I finally made two of my running and hiking goals recently! The other day I made my 2/3s goal of walking, jogging, and sometimes running 2 miles in 32 minutes with 21.6 lbs on my back. My total goal is 3 miles in 50 mins. with my big pack weighing around 30 lbs on my back and my little one weighing no more than 20 lbs on my front. So by making 2 miles in an average of 16 minutes with 2/3 of my backpack weight on, I have completed my 2/3s goal! And I even had 11 seconds to spare, which is cool since 11 has become a significant number to me since I will be going to 11 countries in 11 months for the next year, starting in early August.
Me after I made my 2/3s goal on April 27th!
The next day, I felt like running even though it was 50 degrees outside and raining. I hardly ever feel like running out of my own free will, so whenever it happens, I take advantage of those moments and just go. I drove to my local track and decided to run without weight and just time myself to see how fast I could run 3 miles and if I could push myself enough to make it in 50 minutes or less. I decided to run one prayer lap around the track in honor of my friend and squadmate Rebecca because of everything she’s been going through lately and because she was having a bad day.
God taught me some things about fundraising and life during that lap. I started off jogging slow and steady to pace myself. But I had already been going for a long time and I was weary so I walked. But then God reminded me this lap was not for me, it was for Rebecca. So I started tearing up because I was so tired and weary, but I agreed, so I started running. Even though I was crying, God gave me the strength to run faster for Rebecca than I had for myself because it was for her, not me. God gave me His strength and I ran for about 1/3 of the lap. Then I grew weary and started walking and tearing up again. I reminded myself to keep going, so I jogged. Then I was so close, but so hurt and tired. My goal was in sight, but all I could do was walk determinedly towards it. And then it was finally over and I cried with relief.
But then God reminded me I still had .30 of a mile to finish what I started to reach my goal of 3 miles in 50 minutes. So I started running again, but not as fast as I had for Rebecca. But now since I had taken the prayer lap, I understood why I had to keep going, even if that meant jogging or walking.
Fundraising isn’t about ourselves. It’s about giving God the glory and running towards Him in new and scary ways so we can serve others. We will get weary, we will cry and doubt and wonder if this is really what God promised us. But all we can do is keep running! Keep praying, hoping, believing, and reaching out to others. There’s nothing we can do to earn it. God can dump money on us whenever He wants, but our mindset has to be right first.
We have to be seeking Him and doing His will. We have to believe even when everything is hopeless. We have to try to do our part and TRUST Him, even when nothing makes sense. God loves us and wants to provide for us. But by trusting Him, even in the darkest moments, we’re showing that we love Him too.
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So with that, I wanted to give God the glory for His faithfulness! As you can see in my account, God has recently blessed me with His undeniable provision and I am now 52% funded!! Praise the Lord for He is a good, good Father!! I am very close to my 2nd goal of raising $10,000, which is officially due in July, but I’m hoping to raise this amount by the end of May. I also want to thank all the supporters and churches who have felt led to support me on my World Race mission trip recently! Several people who have donated in the past have felt led to give more than what they have already given, one couple went from being a one-time donor to supporting me monthly, another supporter has decided to support me monthly, and I have already received back 2 of my 11 adopt-a-jars from my Adopt-a-Jar fundraiser that I put on Facebook a few weeks ago! If anyone feels led to give to help me reach my next goal of $10,000, I would really appreciate it! Just click the above “donate!” button or comment on here if you would like to support me by check and I can give you more information. My Adopt-a-Jar and Adopt-A-Box fundraisers are still going on if you would like to participate in either of those. I am also really thankful for anyone who has prayed over me, my team, my squad, and/or the countries we are being sent to starting in early August, as well as anyone who has read my blogs or encouraged me in any way!
Please join me in praying during the month of May that I would reach my 2nd support goal of $10,000 by May 31st or sooner and that I would be fully funded by late July or sooner so I don’t have to carry the burden of fundraising while I’m away serving in different countries. Besides fundraising, please pray for God to prepare my heart, mind, and soul for the World Race as this will be my first mission trip and my first time out of the United States! I am so excited and it’s getting so close now with Training Camp only 36 days away and our expected Launch date less than 100 days away! Please also pray that God would prepare the hearts of the people that we will encounter on the Race, that they will be open and receptive to God’s message of love for them! Thank you all! You guys are the best!
