Trust Him at All Times

I don't know where to begin.  How do I explain what happened today during my can and bottle drive?  Should I say "God provided for me", "God is faithful", "God is amazing"?  None of those seem to be quite enough.  I'll start at the beginning.

The Lord has been teaching me a lot about trust.  Especially when other people (and myself) try to tear me down.  He has been telling me that I just need to trust Him because He's got all of this under control.  Just last week (earlier this week, even), I started to feel a bit overwhelmed by still having $2000 left to raise.  I kept praying and trying to trust that God would provide that money, but it just seemed all too unrealistic to me.  There was a constant struggle between my head and my heart about all this...I knew that God had told me He'd provide the money, but then there was my head saying that there was no way I'd raise $2000 in just two weeks. My silly, silly head.  I went to a dollar store yesterday and bought a cool little cross that says "TRUST" in the middle of it.  I was drawn to it at the store and really felt like it symbolized what the Lord was trying to teach me.  I thought it'd be a good visual reminder, so I bought it and placed it on my desk last night. Before I went to bed I thought, "Lord, I need to trust You that this can and bottle drive is going to go well tomorrow."

I woke up late today...the power had gone out last night at some point and the time on my clock was flashing.  Needless to say, my alarm did not go off this morning.  The Lord woke me from my sleep at about 9:40...a mere 5 minutes before Hannah was supposed to come help me collect cans and bottles.  I rushed out of bed and into the shower, but Hannah and I didn't get started until about 10:30.  I was a bit bummed that we got a late start, but I had to keep in mind that the Lord's timing is always perfect.  We stopped to pray before we went, and we prayed that the Lord would open people's hearts (and doors) and that we would touch a few lives while we were collecting and talking about my trip.  If only we knew the true power behind that prayer!  The first three houses gave us a whole bunch of cans and bottles.  Within about 15 minutes, we were off to a great start.

At one house, there was a young man cleaning out his van in the driveway.  We approached him slowly, unsure of how to get his attention.  Hannah kept calling, "Excuse me, excuse me...", but it took a while for him to hear her.  Finally he looked up, saw us, and stopped what he was doing.  Out came my explanation of why we were there, and before I knew it we were in his garage collecting cans and bottles.  While we were putting them in the bag, this young man asked me questions about my trip to Ireland.  Lots of questions!  He asked where I was going, what I'd be doing there, what church I went to, what organization was sponsoring me, etc.  I was happy to answer the questions, and I was glad he was asking them because it proved to him that I wasn't just some girl trying to scam him for his money.  I'm actually doing God's work!  Among those questions came a very interesting one...he said, "So, in 30 seconds, tell me how someone can be saved."  I was caught off-guard...no one has really asked me that before.  I took a few seconds to think, but then I just started saying what the Spirit was leading me to say.  It was something along the lines of "Well, Jesus loves us and no matter what we do He will still love us.  He wants us to be in a personal relationship with Him...it's not enough to just go to church.  He wants us to talk to Him every day and talk to others about Him."  I said some other things I think, but I was so nervous I don't really remember.  Besides asking me a bunch of questions, he also told me a little about him and his wife.  They are very active in their church and lead a small group there.  They also own a photography business.  At some point, he asked me how much money I still had to raise for my trip, and I told him around $2000...but every little bit counts (which was why I was collecting cans and bottles).  He asked me to please write my first and last name down on a piece of paper, so I did.  He then said, "I'll be right back...I'm going to go talk with my wife."  He went inside and didn't come out for about 5 minutes.  When he finally returned, he asked again, "How much do you still need to raise?"  I told him again, "About $2000", and he said, "I think we can help you out a little bit."  He explained that 10% of what he and his wife earn from their photography gets put into a separate account for giving.  When someone (from church...or me!) approaches them for money, that's where they draw it from.  He asked me if he could write me a check, and I told him he could.  When he handed me this check I couldn't believe my eyes.  He had written me a check for $1500!  He said something like, "That should help you out...you don't have much more to raise now."  No kidding!  I was shocked and could hardly contain my excitement.  I thanked him repeatedly, grabbed the bag of cans and bottles he had given us, and walked down the driveway with Hannah.  We were both stunned...this was definitely not what we could ever have imagined would happen.  We just kept saying, "Oh my gosh.  OH MY GOSH.  God is good.  So good."

God's goodness and provision didn't stop there.

We continued down the street to another house.  I explained my whole deal about going to Ireland and collecting cans and bottles, and the man at the door told me he'd go check to see if he had any.  He came back and said, "Did you say you were going on a mission trip?"  I said, "Yeah...to Ireland..." and I started to explain a little bit about what I'd be doing there.  He cut in and said, "Here you go.  Have a good trip."  He handed me a $100 bill!  AHH!!  God provided yet again!  At this point, the amount I had left to raise was already down to about $400.  :)

We went to yet another house, and something pretty cool happened there as well.  We were walking up the path to the front door when a woman heard us (from her open garage) and said, "Hey, do you need cans and bottles?  Woohoo!  Come here!"  We didn't even get a word in before she excitedly invited us into her garage and gave us several bags full of cans and bottles.  She was so excited to get rid of them, and we were so excited to take them!  It seemed that she didn't care what I needed them for...just that I was taking them off her hands, but I explained anyway and gave her one of the little papers I had been handing out with my blog address on it.  She told me to have a great time in Ireland, and off we went.

That was the end of our "route", but it sure wasn't the end of God's blessings.  We drove home to tell my parents the good news...that God had provided so much money in so little time (about 1 hour).  We had had so many great conversations with people...and God had blessed me so much.  As I was leaving to go return the cans and bottles, my mom went out to check the mail.  She came running up to my car in the driveway and said, "You got something in the mail!"  She was holding up one of my self-addressed envelopes I had sent out with my support letters back in May.  Inside was a check for $100!  Praise God again!  Now I'm down to just $300.

Our abundance of cans and bottles ($38 worth)

Hannah and I were pretty excited!  What a day!

The moolah.  :)

I also received a very unexpected check yesterday for $200 from a good friend (this was before the can and bottle drive, so I still need $300).  Praise the Lord for that, too!  In addition to the money, I have acquired a new prayer partner.  I met him this past Wednesday at my friend Becky's house.  A bunch of people from Solid Rock Bible Church's college group had gotten together after the meeting, and one of my friends introduced us.  He, too, is going to be fundraising for a mission trip/internship, so she thought it'd be good for us to talk.  I told him what I'd been doing all summer to fundraise, and I tried to encourage him as best as I could about his upcoming trip.  We exchanged contact information and I am so thrilled to have yet another friend encouraging me in prayer.

God is good, so good.  His timing is always perfect.  He always provides for us in our time of need.  We just have to trust Him that He is looking out for us and wants the best for us.  I have learned a little something (okay, a BIG something) about trust through all this.  Please keep me in your prayers this week as I continue to raise the rest of my support and as I prepare my heart for my GAP year in Ireland.

Great Times with Great Friends

I've been trying to get together with my friends more often before I leave to make up for all the time I'll be without them.  Of course I'll make new friends in Ireland, I'm sure, but I will most definitely miss the ones I have here.  I have gotten to know some wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ through going to Solid Rock Bible Church (where my good friend Hannah goes).  On Sunday night two of my friends (Lauren and Jennifer) planned a "going away dinner" for me at Applebees.  Although it was a bit early (in relation to my leave date of September 4th), it was really great to see my friends and have everyone come together to eat.  The party was originally planned to be a surprise, but for good reasons, Jennifer ended up telling me about it.  I think it worked out better that way because then they didn't have to figure out how to get me to Applebees.  I might have not wanted to go, because almost every Wednesday night after the Solid Rock college group meetings we go to Applebees.  I most likely would have picked a different place, so it was a good thing they told me.  :)  I still didn't know who all was coming to the dinner, so that part was a surprise.  There ended up being a pretty great turnout.  I think there were around 15 of us.  The food was good and the waitresses were excellent.  They even came out towards the end and sang me a really loud and obnoxious song, complete with clapping.  I think I was too embarrassed to listen to what they were saying, but they sang something about "leaving for Ireland" and "good luck to you!".  I'm sure it was lovely.  :)  Jennifer also made me a cute cake that said "We love you Rachel!" and had the Irish flag (in frosting) on it, and she had green paper plates and green forks to eat it with.  How thoughtful.  :)

I am so blessed with such great friends and I am thankful that we all came together to eat before I leave the country for a year.  Thanks Lauren and Jennifer for planning a wonderful evening!

*Pictures coming soon*

Quick fundraising update:  I just got two checks in the mail, plus I will soon deposit the money from Saturday's can and bottle drive.  This will bring me to $8,882 out of $11,000, so I still need $2,118.  Please pray that God continues to provide the money for my GAP year!  I know He will.

Collecting Cans and Touching Lives

The can and bottle drive on Saturday morning went super well!  Lauren and I headed out at around 10am to collect cans and bottles in my subdivision.  We covered six sections of houses and got a total of $43.40 in cans/bottles plus a $5 donation.  Here are a couple of highlights:

Highlight #1:  I had a lot of really great conversations with people about my GAP year while I was waiting for them to get their cans and bottles together.  They asked all kinds of questions, and I answered them as best I could.  I was just really happy that so many people were interested in knowing more about what I’d be doing in Ireland.  One woman and her daughter actually talked to me for about 5 minutes.  They had just taken a family vacation to Ireland so they had a lot to say.  They seemed very enthusiastic about me spending a year there, and they even had some tips on how to pack for the weather!  They ended up giving me two big bags of cans and bottles, so that was awesome.

Highlight #2:  I had a bit of an interesting experience at another house that I went to.  When I rang the doorbell, a woman and her son both peeped out the window at me.  The woman opened the door, stepped out onto her front porch, and closed the door behind her.  I thought this was kind of strange, seeing as she practically shut the door on her son's face, but I tried to ignore it.  I told her that I was going to spend a year in Ireland doing mission work and that I was collecting cans and bottles to raise money, and at first she looked confused.  She asked, “Where are you going?”  I told her Dublin, Ireland, and then she asked, “What kind of donations are you looking for?”  I told her “Cans and bottles…empty pop cans or pop/beer bottles,” and she told me she didn’t have any at the moment.  I thanked her and started to back away.  She, however, took a few steps toward me…off the porch and onto the walkway.  I thought, “What the heck is this woman doing?  Following me?”  She then asked about the shirt I was wearing (see picture).  I got the shirt at a Christian bookstore, and it has Psalm 7:17 on it.  She said “What is Psalm 7:17?  What does it say?”  I stretched out my shirt and read, “Sing praise to the name of the Lord most high!”  She said, “Wow.  That’s pretty cool.  I like that shirt.”  I suddenly felt awkward and not sure what else to say, so I thanked her and told her to have a good day.  I almost feel like going back to her house and telling her more about Christ.  Maybe she needs to know Him?  Please keep this woman in your prayers.

Highlight #3:  Lauren and I split up and covered different sides of the streets to save time, and Lauren had an interesting experience with a woman she talked to.  Lauren approached a woman at her mailbox, and apparently this woman had something else on her mind and came off as really rude to Lauren.  She snapped and said she didn’t have any cans or bottles, so Lauren started walking to the next house.  Within minutes, I observed (from across the street) this woman running down the sidewalk toward Lauren.  She was saying, “Excuse me, excuse me!  Miss?”  When she caught up to Lauren I saw the woman say something and hand something to her.  When Lauren and I met back up she told me how the woman had been rude, but had come back to apologize for her behavior and give me a $5 donation for my trip.  Wow.  If that isn’t the Lord’s doing, I don’t know what is.  I think the Lord must have convicted this woman after she spoke so harshly to Lauren, so she felt the need to apologize.  That doesn’t happen often, and I know it was a work of God.  May the Lord bless this woman’s convicted heart.

Overall the can and bottle drive went really well.  We didn’t get as much money as when Ashley and I went last weekend, but we definitely had some good conversations, and I think that’s what matters most.  People’s lives were touched, and they touched my heart in return.

Updates All Around

You have probably noticed some changes to my blog.  :)  I decided to not only change the colors, but add some new things as well.  There are links to more information about the GAP Program, the community in which I will serve in Dublin, as well as some other things I find worthy of sharing.  Feel free to browse around and check out all the updates.  :)  *Thanks to Sarah Cravens for her inspiration.  She's a fellow "Gapper" from Ann Arbor who has just begun her adventurous GAP year in Costa Rica.  Feel free to check out her blog if you'd like!  http://sarahcravens.blogspot.com/

As for my fundraising...I'm still plugging along, collecting cans and bottles, and praying that God will get me to my goal of $11,000 before I leave in about 2 and a half weeks.  Right now I have about 80%, so around $8,700.  Only about $2,300 left!  One thing that is pretty reassuring to me is that I do not have to have all of the money before I leave.  I can still receive donations while I am in Ireland.  I just really would like to have it all squared away before I leave so I don't have to worry about it while I'm there.  

I am doing another can and bottle drive on Saturday morning, so please pray for a good turnout.  As I mentioned in previous posts, my subdivision has been so supportive in giving me their cans and bottles!  I have also had great support from my friends in collecting and returning the cans/bottles.  As of right now I've already received over $150 in cans, bottles, and donations (if the house doesn't have any cans or bottles).  Come, Lord, open people's hearts and doors on Saturday morning!

Round Two

As you probably know, I'm collecting empty cans and bottles this month to raise money for my GAP year in Dublin, Ireland.  As I mentioned in my last post, my first collection of cans and bottles was pretty successful.  We got a total of about $36 (plus some donations from my coworkers...so about $47).  We didn't quite finish going door-to-door in my subdivision though, so my friend Ashley and I went out again yesterday morning to do a bit more.  We hit the road at about 9:45ish yesterday to start collecting.  After ringing one doorbell and getting no response, Ashley said, "Oh!  We forgot to pray first!"  She was right.  Before our first collection we prayed in the car that the Lord would bless our time and that He would open peoples' hearts (and their doors) and that I would get lots of cans and bottles.  This time we prayed a similar prayer, and I added "Please multiply the number of cans and bottles that we get today, like You did with the fish and bread."  I couldn't believe how quickly we got an answer to prayer.  The next 4 or 5 houses ALL gave us cans and bottles.  Lots of them!  Ashley said, "It must have been because we prayed!"  I knew it was because we prayed.  God is so so faithful.  It was amazing to ring those peoples' doorbells and have them give me their cans and bottles.  Ashley and I were truly overwhelmed by the amount of cans and bottles that began filling up my trunk and eventually the back seat of my car.  By about 11:00 yesterday morning we had filled my car up so much that we could barely fit any more bags in it!  Praise God!  Another thing that was really a blessing is that we seemed to have perfect timing with some of the people.  Often times we rang someone's doorbell just as they were leaving their house...but they STILL ran to the garage to get their cans and bottles!  One lady even said, "Wow, you have perfect timing!  I was just getting ready to take them to the store!"  This just goes to show that "He makes everything beautiful in His time," (Ecclesiastes 3:11).  There were several houses that we went to that the people were just getting ready to leave, but they still grabbed their cans and bottles on the way out.  :)  Praise God for His perfect and beautiful timing!


Another cool thing that happened while we were collecting yesterday was this:  at one of the houses there was a young man mowing his lawn.  We stopped in his driveway and waited for him to see us and turn the mower off so he could hear what we were doing.  I told him that I was going to Ireland to do mission work and I was collecting cans and bottles to raise money, and he immediately went to check his garage, and then his house, for bottles and cans to give me.  When he couldn't find very many (only about 5), he pulled out his wallet and asked, "Are you accepting donations?"  I had not had ANYONE ask me this during our can and bottle drive before, so it caught me a little off guard.  I told him yes, though, and he gave me a nice donation of $20.  Praise God for such a kind man that answered God's calling in his heart to support my mission work in Ireland.  :)  I was literally jumping for joy (just ask Ashley...haha) when we left his house.

Me and Ashley (my "little sister") with all our cans and bottles

Whew!  Look at all those!  :)

Just wanted to show off my exceptional organization skills.  ;)

When we returned the cans and bottles we got about $76!  That's not including the Kroger and Trader Joes ones that I haven't taken back yet.  Yay!


I was so so happy with the way that the can and bottle drive went yesterday, and I'm so excited to finish the rest of the subdivision and see how God provides.  If time allows, I'm also planning on collecting in some of the nearby subdivisions.  Please keep me in your prayers that God continues to provide for me.  I have exactly three weeks until I leave for Ireland, and I'm about $2,400 short!


One more note:  if you have some cans and bottles that you'd like to donate, or if you'd like to help me collect some time in the next couple of weeks, please let me know!  I'd love the help!  :)

First Collection

The first can and bottle collection was indeed successful!  I'm wishing I had taken a few pictures to document it!  There were three of us...Liz, Ashley, and me (Hannah couldn't come today)...and we covered three long streets in my subdivision.  We got a total of $36.20, so we were pretty happy about that.  :)  Unfortunately we stopped for a food/water break a couple hours into the collection and didn't have time to collect from any more streets.  Praise God for wonderful weather though (we had a nice, cool breeze the whole time) and for everyone who opened their hearts (and their doors!) to donate their cans and bottles.  :)  We'll be finishing up the rest of the subdivision on Saturday morning, so I'm looking forward to that.  At work tonight one of my co-workers donated an extra $11.50 worth of cans and bottles that she had at home.  All together that's 477 bottles, or $47.70!  Not bad for the first day.


Keep praying that God keeps providing!

Cans & Bottles

Here's a quick update:


Today I'm starting my can and bottle drive fundraiser for Ireland.  A few friends and I are going through my neighborhood (and maybe the one across the street) this morning to collect as many empty cans and bottles as we can.  Please pray for us that people would open their hearts and give LOTS of cans and bottles!  I know God works in wondrous ways and I'm counting on Him to provide more than I could have ever expected.


I'll be collecting cans and bottles all throughout the month of August, so please let me know if you'd like to help out or if you have any cans/bottles to donate!  Thanks so much.


Only 26 days left till I leave for Ireland!  I'm at $8,136 out of $11,000 right now.  Come Holy Spirit!