I hope this new post finds you all healthy and in good spirits! I know it has been over a month since I have posted anything new, but things have been a bit of a whirlwind!
Here is a quick re-cap of what has been going on these past few weeks:
– Packed up everything I have accumulated over that past 8 years in Charleston in left my amazing house in downtown Charleston and headed for the suburbs of Mt. Pleasant. Who knew 5 miles away could feel like a foreign country! It has been a surprisingly huge adjustment having to drive everywhere! So as the prices of gas are steadily increasing, I have been trying to work my schedule around the CARTA bus schedule…yet another attempt to save my pennies!
– The school year has begun! It was VERY odd to not be going back to school, setting up my classroom, and getting ready to meet a whole new batch of 14 year olds! With that said, I am now back to the wonderful life of being a substitute teacher. I am able to get a job about 4 days a week and still work at the restaurant nights and weekends! God has certainly provided enough employment for me!
– I have started a leadership class at my church on Sunday mornings. I am so excited to have been able to work this into my weekly schedule! After getting over the fact that I needed to buy an $85 ESV Study Bible, the class is in full swing! I have been so blessed by our discussions on the gospel, sin, salvation, and how to be a leader in the church. While most people are in this class to become a small group leader at the church, I am so excited to see how I will use new skills as I enter into the mission field next year!
Update on World Race:
God has been blessing me in too many ways to count! Here are just a few of the ways that come to mind:
– Incredible teammates! While I only know them via Facebook, I can already tell that each one will bring different gifts, challenges, and wisdom to the group and the world! I cannot wait to meet them all in less than a month (@ training camp, October 13-20th in the mountains of Georgia!)
– An amazing family. It is hard to talk often with our busy schedules, but I don't need to in order to know how much I love them and what an amazing gift from God they are! The more I begin to understand God's love for me, the more I realize that I have a glimpse of this in my family.
While the blessings are flowing abundantly, I do have a prayer request:
– I have been saving and budgeting for months to try and pay for this trip myself. At one point I was working 18 hour days, 70-80 hour weeks, and eating for under $3 a day! I really thought that I could do it all myself – and I was so proud.
I'll give you one guess what God did with my pride. Yep, He took it all right out from under me! Just when I thought I had it all under control, God reminded me that He is, in fact, in control and that I need to rely on Him. He can provide for me far better than I can provide for myself.
I won't go into all the details, but some rather large and unforeseen costs have fallen in my lap very recently. So, while I had everything perfectly budgeted, now things are a bit shaky.
In the next few days I will be posting a list of the supplies I need for my trip. Together they add up, but the individual things themselves are not outrageously expensive. Please prayerfully consider choosing an item from the list and donating that amount to my support fund (see link above).
Pray also that I can continue to trust God to provide all my needs in the ways He desires.
Remember this simple verse (always one of my favorites!):
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6
Love,
Mary
