An Intro to Me

Hi all! My name is Coryn Zurcher and I am SO excited that you’re reading this. I have been called to this amazing opportunity to travel the world next year in the form of a gap year for NINE MONTHS to spread God’s love. I am incredibly lucky to have this opportunity presented to me and cannot wait to grow in my faith while doing the same for others around the globe.

My faith has staggered over the years, from consistant church attendance at a young age to on-and-off youth groups to nothing at all. After I attended a winter retreat with my youth group as an underclassmen, I knew the faith-based life was the one for me. I have kept constant in my faith ever since, wether it be individualized and personal or in a youth group or church. Besides the obvious (helping and making a difference in the world), one of my main goals in attending this mission trip is to grow in my own faith. High school has been a confusing time for me, and I want to be steadfast in my faith, beliefs, and morals before I begin college and step into the real world. 

I will spend approximately three months in Eswatini (aka Swaziland) in Southern Africa, three months in Ethiopia in East Africa, and three months in Cambodia in Asia. I have wanted to do mission work in Africa for so long, and how lucky am I to get to spend six months doing it?! What’s even cooler to me are the things we will be doing at each of these locations. In Swaziland we will focus on children’s ministry with the many kids orphaned by the HIV/AIDS epidemic. We will simultaneously train them to be the next generation of leaders in their country. In Ethiopia we will build relationships with at-risk children and often neglected elders while learning about their unique cultural identity. We will also focus on reforestation and spiritual restoration within the community (how cool!?!). In Cambodia we will be God’s hands in rebuilding the country after a devastating genocide wiped out an entire generation. We will also have the opportunity to teach local street kids English. 

Re-reading that sounds like a fairy tale or some sort of dream, but I am all too glad that it is true. I am so excited to go out into the world and make a difference, but I need YOUR help!! In order to go, I must fundraise $15,800 by January of 2021, averaging just over $1,000 per month. Although it seems like a long ways away, it will come before we know it! I would seriously absolutely majorly appreciate any donations at all, wether it be $1 or $1,000! I am thrilled that I have this incredible opportunity in front of me and so lucky to have such an amazing community around me that I know will help me get there! 

DONATION INFO: I will be holding many fundraisers over the next year in many forms, so please don’t worry if you don’t want to simply donate. The “Donate Now!” button on the fundraising bar at the top of my blog is a great way to donate directly to my race (it is technically a donation to a non-profit, therefore a tax deductible for those of you interested!). You can also Venmo me at anytime (my username is @corynzurcher) or Zelle if you prefer that (my phone number is 303-500-7440). Subscribe to my blog by selecting the “Follow Me” tab on the left hand side of my blog or the “Subscribe for Updates” button above the fundraising tracker. By subscribing, you will receive emails when I update my blog and therefore information about each new fundraiser I hold! I thank all of you in advance for the overwhelming support I will receive, thank you for reading and I hope you continue to support