I was sitting in the library trying to write a paper, super distracted by the reality that I needed to call my dad and tell him about the World Race. For the past few weeks, I had fought the reality that I felt the Lord calling me to go and I had finally surrendered to it. I was going to do thing. BUT, I had to tell my family. I finally left my seat and walked outside to give him a call. I could sense the hesitation in his voice as he asked me several questions. As any father would, he wanted to make sure this was the right thing for me to do. He wanted to ensure I had thought through this well. We talked about the time commitment and about just how much money it would cost, but at the end He reminded me that if this truly was the Lord’s will that it would happen. My parents are both great like that. They are always super supportive of me and my dreams. They help me see the world as it is and don’t sugar coat reality, yet they never miss the opportunity to point me back to the Father and realize that in Him nothing is impossible.
Within a few weeks of talking with my dad I completed my application, had my interview, and was accepted. Truthfully, the amount of money that I needed to raise never bothered me. I wasn’t super stressed about it until I went to pay the $150 deposit to confirm my spot. In the grand scheme of things $150 isn’t a lot, but it was the moment first realized just how much I was going to need others to make this work. I looked at my bank account and looked at the amount due and started to panic. I didn’t have anywhere close to $18,200. I was in college and jobless. But that was when the Lord stepped in and reminded me that this was on Him, not me. He who calls you, will always be faithful to provide. Always, always, always. As I walked out of the class I was in that day, a stranger stopped me, offered to pray for me, and handed me $100 in cash. I blogged about it HERE, sharing that it was the moment I realized for certain that this was where I needed to be and I didn’t need to worry about it, because the Lord was going to provide.
From that point on I began the dauting task of fundraising. I sent support letters, wrote blogs, sold 1,000’s bracelets and lanyards from Threads of Hope, and simply began sharing my story and why I was doing what I was doing. Slowly but surely, money began pouring in. $20 here, $500 there and I began hitting my fundraising goals. The large amount of money that once felt impossible, began getting smaller and smaller with each passing month. I left for the race in January, with quite a good bit of money left, but time and time again the Lord continued to place people in my path who gave to me and supported me.
We arrived in India and I needed around $600 more to stay on the race. Truthfully, I had kind of hit the point where I wasn’t sure that I was going to be able to raise the last little bit and I began playing around with the numbers in my bank account seeing how I could make it work to pay the final $600 off myself. Myself and a few other girls on my team were still fundraising so we began praying that we’d see the providence of the Lord while in India – truthfully, I was doubtful, yet hopeful.
Yet, just as the Lord has proved Himself faithful time and time again, He provided, and I can final say that I am FULLY FUNDED!!
I laid down last night, after truthfully a really hard week, and reminded myself of all the ways the Lord has been faithful to me, all the people He has used to bring me to this point and all the people that have entrusted me to share the Gospel with the nations.
I wish I had words to thank everyone who has so faithfully supported me financially these last few months. Thank you for investing in me. Thank you for entrusting me to share the hope of glory, to proclaim freedom, and to speak the truth in love. Thank you for enabling me to go and to be the hands and feet of Jesus, to love the orphans, to do manual labor at the foundation of the church, and to share my story to a room full of high school student. As a result of your faithfulness I’ve been able to lead people to Jesus, been able to see chains broken, and been able to pray healing over broken bodies and spirits.
Thank you for all your prayers. There is no greater gift you could ever give someone than to intercede to the Father on their behalf. I have no doubt that I’m here as a result of your faithfulness to pray. Our time in South America would have looked vastly different had we not had so many people back at home praying for us and had we not spent so much time on our knees as a squad.
Thank you for your encouragement and support. Committing to spend a year of your life on the mission field, just after graduating college can be hard. It’s easy on hard days to find myself questioning if I’ve made the right choice and thinking about what life could have looked like had I taken a different path, but it always is then that I get a sweet text or message encouraging me, reminding me of my why, and pressing me onwards. All the kind messages, notes from home, and pictures mean the absolute world to me. I’m so thankful for such supportive friends and family.
I’m serious when I say that I could not have done this without you. All of your prayers, encouragement, and giving have made all of this possible and I’m so grateful for each and every one of you and the way you not only have supported me, but the ways you’ve pointed me closer and closer to the Father.
I’m so excited to see what the Lord has in store for the seven months to come!
Also, I know several people have reached out and expressed interest that they still wanted to support me and for that I am SO grateful. But since, I am fully funded I wanted to share with you 3 of my sweet teammates who are still in need of funding to stay on the race! Our final deadline is April 30thso they could all use your help!
Carly is still in need of $4,460, Emilie is still in need of $311, and Kylie is still in need of $3,747. If you’d like to support them, you can click on their name and it’ll take you to their blog where you can read more about them, their experiences on the race, and support them finically!
Thanks so much!
Lauren Kenley
