It’s getting real!

Hey friends and family!

Wow! Today marks exactly 41 days until World Race launch! It’s getting real! Summer seems to be flying by, and I can hardly believe that the end of summer is approaching so quickly! With launch getting closer and closer, I am growing more and more excited, expectant, and ready to roll!! But, at the same time, feelings of nervousness, fear, and uncertainty are starting to hit me! Some feelings of sadness strike me as I realize that such a sweet season with family and friends at home is coming to a close, but I know that absolutely incredible things await me in this next season of life!

A little fundraising update! GOD IS SO GOOD! I am 91% funded for next year! Praise the Lord! Just a few months ago, I could have never imagined that I would be this close to fully funded at this point! The generosity of so many people has blown me away! A HUGE HUGE THANK YOU to all of you for your extraordinary support! Thank you to everyone who has supported me financially, and also to everyone who is continually supporting me in prayer! I am so so thankful for all of you in my life! Throughout this process, it has been so cool to see firsthand that God provides for all of our needs! I am continuing to learn to lean on and to trust God more and more to take over in my life!

Family Guatemala Trip! On Tuesday, my family and I returned from a 2-week long trip to Guatemala! Since Guatemala is one of the countries I will be traveling to during World Race, this trip felt especially special to me! It was so cool to envision myself there, and to get a glimpse into the ways that my World Race team will have the opportunity to be a blessing to the people of Guatemala! We even got to go to Antigua, which is the city that we will be serving in! One of my favorite parts of our trip was hanging out with the family of our Airbnb host! We got to hang out with their two kids – Bellame and Oliver – and take them to get ice cream at the local tienda! My dad’s minuscule Spanish skills came in clutch when he found out that our host was a worship leader at a local church in the area! So, in true Hartwig fashion, we attempted a bilingual worship session in the living room of the Airbnb. Although finding songs we both knew proved to be quite difficult (much more than we’d anticipated), it was so cool to see how Christ followers from different countries and with different languages can come together to praise the same God! After spending some time with the people of Guatemala, their kindness and authenticity is so evident, and I can’t wait to join their community for a couple of months next year! Here are some pictures from the trip!

My cousins, sisters, and I taking Bellame and Oliver to get ice cream at the tienda!

Our Airbnb hosts made us their favorite traditional Guatemalan soup – Caldo de Pollo!

Exploring the local Guatemalan markets! It was an amazing experience!

Family photo in front of Lake Atitlán!

It’s Prep Season! As I mentioned before, I am now in the thick of World Race prep! Prep so far has included online training with my team, searching for all of my gear, meeting the other racers on my team, and soaking up time with friends and family at home! Meeting the other racers on my team has created so much anticipation and excitement in me for this next season! I am so excited to meet all of them, and I am even more excited for the relationships and friendships we will be able to build on the foundation of our shared faith! But, along with all these new hellos, I am beginning to realize just how many goodbyes (or see you laters) await me in the next few weeks. The realization that I will not be seeing so many of the people that I love for a full 9 months is hitting me hard! But, I know that God is so good and as doors seem to be closing here, He is already opening so many new doors! 

Praises! Let’s start with some praises of what God has done in the past few months!!

• 91% funded for World Race! Seriously phenomenal and beyond anything I had imagined!
• Fun, safe, and amazing family trip to Guatemala! I am so thankful for all the great quality time with family, the laughs shared together, and the amazing adventures we got to experience on this trip!
• Most of my gear is ordered and on the way! (Next up: practice packing and stuffing it all into a backpack 😂)
• Getting to know some of the other racers! It has been so great to begin to get to know some of the other people I’ll be spending the next 9 months with!

Prayers! And now for prayer requests! My biggest need as I continue to prep for launch is prayer! Here are some of the things on my heart lately that I would love prayer for:

• A sense of peace in the face of fears about the next 9 months creeping in!
• Good quality time with family and friends as I prepare to leave!
• Preparation of my heart to receive everything God has for me!
• Confidence in my faith and trusting that God has prepared me and already given me everything that I need!
• Smooth packing and getting the rest of my gear!

Thank you all for your prayers and overwhelming support! I can’t wait to keep you all updated on this amazing journey!

Much love,

Alia