“When God shows up, He shows out.”
I have heard that phrase countless times in my life. It’s a very “churchy” phrase and when people used to say it, I would nod and agree. Yes, I have always known that God will prove himself faithful, but before the process of fundraising and preparing to go on the World Race, I never really understood it.
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Fundraising is hard. It’s really awkward to ask for money. It’s uncomfortable to flood your social media with “ways you can donate to me” posts. I have done fundraiser after fundraiser; and some months, it’s great and I feel like I’m really on track to meet my goals. Then other months happen and hardly any money comes in, and it’s scary and the enemy attacks my thoughts with things like “The money isn’t here. You’re not gonna be able to go.”
BUT (God seriously does wonders with that word) every time, seriously EVERY SINGLE TIME, I start to doubt or get worried that the money isn’t there, God proves himself faithful. The first time it happened, God’s faithfulness hit me like a truck. My dad and I had just been discussing how discouraged I was with fundraising and how stagnant it was. We discussed my fears of what would happen if the money didn’t come in and what we could do. The next day, the very next day, I got an email from adventures in missions saying I had received an online donation. The donation was $1000 that was anonymously given. THAT IS INSANE. As I opened that email and read that someone had so generously and humbly donated that much money to me, it hit me for the first time, God really is faithful to do the things He says He will. So to whoever donated the $1000 thank you, not only for your financial contribution to my trip but also to playing a part in me truly learning to believe God is Who He says He is.
The second time, it was the same thing. It had been a few months since the $1000 donation, and I had received a few other donations, but I was starting to get worried again. This time it was different though, I knew God was going to show his faithfulness again, but I just didn’t know when. My dad and I talked about it again. “The money isn’t coming, what am I going to do.” A couple days later, my uncle donated $777. GOD IS FAITHFUL.
He’s shown me that so many times. The most recent time was just last weekend. My grandma and I decided to do a yard sale to raise money and she announced it at her church. People at her church donated so much stuff. People I don’t know chose to love on me and find things in their houses to donate so that they could be a part of raising the money I need for my trip. That alone blew me away. The kindness and support of strangers intentionally showing me the love of God honestly wowed me. My nanny and Pawpaw and my Mom also worked so hard to help me make the sale happen. Then the actual sale day came, and I anticipated us making a few hundred dollars. I was going to be happy with like $350-$400. We made $1,107.07. Every bit of what we sold was donated to us, and for a yard sale that is a CRAZY amount of money. It was just God whispering into my heart that He will take care of me.
So yes, fundraising is hard and awkward and uncomfortable, but its also amazing and rewarding. Raising money for the World Race has taught me so many different things about the character of God. It is so incredibly humbling to know how faithful He is. There is no way, on my own, I would be able to do any of this. It is only because I have Jehovah-Jireh (the God who Provides) on my side that this is even a possibility for me. My time with the Lord has grown so much sweeter since I began this process and I’m just incredibly thankful that when God shows up, He truly does show out.
