A Once in a Lifetime Dream - RY '16
Donation protected
I felt called.
I prayed.
I quit my full time, first ever, career oriented job for this.
The opportunity of a lifetime.
Let me ask you...
"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"
Wow. I never thought I would be one to start an online fundraising account. Yet, here I am. This is definitely not easy to do. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. This is an extremely humbling experience. But here goes another step of faith.
It's Monday. 11:41am. I woke up a few hours ago, drenched in saliva. My boy Max attacked my face with his puppy tongue in hopes I would get up and take him out.
I grabbed my pillow.
Wiped my face.
And rolled over.
Sorry bud.
Another hour or so goes by, and I find myself in the same situation. He won this round. So, covered in saliva, I get up and take him out. As annoying as it can be, he makes for a great alarm clock considering he wakes up between 6am - 7am every day. But, today was a bit different. While I’m sitting at the grass area watching Max pinch a load, I got an email. An email that excited me and is the reason I am currently sitting at my dining room table, coffee at my side, writing this post.
Who am I?
My name is David Lemus and I am a 23-year-old recent college graduate from Grand Canyon University. I was born and raised in Southern California where I grew up loving the beach, playing sports, and pursuing my passion for music. I was brought out to Arizona when I applied to 5 different colleges and received 4 rejection letters due to the failure of sending my transcripts to those 4 colleges. No, I didn't forget to send them lol. I paid a company to send them and they sent them to 1 out of the 5 schools. Their mistake which led to the best years of my life! So, as you could guess, Grand Canyon University it was. I graduated in December of 2015 with my degree in accounting and immediately found a position as an accountant.
I was recommended by my professors for the accounting position at the brand new golf course GCU was opening. It was a huge blessing being able to walk right into a full-time job that started the Monday following my graduation! But 6 months go by and I'm burnt out. I kept asking myself, "what am I doing? This isn't me. I can't keep sitting behind a desk for 10 hours a day staring at computer screens, creating spreadsheets and generating reports while locked in an office with no windows." I had to make a change. I was becoming miserable and bitter. After prayer and counsel, I decided now is the time. Now is the time to step out of the boat and trust that God has a better job planned for me. A better opportunity. He knows me. He knows my heart. He knows what will suit me best. Well, He sure is faithful because He has provided the opportunity of a lifetime!!
I've been accepted!!
I'm beyond excited to announce that with over 100,000 applicants enduring various application processes and skype interviews, I have been selected as 1 of 75 people who will be traveling to various countries around the world through a program called The Remote Year!
IKIGAI pronounced (ee-ki-guy) is a Japanese concept meaning "a reason for being."
Woah, what?
I know, right? What is the purpose? How did you hear about it? What cities/countries are you going to? Why do you want to to go? How much does it cost? The questions can go on and on.
Let me start here:
What is the purpose?
From the information I’ve gathered through their website and various social media platforms such as Facebook , Instagram, and Twitter; the purpose is to experience different cultures across the globe while building life-long relationships with the 74 other participants and everyone we meet along the way!
Each city we stay in, we are given opportunities to explore through hikes, camping, community events, festivals, indoor/outdoor markets, key business conferences, and more. And through these experiences, we are being stretched and shaped into a group of people who get to experience first-hand how other cultures live. Our eyes will be opened to the beauty of the world and the understanding of where people come from, how they were raised, why they value what they value.
How did you hear about it?
Crazy enough, I saw an ad on Facebook. Yup. Facebook. I was scrolling trough my news feed when I saw an ad promoting travel for online workers. Being someone who has always had a desire for travel, I was hooked. I clicked on the link and got lost for hours reading about the program and what the past participants have experienced. I felt such a calling to apply. So I did. Right then. Right there. And weeks later, here I am.
What cities/countries are you going to?
The 12 cities of August 2016 are:
1) Lisbon, Portugal
2) Rabat, Morocco
3) Sofia, Bulgaria
4) Split, Croatia
5) Prague, Czech Republic
6) Valencia, Spain
7) Mexico City, Mexico
8) Bogotá, Colombia
9) Medellín, Colombia
10) Lima, Peru
11) Córdoba, Argentina
12) Buenos Aires, Argentina
SO COOL!
Why do you want to go?
The last time I wrote about this opportunity was a week ago before I was accepted. I wrote:
"THIS IS UNREAL! This would be an opportunity of a lifetime! Being 23, single, and a recent college graduate, I have nothing holding me back. Everything in me says GO! My prayer is that this door would continue to open and God would provide all the means necessary to pursue this desire!"
I want to go because God has given me the desire to go! I have always loved traveling and experiencing other cultures! I have always loved people and finding out who they are, where they come from and why they do what the do. What shapes a person? Sure, you can listen to people all you want. And that is an extremely important part of the understanding process. But now, this can take everything to the next level. Instead of just listening to people, I can go and experience people. I can experience, their lifestyle.
How much does it cost?
The total for the program is $27,000. Whoa.
I have been asked to pay a down payment of $5,000 by May 30th, 2016. This secures my spot and gives me the green light to go. After that, I am required to pay $2,000 by the first of every month upon the start of the journey, August 1st.
What does that include?
All travel between destinations
All accommodations for the year - living expenses.
Workspace with internet, accessible 24/7
Activities and community events
At first, this discouraged me. Then it convicted me. Why should I be discouraged? Do I not have enough faith that God can and will provide if this is where He is leading me? God has the ability to make ALL THINGS POSSIBLE. And I have faith, that since He opened this door, He will provide.
Friends. Family. This is not easy for me to do. I don't like asking for help. This scares me. Makes me feel uneasy. Gives me anxiety. Makes me question whether or not I should really go. But, if I don’t try, I’ll never know.
I ask that you prayerfully consider partnering with me in this journey.
"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"
This is about so much more than money. This is about the experience of a lifetime! I've heard from COUNTLESS people that if they could go back and travel, they would! If they had the opportunity like this when they were my age, they would have JUMPED on it! I have been presented with an opportunity and I'm jumping. I can't sit anymore and ask myself what if? I won't do it. It's time to shift out of neutral and into gear.
I will be capturing my journey through my blog "a life that echoes," writing about any and every experience along the way, taking and posting countless pictures. I want you to be involved in this. I want you to know what is happening and how things are going. I want you to see what I see and as you follow along, get to experience this opportunity with me! I don't know what is going to happen. But I see beauty in that. The unknown gives us a chance to dream. A chance to imagine. A chance to walk blindly trusting that there is something waiting to be found, waiting to be experienced, and ultimately, waiting to be shared with others. If you made it this far, read this entire post, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means so much to have people who care about me, who care about what I'm doing and where God is leading.
Please, if you could, pray for me. Pray that God will use his people to provide. Pray that God will provide a job, where I can work from anywhere in the world as long as I have an internet connection. Pray for the experiences ahead, that I may be all things to all people along this journey, yet, confidently stable on Jesus as my rock.
Again, thank you so much! I am excited to see how all of this plays out. I will definitely keep you all updated!
God bless :)
"But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:6
Again, I ask...
"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"
I prayed.
I quit my full time, first ever, career oriented job for this.
The opportunity of a lifetime.
Let me ask you...
"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"
Wow. I never thought I would be one to start an online fundraising account. Yet, here I am. This is definitely not easy to do. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. This is an extremely humbling experience. But here goes another step of faith.
It's Monday. 11:41am. I woke up a few hours ago, drenched in saliva. My boy Max attacked my face with his puppy tongue in hopes I would get up and take him out.
I grabbed my pillow.
Wiped my face.
And rolled over.
Sorry bud.
Another hour or so goes by, and I find myself in the same situation. He won this round. So, covered in saliva, I get up and take him out. As annoying as it can be, he makes for a great alarm clock considering he wakes up between 6am - 7am every day. But, today was a bit different. While I’m sitting at the grass area watching Max pinch a load, I got an email. An email that excited me and is the reason I am currently sitting at my dining room table, coffee at my side, writing this post.
Who am I?
My name is David Lemus and I am a 23-year-old recent college graduate from Grand Canyon University. I was born and raised in Southern California where I grew up loving the beach, playing sports, and pursuing my passion for music. I was brought out to Arizona when I applied to 5 different colleges and received 4 rejection letters due to the failure of sending my transcripts to those 4 colleges. No, I didn't forget to send them lol. I paid a company to send them and they sent them to 1 out of the 5 schools. Their mistake which led to the best years of my life! So, as you could guess, Grand Canyon University it was. I graduated in December of 2015 with my degree in accounting and immediately found a position as an accountant.
I was recommended by my professors for the accounting position at the brand new golf course GCU was opening. It was a huge blessing being able to walk right into a full-time job that started the Monday following my graduation! But 6 months go by and I'm burnt out. I kept asking myself, "what am I doing? This isn't me. I can't keep sitting behind a desk for 10 hours a day staring at computer screens, creating spreadsheets and generating reports while locked in an office with no windows." I had to make a change. I was becoming miserable and bitter. After prayer and counsel, I decided now is the time. Now is the time to step out of the boat and trust that God has a better job planned for me. A better opportunity. He knows me. He knows my heart. He knows what will suit me best. Well, He sure is faithful because He has provided the opportunity of a lifetime!!
I've been accepted!!
I'm beyond excited to announce that with over 100,000 applicants enduring various application processes and skype interviews, I have been selected as 1 of 75 people who will be traveling to various countries around the world through a program called The Remote Year!
IKIGAI pronounced (ee-ki-guy) is a Japanese concept meaning "a reason for being."
Woah, what?
I know, right? What is the purpose? How did you hear about it? What cities/countries are you going to? Why do you want to to go? How much does it cost? The questions can go on and on.
Let me start here:
What is the purpose?
From the information I’ve gathered through their website and various social media platforms such as Facebook , Instagram, and Twitter; the purpose is to experience different cultures across the globe while building life-long relationships with the 74 other participants and everyone we meet along the way!
Each city we stay in, we are given opportunities to explore through hikes, camping, community events, festivals, indoor/outdoor markets, key business conferences, and more. And through these experiences, we are being stretched and shaped into a group of people who get to experience first-hand how other cultures live. Our eyes will be opened to the beauty of the world and the understanding of where people come from, how they were raised, why they value what they value.
How did you hear about it?
Crazy enough, I saw an ad on Facebook. Yup. Facebook. I was scrolling trough my news feed when I saw an ad promoting travel for online workers. Being someone who has always had a desire for travel, I was hooked. I clicked on the link and got lost for hours reading about the program and what the past participants have experienced. I felt such a calling to apply. So I did. Right then. Right there. And weeks later, here I am.
What cities/countries are you going to?
The 12 cities of August 2016 are:
1) Lisbon, Portugal
2) Rabat, Morocco
3) Sofia, Bulgaria
4) Split, Croatia
5) Prague, Czech Republic
6) Valencia, Spain
7) Mexico City, Mexico
8) Bogotá, Colombia
9) Medellín, Colombia
10) Lima, Peru
11) Córdoba, Argentina
12) Buenos Aires, Argentina
SO COOL!
Why do you want to go?
The last time I wrote about this opportunity was a week ago before I was accepted. I wrote:
"THIS IS UNREAL! This would be an opportunity of a lifetime! Being 23, single, and a recent college graduate, I have nothing holding me back. Everything in me says GO! My prayer is that this door would continue to open and God would provide all the means necessary to pursue this desire!"
I want to go because God has given me the desire to go! I have always loved traveling and experiencing other cultures! I have always loved people and finding out who they are, where they come from and why they do what the do. What shapes a person? Sure, you can listen to people all you want. And that is an extremely important part of the understanding process. But now, this can take everything to the next level. Instead of just listening to people, I can go and experience people. I can experience, their lifestyle.
How much does it cost?
The total for the program is $27,000. Whoa.
I have been asked to pay a down payment of $5,000 by May 30th, 2016. This secures my spot and gives me the green light to go. After that, I am required to pay $2,000 by the first of every month upon the start of the journey, August 1st.
What does that include?
All travel between destinations
All accommodations for the year - living expenses.
Workspace with internet, accessible 24/7
Activities and community events
At first, this discouraged me. Then it convicted me. Why should I be discouraged? Do I not have enough faith that God can and will provide if this is where He is leading me? God has the ability to make ALL THINGS POSSIBLE. And I have faith, that since He opened this door, He will provide.
Friends. Family. This is not easy for me to do. I don't like asking for help. This scares me. Makes me feel uneasy. Gives me anxiety. Makes me question whether or not I should really go. But, if I don’t try, I’ll never know.
I ask that you prayerfully consider partnering with me in this journey.
"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"
This is about so much more than money. This is about the experience of a lifetime! I've heard from COUNTLESS people that if they could go back and travel, they would! If they had the opportunity like this when they were my age, they would have JUMPED on it! I have been presented with an opportunity and I'm jumping. I can't sit anymore and ask myself what if? I won't do it. It's time to shift out of neutral and into gear.
I will be capturing my journey through my blog "a life that echoes," writing about any and every experience along the way, taking and posting countless pictures. I want you to be involved in this. I want you to know what is happening and how things are going. I want you to see what I see and as you follow along, get to experience this opportunity with me! I don't know what is going to happen. But I see beauty in that. The unknown gives us a chance to dream. A chance to imagine. A chance to walk blindly trusting that there is something waiting to be found, waiting to be experienced, and ultimately, waiting to be shared with others. If you made it this far, read this entire post, thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. It means so much to have people who care about me, who care about what I'm doing and where God is leading.
Please, if you could, pray for me. Pray that God will use his people to provide. Pray that God will provide a job, where I can work from anywhere in the world as long as I have an internet connection. Pray for the experiences ahead, that I may be all things to all people along this journey, yet, confidently stable on Jesus as my rock.
Again, thank you so much! I am excited to see how all of this plays out. I will definitely keep you all updated!
God bless :)
"But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind." James 1:6
Again, I ask...
"When was the last time you did something for the first time?"
Organizer
David Lemus
Organizer
Phoenix, AZ