Hello friends and family!
I know it’s been a while since I last posted on this blog and I’d like to give you just a brief update of where I am in preparation and the amazing ways that God has provided for me thus far. The fuller story of how all of the following came about is coming soon. This post is for you Reader’s Digest fans, if you know what I mean.
First, most of you know that I was trying to raise $5,000 before January 8. Well guess what? Not only did God help me reach that deadline, He’s also brought me to the $10,000 goal way ahead of schedule (the website only says $9,135 because it’s still processing some donations). How did He do this? Well, He brought in donations from friends and family that equaled about $3,000 and then He led me to sell my car, which brought in the rest. Is He faithful to provide, or what?
Second, I was in need of a job to help make ends meet before I launch at the end of March. Out of the blue, right after Christmas, I got a call from my old intern supervisor offering me a temporary job at their think tank in D.C. until I leave for the world race. This was completely unexpected and the pay is more than I was hoping for considering the job will only last a few months. So, I’ve taken the job. It truly is a blessing from God, and it will help me further fund The World Race.
The decision to take the job was a tough one, considering I’ve left friends and family back in Atlanta with whom I wanted to spend time before I go on this adventure. But if this is the way God is providing for me, and it’s a sacrifice He wants me to make, then I’m trusting in His wisdom and His love.
Third, I needed a place to live once I arrived in D.C. I’d been looking at a few different places online before I arrived and after viewing two of them the day I landed in D.C., I made a decision. Minutes before I sent the deposit in for the room I’d chosen, someone took it. I was frantic. The place had been amazing and the rent was cheap and it was close to where I was working. I needed a place to live, and quickly. How would I ever find one as good as that?
Well, God provided me with friends to stay with while I looked for another place. After a week of living like a nomad and starting me job, He led me to a place that is so awesome I never would have believed I could have lived in such a place for the rent I was willing to pay until I saw it. It’s a wonderful town home that even has a full library (picture the one from Beauty and the Beast – yeah, it has a ladder) and to top it all off, I have 5 awesome Christian housemates who believe in and practice intentional Christian community within our house.
I’m at somewhat of a loss for words now. To say God has been faithful to provide would be an understatement. It should come as no surprise, but it still amazes me and it encourages me. If I didn’t know before that I was heading in the right direction, or that the World Race was the right next step, I sure do now. And I am incredibly excited to see where He will lead me and how He will continue to bring provision for this ministry journey on which I am about to embark.
If you want to be a part of this ministry – if you’d like to sow into the lives of people around the world and help me obey God’s call to go and show the love of Christ to those in need and share His Gospel with the nations – then I invite you to become a partner with me in this ministry, whether that be through prayer, encouragement, donations, or however you feel led to join.
If you do feel led to give financially, you can do so by clicking on the orange “support me” tab toward the top of this page and follow the process to donate online. It’s tax deductible and you will receive a tax receipt in your email. Alternatively, if you’d like to send a check, that’s great too! Just make sure to make it payable to Adventures in Missions. Put my name (Joshua Gill) in the memo line. You’ll receive a tax receipt in the mail.
I know not everyone can or is willing to give financially, and that is totally fine. Your prayers and encouragement as I prepare and after I launch are just as needed and just as welcomed.
Wherever you are as you read this, I pray that you and yours have God’s peace and blessings as you continue to navigate the challenges and opportunities of this New Year! If you are in need of provision, I hope you take encouragement from this post and that you know that God is always faithful to provide for those who love Him, even at their low points, and even if it’s not in the timing or the manner that we would have imagined. Take heart and keep your eyes on God and know that you are never alone!
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9
Stay tuned for another post detailing my adventures in D.C. and how God sheltered me from one of the biggest blizzards in recent East Cost memory!
