Monday, April 2, 2012

B is for ... Believe

How's my mental health today?

I don't know yet. It's a day to celebrate; to give thanks to God; to maybe shed a tear or two; and to say Auf Wiedersehen.

I'm beginning the day by having breakfast with my daughter Lora. Today marks the fulfillment of her faith in God's leading and provision. She is leaving for Minneapolis, Minnesota this afternoon on her first leg of traveling to South Africa.

It was very late last fall, perhaps early winter when Lora told us that she believed God wanted her to go to South Africa.

What? Why?

According to Lora, God wanted her to enroll in the Troubadour Discipleship Training School at the Youth With a Mission (YWaM) campus in Worcester, South Africa. More than that, she was supposed to go there for the next session; less than six months away. I knew perfectly well that she was far from being able to afford that and received her news with skepticism. I suggested to her that going to YWaM was a great idea, but it might be better if she took a little more time to prepare for that. Postponing things for a year would give her more time to prepare and save some money.

Lora's response; "Dad, I believe God wants me to go in April, and I believe He's going to get me there!" That's a powerful statement of faith.

Lora did everything she could within her power to get ready to go. She slashed her expenses, and began fund-raising. Heidi and I are not in a position to provide any substantial support for her, but we're chipping in wherever we can. Lora prayed fervently, we added her needs and desires to our prayer list and we stepped back to see what would happen.

If Lora had any doubts, we didn't hear about it. All we heard was, "I believe"! There were times when I got telephone calls, because Lora's anxiety and frustrations were interfering with her ability to think through some challenges and she needed my help to sort through the issue rationally, but she continued to move forward towards what she believes God is calling her to do.

Lora is leaving early this afternoon. Some very generous people have come forward and gave money - no strings attached - to support this venture. Lora believed God would make this happen and He did. He provided the resources Lora needed.

Less than a month ago Lora informed me that the training program included an outreach component that would take her to London, England during the 2012 Olympics. She has no idea how much more that is going to cost her or whether or not she'll have the money for that. Now it was my turn to say, "Lora, God got you this far; don't stop believing now!"

Faith consists in believing when it is 
beyond the power of reason to believe.
~~ Voltaire

11 comments:

  1. Sounds like Lora has her head on straight. I'd have to say that's pretty inspiring! It's cool to see what God can do with someone who decides to believe in Him...

    Dave the Goof

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  2. Good luck to Lora - what an experience she will have.

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  3. Wonderful... it won't be easy, but what a life-changing experience she'll have.

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  4. What a grand adventure! Glad I stopped by on the blog hop!

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  5. I love the Voltaire quote. In our situation, I often say to my wife: "Sometimes you just have to believe, whether it is rational or not, just believe."

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  6. Now that's a faith building experience! I'm sure she will have a great time. I've heard nothing but good things about Youth With a Mission!

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  7. My daughter and SIL are leaving for Moldova on June 4. I feel your sadness. I spent years teaching my children about missionaries, taught Sunday School, taught GA's, Youth....I trained her up in the ways she should go....yet...my heart is heavy.

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  8. Very cool! And wonderful of Lora to follow her heart!

    Konstanz Silverbow
    nothoughts2small.blogspot.com
    thewriterace.blogspot.com
    A to Z c-host
    www.a-to-zchallenge.com

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  9. This is all the proof anyone needs that if they just believe, their dreams will come true. Lovely post. I hope your daughter does well at the retreat.

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  10. The way I figure it, if God calls I'd better answer. He'll take care of the details.
    Great post.

    Lee
    A Few Words
    An A to Z Co-host blog

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  11. To have the faith of Lora! Beautiful post. God will show her so much and reward her faithfulness. Try not to worry about her too much, Dad. :-) I'm popping in from A-Z. It as nice to find you!

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