Religion and spirituality aside, has anyone reading this post ever had a dream? Is there something you’ve longed to see, to do, or perhaps something you’ve longed to be for more years than you can count, maybe since childhood? I have many, one of which has the potential to be fulfilled next month.
I’ve had malaria, typhoid, stomach viruses, weird boils on my legs, a bazillion mosquito bites, the worst sunburn I’ve ever experienced in my life, and yet somehow this journey that I’m on has truly been the best time of my life. Yep. You heard right. The best.
Why?
Because I know I’m exactly where I’m supposed to be, and when you know you’re where you’re supposed to be you can find joy in whatever your circumstance. Despite the fact that I’ve experienced some not-so-savvy things, I’ve experienced an infinitely greater number of wonderful things like:
– Freedom from a pornography addiction
– Growth in my relationship with God
– New friendships that challenge me to grow
– People being healed in their bodies
– Preaching in Côte d’Ivoire and leading people to salvation
– Getting to love on kids in Peru and Ecuador
– Watching God answer specific prayers in Ghana because He loves me enough to hear the words I speak
– Experiencing what life on the mission field full-time could look like.
These are just a few of the reasons why I absolutely love what I’m doing and where I’m at right now. When I was 12 years old God gave me a dream. He told me He would send me to the nations to tell the world about salvation through Jesus – The Gospel. Like Peter, Paul, James, Thomas, Stephen and the other apostles and early church leaders who started Gentile missions, He would eventually send me to the hard places. The places no one else wants to go to either because they are afraid or because they think it’s hopeless and pointless.
This right here… where I’m at right now… it’s part of my preparation for where He’s taking me.
The next country on my journey isn’t one of the hard places I’m talking about, but I know it’s part of the preparation for my future. Romania – that’s where I’m going if I make the next financial deadline by July 31st. And it’s one of my dreams.
Romania is a country that has been heavy on my heart for almost as long as I’ve known I would be a missionary. Orphans and Roma (gypsies) can be found in large numbers in this country, and I have longed to work with both, specifically in Romania, for… well, let’s just say for a long time. It’s a dream God put in my heart, it’s and part of the reason I chose this particular route for The World Race.
I grew up with American Roma people and fell in love with the American Roma culture while I was in my mid-teens. A few days ago I received an email from the ministry host my team is supposed to be working with in Romania giving is an outline for what we will be doing to help their mission, and God has set things up for a dream He gave me to be fulfilled. We are being asked to spend part of our time ministering in a village of Romanian Gypsies. I’m THIS CLOSE.
I’m asking for your help to do this because I can’t do it on my own. I know that God is sending me to share His love with this village of Roma. I know it with everything inside of me. In order to go, though, I still need $950 to make my next financial deadline by July 31st, and $3067 by the end of September in order to be fully-funded.
Please pray and ask the Lord if this is good soil to invest in. If so, would you consider supporting me and keeping these dreams alive?
