It's crazy just how fast time can seem to go by. It seems like just yesterday it was still early June and the $15,500 I needed to raise still seemed daunting and training camp was 4 months away.
Fast-forward to the present and already the September fall weather is settling in, support raising hasn't been as stressful, and training camp is 34 days away.
34 DAYS!!!!
I am so excited to be in Georgia meeting my new teammates; the people I will be spending every waking moment of 2013 with. I've gotten to know them a little bit so far through the facebook group that we have and already they've been super encouraging for my walk with the Lord. These people love Jesus and are just as excited as I am to be going on the Race and bring the Kingdom to the ends of the earth! And I've only interacted with them on the web. I can only imagine just how awesome these people will be to meet in person and live life with. And hopefully all of them will be there.
Because the thing is, our first support deadline is at the end of the month. We need to have $3,500 by September 30th in order to continue on this journey. And I know there are several people on my team that aren't there yet.
God has graciously blessed me with meeting my first support deadline. This whole summer I've just really felt spoiled by God. He's provided housing for me this semester after my original plans fell through a couple weeks before the semester started. He's blessed me by allowing my classes to have no exams during training camp week, so I won't have to miss anything big when I go. And probably the biggest way He's blessed me is by bringing support in at a relatively pain-free expense. Yea, there have been days or a week here and there where I was anxious about meeting my financial deadlines, but God has always rose to the occasion and met my needs. Through the support of family, friends, and churches He's provided about 80% of my support.
80%!!!
I've really wrestled with why God has chosen to bless me so much. I mean…it's not like I've done anything to deserve it. I've still struggled with the same things like pride and lust as I always have. In fact, the last month or so God has really revealed just how wicked my heart is and how often I choose to deny Him. Now I know that my works don't affect my status with God, but I have struggled answering why He has chosen to bless me so much, despite feeling like I've failed Him so many times. Don't get me wrong; I'm extremely grateful for all that He has given me, but the question has still filled my mind a lot these past couple weeks.
So I just want to praise God and thank Him and all of you who have supported me whether through prayer or financial support (or both). You have truly been a huge blessing in my life and words cannot express just how grateful I am and how blessed I feel to receive such generosity. I could still use prayer as I still need to raise a little more to be at 100% and just throughout this upcoming year as I'll be traveling all over the place. Pray for safety and that my heart will be softened to allow God to transform it in whatever way He sees fit.
And also pray for my team. They need just as much prayer as I do as they support raise and prepare for this upcoming year. God has proven to me that He has the power to provide for anyone's needs, regardless of who they are. I pray that their eyes as well as my own will remain fixed on God and trust that He is faithful and can do ALL things.
