What a journey it has been! Guys, God has provided so much in just the last 10 days and I don’t mean just monetary. Hold on to your seats because this is a mouth full of emotions and events!
I had a month and 8 days to fundraise $3,500 in order to stay on the field. On the morning of my birthday, April 1st, I found out that two friend’s of my squad mate Alyssa were inclined to donate. The Lord moved something in them and just like that, the morning I am to leave for Thailand we raised $2,000. Isn’t that amazing?! How cool is God that he waited until the morning of to pour $2,000 into my goal amount in one morning. His timing is so perfect.
Perfect timing, THAT’S a word so here we go. Since before the beginning of this journey, I had one more pay check left at home for $1,100 that I received from my old job I don’t even remember what for. Anyway, I was counting on the check in order to take it into my own hands and just donate to myself. Except, life happens even when you leave the country for a year, the world in the states keeps on turning. Month 2 I had some surprise bills to pay off and my saint mother and sister had to deal with those for me. They were a blessing to a world racer in west Africa with no internet, ability to make a phone call or an income. Over $800 were paid. Fast forward to April, it is time to hit my deadline and I ask my sister to deposit that one check that has my name on it. My parents did not allow it. “I love you, I’m sorry but I cannot deposit your check because we paid over $800 for you already and I do not want to continue helping you to stay on the field.”
Yep, I owed money and I needed to be a grown up about it and just pay my parents back for the amount they helped me with. I was not upset about it one bit. I was hurt though. I was hurt that my parents actually told me no. You see, my parents are the best people you will ever meet. They are humble, kind, caring, loving, hard working and have always supported me in every single decision I have ever made. My parents trust in my decisions and their trust in me has no limit. I don’t really deserve them actually, but I have them and for that I am beyond blessed and thankful. My parents have always made it a point to trust my decisions and have been tough on me when they don’t feel it is the best decision for my life. However, God has called me onto the field, away from them. Far, far away from their reach is something I have never been, so this mission trip has been hard on them. I lost a brother, but they lost their first child and their heart aches at the thought of loosing another. What my parents are still learning is that God did not bring me all this way just to make them suffer because I am far away, no. One of the reasons God brought me all this way is to work on their hearts and on mine. So, my parents voiced that they do not want to help me stay on the field. That is okay. It is okay because that allows space to work in their hearts and in mine. Space that God has something specifically worked out since the beginning of time.
You see, God doesn’t plan for bad things to happen to people in life but he sure does bring good out of it. We live in a broken world where bad exists. However, God always brings the light out of the darkness that humans fall into. God will redeem my parent’s hearts, but in HIS timing. This time was not yet their time. God has a different plan. This time was for others. Instead of my parents just being able to deposit a check with my name on it and just fund me already, God wanted to work on 11 different people!! Guys, 11 other hearts moved by God. They prayed about donating and they did. Eleven other hearts prayed to God simply because my parents weren’t willing to help me stay a few more months. Isn’t that amazing? God is so cool. Things just never go as you plan them to go, it is not your timing it is HIS. Oh and what a blessing to us that is. This world would be so much more broken if everything worked the way we planned it to work.
I am now in Thailand, and although I am still $317 short of my $11,500 goal I want to thank you all for helping me stay on the field. I cannot wait to share with you what this month is looking like and how much more God will work in the lives of those my team and I encounter.
Family: If you are reading this, go visit my parents for me and hug them tightly!
Friends: If you are reading this, share my story with those around you! I will be posting more pictures as the days go by!
