As I sit waiting to board a plane for Ireland I’ve been reflecting back to the crazy, wonderful, miraculous year leading up this day. It seems so long ago but oddly it also feels like yesterday I still had months to prepare. I can’t believe the day is finally here!!
When I first was considering the race Satan attacked me viciously. He filled my mind with all kinds of doubts, “you aren’t good enough for something like that”, “you are too quiet and shy, God can’t use you”, “you can’t make a difference in these people’s lives”, “that’s so far out of your comfort zone, you won’t be able to do it”, “people will think you are crazy and irresponsible”, and the big ones “nobody is going to support you”, and “your dad is going to disown you for even thinking about quitting your job to do something like this!!”. What’s really crazy is one of the first people I asked for prayer and advice about the race from repeated every single one of these doubts, almost word for word. It shook me deeply and I decided I wouldn’t go. I realized later that Satan had used that to get to me, and almost succeed!! But God didn’t give up on me. He constantly put the race on my heart. I got to the point where I couldn’t even sleep because I knew God wanted me to go but I was too scared to do it. One day I heard the song “Just might change your life” by Sidewalk Prophets on the radio and I heard God clearly saying, “it WILL change your life, GO!!” So I finally signed up and got accepted and I cannot describe the peace that finally came over me.
From the beginning I had intended to pay for the trip myself, since I was still believing that nobody would support me to do this. But things at work were beyond difficult. The reason I had even been looking for jobs at all in the beginning was because things had gotten so bad and I knew I wasn’t supposed to be at my company much longer. So a few weeks after signing up for the race an opportunity came to self-nominate for a layoff, and I felt God saying to trust him and do it. So I volunteered, praying as I did so for God to do what’s best and secretly hoping that what was best was NOT to get laid off. But I was accepted for the layoff. And two hours later got the phone call that I was also accepted for the Race. I was scared to death, but God said “do you trust me?”. I do, I do trust You.
I enjoyed my first few months off, went on a mission trip to Haiti, slept in, visited family and applied for jobs. Then I was offered a few jobs. I felt convicted to tell them that I intended to leave in July for a year and promptly the offers were retracted. After 3 or 4 times I started to panic. How was I supposed to pay for this trip?? My layoff money is almost gone and I have no more money coming in, SO many gear expenses coming PLUS the $15,500 for the trip, and now I can’t get a job because of the Race?!? God, how is this going to work?? I was determined to do this myself but I had reached a point of utter frustration and was totally freaked out over job and money, when I heard God say again “Do you trust me?”.. I kept coming across the verse from Philippians 4:5-9 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” So I finally handed it over, said I wasn’t going to worry about it. I can’t do this by myself so if I’m supposed to go, God is going to have to make it worse”. And at that moment, He did. Big time!
At this point, I still hadn’t told more than a handful of people about the trip. I was scared of their reaction, I didn’t want them to all continuously tell me how crazy and irresponsible I was being. So through prayer I finally wrote my first blog and sent out a handful of support letters and sat back waiting for people to chastise me. You know what? Checks started to come in. Everyone was very supportive. In fact I never found another person that was against what I was doing again. My parents were didn’t shun me, in fact they more supportive than I ever could have imagined they would be, and were even big financial and emotional support! (I thank God daily for my parents, I could not have done this without them!). When money for gear got tight, someone would randomly ask if I would babysit, or help them with a project they were doing, or clean for them. I had more odd jobs then I knew what to do with sometimes. Garage sales consisted of a garage full of stuff that was donated and were unusually successful, fundraisers received lots of help and filled in gaps, people I didn’t know handed me cash. God showed up big time!
Now, with a BIG THANKS to God and to all the amazing people listening to his call on their heart to help support me, I leave for Ireland almost fully funded, leaving me to focus on this race and not on finances. I currently stand at $11,200 in my account and $3000 in pledges over the next six months from some of the wonderful people who are supporting monthly. That leaves me only about $1300 short!! And it’s not due till December! Is God awesome or what? And Satan thought he could make me believe I couldn’t do it… 
