No word comes to mind but joy!

Bless the name of the Lord!

I cannot stop thanking God for all He has done for me. He has come through yet again, in an overwhelming way! On Wednesday night our base had "commissioning night" where all the schools who are about to go on outreach are presented and prayed over and commissioned into the nations. Counting in various pledges, I was still in need of $450. My leaders and I had been praying that all of my finances would come in that night. And wouldn't you know it, by the end I was completely covered for outreach fees. God is amazing! What's more, on Friday I discovered I had received an additional $1,613. You know what that means? This girl can get a plane ticket home :). I am so relieved and blessed to not have to fund-raise for that during outreach. God is so good you guys. He has rewarded me beyond measure.

Shout out to that cool guy I know named Derek who sent me a new camera:

Hehe

An Eveleth mother puts twice the amount of chocolates in one box
AND writes in labels identifying what is what.

Some of my lovely house mates on Commissioning Night!

To put a beautiful face to the name:
This is Christa, who I was stuck in Indonesia with for a month!

The past few days have been full of cleaning, packing, checking things off my to-do list (finally), more packing, and writing a bounty of thank you cards to some well-deserving folks -- without whom I wouldn't be writing this celebratory blog post. Thank you so much everyone. Thank you for supporting me and allowing God to work through your obedience to send me off, starting tomorrow! We leave Sunday afternoon. I cannot believe that in just a few days we will be in the hospital. Yesterday we received our paper work for all the births we will be apart of for the next eight months. It's getting a liiitttlle more real now :).

These three months in Perth have been full of growth for me individually, in relationships with others, and with my Creator. There have been times of immense joy and laughter, some heartache, some tears, some intense stretching of my faith, and some seriously incredible breakthrough. Jesus is so amazing. If you don't know Him yet, I really recommend doing that as soon as possible. Because He is awesome and wants to awe you with His love and share some fabulous ideas for your life.

And with that I will sign off for now. Next time you hear from me, I'll be in Zambia. Look forward to those stories, my friends. It's gonna be a good one.

Lots of love,
Grace

A Mending

A mending...of words, of conclusions, of my heart.

Here I am, to update you all on finances yet again. 12 days ago I wrote and said that I had more than the money that I needed. But, it has become apparent that there was a mistake in accounts and the number that they had for me was incorrect (the number they had for me to begin with was too low). So, that means that I am still in need of $1,619 AUD before we leave on Sunday afternoon. I have a few friends who have pledged money, but other than that I am not sure of the "who" part of where this money will come from. It was definitely disappointing news to receive! Mostly because I wanted everyone to see the testimony of God's provision against all odds. However, this little mix up does not change who God is! It does not change the fact that He is faithful. I feel uncomfortable sharing about this situation, not because I myself am embarrassed, but because I don't want it to reflect badly on YWAM, or even on God. That said, I realize I am to simply be open and up front about this and not take responsibility for the opinions or reactions of others. In one sense I feel confused, wondering why this would happen and combatting feelings of "left-outedness." But I know that God has not overlooked me, and He will not fail me. I still feel like He spoke, see? I told you I would provide. And obviously that provision does not look like what I thought it did or what I would like it to. I am really, really learning what it means to "not be anxious about anything." Jesus still has the victory! This little hiccup doesn't bother Him in the least. I am choosing to look at this as yet another opportunity to grow personally and also invite even more people to partner with me and sow into the inheritance of giving to the work of the Lord! 

If you feel inclined, the quickest and easiest way to give is through YWAM Perth's website (see link on the right). Just as a side note, if you would prefer to be anonymous even while paying through credit card, that option is available as well. 

So, I wanted to get this out to you and make it clear that there is still ample opportunity for you to send this midwife-in-training in a very physical way to Zambia and India! I am amazed at how much God has provided thus far, and always thankful for your generous giving. It really is so much more than you simply"donating to Grace." You are enabling a group of God-fearing, Jesus-loving women to traipse into the nations as equipped midwives -- hungry to see the gospel spoken into every ear, to see lives transformed for Christ, to see women educated and empowered, to see babies raised to life. Oh man, there is something greater at work. There is something greater in store. I am eager to see more and more of that reality every single day, and I know God will not stop working on our behalf until we get there. 

I thank my God every time I remember you.  In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now, being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

Philippians 1:3-6

I rejoiced greatly in the Lord that at last you renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you were concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 

Philippians 4:10-14

Thanks for listening and loving.
Grace

And the Triumph

Hey everybody! Didn't think you'd hear back from me so soon did ya, eh?? 

We just finished a time of worship and prayer and encouragement and giving as a school, and man! People have been so incredibly generous to me. I've been given to by my classmate's family members for goodness sake! God has been blessing me and affirming me so much today, and I am immensely thankful for that! It is easy to feel downtrodden and anxious as the pressure mounts with our deadline for finances just one day away. Yet God is not distressed, and He says do not be anxious about anything. Tonight He spoke, "I adore you my beautiful and obedient daughter! Are you ready for me to blow your mind? Grace I will not fail you! You are mine! Just trust me." 

I imagine that thought process a child goes through when she jumps off a ledge into the arms of a parent. She knows her Father is trustworthy, He is capable, He is ready and waiting. It is safe in His arms. But still as she leaps off that platform, for a moment she is caught in the rush of a free fall. The ground she stood on before is no longer firm beneath her soles. It's exhilarating and causes her stomach to do a flip. But she knows her Father will catch her. Because He promised. Because He's done it before. Because He loves her.

Throughout this entire week God has been portraying my journey (in regards to finances) through pictures like this. A father and his child. Indeed, a father could simply grant a child's request, no questions asked. Dad, can I have 20 bucks? Yes. Dad, can I spend the night somewhere? Yes. But what is loving? What is caring? I would say that it is more exciting, more growing, more beneficial for the two to work together. It is indeed a journey, and the parent wants to make the most of it for the child. He wants the child to grow and mature in understanding, for the child's heart to be right, and for the two of them to grow closer because of it. That is what this is, folks! God is stretching me immensely during this time and bringing healing into many corners of my heart.

It's been a bit of a bumpy road, as I have been trying to see what this all looks like for me, trying to press into Him deeper, trying to challenge myself to be more proactive and prayerful, trying to just be myself, trying not to try. I have let go of my instinctive need to perform many times. But is it any wonder? A daughter longs to please her father. Daddy, look! Daddy look at me, watch me run, watch me dance, watch me grow. She longs for the attention and the approval of her dad. Yet we serve a God who is unlike any other, who is far greater than we can comprehend. And He says: daughter, look! Look at this rainbow I painted to brighten your day. Look at the wonderful family of people I have created to be your support. See the way I am weaving every circumstance of your life together for your good? Daughter, see how I love you?

Time and time again, I try to do it all on my own. I take burdens onto myself that I was not meant to bear. I complicate the simple and oppose the good. But my Father knows me. I picture yet again a father and his child, and the way he knows how his daughter has habits that are disobedient to him. He told her not to try to balance on that tightrope because he knows that she will fall. But when she does, he simply rushes to her to comfort her and hold her close. He is not thinking of punishment, of why did you do this? how could you, yet again? He knows her. And my Father knows me. He sees the way I can get so "full" of, well, everything. He knows me. I see Him pick me up tenderly, squeeze me tight, and let it all seep out. He just wants me to come to Him, to let Him. He just wants me to look into His face and not at the obstacle before me. He wants me to come to Him as I am, to be real, and to let Him take care of me. 

And how well does He take care of me! He has been providing thousands upon thousands of dollars for me and my classmates. It may not be the how we expect, but He still makes a way. Our total outreach fees cost per person went down by about $900 as there was a change in our outreach schedule. We are no longer able to go to Ethiopia due to issues with our visas and being given permission by the hospital. This was a bit disappointing because we were all growing in anticipation for Ethiopia. But! We will instead be going to Hyderabad, India for 4 months and then to Calcutta for the last 2 months. We will still go to Zambia first, as scheduled, for 2 months. I can't wait!!

Our deadline for finances is September 11th. I have $5,900 AUD left to go. And I know He will do it. So come, let's do this together! Let's see the miraculous and mighty way that our Father provides.

Grace

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Okay I just want to update this! I forgot to mention that I saw $525 come in last week just from the walk-a-thon! I went for about 8km. Praise God!

So today is the 11th, and I wanted to let you know that a beloved friend and classmate has purchased all my plane tickets for me!! So that took off about $3,030! What a day. My new total need is $2,600. So close! Anything and everything helps my friends! Thank you so much for all you have been giving :). God wants to see these midwives sent out to the nations. Hallelujah. Bless you all and thank you for praying and partnering with me!

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Actually JUST KIDDING, an hour after I wrote this I went to the accountants office to pay in $480. I asked what my new total need was, and he said that as a matter of fact I was $560 OVER what I owed. So somehow in the span of today somebod[ies] paid in the rest of my fees!!!! HE DID IT!!!