EEEEK! I have officially been fundraising for one month. It has been filled with amazing prayer and blessing, as well as some frustration and confusion. I have promised to myself and to those that desire to join me in this that I would be fully transparent, through the highs and lows, breezes and difficulties. First, I want to talk about how incredibly thankful I am for those who have dedicated prayer and financial support to me. I am so blessed to have such a generous community willing to lift me up. I find myself constantly in awe of Pops, and the incredible grace and 180 that He has given me in the past couple of months. I have been reminded over and over that when we submit to Him with an open and receptive heart, that He will push us in directions that use our brokenness for His glory, and our passions to further The Kingdom. What a beautifully sweet and redemptive message friends. In 1 Samuel 1, Hannah petitions and requests to the Lord that she no longer has an empty womb, and that she would honor the Lord and give her child to Him if He were to bless her with one. Guess what! The Lord hears her, and she gives birth to Samuel. She has gone so long without a child, and she is so in awe and in love with Pops that she dedicates her child to serve Him and be raised in the temple with the high priest in Shiloh (where she lives), Eli. Imagine being finally blessed with a child and being so generous and devoted to the Lord that you sacrifice raising him in your home so that they can be raised up in the temple with the Lord and high priest! Not only this, but Hannah worships the Lord throughout this time, with a stance of thanksgiving and generosity for the blessing that has been poured out on Hannah’s life; it must’ve been hard to worship and praise the Lord after giving your first and possibly only child to Him! This story reminded me a lot about how we tend to forget how important generosity is. I have done it so often. Yet, I’ve learned that the more we sacrifice things for the Lord and for the furthering of His Kingdom, the more humble and near to Him we become. By supporting His glory, and helping raise up a new generation of followers who dedicate everything to serving Him, we become more generous and more involved in the Great Commission. We don’t all have to GO to different countries, or inner cities, or wherever it may be, even though those things are incredible. We are all called to the Great Commission, but we are all called to it in different ways. Some are called to go, some are called to pray for those going, some are called to support those going financially. We all have a specific role in reaching the hearts of those aching to know His name. One thing I have struggled with is not feeling supported by friends and people that I thought would support me. Not that this is their obligation or fault, but it is nice to know that those around you are there for you, and are pushing to see you achieve your goals, because as siblings in Christ, we should all be carrying the potential, burdens, and successes of those around us. We are all striving to glorify the one and true King! If you are reading this, I want to thank you for supporting and being open and receptive to what God is doing in my life, how humbling is it that someone would take interest in my story, and in my journey with the Lord. WOW how incredibly sweet and delightful is that to know. I encourage you to look into 2019 with a heart of generosity, as your generous gifts of support in prayer will ripple into a beautiful ocean of lives transformed and touched in Thailand and Cambodia, and through YOU equipping me going, YOU will be apart of the beautiful splendor and work of the Lord. How incredibly AWESOME is it to know that wherever we are, we are able to have open arms and minds to the fact that we are world changers. The Lord is so so good to us, to give us that opportunity. I have learned that the more I give my time, prayer, and money, the more I understand giving, and the more I desire to partake in it. It is an incredible circle and cyclical effect that will reap benefits for generations to come. The fruit we reap now will sow for generations to come. I hope my kids and grandkids and great-grandkids know me as a generous and humility driven woman, so that they have the same desires and standard to drive them. I ask for continued prayer throughout this time, as I have a lot to fundraise and a lot to prepare my heart for, and the support and community would mean the absolute world to me. Thank you Pops, for being who You are. Thanks for being my Father. Thanks for allowing me to be able to go to the ends of the earth for Your glory. Thanks for giving me passions and gifts that equip me to share the truth of who You are. Thanks for being gracious, and a close to us God. I am so thankful and so in love with who You are.
