Year Wrap UpThis year has been a a crazy journey. I have had two paying jobs and was going to staff three DTSs.
Last September I went back to Arkansas for a “Go Team” (support team) conference, and to prep for the up and coming DTS. Two weeks after flying in to Arkansas I was flying out again. The DTS was canceled due to a lack of students and the “Galilee Project” (a leadership training course) was starting in Salem, OR. With much prayer and petition I decided to not raise support
for this $3,000 endeavor. It was a hard decision, but God ended up providing the money in an amazing way.After finding myself at the end of the three month long course and in debt to the Salem base, I remembered that God told me I would be getting a “paying” job in January. So, I started my hunt. I landed a contracted night janitorial position at “Sparkle and Clean Janitorial.” It had hard hours, but I was making money.
As I looked at my new expenses (car, rent, food, ext.) and my paycheck, I realized that I was not getting out of debt. I asked God, “Why am I here? I am not getting out of debt and on top of life.” He said, “You are here because I love the people you work with and you are the only Jesus they have ever seen. So, love on them and tell them about Me!” I did that for 4 months, and by the end I saw some real change in their lives.
In April I applied for a job at a christian camp in Oregon called Camp Tadmor.
All of May I was on a Mobile Trip. The trip was to motivate people to walk out their faith. In the middle of the trip I told the group that I need a week away so I could touch base with my church, family and friends in SoCal. I felt that I needed to get my support raised, or I would not be able to do long term/full time missions any longer. So Sunday was the kick off, and I needed to get a good amount of meetings scheduled for that week (although I could have made them sooner). And I did not get a single one.
Discouraged, I told God, “ I am fine with scrubbing toilets for the remainder of my life. If that is how you want me to bring glory to Your name, then “sign me up,” but I feel like that is not what you have for me.”
Not needing a whole week for meetings, I met back up with my team. My first day back with them was a “rest day.” Luke, the team leader, had the whole day planned. We didn’t know until a block away what we were doing. He had gone online and gotten us free tickets to be in the audience of a game show called “The Pice Is Right”. I ended up getting on the show! Not only getting on, but winning! I won just under $10,000 worth of prizes!
People have told me, “God will bless you in ways you can not imagine.” And there was no way I could have imaged that.
I should have never doubted His call on my life. Even if “all has failed” and I am “down and out” I know God wants to bless me. And I KNOW GOD IS FOR ME.
This last summer I got a job at Tadmor as a Lead Counselor. I was on a team of four “Leads.” We had fourteen counselors that we looked after and helped to be “better” in all aspects of the word. It was, in a nutshell, a summer to remember.
