Today I am only $400 away from being fully funded.
$400 away from reaching the ultimate goal of $15,800.
With the little service I have, my phone mustered up the strength to load my fundraising page. What I wasn’t expecting was the number $15,400 to be starring back at me.
I wasn’t expecting that today, and honestly I wasn’t expecting that any day.
I have had faith in my big God to do a big thing and pull the funds together. I have believed in my providing Father to provide for me. But seeing the number 15,000 on my screen made part of me realize that I may never have really believed I’d get here.
Thank you God for providing for me anyways.
$15,400. That number seems impossible. That quantity seems too vast to comprehend. That investment seems too valuable to be entrusted to me. It seems too big to grasp and far too enormous to understand.
That number shows so much surrender from others that I don’t think I will ever really be able understand. That number holds multitudes of faces and names of family members, friends, strangers, and those who humbly labeled themselves as anonymous.
That numbers encapsulates miraculous support. It’s proof of extraordinary faith. It’s an enormous encouragement. A gigantic testament of the body of Christ.
Being on the mission field miles and months away from all of my relationships, it’s easy to feel disregarded, forgotten, and just simply far, far away. Those feelings aren’t true though— they’re lies.
Because my God says otherwise and because $15,400 says otherwise.
$15,400 says that there are people back home cheering me on. $15,400 says that people do care, do notice, and do support me enough to sacrifice their own hard earned finances for me to be here.
$15,400 encourages me of the faith that others have. That they believe in the power and passion of the gospel enough to empower me to share it. It encourages me that others have faith in God enough to believe that he can use me as his vessel to be his hands and his feet.
Now, I look at my World Race page and see the scale showing how much funding I have raised. Seeing the bar almost completely shaded in makes me remember the days when it was tiny enough that you had to squint to see it’s presence.
It makes me remember the days where I was too fearful to apply for the World Race because $15,800 was presumedly impossible. It makes me remember being incredibly intimidated, and thinking that others that were able to fundraise must have been specially ordained to be able to raise such an insane amount of money.
Now, on almost month 6 of the race and in my third country, I can attest that you do not have to be specifically ordained or some prophetic chosen “one in a million” to fundraise.
The truth is, you are a chosen one. I am a chosen one. God chose us as his beloved, faultless before the throne. He chose us gasping for his last earthly breaths on the cross. He chose us for such a time as this in our mother’s womb, before we had the chance to speak a word.
Though my own thoughts of myself, the influence of others in the world, and the lies of the enemy may tell me otherwise, the truth is I am beloved, chosen, and worthy of the Lord investing $15,800 on me by using others as his vessels to donate and support me.
This still astonishes and stuns me. I’m so thankful that the truth of who Jesus says I am and what he does for me never gets old.
Today, I got to share those truths with a lady tormented by lies, insecurity, and shame most likely her whole life. Living in an abusive household, I struggled to hear her speak the few words she’s utter so quietly coated in shame and discomfort.
Today, that amazing woman of peace Maria Victoria got the amazing opportunity to hear the love story of the gospel that changes everything for her.
Today, she was exposed to freedom, peace, joy, unconditional love, and hope for maybe the first time in the long years of her life.
I would bet $15,800 that those heavenly, eternal treasures will never get old for her either.
Maria Victoria’s soul being won for the kingdom is worth $15,800. Maria Victoria‘s future in eternity seated at the table with her Father is a testament to this nine months and $15,800 being well spent.
The testimony of Maria Victoria and the insane amount of money raised brings me to thankfulness.
I desire to be a young lady bursting with thankfulness. I desire to constantly be acting, speaking, and thinking from gratitude.
I desire to sing praises to my Father for the way he has provided for me. I desire to make my entire life the best worship song that I will ever create.
Thank you to everyone, from the very bottom of my heart and the top of my lungs, for your sacrifice and support to send me on the World Race.
I cannot exclaim enough gratitudes that encapsulate my thankfulness for your obedience in the Lord to support the spread of his love story to his children.
I am hopeful and excited for the day when I can introduce you to Maria Victoria inside of heavens gates.
Much love,
A Thankful Girl
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Let’s Chat!
919-606-5922
I would so appreciate any support in prayer! Prayer for more lives won for the kingdom and for peace and passion over Guatemala.
If you’re interested in donating to get me to my goal, I would be so grateful for any donations to either my Venmo @caela-steele or on this website!
