Well shucks! I wasn’t planning on writing this blog so soon, I’m blown away by how Jesus provides! Thank you so very much to everyone who felt the call to give to this mission trip, through your hands I have seen the hands of Jesus, His provision. I am truly blessed and honored to have you come along on with me on this adventure of a lifetime! And thank you to all the prayer warriors lifting me up in prayer! Together WE GO!! 🙂
With that I’d like to share a short story about how God leads, calls, and provides. Here we go!
It was the summer of 2010, I had just been saved about four months ago and I’m now on my first international missions trip to the beautiful Bahamas! Eleuthera to be specific. I’m living with a guy from Clemson, David, and three women from Emory University who are doing a study of breast cancer in the Bahamas. Anywho, we live next to a corner store run by the Carey’s, kind of like the name “Smith” in the States. Mr. Carey helps out at the local Nazarene Church and I like talking with him. He starts ministering to me prophetically, which I had been familiar with because of my wonderful house church family at Clemson. To make a short story short one of the words he gave me was, “don’t use that money for the trip”. What a great vague “word”. Let’s put that on the shelf, maybe it will be useful (“but probably not” says the back of my head).
Anyway, let’s fast-forward a little. Now it’s March 2013, just one year ago. I’m working at the power company as a co-op student, and I’m in my cubicle asking God how much longer I have to do this, I just want to graduate! I felt like He said He wanted to show me that He is my provider. Great! That means I’ll have a steady job at the power company! The co-op term ends. I graduate. No job offer. They let me stay on through the summer as an extension to my co-op. That ends. No job offer. Porque!? I thought You were going to show me that You are my provider!? Just trust Me. Okay, sure I trust You, You’re all I have!
August 2013. I find out about the world race. It lines up so well with my heart. I pray about it for a month and feel like I got the go ahead. I applied and had the phone interview. Three days after the interview I felt God speak to me in the “HOLY IS THE LAMB, GOD JUST SPOKE TO ME!” Kind of way, not an audible voice, I’d call it an extremely strong impression. In it He reminded me of that random vague three year old “word” that said “don’t use that money for the trip”. So I’m going on the trip? Silence. But a feeling of a smile 🙂 Eleven days later (eleven days, the trip is 11n11, coincidence? I think not) I get my acceptance call from AIM. WOOOOPIE!! I’m officially on the World Race!! My mobilizer asks, “Are you worried about fundraising?” Nope, God will provide, He told me He would. I tell my mom I got accepted to the race! “How are you going to raise all that money?” I’m not, God is. He’s called me to go and He will provide (I didn’t say it as confidently as I would’ve liked), but I still said it! Anyway. I felt from the start that “don’t use that money for the trip” was talking about my own money. And other than the application and initial fees, none of the $16,252 is mine. None. I had taken out my “retirement” money that I had saved from my time at the power company. I ended up giving it all away (I gave it to the Lord and He led me where to put it) during the time of my fundraising match. Meaning it could’ve doubled. I wasn’t supposed to use my own money. The lesson is that it is better to give than it is to receive. It would have robbed people of a blessing if I had put my own money into this mission trip. I saw that because I was blessed spiritually by giving to the ministries I was led to give to. It is His mission trip and always has been. I am SO excited for the privilege to GO!! I can do NOTHING without God and I can do NOTHING without the body of Christ being who she is called to be.
This is getting kind of long, so I’ll end with this. Wherever God calls you to go He will provide. The timing of His provision is His alone. He told me a year ago that He wanted to show me that He is my provider. It’s pretty clear to me that He is my provider (please hear this future Paul). He will always provide for His children. Everyone’s race looks different and mine just happens to look like being fully funded two months before training camp!
Jesus gets ALL the Glory, this is His race!
Thank you Jesus!! 🙂
If you would like to help my wonderful squad-mates out financially you can check ’em out here: July Route 1
Being fully funded is INCREDIBLE, however, some things like immunizations are not included in the fundraising through AIM. So if you would like to partner with me and help me to stay healthy send me a message through the blog, by clicking “Contact Me” under my picture. Thank you in advance!
Love,
-Paul
