Going into this new year, I wanted to update everyone on where i’m at regarding fundraising! As many of you know, Im required to raise $16,600 by January of 2020. I’m not going to lie, when I first saw that number my jaw dropped. I didn’t know how in the world I was going to be able to acquire that kind of money. I’m pretty inexperienced when it comes to fundraising so raising those kinds of funds was huge. In the middle of my doubt about all this, Jesus gently reminded me that I can trust in Him, that He is good and He will provide.
A story that has been on my mind a lot recently has been the story we all heard back in our pre-school days. The story of when Jesus takes just a little food and ends up feeding five thousand, found in Matthew 14: 13-21. In the story, Jesus defied what any human could think was possible. He fed 5,000 people with only 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. Matthew 14:20 says, “They ate as much as they wanted, and afterward, the disciples picked up twelve baskets of leftovers.” 12 whole baskets of leftovers!!! Are you kidding me? That is crazy! It wasn’t like Jesus was struggling to continue to feed the people and rationing out just a little food per person, no no no, the people ate “as much as they wanted” and there were still 12 baskets of leftovers! How powerful is that!? As I was reflecting on the magnitude of what Jesus provided for his children in this story, I realized that Jesus wants to do this in my life as I am preparing for my year serving his kingdom. He can take just a little and turn it into much.
As I’ve been in this season of preparing to leave for the race, God has absolutely wrecked me. Ive learned in a completely different way what it means to lean in and trust in him. What I thought was going to be stressful and unenjoyable, he has made peaceful and exciting. He has been walking with me and provided me with all the money I have raised. He called me on this gap year to serve him and I completely trust that he will provide the funds for me to be able to get there.
With all this being said, I am so excited and so overjoyed to say that I am halfway funded for the world race!! The Lord has provided every penny and I am in awe of how he has worked in peoples lives and in my life and multiplied money to get me to this place! To give you an idea of how I’ve raised this money, i’ll list out all the fundraisers I have done! So many people have been so generous and donated online right on this blog! On giving Tuesday, which was November 27th, I received a crazy amount of support from everyone. I sold T-shirts which were a huge help. I held a fundraising event at my house which had an awesome turn out. And last but not least, me and my dad started a coffee business earlier this year and all the profit made goes directly to this trip. Through that, I have been able to raise a great amount for my trip! I could not have raised any of this money without Jesus providing and everyone of you who has supported me! I can not put into words how incredibly thankful I am for all of your support, whether it has been financially or though prayer, it has impacted my season of preparation so much. Through raising this money, Jesus has showed me that He does not work within earthly time but in his own perfect timing. He has also reminded me that nothing is impossible for Him and that I can always trust in His unfailing goodness.
So, as I go into 2019, I’m feeling so thankful and i’m trusting in the Lord that He will provide the next $8,400 because I can always count on Him. God has blessed me for the hard work I’ve put into this effort and Im excited to see what He has in store for me throughout the rest of my fundraising.
As C.S Lewis says, “It would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak.” Im praying that you remember how big the God we serve is and how much blessing he has in store for every one of our lives.
Lots of love, Brooke <3
