I'm not even sure how all of this started. A couple of weeks ago I was just hanging out, minding my own business, when a name popped into my head. More specifically, this was the name of a country.
God: Ecuador.
Me: Huh? What's that, God? Oh, my friend is going there in August. I guess I should keep praying for her. Thanks for the reminder!
God: I want YOU to go to Ecuador.
Me: (silence) ...wait, what?!
That's basically how it all went down. God and I have probably had this exact same conversation 2 dozen times since He went and shook everything up all over again. I thought I could rest safely in my comfortable little Honduran bubble. I followed Him there the first time...wasn't that enough?
Nope...obviously not.
Sometimes I like to gloss over those parts of the Bible...you know, the ones that remind me that following Christ isn't an easy task. Sometimes I like to pretend that life should be comfortable and safe and cushy.
But then God reminds me that while I'm sitting on our well-worn couch, most of our sponsored children are sitting on a dirt floor. When I complain about the heat, I turn on the air conditioning. Our Stirling, on the other hand, doesn't even have a window in her home! When I get thirsty, I turn on any of the faucets in our apartment and I have instant access to clean water. But even that's not enough, because then I filter it through the Brita or, more likely, just drink it from a bottle I purchased at Target. But remember Stirling? Yeah, her family gets contaminated water once a week. They live near a polluted river. There are no faucets, no filters...nothing. I absolutely could not drink their water or I would have gotten really sick. But that's what she lives with. That's what she's thankful for!
Oh...right.
I guess life shouldn't be comfortable and safe and cushy.
Give God an inch, and He'll ask for a mile. Actually, in my case, He asked for 2,959.2 miles (but who's counting?).
The thing is, though...He already gave His life up for me. So basically, I owe Him big time. If He asked me to walk to the moon, I'd try my hardest to figure out a way.
In all seriousness, when it became clear that God was really calling me to Ecuador, for some unknown purpose, I heaved a big sigh and went to my computer. I'm officially registered for the March 2013 sponsor tour.
The super awesome news, though? I'll get to meet her:
 |
| My Rosa!! |
...and her.
 |
| Kristhel! Go ahead and melt. |
That's where you come in!
I've set up a ChipIn page where anyone can contribute electronically to my "Ecuador/Honduras trip" fund. It's so user friendly, and I'm really excited about using ChipIn for the first time!
Would you prayerfully consider partnering with me and helping me get to Ecuador and Honduras?
I know that this is God's plan, so I also know that it will happen...somehow. The number I've set as a goal is a huge one ($6200 - the total cost of the two trips). But nothing is impossible with God.
Any amount of money is helpful (really). I'm kind of starting with nothing, so things can only get better from here!
And, regardless of your ability to support me financially, would you please support me in prayer? God has been drawing me down a path that is clearly of Him (and so not in my plans). It is really encouraging to know that my friends are behind me on this.
If you would like to donate, you can visit my ChipIn page or use the widget directly:
