Wednesday, January 27^th.

I sat down and wrote my last blog post, pausing to dwell on the goodness of God and how HE is the one moving in people’s hearts and minds to raise up my funding. I’d been stressed, but God had reminded me I was already at 60% funding- and HE, not I was the one doing the work. I figured I’d let my post marinate a couple of days before actually publishing it and saved it as a draft, the prayer request already written at the bottom, “I’m am hoping to hear back from two churches I’ve been in contact with in this upcoming week…”

Sunday January 31st.

Seventy two hours of insanity begins. Emails, texts, letters, calls. “Africa Inland Mission…New Donation…” One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. One friend I met with this weekend, one, a month ago, another, two weeks ago. This person, was the same person giving twice! That one, a relative! My jaw dropped lower and lower as my phone continued to notify me … little did I know what these three days truly held…

9:36 AM: Email #1. “Africa Inland Mission… New Donation.”

10:35 AM: Text from Grandma, “I spoke with my pastor this morning… missions committee meets once every other month… today at 4:30… do you have any materials?”

12:34 PM: Sitting in the parking lot of Mr. Kabob before going in to order my lunch, I forwarded from my phone the email containing the application I had filled out and submitted for my own church a few months back.

6:47 PM: Email received- Good News! “Amy, I am pleased to inform you…” This was the email I had been eagerly anticipating from my own church, the first of the two churches mentioned in my prayer request! While praising God, I figured I would be changing that prayer request to “one church” before posting…

8:03 PM: Call from Grandma, “I printed all the materials you sent … They had their meeting… looking forward to calling you this week!” A new church to pray about! That “one church” flipped right back up to two!

Monday, February 1^st.

I woke up reveling in the incredulity of the previous day as the last two notifications had come in after I’d gone to bed. I was excited as today marked two weeks from meeting with the second church originally mentioned in my prayer request…

9:19 AM: Email sent- Missions follow up! That second church had told me to reach out if I hadn’t heard from them in two weeks-  Today marked two weeks, so I sent out my follow up!

6:51 PM: Call from an unknown number, “Hi! … from your Grandma’s church… schedule a time share with our missions’ committee?”

9:34 PM: Email number five. “Africa Inland Mission… New Donation.”

Tuesday, February 2^nd.

Still feeling overwhelmed by all that had happened in a short forty eight hours, I decided I had to post the blog that had been dwelling in my heart as it spoke of God’s greatness and awesomeness that I had been seeing so clearly in the past two days!

12:00 (ish): I hit publish on that blog…

3:52 PM: Email number six. “Africa Inland Mission… New Donation.”

5:38 PM: Email response, “Amy! I am so happy to let you know…” He replied to my follow up! The second of the two original churches I was praying about decided to support me!

Gob smacked is the only term I can use to describe how I feel right now. If you’re not familiar with the term- google it. You won’t regret it. Gob smacked by God’s faithfulness. Gob smacked by his faithfulness in abundance! A friend on Saturday had pointed me to this verse as I was describing to her how God has been moving already:

1 Thessalonians 5:24, “He who calls you is faithful; he will surely do it.”

He will surely do it. He surely has, and surely will continue to. So where am I at now with my funding you wonder?  

Monthly Commitments: 80.70%

One-Time Costs: 81.87%

I’m not to my final goal yet, but God brought in 20% of BOTH my outgoing AND my monthly commitments in three days, WHILE setting up a contact with another church! He did that. Not me. HE DID. I hadn’t lifted a finger in those three days as far as reaching out, but He was busy at work. The only response I can possibly muster is to shout from the rooftops this verse from Ephesians 3…

“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 the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever, AMEN!”

I hope you are as encouraged reading this as I am writing this, but more excitedly, to be living in God’s incredible story. And yet, I have the distinct impression that this is not the rest of the story, as the story is really still just beginning…