Since sharing my news about Squad Leading, I have received an outpouring of love through encouraging comments, generous donations, and overwhelming support.
In case you don’t know, I will be accompanying a World Race squad on their journey for the first 5 month of their 11 month trip. Squad Leaders help guide, direct, and encourage the first-time Racers as they navigate the newness of this trip and all that God will accomplish in and through them. Squad Leaders also get to model what life as ministry on this trip can look like to the Racers. I’m thankful that God has led me to this moment in time and that I get to partner with Him in this new way through Squad Leading.
In August, I will be launching with 28 wonderful people and will go to Spain, Morocco, Cyprus, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel, helping to build bridges to the Gospel in every culture we serve within. I’m fundraising $1600 that will cover the remaining funds due for the trip PLUS any extra costs (a plane ticket home to Mississippi, gear, small personal spending). I will return in January 2019! To donate, visit my GoFundMe page or give through the app Venmo: @lauraellen28.
So far I have received $550! Thank you for your CONSTANT support of these 4 years. I’m humbled to know that God has used you to impact my life in such huge ways through your giving, prayers, and encouragement.
I will be serving in the 10/40 Window which contains the world’s most unreached people groups, or UPGS, that lack access to the Gospel. Take a second and read some staggering facts about this area of the world.
- There are 6700 UPGs and over 6 million churches worldwide. That’s nearly 1,000 churches per UPG
- There are over 5 million Christians in full time ministry, and 0.37% work among UPGs
- There are 4200 missionaries working among 1.7 billion Muslims (1 per 400,000+ people)
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Only 1% of money given to missions goes to the 10/40 window (~0.06% of all Christian giving, ~.0001% of all Christian income)
- Financially, Christians could plant a church in every single UPG with .03% of their income
As the Apostle Paul says, “Now, even though I am free from obligations to others, I joyfully make myself a servant to all in order to win as many converts as possible. I became Jewish to the Jewish people in order to win them to the Messiah. I became like one under the law to gain the people who were stuck under the law, even though I myself am not under the law. And to those who are without the Jewish laws, I became like them, as one without the Jewish laws, in order to win them, although I’m not outside the law of God but under the law of Christ. I became “weak” to the weak to win the weak. I have adapted to the culture of every place I’ve gone so that I could more easily win people to Christ. I’ve done all this so that I would become God’s partner for the sake of the gospel.” -1 Cor. 9:19-23 (The Passion Translation)
Be all things to all people! For the sake of the Gospel. Thank you!
