The Blessing of Fundraising

Yep, that is right! The Lord has fully funded me! I honestly couldn’t be more thankful for this journey of fundraising. It has deepened my faith in God and strengthened my view of him as a Provider because that is what he is. His intentionality in all of it, even to the last penny, was mind-boggling. He put person after person in my life that I had the privilege to partner with within this journey. He worked in big and small ways throughout this journey. Always surprising me with what came next.

One of my favorite sayings and one I live by is if God brought me to it, he will bring me through it. Never has this been more true than when it has come to the race. He has called me to serve him by serving his people, and in every season, that looks different, but in this season, that looks like flying overseas and serving him in Costa Rica and where ever my feet should land.

Ok stories! You are probably wondering how the Lord and I fundraised. Well, I’ll only share a couple. Otherwise, this blog would never end. The first is his intentionality in putting the desire to give in people’s hearts. I was blown away by how generous people are and how supporting does not always look like giving financially. Ok, I should probably let you know that I really dislike asking people for financial support. I just feel like I’m a burden, or they will think that I’m just trying to get money, but the Lord has taught me this fundraising journey that asking never hurts. By asking others, it gives them the opportunity to partner with the Lord and what he has planned. Also, the Lord just LOVES to use the body to do good, using every part of it, whether it is prayer support, financial support, advocating and making people aware, or going out. He has a special place for everyone to serve. So, yeah, as I said, there have been SO many people that have made this journey even possible, and I’m so incredibly thankful for each and every one of them. I could never repay them but thank you for partnering with me and following God in what he has planned.

Ok, now story number two! I think I’ll label this story ‘The 84’. This story is about how I needed exactly 84 dollars to be fully funded. Ok, so I should mention how before I even started this whole fundraising journey. I asked the Lord to be fully funded before I launched overseas. So, I could solely focus on loving others instead of worrying about making deadlines for fundraising. Honestly, never once did I doubt that I would be fully funded, but I did worry about when. A handful of times did I go to God and ask when will he provide the money, and every time he would respond in his timing. I would like to describe myself as a relaxed control freak. Meaning most of the time I like to go with the flow. But, there are moments where I like to be in control. Having the security blanket of knowing I have things before they are due. Well, you see, God does not always go with what is comfortable for us. Anyway, it was nearing the end of my time in Georgia, and I still wasn’t a hundred percent funded. I only needed 84 dollars left. One of the ways I fundraised was by making shirts. Honestly, I went back and forth on making shirts because I did not know if people would buy them. Well, I ended up making shirts, and I sold them. They did better than I expected but nothing too big. Anyways flash forward a couple of months, I got the money I made from the shirts, and yep you guessed it. It was exactly 84 dollars, nothing more and nothing less. It was just God’s way of showing me that he has me in his hands. He will provide exactly what I need, nothing more, nothing less.

Ok, now that this blog is longer than expected, I should probably end it. The way I want to end this blog is by giving a HUGE thank you to all who have supported me with whatever that has looked like and celebrate what God has done because, believe me, none of this is because of me. I also want to thank everyone who supports me by reading these blogs. You will never truly understand how impactful it is to me that you take the time to read what the Lord is doing in me, my squad, and in the world. Ok, question and pondering time! What are the reasons for you to celebrate the things the Lord has done in your life? What are you thankful for? Until next time, Esther Collins.