Slow down. God's Got This!

If I am being honest, after the chaos of the last couple of weeks I figured it would be clearer sailing, as I finally got into a routine, but God had other plans. It was as if He put intentional roadblocks and traffic in the way to slow me down... and as many of you know, slowing down is not something I tend to do particularly well. 

After experiencing a lot of freedom last week, this week has been quite different. Throughout the early parts of last week, I struggled at times to hear God's voice, pray, and even worship Him at times. A huge part of this was the unforgiveness in my heart or the need for repentance in various areas of my life. By Wednesday, I had come to a place of frustration and was ready to be done with it, when my mentor gently reminded me faith is a lifelong journey. Change is slow, gradual, and intermittent, it does not just happen. God will change my heart and bring healing, and I will get through this, but it will take time. I was going to need to seek God and wrestle with Him as I worked through the issues of my heart. I needed to buckle up,and be patient as He does much-needed soul work in my heart. 

Ironically enough, Thursday's lecture was on the posture of discipleship, which only embedded this idea deeper in my soul. Discipleship is a call to change, and it is a hard journey of learning to give up everything for Jesus. In the words of Dallas Willard, “The Christian life is hard, but the only thing harder is to not be with Christ.” To grow as a disciple requires us to buckle in because it is a journey of sanctification, with no end. There is always more God has for us to work on so that we can become more like Him. Thankfully He is faithful to complete the work. The beautiful thing about this journey is that we are not alone, God has given us community to help us. As we are in community, we will rub shoulders with all sorts of people who will push us to become like Jesus. We must allow them to speak the Truth of God into our lives and we need to lean into them as we struggle with life. 

I can say, that even though I have not fully worked through everything, and there will be plenty more moments like this, I have already found some freedom in the wrestling. God has been faithful in meeting me every step of the way and giving me grace when I consistently get it wrong. Even amidst the pain and struggle, He is still good. Aside from some of the roadblocks and traffic congestions He has continued to show up in mighty ways. This week I have been able to settle into a much-needed routine, my friendships have been deepened, and God has continued to work. 

The biggest way God worked this week was through finances. When I started this journey, I needed about $13,500. Thankfully, I had $6,000 to pay for my training phase and flights to England, because I was able to sell my car and use my entire savings account. When I left home I still needed $7,500, but if God was truly calling me to England, I needed to trust Him to provide. So, upon arrival, I used every cent I had and paid off my training phase. Then this week they announced we would need £1500 to pay for our outreach flights, but I had no money remaining. Thankfully, I had raised about $700, but it was still nowhere near the amount needed for flights, let alone outreach. I was running out of time and beginning to panic a little. So, I prayed and trusted God to provide the money... and He wildly blew my expectations! 

Last Friday, I received a significant donation which put me closer to being able to pay my first outreach payment. Then on Wednesday, I received three separate donations, that when combined with all my previous donations put me almost to £1500. My flights were almost paid for! 

As exciting as this was, and despite being filled with such gratitude for God's provisions, I was still extremely anxious about receiving the rest of the £1500, and especially the rest of the money needed for outreach. So, I continued to pray. Then on Thursday evening, I received an email saying someone had donated to cover the rest of my outreach fees! Every cent I needed had been fully covered! God had provided!

Thank you, to anyone who has contributed financially and been praying me. Everyone has been such an answer to prayer. You have made my outreach possible. Words will never be able to express my gratitude. Most importantly, all praise to God for making a way, when I felt like there might be no way. If you still feel led to give, please reach out to me privately and I would be happy to discuss how you can help provide for me in this season of life. 

Thank you again for reading, following along, and most importantly your prayers. 

Grace and Peace,

Cameron