I first met Ali my junior year of college at UW-Madison. We were both involved in Cru at the UW + I eventually co-led a Bible Study that Ali was a part of. All this, however, doesn’t really matter, because no matter where, how, or when we met, Ali + I know for sure it wasn’t a coincidence.
We QUICKLY realized how similar we were to one another + hence became friends–real friends. Friends who can share with one another what they are going through + truly struggling with in their personal lives because the other person totally understands + has either been there before or is going through the same thing. Those kind of friends. While Ali may have been younger than me–I LEARNED from her JUST as much as I was pouring in to her. God works in some pretty amazing ways : )
Now, Ali is about to GRADUATE from UW-Madison is just a few short weeks! So exciting!! Gosh, being done with college + classes was one of THE BEST feelings of my life! Ha!! (I’m not much of a school person) … Anyway, Ali now finds herself about to embark on one of the most exciting journeys of her life.
To quote her,
“I had been exploring where to best utilize my education, passions, + skills post-graduation, but continually came up empty handed. I lacked excitement about sociological research, graduate school, + the career paths I had formerly been interested in. Weeks became months of uncertainty …”
And then God stepped in. And Ali found herself applying for + getting accepted to serve with the World Race. No wonder nothing else made sense or worked out!! God was just WAITING to reveal His AMAZING plan for Ali’s upcoming year … + I am just so, SO excited about it!!
Sooo, what IS the World Race? For a better description, you should definitely check out their website here. However, Ali will specifically be participating in the World Race: Gap Year, which sends a team of college-age students into the mission field worldwide (Central America, Southeast Asia & Africa) for nine months at a time. Over the course of these months, Ali + her team will be serving deeply impoverished communities, building relationships with those they meet, sharing the Gospel, + growing in their own personal walk with Jesus. Sounds so amazing, right?! I might be kind of jealous …
Caleb + I are just SO passionate about serving + giving to impoverished communities + to those who, simply, do NOT have the basic necessities they need for living. I hesitate to say “less fortunate than us” because it all depends on what you view as fortune … Anyway, WE definitely feel that one of our major life callings is to possibly go, but definitely GIVE to those who can go serve, help, + share LIFE with people in these poverty-stricken areas.
And THAT is why I am sharing this post with you. Not just because I adore Ali ; ) but because I want to give you the opportunity to support her–both financially + in prayer–should you desire to!! Maybe you’ve been looking for an opportunity to give in this way + here you go!! hehe : ) Ali will be blogging about her experience on the World Race beginning right after Easter, so you can also follow her stories + experiences here!! On her blog, there is also a link that says “Support Ali’s Ministry!”–where you can electronically give should you desire.
For now, enjoy her beautiful smile + RADIATING joy : ) Have an AMAZING Friday + weekend!! -M
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