If you're looking to hear how my life has been going lately and what God's been teaching me, click here. That was yesterday's post. 🙂
But if you're looking for the opportunity to be someone's answered prayer just in the nick of time, keep reading!
Since I committed to the race seven months ago, I have been amazed at the people coming out of the woodwork to give up their hard-earned money to send me out on the mission field. I didn't realize it until fundraising began, but God has blessed me with a very, very expansive and supportive Christian community.
I have had 63 different families/individuals/ministries donate to my trip.
I have received $14,290 in seven months without a single fundraiser.
I have accumulated over 14,000 page views on my blog.
I have 49 individuals who have subscribed to email updates for my blog.
And I couldn't even keep count of the number of encouraging FB and blog comments, text messages, prayers, emails, and conversations I've been blessed by!
I have supporters from…
My family
My boyfriend's family
Camden High School
Furman University
Mt. Zion Christian Fellowship
Bethel Worship Center
Bethel's Spanish Church
Homes of Hope (internship)
CrossFit Redeemed
Campus Outreach Leadership Project 2011
AIM Trip to Oklahoma 2013
God has shown me that in the past four years, He has expanded my community far beyond anything I could have ever conceived in high school!
Some of you haven't even seen me in years and yet you have reached out to support me through prayer, donations, and encouragement. You don't do this because you have to, but because you want to, and you have made me feel more loved than I have ever felt before!
You have been my miracle.
And now, you can be somebody else's miracle, too.
Not everyone has an expansive network like I have been blessed with. Some of my squad mates haven't received much support from their family, friends, or community as they prepare to journey with me in September.
Our first deadline ($3,500) is due on Friday and some of them are over $1,000 away from reaching it. If they don't reach it, they won't be able to join us at training camp in 11 days or on the race in September!
These squad mates have reached out to our squad and humbly sought advice and prayers. We are loving one another and praying for one another and encouraging one another and it is bringing our squad so much closer!
But we are depending on a miracle. Only God can provide this kind of money in just two days.
Could it be that you will be the one He uses to provide that miracle?
Do you want to be the answer to someone's prayer this week? Do you want to be their glory-to-God-He-really-is-faithful-and-provided-for-me moment?
If so, send me a Facebook message or email me (just click "contact" on the left) and I will send you a response with each person's name, blog link, and amount needed. You can visit their blogs and pray over who God is leading you to support.
I posted about this need on Facebook last night and got three messages– one from someone who has supported me and two from people who haven't given to my trip. And each message absolutely delighted me! I kept reporting to my squad, "I got another message!" and we would all rejoice together.
You are the most amazing and supportive community there ever was and as I've begun sharing you with my new community, my squad, I have been filled with so much joy! It blesses me to introduce you to my squad and let them see how generous you are. And it blesses me to introduce my squad mates to you and let you see their beautiful hearts and just how crucial they will be to my squad on this race.
Thank you so much for loving on me in the last seven months. "I thank my God every time I remember you." (Philippians 1:3)
If you feel led to love on my squad like you've loved me, please let me know. Please read their blogs (click here) and leave encouraging comments and pray for them and donate to their trips. May God bless you one hundred fold as you bless me and my fellow missionaries!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. A thousand times– thank you.
