I remember, before leaving for the race, thinking, “there is NO way you go through something like this and not come out on the other side completely wrecked.” From the beginning I knew this would be a life changing experience, but the part I couldn’t anticipate was how my life would be completely wrecked. While I still don’t know the extent to which my life will change … Let me share one lessons I have learned thus far: God can and will show up in big ways when you strive to be with him.
First, a little back story information. Since starting the race, I have been very intentional with the way I spend my time with the Lord, how I hear and follow him and have been exercising and learning about spiritual disciplines. From the time I got accepted to the race, my biggest concern has been money… fundraising. Fundraising is not new to me, as I always had to do and sell things for funds during my softball career, but it has never become something I would call “comfortable.” I walked into the race wanting to try new things, grow in my relationship with God and just get closer to him. All those things and the Lord’s prompting led me to fast every Monday for the purpose of asking God to raise the funds needed. I chose to start the very first Monday actually on the race in Mozambique.
That first Monday, I took the time I would normally spend preparing eating meals, and dedicated it to God, specifically for him and I do talk about funding. For the first time, fasting wasn’t difficult, the day didn’t seem to long and I was sure I had heard from God about it. To my surprise, though, what he was telling me was “focus on me, the money will take care of itself.” In the coming weeks, he repeated this message every week and gave me something else to focus on: getting to know his character, what grace really means, choosing words, the list goes on.
Although the Lord didn’t want my focus to be on fundraising, that didn’t change the impending deadline. February 23, 2017 was our deadline to have $13,000 raised. Up until that point, as I’m sure you have noticed, we had no internet, no phone, and very little access to any of the resources needed to fundraise. So… On February 20th, I still had only raised $11,800. The weekend previous to this, the Lord had also led me to a 2 day word fast on that Sunday and Monday as well as the regular Monday food fast … All while focusing on the Lord, what he had for me in that time, and not thinking about money.
On February 22, 2017, after completing the 2 fasts, and engaging with the Lord in a vareity of things he was calling out in my life, I happened to check my email … knowing this deadline was coming up. In my inbox was an email from the blog site stating I had received the $2200 needed to meet my deadline! Not only did he meet my need, as promised, but he used an old friend who, 9 months ago, had told me he would be praying but could not support financially because he was raising money for his own ministry…. MIND BLOWN!
I mean really… tell me God doesn’t show up…
Then, in true Holy Spirit fashion, when I messaged this friend to say thank you, he simply replied “Don’t thank me, thank God. He blessed us and then told us to bless you.”
If that’s not a reason to trust God’s pland and provision… I don’t know what is.
“Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertaint, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.” — 1 Timothy 6:17
