Hello everyone!
I’d like to share a few exciting updates and changes with you, thank you for taking the time to be here!
First and foremost, as you can likely see at the top of this page, I am over a quarter of the way funded!!! HALLELUJAH!! I am so deeply grateful for all who have supported me financially and prayerfully in the last few months, I’m honestly in awe of the generosity of the Father and of those around me. From the bottom of my heart, thank you so very much for your love and support. I’m overwhelmed by the amount of life-giving conversations I’ve had, and I am feeling so encouraged by the faithfulness of my community! I truly can’t thank you enough.
As for the second update, the countries on my route have changed! Due to COVID policies, my route has been modified a bit. As of now, I will be in Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and South Africa, however, this route is likely to change again as the state of the pandemic shifts. I’ll do my best to update this site with changes as they come!
As I’ve been fundraising and having conversations with people about the Race, I have gotten a few common questions, so I figured I’d answer a few of them here:
Q: Who is AIM?
A: AIM stands for Adventures in Missions, and they are an interdenominational missions organization that runs the World Race Gap Year. They also run the World Race 11 In 11 trip, World Race Semesters, and short term mission trips around the world.
Q: If I donate on your site, will you receive 100% of the donation?
A: Yes! Adventures in Missions does not take a cut of the donations made on the site.
Q: What are the funds used for?
A: Here’s a basic breakdown of how the funds raised are used:
9%: Management
– training, discipleship, debriefing, logistics
44%: Mobilization
– international and local transportation by bus, plane, boat, van, taxi, or train
47%: Field Ministry
– ministry supplies, meals, lodging, health and travel insurance, visas, training camp
Q: What will you actually be doing on the Race?
A: This depends heavily on the countries I will end up in as well as the time I’m there, as political and social landscapes can change quickly. Here’s an overview of the general areas I will be serving in on my current route:
Guatemala: community outreach, children’s ministry, sports ministry
The Dominican Republic: medical ministry, nutrition services, children’s education, church advancement
South Africa: children’s education and ministry, evangelism/church advancement
Please contact me with any other questions or comments you may have, I’d be happy to have a conversation with you!
Finally, I’d like to share with you something the Lord has been teaching me lately, I hope it encourages you! Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 outlines the paradox of seasons in our lives, and it offers some valuable wisdom that I have been hanging onto lately:
“For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace.”
After observing all of this, Solomon goes on to write to write this in verse 11:
“Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God’s work from beginning to end.”
As I write this, it is nearly 20 degrees below zero in Minnesota, and nothing appears to be alive outside. The trees do not bear fruit, the grass is buried underneath multiple feet of snow. Yet, sure enough, spring will come, and flowers will bloom again. The world will seemingly come back to life, but this only occurs after a harsh season of testing and storms. This truth has encouraged me not only to hold onto hope for the beautiful seasons of life that lie ahead, but also to embrace the season I am currently living in and to see the beauty in it. There will be a harvest season, and each of us will eventually reap the harvest of whatever we have planted and tended to. I have asked the Lord to show me whether I am planting the right things and where the seeds I have planted already must be pruned, and it has been a challenging but beautiful process. There is so much beauty in each season of our lives, and I invite you to ask Jesus to help you see it, even when you may have to look a bit harder. There is a time for everything under the sun, and no matter what season you’re currently in, I pray that you would experience the Lord’s peace and deep love for you today! It is a blessing to exist at the same time as you!
With love,
Baylee
Amen!!! Praise the Lord for His continued faithfulness!!! Spring is coming and there is a great harvest that follows the winter!!