed throughout my 24 years of life experience is that faith operates as a similar notion.
So what I have decided is to put these two things together, challenge both my faith and understanding of this world and venture on a spiritual journey that will acquire me to leave behind worldly possessions and change the world by being in the middle of it. On June 28th I will leave behind the comforts of home and will travel to 11 countries in 11 months, visiting 3 continents and spending one month in one country. Partnering with a U.S. Christian organization called Adventures in Missions, where I will be the only Canadian in my team of 45, I will visit Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia, Swaziland, Botswana and South Africa. During my time abroad I will have the privilege to work with women and children trapped in the sex trafficking industry, teach English to children in poverty, volunteer in orphanages stricken with HIV and bring restoration and hope too many lives that seem hopeless.
This journey is not a vacation, it is a sacrifice. There will be no 4 star resorts, exquisite buffets or even water from a tap in most living situations. Instead the small group I will be travelling with will set up camp in tents, walk to fetch our water, give up showering for days or even weeks, and experience what life is really like with little to no money and possessions. The point of all this you may ask? To break my heart for what breaks His, to see what life is really meant living for, to love without borders and to understand the God that we are all serving.
As of this month, I still must raise approximately $6000 and be fully funded by no later than December 2014. If you would like to help support me please consider subscribing and donating through my online blog at christinareid.theworldrace.org and clicking the ‘Support Me’ link. You may also send a cheque to ‘Adventures in Missions’ made out in USD, memo line: Christina Reid, and mail it to: Adventures in Missions PO Box 742570 Atlanta, GA 30374-2570. Lastly you can help by joining my prayer team by contacting me at christinanicolereid@gmail.com. Also please feel free to add me to Facebook, where you can see all my uploaded photos throughout my journey.
- Christina Reid
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