Oh no you never let go, you never give up

hey all.

Its only been a few days since the last time I blogged but God has been working in the last couple of days since I've last written.

It may not seem like much to many of you but I currently now have 5.25% of the $4000 dollars I need for the trip. (you can get out your calculators and do the math if you'd like... or I can just tell you that it comes out to be right around $200). And even if this percentage seems small, it really is a large number compared to the 0% I had just 5 days ago- that alone is amazing. I was so doubtful at first and still feel the doubt here and there when I talk to other teammates and they tell me the amount of funds they've receiver or the number of letters they have sent out to supporters. Even still, through my doubt I feel extremely blessed every time I take the trip past the mailboxes and see that I have received mail. When I do doubt my abilities to actually collect a total of $4000 in just a little over 2 months, and feel discourage by others gains, the little voice in the back of my head reminds me that God works in his own way, in unique ways for each person, and that just because my numbers are not as large as others at the moment doesn't mean that he isn't providing or won't provide for me.

I am always touched by the letters that find there way back to my mailbox where they were just sent from a week ago; it is within these letters that I am reminded how much God is providing for me already and promises to continue to provide for me with every letter that contains a prayer commitment response. God is really out to prove me wrong in my doubting with every letter I receive, and He has for sure been one upping me and my doubt this week by amazing me constantly. It never ceases to amaze me how he can take something so negative and turn it good. I have been doubting His abilities and lacking trust and yet He still cares enough to make sure He proves me wrong in my doubting and make it apparent to me that I shouldn't have any reason to doubt him or not trust Him. He is going to provide even if I don't trust in Him because His love and commitment is far larger than mine will ever be even at 100%. This is what continues to amaze me.

So, I will continue to wait and be patient. I will continue to remind myself that even if I begin to doubt I know He will provide because that is what He does, and that this process is all for my good. It's all on his schedule and though I would like to know exactly when everything is going to happen, I know this will not be the case, and so I will continue to pray for the trip and for the people I have asked to help support me, and for an open heart for whatever may come in the mail next.

I want to say thank you again to everyone who has been praying for me and this trip. Your prayers mean more to mean than you can understand. Thank you all who read this blog and put up with all my rambling, and occasional spelling mistakes, there is a reason I am a pharmacy major :) And of course thank you all who have contributed toward the $4000 I need for this trip!

For those of you who would like to know, there is approximately 67 days left till departure!

So much to get done, and so little time!

I believe that is all for now.

Love,

Court

It's only the beginning

Hey all,

Its officially been a week since I first started my fundraising process, and let me tell you it has been a long one. There were nights I was staying up late, later than normal, sitting at my desk signing letters, stuffing and sealing envelopes like a robot. But after all the hard work I will say I've sent out most of my letters. Each time I'd travel down to the front desk of my dorm hall to send out the letters, I'd say a little prayer hoping that each of these letters would bring me back something in return via money towards the trip or prayer.

You would think fundraising wouldn't be that difficult but even after just one week, I'm beginning to appreciate the people I know that have to do this all the time. It truly is a process, like many other things in my life, and just like those other things I'm slowly learning how to go about this process. I keep having to remember to have trust in this process that the Lord will provide what I need for this trip... and so it is just the beginning. Its the beginning of what might be some of the longest 72 days [which is what we have left before our trip] of my life. In those few 72 days I'm going to have to learn to be patient, for God's time is not always exactly in line with my time. I'm going to have to learn to trust Him more, with the needs I have for this trip. I've been doubtful through even this past week, and so I know its going to have to become more of a habit for me to think every time I doubt what plans He has for me, that it is not worth me worrying. I have a feeling its not going to be just a daily thing, but more of an hourly thing to remember to have faith and trust in this process. It is only the beginning is what I keep hearing when I pray about the trip and all that it entails, and though these words scare me, and make me even more doubtful and angry about what else has to happen in the process, they give me a sense of peace as well; peace that this is the beginning of a process that is going to develop into something magnificent/marvelous/and like nothing else that I have experience.

I have yet to officially receive any funds towards my trip at this point, and as of just a couple days ago this would have worried me more, but I have not given up hope, for it has only been a week and most of my letters are just finding their way to the mailboxes of the receivers. Even though I have not reached even percentage of my trips funds yet, I know I have supporters out there that are already beginning to pray, and I am so thankful for this. Though the money to many may seems like it should be more of what I am looking for and concerned about, I truly believe my prayer support is what is going to get me to Ethiopia. Its through the power of prayer that I know I will be able to make up the funds; so I want to thank all of you out there that may be reading this now and have began to pray for me and this trip, I can't even begin to tell you how much I appreciate it!

So for now I think that is all. I'm still just waiting, hoping and trusting while printing, signing, stamping, and addressing.

It's only the beginning... and there is much more to come.

Love,

Court

" being confident of this, he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion." Philippians 1:6

Preview: blog coming soon.

hey all! I didn't want to officially call this my first blog because I promise to have an update soon on the trip. I wanted to leave a message though to let all of you know that there will be something coming very very soon, so stay tuned for what comes next in the process of preparing for this mission trip.

Thanks all!

-Court