Tuesday, September 8, 2009

How God Sent Me to Africa

I've really been struggling with what to say on the old blog. I'm still processing the events of the trip and all that I've felt about it since being home. In light of that I thought I would take a step back and share how God provided for this trip.

When I heard I had to go to Ghana I'll admit I freaked out a bit. As I've said before, we do not have credit cards to fall back on. I know that is something a lot of people have opinions about, but it's what is right for us. We made a lot of poor choices using credit cards when we were younger and quickly learned they were not healthy for our financial situation. God used some really hard financial times to teach us about good stewardship and I will praise Him for that trial until my dying day.

When I shared with all of you that I had to travel, a few people helped spread the word that we had an immediate need. In typical God-like fashion I was blown away in how IMMEDIATELY we were provided for. In one weeks time we received almost $1,000 in donations. Initially when I checked ticket prices they were around $2,200. After waiting a couple of additional days to book my flight and checking at a couple of travel agencies, I was able to get my last minute ticket to Ghana for $1,400. Amazing!

I called a friend to see if I could borrow some luggage from her for the trip. Not 45 minutes later someone who I hadn't discussed our luggage situation with showed up at our door with a brand new 3-piece set of luggage. Amazing!

God even provided right down to the shoes on my feet. When I went to Haiti the cheap sandals I wore were trashed by the end of the week. I knew if there was one thing I needed was a good pair of shoes to wear. I went to a local store and ended up finding a pair I loved that were even on sale. They didn't have my size in stock, but a store about 30 minutes away did. The sales person offered to have them hold them for me, but with all of the preparations going on I didn't have time to travel to pick them up. I ended up running into a friend on my way out and told her what I was doing and about the shoes. She offered to drive to pick them up for me and pay for them on top of it all. Amazing!

The day before I left we received a donation in the mail for $200. My flight to New York was delayed due first to computer problems and then the weather courtesy of Hurricane Bill. I ended up missing my flight to Ghana and had to spend the night in NYC. I was not blessed by the airlines with a voucher for the hotel and ended up spending $160 for a room close to the airport. If I hadn't had that $200 come in I would have been short on cash in Ghana. Amazing!

These are just some of the amazing ways God cared for us so lovingly on this trip. So when worry starts to creep in about how to afford ANOTHER trip back to pick Mercy up I try not to think about it. God CLEARLY has this covered. He deserves all the glory. I continue to be amazed by His faithfulness.

And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Philippians 4:19-20


11 comments:

Lena Just Lena said...

love it, thanks for sharing this encouragement. God is great. <3

The Gang's Momma! said...

What a great post. I'm so excited to hear of the ways that God provided for you. We are like you - only our poor financial decisions and immature stewardship fell far closer to the timeline of our adoption. It was scary stepping out in faith at that time. But we are so thankful for all we've learned and for how He had such mercy on us even in our foolishness. He's been so faithful and we can't wait to see what He'll do for our next adoption!!!

Thanks for the video too. What a happy little spirit she has :) And those eyes?! OY!

crispy said...

Thanks for sharing these encouraging things. God is so faithful. He is always in control and we can trust His hand.

Brandy and Troy said...

I needed to hear that. I too, am "freaking out" about coming up with the funds to travel to Haiti for our DHS appt. As of right now it looks as if only one of us can go. It will probably be Troy since he is not real big on me going to Haiti without him. However, he has already met Renato and I have not. Ugh. This is hard. I would appriciate your prayers.
Mercy is so beautiful!! I loved the video!!!

whenpigsfly said...

What a great post!!! Mercy is as lovely as she could be and God's providence............as awesome as it could possibly be.
How I hope your trip back in indeed in 6-8 weeks.
Linda,
waiting for 3 in Liberia

CG said...

Oh what a GREAT post. I love when God shows Himself in the little details! I pray that pickup trip will be soon, soon, soon & the provision for it just as cool and interesting!

sea salt MOSAIC said...

Thank you for sharing this. We have been "in this place" for a few weeks now, and it's a good reminder to trust HIM in all things.

Grateful said...

Miss your blog posts...i am a mush brain right now getting ready to go myself. Can't wait to catch up on your last couple posts...when i can sit, drink my tea and enjoy them. Catch up with you soon. So thankful it went well in Ghana this past trip.
Blessings,
T

Laurel said...

Thanks for sharing. We are in need of some serious financial miracles right now, so your stories were just what I needed to hear.

Laurel :)

Kathy Eden said...

Praise God from whom all blessings flow!!! He is faithful!
The video clip was just precious!

Marta said...

Thank you so much for sharing. An amazing story. As always, God is Great, Praise Him! I loved hearing about this!