Turning 30 was a huge milestone for me and one that I was not overly excited to face. I know it doesn’t seem old to many, but for me it was something I was not looking forward to celebrating. And then it came to me; Psalm 30:11, “You have turned my mourning into joyful dancing.” God did not want me to fear or dread this milestone, so I decided to celebrate it…and I began planning the Fall Fundraiser “30 for 30″…a little twist on Global Shore’s “100 at 100.”
My husband and I had the privilege of visiting Guatemala in February of this year. We had an amazing time of serving, loving and being loved on by the people of Guatemala. That trip is where our heart for Guatemala began to grow and so I wanted to be able to have a birthday with a purpose and to not be the only one ‘turning mourning into dancing.’ After a lot of work and help from family and friends, my 30th birthday fall fundraiser was an amazing time. A room filled with people from all parts of my life: work, school, friends, church and my family was the best birthday gift I could have asked for. I was overwhelmed at everybody’s generosity to give $30 for the 30 years of life God has blessed me with. It was a great night and I hope it is a blessing to those in Guatemala!
Scroll through the image gallery on the left to see the photos from Maryann’s insanely awesome fall fundraiser birthday! It included a raffle table, line dancing, a treat station, an enormous Jenga game, pumpkin crafts, a giant pumpkin checker board…absolutely next level! Definitely inspiring!! In total Maryann raised $1500 at her birthday fundraiser, which she split between Global Shore and Galilee Bible Camp. We are so thankful!!!!
