Ahh, another Saturday morning 4/21/12. I just finished cutting hair and eating a massive bowl of cereal. Don't try this at home! Hair from the previous client will fall into your cereal :). I suppose it's just like as a kid when I used to wake up in the morning, grab a bowl of cereal, and watch Saturday morning cartoons. I guess now it's cereal and Saturday morning blogging. Fair enough!
Anyway, I was just thinking about all the things I wasn't looking forward too when I stepped into this journey. By the way, the journey began the first day the decision was made to go serve and spread the gospel overseas.
I wasn't looking forward to searching for different organizations to go through. I mean there are tons of mission organizations, but how would I ever know which one was THE ONE! Surely they are all similar; you serve in different countries and spread the Gospel. This should be easy right. Not so much. Day after day, prayer after prayer, contemplation after contemplation this was hard. Finally I came across the world race & all of you know about the 11:11 thing I was seeing, but I would say that the 11:11 along with the impartation of joy, what the organization represented and did on the field, the stories and testimonies of others etc. was the seal for me.
I wasn't looking forward to filling out the application because I didn't think I'd get accepted. Especially after filling out the part on past & present struggles. Phh I knew for sure it was wrap for me 
One thing that I really loved in the application was that the first question it asks you was "what is the Gospel"? That is one thing that I did not find or see in other organizations and in my opinion for them to ask that question, it showed me that they highly valued the integrity of scripture and that knowing what the Gospel is more important than anything we could ever know.
I wasn't looking forward to the acceptance call because they said I'd hear back in a week so after a week went by and I did not hear from them, I knew for sure I was gonna get denied (longest week of my life). I literally looked at tons of blogs trying to find if anyone had posted anything about the admission office not calling back in one week and they still got accepted. It wasn't many blogs out there on that topic but I did find a few and after finding out there were people who were in my shoes as well and they still got accepted, the week went by a lot smoother. Although I missed the first acceptance call and I panicked.
I wasn't looking forward to coming up with support raising ideas, let alone asking others for money.
Side note: Something is wrong with me. Maybe it's just not me though. I really do not like asking others for things, especially money. It seems like people get bent out of shape when you ask them for money for whatever reason; especially when it has anything to do with giving towards a Christ like purpose. All types of thoughts run through their head. I always wondered the thought process of some people.
Me: "hey I’m going on a mission trip to serve & spread the gospel. I'll be living in a tent for 11 months, wearing a week’s worth of clothes for 11 months, I have sold everything but my car and clothes, I am sacrificing a lot would you be willing to support"?
Person/Persons: "Some people do this to take a vacation"
Rewind, huh, what, wait, did I hear you right, umm, scratch head, awkward moment, really dude! After saying I sold everything except car and clothes, I will be living in a tent for 11 months, wearing 1 week worth of clothes for 11 months, spreading the gospel, and serving you really just said "some people do this to take a vacation".
OK now here is my thought process in my head: You have just implied that as you processed the information just given to you something in your brain persuaded you to conclude that it was a very strong potential that I am just taking a 11 month vacation. WOW. Thank you and God bless you 🙂
My feelings and thoughts have changed about support raising. Of course I am still in the process of support raising but I enjoy it a lot now. I love being in this desperate situation where I don't have anything, I get denied by people, fund raisers don't go as well, etc. I know that sounds backwards, but what an awesome opportunity for Christ to show himself strong on my behalf and he get all the glory. No room for any man or myself to boast. He's taken this weak, fearful, frail, man and called me to do things that aren't for the weak, frail, fearful. It isn't anything in me that I possess, it is him getting me through it all. Glory to God!
Kind of like how he took the clan of Gideon, the weakest clan in Manasseh and Gideon the least in his father's house to save Israel from the hand of Midian. But God said "I will be with you" and you shall strike the Midianites as one man. If you continue reading the story you can tell that Gideon was so afraid. I mean he did ask for a sign of assurance like 3 times I believe. Then he brought this massive army of 22,000 men and God said it was too big. In the end he took 300 men to save Israel. Wow, God takes the weakest, smallest, and most frail things to raise up and use for his Glory. That's power.
2nd Corinthian 12:10 "For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong".
Moving on ——– I wasn't looking forward to buying camping stuff. I mean I've never been camping in my life. Well I did go to a Yogi Bear camp as a kid, but by no means did that experience give me any insight on camping. I'm a city boy man, I know nothing about pitching tents, hiking back packs, sleeping in sleeping bags, and the list goes on. But now I enjoy this. I'm getting things that I've never had before or knew of. A mess kit what is that? Now I know ha ha. This is such an awesome experience.
Anyway to be continued, I will eventually go into what I am not looking forward to instead of what I wasn't looking forward to
LOVE
