I first heard about the World Race when I was in high school. I always thought that it was such a cool concept of living out of a backpack for a year and going on a mission trip to 11 different countries. I always thought “Wow, I would love to do that when I am old enough!” but as the years went on I kind of forgot about the World Race until I met some people who had gone on the World Race. Their stories described a year that was challenging and uncomfortable, but so rewarding. The World Race is an amazing opportunity to grow in my relationship with God, grow in hearing the voice of God and dive into a community with other believers from all over the United States/Canada, while telling people about Jesus who have never heard before.
My sister, Jayci, went on the World Race semesters program this past summer to Thailand and Cambodia. While she was there she got me a necklace from Thailand with the word Trust inscribed on it. This word was something that the Lord has been teaching me through my previous semester and I am trusting Him through this process of going on the World Race. My prayer is that I will depend more on the Lord, trust Him more and fall more in love with Him through this opportunity that He has given me.
I am including my support letter for reference for those who haven’t seen it yet. Thanks for following my journey!
December 2019
Greetings,
I hope that you are doing well! It is crazy to me that I only have one final semester in college. It has gone by so fast and I am so grateful for the friendships that I have made, the experiences that I have had, and all that the Lord has taught me in my 3.5 years at Arizona Christian University. This past semester, I spent student teaching in a 6th-grade classroom in Gilbert, AZ. It was a challenging semester, but I learned a lot and had amazing students in my classroom! In my last semester, I will be finishing up a few classes and will enjoy playing my last tennis season with my team.
In the last few years, I have had some incredible opportunities come about and I have seen the Lord work in incredible ways. Some of you are probably thinking, “What! Another mission trip?!?” In the last two summers, I have encountered people who have never heard the name of Jesus and this has increased my desire for missions. My experiences in college have furthered my desire to share the gospel around the world and work with missions opportunities where the name of Jesus is not known. I have been given another incredible opportunity to further His Kingdom this coming year in some of the least-reached places in the world. In August 2020, I will leave for 11 months on a mission trip with the World Race.
The World Race is an 11 month mission trip to 11 countries around the world. World Race is a mission trip that is part of the organization Adventures in Missions. (Jayci went on a World Race Semesters trip this summer and loved this organization!). My particular trip is called an Expedition Route. This trip is focused on going to 11 different countries in the 10/40 window. The 10/40 window is an area of the world around 10 degrees north latitude and 40 degrees north latitude and includes 97% of all remaining unreached people groups. The 10/40 window is significant for several reasons. These are some of the least evangelized countries and is home to the largest unreached people groups. In addition, this region is dominated by three prominent religions: Islam, Hinduism, and Buddhism and this area has historical and biblical significance. My team and I will be going to 11 countries, all in the 10/40 window, and I am so excited to be focusing on evangelism and prayer for these nations. I am looking forward to the opportunities my team will have to bring the hope of the Father’s love to these countries. Specifically, my route will be Turkey, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, China, Nepal, India, Myanmar, Thailand, and Indonesia.
The World Race is an incredible opportunity to grow in my relationship with Jesus and pursue relationships around the world and tell them the greatest love story of all. In order to do that, I need to raise some support. I will really need your prayer support for preparations and while I am overseas. Would you consider walking alongside of me through this next season in prayer that my squad and I would grow more like Jesus and step out of our comfort zones to bring light to some of the darkest parts of the world? It is our desire to be the hands and feet of Jesus to every person we encounter.
In addition to prayer support, I am needing to raise $18,800 over the next 11 months which will cover the cost of all transportation, food, housing, insurance, and other miscellaneous costs. Please prayerfully consider supporting me during my journey. Donations can be monthly or one-time gifts. I will need to be fully funded by November 2020, but my first deadline is $7,500 by May. Any amount you feel led to donate will help! All donations are tax-deductible. There are two ways to financially donate:
-
Via my blog [?elizabethkelley.theworldrace.org?] – Use the donate button to give online. Also, click the “subscribe” button to follow my updates on my journey.
-
By check. Please make all checks payable to Adventures in Missions. I have enclosed a fundraising card that must be filled out and sent with your check to the address listed on the card.
I am so excited for this journey and am hopeful for all that the Lord is going to do through this experience!
If you have any questions or would like to hear more please contact me! (530) 710-4395 or [email protected]
With love,
–Elizabeth Kelley
** 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.
