*** This was written two weeks ago while flying from Houston to Portugal before beginning G42. Apologies for the delay!***
“When it rains, it pours.” If you google this phrase, the Oxford dictionary gives you the following:
PROVERB
Misfortunes or difficult situations tend to follow each other in rapid succession or to arrive all at the same time.
Those who know me well, know I love a super stormy, dreary day. As an enneagram 7 (re: the optimist) and lover of a good downpour, I can’t help but see the bright side of this sentiment. And this is exactly what has happened.
I wrote a blog a month ago about my natural tendency to take fundraising into my own hands and not fully surrender my situation over to God. Giving up the cookie side hustle was terrifying, but our God is one of completion and when He calls us to something, HE provides the way. I’ve learned recently that bold faith isn’t just praying for something to happen. It’s thanking God for what we believe in faith will come to be. So, instead of praying for funds to be donated, I began thanking God for allowing it to happen. I began declaring daily that I WOULD be fully funded by the time I left for Spain, and giving thanks because he is faithful. In the meantime, I posted an ‘adopt a box’ fundraiser on social media and donations started pouring in. Literally people I hadn’t talked to in years were generously donating! The amount of times I had to excuse myself at work and have a quick cry in the bathroom when a new donation came through Venmo was slightly embarrassing. My best friend Sarah Perry graciously hosted a yoga fundraiser the weekend of HER 30th birthday. The classroom was completely full of friends ready to support. And then BOOM.. an insanely generous match came through, and just like that, Jesus did it. Through you, He did it. TWO WEEKS EARLY. I can’t help but envision God looking at me with a huge grin on his face and with a wink, saying “Seeeee, told ya.”
In addition to raising support for G42, Saylah Leu and I have been in the process of starting a nonprofit with a Pastor who hosted my World Race team last year in Kigali, Rwanda. He started a Christian elementary school for children in his community who can’t afford to attend the government school. God has given him incredible vision, and it’s our goal to come alongside him to help the school become sustainable in the long term. In November, we were able to host a fundraiser in Houston with Pastor Moise for Heritage Christian School. We raised enough support to buy all new desks and chairs for the influx of new students in our upcoming term as well as half a year of salary for our teachers and staff. Our biggest priority for this first year is to ensure our teachers and staff get paid to relieve their financial stress. This will allow them to fully invest in our students.
Unfortunately, the rainy season hit hard and completely destroyed the school restrooms right before the start of term in January. Without working restrooms, we were unable to open as scheduled. Rebuilding the restrooms ended up costing $2,000 USD. With no emergency fund in place, this money ultimately had to come from what we had raised for our teachers. Talk about a blow. With both Saylah and I working full time jobs, me preparing for Spain, her running a side art business and planning a wedding, we could do nothing but pray. We began thanking God for people coming alongside us and wanting to support the work we are doing in Rwanda and with Pastor Moise. Out of the blue (hello divine encounter) I was asked to get coffee with a friend’s dad. We had literally only met once prior. As I explained about the last few years of my life with the World Race, G42 and Pastor Moise, he stopped me mid sentence, asked for a pen and wrote me a check for $2,000. Tears streamed down my face and I was left absolutely speechless. Without a mention of the financial hit we had just endured, God put it on his heart to donate the EXACT AMOUNT we needed. But y’all. He wasn’t done. Within the next few hours, we received two additional donations, again out of the blue (O hey, Jesus), that are going to pay for three and a half months of salary. Can I get an amen?!
Y’all. When it rains, it pours. And with Jesus, it’s pretty freaking awesome. Pray bold prayers and watch him show up, show off and bless you abundantly. He wants us to have big faith so He can show us just how much He loves us. He is a father who delights in taking care of His children and man is He a good father!
Thank you from the very bottom of my heart to each of you who has prayed, donated and encouraged me along the way. I thank God daily for the supportive community around me. Thank you for believing in me and the work God has so graciously allowed me to join Him in.
Love from Portugal, Sara
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Heritage Christian School Update:
We are currently in the final stages of filing to become an official 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Once the paperwork is submitted, the IRS has 6 months to approve it. At this time we are a licensed corporation. We were also able to get a corporate bank account open before I left the country.
Our website and donation link are in the process of being updated. Prior to opening our bank account, donations from our link were being sent to Pastor Moise through a church in Michigan that is also invested in growing his ministry. If you’re interested in partnering with us, please let me know so we can work with you while we transition to an internal platform.
In addition, we welcomed a Treasurer to the team, Sarah Perry. Sarah has her Masters in Public Accounting from the University of Texas at Austin. With her beautifully compassionate heart and mad accounting skills, she has already been a tremendous blessing to our team!
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Spain Update
I have officially been at G42 for two weeks and I feel so overwhelmingly grateful to have this opportunity. Prior to coming, friends who had done both the World Race and G42 told me, “You thought you grew while on the World Race, just WAIT until Spain.” They were right.. ten fold. Each class is full of new freedoms and revelation already! I promise for an update soon. But in the meantime, our little mountain village is currently under quarantine for the next two weeks. G42 interns are split between three houses, mine being the largest with 15 people. Thankfully, we are able to continue classes via Google Hangout daily. We are choosing to look at this time as an opportunity to grow deeper as a class and know God has some cool opportunities already in the works for us! I had my phone stolen the night of my birthday (3/8) and won’t be able to get a new one while borders are closed. If you need to reach me, I am available via FB Messenger, Instagram and Email only. LOVE YALL.
