This morning I woke up with a deep feeling in the pit of my stomach. Usually when I wake up I jump out of bed and immediately start doing something. Making coffee, tea, getting dressed, showering, etc. but I could not shake this feeling and so I asked God what it was. I think God is wanting me to write this blog to you.
God has interesting/weird/cosmic ways of working in our lives. I have always believed this. The way that things come together, the people we meet, the experiences we have, opportunities that open up, are all a part of God's plan for us. I'm sure if I asked you, you could spend a whole day telling me stories about how your life "coincidentally" came to be and the things God has done to get you there. This has been the case for me, and I want to share with you a bit about this.
Two and a half years ago I was calloused toward God. I believed in Him, but I didn't know how He fit into my life, and I didn't want Him to fit into my life because for me, religion had always been a battle. Being raised by an LDS father and a Christian mother I felt that I had to choose, and that this choice would mean that I loved my father more, or my mother more. So I stayed away from religion and almost everything that had to do with it, keeping my belief in God in my back pocket for when I really needed Him, having my moral and spiritual beliefs in the back of my mind but being too timid to bring them into fruition and letting the anger of the past rule me spiritually. (I'm sure many can relate to this).
But this is not how God wanted it, and through my limited yet fervent prayers He answered along the way he has lead me here, to a point of spiritual, emotional, and financial vulnerability. I remember the night I finally got it. It was my final summer of knocking doors in Denver and I was on the back porch with my dear friend Claire. Claire, being a former student of Bethel Bible school was a Christian, and I’m not gonna lie, she kind of blew my mind. Me, being raised religiously, was taught to believe that people who believed in God and were “good” Christians didn't smoke, drink, swear, or use bad language. As I sit on the back porch drinking a beer with her while she danced and smoked a cigarette to United Pursuit, I remember talking to her about these feelings I had toward God and religion as a whole. At that moment she said a few simple words that would change my life forever. She said, "Forget about all that and focus on How God loves you."
I had nothing to say. I’m not sure if I fully understood those words at that moment or what they meant, or what they would mean to me later on, but somehow, on some level I got it. God made me, I am His daughter, and He loves me! Simple! I don't have to do anything, say anything, or not do anything to deserve this love. Because of this fact and the many other prayers he has answered I am here, waiting in limbo for the next chapter of my life to unfold, ready to go on this mission and serve His children, to spread this simple yet powerful Gospel of Jesus that I know to be true and I am so willing and happy to be doing it. However, as I reach my second deadline of financial support, I need your help!
I am now only a few weeks away from my second deadline where I will need to have $6,500 in my support account. Currently I am at $4,051.85 I am waiting for a few things to happen financially for me but it is getting to the point where I am under some pressure and waiting for God’s hand in my personal finances and in fundraising to get me there. If you can, and if God places it in your heart to give, then please consider becoming a sponsor for me and helping me reach this deadline. There are several ways you can donate. You can opt in to a monthly sponsorship where you can set up a payment of $10,$20,$30, $100 a month until I am fully funded, you can do a one-time sponsorship of whatever amount you choose, or you can visit my cousins webpage and take part of the charity auction she is hosting for me at www.facebook.com/amandarosechicboutique.
Please don’t feel obligated to do this, as I believe that God will provide one way or the other for me to go on this trip, but if you feel you that you want to and you get that feeling in the pit of your stomach…
Thank you for following and as always, may God bless you!
Psalm 107 21-22 “Let them give thanks to the Lord for His unfailing love and His wonderful deeds toward men. Let them sacrifice thank offerings and tell of his works with songs of joy.”
