I wanted to write to you all today to share my sincerest gratitude thus far in my YAGM journey.
First, to all my financial supporters, I am so thankful for your gifts and investment in my YAGM experience and in the global church. I'm not going to lie, at first the amount I was told I needed to fundraise sounded daunting. However, thanks to your immense generosity, I am happy to say I am well on my way to reaching my goal. I am committed to continue to fundraise throughout my YAGM year. Every little bit helps send me to Senegal for a year and also supports the other ELCA volunteers in my program. If you still want to give you can check out my page here!
Second, I cannot forget to mention my thankfulness for everyone who has supported me in thoughts and prayer. I am so appreciative! To have a strong sense of community back home rooting me on is absolutely amazing. Being able to share in the highs, the lows, and everything in between is essential to a great support system. There is still much unknown about what my life will be like in Senegal, and prayer has helped me understand my feelings about leaving my home for a year and diving into a completely new experience. Everyday, I pray for my host community, fellow YAGM volunteers, and all of you! So again, thank you for for the continuous encouragement!
Even though I haven't left for Senegal yet, I am delighted by the joy I have seen in my faith community, friends, and family. At church, I have been able to connect with so many people excited to share their mission experiences, memories traveling, and knowledge of West Africa with me. Having these conversations has rooted me in my home congregation even more, leading me to people I might not have connected with without this journey. In the questions I receive from family and friends, I am ignited with curiosity to discover and share as much of my host community and experience with everyone back home. All in all, I feel even more ready to dive headfirst into this experience.
My time in the states is coming to a close soon, but the next adventure awaits. More information will come soon as I start my training in Chicago. For now, thank you a million times over! I love you all, let's do this thing!
Peace and blessings,
Charlie
