There were many days prior to the race where doubt sunk in. I felt like I was not equipped to do this. I didn’t understand how I was going to fundraise $16,600 in a little over one year. I felt like I needed a back-up plan.
Now I know that God’s plan doesn’t need a back-up plan. I also learned that no matter how much people around us doubt or disagree with our future endeavors, ultimately we have to trust in the Lord. People may have the best intentions when stating their logical concerns, but the Lord ultimately has say in what’s best for us. His word is the grandest and the strongest, so why would we be persuaded by another person when we have the Divine guiding us?
It’s weird living in something I’ve dreamed about since sophomore year. News flash: pursuing a dream, even if it’s from God, is not always a walk in the park. I have bad days because I’m just living life. When dreams become real life, the hard reality of life doesn’t evaporate. Sometimes, it even thickens because Lucifer doesn’t want us pursuing the Lord’s dreams. He spurs on quicksand of doubt in order to suck us out of the beautiful jungle of opportunity the Lord provides for us. He wants us to feel like we’re stuck in the dreariness that comes on when we feel inadequate or our dreams feel impossible.
Despite all of the pushback we may face when wholeheartedly chasing our dreams, we can find refuge in the Lord’s promises as long as we choose Him. Just like my good old friend em-dog says, “hard does not equal bad.” When things get tough, that gives us more of a reason to lean on God’s promises for our lives. When I felt like fundraising wasn’t going to come in, I eventually chose to loosen my grip on worries and embrace what God had told me. Don’t get me wrong, this was not easy, but I’m so glad that I did this.
I’m currently on month five of this mind-blowing, life-altering journey and the Lord has worked in and through me countless times. I’ve been humbled by the lesson that no matter what I try and understand logically, God’s will is always triumphant and glorious. We may not always be able to put confidence in our understanding, but we can put confidence in the fact that our God is a God that does not fall through on his promises.
God promised me that he would bring me on the World Race Gap Year, which means he also promised me that the funds would come through.
On December 27th, 2019, God fulfilled his promises. I am now fully-funded, and that is not thanks to my sub-par fundraising skills. Thank you so much to everyone who donated. You have been a part of God’s mosaic work in this fundraising. Know that most of the funds go into the funds of amazing ministries and churches around the world (specifically Thailand, Malaysia, India, and Costa Rica). Your contribution is way bigger than you realize. Thank you to God for being faithful even when I couldn’t wrap my head around how things were going to happen.
