My desire to walk the Appalachian Trail began when I was 18 and hiked for a few weeks with a group of friends from my church. Nature has always been a connection to God in my life and I certainly felt that connection deeply on the Appalachian Trail!
My passion in life is to know Jesus better every day. The most important relationship I am involved in is with my Lord and Savior, Jesus. But, my passion inevitably carries over into relationships with other people because I believe that my relationship with God is something that should be seen by them. My love for Him means that I want to do life well with everyone I meet. This would include my family, my church family, my friends, neighbors, co-workers, and anyone I come in contact with along life's way.
However, my commitment to college, marriage, children, and careers did not allow time for this hike -- thus the dream slipped to the recesses of my mind.
The idea of doing a thru-hike was born anew in my mind in the spring of 2012.
It still was not the right time for many reasons but in the fall of that year I was diagnosed with cancer which certainly put an end to any immediate action. After a 7 year journey that included 8 surgeries, chemotherapy, a long healing process, and moving to a different stage of life, I feel that this is the time God has called me to step out into this new adventure.
My goal in walking the Appalachian Trail is not much different from my goal in life.
I want to know God better each step of my journey. I know that will involve interaction with nature and other people along the way. But I also believe it will be a very personal journey with me and my Lord. As I began to make definite plans and put a date to the beginning of this journey, I felt God's leading to include others and to use this thru hike as a means to help a larger segment of our population. I felt compelled to walk and raise money for StirringWaters which is a project of Removing the Barriers Initiative and under the leadership of Bill Redmon, a man I respect greatly!
I am working hard to become the best physical version of myself, to build a team of like-minded fundraisers, and to acquire and prepare my gear for this Incredible Journey!
Please consider joining me!
--- I need your prayers for my physical well-being.
--- I need your prayers for the resources to raise $1,000,000 for Stirring Waters.
--- I need your prayers for the souls I will meet along the journey.
Praise God NOW for all He will do!
USE BILL PAY OR CHECK
-- To maximize your donation you can mail checks to:
Jill's Journey
Lake Aurora Christian Camp
237 Golden Bough Road
Lake Wales, FL 33898
Have you ever watched a small child run into the arms of someone they love?
We are to seek our heavenly Father with that same trust and enthusiasm.
He is waiting for us to come running to him with a sense of abandon...a carefree, almost reckless desire to know him completely! But how do you get there?
In Run with Abandon, Jill McGaffigan offers you a clear path to discovering and embracing a greater level of intimacy with God. She shows you how to rekindle that childlikeness that will both please Him and you!
Run With Abandon on Amazon