Here I am… Send Me! Again…

Dear Friends and Family,

 

Brokenness. I feel like that is
the word that describes what God has been doing in me for the past year.  Since being home from South Africa and
Swaziland, I once again find myself wrecked.  I have seen the brokenness of this world; I have sat in the
midst of immense heartache and pain; I have experienced the chasm between light
and dark, despair and hope, death and life.

 

I have been broken and I don’t
think my heart will ever recover.

 

And at the same time, I have seen
the hope of Jesus come alive; I have seen how His love changes people. I have experienced
the power of the love of Christ – a love that transcends all language barriers
and cultural differences. I have seen that His love never fails. With each
experience, I feel as though I plunge deeper into the heart of Jesus and it has
left me forever changed.

 

My prayer has been that God
would continually lead me where He wants me and that He would put His heart
within me. I didn’t know how beautiful, and painful, that ache would be.  I also had no idea how dangerous that
prayer was or what He would dare me to do next…

 

I honestly thought that the next
phase of my life would be more “normal,” that God would have me stationary for
a while. However, after a lot of prayer (and arguing with Him) and through very
clear confirmation, God made it painfully obvious that He has other plans in
mind.

 

So… this summer, June 2010, I
will be leaving on an 11-month journey called The World Race.

 

The World Race is a ministry of Adventures in Missions (the
organization I’ve served with this past year). During the World Race, we will travel
to 11 different countries in 11 months for the purpose of bringing the love and
the hope of Christ to the nations. Along with a team of around 40, I will be
traveling to the following countries:

 

Ireland,
Ukraine, Romania, Israel, Egypt, Kenya

Uganda, Explore Africa, Thailand, Cambodia, Explore Asia

 

We will spend one month in each
country.  We will be living among
the people and will be involved in a variety of different ministries including:
pub ministry in Ireland, working with the prostitutes of Thailand, loving the
orphans of Kenya and Uganda, living with gypsies in Romania, and being open to
any other challenges or opportunities that the Lord puts before us.

 

Honestly, I’m scared. I feel as
though I have seen so much pain already and I wonder how much more my heart can
take. I know that God will show us the power and beauty of His love, but also
there is raw reality of poverty, slavery and sickness, loneliness and
heartache. This world is broken, but I know that God is putting it back
together. He is daring me, once more, to go; to help bring at least a little
bit of His Kingdom to those broken, forgotten places of the world.

 

Sometimes I feel so small and
inadequate, but I was recently reminded of the radical love that I have seen
and experienced – and reminded that this love is too great not to share with
the rest of the world. I have seen hope come alive in the darkest of places, I
have seen the beauty of the love of Christ take root in hardened hearts, I have
seen God change people. So yes, I am small… but His love is not.

 

So, as I wonder if my heart can
handle any more, God quietly assures me that He has it all in His hands. He
assures me that His love never fails and that it will not fail to sustain my
broken heart. So, because His love is better than life, I will trust Him and I
will follow. I am scared and unsure, but it is an honor to obey.

I have been so humbled by the
prayer support I’ve received this last year.  Knowing that I have a support system that intercedes on my
behalf and on behalf of the nations has brought me more encouragement than you
know. I cannot tell you all the ways I’ve felt the strength of prayer; I have
seen barriers broken as God’s people cry out. I know that it is only through
prayer that this trip is possible. I have seen how crucial it is to seek the
Lord for every step of the journey. 
I am sincerely asking nothing more than for you to join me in crying out
to the Father on behalf of the poor, the oppressed, the voiceless, the orphan
and the widow. I am asking you to pray for my team and our ministry, that we
would be God’s hands and feet and love the unloved; that God would give us His
heart and His vision. I ask for prayers that God would provide all that is
needed and that, above all, my heart and the hearts of our team would be solely
focused on Jesus and bringing His love to others.

 

I want to thank you so much for allowing me to share what
God has been doing in my life.  I
look forward to all that God is going to do, for He never ceases to surprise
me. I long to follow after the heart of Christ and to see the redemption He
offers to all who are broken. I ache for His Kingdom to come on earth as it is
in Heaven. So… once again I say, “Here I am, send me!” and God takes me
seriously. I have got to be more careful about what I pray…

 

Grace & Peace,

Sydney Sample

 

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Now, I hope you hear my heart
when I say that, above all, I desperately want and need your prayers. However,
the unfortunate part of missions is that it costs money. Here is the part where
I get really uncomfortable… The total cost for this trip is $14,300. I know
that God can do all things but, to be honest, this amount seems insurmountable
to me. I trust the Lord and He clearly said that He would provide, but I also
believe that He is calling me to be responsible. In order to gain funds for the
World Race, I am currently working one job and actively looking for a
second.  I am also in the process
of planning different ways to raise money including a rummage sale, selling my
car, etc.  In addition to praying
for my trip, I also ask that you would join me in prayer over finances.

 

I want you all to know how very much I appreciate the time
that you have taken to read this letter. I would never want to view any
relationships as a way to “raise support”. I hope you hear my heart when I say
that, above all else, I desire your prayers.  If you would like to talk to me, to ask questions or hear how
God has worked in this past year, or to hear more about the Race, please feel
free to contact me at 501-944-9278; [email protected], or through facebook.

Thank you so much for your time… you are a blessing!