For the past two months I have spent many long hours working
in Ambassador Admissions. I currently have 168 high school students going on 15
different trips this summer. Amongst hours of answering emails and phone calls
from parents, I have an occasional conversation that stands out.
For the past few months, I have been hearing pieces of one
girl’s story that really touched my heart. She is signed up for the 4 week
Kenya trip this summer. This girl has a dream of ending world poverty and has
been taking high school electives to help prepare her to do so. She has had a
difficult couple of years with her dad leaving her and her mother homeless. She
has also been to over 10 different schools. Through these difficult
circumstances, I do not sense bitterness in her, but instead inspiration. She
has a beautiful spirit!
With the summer rapidly approaching, support deadlines have
come upon us. I’ve been coaching and praying for this girl, especially knowing
her circumstances and struggle. As we came down to the wire, she still had very
little money raised. Her mother was scared that her daughter would have to
suffer another disappointment and not be able to serve the Lord in Kenya this
summer. I desperately wanted to “fix� her problem and was asking the Lord what
I could do. Every time I pray for this girl the Lord tells me, “There is
greatness in her�. I intensely 
want this girl to go to Kenya and for Kenya to
benefit from this girl. I get the sense that there is something more ahead for
her life and that going to Kenya is a step in that direction. I’ve wept for her
and pleaded with God on her behave. Finally, the Lord asked me to lay the
burden on Him. To do my part and to trust Him to “Show Up!�
Through this, God has been reminding me that I can’t fix everything; that I need to lay the burdens of this world at His feet and expectantly ask Him to show up! Within the next 24 hours, over $1,000 of support came in for
this girl. The Lord is providing for her “in the eleventh hour�.
I challenge all of you reading this to examine the areas in
your own life that you are holding onto. What things are you trying to fix in
your own power? Are you willing to place those burdens at God’s feet? Can you
trust the Lord to show up?
