the heart of our family
“Oh How I Need You” by All Sons & Daughters from happyrichellephant on Vimeo.
My baby sister has always been the heart of our (Navales) family and she is leaving us for 11 months to go serve 11 different nations by serving people and sharing the gospel that Jesus is risen. I’ve known many people to go on some sort of missionary trip and this is definitely different. Sure, traveling sounds amazing, but she’s not staying in some fancy resort or will even have the comfort of a basic motel. On the contrary, she is going with one big backpack, a light backpack, and a one man tent. She is part of a World Race team will be totally relying on God as they embark on this journey to help the homeless, orphans, churches, and those sold to sex slavery in these various countries.
I’m always hesitant to share these kinds of needs because you expect your life to somewhat be watched (and critiqued) more carefully when asking for some sort of support. She has $16,000 to raise for her trip and has received about $4,000 thus far. Most of the money she has raised thus far, has been her own money from savings and working part-time, while she goes to school full-time. She’s cut back on her extra expenses (hasn’t even made a trip to the thrift store in ages!) since God had placed this trip on her heart, and everything she’s been doing has been going towards the money she needs to raise.
I know she needs a lot of prayer the most, as this will be all new for her and her faith will be stretched in ways unimaginable. If your heart is led to even give $1 (or more!), I know it is much appreciated (seriously, even a buck helps!). Every penny makes a difference and helps her meet her goal (If 12,000 people gave a dollar, the goal would be achieved!). Even if you don’t believe in God, I’m sure you believe in the good done in servings others, and she is going to be doing plenty of that. That’s what her life will be all about for the next few months. She’s going to have to die to self, give up all the comforts she used to, and love and serve other people she’s never even met (this world could use more people like my sister!). Heck, if for some reason you just need a tax break, supporting her is a good way to get it.
Just watching my video you see the joy she has. She’s like that all the time (well, not first thing in the morning because it takes her a bit of time to wake up)! You meet her and you know she’s different. It’s all because of God! And she wants to share that joy with others. I’ve seriously watched the video a ton of times and cry every single time. I’m so, so, so proud of the godly lady she has become. Joy and life just exudes from her. She’s not your average 22 year old and her life is definitely creating ripple effects in this world. I’m going to miss her so much (and oh my gosh I know my parents will be sooooo sad without her) and when she comes back True will be 9!
You can read more about her story here, follow along with her journey here, and if you want to help support her, you can do that here.
Most of all, please pray for her and our family, especially my parents because the baby is leaving the nest! And really, how amazing is that video?! My sister truly is the heart of the family, and my parents are so fun and loving, that you totally see where she gets it from!
