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Posted in General Articles by Anna Byrne on 4/2/2008
Hello everyone!
Sorry I've been a bit slow with the blogging. Several wonderful things
have happened that have made my blogging process slow!
Last
Friday was my last day of work. It was a busy few weeks leading up to
it, and it was with mixed emotions that I finished. I love my job, feel
so blessed to be there, and do not take for granted the fact that not
many people are as blessed as I am in their employment. In the past few
weeks, being so busy though, has confirmed the fact that I need to have
some time to mentally, physically and spiritually prepare for missions.
I realize I am at a pivotal point in my life and am now excited to have
the time and energy to transitioning to this new part of my ministry
with God.
Also, I must say an enormous THANK YOU to everyone
who supported and attended the benefit dinner held for me on March
28th. It was the perfect way to finish my job- with so many important
people to me in the same room together. The night was filled with
laughter and love and the memory of it will be with me forever,
especially over the next year of my life. The support I have received
in friendship, prayer and finances is overwhelming. Again, thank
you.....
Finally, I am off to training this week. Training is
officially held from 6pm on Friday, April 4th until 12:00pm on Sunday,
April 13th. Extra prayers this week are really appreciated leading up
to and including all of training.
Specifically, please pray for:
The administration of AIM during training
Cohesiveness and a spirit of love between the team
An openness for everyone to learning, growing, breaking free of barriers etc.
For Christ to work in each of us, how He wants to!
Safety, security and closeness in relationships
Increased wisdom and discernment about ministry
Thanks again to everyone. I will keep you updated on training.
Much love, Anna
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Posted in General Articles by Anna Byrne on 2/18/2008
Hello~
I wanted to take a moment and thank everyone so far for all of their support. I also want to be committed to giving regular updates on my support status. Here goes:
AFFECTED T-Shirts- The response on shirts has been awesome! I have sold almost 130 shirts for a total amount of $1300!
One-time/monthly support- I have already received donations and pledges from people-everything from an anonymous donation of $20 up to a pledged amount of $750. Thank you for EVERY single one of these!
Prayer Partners- I am currently getting an email list together of prayer partners for those who would like to commit to praying for me everyday throughout the trip. If you would like to still offer this, just let me know!
To date, I have raised a total of $4000!!! Thank you!!!!
Friday, March 28th- There will be a support raising dinner taking place. The dinner will be held in Windsor, at Peppers Bar and Grill. Tickets are $20 and there will also be a raffle, silent auction and 50/50. Many of my co-workers are helping to put this together and collect prizes. Please let me know if you are interested in attending! This is also my last day of work, so it should be a great send off....
Finally, I want to thank every single one of you for checking out the site, asking me questions and supporting me through your encouragement, prayer and finances. I truly appreciate everything.
As training and the trip gets closer, there is much to do still and get prepared for. Please continue to pray about supporting me in any way. I am almost one-third of the way there!! Thank you!
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Posted in General Articles by Anna Byrne on 2/18/2008
Hi everyone,
This past weekend I went to buy my backpack at the REI in Michigan. It's one of the things needed for training in April to give us ten days to pack it, hike with it, and basically give it a trial run before living with it for a year. It took about three hours in REI before settling on a pack. Jill, the awesome patient person that helped us, first measured my torso, picked out a few bags, changed hip belts, weighted them down with 50 pounds, strapped them on, and then let us walk around for about 45 minutes with it in the store. Definitely a good idea to get the pack now and start hiking with it before training. Fifty pounds is not easy just to throw on your back and go with! When I took it off after about 45 minutes, I felt like I was losing the Siamese twin I never had. The good thing is that I felt very petite without it (probably because I sweat off 5 lbs in the process). My new best friend is green and gray, and has a capacity of about 85 litres. It was exciting, this first big purchase, and likely the most important as it will be holding my shelter, clothing, and year's possessions. It will go everywhere with me! I think I need to hold a naming contest....
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Posted in General Articles by Anna Byrne on 1/27/2008
Dear Friends,
As many of you probably know, I've signed up to do the World Race July.
The World Race (www.theworldrace.org) is a trip designed for
college graduates and young professionals who are discovering a deep need within
themselves to see the world as it is and begin an adventure of faith, passion,
and ministry. It is a chance to experience eleven different countries in eleven
months, while planting and strengthening churches all over the globe.It's
an intense, backpacking trip that tests the comfort of American
Christians and leaves them seeking more than just a nominal faith. Over
a hundred and fifty participants have already taken the plunge, and
more like myself will follow this year. However, we need help raising
awareness, which is where you come in. You can visit the following links for more information and share
them with your friends and networks:
Recent News Release: http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/672054854.html
World Race Promo Video: http://www.vimeo.com/608017
World Race Website: www.theworldrace.org
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Posted in General Articles by Anna Byrne on 1/26/2008
Hey everyone,
Here is a little slide show with some of the highlights from Israel! No wonder this is the Promised Land- the people, the land, everything is beautiful. God is so good, so alive, He is moving! What a God He is that He would give bless us so abundantly. More to come... Enjoy!
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Posted in General Articles by Anna Byrne on 12/30/2007
I fly with my team to the first of our 11 countries in July 2008. I haven't left my job, haven't been assigned to a team, haven't yet finished my fundraising. But, as it were, my ministry has already begun. In fact, according to God's Plan, I will be travelling to 12 countries, rather than 11. The first one, the one I'm in now, comes six months before the official start, but is so important to my beginning and completing the World Race.
I am in Israel, on a study trip to the Holy Lands. Over the next 12 days, I will read Matthew on the Mount of Beatitudes, touch the soil of Nazareth with my hands, be immersed in the same River Jordan that Jesus Himself was baptized. It is a pilgrimage. It is a pilgrimage to experience the small piece of land Jesus claimed for His own life to be lived upon. It is a pilgrimage to participate more fully in the steps of the Passion. It is a pilgrimage of my heart, in its always desperate attempt to grasp a little more of Jesus for myself.
Before my 30th birthday in March, and before I embraced God's calling on my life, I felt misguided, confused and frustrated at myself for my lack of purpose and passion for my life. Yesterday, as we travelled the shores of the Sea of Galilee, the small area in which the vast majority of Jesus' ministry took place, I remembered that even His own ministry began at 30 years old. Here-where he multiplied fish and loaves, healed a paralytic, stepped out onto the water-here He would begin another miracle- the miracle of putting to death my old life, my passivity, my past sin, my own self-serving desires, and begin planting instead service, gratitude, simplicity and humility that I might be able to truly serve Him. I KNOW God wants to use these 12 days in this sacred place to prepare me for missions. To burn away any remaining doubt and fear and to set my eyes and feet on the path towards the Cross. So today I claim Israel as the beginning of my own Race-against myself, my past and in a sincere and earnest effort in pressing towards the goal...
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Posted in General Articles by Anna Byrne on 12/11/2007
Dear Friends and Family,
I have exciting news about what God is doing in my life! First of all, I would like to tell you how truly thankful I am to be blessed with so many awesome people to share this news with. You have all changed my life in tremendous ways. When I think of you, I am overcome with humility and gratitude. As most of you know, I have made the decision to leave my job and go overseas for one year to serve God. I would like to tell you a little more about this trip, the World Race, and how I came to the decision to participate.
Those of you that know me well know that I have difficulty making decisions! I often know what I should be doing, but have trouble following in faith. Recently in my life, there has been a series of events that have really challenged me to look at the way I was living my life, and specifically, to examine this stirring in me towards missions. What followed these events was a time of intense work and prayer around this topic and what it could possibly mean for the next part of my life. As I began to look at my life as a whole, and many of my experiences that led to this point, I could no longer deny this calling I feel has been placed on my life. The reality is that this calling has been present in me for a long time, most of my life actually. However, I can honestly say that for most of my life, I was too afraid of the implications of this to even acknowledge it, let alone pursue it. After a tremendous amount of examination, I now know that this is something I HAVE to do. Now, I have only great peace and passion about it!
During this process, I also heard about a trip called The World Race by an organization known as Adventures in Missions (AIM) through a friend that is also participating in the program. The premise of this trip is that I will be traveling with a team for 11 months, to 11 of the world's most impoverished nations, to participate in 11 different mission opportunities. The mission work will range from serving women working in the Thai sex trade, to the population suffering from AIDS in South Africa, to cleaning up garbage in Nicaragua. I will be living among the people I'm serving. I will either stay in their homes, local churches, or tent. I will be living as closely as possible to the local customs and way of life found in these countries. Fundamentally, this organization is trying to ignite a new generation of people to serve physically, minister spiritually, develop leadership, raise awareness in North America, and leave everything behind in order to gain all that is of true value. I believe that this organization suits me on many levels including embracing God's Will, a desire to serve others, and an excitement to experience this awesome world.
The date of my departure is July 2008. Over the next few months, I will be looking to develop a strong partnership and support network of people in my life who are willing to help me prepare mentally, financially and emotionally. What I am asking is that you consider supporting me in this. Specifically, I am asking for three types of support. First, I am asking for 15 people to become my prayer support team. This team commits to praying for me EVERY DAY while I am away-for my health, my safety and my ministry- so that every step I take is covered.
Secondly, I am also requesting financial support. In leaving my job for a year, I will need support in order to serve in these countries. My total expenses for all of my food, shelter and travel costs is $13,800 USD. Support could be a one-time offering, or an amount pledged per month, for every month I am away. I have calculated that if fifty people will pledge to give $25 every month of my ministry, I will practically meet my goal! I hope that your resources will be multiplied by my work! If this is something you could do, I have enclosed a response card and pre-addressed envelope, which invites you to share in this ministry. Please make checks payable to Adventures in Missions. Please do not put my name in the memo field of the check. Including the enclosed card will provide AIM with all the necessary information and indicating that your donation is for my participation in the World Race. All donations should be mailed to Adventures in Missions, P.O. Box 534470, Atlanta, GA 30353-4470. AIM is registered with the Internal Revenue Service as a 501c (3) non-profit organization in the United States. Donors will receive receipts for their gifts with the understanding that the disbursement of those gifts lies completely at the discretion of AIM and that the gifts are non-refundable and non-transferable, per IRS regulations. Unfortunately, for Canadian supporters, this gift is not tax deductible as AIM is a U.S. based organization.
Finally, I am asking that you partner with me in order to follow my journey around the world through my web address, emails, blogs and pictures. This alone would mean a lot to me. Please check out the websites I've included with this letter. Once again, thank you so much for everything you have already done for me in this journey!
In His service,
Anna
What is the World Race? www.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=what-is-the-world-race
A Sample Itinerary: www.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=world-race-sample-itinerary
From World Racers:www.theworldrace.org/custom/worldrace/updates/byteam.asp
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