Posted in General Posts by Shayna Brocco on 5/1/2012
Click here for Fundraising Update Pt. 1
Last Saturday, I drove down to Piqua, Ohio to visit Katie while she was in town visiting her family.
Before I left to go back home I stood outside talking to Katie's dad on the driveway. I thanked him and his wife for their support towards my World Race. He smiled and gently punched my arm like my dad would. Then he gave me advice and encouragement that I had been praying for. I don't think I'll ever forget what he said, but I wrote it down anyway.
I've written everything down- the support, encouragement, fundraising ideas, letters, emails, facebook messages, text messages, smoke signals. Everything has meant so much to me and keeps me from being locked up in a padded room.
Through this whole support raising experience I have had a community of family and friends join me in this. For every 1 person that makes a "Don't be bringing none of them diseases back" comment, I have 10 people asking how they can help.
A few months ago my good friend Jenny Kim came to me with an idea of making and selling t-shirts scarves. I set a high goal of selling $500 worth over 6 months to cover my overseas health insurance. I reached that goal in 3 weeks. For weeks everywhere I went I had a bag full of scarves on my arm and my apartment currently makes me look like a t-shirt hoarder. It's all been worth it, because I have raised over $1,000 selling scarves, which has paid for most of my gear, my plane ticket to training camp, and my health insurance!
A few weeks ago my friend Bridget came to me with an idea of having a spa day fundraiser. The Rosche's opened up their home for the event and Bridget and Josh Wang gave up an entire day to give manicures and massages for my support. My prayer that morning was, "Sweet mercy, please let people show up". By the end of the day there was over $320 in my donation basket! It's been 3 weeks since that fundraiser and I am still unbelivably grateful for the time and resources that Bridget and Josh gave that day!
It doesn't stop there...
The pastor at my grandparents church had me speak about my trip, and after the service a woman I had never met put a check for $100 in my hand.
My grandparents helped me make scarves. My grandma wears her scarf as adverstising and sends me orders from people that want them.
My friend Jenn that I went to Swaziland with last year had a letter that I had written to her sitting out on her kitchen table. Her mom found it and then donated to my race!
Brandon has committed to donating his "swear jar" money before I leave. Holly donated months worth of tips she's collected at the icecream shop she works at.
The Hickmans and Stambaughs are family friends that I've known since I was born, and they believe in what I'm doing and have helped to support me.
The other day Erin told me how much she would support me monthly and I almost veered off the road into oncoming traffic. I remember she said, "God gave me the number, and He's always provided the number that He gives". There's some more of that unwaivering faith.
My brother Wyatt and my sister in law Amy sent me a support check with a letter and a box of funfetti cookie mix (my favorite). In the letter my brother wrote, "Amy and I both think that you are doing a great thing. A little scary I would say, but a great thing". My brother and I don't write letters to each other...ever, so it just meant that much more to me.
My other brother Luke sent in a support check, and when I saw it come through I sent him a text message with a swear word. I was so floored, so shocked, so touched...I didn't know what else to say! I kind of wanted to apologize for stealing money out of his tootsie roll bank that he hid in his closet growing up, but I didn't. Oops.
As much as I try to fight it at times, my parents emotional support means more to me than any amount of money. They are worried. They are concerned. They are parents. And they are on my team.
Katie's sister Dawnna and her brother Zach, The Fighters, The Moans, The Gaffords, The Windoms, my brother's friend Sarah, Ayla, Elicia, Brittney, The Bedals, The Hutchings, Jillian, The Luthers, Tyler, The Hornes, anyone that has bought a scarf or showed up for the the spa day, Pastor Philip, The Rosches, The Clarks, a few people from my squad, The Snows, The Neugebauers...thank you will never be able to express how grateful I am for all that you have done!
So are you ready for it? Right now with what is in my support account and what supporters have committed to, the total amount raised is $11,130!!!!!! I am 71% of the way there and just $4,370 away from my goal!
A couple of months ago I wrote, "This isn’t some reward that I deserve for anything that I’ve done, if anything I should probably be punched in the face for my lack of faith". I still believe that. It's not because of anything that I've done, and I'm always due for a good punch in the face. It's all because of the grace of God and because of the friends and family that believe in me and that are joining me in this journey.
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Posted in General Posts by Shayna Brocco on 5/1/2012
The summer before my senior year of college I got a job planning and leading trips with my college's outdoor program.
I still don't exactly know how I got that job. I'm pretty sure I was told, there was a full staff- but one girl couldn't do it anymore- and we needed someone -and there was no one else- and you were going to do an internship with us anyway- so why not come on staff with us...with an emphasis on the, "there was no one else".
I was completely unprepared for the job. My diet included hot dogs and cheap beer, and my workout plan included sun bathing and napping. But for whatever reason, my boss Jerome believed in me.
Part of the job included a 2 week staff training.
I'll always remember the first day of staff training as one of the scariest days of my life. I walked into a room full of scruffy bearded guys that were eating apple cores and wearing pants that zipped off into shorts. I was intimidated.
I scanned the room for a friendly face and chose a seat next to a girl named Katie. Katie and I were the rookie girls. We were paired up through most of our trainings. I think we officially became friends when we laughed our way through the 15-passenger van driving tests.
We stuck together through everything: bears coming into our camp at night, that one "solo" night in the woods with the daddy long legs crawling on our faces, getting stuck driving the "rookie green van", getting lost on our way back from white water rafting, questionable smells coming from the back of the van, and last but certainly not least...that one time we lead a snowshoeing trip and the winter storm of the century came through freezing all of our food, water, and faces off.
I remember climbing out of my tent the morning after the storm, and literally wanting to die. My boots had frozen stiff in the middle of the night and I had gotten frost bite on all of my fingers. When I wanted to give up (die), Katie went into straight-up survival mode. She looked me in the face and said we could do this, and I believed her.
That trip I learned two things. 1. I learned that I will never go snowshoeing again...ever. 2. I learned from Katie that even when your tears have frozen to your face, even when you haven't peed in 36 hours due to dehydration, and even when everything seems hopeless, to never give up.
My year in the outdoor program changed me. Unbenowsnt to me, Katie and our boss Jerome were teaching me what it meant to have unwaivering faith and courage. Sneaky, but not really. They were showing me The Jesus just by living their everyday lives. They believed in me, even when I didn't believe in myself.
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Posted in General Posts by Shayna Brocco on 4/22/2012
A few days ago I had lunch with my new friend Jenn. It was a, "lets eat a quiche and get to know each other better" kind of lunch.
We talked about everything from traveling and boys, to bad haircut choices and our testimonies. That's right, I said testimonies. One minute I was talking about my middle school sideburns, and then the next I was sharing my, "Jesus...I can't do this on my own anymore" story.
I didn't give my usual, "I'm going to hold you back at an arms length- 2.5 second- I used to be bad but now I'm good" speech.
I shared the beginning to the end, and all the details in between.
At one point Jenn stopped me and said, "Wow, I never would have guessed that about you". I wanted to say, yeah me neither, but I didn't.
As I was talking I saw my life unfolding like a movie montage. It's like I was the main character of a movie that I was never in. Most of the memories that I've repressed for so long started coming back, and I felt like I was talking about someone else's life.
It felt good to share the Shayna Story that I've tucked away for over a year now.
When I finished, Jenn asked me if my life had turned out the way that I expected it to. Let's see... I turn 26 in 2 weeks, I'm single, I'm a Pam from The Office at a Sports Complex, my idea of a Friday night is a movie rental and fuzzy socks, The Titanic Soundtrack is the most played playlist on my Spotify, and in 4 months I'm going to be circling the globe for a year...No, my life is not what I expected. It's so much better!
It's easier for me to look back on my life and say what I never expected rather than make expectations for the future (so much for prophesy being one of my spiritual gifts).
Three years ago, I never expected to go into my co-workers office with a website question and come out agreeing to go to his church. I never expected to go. I never expected to finally grab ahold of the hand that Jesus had been holding out to me for so long. I never expected Jesus and I would run away together. I never expected to be running in a sprint with Him ever since.
Maybe in a year and a few months I'll write a blog on, "What I never expected from my trip". Until then, I expect that God will do what He always does and completely blow away any expectations that I could ever dream of with something so much better.
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Posted in General Posts by Shayna Brocco on 2/28/2012
Can I tell you something?
You and your mom would look great in a t-shirt scarf!
Help support my race by purchasing a scarf for $20 (+$2 for shipping) made by me and my friends!
I can mail them! I can give them to you at church! I can give them to you at work! I can wait outside in your bushes until you come home and hand deliver them to you!
To purchase a scarf please email me the colors and quantity that you would like at shaynabrocco@gmail.com
I really appreciate your prayers and support!
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Posted in General Posts by Shayna Brocco on 1/21/2012
Two summers ago I was in the car with a new friend that had just gotten back from gallivanting around the world for 11 months on this thing called The World Race.
I was so intrigued!
I rattled off questions faster than she could answer, you slept where, you did what, you met who, you pooped where, you ate what, did you hold orphans, did you get sick, did you cry, were there snakes, did you see a wild lion, was it hot, were you scared, did you fight with anyone, were you home sick, were you hungry, did anyone die, has anyone ever died, what would happen if someone did die…what’s feedback?
My heart starting beating faster and my palms got sweaty as I listened to story after story of the adventues she went on, the ministry work her team did, and the miracles and healings she witnessed.
When we came to a red light I asked her my final question, “Do you think…I…could ever do something like that”? She looked at me and squealed, “YES! YES! YES! You could and you should!” Then she pointed at what I was wearing and said, “Look! You’re even wearing Chacos and capris”! I opened my mouth to say something when the car behind us honked- I quickly snapped back into my reality and told her I could never do something like that.
Six months later, I was poking around the interent and found a video about orphans in Swaziland. Once again, my heart began to beat fast, my hands were sweaty, and tears were streaming down my face. It wasn’t long after that I found myself in Swaziland on a short term mission trip through Adventures in Missions.
Every night on the trip I slept in a tight ball because I thought a bug the size of a bath tub was going to crawl in bed with me. It also didn’t help that I watched a PBS special on Black Mamba Snakes just days before leaving. None of that mattered though! I took my fears and boot stomped them into the ground. God had awakened something in me and I had never felt so alive.
In my journal on March 23, 2011 I wrote: ”A donkey, a rooster, and a cow woke me up this morning. I hope we eat at least one of them for dinner tonight. It’s storming pretty bad outside. A little Swazi girl just came up to me and put her head on my lap, I think she’s afraid of the storm…I kind of am too. I don’t think she has a mom to hold her so I’m going to let her lay on me for as long as she wants. I’ve never felt like I was exactly where God wants me to be as much as I do right now.”
In those two weeks I was changed forever. But even after playing with orphans and holding the hands of widows I still wasn’t ready to give in.
Before I knew it another six months had flown by. It was now September of 2011 and I decided to tag along with some friends to The Awakening (a gathering for The World Race alumni). I sang the songs, I laughed at the rat killing video, I heard the stories, I prayed the prayers…but I still stood with my arms crossed, not ready to budge.
In the past year I had gotten heavily involved in the community and church I was a part of. I would go to work and then race home because I had something to lead, volunteer with, or attend. God had given me all of this so obviously I was supposed to stick around…right?
A few weeks later I was standing in a friend’s kitchen making macaroni and cheese. I had just started mixing the milk and powdered cheese when something hit me. Everything started to make sense, I could see all the events that had lead me to where I was and where I was headed. I thought about all the doors that had been opened and closed slammed in my face. He had set everything up, all I had to do was take a leap of faith. I got a little emotional for a second and thanked God for His patience with me. A few minutes later, with a big stupid grin on my face and a mouthful of mac and cheese, I looked at my friend and said, “Sooooo….I think I’m going on The World Race”.
Oi! That only took a year and a half.
I’ve learned a lot about getting over myself in the past few years which covers about a bajillion categories in my life. It’s opened doors for me to love in ways that I wouldn’t have ever been able to know or experience. And while it would be much easier for me to keep doing my thing here in Ohio, I’m ready to step out and be used as a vessel of love to the people that He’s calling me to.
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