The Drift

Hello All!

Today I am doing something that I swore I would never do - starting a blog. I am entering the blogworld in order to give updates on my most recent adventures and the uber exciting things God is doing in my life.

When I began thinking of names and titles for my blog, my mind kept coming back to the words floating, wandering, and drifting. 

I label myself as a floater because I am rarely in the same spot for very long. I enjoy moving from place to place without making plans for what I'll do next. I love having the freedom to go where I want to go when I want to go there and not having any reason to stay home. In fact, oftentimes when people ask me what I'm doing with my life, I tell them that I don't even know what I'm doing tomorrow!

I guess that's why it took me by surprise when God asked me to plan.

Here's a short version of the story:

One morning at work, we were listening to the song Oceans by Hillsong. I had heard this song so many times, but when I listened to it this particular morning, God told me it was time to start planning to do missions work. I wrestled with it for a few minutes before I finally committed. But that wasn't enough. He told me to text my sister - who is always off doing missions work - to tell her I was going. He wanted me to be held accountable. 

My sister kept me moving through my searching period, and I finally landed on YWAM in Belize. A lot of people have asked me why I chose Belize, and I honestly have no other reason than the simple fact that I didn't feel peace about any other location (or organization) before discovering this one. I asked for further confirmation through the selection process after turning in my application, and when the YWAM people called to accept me into the program, they said God told them that I needed to be there without a doubt. 

So I'm headed to BELIZE!!!

...in 52 days!

For those of you who aren't familiar with YWAM (Youth With A Mission), it is a program that includes three months of discipleship training school which is a lecture phase where I will dive into God's word and learn more about what being a disciple means. The next two months will be spent putting into action what was learned during the lecture phase. We will travel in smaller teams to other locations around the world where we will show others the love of Jesus in different ways. For more information, go here!

I fly out of the country on October 6th, but my full tuition of $3,950 is due in the third week of September, and the $2,650-$7,450 needed for outreach fees are due my third week in Belize. Sometimes this amount seems overwhelming, but I know that God wants me there, and God will be faithful to provide what I need in order to get there.

That being said, if you are interested in helping me out with these costs, I won't turn you down. :) Here is my fundraising website: 

www.youcaring.com/alyssalovesjesus

A donation of any size would be so appreciated! However, I realize that people don't always have money to spend on other people, so don't feel pressured to do something that you aren't able to do. What you CAN do is pray. 

Specific prayer requests for today include:

• funding
• closeness with God during this crazy time

Thank you for joining me on my adventure! I can't wait to update you on the incredible things God is going to do!!