Posted in General Posts by Sarah Perrotto on 5/1/2012
“So, what is this whole ‘World Race’ thing?!” In light of the frequency I am asked this question, I figured it would be best to write a blog about the ins and outs of this amazing journey called the World Race I will be embarking upon. So here it goes... 
WHO: I will be travelling alongside an awesome team of about 60 people ages 21-35 from all over the country (and a few from Canada!)
WHAT: An 11-month mission trip to 11 countries all over the world to serve "the least of these" (Matthew 25:40) We will love on orphans, care for/pray for the sick, feed the hungry, build homes for the homeless, spend time with rescued victims of human trafficking, teach English, develop relationships in the community, form ministry partnerships and meet the needs of God’s people all over the world in whatever other ways we can!
WHEN: I leave September 1, 2012 and will return in August 2013.
WHY: See my other blog entitled ‘WHY go on the World Race’ (http://sarahperrotto.theworldrace.org/?filename=why-go-on-the-world-race)
What can YOU do?: I invite you to partner with me in my ministry through prayer and financial support.
First and foremost, please pray for my squad and me. Although we will be traveling many places, we will be living with limited resources in challenging conditions. This is for us to grow spiritually and live as those we are serving. Please pray for our safety, our physical and mental health, for all our needs to be met and that God will be the center of everything we do.
Secondly, I must raise $15,500 in order to go on the World Race, which covers all of my expenses on the field. If you feel led, please click the “Support me” link on the left side of the page to give online or Mail a check to:
Adventures in Missions
P.O. Box 534470
Atlanta, GA 30353-4470 (Payable to Adventures in Missions and make sure to include "For Sarah Perrotto" on the Memo line!
)
WHERE I’M GOING:
Zimbabwe/Botswana
Recently, Zimbabwe struggled with hyperinflation. Under the current regime, the human rights violations continue. Zimbabwe also has one of the lowest life expectancies. Zimbabwe is also home to intriguing ruins and shares Victoria Falls with Zambia. Botswana has the second highest HIV infection rate, second to Swaziland, its southern neighbor. The land itself struggles with drought and desertification yet boasts the largest elephant population in the world in one of its national parks. The majorities of both populations identify themselves as Christian but very much need people like you to advance the kingdom with love and in power.
South Africa
While it's been several decades since apartheid has formally ended, there’s still more healing and reconciliation to take place in South Africa. One of the wealthiest countries on the continent yet much of the population living outside the cities is poor. Like the rest of sub-Saharan Africa, this country struggles with a high rate of AIDS/HIV. Host to the 2010 World Cup and breathtaking natural attractions, it’s also a place full of kingdom potential, waiting to be released -- by you.
Swaziland
The Kingdom of Swaziland is one of the last remaining monarchies in Africa. Home to 1.1 million people and breathtaking scenic views, it's also where the world's highest HIV/AIDS infection rate lives (26.1% in adults and over 50% of adults in their 20s). It's estimated that by 2050, Swaziland may cease to exist. Young orphans are scattered throughout this nation in desperate need of attention. For years, Adventures has been committed to seeing these statistics reversed. Here, you’ll most likely find yourself involved in a variety of outreaches, including education, orphan care, care point feedings, and more.
India
With nearly a sixth of the world's population within its borders, India is a country bursting with people and culture. Home to a diverse array of beliefs from Hinduism to Islam, to a blend of folk religions and other faiths, it is a country of pluralism with twenty-nine languages spoken by over a million native speakers, multiple religions, cuisine, socio-economic classes, and political parties. India's struggles with poverty and crimes of human trafficking, forced prostitution, religious persecution, and more. You might work with local churches to encourage believers and most likely be challenged by their testimonies. Your presence'll bring hope and truth to those that society deems "untouchable."
Philippines
This Asian island nation, former Spanish colony then American protectorate, is a country in tension, trying to cross the threshold between the third and first world. It offers a variety of landscapes - beaches, mountains, volcanic lakes - and languages, with Tagalog as the national tongue. The Catholic Church is a substantial piece of the religious pie, however, and Islam is growing in the island of Mindinao. The Filipino people and culture love music, dance and community. While there, you may find yourself living with and giving hope to the destitute, caring for orphans, and challenging the growing number of Christ-followers to rise up.
China
Host of the 2008 Summer Olympics and home to 1.3 billion people, China’s not just grand in land mass and population. Beside the Han Chinese, there are over fifty minority groups. While China has grown in leaps and bounds industrially, intellectually, and economically, it's still a politically closed nation. Depending on where you are, you may meet Buddhists, Muslims, and Taoists; there are even churches - government approved and regulated. The underground church is extensive and continues growing, even thriving, amidst persecution. While there, you'll have to pay homage to the Great Wall, and bring light and hope to a people in darkness and depression. How you'll do that exactly - you'll find out once you get there.
Ukraine
This Eastern European country is caught between its past oppression under the Soviet Union and the desire to be accepted by the West. People in the east tend to be more nationalistic than those in the west, where Russian is more commonly spoken. There’s a substantial orphan (social and full) population and human trafficking’s an issue here, too. Most people claim to belong to the Ukrainian Orthodox church, which is subdivided into three bodies. God’s desire is to bring hope, peace, authentic relationship with himself, and unity to this nation; you’ll find out how exactly you’ll participate in that!
Moldova
Once a part of Romania, this former Soviet republic declared independence in 1991. Moldova, one of the poorest European countries, is riddled with a high underground crime rate. This country is vulnerable as a transit point of human trafficking. The main language spoken is Romanian (also called Moldovan) but there's debate as to what the Moldovan ethnicity is exactly. We need people who will bring kingdom clarity and declare the peace of God over a land filled with confusion and chaos.
Honduras
"Hondo" comes from the Spanish word for depth and there's lots of depth to Honduras. It's home to the Aztec and Mayan civilizations, whose ruins are still stand. Honduras is mostly mountainous and the weather's as tropical as it gets. What really runs deep in Honduras are its needs. Honduras is the third poorest in the region, after Haiti and Nicaragua. Like her neighbors, Honduras has had her of share political/military troubles, e.g., the six-month constitutional crisis in 2009. There's a need to reach out to the youth, not just to keep them out of trouble (e.g., gangs) but for them to know their worth and that they're loved.
Nicaragua
This location is always a World Race favorite. It's a country full of wonderfully warm and caring people, and participants always leave having had a powerful experience. However, hopelessness, addictions, destitution, and poverty still plague the many lives of Nicaragua. There are orphans who have grown up without knowing the love of a parent and families who get by each day by scrounging scraps from the city dump where they have made their homes. In Nicaragua, you'll have the opportunity to bring God's love through slum ministry, door-to-door outreach, outreach to children, and more.
Costa Rica/Panama
Costa Rica is a hot spot for surfing and just enjoying "pura vida" - literally, "pure life", it's a concept of a chill, relaxed, laidback way of life. While the natural beauty attracts lots of tourists, large pockets of poverty and family brokenness exist. Much of Panama’s revenue comes from the eponymous canal, expected to be wider by 2015. The double-edge of the canal is the spike in drug-trafficking. Panama also houses the largest rainforest outside the Amazon but suffers from crime in its urban slums. In these relatively well-off Central American countries, you’ll find creative ways to bring more life and light to the people.
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Posted in General Posts by Sarah Perrotto on 4/25/2012
As I am preparing to leave for the World Race in just 4 short months, God has really been working on heart to refine my character and prepare me for my journey. With that being said, it has not been an easy few weeks to say the least. God has brought a lot of JUNK to my attention and has revealed many of my sinful motives, desires and ways. Some of these include my desire for control/comfort/safety, my stubbornness to “do what I want,” and idolization of romantic relationships and marriage. Can ANYONE help a sista out and relate here?!
Anyway… The main thing God has been speaking to me lately is to count the cost of truly following Him. In doing that, I must surrender ALL, including something so precious to me-relationships. I want to take control of the relationships in my life and create the outcomes that I think will be best. I have the tendency to seek or desire a romantic relationship rather than a beautiful, deep relationship with God.
So, here I am in the process of sorting through these things. I cannot even tell you how many people have said to me lately something along the lines of “you have to go through the process to get to the promises of God.” So many of God’s people have had to go through the process to reach the promises of God. Let’s just take Joshua as an example. He led the Israelites through the desert, across the Jordan and then walked around the wall of Jericho for 7 days until, by the grace of God, the wall fell down. PROCESS. In Joshua 1:3, God promised Joshua, “Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon I have given to you, just as I promised to Moses.” PROMISE. Through the book of Joshua, the Lord is with them in the midst of battle, fighting with them and for them, fulfilling that promise which came to fruition in Joshua 21:43, “Thus the Lord gave Israel all the land that he swore to give their fathers. And they took possession of it, and they settled there.” The book of Joshua is such a beautiful example of Joshua’s obedience to God, willingness to surrender and walking through the process.
And so today, I want this to be my declaration: I SURRENDER. I will stay in the process. I surrender my relationships, my desire for a comfortable life and my desire to do what I want. My prayer is that the Lord would continue to be so gentle and patient with me and continue refining me like silver so that I can serve Him and serve the people of many nations with a pure heart.
So where do you stand? This whole relationship with God thing and walking through the process will not always be easy. Sometimes it will be downright hard and will bring you to your knees in tears because God is calling you to surrender something so precious that you are clinging to with your life. That ‘thing’ is different for all of us; perhaps it is similar to mine: the desire for comfort or the desire for a romantic relationship or maybe it’s that job you don’t really like but that pays well or struggling with a physical ailment that seems to have no cure. Maybe it’s a broken relationship or a financial struggle. I don’t know where you’re at. But I know we serve a God who is bigger than all of our troubles and who wants to wipe every tear from our eyes if we would just let Him.
I leave you with this word of encouragement from Romans 8:18-19. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the creation waits eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.” Keep the eternal perspective and keep on fighting the good fight
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Posted in General Posts by Sarah Perrotto on 3/26/2012
50 About Meeee :)
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I love adventures and will probably try to con you into going on some crazy, random excursions with me..
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I live at the beach and would spent every second on the beach if I didn’t have to work all those other life details.
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I have the world’s largest tonsils so I kinda breathe loudly when sleeping, sorry.
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I LOVE running and completed my first half marathon about a month ago
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I’m a good listener and am pursuing a counseling degree, so let me practice on you!
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I am literally terrified to death of the dark
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I am a kayak nature tour guide anddd believe that kayaking is the most relaxing, exhilarating, wonderful thing ever.
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I dislike eggs, seafood and most types of meat.
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I also REALLY want to go zip lining in Costa Rica!! And I really wanta pet a toucan..
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I want to learn how to do a backflip (and not land on my head…)
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I am late for EVERYTHING in life because being early makes me anxious..
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I LOVE people and love meeting and talking to random people in random places
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Campfire is my favorite smell in the world
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Don’t ask me about current events, celebrities, tv shows, movies or music because I pretty much have no idea what’s going on in the world
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Sometimes I randomly burst out in song
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The Passion 2012 conference changed my life and after getting back I knew I HAD to go on the World Race and God has greatly blessed my choice to do so
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I am SO excited to sleep in my awesome hammock all around the world
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My favorite place in the US is Charleston, S.C. So blessed to have a sister going to school down there, so I have an excuse to visit often!
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I really want to do a tough mudder mud run
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I love my pillow and am trying to figure out how to bring it on the race..
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I wear contacts at night. Yep, they’re hard lenses that reshape my cornea so I can see during the day. NBD.
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I have never been on a mission trip outside of the US
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I LOVE praying for/with people. Please ask me to pray for/with you!
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My new year’s resolution is to be a “happy morning person” and with the help of Mandisa’s song “Good Morning” I have come to love mornings!
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I love karaoke and will sing loudly/very poorly if I know the song
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Wagon Wheel is my favorite song of all time. If you’ve never heard it, go listen to it now. It will change your life.
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I graduated from Penn State in May 2011 with a degree in bio-behavioral health, which is an interdisciplinary/multidisciplinary degree involving psychology, sociology, biology, health promotion, etc.
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I LOVE pictures. One of my friends, Elle, takes a zillion pictures so hopefully in the months before we leave she will rub off on me enough so that I will find it important to take my camera EVERYWHERE on the world race.
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I have a fanny pack. Yes, I plan to bring it and wear it. You will be jealous.
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My family is really small & very spread out, so we never did the whole family reunion thing growing up.
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My goal is to be fluent in Spanish after the Race
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I live life a little reckless and like to take risks.
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I believe that an adventure is not a good adventure unless you have the battle scars to prove it
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The first time I went skydiving, my parachute didn’t open. So they used the reserve.
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I am scared to death of needles and will literally cry and sweat if I have to get a shot or give blood.
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I wish I was more crafty. Recently, I have discovered a love/talent for painting, but maybe some of you can teach me your awesome art abilities!
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Frozen yogurt is super delicious- vanilla & peanut butter with lots of fruit and whipped cream. YUM!
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I really like fire and lighting things on fire. You may have to tell me that’s a bad idea every once in a while..
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I wish I could take my bike on the Race.
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My birthday is on pi day. Like the math pi- 3.14….
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I don’t understand twitter despite the many friends who have tried to teach me
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I love coffee and am afraid of getting a caffeine withdrawal headache on the Race
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I could probably eat cereal every day of my life.
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I really like showers and don’t know how I’m going to do with the not showering for a few days thing.
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I lead a bible study of the most amazing group of 20 something yr old women
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My life is super busy and I have the tendency to overcommit. I am currently reading a book called “Boundaries” on how to say no to maintain a balanced life!
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I never want a 9-5 job, I would rather have a bunch of fun jobs like I have now- kayak tour guide, ropes course facilitator and waitress!
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I always paint my toenails pink (which is my favorite color, by the way).
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I have never had so many mixed emotions as I have had about the World Race- I am beyond excited and blessed to have this opportunity, yet terrified, nervous and slightly nauseated!
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After reading so many of your blogs and seeing that we share so many things in common, above all our love for Jesus and desire to serve the world, I can’t wait to get to meet you all at training camp!!
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Posted in General Posts by Sarah Perrotto on 2/29/2012
Last weekend, I embarked upon one of the most crazy, fun adventures of my life- I ran the Disney Princess half marathon. The morning of the race, I arrived around 3:45 am with 19,000 other crazy ladies in tutus and tiaras. I had been training for several weeks and was PUMPED to get the show on the road! After many fun songs and being herded like sheep to the start corral, it was finally go time. The “fairy godmother” sprinkled some pixie dust and the fireworks signaled the beginning of the race. Starting in front of Epcot, we raced down World Drive (a four lane highway) in pursuit of Cinderella’s castle in the Magic Kingdom. Along the way, there were several characters and Disney scenes to take pictures with, but I had my eye on the prize and was not about to stop for ANYTHING! I made it to Cinderella’s castle, smiled for a photographer or two, and continued to fight my way through the other runners back to the Epcot ball. For me, the best part of the race was checking out the awesome costumes. There were tutus of every size and shape, custom made t-shirts, guys dressed like princes and even an Elvis (who’s shirt cleverly said “Why marry a PRINCE when you could be with a KING?”… get it? Haha..). My friend Elle and I made our own custom shirts. The front of mine said “Princess Sarah” with a picture of princess Jasmine (my favorite!) and the back said “Daughters of the King” with a big cross and two hearts. With all the Disney hype about Prince Charmings and knights in shining armor, we felt that it was important to remember who our King truly was and that we serve a Heavenly King. Throughout the race, as I passed people they would yell comments such as “Amen, sister!” or “that’s the best shirt I’ve seen all day!” It was encouraging to hear others lifting up the name of Jesus in the midst of a challenging race. I can honestly say that it is His supernatural strength and power that carried me through. Without it, I never would have been able to finish with a time of 1:51.38!
Not only did God display His power and strength carrying me through the race itself, but just two days after the race, I experienced His supernatural presence in a whole new way. It is completely normal and natural to be sore with muscle aches and pains for several days after a big race. But, for some reason, I felt like mine was getting worse and the pain in my quads was radiating up into my left hip. I had been putting icy hot and a heating pack on it all day. Navigating stairs was a challenge for sure- I looked like the stiff legged tin man trying to walk down them! This evening, before going out with a friend, I told my roommate about how my hip had been hurting and asked her to pray for me. So she did! She laid her hand on my hip and prayed that, in the name of Jesus Christ, my hip would be healed. Instantly, the muscles in my legs relaxed and the pain left completely! I went skipping out of my apartment and ran down the stairs to meet my friend in his car. I know, I know, this probably sounds crazy, but it legitimately happened and I am now pain free! Although I want to jump right back into running, I know it is wise to take some time off and let my body recover with plenty of rest. :)
While I have always believed that God still heals today, that is the first time I have experienced His healing power first hand. It was the most incredible, unbelievable thing I have ever experienced! I will not even get into the theology behind it, or why God chose to heal my silly self-inflicted muscle aches from the half marathon, but He did. I believe He did because I believed that He could and would. After all, faith as small as a mustard seed can move a mountain. I am so looking forward to the mountains that will be moved on the World Race as we all step out in ridiculous faith, expecting the unexpected and believing that Jesus will move in huge ways in the lives of those around us!
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Posted in General Posts by Sarah Perrotto on 2/6/2012
11 months. 11 countries. Sounds like the adventure of a lifetime, right? If you know anything about me, you know that I am ALWAYS up for an adventure- whether that means kayaking trips, camping on an uninhabited island, climbing buildings, exploring tunnels, planking on random objects, skydiving, dumpster diving and the like; I live for these experiences. While the World Race will be nothing like the “typical” adventures I have experienced, I believe it will be the most shaping and life changing adventure of all. I am ready to be pushed out of my materialistic, comfortable, easy life. I want to meet people from all around the world and serve them in whatever way I can. I have been so blessed in so many ways and now it is time to give back. It is a time to be a blessing to others. I am laying my life down, dying to self, picking up my cross and following Jesus. When I made the decision to commit my life to Jesus about four years ago, I never thought He would become the center of my world, that I would be willing to risk all for the sake of the gospel and that God would call me to serve Him around the world.
Am I scared? Well, of course! But I will not let fear stand in the way of what I know God is calling me to do. Earlier this week while praying through my anxieties and fears, God led me to a passage in Acts 1. Jesus is speaking to His disciples and He says in verse 8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” The word “power” and the phrase “to the end of the earth” instantly jumped out at me. The Holy Spirit is powerful. Do you know that the very same power that raised Christ from the dead lives in all believers? The Holy Spirit will work in me and through me on this trip, giving me no reason to fear or to doubt. Jesus has called us to be his witnesses, to go and make disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:19). I believe this command is just as relevant and necessary today as it was 2,000 years ago. Jesus is calling me to go; therefore, I will obey. I believe that the more we listen to and obey God in life, the more doors He will open for amazing opportunities. I am so blessed that He has allowed me to take part in His story and through that has provided a greater purpose for my life than I ever could have imagined.
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