Thank you!
Da da da da! I'm fully-supported! Praise the Lord! I gotta admit, there were times when I doubted His ability to provide for me, like a 4 before my Launch deadline when I was $2,000 short. But God is FAITHFUL! Support raising has been a huge testimony to that. As I thank God, I also want to thank YOU – my supporters – for generously and obediently responding to the Lord's prompting for you to give. In addition to my blogs (since I realize I haven't been the best at reporting everything God is doing over here through you and your giving, my sincerest apologies) I'd like to take this opportunity to show you just a few examples of how you have been a blessing to so many people this year.
You taught around 100 Indian children about standing firm in their faith and being on fire for God through Vacation Bible School. You gave a children's home a fresh coat of paint. You allowed us to hug these kids and show them Christ's love. You helped to teach them songs to praise the Lord. Read about these precious kids here.
Your funds brought us to Mama Silvy in Rwanda. You encouraged her without many words with hugs, smiles, prayers, and helpfulness around the house. Your money, extra funds left over from our budget at the end of the month, also directly went to her to allow her to have back surgery to fix a painful injury from the 1994 genocide. You were able to share her story to inspire others. Read her story here.
You made a film that pportrays the furious love of Christ and the victory we have in Him. This is a video that has touched people all over the world as we have shared it with churches and as we posted it on the web to spread the message of the Gospel of grace. Check out the video and how it has impacted my own life here.
You taught pastors in Nepal computer and networking skills to hep them advance their ministries. One of these pastors is Dilip, pictured above with his baby boy. Dilip is doing incredible Kingdom work in nothern Nepal and even has an underground church in Tibet. You gave him the skills necessary to get Facebook, e-mail, and a ministry blog so he can network with other pastors and create awareness of his ministry for those in his area who are seeking to find a church or learn more about who Jesus is.
You taught English, a huge educational advantage, to precious children in the largest slums in Bangkok. You poured out love on them, something they may not always feel in their broken homes. You taught them songs about Jesus in the hope that as they grow up with Step Ahead, they will remember the Jesus they sang about and they will remember the love of Christ that was demonstrated to them, and they will ask Jesus into their hearts, deepening their understanding of Him.
You brought the message of freedom to a slum village in Kenya. You touched one woman in particular, Esther (pictured above, on the left). The next church gathering after this message was proclaimed, Esther shared her testimony of how it was a turning point for her. She had been holding some things back from God and as a result had lost her passion for Him. After hearing His voice and His truth with this message, she rededicated her life to the Lord. Read more about this message that was shared here.
One of the people who may have been most impacted by your support of this mission trip is me. I have experienced freedom. My relationship with the Lord is more intimate than I could ever imagine. I have gone through some of the hardest junk I've had to face in my life, but through that I have seen God's sovereignty and providence, learning to depend completely on Him and trust in the truth that I can do all things with Christ and I can do absolutely nothing without Him. I have experienced so much joy and thankfulness as I take in the beauty of each place I go to, where I have been able to see God moving in powerful ways and where I have met incredible people who have inspired me and challenged me in my walk with the Lord. I have become atuned to hear God's voice whisper to me and to feel His nudges and promptings. I have seen how God can use me, even me in the midst of my brokenness, to draw others closer to Him. I have overcome my fear of public speaking as God has laid messages on my heart and a burning passion to share these messages with whoever I can. I have finally come to realize and accept that God's dreams for me are SO much bigger and better than my own dreams for myself and I am catching glimpses of what these dreams are. These past 9 months have been crazier than I ever could've imagined. I have grown and changed more this year than ever before in my Christian walk. I am continuously blown away as God reveals more of Himself to me. So from the bottom of my heart, I thank you supporters. You are the ones who brought me here through your faithful and obedient giving. There are so many times throughout each week when I just stop in awe and praise God for bringing me to where I am. Thank you. You made all this possible. I wish I could better express how you have impacted my life through your giving, but I just can't even put words to it all.
These are just a few people you have impacted with your giving this year. I know that there are many more who have been impacted significantly by your giving. bvvv bnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnBelow is a video for the song "Thank You For Giving To The Lord". Maybe you might find the song a little cheesy, but listen to it and imagine yourself in that place. How sweet of a reward is it going to be to have people come up to us in Heaven and tell us that we helped get them there. Thank you for giving. You have literally changed lives. I wish you could be here witnessing it, but I hope this blog has given you a little glimpse into what you are doing and know that you will see the full extent of it in Heaven. Please continue to step out in faith in big and small ways; God will never ask us to do something in vain and you have no idea how much of an impact you could have.
