His plan is greater...

$6,815.00. The amount of money that now is in the TOTAL column of my, oh so Type A, organized Excel spreadsheet for Thailand support.

The $6,000 goal has been reached plus some. There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I am supposed to go to Thailand this summer. It has been one of the most amazing experiences so far, and I have not even left American soil! 

When I started raising support, I sent out around 36 letters, hoping that at least 10 people would respond. My prayer at the beginning was that I would have 10 sponsors to start giving $200 or more... or equaling somewhere in that range of $2000. That prayer request to me was huge. I honestly thought, "ok, Court, people will probably be giving around $50 maybe a little more or a little less, so let's go big with this request." 

My little reminder that has been sitting on my desk for the
last 3 months... (just a visual aid, you know, for fun!)

Ha. Little did I know that His plan is far greater than mine. Within the first week of support raising I had almost $2500. By the third week, almost $3500. And now, by the fourth week $6815. Tomorrow will mark exactly one month from the day I first sent out my support letters. Wow. I cannot but fully look to God and thank Him over and over for this blessing. There was absolutely not one thing that I did that made this money come in. It was all Him. 

Some may be wondering what happens to that "extra" little bit the Lord has blessed me with and is continuing to bless me with. Well, that money will be put into the Thailand Team Fund. It will go towards supporting our team as a whole and help with any team members who may be having a little harder time raising support. I have honestly been so, so blessed and can only think about how awesome is it that not only are "my" supporters getting a chance to send me overseas but are also helping send 15 other students just like me over there, too. 

So, here's the deal now. I know some are still wanting to give. That is truly amazing. You can still send it to me, and I will be more than happy to take care of it. As of right now, what you can do for me, personally, is pray. Pray that the Lord continues to work on my heart. . Pray "... that words may be given to me in opening my mouth boldly to proclaim the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may declare it boldly, as I ought to speak." (Ephesians 6:19-20). Pray for the rest of the team members during their support raising endeavors and for their hearts as well.

Thank you so much for your prayers and financial support. 

Until next time...

blessed beyond all understanding...

$3715. The amount of financial support that has come in so far. $2285. The amount of money still needed to reach the $6000 mark. 

I cannot even begin to describe how raising support has truly impacted my life. Each day I wake up, I have to turn it over to God because I know there is absolutely no way that I, alone, can raise this $6000. And I can honestly say He is listening. 

Since my first blog post I have had a few more "tearful" moments, not in the food court this time though, thank goodness! I am honestly astounded at the response of my family, friends, and even just mere acquaintances that I happened to send a support letter to. The checks come in all sizes, but each one means so very much to me. These checks are a physical way for people to show 1) that they believe in this mission and the importance of sharing the gospel and 2) that they believe in me to carry it out.

I have been so humbled to know that I have a team of people who are behind me 100% and are praying for me on a regular basis. Wow. 

It's also been amazing to see support come from people I had never even imagined. For example, I was out to dinner with a good friend the other night who graduated from college last May. I was telling her about my opportunity to go to Thailand this summer and what we would be doing. It had not occurred to me to ask her for financial support. I mean she just graduated college and was just beginning to wet her feet in the corporate world. I know money doesn't grow on trees, especially for a recent college grad. As I was telling her about my trip, her eyes started tearing up. She pulled out her checkbook and wrote me a check right then and there. I was blown away. I would have never thought about asking, and here she is looking me straight in the eye saying "Court, I believe in you, and I just wish I had more to give." It's so encouraging to know that my own generation sees the importance of sharing this awesome gift we have been given called the Gospel of Christ. 

Thank you to everyone who is supporting me both financially and through prayer. Both are vital to this mission! What an awesome Savior we have! 

Brought to tears...

I have never been on a mission trip before. I never went on that youth group trip or that college spring break trip. I had heard about them but had never actually gone. So, when this trip to Thailand came up I was 100% on board. I mean, 2 months in Thailand. Can I say, awesome!? The only catch, $6000, the cost of this trip. Yes, it's true, to anyone it is a large chunk of change, but to a college student it might as well be a million dollars. My heart dropped when I got this number, and that's also the day when I realized that this trip is going to be nothing like I had imagined. I realized that this trip was not going to happen without the one who gave me this opportunity in the first place, God. So, that's when I hit my knees, and let me just tell you the Lord sure does work in a mysterious way.

The Cross Cultural Project notebooks came in a flurry and Support Raising 101 commenced. The Thailand journey had begun, and we are still 4 months and 12ish days away from even boarding a plane!

With some tears, hardcore prayer, and a few drafts, my first wave of support letters went out right after Christmas with a self-addressed envelope to my Samford box. As I returned to school, life hit me fast (I am doing an internship at Princeton Hospital. Let's just say 12 hour shifts are exhausting, but amazing!) On my day off I finally got a chance to check my box. As I walked towards the food court/post office, I was nervous. Has anyone actually read my letter? Has anyone actually sent me a response this soon? Is anyone actually willing to send money in such a hard economic time?

As I peeked through the little window and saw that I had 4 letters, I was already dumbfounded. I took out the little envelopes and sat down at a food court table (I couldn't wait until I got back to the house. I was too excited!) 

I immediately began to tear up after the first envelope, and by the fourth I had lost it. In 4 letters, I had received $825. The Lord had already surpassed everything I could imagine.

I write this to say thank you. Thank you for believing in this mission. Thank you for supporting me. And thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness.

I cannot wait to open my box now. Each day is a new opportunity to see the Lord's faithfulness.

And no worries people, I eventually made it up to the house after the entire food court staff was staring at me... no big deal.

Until next time...