“I waitfor the Lord, my soul waits and in his word I put my hope. My soul waitsfor the Lord more than a watchman waitsfor the morning. O Israel, put your hope in the Lord for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.” {Psalm 130: 5-8}
[The Lord has asked me to wait.]
He has told me that now is not the right time for me to go on the World Race.
And it is so hard for me to say that. I know that I can trust in Him. I know that His ways are perfect and righteous, and if He asks me to wait, then He is asking me to do so with a specific purpose.
However, this decision did not come easy. It came with many tears, lots of heartache, and a lot of stubbornness on my part.
But the more I prayed, the more I asked, the more I surrendered, the more I knew that the God of the stars wants me to waitbefore I embark on this adventure.
Before I made this decision, I was completely overwhelmed and anxious about raising support for this trip. I had no time to invest in the fundraising process because I was so overwhelmed with finishing my last year at Colorado State University. Ultimately, I was going to have to do it all in one summer.
Now, here is the tricky part.
[I know with all my heart that God can move mountains.]
[He can raise the dead.]
[He can walk on the waves.]
I know that He can do all things, and I kept fighting what I was hearing because I knew that if He wanted me to go in September, that He would be able to provide all that I needed.
Even so, He was still telling me to wait.
Reluctantly, I decided to put my head and my heart aside and obey.
And something beautiful happened. [A wave of peace flooded my heart.]
A huge weight has been lifted from me. I can now enjoy my fundraising. I can build relationships without being rushed. I can enjoy my first summer after graduation without any stress.
[I can breathe.]
And the most beautiful thing is that I am still going. I am still going to travel this world, spread the love of Christ, and embark on this amazing adventure that He has planned for me. This September is just not the right time.
Right now, my plan is to find a teaching job for this coming school year, save my money, and leave for the WR on a July 2013 route. It has been amazing to see the doors that He is already opening for me since I made this decision.
I trust that the Lord’s timing is perfect.
I know that this was His plan all along, and I can’t wait to see what he does. And I am so thankful for the blessing of His peace that he has showered on me during this time.
I have never felt such amazing peace and trust before. I know that He is holding my life, guiding my steps, and I have absolutely nothing to fear.
Please be praying that I can soak up this year, and use it to bring glory to His name. Pray that wherever he places me I will be able to let my light shine.
He is training me, He is lifting me up, and He is restoring me.
[I can feel it in my bones.]
And it’s a beautiful thing.
Abba has been teaching me a lot about TRUST recently.
Mostly, He has been showing me how quick I am to not trust in Him.
My mind tells me that I can, but I find myself doubting even the most basic truths in my heart.
[I know that He will provide for me.]
[I know that He will guide me.]
[I know that He will always be with me.]
And yet, I want to do it on my own.
I guess when I applied to the World Race that this process would be easier.
[I thought wrong.]
But it’s hard.
Surrendering my life and completely trusting in Him that He WILL give every penny that I need is HARD.
But after reading one of my best friends blogs, I realized something.
We are called to be His children. Sons and Daughters who are completely in love with their dad.
Children who are too busy hanging out with their daddy that they don't have time to doubt.
They run to him, knowing that he will wrap them up in his strong arms and carry them.
Children are not concerned with the problems of this world.
Instead, they
laugh
giggle
dance
and sing
[in His light.]
My daddy is strong.
He is good.
He is capable.
He is all powerful.
He is all loving.
He is my rock.
My strength.
My fortress. The love of my life. [My king.]
And no matter how much the world tells me to doubt,
I will remember
just how much [he loves us.]
As I sit here on my bedroom floor, it’s hard for me to believe that I am actually doing this.
I have had a few months to process this reality, and still, it seems more like a dream.
I have been challenged by the responsibility that this calling has brought upon my shoulders.
If I am being honest, sometimes it feels like too much for me to handle.
But I have to remind myself that this is not about me.
This will never be about me. [It is all about Him.]
[It is about being a child of the King of stars.]
It is about running after him with everything I have. Because in Him I have found my life; my breath; my oxygen.
It is about being completely, wholly, ridiculously, dependant on him alone.
[Without Jesus, this is all pointless.]
Without His love, His promise, His plans, I am doing all of this for nothing.
So how do I respond to the fact that He has anointed me, He has chosen me, and He has called me?
[I die.]
[Surrender everything.]
[Never look back.] And just keep going.
My friend told me yesterday, “Beauty doesn’t come without pain.”
Pruning is not pleasant. To have something cut from your flesh will never feel good.
But it is in this release of the old that we are finally able to step into the new; into the beautiful children that we were always meant to be.
He is washing all of His children clean. There is no fighting Him.
[We will be flooded by his ocean of love.] His powerful, unrelenting, all-consuming love.
I am so unprepared. And I don’t know if I ever will be truly ready for this adventure that has been laid at my feet.
[But I will dive into the depths of his grace.] And I will look to him.
My King. My Love. My Everything.
“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.” [Hebrews 10:22]
Believe that God can do big things! I am writing to invite you to be a part of a very big thing God is doing. He has called me to be his hands and feet through a ministry called Adventures in Missions, in their program called The World Race. You are reading this letter because you are someone who has made a difference in my life. Thank you for sharing life with me; for laughing, crying, praying, and walking with me during my 23 years on this earth.
Currently I am finishing up my last semester at Colorado State University. I am doing my student teaching in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where I am teaching art at both Freedom Elementary and Doherty High School. I have always had a heart for missions, and I felt that my graduation was the perfect opportunity to act on this desire that the Lord has rooted in my heart.
The World Race is a mission trip where I will travel to 11 countries across the globe in 11 months. I am launching this coming September and I will be traveling to the countries of: Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam/Laos, Mozambique, Swaziland, Tanzania, Haiti, The Dominican Republic, Romania, Moldova, and Ireland. My team and I will spend one month in every country, pouring out our hearts to God’s children who are in need of love, hope, community, and Jesus. We will partner with local churches and ministries in each country doing anything from working in orphanages, planting churches, spreading the Gospel, to ministering to women and children rescued from the sex trafficking industry. To know that the Lord has called me to the World Race is still hard for me to believe. But I will walk forward in confidence, knowing that I am His child, and I am so excited for what the future holds.
I know that with this calling, Jesus will provide for all of my needs. My prayer is that he would make this trip possible through your support. I am asking you to partner with me both prayerfully and financially. In total, I need to raise $15,500 to cover all of my expenses on the mission field. This trip is not just about me, but about the body of Christ coming together to do something that some say is impossible. Through this trip I believe that the Lord will do incredible things for His kingdom, and I know without a doubt He will provide every dollar. Over these next few weeks please take the time to pray about supporting me. I am planning on keeping contact with everyone who receives this letter, so don’t be surprised if you get a phone call from me!
In addition to prayer support, whether you give financially one time or every month, I thank you in advance. I have included a donation card that you can mail along with a check made out to Adventures in Missions (more information including a mailing address is also included on the donation card). However, the easiest way to donate is through my blog at jessiannschrader.worldrace.org. Click on the “Partner with Me” link on the right hand side of the page. I will also be using this blog on the World Race, so be sure to sign up to receive updates from me! I would love for you to follow me as I travel to the nations.
Thank you for loving me and supporting me through the years. Please, if you would like to talk more about the World Race, email me at jessiann.schrader@gmail.comor call at (970)227-6416. I would be honored to be your representative as I travel the nations. Thank you for taking the time to listen to this big thing God is doing and for prayerfully considering playing a big part with your prayer and financial support!
In Christ, Jessiann
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound.”Isaiah 61:1
I remember when I was a little girl, probably around the age of 10, I said that being a missionary would probably be the worst possible thing I could imagine anyone doing. I was playing in my friends backyard, and for some reason, I just said it right then and there, out loud, so that everyone could hear me.
"Why would anyone ever want to be a missionary?"
And yet, here I am.
God is funny sometimes.
Since returning to Christ in 2009, I have always felt like I wanted to do some kind of mission work. I can’t explain why, but it has always been there in the back of my mind, tugging at my heart. As my graduation from Colorado State University came closer and closer, I had my mind set on doing YWAM. My dear friend Laken did an Arts and Music DTS with them in Germany, and I was convinced that I would join her after my graduation this spring.
However, this last summer while I was working at Eagle Lake Camps, I heard about The World Race through one of my friends who was telling me about our mutual friend who was launching that coming September. I had never heard about the WR before, and when I asked what it was, he simply said,
"It’s where you go to 11 countries in a 11 months."
I thought that was awesome, but I never gave it a second thought. I was doing YWAM after all.
However, a few months went by and I decided to look at the website, just out of curiosity.
[And that was the end of it.]
I had never been so excited about anything in my life. It was everything that I could ever want, everything that I was hoping for in my life.
And I couldn’t stop thinking about it.
[Not saying that YWAM isn't a wonderful ministry, because it is! God just had other plans for me.]
I prayed about it for about two months before deciding to apply. During those months, the Lord showered me with scripture after scripture to confirm that this was in fact what he wanted for me. Some of the scriptures were new, some were old friends, and I feel so blessed that he would be so generous to me in his confirmation.
The very first scripture that he gave to me was from Ezekiel 11-12
The whole thing is great, but some of the key verses were:
"Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord God: Though I removed them far off among the nations, and though I scattered them among the countries, yet I have been a sanctuary to them for a while in the countries where they have gone." 11:16
"As for you, son of man, prepare for yourself an exile's baggage, and go into exile by day in their sight. You shall go like an exile from your place to another in place in their sight. Perhaps they will understand, though they are a rebellious house." 12:3
[and]
"Therefore say to them, thus says the Lord God: None of my words will be delayed any longer, but the world that I speak will be performed, declares the Lord God." 12:28
[I don’t think I have ever cried so many joyful tears, than all of the times he confirmed again and again that this was his will for my life.]
One of the most influential verses that he gave to me during this time was Revelation 3:8. It says:
"'I know your works. Behold, I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut. I know that you have but little power, and yet you have kept my word and have not denied my name."
How could God be that good, that loving, that wonderful, that he would send me on an adventure like the World Race? That he would open this beautiful door to the nations, to the world?
[I have never been more humbled in my life.]
But I will walk forward. I will run through these open doors.
And even though I will continue to fall short, I know that he has new mercies for me every morning.
