Lessons I’ve Learned

I committed to the World Race on May 5th, and there are some things I’ve learned throughout that time, so I’m going to share them with you.

1. 1. Overcoming a hardened heart. When I first committed to my trip, support raising $19,850 seemed impossible. I avoided the task all summer knowing that I was going to be working at a summer camp all of June and traveling most of July. August came, and I knew I needed to start support raising. On August 20th I wrote in my prayer journal, “I have lacked coming to you because I am afraid you will not provide.” My heart was so hardened towards trusting that the Lord would provide for me financially that I was avoiding it. I was believing the lie that I wasn’t worthy of letting people invest in the ministry that God had called me to. I also kept reminding myself the Lord has provided for you before, so He can do it again. I was having a war in my head of believing a lie and a truth. I had deadlines to meet: 25% funded by the end of November, 50% funded by the beginning of January, 75% funded by the end of March, and 100% funded by the end of May. September came, and still nothing had been done. I kept thinking I don’t have to be fully funded by the time I leave because I can support raise while I’m overseas. The lies in my mind continued to grow. On September 4th I wrote in my prayer journal, “Any money that is given is not mine but yours, God. I am desperate for you to move in ways that will show me more of who you are. Move in ways that will put me on my knees in awe of who you are. I am reminded tonight of the promise that you will provide. It’s not a might; you could; you should. Your word says you will provide for me. Help my heart, soul, and mind to believe that. Thank you for reminding me of that through an anonymous donor that gave $100. You’ve already started. May you guide and lead people to support your kingdom work through my support page and my desire to go.” I started to make slow progress in believing that the Lord could really provide for me. On September 23rd, I had my role-play phone call with a staff member. During this phone call I practiced my presentation and got tips and advice. After that I had a little more confidence but still avoided reaching out to people. I knew I had to be 25% funded by the end of November, so nerves really started to set in as it was the end of September and I only had $1,000 raised. At this point the thought of even being 25% funded seemed unrealistic. I made my first video call on October 6th to a family member. It went well, and they said they would support me financially. I thought,”Okay, I can do this. Keep scheduling more calls”. Still, I doubted.

• The Lord’s provision. All throughout the month of October, I started making more phone calls. As I made these calls, seeing the excitement in the faces of my friends and family for my 11-month journey filled me up. I was finding a lot of joy in being able to reconnect with people. My hardened heart was turning into a heart of confidence. On October 26th a couple made the decision to give me 25% of my goal. I was overcome with emotions of gratitude and gratefulness. By the end of October I was 50% funded. October 30th I wrote in my prayer journal, “Reading back through old prayers, thinking, Will I get to the point of trusting your provision? And here I am in awe of that. My heart is beyond grateful. When I didn’t trust you, you reminded me that you’ve got me. You showed me the loving Father that you are, even though I didn’t believe it in my heart.” I kept seeing my percent funded on my financial page quickly grow. I was continuously being reminded that the Lord is and will provide for me. On November 2nd I was 75% funded. I was blown away because my 75% goal didn’t need to be met till the end of March. December 12th came, which is exactly one month from my departure date (January 12th), and I was 100% funded. Matthew 6:33-34 says: “But seek first the kingdom and his righteousness, and all things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” This was a verse that I had written on my mirror while I was support raising, and it was a promise that I saw fulfilled.

• Community. I know I have people who love and support me. I have many friends and family members that have been so encouraging throughout this entire process. It’s so comforting knowing the army of people around me who are praying for me. I wouldn’t have the peace and confidence that I do without you all.

If you have made it this far, thanks so much for reading. Feel free to leave a comment, and don’t forget to subscribe so you know when I blog. I’ll be blogging a lot more when I’m overseas.

With love,

Lillie