Despite having this background in trusting God for money, raising funds for my own mission work seemed quite daunting to me.
No longer was I doing mission work under the shelter of my family's finances or their fundraising. This time it was up to me to be the one with the faith that was necessary to move the mountain of dollar bills that added up to $5,000.
It wasn't that hard at first. I prayed over every envelope that I mailed out asking for support and diligently began my fundraising almost immediately after finding out that I was accepted into the Pathways Internship. I didn't even break a sweat when the first financial deadline of $2,000 came and went. I wrote thank-you notes and praised God and continued to pray, knowing God would be faithful.
Months later I still knew He would be faithful. But the physical evidence of this depleted greatly during April and May. This seemed a great problem to me as the financial deadline was fast approaching and in less than two months I still had close to $2,000 to raise. My first car cost close to $2,000, how was that hurdle going to be overcome in only six weeks?
I prayed. I listened. God said He had something to teach me that was far greater than the lesson I would learn looking at a sum total of $5,000 without batting an eyelash.
I've heard stories about God providing mass sums of money in ridiculously short amounts of time. Logically, this wasn't that much to ask right?
But the glamorous stories of God's miraculous provision seemed far away from my dorm room in Joplin, Missouri, as I swung my legs back and forth on my bed, gazing heavenward and trying to look as angelic as possible as I asked God for the remaining amount. The weeks crept by and I felt more desperate. It wasn't that I thought God couldn't do it but I thought perhaps He wouldn't. Maybe He thought I needed more time with Him in America before venturing overseas. I asked God to help my heart be in the right place; I wanted to be in whatever country would help me learn more about Him. I didn't know what was best but that was okay because God did.
I continued praying and at one point realized that my prayers had changed from requests to something more along the lines of pleading. Why am I begging God to answer my prayers when this need, so big to me, is so small compared to what God COULD do? This realization led to a very uncomfortable moment with the Lord.
"Ask Me for more than $5,000", He said.
Obviously this suggestion was not coming from human reasoning so the only option was to obey. I fasted and prayed, asking for more than what I needed. I praised in advance, even thanking God in my journal for providing what I already needed.
Financial supporters appeared to be coming through the woodwork. People that I hadn't even met sent emails responding to my needs and I was truly blessed by each individual who gave.
Despite this encouragement, I ended up sitting on my couch the night before the final deadline for my internship still with a little over $300 to go. I did believe that God could do it. But my palms were still a little sweaty. I had no doubt by this point that God wanted me in Africa and I would be there this summer. But my prayers wavered a little. I kept reminding myself that God already had the money ready for my internship, I simply did not know where or how it was going to show up (who needs details, right?). I thanked God that to move a financial mountain all that I needed was faith the size of a mustard seed. Because, unfortunately, I felt I wasn't bringing much more than that into His throne room that night.
And then...He did it! And yes, it was even more than $5,000.
You guessed how my story ends not because God is predictable but because He is faithful. Would He have been faithful if the money hadn't come through? Yes. Because He is faithful in doing whatever would bring me closer to Him not faithful in giving me whatever I ask for. I have no doubt that God would have done whatever would have helped me learn more about Him. For this summer, He says that I will learn most about Him in Africa and playing with His beautiful children in the dusty streets of Tamale.
God has given me more than what I need because He wants all of us to know that He is not only capable of doing more than we ask or expect but He wants to do more than we ask or expect.
And how does He do more? Through you! Through your prayers and donations, each of you have not just contributed to my summer plans but you have fulfilled many prayers of those who have been praying for God's work in Ghana and His work in my life.
Even if you have just prayed for me once, thank you. I am honored to go to Ghana with so many supporters of sending the Gospel to the ends of the earth. I can tell my new friends in Africa about the love of Jesus that would compel so many of you to dig into your bank accounts.
But your support does not stop here! Each of you have helped me become fully funded and my mustard seed size of faith to grow. Now as I start this new adventure, I need your prayers and encouragement more than ever now.
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen". - Ephesians 3:20-21
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