God is Never Late and Always on Time

I have a pretty cool story that I wanted to share with you all. Until this morning, I was still short of the funds I needed to pay for my expenses while I will be in India. I won’t lie, I have been a little bit stressed about it and it was something that I felt powerless over (except for jumping on every single babysitting job I could until I left). What I knew in my heart, deep down, was that God was asking me to be patient and trust Him.

We will start from the beginning. A couple of years ago, I went to Africa on a mission trip for 2 months. On the trip, I became really good friends with a girl named Tia. After the trip was over, we stayed in touch off and on as she lived in California. Then, when it came time for her to graduate high school, she moved up to Seattle to go to SPU. It’s actually pretty cool to see how our paths have crossed more than once, and it all started in a world away in Africa. This winter, she decided to take time off of school and move to Africa to do missions work full time. I would see her updates over face book and one day decided I would send her a message and see how she was doing. She replied back and asked me how my fundraising for India was going. I told her that I had just started to begin fundraising for my trip. Tia, although she was on the mission field herself, offered to support me financially for my trip back to India. Since she was away, she put her sister in charge of sending it to me. Months passed and I never received it in the mail. About a week ago, I was going over my fundraising with my sister one night and I remembered that I never seen anything in the mail from her. The next morning after this conversation, I got a call from Tia’s sister. It turns out that she had the wrong address and it ended up just being sent back to her when she tried to mail it. I gave her my home address and yesterday, I received Tia’s donation in the mail. I opened up the letter and I could not believe what I saw. The check was for MORE than enough money. I immediately began to cry, looking at the check that represented so much more than money. In this check alone, I am provided with all of the funds I need for 2 months in India along with plenty of extra funds to spend on the children. Not only was I blessed but the children at SCH will be too. I was, and still am, completely overwhelmed at the way God has provided in His perfect time.

Going to India last year was a leap of faith for me. And going back to India this year was just as big of a leap. Nearly draining my savings account on a ticket back to India, my heart was anxious and nervous as to whether or not I had heard God correctly. For a while, I have struggled with knowing if this was really the right thing for me to be doing. From an outside perspective, I probably look like a really stupid person spending all her money on a plane ticket to India. And looking at my circumstances, I probably wasn’t making the right choice by spending all my money on a ticket. But that little voice in my heart, the Holy Spirit, I knew I couldn’t deny. I knew that God was calling me back to India, whether I could see the provisions for it in front of me or not. One of my favorite verses is 2 Corinthians 4:18, “So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.” I think it’s really easy for me to get caught up in staring at my circumstances and forgetting to look at Jesus. Jesus, who always provides, always comes through and is always faithful wants me to fix my gaze on Him, especially in the midst of uncertainty. For when my gaze is on Him, in all of His sufficiency and perfection, my circumstances suddenly have no effect. My circumstances are merely temporary and in the meantime, I can trust that God is working severely on my behalf, in His good time, to show me that he is faithful.

I feel so surrounded and blessed by the support you have all given me. God used each and every one of you to make this trip possible, whether that be through your prayers or your donations. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for the way you have shown me so much support and love. God has used each one of you to show me how good He is. I have no excuse to believe otherwise.

Going Home

In two weeks, I will be getting on a plane to go back to a place that my heart likes to call “home”. I’ll be setting off for another 2+ months in Ongole, India to work with Sarah’s Covenant Homes. I wish I could accurately describe the giddiness and excitement I feel when I think about returning to a country I love so much and to a ministry that I am deeply passionate about. I’ve been anticipating this return back to SCH since the moment I sat in the Dehli airport, waiting to fly home, trying hard to hold in all my tears, realizing how much my experience had changed me in so many areas. Surely, a big piece of my heart was stolen the day I walked out of the gates of SCH for the last time. However, what I thought was the end was really just the beginning. I’m so full of joy knowing that God still has more for me in India at SCH.

Just last night, I had another dream about coming back to SCH. I’ve lost track off all of the dreams I’ve had about walking into that place again. Each dream is different, but also the same in that my heart is overwhelmed and bursting with joy to be back there again. In one of my favorite dreams I’ve had about returning to SCH, Cedar came running up to me as I walked in. He was so much taller, and stronger, and his face was radiating joy and excitement. That’s the only time I’ve ever seen him walk, let alone stand up. This dream, I pray, will soon become a reality. I am so thrilled to see the children again, especially Cedar. Sometimes I find myself already getting emotional when lost in the thought of seeing him again for the first time. If I cry just thinking about it, then I know it’s going to be a tearful reunion.

This year, I’ve seen how my relationship with Cedar has become such a huge part of my life, even with all the miles away I am from him.  Nearly every person in my life knows Cedar by name and face, seen multiple pictures of him, heard my stories about him, and watched videos of his precious little laugh and personality. Sometimes I feel like one of those obsessed parents that talk about their kid all the time. I’m finding that half of someone knowing me is knowing Cedar too. One of my favorite things has been having my family and friends ask how he’s doing or referring to him in a conversation. I never thought a simple question or reference to him could bless me so much.

One thing that’s pretty exciting about returning to India is that I am bringing my mom and two of my friends from SPU! Yeah, you could say I did a little recruiting this year ;) My Mom will be coming for the first two weeks, my friend, Grace will be staying with me the whole two months, and my friend Will is going to be coming for the month of August. It’s meant the world to me to see how people want to be involved, so much that they are willing to come all the way back to India with me. It’s been a lifelong dream of both mine and my mom’s to go onto the mission field together. Out of the mission work I’ve done, I wouldn’t want her on any other mission field than this one. I’m looking forward to introducing her to India and most of all, to Cedar and all of the kids at SCH. I’m looking forward to watching my mom care and love for the children in my life who mean so much to me. I’m looking forward to experiencing all of the crazy but amazing parts of India with her that just make you love the place. I’m looking forward to seeing India again for the first time through her eyes. After going on this adventure alone last year, I am pleased to say that I will be coming this time with a team of people I know will make a huge impact on the lives of the children and ministry of SCH.

The other day I was reading through my journal from India last year. With it being my last page and at the end of my journey, I wrote in extremely small handwriting trying get in all my thoughts and feelings at the moment. At a first glance on that page, I immediately saw the four small words I had underlined, “Great is thy faithfulness”. I loved that those were the only words I could see when I looked at that page. And really, it was those four words that so accurately described the journey I had just been on. It so perfectly summed up the revelation and truth I was able to take away from my experience. It was such a good reminder to me, as I prepare to return, to see those powerful words that speak such life giving truth. I am trusting that God will be faithful to me yet again. He will be faithful to provide the remaining finances I need for this trip, for him to fill up my heart with love so I can pour it out, for Him to humble me so that He can be glorified, for Him to take me firmly by the hand and lead me through the challenges that will come, for Him to break my heart for the things that break His, and for Him to show himself to me through the least likely people and circumstances.

Since the moment I entered into a relationship with Him, He has only proven to me, time and time again, how great thy faithfulness.

A few things you can be praying for with me:

- God would prepare my heart, my Mom’s, Grace’s, and Will’s heart for our experience and time in India

- God would provide the rest of the finances I need for this trip

- Safe and smooth travels all the way to Ongole

Thank you all for your support and love. I look forward to sharing more with you about all that God will do this summer in India.