“So, what is your fundraising plan?”
The week I began to send out support letters for the World Race, four individuals whose opinions I highly value asked me this question. And it struck fear in my soul.
I am an arts administrator. One of the purposes of grad school was to learn how to work in development raising money for non-profits. I am supposed to be a long-range thinker who develops a well-thought-out plan before taking action. But when it came to the World Race, I had no fundraising plan.
Every time I thought about raising $16,561, I recognized that this was a large number, but I had this odd confidence that God was going to handle it. I felt a supernatural assurance from Him, and worry only entered into my mind when I thought too much about the numbers or different methods I might use to raise money. My prayer has been for fundraising to be an opportunity to strengthen my relationships with family, friends, and acquaintances as I openly share what God has been doing in my life, rather than becoming a plea for funds.
The first two months of this year have been some of the busiest months of my life, and I have been entirely overwhelmed by how God has used a time when I had no time to work on fundraising to completely provide for my needs. I haven’t even finished sending out my support letters. I wanted to write a personal note on each one, and while I have been writing during every spare minute, I still have not had a chance to write to everyone. But look at that fundraising bar at the top of this page. And add five more donations that are in the mail. Wow. God has been doing incredible things.
Thank you so much to all of the donors who have generously provided over 70% of my total fundraising goal! This means that I am funded to go to both training camp and launch! I have been so in awe of the generosity of these friends and family members—you all have reminded me that I need to find ways to be more sacrificially generous in my life both now and after the World Race. As I wrote letters to each of you, I was so moved in remembering the role each of you has played in my life, and I am so grateful for your prayers and support as I move forward on this journey.
My church in New York says a generosity liturgy together each week that reads, “Lord, you are the source of all we are and have. Freely we have received, freely we give. Amen.” That has been echoing in my mind as I have seen each dollar come into my account. I don’t deserve to receive money from anyone, but all of these wonderful people are freely giving back to God through this mission trip. God is truly the source of all I am and have for the next year (and the rest of my life), and I am incredibly grateful that each of you has freely given to what the Lord has planned for my next step.
Not only has the Lord been providing financially through donations, but He has provided in a HUGE way for my career.
In January, I returned to New York and was praying for God to provide a job. My requirements were not simple: I needed a part-time job that I could handle while finishing grad school, the employer had to be okay with me leaving at the end of July, and I wanted it to be in the dance industry. I was in the final round of interviews with two choreographers, and neither was offering an ideal situation. One night I sat on my bed talking to God, asking Him to make it absolutely clear which job I should take. I had reasons for wanting both of them, and I felt completely conflicted about my upcoming decision.
I think God was giving me those feelings for a reason, and He blew me away the next morning when I got a call from one employer saying that he had recrafted the position in a way that allowed me to take BOTH JOBS. How unreal is that? God provided not one job, but two, to provide financially before I leave for the race, and for my career before I take a year away from the arts.
What I have learned from these first two months of 2016 is that God is completely in control of His plans for me in the coming year. With each new opportunity He provides for me to talk with people about Him and the change of heart He has brought about in me, I am filled with an uncontainable joy. He has been humbling me as I feel a gratitude that brings me to tears when people give so generously and strangers commit to praying for me.
Two very wise friends brought up the story of Ruth to me over the holidays, and as I reread this book, I have been struck by how I relate to Ruth’s experience. Ruth commits to going with her mother-in-law Naomi to a foreign land and to following the one true God, but it is a complete walk into the unknown for her. She arrives in this new land without much of a plan, but God provides. She ends up in Boaz’s field where she is given unprecedented access to resources and safety, and her story ends up reflecting the glory of the Lord.
I feel like Ruth bowing to the ground, exclaiming, “Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me?” (Ruth 2:10). I am so grateful for how God has provided even when I did not have a plan, and how He has used all of the individuals in my life to provide for my journey into foreign lands. Many thanks to all of you for your part in God’s provision.
If you are reading this and feel called to contribute to the final funds needed to reach my goal, please see the instructions below! And please know that Adventures in Missions will be taking the fundraising database down for maintenance starting today (2/17), so if I do not acknowledge your gift immediately, it is because I will not be seeing any updates to my account until after February 23rd. Donations will still be accepted, I will just be delayed in acknowledging their arrival in my account.
Thank you all for your continued prayers!
In awe of God’s goodness and abundant provision,
Molly
P.S. Sorry for the extremely long post. God is doing a lot of things, and I tend to have a lot of thoughts.
