He never ceases to amaze!

I cannot begin to describe how incredible the workings of God are when you are in his favor. Donny I jumped head first into this trip (well, Donny might describe it more as tripping & falling! ha) without any knowledge of how we'd truly pay for the financial aspect of this journey. Anyone who knows me will realize I often look at the "money" as a secondary concern to where my heart leads me in life! Maybe it's because I never had any money to begin with thus no reason for concern! I believe experiences and memories(and now God's calling) far surpass any monetary weight or restriction. Apples & oranges if you ask me. Donny and I both agreed to adopt the policy of "God will provide, when we absolutely can not" and with that we decided to forgo any plans of fundraising, ect. Especially with the economy in dire straights these days, we felt it was an uncomfortable idea for us to seek out a financial fundraising campaign. Honestly what we desired most to "fundraise" was simply moral & spiritual support from our family and friends(and that has been a torturous mountain to climb all on its own). We have managed here & there to scrape up some funds as we go along without it causing catastrophic stress on our life. Things are tight I can't deny that, but I see it as growing pains! We are blessed abundantly to still have food on our table, a roof over our head, warm beds, I could go on forever: We are blessed with a life much more comfortable than the people we are preparing to embrace in 2 short weeks. I've come to realize credit cards do have the capability of "saving the day" every now and again ~ Donny's cringing at this very moment I'm sure! I truly believe where there's a will there's a way and so we'll come through when necessary.

Needless to say the foundation of nearly ALL Donny's prayers have been the financial aspect of our trip and I too have been praying in parts that God will work wonders for us to fill in the small gaps that we can not possibly manage to close on our own. He has shown His face to us and we are feeling His grace as He works in the hearts of others who surround us. We received a generous gift from those dearest to me(they know who they are!) towards the donation of supplies we plan to bring for the children. This gift was a savior as Donny and I had no idea how we'd pay for the logistical costs of the trip and scrounge up enough to bring over bags of donations for the children.

Yet again God has smiled upon us and I sit here today totally humbled by the generosity of a complete stranger. Donny was at a local car dealer last night and as he was sharing details about our plans in Africa an employee of the place was so moved she offered a donation. She sheepishly said (as I heard through the phone) "It's not much, but I'm honored to help in some small way"....and she shared with Donny a $50 check. For the heart of a complete stranger to be so moved to share her very hard earned $50 with us because she believes so dearly in the mission we are on is astonishing to me, seriously I'm dumbfounded to the point of having no words to express the intensity of my thanksgiving to her. There's no doubt I'm truly grateful for the money, but what I'm most moved by is her taking a leap of faith WITH US. I think now I realize why I was truly unable to fundraise in the first place, I have no clue how to process these emotions that are stirring because someone opened their heart so generously to believe in me and dream with me. Someone supports the idea that God can make a difference through my little life. Tears of joy flood down my cheeks as I think of this lady who I will most likely never know or see and how she touched my life in such a profound way for simply believing in me.

Our God is so big, you never know where "he's at work"!! I am honored to be a daughter of his glorious kingdom and I will spend my days seeking his love and sharing it with those who need it most!