I have been dreading this first blog post, quite frankly because I don’t know how to blog.. but here I am, blogging about what has been going on the past month! How many times have we heard the phrase “when God shows up, He shows out”? I have heard this countless of times before, it’s a very churchy phrase if you ask me. I have always known that God will prove himself, but I never truly understood this phrase until I started fundraising for this trip.
Fundraising is very awkward. It’s hard to ask people for their money and have to explain what the cause is for. The pressure of having to constantly post on social media about “ways to support me” can just be so uncomfortable. I always have this constant fear that people are thinking in the back of their head that says “oh, just another person fundraising for a mission trip.” I have done fundraisers for mission trips before but none with this large of a number before. The past two months I have been fundraising to go to Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It feels as if I am not doing very well the majority of the time but then again, I feel like I am just trapped. I begin to think, and if you know me I tend to over think way too much. I let the enemy begin to attack my thoughts and he says to me that “The money isn’t here” or “You aren’t going to get fully funded.” Every time that I begin to have doubts or get anxious that the money won’t show, I remember the faithfulness of God. In all honestly, it is very hard to always remember this. I know that when Satan is attacking my inner thoughts, it’s because I am letting him get the best of me.
When I began my first fundraiser by selling 252 puzzle pieces for $10, we sold a pretty good chunk of the pieces the first few weeks. After selling a good portion, I got nothing for 2 weeks straight. I was crying out that this fundraiser was stupid and not one person will buy pieces. The next morning, I woke up to having sold 30 pieces in just a short few hours. I was absolutely blown away by this. That’s when I realized God will always be there, always, no matter the circumstances!
The second time was when I planned out several ideas to come up with the money if my church decided not to help. I began praying about possibly asking my church for a scholarship for support. I turned in the application for the scholarship, and I was scared that he was right and I won’t be able to get this scholarship or that he was right that I’m not creative enough to come up with “fundraising ideas.” As I mentioned before, the enemy starts to attack my thoughts. He kept sneaking into my head and telling me that I’m not good enough to be successful in raising money for this trip. That is something the devil knows best about me, I will never have confidence in myself. The next week, I received an email from the mission’s intern saying that they have considered me for a scholarship and that I received a large donation from them. I immediately was reminded that God will show up and show out, in the exact time you need Him the most.
I just recently started my second fundraiser, which would be t-shirts! Yes, I know, another shirt being sold for a mission trip! Well, I came across this design on Pintrest 2 1/2 weeks ago. I thought to myself that this would be a pretty cool shirt design for my trip. The verse was John 1:5 which says “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” That weekend after finding this design, I helped lead a group of girls for our EMBER weekend, which is a D-NOW weekend. Saturday morning, Ben Trueblood preached on being the light of the world. And guess what verse he referenced, John 1:5. This was a turning point for me. I always knew that we as Christians were meant to be a shining light for the darkness in the world. After this session, I truly realized that God will use other people to bless you in ways you thought you couldn’t be!
He has shown me time and time again that He will be there. God has been constantly whispering into my heart that He will take care of me, regardless of the negative thoughts that keep roaming through my head from the devil. So yes, fundraising is hard and uncomfortable. But it is also amazing, rewarding, and fun. Raising money for the Semesters trip has taught me many different things, most of all is patience. It is so humbling to know that God will show up on His own time, not mine. He is so faithful and just to have blessed so many people so that they can bless me financially. There is no way I could have ever done this on my own. It is only because I have the God who provides on my side that this trip is even a possibility for me. My relationship with the Lord has grown so much now that I know He will take care of me. I am so thankful that when God shows up, He truly shows out for his children.
– Dani
