The second encouragement comes from a friend from church who recently graduated from college and has decided to serve with Campus Crusade. She is such an encouragement to me, because she had the task of raising her annual salary in less than 3 months and when I asked how it was going last weekend, she told me she was almost 100% funded!!! This is a huge encouragement to me because this amount of money is no small amount. Knowing that God provided for her to do the work that she plans to do in His name reminds me of His promise to do the same for me.
So, in closing, I wanted to share a little about what I am learning in this book that I am reading about fundraising for missions. I will be honest, when I started this journey, I was dreading the time when I would have to start raising financial support. Not because people are not generous or that I don't believe that what I will be doing is worth it, but because it is difficult for me, who has had a job since I was 13 years old, to ask anyone for money for anything. When I read further, I learned that I am not alone with feeling this way, and that a combination of pride and fear of relying on others for provision (and the lack of MY control) is at the root. Humbled by this direct reminder, I learned that the only one I need to rely on is our heavenly Father, and trusting in Him is really what I need to always keep at the surface of my mind. What I was also reminded of is that God wants us to include others regarding prayer and financial support for mission work, because by receiving their support, you are being used as a channel to bless both the supporters and those who you intend to serve. If you did not include supporters both financially and in prayer, less people are blessed by what you are doing in His name which ultimately is the purpose for your mission work in the first place...