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| This is a map of what I will be doing next year and where I will be, put together by my wonderful siblings, Jenna and Dan. |
After four years of high school filled with travel, Jesus, and studying, I found that I enjoy travel and Jesus a whole lot more than studying. So hanging with Jesus and traveling is what I’ll be doing next year! Starting in early September, I will embark on a trip spanning seven months and that will take me on wilderness adventures in Montana and Utah, mission trips in Atlanta and Memphis, an Indian reservation in Arizona, Costa Rica and rural Kentucky. The year also includes the chance to earn my Wilderness First Responder certification, which I’m told is quite prestigious. Although I'm taking the next year away from school, I've been accepted to UW Madison and plan to attend school there in the fall of 2016.
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| Romania with Elvis, my Romanian friend |
When I first saw the itinerary for this trip I didn't believe it was real! The kind of trips and adventure I will be on next is exactly what I was looking for out of a gap year. Throughout my years in high school I've been to Romania and Honduras on mission trips. These trips have been the highlights of my high school career. During the winter of my junior year, I learned that Blackhawk Church would not be taking a group of high schoolers to Honduras the following summer and I was devastated. I had made some strong connections with the people of Honduras and loved being there. I thought there was no way I could find the same joy and peace in another place. The next summer, after my junior year, I went to Romania through Blackhawk. Heading into the trip, my biggest worry was that I would constantly thinking of Honduras, wishing I was there instead, resulting in being distracted and not fully present during my time in Romania. What I found during the trip was that I had no troubles with being distracted and I was able to be fully present and involved in Romania. After prayer and reflection, I realized that what I was so attracted to both in Honduras and Romania was God's obvious presence and His work being done in and through the people in both places.
Both the Romania and Honduras trips were just a few weeks long. Next year I will be immersed in God’s work and movement for a full seven months! If God can change my life in huge ways in just three weeks, I can’t imagine what he’ll be able to do with seven months.
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| Backpacking last summer. Looking forward to a lot more of this next year! |
After being amazed by my itinerary for next year, I scrolled down and saw the total cost of the trip, $14,250. At first I was discouraged by the large total, but after continued prayer, I truly believe God wants me on this trip and will not let an obstacle like money stand in the way of His plans! With that said, I would like to extend the invitation for you join me in my adventure. The first and most important way you can do this is through prayer. This will be a HUGE transition for me and it will need to be covered in prayer. If you choose to join me financially, the best and easiest way to do so will be to give online at https://www.leadertreks.org/about/give/. Click on the big red "Donate Now" button, enter the amount you'd like to give, click on the donate to line and select "Gap Year" and enter my name in the memo below. No gift is too small or too large, but greatly appreciated. I need to have my adventure fully funded by August 15th, so please consider making any donations before then.
If you have any questions please call me at (608) 577-3579 or email me at ben.hersh.jamin@gmail.com. LeaderTreks also has a website with more details of the trip at https://www.leadertreks.org/gap-year/.
Thanks for reading to the bottom! I will be working on writing posts throughout the summer and as much as I can once the trip starts on September 8th!
Benjamin Hershberger
