I can’t believe how easy God has made things so far in getting prepared for the Race. Back in February, when I first found out I was accepted, I was kind of a mess. I made lists off all my fears and concerns. I even broke them up into Pre-Race, During Race, and Post Race. Can you relate to any of these?
Pre-Race
1. Fundraising without hurting Kathy’s (my sister) ministry
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Resigning from my job
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Telling my Wyalusing friends that I’m leaving
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Selling and/or finding a place to store all the stuff in my apartment/classroom
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What will I do with my car?
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Chickening out
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Getting the right shots
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Buying all the stuff I’ll need
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Meeting new people
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Will I make friends?
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Activities outside my comfort zone
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Flying alone
During Race
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Missing important life events (possible birth of my first niece/nephew, weddings, holiday and birthdays)
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Being sad and experiencing unpleasant emotions
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Being overwhelmed
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Painful spiritual growth
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Ministries outside my comfort zone (door-to-door evangelism, prostitute ministry)
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Getting sick
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Bathroom situations
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Missing my family
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Culture shock
Post-Race
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Not being able to find a job
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Finding a less than ideal job (no summers off=no summer mission trips)
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Reverse culture shock
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Never teaching again
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Leaving friends
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Where will I live, and how will I afford it?
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What if God calls me into long-term missions?
As you can see, I was pretty thorough. Well, I did promise my loving and supportive Dad that I would consider all aspects of the trip before making a decision! Without having exact answers to any of these questions or concerns, I took a leap of faith and decided to DO THIS. Why? Because of my Pros/Why I Want to Go list:
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see what God is doing around the world
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experience different cultures and gain a “global perspective”
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minister to “the least of these” and meet awesome people
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see different parts of the world (nature)
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grow spiritually (especially prayer)
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live with a community of believers and make deeper friendships
There were fewer pros than fears. But the bottom line, I knew, was that God was calling me to go. And I couldn’t not go.
Four months later, can I just say that God is so faithful? He is so amazing. He loves us so much! As I look back at my list of fears, I can see how He is taking care of those issues one by one. I’m almost 90% funded, without having to draw from any of my savings except for the initial $150 deposit. That’s largely due to my missions-believing church, which has been steadily accumulating funds in its mission budget for years and is now obediently using that money for the purpose for which it was intended. My church, which only has about 150ish members, gave me half of my funding! And the other 50% is coming from family members, close friends, people I barely know, people I haven’t seen in years. I get so excited whenever I see the name of a new donor come through! It encourages me to know that people believe I can do this, and that God will use me! God bless you, every one!
Many of my fears also became moot points when my school board decided to give me a leave of absence for next school year. I have a job to come back to! Friends have offered to let me store stuff in their shed. My sister and brother-in-law bought a house, which means my parents’ garage might be available to hold some of my stuff. ;-P I’m scheduled to get my ONE shot that I need next week (the rest I apparently have from previous missions trips). I’ve finally started buying gear (thank you, Kurt at Appalachain Outdoors!) Sometimes you just have to START! I’m learning that God knows all of our fears…so we don’t have to fear! We just have to watch how He will take care of these concerns, one after the other. I trust that He will take care of my During Race concerns the same way He’s taking care of my Pre-Race and Post-Race concerns. 🙂
Why does He care so much? Why does He love us like a father loves His children? Why does He hold our hands and guide each step? Frankly, I don’t know. But I am sure glad He does.
“Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has been pleased to give you the kingdom.” Luke 12:32
Share a time when God took care of something you were fearing in the comments below!