Posted in General Posts by Joshua Dodd on 11/29/2011
Since I have signed up for the World Race I have found that I am looking at the world a different way then others might not be looking at it the same way I am. I am taking it one day at a time and comparing it to this time next year imaging what I will be doing next year in the world. Since I have been sign up for the race I have been reading the blogs of fellow racers and that I found out that you have to except the unexpected in the world of mission.
By reading all of the other blogs I have found out that I will not have a lot of the essentials that we have here on a regular bases that we take for granite every single day and it is getting on my nerves.
The first one is that restaurants waste so much food that could be given to the homeless. The homeless dig in the dumpster anyway to get it so why wont they make it easy for them to get just hand it to them. The second one that we have so many picky people in this world that it is outrageous because they want the best but it does not mean that they have to have the best because there is kids in this world that don't even have parents. The parents will give in because the kid will not be quite until they get what they want and that is really sad to see that. I know when I was a kid I got a whooping and dared to cry. These same kids that don't have family members will be glad to change spots with you. They don't care if you don't like a vegetable they will eat it and ask for seconds.
Next year I will be living without a lot of things I take for granite and the race has brought that to my attention and it really hurts to think that we our a wasteful nation and take everything for granite this includes myself in this diploma.
This is some of the things that I will not have the privilege of having: Hot water, a house, a closet, a refrigerator, a bedroom, cable just to name a few of the many things that i will not have next year.
My life will start over next year. I will be living as a homeless person totally relying on God for direction and comfort because He will be the only one that will help with what I will see and hear and smell. I will be living out a backpack for eleven months and sleeping on a sleeping bag and a tent for eleven moths.
I still need over 14,000 dollars to be able to go but it has been put in God hands and I really fell like that He really wants me to embark on this journey and i just pray that you will have a generous heart and help me to go.
The donations dont have to big whatever you are able to give will help me in the journey. Whatever is giving I will greatly appreciate it greatly and God Bless!!!!!!!
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Posted in General Posts by Joshua Dodd on 10/21/2011
I am writing this blog to let you all that I have switched to a different route. I now will be leaving in July instead of in January. The reason for the change is that I felt like God wanted me to wait until July. By doing so my route has been changed as well. This is the route as of right now, it could change by launch, and they are: Bulgaria, Romania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala. By making this change I am really praying that I will be fully funded by training camp which is in May. My first deadline is May 5 which is $3500 and this is also the day that I am trying to be fully funded, which is $15,000, as well. My other deadlines are as following:
$6,500 - Due 6/17/2012 (2 weeks prior to your trip)
$11,000 - Due 10/1/2012 (End of 3 months on the field)
$15,500 - Total Due 1/1/2013 (End of 6 months on the field)
This my blogging address, if you want to follow me all over the world, www.joshuadodd.theworldrace.org. If would like to donate to me you can do this here as well, just look on the left hand side of the page and click the support button and that will lead you to the page that you can make the donations.
Thank you for all of the prayers that have been sent my way.
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Posted in General Posts by Joshua Dodd on 10/2/2011
My name is Joshua Dodd. God has called me to go on an 11 month, 11 country mission trip….Here is the story. In 2003, I received Christ as my Savior just after the loss of one of my closest friends. Early in my walk with my Savior, HE pricked my heart to help others in their time of need. When the tornadoes ripped through Tuscaloosa, AL, He burdened my heart to go and do His work in any way I could. After much prayer over this calling, the Lord sent me to Tuscaloosa to serve the victims of the area by cutting down trees, covering roofs with tarps, passing out food to those in need after the storm, and spending hours talking to and praying with the people of Tuscaloosa. While there, the Lord again pricked my heart to serve and I found myself spending time with the kids in that area. In doing so, I found that there was a Church coming from a neighboring state to teach VBS (Vacation Bible School)to the children of the area that had been affected by the tornado. I jumped at the opportunity to spend time with these kids and to help teach in any way I could. This VBS helped the kids to forget what had happened to them just a few weeks before and God began to work through these people to change countless lives.
God has since called me to continue serving in the area of missions by pricking my heart to reach out to others in need through an amazing 11 month, 11 country mission trip. I will be teaming up with the World Race, a ministry team based out of Gainesville, GA. The World Race organization is made up of people that have accomplished the 11 month 11 country mission trip at one time or another. Their website can be found at www.theworldrace.org. On this mission trip, I will travel to and have the privilege to serve in these countries; Bulgaria, Romania, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala. While in each of these countries, I will have the opportunity to lead people to Christ, discipline other Christians and working primarily with the youth in each area. We will also be teaming up with local churches in each area to do God's work. While with the churches we will be teaching VBS, playing sports, and sharing God's love with the kids.
This mission trip is a financial leap of faith. In order to accomplish God's work and to be an instrument in growing HIS Kingdom, I will need approximately $20,000 to fund travel, food, living expenses, mission work, VBS material, and the vaccinations required to travel to all of these countries. It would truly be a blessing if you could help me with God's calling for my life. We will be building churches, evangelizing door to door, fighting human trafficking, caring for the homeless, teaching English in schools, ministering through prayer, preaching in the streets, living with gypsies, providing orphans with homes, reaching out to the prostitutes and feeding the hungry. The only way that this can be accomplished is by the will of God and your generous donations in HIS honor. I would ask that you pray and search your hearts and give as HE would have you give. I thank you in advance for your help in making it possible to serve Christ.
May God Bless You,
Joshua Dodd
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Posted in General Posts by Joshua Dodd on 10/1/2011
I know that it says in the good old book that God commands us to go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. But it also says that but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect. You might be asking me what I am trying to say and this is what I am trying to say is that since my salvation I have not been on fire for God. Yes I have helped into vacation bible schools (VBS) and i felt God called me to do them and i obeyed Him. I felt like some of the kids there at the vbs. They would saying that I am saved but I’m on the fence but you can not serve two masters. I was saved back in 2003 because of my mentor got decapitated in a car wreck and she did not know that I was looking up to her. So the saying is true, you never know who is looking at you so follow God always no matter what you are going though at that moment. I went to her funeral and they gave a invention and I accept Christ as my savoir. Then my life went south and I got out of that. While I was dealing with this I got in my Bible and prayed daily and when this situation was over I went my own way and forgetting about God which was a bad idea because God chastises the ones that are His and I learned that the hard way. Then I get out of that mess and then went my own way again.
When I got of this problem God had showed me the right and narrow but I still didn’t want to follow it. Then I went my own way for another thirteen months until I got a rude wakening and that was that Alabama got hit by a huge and dangerous tornadoes. God showed me that he still wanted me to be here so that I could do His will and His calling for me is to help others that can not help there selves. So I went to Tuscaloosa and helped out down there and that was an eye opening then I fled the state to do what the devil wanted me to do and then when I got back to Alabama He brought me back to him by doing this. He allowed me to go back to Tuscaloosa to help with a VBS that involved the kids of the Holt area in Tuscaloosa and that was an eye opening to. I meet a pastor that cared and loved his congregation like no other pastor I seen in my entire of live and I knew that he was a child of the Lord. He had about twenty four people with him. His group was made up of about fifteen teenagers that loved God.
We meet on a Monday night so that we could get to know each other. Then Tuesday we started to the VBS and we maybe had about ten or fifteen kids the first day. Then Tuesday we had kids bused in from down the road from where we were. That morning we meet a group that was going door to door spreading the good news. Then we went over to Crest Ridge to play with the kids and fellowship with the neighborhood. So will we were there Bro. Scott (which the pastor that lead the VBS) gave a invitation and about ten to fifteen kids came to know Christ and an adult also accepted Christ.
While the invitation was going on I gave my life back to Christ and told Him to use me in anyway that He wanted to use me in. Friday came along and the group was leaving and none of was ready to break the bond that we had created in a short time that we knew each other. That night was for the wrap up of the week. So eight of the helpers stayed to wrap up the activities at the church.
Then we didn’t want to part. Then three of us wanted to go to the services that Bro. Scott was having at his church Sunday. So we hit the road to Tiger, GA to be with the friends we had meet in Tuscaloosa that week. So Sunday gets here and we spoke about the experiences of doing the VBS and watched a video that was made of the trip.
Then Monday we made to go or that is what I thought but God had other plans for me. So I get to the state line and I get a phone call from my parents. Then I stayed in Georgia for another three months totally trusting God the whole time. While I was there I meet a young lady that was going on the race and we got talking about it and I heard God say this is our chance for me to use you. So I signed up not thinking that I would get accepted but I did. It was a shock for a while then it sunk in and I had to start raising funds.
Then I was told that I needed to come home and start raising funds in Alabama since that were most of the people I knew was and that made since. So I packed up and came home to raise funds in my home state. It has been a slow ordeal to raise funds for a mission trip since you have not raised any funds before in your live and trusting God that He will send people across your path to tell them about the mission trip and ask for their support. You can’t get discourage if everybody wont sponsor you but you also got to remember that God will take care of His people. That is keeping me from going insane.
I have fallen and come short of the kingdom of God a lot but that is expected because we are not perfect. There is only ONE that is perfect and that is Christ Jesus. Thank you for everyone that is supporting me by prayer and I greatly appreciated it very much but I am in need of finical support for this race. I need 15,500 for the race and another 5,000 for everything else I need for the race. I know that God will provide in due season.
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Posted in General Posts by Joshua Dodd on 9/21/2011
If you dont know that I am going on a mission well I am. I feel like God has called me to go on this mission trip. Thank you for all of the prayers and greatly appreciated it but I need financial support so I can do this calling and need hiking supplies as well. These supplies include a 65 liter backpack, sleeping bag, sleeping bag pad, and a tent. The sleeping pab and sleeping bag needs to be high quality because this will be my bed while I am on the race. I would greatly appreciate it if somebody lend me these items or could get them for me. I need 15,500 for the trip this includes travel, food, and other expenses. I am asking for another 4,500 and that is for my passport, a camera, laptop, and my vaccinations and my maleria medication that i will need for the trip. If Gods calls you to sponsor me I would greatly appreciate it. Please continue to pray for me and the rest of the people that are or going to be on the mission field.
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Posted in General Posts by Joshua Dodd on 9/8/2011
This is for the people that are on the Devils side that call their selves Christians that want everybody to go down the same path as they do no matter what. The Bible says that we can not straddle the fence, you cant serve two masters you have to pick one or the other. The Bible also says that if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. Which means that if you are addicted to thing you are no longer addicted to it anymore. That also means that you can no longer sever the Devil anymore.
You might be wonder why I am writing this for because the Devil has been on his war path on my soul this week. I felt him go to the next level to get me on his team. The reason why I say this is because I have been tempted to things that Christ would not approve of. Yes, we are tempted to do stuff that God doesn’t approve of and we do it anyway and the answer to that question to that is, we as Christians we have to ask forgiveness and truly repent of the sins that we have done. You might be asking how do we truly repent and here’s how you do that.
Repentance means that you truly are sorry for the sin or sins that you have done and will never do it again that is what true forgiveness and repentances means. God says that He has cast our sins as far the east is to the west to never remember them ever.
The reason why God died on the cross was because He wanted all of his people, His people which includes you and I, to be with Him in Glory. He has went to prepare a mansion for us in Glory and one day He will return to call up His children. You might be asking what will happen to the people that are not sinners where is your outcome.
The lost that have not died will be here on Earth as we know it today. The MAJOR difference is that there is going to be antichrist which will be ruling the world. The antichrist is going to control everything and I mean everything. The only is to the mark of the beast which if you don’t know is 666. The only way to get food or any assistance is to get the mark of the beast. The antichrist will look as the Lord himself and every other god that is being worshipped in today’s time. The mark will influence a lot of people to get it. The mark will be the best thing and the worst thing you have ever done in your life. The reason why I say that for is because if you get the you will have the luxuries if you have now and if you don’t get the mark you will not have anything that you have today. There is a very high chance of being of being put to death but that is worth it.
You might be asking why I say being put to death will be the best opposition is because the people who don’t get the mark and believe that there is a true God will go to heaven to be with the real Lord and living in the mansions that the Lord has prepared for us.
If you do get the mark of beast you will be thrown into the lake of fire with him and all of his other followers as well. So the best thing to do is get saved will we still have time to do so because if you wait to get save you might wait to long and time will run out on time and you will be here while the antichrist reigns.
You are probably asking what hell is like. Here your answer . It will be pitch black in a lake of fire. You will never burn up. You will be gnashing your teeth. It will be so hot that you will what drink of water to cool your tongue but wont be able to get it. There is no way to get out once you are in there.
You might think this is harsh and made up but it is not. The believers out there I hope this open up your eyes as well to realize that there our people that still have not heard the gospel. That is the reason why I wrote this for but I felt like God laid this on my heart to write this. You may think that I have lost my mind. If you don’t get save one day you will remember reading this and say that he was telling the truth and I should have listen to him and get saved.
You might be asking how to get saved. That is very easy to do. This is how you do that. If you believe that the God I mention threw out this blog is real and He died on the cross for the sins of the world including you and me and He rose from the dead three days later and confess you sins and ask him into your heart you might be saved from going to hell.
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Posted in General Posts by Joshua Dodd on 9/4/2011
Hey I know you are thinking that I am weird for call a blog 11 11 for. I am weird, you what to know why I am weird for, because I am a Jesus freak. I am not ashamed to call myself a Jesus freak you want to know why I am not shamed to call call myself a Jesus freak is because Christ Jesus said this "whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven." I know that the Devil is at war with the brothers and sisters that are standing up and saying us me God, I will go and do your work. I am not ashamed of you Jesus. The reason we go on a mission trip is to help others as Christ has helped us! I know that I am making the Devil made at me right now because i am stepping all over his toes but i don't care because I got victory in my soul. I know and the rest of the team mates know that when we step off of the plane and as soon as our feet hit the ground it is war. That is why we need to put on the whole armor of the Lord that gave us the tools to fight the Devil with. I am a proud soldier of the army of my Saviour Jesus Christ who died on a old rugged cross that we may have life more abundantly in Him.
While Christ was walking here on the Earth God taught us how to deal with the Devil. The first way is that we have to acknowledge that he is everywhere seeking and destroying everything he can find. God gave us the MOST powerful tool in the whole entire world to fight the Devil and that tool is the HOLY BIBLE which is sharper then any two edged sword.
God said if you have faith the size of a muster seed you can move mountains.
The bond that the racer have found is one that only God could only put together. The reason why I say that for is because we have not went anywhere yet and we have already care and love each other like they are our brother and sister. The 11 11 comes from the race we are doing that will take us to 11 countries in 11 months. On this mission trip we will do everything that you can think of. God has hand picked us to do His will and we are not ashamed to do his calling. We are leaving the comforters of home and say goodbye to the normal way of doing things,our family and friends and doing a total 360 and turn our worlds upside down in order to do Gods will. We will be living out of a backpack the whole 11 months that we are gone. We will be sleeping in sleeping bags on the cold hard ground in a tent that could get blown over. Say good bye to the AC and the heat, internet will be an option but very rarely while we be able to get on because some countries don't even know what the internet is. We will be fighting human trafficking, building churches, doing vacation Bible school with the kids in the countries that we will be visiting and et. All the racer will have their own individual blogs that you can keep track of what we are doing on the race. We all need donations for this trip. So if you feel like God has laid it on your heart to give to me you can donate at www. joshuadodd.theworldrace.org and click the support button in the middle of the left hand column. I will greatly appreciate every cent you give to my race.
God Bless
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Posted in General Posts by Joshua Dodd on 9/3/2011
The reason i feel like God wants me to go on the race is because I have asked Him to us me in a mighty ways but He has yet to done that. That is why He allow me to move to northeast Georgia so i will be out of my comfort zone and not a single soul here but He put certain people in my life that will help me plant my feet on that path that my Savior wants me on. I have always been a backslider my whole life and that is another reason why i think God wants me to go on this race is so that i will stay on the straight and narrow way that He has laid out in front of me. I am not saying that I will be perfect there is only one that is perfect and his name is Jesus Christ. He expects us to live as he did here on Earth. You might say that is impossible but wait a second God was tempted in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) just like we are tempted here on this sorry and no good Earth. When we get tempted we have to do what God did back then use the Bible to throw the truth right back at the Devil. That is why God commanded us, " Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth 2 Timothy 2:15." The third reason I fill like that God wants me to go on the race is to teach me patience because I can not wait on anything at all. The race will require a lot of patience to do everything we will be doing in all of the countries.
So if you are wondering how to sponsor me, you can do that at www.joshuadodd.theworldrace.org and click the support tab on the left side of the screen. God bless.
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Posted in General Posts by Joshua Dodd on 9/1/2011
My name is Joshua Dodd. God has laid it on my heart to go on an 11 month, 11 country mission trip and I need your help. I was saved back in 2003 after the loss of one of my close friends. Early on in my walk with my Savior, He laid it on my heart to help others in their time of need. When the tornadoes came through Tuscaloosa, AL, He laid a burden on my heart to go and do His work any way I could. So, I went and served by cutting down trees, covering roofs with tarps, passing out food to victims of the storm, and spending hours talking to the people of Tuscaloosa. Then, the Lord laid it on my heart to spend time with the kids in that area. I soon found out that there was going to be a Vacation Bible School (VBS) for the children in that area affected by the tornado and I jumped on the opportunity to spend time with these kids. The VBS helped the kids forget what had happen to them a few weeks before and God changed countless lives.
Now, God has called me to continue this mission of reaching out to others in need through this 11 month, 11 country mission trip. I will be teaming up with the World Race which is a ministry team that is based out of Gainsville, GA. The World Race organization is made up of people that have all done the 11 month 11 country mission trip at one time or other. Their website is www.theworldrace.org. On this mission trip I will be going to Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, Ukraine, Romania, Kenya, Uganda, Thailand, Tanzania, Cambodia, and Malaysia. While in each of these countries, I will be leading people to the Lord, disciplining other Christians, and working primarily with youth aged children. We will also be teaming up with local churches in each area to do God's work. While with the churches we will be doing VBS, playing sports, and sharing God's love with the kids.
This mission trip is a financial leap of faith. In order to do God's calling, I need approximately $20,000 to fund travel, food, living, mission work, VBS material, and vaccinations I will need to travel to all of these countries. I would truly be blessed if you would help me with God's calling for my life. We will be building churches, evangelizing door to door, fighting human trafficking, caring for the homeless, teaching English in schools, ministering through prayer, preaching in the streets, living with gypsies, providing orphans with homes, reaching out to the prostitues and feeding the hungry. The only way this will be done is by the will of God and your generous donations.
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Posted in General Posts by Joshua Dodd on 8/31/2011
During the past week God has shown me might things. The first thing He has shown me is that His love is unconditional. No matter what we do we can always turn back to Him and He will forgive you. The second thing He has shown me is that how well you think you are doing there is always going to be bumps along the way that will make u feel. When that happens you just got to get back up and dust your self off and keep on moving. The third thing is that He will always test you even when u think that u don't need to be tested its not your decision to make.
God promise us that He will never leave us nor for sake us. Which means that He will never put you in a situation that you can't handle. I have figured out this week that God will NEVER leave your side. Even if you think that you are alone He is always there watching over you and protecting you every place you go. Even if the Devil tries to temp you tell the devil to flee and he has to flee from you.
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