Late July we turned in an application for an amazing fund raiser called Both Hands. This is a participant sponsored charity fundraiser. But instead of doing a one day event that is then complete and everyone moves on, like a golf tournament or a 5K, a widow is chosen and her house is renovated. The sponsorship dollars, through Lifesong for Orphans, bring home the orphan. What an amazing idea!!
We found out mid to late September that we were accepted to do this fund raiser, and found our widow in the early weeks of October. Knowing that there were so many people out there that would benefit from a project like this, we prayed and prayed and gladly decided that we would allow a new friend that we'd just met to chose the widow for us.
Rod works at Bethel Mission in the Putnam area of Zanesville. It's his heart's mission and dream to see teams of Christians coming together to be the hands and feet of God in a practical way, helping others both physically (fixing up homes) and spiritually (realizing that God truly does care for them and Christians do exist that are trying to model what Christ showed us).
So, we assembled our team quickly, determining that we needed to have our work project on the 19th of November. Enough time to get our t's crossed and i's dotted and not too late to be in bad weather or into the holidays.
I have to say, the hardest part of this project is very easily the first hand part- The second hand, the hand for the widow? no problem!! We are wired to give. The first hand, though, is an entirely different story. It is such a wonderful cause and is drawing together a very large group of people making them aware of adoption in a new way, allowing them to participate in helping a widow and allowing us to bring home our child through God's provision. So, any of you reading this that got a letter.... we finally determined that whomever we wanted to send out "Gotcha Day" pictures to was going to find out about our incredible journey to bring home our child as well:) For those of you who didn't get a letter- please send us your address- we likely just don't have it:)
Our project is just a little over a week away. It has been amazing to us to see how this is all coming together. There were a few days when we didn't think it would happen. We had a few very close to us that were incredulous we would ask others for money. It so mirrored my prideful stance that says I can do it all by myself that I found my enthusiasm flag and my smile turn upside down as I questioned my own motives. I got so down that I was ready to chuck the whole project for the orphan part, finish the widow project and try to figure out where we were going to be able to borrow the monies from.
In steps the New Testament Challenge. Our church has been reading through the New Testament over the last 2 months. So incredibly amazing that at each turn, when I was ready to give up hope and faith in this happening, God stepped in and pulled out a scripture, reducing me to tears on more days than I can remember.
On this particular day, feeling so low and forgetting to look up!! I was listening to my CD version in the car as I was traveling. There, as if God Himself was talking to me, the scripture was from Hebrews 10:35...
So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord. Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.
I remember stopping the CD several times so I could listen to it again. It reminded me that God is in control in all situations. His gentle, yet firm reminders several times when we started this process about Him providing and us not worrying about it. Who was I to question His working in this? Yet even so, it is difficult to not second guess everything and I continually remind myself not to worry or fret. Just lean on Him.
Amen and amen!! Can't wait to give an update on how everything is going!
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