In my expectations blog I said that I expected to be uncomfortable on this trip.
Discomfort starts… NOW!
I get to talk about that dreaded word… Fundraising.
Before we classify it as dreaded let me tell you a little about my church. My church, First Baptist Concord, is Amazing with a capital A. We do tithes and offerings a little differently than most baptist churches. Instead of discretely passing the plate through the congregation while a special song plays, my church gives joyfully. The worship leader stands up in front and shouts"Church! It's OFFERING time!" and then everyone claps and cheers and hoots and hollers. It's pretty spectacular.
The thing is, that's how it's supposed to be. We are supposed to give joyfully and generously! Our God is a joyful and generous giver! Psalms 84:11 says He witholds nothing good from His children! He didn't even withold His Son, Himself, so that we could be free from sin. Don't you think we as a church should be the same way?
When we give to missions, we are directly enabling the spread of the Gospel. The wonderful truth that in this world of darkness and sin there is hope! There is peace for the restless, hope for the discouraged, and healing for the broken-hearted. There is freedom from sin through Jesus, isn't that what our lives as followers of Christ are about? I'm giving you the chance to give joyfully and generously. When you give, you are partnering with me to share this truth with a lost world. YOU are making this happen, and it is as much ministry for YOU as it is for me. YOU are just as important as me. I can't do it without your support.
So here it is, the cold, hard fact: I need $15,500 to go. It sounds like a lot, but if 155 people give just $100 I'll be fully funded. That's only $10 a month for 10 months. I will be hosting several fundraising events in the coming months that you can be a part of, but I also need your gifts. Please prayerfully consider supporting me finacially. There is a "Support Me" tab to the left of my blog where you can make an online one time gift or set up monthly gifts. Every gift helps tremendously, no matter how small.
I need your support to go. I need prayers, I need friendship, I need encouragement.Thank you all for your support throughout this whole process, I have recieved so many sweet words from you throughout these past weeks, I am so encouraged and grateful to have such a wonderful support system behind me. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me! Thank you for partnering with me on this incredible journey that God has given me the opportunity to experience.
In Christ,
Libby
