Fast forward to August, 2019! So many things have changed since my last post in May of 2017. And so much has happened. In the coming months I'm going to share with you the journey I've been on in developing what is now officially a non-profit organization called, The Wild Hope! I've been thinking about writing for a while, but I'm not a very good writer. Plus it's a vulnerable place to be. I haven't been ready to share my journey in such a public way and that's been ok, even good. But I now have so much to share with you! And, I'm scared, maybe closer to terrified. But as our friend Brene' Brown says, "Vulnerability is not weakness; it's our greatest measure of courage." I want to have courage. I want to be brave. I don't want to miss out on the rich life God has given me.
So I'm going to do it, lay it all out there! The fear, the frustration, the heartbreak, the miracles, and the successes. I'm inviting you in to see ME. I'm inviting you in to walk alongside me as I share how difficult and marvelous starting a nonprofit is. And how I've grown more from this process than I ever could have imagined! And how God has brought just the right people at just the right time to join my team. And how my own struggles with confidence, shame, and belief in myself have held me back... and propelled me forward.
I'm inviting you to bear witness to my story and the story behind The Wild Hope. I'm inviting you to take a peek into the lives of people desperately suffering that we will soon have the privilege of providing services to. And I'm inviting you to endure my run-on sentences and overuse of adverbs!
Would you be willing to hold some space for me along this journey? I hope you do! My gut is telling me I'm not the only one who will be seen as the story is revealed. And maybe, just maybe, some of you will break out and begin unpacking your own stories of courage, defeat, miracles, heartache, and rich relationships and connection in your life. And just maybe one of YOUR stories will give someone else the courage to invite someone in to begin seeing them. You do SEE where this is going, right?
With Wild Hope,
Vanessa