AMAZING NEWS UPDATE:
I’M FULLY FUNDED!!!
The Lord has been so good! Becoming fully funded for the World Race has been a crazy journey. From day one signing up for the routes online last October to present day standing in the backyard with my squad mates in Costa Rica worshiping the Lord, I feel like everything has changed. My faith in the Lord’s providence has grown exponentially. Guys, that was $15,800 for nine months of mission work that came in through my amazing community and God’s promises!! Say a prayer of thanks because the Lord has truly blessed me and my squad!
I feel like attempting to write out this journey of fundraising is almost impossible; I would have to write an autobiography because the Lord has truly prepared me for this moment, this trip, all of my life. So in place of that autobiography, I want to share the top three things that I’ve learned about God, myself, and my loved ones through this year of fundraising.
1.) The Lord Pursues:
Reflecting on why I joined the mission field one of my first memories that I always draw upon is when I met a little girl named Amber in my kindergarten class. She was gorgeous; blonde hair, bright smile, friendly personality. Over the course of my year with her we became the best of friends. I began to share my Bible stories with her from Sunday school out on the playground and as my parents taught me, I shared with her in the best way I knew how. One day, out by the swings of our playground, Amber accepted Jesus into her heart! I remember it clearly, peace filled my tiny body and I felt joy for reasons I couldn’t fully grasp; I had gained a sister in Christ! A few months later my mom and dad got a call. They told me that Amber’s family had been in a car accident and that she hadn’t made it. I didn’t understand why I had lost my best friend, all I knew was that I would see her again some day with Jesus. God pursued Amber, he knew her story and what would happen in the broken world we live in. And along the way I got to be apart of that process. That taught me at a young age how precious time is, and how I always want to pursue people with love for the sake of the Gospel, because you never know how long they have. God pursues every one of us endlessly and he shows me that each and every year. I had to recognize what my testimony was this year so that when people asked me what God had done in my life and why it made me want to join the mission field I could answer them boldly, with the confidence of the Lord. God has shown me what my testimony is this year and He has added to it. From Amber to running away from God my sophomore year in High School, to being called to the Navy and then being redirected to ministry on the field and fundraising, God has been here every step and in every memory in between. Every moment of my family’s struggles, every celebration and holiday blessing, through my lack of tuition this last year in college- He has been present in all of it. My first 20 years have truly been an adventure, I can’t wait to see what He’ll do next.
2.) God Provides:
I think it’s safe to say you can understand how I learned this. I moved from Ohio to Virginia following my high school graduation this past year in 2017. I met a new community, moved into a new house, and prepared myself the best I could for the life that I thought I was walking into in July, which was the Navy. By moving to Virginia my paperwork had to be double checked by MEPs personnel and then red flagged because of a piece of my medical history. The doctors in Virginia deemed me medically unfit for the Navy and I lost the contract I had been counting on for a year. In that event God provided me with a new community and He taught me what it meant to invest in people with the purposeful intent of growing closer to each other through His power. I met my best friend Emily and through our friendship my prayer life reached new peaks. I found the world race again, signed up, and through God’s providence of moving the hearts of friends and family of the four states I’ve lived in, the money was raised! God knew what he was doing sending me to Virginia, without my community there I wouldn’t be standing here in Costa Rica. To my church and my friends at Liberty Baptist (Greenbrier Campus), thank you for loving me unconditionally, giving so generously, and leading me back to the Lord in every conversation. I have learned so much by being discipled by your community and it has prepared me more than just financially for the field. Also, thank you to Grace Church in Virginia Beach who also gave so generously and for pouring into my life through college small groups on Sunday nights.You have truly made the difference.
3.) Prayer is Powerful
This past year is the first year that I have worked continually to provide for things I’ve needed. In other words, I really had to grow up. Still living with my parents(when I wasn’t at Emily’s house) there were things that my parents pushed me to provide for myself. You know, adult things. I learned to buy necessities for myself at the grocery store, pay for my car breaking down multiple times with oil troubles, for speeding tickets and maybe one or two parking tickets, my college tuition, and whatever else my friends could convince me to spend money on. Also, I was saving this entire year for the race so the word “budget” truly become an integral part of my vocabulary. While in my first semester of college I took a trip back home to Oklahoma for Christmas with my family. During this time time in my life I was between jobs and desperately looking for more work. I had signed up for my classes under a payment plan and I had enough money for the first payment but not all of the second, which was due by the end of January. I began praying for a job as I came back home. A little fact about our family farm out in Oklahoma, there’s no wifi. While I was staying with my family I got three emails stating that the routing number of my debit card was incorrect, I had been kicked off of my payment plan, and I had to pay all of my tuition up front once returning to school from the Holiday. I was more then a little freaked out when I got back into the cell service of the normal world and checked my email in Virginia. My family began praying and through the process of a week three things happened as a direct result of prayer; my college extended my payment deadline by a week, I was contacted for a job on the oceanfront that I hadn’t even applied for, and I was loaned money for my tuition by my grandparents. The job that I ended up receiving allowed me to work in an ice-cream shop, a coffee shop, and a retail store because the block was owned by the Branch Family. Working for the Branch family was such a blessing for me; it allowed me to pay my grandparents back in full, work full time while in school to save for the race, and blessed me in fundraising opportunities. Thank you to my manager Maddie who found me and gave me the job that helped me so much through that financially difficult stage of life, love you girl. Also, thank you to the Branch family. Your family poured love into my life through prayer, morning devotionals, and consistent scheduled hours. You went above and beyond that and even planned a fundraising dinner for me. You’re a huge reason why I am here doing work with my squad, I love you all and I’m praying for you.
There are details of my story that I wish could be communicated through this blog. There were numerous nights of questioning the Lord’s will, endless letter writing in coffee shops for fundraising, and a few failed dating experiences as I’ve searched for my identity. My prayer life has grown so much in this year of preparation. One night after a desperate hour of prayer $1,200 was donated as a surprise gift from a local church. I love my communities in Oklahoma, Ohio, and Virginia. Everyone I knew truly rallied around me this year sending me money, letters of encouragements, scriptures and prayers. The Lord ministered to me through all of you and taught me what dependence on his providence looked like, what consistency and determination feel like, and what a love that pursues can accomplish. Being here in Costa Rica for this first three months of mission work is changing my life, but all of you changed my life first by pouring love over me. Keep digging in at home, invest in your people as I invest in my squad. Each of you makes the difference for someone around you just like you made the difference for me. I will be praying for you and for my teammates and myself, may we all keep running our race well.
