The fundraising process has been…pretty much the exact opposite of what I thought it would be. I expected this huge treacherous, daunting, overwhelmingly cumbersome task. I expected to be scared and defeated and having to try to find the silver lining in how terrible it was…but it hasn’t been like that at all. It has been, as I am now expecting everything on this journey to be, an opportunity to grow in God and to see his love for me and his people in a new way.
Here are the 4 major things I have learned, found helpful, and would suggest to others based on my experience so far.
1. Set His Goals
Don’t limit yourself to what you think YOU can do. One month God laid it on my heart to be at a certain dollar amount by the end of the month. I seemed crazy because the goal was pretty far from where I was and when he placed it on my heart there was only a week and a half left in the month. But I believed anyway. I set my heart, wrote my prayer request in my journal, and set my faith to believe it would happen. AND IT DID! At the end of the month I was only $70 shy of where I was believing God to be.
If I had limited myself to what I thought I could do, that never would have happened. I would have dismissed that goal as a crazy thought and chosen to believe for something smaller. Leave room for God to do something BIG because he will!
2. Don’t just do what everyone else is doing.
We sometimes put God in a box and don’t allow him to minister to us personally, deeply and uniquely the way He wants to. Ask God for direction and do what He places in YOUR heart to do. I personally have not done a “fundraiser” up until this point. I don’t feel led to do that. God has placed on my heart to have intentional personal conversations and interactions with people. I don’t at all feel led right now to do a traditional type fundraiser. I may do a fundraiser at some point if I feel led to but as of now what I am doing is working because it is what God has instructed me specifically to do. If I had tried to do something different during this season it probably would not have worked because that isn’t what God had for this part of my story. I would have wasted my time trying to shove a square peg into a round hole. I am so grateful to be uniquely me and I would be doing myself a great disservice if I didn’t let the one who created me this way uniquely love me and guide me in what is best for me.
3. Fundraising is ministry
First, fundraising ministers to you. It gives you the opportunity to stretch in your faith. It allows you to believe God for something that is beyond what you can do on your own. I love how God has sent people and situations to minister to me and remind me of his faithfulness in this season. It has been incredible!
Also, fundraising allows you to minister to others through sharing your story. I have had multiple people say to me that what I am doing has inspired them. Others have said that seeing me take such a leap of faith has caused them to seek God in a deeper way to determine what radical things God may be asking them to do. Someone actually said to me “Wow that is amazing, thank you for choosing to serve in such a great way. There is hope for the future.” I was shocked! But it helped me to see that just by talking about what I’m doing I am being a witness to the greatness of God.
4. Sow into others.
Scenario: I’m hungry and I only have a pocket full of seeds.
Option 1: I eat the seeds.
Result: The seeds will probably be nasty, depending on what kind they are they could be poisonous and make me sick, I am still probably hungry, I have no means so get anything else.
Option 2: I plant the seeds.
Result: Immediately I’m still hungry and my hunger will increase. BUT the seeds eventually produce a plant that has fruit. Not just one piece of fruit but multiple pieces. Each piece also has seeds that I can use to repeat the process. Now, I can eat and get full. I also know that I will still have food to eat tomorrow, next week, and next year if I continue.
Option 1 is how so many people (myself included) live at times. We don’t have enough so we refuse to let go of what we do have. While fundraising for the race I have chosen option 2.
I have been diligent about sowing into others during this season. Aside from my regular giving I have been very intentional about partnering with people who are doing what I want to do. I have gone to a fundraiser for a world racer I didn’t even know. I’ve gone on Instagram and searched #11in11 or #theworldrace and found fellow racers in need and given to their efforts. I have even partnered on a monthly basis with one of my own squad mates. The list goes on. I didn’t do these things to brag about them but rather I did them because in the same way that I believe God will bless everyone who has made the sacrifice of sowing into me; I know he will honor my sacrifice as well. Just because I too have a need doesn’t disqualify me from being someone else’s answer.
This part of my experience isn’t over yet! As you can see from the bar above I am not yet fully funded. But I KNOW I will be. I KNOW that God will be faithful and that as I continue to yield to him He will supply ALL my needs according to His riches in glory.
