I am thrilled to share that God has provided much faster and abundantly more than I ever expected Him to. 93% of my goal has been raised, and there is no doubt in my mind that He will finish this good work that He has started. It is one thing to read on a page that where God guides, He provides (Isaiah 58:11), but it is quite another to actually see the numbers increase because He is actively providing for me. He continues to prove that He is faithful.
When I first started fundraising, that’s how I thought of it. As fund raising. $19,850, that’s not nothing, that’s definitely intimidating. But that is so not our goal at the World Race, and I couldn’t see that until after my first small group mission presentation. I went into that meeting prepared to ask for money, and soon the Holy Spirit took over. He shifted my focus and showed me why we raise support, not funds. To share Him. What He is doing in my life, who I know Him to be, how He has shown up for me when I wouldn’t even show up for myself. How not only is He moving on the other side of the world, but He is right here in this room with this small group working in us. He gave me the opportunity to share Him with my friends and neighbors, people I have never had an in-depth, faith conversation with before, by putting the World Race on my path. I can’t put into words how humbling that is. Praise Him!
Since that small group, the numbers are an afterthought. I am driven by just wanting to talk about Him and how He is working in my life, and wanting to invite people into that. The fact that I need money for this opportunity is as an “excuse” to tell everyone that Jesus saved my life, because they are listening. People will listen when you tell them that you’re leaving your old life behind to live out of a backpack overseas for 11 months. That tends to turn some heads, and that foot in the door is all we need to share the Gospel with someone who is actually listening. I’ve taken the opportunity to be vulnerable with my community, the people He’s placed in my life, in my circles. They see my story, and they see Him. And these people give.
It’s given me a new perspective on my story. I see Him clearly in places now where before I thought He had left me. This is about so much more than the numbers. The World Race training staff tried to tell me that, but at least for me, I had to experience it firsthand before God opened my eyes to what He is really doing through my “fund” raising.
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