Hey guys! This is my first update for my summer missionary trip to Ireland. Even though I am not in Ireland yet, I realized there is much to update already. I have titled this post God's Providence because I hope to show you how God has amazingly provided for my every need.
The first way God showed His providence to me was my friend's dad. He is a pilot for Us Airways. Because of that, he gets a number of "buddy passes" per year. These passes give a discounted rate to the pilot's friends and family. My friend's father offered up one of these passes to me. So instead of my roundtrip airline ticket costing $1200+, it cost me just under $500. Praise be to God! Be in prayer for my flight because the con of travelling with a buddy pass is that I will be flying standby. But God has already shown me that He provides so I know that God will provide a seat on the flights I will be on.
Up until last month, I still needed a good bit just for necessities. God was really testing my faith as I was weighing the option that maybe God didn't want me going this summer. Fundraising was going a lot slower than it had the year before. Then God plopped the remaining ammount in my lap all in one day. I was shocked and cried tears of joy. God wants me to go on this trip. He just wants me to learn to trust Him.
Another way God showed his providence was my last fundraiser. I had had a garage sale on my calendar for a while. People had been donating their unwanted stuff. As the weekend got closer, I saw that there was an 80-90% chance of thunderstorms all day long. Last time I cancelled a garage sale due to weather, it never rained. So, I was not going to cancel. I knew my God was stronger than the weather. He controls the weather. I prayed and prayed and prayed. The day of, I checked the weather. It was supposed to rain until 8am but then clear up until 3pm. We were on! The day was glorious! Praise God, the garage sale was a HUGE success with no weather complications.
During the garage sale, a man from a local thrift store stopped by. He told us that after we were through for the day, if we wanted to call him, he would come back and take the rest of our stuff. Not only would he take it off our hands, he would pay us for it! He payed us $100 for our leftovers! Praise God!
One more way God showed his abunding providence is that I went WAY over my funds goal. I realized I had enough money for one person to go with me for a week (airfare, lodging, and insurance). I could either gift someone with the funds to go on a mission trip or keep them for myself for my next trip. I felt God calling me to give it away so that I could trust Him even more next time. My Mom has always wanted to serve on the mission field but has never been given an opportunity. For Mother's Day, I surprised my Mom with an all exspense paid trip to serve in Ireland. She will be joining me from June 18 (traveling over with me) through June 26. Please be praying for her as well.
God is so great. I can't even express how amazing He is. Thank you all for your prayers. I know God is hearing them. Please continue to pray for my Mom and me as we plan to serve the Irish people.
