Are you in?

Hey everyone!

Well it's been a while since I've updated. This week has been beyond the simple word of business. It's more like school is eating my face right off but I'm surviving with or without sleep. For example last night I flipped out because I realized how much I had to accomplish this weekend. I stayed up until 4am doing laundry, cleaning up the house and working on a tshirt design. I just woke up around 12! Ridiculous.

While I was moving clothes into my messy room I realized something. Whenever I have been stressed out to the maximum or simply feeling like my work in Auburn was pointless He brought up Africa again.

Take this for example: it was late one night and I was hungry. There wasn't much open besides fast food so I decided to hop in my car and go to Bruno's for something green to satisfy my pallet. I had had a rough day and as I walked through the grocery store I just felt so overwhelmed. When I went to check out I was signing the receipt in the deserted Bruno's when the cashier asked me "What's your ring?" She pointed to the ginyame symbol and I explained that it meant "Without God, we are nothing". The lady smiled and replied "Well I like frogs." Yes, that's exactly what she said. I stammered back "Oh...yeah, frogs are cool too." I proceeded to laugh uncontrollably as I drove home. I love when God appeals to my sense of humor.

This morning I checked on Facebook and George sent me a beautiful message with his prayer for me. A prayer. On Facebook. From Africa. It doesn't get much better than that.

On Thursday I had class all day long. I was exhausted and frustrated from my week of running around. I went to Encounter and, as usual, God showed up. I sat there in the pew as Matt explained what it would be like if we committed to helping orphans in Uganda. He showed pictures of kids outside of a brand new house with a house mom. I started sobbing. All I could think of was Ghana and knowing that those kids in Uganda needed the hope I saw at the VoH. I want to be a part of that. I wanted to jump up in the middle of his talk and shout "I WANT TO HELP MATT! SEND MEEEEEE!"

He challenged us that with $20 a month we could build that house in Uganda. We could help orphans in China with cleft pallets and provide health care when they were abandoned. We could print A MILLION BIBLES a MONTH to send to underground churches in China. The man who owns the printing company said that they had so many requests for Bibles that they simply didn't have the funds to print at their maximum capacity. We could do that. We could give someone in Vietnam a Bible in their OWN language that they haven't had access to in over 40 years since the Communist party banned the Word. On top of that we could send people there! Graduates who can go to Uganda or China or Vietnam because when Matt asked them they were floored and mumbled "You want to send more than money? You want to come!?" Oh yes, yes we do.

I know that some people start to fidget when it comes to finances. There's always the question "Will my money really go there?" Honestly think about this. Is it even our money to begin with? Isn't God the one who blesses us with what we have? Shouldn't we, as stewards of our billions of blessing, trust that God will take what we give to the right place?

Perhaps in my youth I'm naive but to be perfectly honest I'd rather take that risk that horde what I have all to myself. If you read in the New Testament through the parables of Jesus in Luke, it doesn't work out so well.

So I'm here to tell you that I'm in. As Matt asked this same question I ask of you: "Are you in?"

If you are, and want some more information just let me know. Thanks for stopping by!

- Check out the Podcast: Grace Campus Ministry for a full update