"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."
Psalm 23:5-6
I knew God would provide for me.
I knew I would make all my financial deadlines.
I knew I would be blown away by the generosity of family, friends, church members, family friends, acquaintances, and complete strangers.
I knew I would be able to smile and say these words to the whole world:
"I AM FULLY FUNDED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
I DID NOT think God would provide so quickly. But then how can any of us predict the great wonders of God? He continues to blow away any and all of my expectations.
I've been thinking about this blog for quite some time. I've had time to think about it because I knew I was unofficially fully funded but wanted to wait until I saw that magic number in my AIM account. Words, thoughts, feelings, emotions, blessings all collide with each other.
How can I possibly be able to write all of that on paper?
How can I possibly verbalize how grateful and thankful I am?
How can I possibly show God that His provisions for me will not go unanswered, that I will prove to Him that His faith in His child, ME, was worth it?
How can I prove to all my supporters that their donations and prayers were worth it?
Ah and there's that word: Worth.
The night I realized I was going to be fully funded I stood in front of my computer screen, frozen. I thought I was going to be sick. Literally. I had seen the numbers in my account climbing higher and higher,and I logically knew it was going to happen. But something about it actually happening totally freaked me out. After the shock wore off and I was able to move my limbs I went outside on my parents deck and sat with God in absolute awe. And as my teammate Kiersten put it when I verbalized the feelings of unworthiness of it all:
"We are unworthy. This is an epic picture of grace!!"
If any of you are doubting Jesus and the absolute peace God brings I hope my story will bring you hope. His grace is sufficient for me, so it is most definitely sufficient for you.
"But he said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. " -2 Corinthians 12:9
I want to say from the deepest, most sincere place in my heart THANK YOU. Thank you to all of my supporters!! You have made this trip possible for me. However, your journey with me does not end here. Here's how you can still help:
PRAYER. My squad, my team, and I need your prayers. Prayers for health, safety, spiritual strength, etc. Your prayers are oh so very IMPORTANT to me.
ENCOURAGEMENT. Please follow my blog as I take this exciting leap of faith into the unknown. Knowing that people are thinking of me and taking time to read about my mission work means the world to me, especially when I am on the other side of it. My internet access may vary from month to month, but I would love emails and comments!!!!!!!!
OTHER FINANCIAL SUPPORT. I love my teammates soooo much and can't do this without them, so if you would still like to support me financially, please consider donating to one of them. You can find their blogs on the sidebar.
MUCH LOVE AND GRATITUDE!!!
Cara
