Abundance

We are 2 days away from taxiing down the runway, and I sit overwhelmed to the point of tears at the abundance God has blessed us with this year for Malawi.

Last year I sat in awe as I watched finances come in for our family of 6 to go, all in a matter of about 3 months!  I KNEW God would provide and He did.   And He has again this year.

I don't know why I feel so shocked at the abundance that has come in.  Since I was a little girl, I have had straight forward mustard seed faith. I believe that God can truly move mountains.  There were times in my childhood where I remember being told I made "mountains out of mole hills".  And I specifically remember my silent reply … "well, that's ok, because if the mountains I have created are a problem, the Bible says that God can move 'em …"

This year there were a few weeks in the Spring where my faith faltered due to some glitches in our plans. I didn't know whether I had decided to take a team again this year because I thought I heard God telling me to, or because I did hear God telling me to. I still believed that if it was God's will, then it would work out.  I just wasn't confident that it was His will. I was discouraged.

One day I told Trevor that if God wanted me to this trip again (and again? and again? - because last year I believed that God was planning this as a yearly venture) that I'd told Him He would have to tell me specifically by providing our funding down to the last penny this year. I needed a clear affirmation from God. This would be my sign that I was doing what God had wanted me to do.  A little risky (and to many, theologically incorrect), but I believe that it is God's money, not mine or anyone else's and that He would draw His funds for His trip out of His people's pockets.  :)  And I knew He would speak to me this way, as this is the kind of relationship God has with me - that's how He made me.

We were down to the wire up until a few days ago, still being under our family's goal.  And then a friend came to visit and wrote a cheque with a whole lot of numbers on it - far more than I know they could ever afford - and without thinking, I said, "We don't need all that to meet our goal, it would push us over our goal.  Please, save your money and change the cheque".  She flat out refused and that's when it hit me … we were over our target goal and God was assuring me of His plan.  Praise God for His listening to this silly child of His - me bargaining with Him.

Since then, our budget as a team has been exceeded.  And the funds are still rolling in!!

The blessing of this is that we are now able to create new projects (only in the last few days). Every penny that we have gone over in our original budget will be going directly to help Malawians in new ways.  The greatest part of this is that we get to take the cash and spend it directly there and get "more bang for our buck".

As I write this, I am reminded of one woman. I met her in Malawi in the Fall of 2011 and her story still breaks my heart. She was included in a group I took for dinner in a city hotel 30 minutes from Ekwendeni where she lives.  She sat near me with her head hung for most of the meal.  I learned she didn't know how to read the menu and that she'd never been to a restaurant before!  She didn't know how to order.  And at the end of the meal, with her eyes still looking down, she thanked me from the bottom of her heart, assuring me that she would never forget the experience. Unfortunately we learned last summer that she had lost her job and was struggling simply to feed herself.  We asked her former colleagues at the hospital if they had any suggestions about how we could help her. A number of simple small business ideas were suggested and it struck me that the start up costs would be nearly zero! With a start-up investment of no more than $200, she could start a simple business that would provide her with sustainable income for food. This year with the abundance of support we've received, we will finally be able to help her and others like her.  And it's even more than that! She has a child living hours away with family in her home village because she cannot provide for her daughter.  She only sees her daughter every few years.  Just think! Maybe we can help our friend see her daughter or even help reunite them to live together.

May God continue to move mountains … yours, mine and theirs.  And may you be richly blessed as you have given.

Julie