Less than one month away from my missions trip to Haiti, and I thought I'd give you all the big update on how God has been working and preparing me for my trip, and to share ongoing prayer requests. Enjoy!
Support
HUGE PRAISE!!! God has done amazing things in terms of raising financial support...my trip is fully funded! Raising support has been a huge faith journey for me... a part of me didn't think it could be done! Trusting God for my financial needs for this trip has been a journey, showing me the parts of myself that doubt God, or don't trust Him 100% with certain parts of my life. But I've learned I've got to go all in to really see God working in my life. Truly, nothing is impossible for God!
Witness
I love the opportunities I've had to share my faith so far because of this trip...more than I could have imagined! First, I voluntarily shared my story with my adult life group (which is unusual, because overall I don't like lots of attention), but it's much bigger than that. Because my trip involves both my faith and my profession, it has resonated with people from many different circles within my life. Many of my co-workers are interested in the trip, so I find myself in unexpected times and places, sharing my faith and details about my trip. I was even asked by my coworkers to give an inservice about my trip after I return (!!!). While the presentation won't focus on my faith, since it is a secular workplace, I can't really talk about the trip without at least mentioning parts of my faith...I pray that I can generate some good questions and conversation.
Prayer
I can say, without a doubt, that preparing for this trip has totally changed my prayer life, for the better. I've learned the importance of being specific (ie, for the amount of support I needed), and being faithful, persevering, and more intentional in my prayer. I've been praying what I realize is a dangerously big prayer, that I would learn to love and serve like Christ. Learning to want to be truly humble, and pray for it, is a tough pill that I realize I must swallow.
During this season, I've also been reading through Psalms during my daily quiet time, which seems to exactly match my prayers, attitudes, and emotions. Over the past month, I've swung from total praise and excitement, to frustration and doubt, to questioning if I correctly discerned God's plan for me with this trip, to feeling attacked, then back to praise - just like the Psalms. But as I read and pray, the steadfast love of God, his truth, his guidance and patience over his people stand out to me, and I know He won't desert me. He cannot be anything but faithful to his people, no matter how confused we get or how much we mess things up.
Before I Leave...
In the few weeks before I leave, my awesome adult life group is hosting a fundraiser for me. I'm trying to bring as many supplies for the wheelchair clinic as my suitcase will fit, and my teammates report you can never have too much duct tape, velcro, and foam noodles. I'm also planning to bring toys, games, and crayons and coloring books, to give to kids while we work on their wheelchairs, and in the orphanages we may visit. Any other funds we raise will go towards paying my medical expenses for the trip (immunizations were over $100 with my insurance), and the down payment I paid so Joni and Friends would proceed in purchasing my plane ticket.
Also, on September 11, Advance starts up again. I am really excited to continue to lead the girls I've been with for about a year and a half as they begin 11th grade. The older they get, the more fun it becomes to build relationships with them, pour into them, and challenge them to grow in their faith. I can't wait to dig in to our new life group curriculum, which is focused on discipleship and really learning to read and understand the Bible, pray, and reach out to others.
Ongoing Prayer Requests
- Ongoing opportunities to share my faith, and that God would give me the right words at the right time.
- Success with the fundraiser put on by my life group, in terms of telling people about God and my trip, as well as raising funds.
- To be prepared spiritually, physically, mentally, and emotionally for my trip. I'm a bit nervous about possibly visiting orphanages...I just am not sure how my heart will handle that kind of brokenness. The closer I get to leaving, the more I realize I'm not exactly sure what I'm doing, or how to prepare except to pray.
- For my team, that we would work well together, serve together, and show Jesus to the people in Haiti.
I've found a verse that ultimately sums up my prayer requests, my journey, the person I want to be after this trip:
"He has told you, O man, what is good;
and what does the LORD require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?"
---Micah 6:8
What an awesome prayer...thanks for praying it with me! I am blessed by everyone's ongoing support, love, and prayers.
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