Galatians 5:17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
Preparing for my trip to Guatemala has been a war of flesh and Spirit.
Before the World Race, I was in sales and made very good income. I heavily invested my own money into the trip. Almost all my fundraising pre-race came from me matching the donations I received. During most of the race, I had the luxury of writing a check and fully funding myself. I never sweated the idea of funds. That was a year ago.
As I prepare for this next trip to Guatemala, I find myself in a familiar, yet new place. In order to launch on time, Sept 1st, I need to have $2,850 raised. This time, however, I can’t write a check to cover the amount. This time I must rely on the Lord fully.
The theme of my month 7 experience in Malaysia was “Do I trust God?” I found that in many areas of my life I didn’t. The Lord showed me all month how good, holy, loving, and trustworthy He is. I learned my lesson…right?
Since being accepted to go to Guatemala, I find myself looking daily at my support raising. As I shared my vision, the number on bottom line stayed the same. And even to this day, the number is the same. To my flesh, this is depressing. To my Spirit, this is God ready to show off.
I spent some time recently visiting a squad mate, Kylee, and her family in McAlester, Oklahoma. I had the opportunity to share my vision of this trip with the elders of Lakewood Christian Church. I was nervous approaching the elders and prayed that Lord would show up on my behalf…and did He ever.
I thought I was a stranger walking into this meeting. The Lord, however, had been preparing this encounter for years. The lead pastor of Lakewood Christian Church, Pr. Phil House, upon hearing that I lived in Miami, let me know that he is familiar with my church and has been receiving emails from my pastor, Bob Franquiz, for about 2 years! The Lord had prepared for me a relationship years before I walked through the doors.
I also met a wonderful man named Steve. He is an elder at Lakewood, and also an incredibly prophetic man of God. I told him that I was urgent about raising “2850” to leave by Sept 1st. Steve said “$28,500?” With head hung low I said, “No, $2,850”. He said, “that’s all?”
Those words have stuck with me. The hardest struggle for me right now is trusting God with $2,850. And God, who is my Father in Heaven, loves me endlessly, and has access to every resource ever is saying to me “that’s all?” It’s humbling to think that my faith is tested by $2,850. My Spirit chooses to believe in His provision; that this will be a defining moment in my life of the provision of my Father.
I have not earned income in appx 18 months. That’s a weird statement to make but it’s true. I have been relying on donations of people like you reading this to travel the world spreading the good news of Jesus Christ. A huge Thanks to all who have supported me up to this point. I wouldn’t be able to do it without you.
I need $2,850 by Sept 1st to launch to Antigua and a total of $5,500 to be fully funded.
I will be spending much of my time evangelizing and discipling Guatemalans into a relationship with Jesus Christ. I will be in Guatemala for 6 months.
I want to encourage you to pray about financially supporting me. I am as much a missionary (goer) as you (sender). To donate, click the SUPPORT ME tab on the left. You can make a one-time donation or setup for monthly giving. Thanks for your time and may the Lord bless you incredibly!
