It was two weeks ago today, that I came in SUPER late to a prayer meeting at my church, Grace Baptist. There was a lot of people there and I snuck in next to my friend Eliza, as they were going around the circle, lifting up petitions to God. We prayed for what we wanted God to do in our lives, and then someone who felt led to pray for that person would do so. When it was my turn, I cried out to God to provide peace in me as I go through the process of fundraising and that He would provide people who would want to partner with us in this mission. Of course, Eliza seconded my prayer and with her enthusiasm and statements of Truth, she encouraged me, and I knew I had a prayer warrior in her.
After the meeting, another friend came up to me and pulled me aside to encourage me that God WILL provide because He has called me and will not leave me alone with this. His faith fueled me and he has continually come up to me over the past two weeks to remind me that God will provide. To have a friend like that with such incredible faith is a gift!
I would love to update my friends and family on what God has been doing in my life since this day and how He has shown me that He’s providing.
On May 24th, I realized I hadn’t been in prayer like I should for the World Race. I was letting laziness and fear steer my relationship with God. So I cried out to Him as I was driving home from work.
When I got home, I “got brave” and reached out on social media to talk about all the gear that I will need to be a missionary for 11 months. We will be backpacking through countries, sleeping on the ground, with no guarantee of hot water for bathing, and hand-washing our clothes. This means, that we will need a backpacking pack, one that holds 60-70 liters, a two-person tent because the other “person” is our huge pack, a sleeping bag and sleeping pad, among many other things such as good walking sandals such as Chacos, Tevas, or Keens. This camping equipment can cost a lot of money, on top of the $17,017 we have to raise. So, I made an announcement on my personal Facebook page as well as two Facebook groups.
I didn’t have to wait long before I got two messages! One from a stranger that just got back from the World Race a year ago and lives about 40 minutes away that had a backpack and tent he was willing to give me for free! The second was from someone I had just met this past January that I didn’t know too well that wanted to contribute by paying for one of my big gear purchases.
I was blown away by how quickly God provided these two people who wanted to help! God is faithful!! “Ask and it will be given to you.” Matthew 7:7
A funny story:
I have a friend who had been telling me they were going to donate their tithe, but I hadn’t received an email notifying me about it. It didn’t occur to me to log into my World Race account and check. So we started wondering what had happened to the donation… This past Sunday, I was showing my mom my blog when I saw the fundraising bar had a different number on it than I remembered. I logged in to see who had donated and there it was, the tithe. It had been sitting there for 9 days without me knowing. But I think it was in God’s plan for me not to see it until I really “needed” to see it. And it was pretty cool my mom got to share in the excitement with me, too. A huge thank you to the person who’d like to stay anonymous, for your thoughtful contribution!
T-SHIRTS!
I think selling t-shirts is a fun way for others to wear something that shows their support. The people that have talked to me about purchasing a shirt have really encouraged me, so THANK YOU SO MUCH! (I will be posting about the t-shirts right after this, if you’re interested in taking a look)
Every single thing that you guys do: whether its praying over me, speaking encouraging words to me, expressing interesting in buying a shirt, contributing equipment, or donating your hard-earned money, it doesn’t matter how small or insignificant, it is God’s blessing in my life.
I am thinking about the World Race 24/7 nowadays and every thing that God does to show me He’s got my back is HUGE. He’s telling me that He’s got it taken care of and that I don’t need to worry. He has always been faithful to provide our every need. We may not have abundance, but God has given me abundantly the important and eternal things in life.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Matthew 6:25-27
This post is dedicated to those who have supported me from the very beginning and are showing their support to me now. God is using you in mighty ways to further His kingdom in the world!
In the midst of the uncertainty and doubt in this life, remember to take a moment to pause and thank God for all that He is doing and is going to do! Ask and expect big things from God today!
