“Friends are like bras, close to the heart and for support.” -Karen (Will & Grace)
I first learned about the World Race through a college friend a little over a year ago. It was just after graduation and I was planning my miserable life pursuing graduate school and a career I had no interest in. I ran into a girl named Claudia, whom I went to school with, and asked, “What are you doing now that we’ve graduated?”
Her response: “I’m going on an 11 month mission trip to 11 different countries.”
My thought: “Okay…bye.”
That all sounded incredible and like something I would love to do, but I figured it was only for rich people, because any trip of that magnitude has to cost some serious dough.
Last year, when I lost all my money trying to support myself, God showed me that I had always had enough. He always provided, but I was never satisfied. He had to take me to the bottom of the barrel for me to realize that there is no security in money, but only in the Lord. It’s easy to call it “my money” when I’m working hard for it and bringing home the paychecks, but God provided everything to get that paycheck to me; and He can take it all away just as easily as He provides it. It was once I had that realization that I made the conscious decision to trust in the Lord for all my financial endeavors and to no longer allow money to have a hold on my life.
I started tithing, something I had never really done before. And most of the time, I didn’t have much and there was a part of me that was a little nervous to give. But somehow, whenever I gave, there was still plenty to live off of. God always provided.
When I got accepted to the World Race, God provided in incredible ways. I had struggled financially as long as I could remember and I thought the fundraising process would be the same, but just two weeks after I sent out my support letters, money was flowing into my World Race account. I met my first deadline in no time flat. I was getting close to my second deadline, but the Lord provided with a week to spare.
God called me on this journey to show His glory. If the World Race cost less, it would have been much easier for me count on myself again to provide my own way. But because I could not, I knew I’d have to trust God.
He provided the support I needed in the most interesting ways too. I would receive $500 donations and cry; I would get $100 and weep; I would get $20 donations and bawl; I would receive $11 and be on my face before the Lord. It wasn’t the amount that mattered most, but the fact that people were willing to support me at all. I have supporters who are still in college, who are struggling financially themselves, who I haven’t heard from in years, whom I’ve never met at all! I had donations come in the moment I asked for support and I had donations come in just in the nick of time.
Sometimes support wasn’t even in monetary form. My friend Katherine paid for my brunch one morning and said, “Consider it my donation.” My eye doctor gave me a discount on my contact lenses and threw in some free solution for the 11 months. Theresa, from my bible study, donated her time and efforts to help me organize fundraisers. A group of family and friends donated their Saturday to help me wash cars on the hottest day of June. Several people have donated a quick second to share my blogs and Facebook posts to help get the word out. Multiple people have committed to praying for me and my team.
And I can tell you, all of these types of support are welcomed and rejoiced. So thank you! Thank you to everyone who has supported in any way. I thank God for you. You who have supported me in the most interesting ways.
Now, here I am, 9 days until my third deadline of $11,000 and I still have $1,163 to raise, and I’m humbly asking for your support again…whatever that looks like. Any support is appreciated more than I can even express. And I know that when you choose to support me, God uses YOU for the advancement of His Kingdom, and it is through YOU that He is doing great things.
