(It’s taken me almost a week to finish this post, and sorry that this is only post number 2!)
Family and Friends,
This post might be a little messy because I’m sitting in a crowded break room at work, listening to people watching their Snapchat videos without headphones. But even so, God is bigger than Snapchat and my lack of being able to focus, haha.
I am so happy to announce that I have officially met (and exceeded!!) my first deadline goal of $3,900!
This past week I raised $2,145, and that’s not including the Threads of Hope bracelet sales! God is so merciful. I am also happy to announce that with the amount raised, we met our goal to reach $1,500 with our gift-matching donor! Praise God!! This means that on top of the $2,145 raised, I will get an additional $1,500 from my donor, putting me at $4,595 with *Adventures in Missions online donations*; so much more than I could have hoped for by September 25th!
Donations through PayPal so far have helped me purchase a round trip plane ticket to training camp in Gainesville, Georgia, a sleeping bag, sleeping pad, tent and traveler backpack; all vital equipment I need for the Race, and something I wouldn’t have been able to do without your support. Both ways to donate are so essential, and I am incredibly grateful. (To donate through the fundraising site, please visit madisongrimm.theworldrace.org and click on “Support Me!” and enter my FIRST and LAST name; to donate through PayPal, my email is [email protected])
Meeting my first deadline secures a spot for me at training camp, and I am so overwhelmed with the love and care that has been poured out to me by Christ through my friends and family.
And so, my next fundraising goal BEGINS!!
I now need support to raise a *total* of $10,000 by December 18th; that means I have to raise an additional $5,405. If someone (doesn’t have to be the same person 😉 donated roughly $70 a day until December 18, I will have met my second goal!
Other ways you can help support me is by ordering this AWESOME, custom-designed t-shirt from Fund the Nations!
So amazing, right?? It’s super soft and I’m selling them for $20! The more shirts I order, the cheaper they are for me to purchase! Let me know if you’re interested in one!
Another way you can help out is by grabbing one of these super cool bracelets! These bracelets are handmade by impoverished families in the Philippines and are distributed by a non-profit organization I am partnering with called Threads of Hope.
Here’s the super cool part: They are only $2; one dollar goes towards Threads of Hope to help support these Filipino families, and the other dollar goes towards my fundraising for the World Race! Hit me up if you want to get one of these uniquely crafted bracelets!
I want to end this post with God’s truth!
Wednesday night I went to 232, the young adults service at the Houston Worship Centre. I could feel The Lord’s presence in the room as we lifted our voices in worship to Him; responding to His glory.
When worship came to a close, Pastor Chris spent the next thirty minutes speaking truth over us:
Heaven is not just a destination. Heaven came down to Earth and His name is Jesus. Heaven is Jesus. We don’t have to wait to get there; yes, Heaven is something we look forward to, but we can experience Heaven right now by basking in the presence of The Lord our God. That should be the norm! To just be able to be still and rest in His presence among us.
Revelation 4:1-5 says “After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit: and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And round about the throne were four and twenty seats: and upon the seats I saw four and twenty elders sitting, clothed in white raiment, and they had on their heads crowns of gold. And out of the throne proceeded lightnings and thunderings and voices: and there were seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven Spirits of God.”
Revelation is about the glory of God. The Lord wants us to COME TO HIM. Throughout scripture He is constantly asking us to come to Him. When we come to Him, and respond to His love for us, we come into the spirit; HIS spirit. “…and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said, Come up hither, and I will shew thee things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit…”
He came into God’s spirit. How incredible is that? What a blessing to be able to come into the spirit here on Earth. When we respond to The Lord’s love and we come to Him with songs of praise on our lips and a readiness to serve Him, He moves in and around you. And can you imagine it is like gazing upon precious gems when you gaze upon The Lord’s face? I’m sure earthly stones pale in comparison…
The last thing this verse talks about that I want to share with you are the seven spirits of God. Isaiah talks about seven different spirits, and to me (it can be viewed differently), I believe these spirits to be the seven spirits of God.
Isaiah 11:1-2 “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the Lord shall be upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord.”
Fear of The Lord. It’s not what you think…in Pastor Chris’ words, it’s not “ISIS fear;” the fear of The Lord is not the same kind of fear we have for ISIS, or fear of heights or whatever you might be horribly afraid of. It’s different.
Fear of The Lord is reverence. God chooses love. He loves us, even though we fail and mess up over and over and over again. He chooses to love His enemies, He is GOOD. He is a good, good Father. He has every right to strike us down in our sin, in our lack of love. But He is so much in love, that He chooses kindness instead. It is powerful to choose kindness, love and forgiveness over hatred. That takes someone truly loyal and powerful to continuously love over and over and over again, never ending.
That is something to be afraid of; to be in awe of. The fear of The Lord is awe and reverence of His power and might; of His greatness and glory. I don’t know about you, but it’s definitely hard for me to repeatedly choose kindness when I really don’t want to (and haven’t). It is good to fear God; fear Him for He is wonderful and mighty. Because He is good. Because He is WORTHY of our praise and love.
How are we so blessed by Him? Some days I really can’t comprehend it. I just don’t know.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my blog; it is a huge blessing to me. Please continue to keep my teammates and me in your prayers as training camp approaches October 15th, and then Launch day January 7th or 8th.
Please pray for The Lord to give me continued guidance, wisdom, strength, discernment and peace. Please be keeping my family and boyfriend, Joshua, in your prayers as well as I approach my launch date in a few months.
Be well.
Love,
Maddie
