We would like to welcome all the visitors and prayerfully new friends from Disciples Today to The World Awaits. Thank you so much for taking the time to visit with us here. We hope that you find lots of resources and stories to help spur you on towards the love and good deeds that the world so desperately needs. Of special note, please check out the information on the upcoming Catalyst Trip 2010. Our Catalyst Trip is a remarkable opportunity to help impact and change communities and allow God to impact and change you. Sign up for more details. Again we appreciate your time and hope you will continue to journey with us.

Grace and Peace
The World Awaits Staff

You can print these invites at home, or get them done professionally at your local printer.  It can also be customized to add your own info (such as your churches website or contact info).

CLICK HERE to get access to the print-ready files~

The first trip in May/June earlier this year was an unforgettable experience.  Check out a video below and listen to what some of the first participants had to say about the trip.

If you’re interested in the August 2010 trip, please visit this link and get in touch.

For starters, The World Awaits is now registered as a non-profit organization!  We also embarked on our first catalyst trip to Kenya, which was an incredibly faith-building adventure.  And perhaps most importantly, we narrowed the vision and mission of our organization.  We are excited for what lays ahead!

We are continuing to work on the website over the next week or so. The store, resources and trips page will be up and running shortly.  Thanks for your patience!

This song speaks to letting go of ourselves and letting God have his way with us. When we do we can truly fly and have an adventurous life in the Lord.

Is there a step of faith that you feel God calling you to in 2009?  The story of Jonathan and the armor-bearer speaks of the power of positive risk-taking for God (1 Samuel 14:1-14).  Let God have his way with you in 2009.  Take great risks, in love.  And may you soar on wings like eagles, as you put your hope in the LORD.

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
The LORD is the everlasting God,
the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary,
and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary
and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary,
and young men stumble and fall;

but those who hope in the LORD
will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

- Isaiah 40:28-31

After a lot of sweat and tears, the short term trip to Kenya is finally ready!

With avenues to serve the local community.. explore the beauty of East Africa.. and grow as an individual.. these 14 days in Kenya are sure to both challenge and inspire.  Take a look..

• View the Summary and Photo Gallery
• View the Detailed Trip Information
• Download the Calendar Itinerary
• Download Application Form

If you have any questions or would like to submit an application, please direct them to autumn@theworldawaits.com.  Looking forward to journeying together!

“We can’t control our circumstances.. but we can control who we will be in those moments.”

Our first set of greeting cards have been printed.  The designs reflect some of the things the world is awaiting.. the one above is trying to communicate ‘LOVE’.  What do you think?  The cards will be available to purchase online shortly, and all proceeds will towards the core funding of The World Awaits!  Stay posted for more info..

vision

I’ve been spending the last few days trying to solidify the vision and mission of The World Awaits. It makes a lot of sense in my head(of course), but finding the right words is proving to be quite the challenge. I just had lunch with an old friend, and as we caught up and shared what’s been going in our lives, he asked what the non-profit would be about. I shared with him the current ‘vision statement’ and with a puzzled look on his face, he responded “I’m still not sure what you’d be doing”. Hmm… back to the drawing board…

There’s a Scripture that says..  “Where there is no vision, the people perish:” (Proverbs 28:19 KJV)  I’m not sure if Solomon was talking about vision statements for non-profits.. but he might as well been.  Without a clearly defined vision, it’s very difficult to move forward with any sense of purpose.  Every successful non-profit (or any organization for that matter) must have a clearly defined vision statement.

Essentially I see The World Awaits as an organization that empowers individuals to create positive change in the world.  The idea is that every single person has SOMETHING to contribute. By cultivating relationships with non-profits and ministries around the world, The World Awaits will create avenues to love and serve others both locally and internationally.  Our short-term trip this summer is designed to not only get people “out of the bubble” and on an incredible adventure, but to also uncover their unique strengths so that they’ll be better equipped to make a difference in the world.

We’ve also been exploring the idea of “starter kits” to help people create change in their own communities. An “AGAPE in the streets” kit is already in the works, and we’re also working with Future Possibilities for Kids to create a ’starter kit’ of their popular ‘Ready, Set, Goal!’ program.  This would allow anybody, anywhere.. to create something similar in their own city or country.  You can watch a video about Future Possibilities here.

Things are moving ahead on all fronts, and it’s exciting to see what lays ahead.  Even still, this current “vision/mission” challenge has been pretty discouraging for me the past few days.  It has the potential to slow me down, but thanks be to God.. I came across this quote yesterday.  It was from a football coach named Lou Holtz.  It’s such a simple statement, but one that contains a lot of truth.

“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you respond to it.”

Every challenge has the potential to drag us down into apathy and mediocrity.. or it can serve as a catalyst for us to reach greater heights and deepen our character.

The choice is ours…