To haven’t for those of you yet to hear, I am officially FULLY FUNDED! Praise God, it has been a crazy fundraising ride. Here is how it went down, as well as how my time in Africa finished out, and what I’m up to now in the Philippines:
On January 20th I was in Lilongwe, Malawi, my second month in the country. It has been raining heavily on almost a daily basis, and it seemed that each night my tent was becoming less and less effective at keeping the water out. However, the reality is that my problems of trying to keep my stuff dry didn’t compare with the problems faced by the people of Malawi. With the rain, record flooding displaced close to 200,000 people in the southern part of the country. This is just one example of many reality checks I have faced since being on the Race.
It seems as if everything I thought I knew previously has been shattered over the course of the last eight months. My perception of the world is now completely different. The same can be said about my perception of myself. As I told my friend/squad leader the other day, when I think back about who I was eight months ago, I don’t recognize that person anymore. God has radically changed everything, and I can’t put into words how grateful I am for that.
On the 24th of January, to the best of my knowledge, I was still over $3,000 short of being fully funded, three weeks past the official deadline, and 10 days before I was supposed to fly to the Philippines. Then God showed up. Again. That afternoon I checked my fundraising account and saw that over $3,300 had come in on just the 20th alone. $2,000 of it was anonymous. I was fully funded. I had no words. I was literally speechless. Witnessing all of this, my friend and squadmate Steven started yelling in celebration for me, running throughout our camp letting everyone know. Much celebration ensued, with loud noises, huge smiles, and even bigger hugs. Throughout all of this, I was still speechless. I was in awe of what God had just done in my life. I am in awe of what else He is going to do.
My question then, and now still, is “Jesus, why have you been so good to me?” So often. Tis World Race I have found myself in awe of how far God has taken me. I’m just some poor kid from the middle of nowhere, California, and yet here I am, in Manila, Philippines, writing this blog. When I was a kid my dad told me about the Thrilla in Manilla, where Muhammed Ali fought Joe Frazier in one of the greatest fights in boxing history. The other day I was outside the arena where that happened. What? Seriously, how is this my life? It is ridiculous to me sometimes when I think about the path that I have walked in my life. But what’s perhaps the craziest thing is that The Lord isn’t even close to being done with me. He has so much more planned for my life.
I don’t deserve all of this. I’m not qualified. But as my friend Troy has always told me, God doesn’t call the qualified, he qualifies the called. When I think about this, it gives me confidence like I never thought I could have before. Throughout the race, and even before, God has given me dreams and visions for the future. I’m excited because even though I’m scared to go for e big dreams, I know the Holy Spirit will be with me through it all. God’s got me. The problem this has posed for me currently is staying present in the moment while processing all of this. But this is a good problem to have: my God is too good.
One of these big dreams/visions God has given me is forbopening my own school one day. I have been inspired and empowered by our work at a Christian school here in Manila this month. Seeing how The Lord is working here has made me confident that I can be used in big ways in the future. God has so much in store for me on the Race, and in my life. This is true for everyone. God uses small people to do big things for the Kingdom, and you don’t have to be recongnized like Moses or David to be used for God’s purposes. I think all followers of Christ need to start recognizing that we each have been chosen for a specific purpose, unlike any other, for the glory of God. An essential truth my teammate and friend Brittany states often is, “We have nothing to prove, and only One to please.” Holding onto this truth will allow me, and all of us who follow Jesus, walk in the freedom and empowerment that comes through our salvation.
