God does not want you to try harder, He wants you to trust Him deeper. Stop trying. Start trusting. This will change everything in you.
Trust me. I got you. These are always words that I always felt God was speaking to me. When I first signed up for the World Race I thought this is insane, I am literally crazy! I just signed up put down a deposit and had one month to raise $5,000. I told God, if this is not what you want me to do this next year, please dont have me meet my first financial deadline. Days before the money was due I surpassed my fundraising goal. Okay, I guess I’m suppose to go on the World Race, I thought to myself. I can still remember the look on people’s face when I said I was going to take a year off of teaching to go on a missions trip and needed to raise $18,600. Their faces were always shocked and it made me second guess. Maybe this fundraising amount is impossible to reach. The number sank in. Thoughts of- am I crazy sank in.
I just couldn’t shake the feeling that I felt of God telling me I would be fully funded. I believed him as I hit my second fundraising deadline within 3 months. (Insert: Shocked face) With God on my side- I thought I’m going to be fully funded before leaving America. As month 1, 2, 3 passed by, my hopes and prayers became less faith filled and I became more doubtful. I remember becoming angry at God. Why am I here? Shouldn’t I be fully funded? Wow. As I’m typing this it sounded like I was entitled… I knew I was confused. I thought maybe I didnt hear God right? Was I suppose to go on the World Race? Did I really do what God wanted me to do?
As the months went by, I would pray with my team and ask for ideas for fundraising help from my teammates (this is extremely hard for me, I was raised with a you are an independent woman and you don’t need help from others- you should be sulf-sufficent). Boy was I wrong, the Race has deffidently taught me that! I need people. I need community. I cannot do this thing we call life on my own.
After months of praying, reaching out to others and with the help of my teammates. I was encouraged as funds would flow in. They would always come when I was crying out to God. Month 4, 5, 6 & 7 came and went. I finally came to the point where I knew God would provide. He didnt provide in the copacity that I thought, but he would always come through. I knew God wanted me here. He provided in the moments where I didn’t think He would pull through.
During our 80 hour travel day(s), I felt like the Lord wanted me to check my email. I opened it and there was THE email, I had been praying for over the past year. The email stating that I was FULLY FUNDED. I was offically freaking fully funded on February 23, 2019!
It was there on that airplane from China that I thought to myself. Wow. God really does answer prayers. He heard my cries and my prayers. When He told me to trust Him, when He promised me that I would be fully funded. I doubted Him- because it wasn’t in my timing. This process has showed me that when God promises something, it will happen just maybe not in our timing. He has perfect timing for everything.
Throughout this process I learned that I can’t do everything on my own- I need community, I need God. It took God, my whole tribe, my team, supporters to support this trip. For this I am eternally grateful. Thank you so much for supporting me. Thank you for pouring into my life and loving me so well. You guys are amazing. Without you this would not have been possible. I would not be able to go to different countries and love on people in the way that I have been able to this year.
I now have confidence that when God promises something it will happen. Even though it may not be happening in the time frame I want, He will provide. I have faith that it will happen, in His perfect timing, which is even better. Through the waiting process I have learned things and grown in different ways. This is necessary or else God wouldn’t have me wait.
Seriously, I am beyond thankful for your generosity! I’m tearing up as I write this. You have no idea the impact you have had on my life, people I have come into contact with this year and who I will come into contact in the future. Due to your giving, I am forever changed. My perspective on life and how I interact with people has changed. This is something that I have gained this year and that can never be taken away. I LOVE y’all and I am so THANKFUL for you!
