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Elisa McCready Study Overseas Fund

$10,000 =  8 months of Overseas Missions Training and School


Hey friends and family!

   As most of you know, I’ve spent the last two years traveling and performing with The Story of God , a 100 min. dramatic presentation of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. As most of you also know, this past September my contract with Story of God came to a close, allowing me time, space, and freedom to think and pray about what it is I want / feel called to do.

   Overseas missions is something I’ve had a lot of interest in for a long time now. However, my only real experience has been a two week trip to East Asia about two years ago. While this was an amazing experience that stirred up a lot of things in my heart, I would love to take some time to really explore the reality of this desire. Essentially, I'd like to know if a 'career' in missions is something God wants me to do.

   So, after praying and seeking a lot, I’ve been presented with a couple of opportunities.

   The first is a missions / discipleship school in Quito, Ecuador called Submerge . This is a three month semester in which I’ll have the opportunity to intern with a local church plant, serve with local ministries directed towards trafficked children and juvenile detention centers, and help to weekly create art campaigns throughout the city that raise questions and create opportunity for important conversations. On top of all that, I’ll also have the chance to take classes in Graphic Design, Marketing, Project Management, Spanish, Discipleship, and more.

All in all, a great missions training experience.

    The second, is the chance to serve alongside some friends of mine through a Study Abroad Program.
     I had the chance to meet these friends while in East Asia in 2014. I have never felt more at peace than I did on that trip. From the moment I got home two years ago, I haven’t been able to stop looking for a way to leave again.
      By studying / interning with the University for about five months, I’ll not only have the chance to help out and learn from my friends, but will also have the unique freedom and chance to build relationships with students that very few have. I will be with these students daily, getting to know them and tutoring them in English. I would have more freedom and opportunity to share Truth over there than most do; simply because I would be a student alongside them.

Here’s what I’m hoping this might look like:


December 2016 - May 20, 2017   Raise funds, finish my Interior Design Certification

May 20, 2017 - August 6, 2017   Attend Submerge, gain training and experience, learn, and prepare

August 6, 2017 - December 2017   Work towards 15 credit hours so I can qualify for the Study Abroad Program.

January 2018 - May 2018     Attend University, build relationships with fellow students, help out and learn from friends, and hopefully get some chances to share Truth.


My goal is to get to East Asia. I see Ecuador as the best way to get there. Here’s why.

- I’ve never spent more than two weeks at a time  overseas.
- I’ve never been on my own in a foreign country.
- The past couple of years with Story of God have been   intense.
 
   I’m so excited about the idea of being in East Asia, but I’d like to be ready for it. I’d love to have the chance to gain some more practical longer-term experience overseas, while I’m in an environment designed to teach and prepare me before I jump into five months over there.

   It has also been a very busy two years in which a lot has happened, and I think that it’s wise for me to take a couple months in an environment of discipleship where I might get a chance to process a little of the past, while preparing for the future.

   The cost of all this, ( About 8 months of overseas missions; three being spent doing missions training in Ecuador, and 5 doing an internship in East Asia) is going to be about $10,000. This includes; airfare, tuition, room and board for Ecuador, travel costs for East Asia, and a few personal needs (like a backpack and laptop). My parents and I will be covering other costs.

   To break it down, I would be attending school and living overseas for about $1,250 per month (which is about $1,183 cheaper than the average college student spends per month), while gaining valuable missions experience.  

   I’m honestly pretty bad at stuff like this, but, I would be truly honored if you would consider giving whatever you feel led to give towards this. And if you have no finances to give, I would be honored by the gift of your prayers.

  I don’t know what the future holds. And many days it frightens me. However, I can’t help but think of people like Gladys Aylward, who, when asked if she was afraid to enter a rioting prison, responded, “Yes. Now open the door.”
   She was fully human and flawed and afraid, and fully willing to do what she was asked to do. I hope that I can in some way follow in the same footsteps. These are the doors I see in front of me, and I want to be faithful to walk through them to the best of my ability. I can promise nothing but that God will work it all for good.

Thanks so much friends!

Organizer

Elisa McCready
Organizer
Branson, MO

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