Have you heard about Q?

Every action has consequences and effects, some more far reaching than others. Some little things end up having huge influence. My life has several such examples - like going rock climbing with friends in the middle of January.

A significant event in my life was student teaching in Gaston; I loved that experience. I worked with three incredible teachers that make up the English department there, and I'm so grateful for their influence and encouragement. There's also a super simple gift I got teaching at Gaston that has had an increasing value in my life. I was introduced to Lauren "Q" Quinsland one unassuming day before Christmas break. My cooperating teacher had written me recommendations for sending organizations and missionary schools and knew the trajectory of my plans. She told me there was a former teacher visiting the school who was doing exactly what I wanted to do.

The moment I met Q, I knew I'd like being friends with her. She wrote her email down for me and promised to make time to talk to me about her experiences both teaching at Gaston and at a Christian international school. That first coffee date at BJ's in Forest Grove was one of the greatest training opportunities for the mission field I could have ever had. A couple hours with this passionate educator confirmed my first impression that she was an absolute gift modeling for me where I would soon be.

Q's life is eerily similar to mine a couple months or years in advance. First, she described for me the details of teaching in Gaston. She articulated some of my same struggles with students disinterested in learning who we both so desperately loved and offered excellent advice on how to reach those students in the coming semester. She also prepared me for the wonders of international school education, expat life, and fundraising.

Asking people for money is never easy. It's a touchy subject, but conversations with Q bolstered my confidence in what we were doing. Both of us care passionately about education and the transformational effect of the Good News of Jesus. We both care so much we dedicated our lives to the advancement of it, and we are partnered with people all across North America who are equally passionate about that. Those people pay our monthly salary through tax deductible gifts to our respective sending organizations.

That's humbling.

Sometimes it's also confusing. Q and I both set out to change the world. We are midpoints as people send us to do God's work, and we in turn make other people's service possible. Without our work in Bawtry and Kandern, other people across the globe would potentially struggle to do their own service. We both love our jobs; we both have positions we are passionate about. And both of us have had significant setbacks in our service due to major back injuries. (I told you the similarities were eerie.) like me, Q is currently praying for healing and hoping to return to service soon.

Shortly ahead of me as she is, she has started to see medical bills come in and expenses outside of insurance coverage have started to drain her accounts. I know I'll have my own expenses soon to come, but Q is ahead of me in line right now. I may ask for money to help me return to long term service eventually, but I really feel it's important that I ask for Q first.

She's got a donation site set up here: http://www.gofundme.com/89svv0

Or you can give a tax deductible gift at www.pioneers.com/give designating your gift to her account 111547.

I know this is backwards to the world's thinking, but the kingdom of God often beautifully and intriguingly is. Before you consider giving to me or TeachBeyond, can we make sure Q is fully funded?