The first two months were solely focused on me trusting in God's faithfulness to provide financially for me. For this trip, I was asked to raise a large sum of money in a short amount of time. I was almost done with my first year of college and I was already tight on money. But--as He has done many times before--God provided. God used His people's obedience to Him to show me His faithfulness. Thanks to Him and everyone's giving, I was able to have that huge burden lifted off of me. I remember crying when I found out that all my money had been raised.
(That being said, to anyone reading this who donated money, I have so much gratitude for you. You all hold a deep, special place in my heart.)
But my journey didn't stop there. It was actually just beginning. A few days prior to my training orientation, one of the greatest Christian women that I was blessed to have known passed away. My Granny was a strong believer of Christ, and although her passing was difficult and there are days that I still struggle with it, I have full confidence that she and my Papaw will be watching over me in Scotland from Heaven.
The next big hurdle I dealt with was meeting my team. I was so nervous and excited to see who all of my teammates were. There are seven of us total, so I was afraid that all our personalities would potentially not mesh. But then I met them, and all of those fears were wiped away. I could not be more excited to work with my team; they are all such great followers and strong believers of Christ. In the times that we have shared together leading up to our departure, we have had amazing converations of how God has worked in our lives and how He has made Himself known to us in various ways. My heart cannot wait to serve with them in Scotland.
And now as the day approaches, I find myself trying to conquer another battle. It is one that I have struggled with on nearly every mission trip I have been on: boldness. There have been numerous times on trips where I have lost confidence in who I am in Christ and, as a result, have not been able to share what God wants me to. I have worked hard this summer to memorize 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 in order to fight and overcome that struggle. I find that it is a great reminder of how we should all approach our mission field:
"And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom. For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."
It's taken a while, but this passage has defintely been a source of comfort for me. I know that Paul was one of the greatest proclaimers of Christ to ever live, so by following his lead, I hope that I will be able to complete my mission.
So now, I ask for prayer for my team as we leave for our mission. We are sure to encounter some kind of spiritual warfare but I know that through the power of God, we will overcome it. I also ask that you pray for boldness for our team and that we will all focus on our mission. My team members names are Kim, Karlie, Ashley, Sean, Gary, and JD.
Thank you to everyone who has already been praying for me. I love all of you so much. And don't worry, I'll take plenty of pictures.
