Well, guys, this is the third time I’m drafting this post in probably the last month. It’s been a super busy couple of months, but I did not forget about posting an update! If you missed my last blog post, definitely go back and read it. It fills in a lot about who I am and what this trip is all about.
Fundraising Update!
Part of the reason it’s taken me so long to get an update out is because I would start a post, and then by the time I went to polish and publish it, my fundraising progress had changed quite a bit. As I was sitting here typing, another donation came in! I feel like I’ve been standing under a waterfall with the amount of support I’ve received. I’ve been fundraising for a little over a month, and I’m already 79% fundraised! That went up 8% from when I was editing this post this morning! Guys, I don’t have words. I’m not even doing anything except sitting back and watching God’s faithful provision! I don’t have a category in my brain for this kind of generosity from you all. The closest I can come up with is a waterfall after a rainstorm.
The progress on my fundraising goal has served as confirmation to me that choosing the World Race was indeed the right decision. I have been trusting God that, if He wants me on this trip, He will provide the funds for me to go, and He is blessing far more abundantly than all I asked or imagined! I’m learning to shift so that I’m not looking at this through the lens of only seeing my own resources. I don’t have to raise $17,000 in my own strength and resources. I have pretty limited time availability right now. In fact, it’s so limited that I’m having trouble keeping up just writing “thank you” cards to those God has prompted to give! God’s resources are infinite, and He can and has provided finances primarily through His Church, but even through a few who are not yet believers! I really appreciate the sacrifices you have made to support me, but also, even more importantly, to support the Great Commission. You are a blessing to me.
I Grew Up!(ish)
Guys, I finally made it to adulthood! My birthday was on Thursday, and I registered to vote that day. It was a really good day. A lot of my friends who have already turned 18 have said that it feels the same, but that has not been my experience. High school felt like one challenge after another. It’s been a really long four years, but I am 24 days from the finish line! I have been looking forward to turning 18 and entering adulthood for a while now, but I am also very much looking forward to my high school graduation on May 30th!
All of these milestones are bringing a change in my mindset. I recently asked my mom if she could teach me how to cook this summer, which is a step toward independence I have been avoiding like it’s the plague. Maybe pray that I don’t burn the house down. 🙃 I don’t have my own car, but my parents are letting my use my dad’s old car if I help pay for the insurance and gas, so I’ve been driving a lot more lately. Last weekend I drove on my first major trip unaccompanied. Granted, it was about an hour and a half to my sister’s college to visit her for one night, but it was a lot more highway driving than I’m used to. I didn’t crash or get lost, so I’m considering it a successful trip. 😅 The cumulative effect of all the little things like visiting my sister and turning 18 and submitting my senior research paper and probably a million other things are reminding me that I’m growing up and moving on to better things ahead that God has prepared.
One of those future hopes is attending Cedarville University. I have submitted my deposit there and am very much looking forward to the spiritual growth and community I hope to find there following my gap year. I have not yet decided on a major, but part of the purpose of a gap year is to give you more time to figure out what’s next, so my plan is to use that time and see where the Lord leads. It’s nice not to have to worry about choosing a school anymore. It’s one more thing off my plate.
Reflections on James
Since you are supporting me in my ministry, you should probably know a little about my spiritual journey. My youth group just finished going through James, so I thought I’d share a few of my takeaways. Honestly this is more for my processing than it is for you, but maybe you’ll benefit from it, too.
Favoritism is not just portrayed through honoring the rich and shaming the poor as discussed in 2:1-7. I think a lot of the time, we play favorites by being exclusive in who we’re willing to befriend or in the ways we treat people we see as weird. This Sunday, my pastor discussed the beauty of the diversity of the church. A lot of the time, we settle into only talking to people our age or who have similar interests and backgrounds, but we can gain so much from interacting with people we judge or choose not to interact with because they are different from us. When we are exclusive in who we spend our time with, we are treating those we refuse to interact with as less valuable to us. Often the people God chooses for Himself are the ones we forgot or wrote off as not worth our time: “Listen, my beloved brethren: did not God choose the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom which He promised to those who love Him?” (2:5)
I have a confession to make. I sometimes gossip. James refers to the tongue as a fire because of its ability to set a whole forest on fire (v. 5). A lot of us see gossip as harmless as long as the victim doesn’t find out, but it’s actually a reflection of the condition of our hearts. When we share drama about others or communicate our negative opinions of others unnecessarily, we are disrespecting someone God made to represent Himself. James says about the tongue, “With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God” (3:9). I’m working on choosing not to say things that are unhelpful. I don’t want to dishonor God by how I treat His image-bearers, even behind closed doors.
Probably the most impactful takeaway I had from our study was from chapter four. Many of you are probably familiar with the verses regarding the cause of our quarrels. Since we were young, my mom drilled into us that our conflicts were caused by “the desires that battle within us.” What I hadn’t previously considered was why I had those unfulfilled desires. Verse two explains this piece of the equation: “You do not have because you do not ask.” I have a tendency to get frustrated with my relationships or with where I’m at spiritually, but rarely do I actually ask for what I need or want. I was unintentionally depriving myself of grace, mercy, and comfort from God simply because I was not willing to ask for it. I was looking at the ways I was failing in the areas of favoritism or gossip, but I was not bringing it to God and asking Him to forgive me and to help me stop living in shame because of sin I was holding against myself. I am still working on bringing things to God and asking for help, but making this connection was a huge step in the right direction for me.
What Can You Do?
- Follow my blog for updates! I plan to post more regularly once I’m on the mission field, if not before then.
- Pray for my trip and my fundraising. I only need $3,519 more!
- Pray for me as I’m preparing for graduation. It’s a super busy time of year, and certainly not without stress.
- Donate through the link at the bottom of this page. Any amount helps!
- Practice putting off favoritism and gossip and repent where necessary. Run to God for grace and comfort; He wants to give it to you!
