No Limits

I had my bonfire fundraiser last night, and I can't even begin to tell you about the ways the Lord blessed me.  The weather last night was perfect.  We had a nice, cool night, and it didn't rain at all (even though the weather channel said there was a 60% chance of rain).  A few of my friends came early to help set up, so that was really great.  Overall I think there were 5 people (excluding my helpers) that came and paid.  So I was a bit concerned that I put too much work into an event that didn't yield much money.  When everyone left and I opened my donation jar, I discovered that the Lord had really blessed me beyond my expectations...


A few days ago I got a message on Facebook from one of my friend's friends.  I didn't know him, but we went to high school together.  Anyway, he and my friend had had lunch together recently and my GAP year somehow came up in conversation.  His friend thought that what I was going to do in Ireland sounded really cool, so he sent me a message on Facebook saying that he was going to send some money to the bonfire with my friend.  He said that he knew that fundraising could be difficult and he wanted to help me out.  When my friend showed up to the bonfire, he had two envelopes...one from him and one from his friend.  After the bonfire I discovered that not only did my friend give me a generous donation, but his friend did as well.  I won't say how much he gave me, but I will say that I was simply speechless that someone I didn't know could be so generous with his money.  He sent a nice note, too, which I would like to include here:


"Rachel,
I want to wish you a safe and wonderful trip.  I think God is going to use you to impact thousands of people.  I want to encourage you to be constantly praying because you will see results.  If you are doing a blog it would be great to see pictures of your experience.  Also don't be discouraged about money, because He will provide for you.  :) "


Isn't that nice?  I am so blessed and excited to have received such generous support!

My help team.  :)  Thanks girls!

The fire, thanks to Joel (and Steve!)

My friend Lauren and I

My friend Jordan

Steve the fire-stirrer and log-adder

If there's one thing I learned from doing this bonfire fundraiser, it's this:  do not put limits on God.  In the planning stages for this bonfire, my dad mentioned something like "You should be putting more time and effort into the fundraisers where you're going to make a little bit more money."  This kind of put a damper on my heart and went along with the conflicting words I had been getting from the devil (about putting too much work into this event).  I was really trying to be excited about the bonfire.  I had gotten little prizes to give out, I had a bunch of food, and I was ready for a great night.  Not too many people RSVP'd to the Facebook event, which was discouraging, but I still went into it with a positive attitude...trusting that God would indeed provide.  I had fun getting the food ready...I had a fruit tray, chips and dip, smores with different kinds of graham crackers and chocolate, and a couple different drinks.  I also enjoyed the help that my friends offered so generously...both with set up and clean up.  In the end, I had a great time catching up with some friends I hadn't seen in a while, and I got far more than what I expected to receive as far as donations go.  This was such a great lesson of trust in a limitless God.  I enjoyed telling my parents about this experience, too, because I think it increased their faith as well as mine.


Today is Father's Day and I'd like to lift up my one true Father.  Let His name be glorified.  To Him be the praise and the honor.

Update on Fundraising

I had a really great day today.  I had the day off from work, so I really enjoyed my schedule-less today.  I got up late, did some laundry, cleaned out my closet and dresser, and then went shopping.  Tonight I got to play guitar and sing with the worship group at Solid Rock Bible Church in Plymouth (my friend Hannah's church), so that was really fun.  I get such an amazing feeling when I sing and play for worship.  God just gives me such calmness and confidence.  It's almost like He's telling me "this is exactly why I wanted you to learn to play the guitar.  Thank you for using your talents to glorify me."


I haven't been getting much support in the mail these last couple of days, but I did talk to a woman from my church today who wants to do a fundraising event for me.  She owns a salon in Westland called "Set Apart Salon" and she is willing to do some kind of party for me and give me all the proceeds.  I'm not sure when this party will be, exactly, but I can already tell it's going to be awesome.  She offers all kinds of services...haircuts, split-end removal, hair repair treatments, scalp treatments, eyebrow waxing...and is going to give me everything she makes from an afternoon of that stuff.  :)  I just need to make some fliers and find people to go.  I can't wait to see how everything turns out.


I'm having a bonfire fundraiser on Saturday night with some friends (mostly from high school), so I'm hoping for a good turnout.  And good weather!  Please keep me in your prayers on Saturday.


Thank you all of you who have contributed in any way to my GAP year.  I would not be where I am today without your financial support and prayers.

My Heart

I went through a little bit of a dry time in my spiritual life these past couple of weeks.  It was a strange feeling...because I was getting support for Ireland, and I knew that was only by the grace of God...but I just wasn't praying as much and reading the Word.  I felt really apathetic toward the whole "having a good prayer life" thing.  This brought me down and I wasn't experiencing much peace.  I honestly had to force myself to start talking to God again.  I went to dinner with a couple of friends from UCO this week and it was really great to be around them.  We went to UCO after dinner and I felt a whole mix of feelings.  I felt nervous because there were a lot of people I didn't know at the meeting and, well, that's just how I get in big groups of people.  This kind of distracted me from having a good time at the beginning, but I think I got over it.  I introduced myself to a couple new people and it wasn't so bad.  :)  I was also uplifted because I hadn't praised God like that in a long time.  I was encouraged after the meeting not only because I enjoyed the talk, but because of something the Lord spoke to me that night.  There was a moment in the prayer meeting where the MC asked us to listen to the Lord and see if He might have a word for us.  This was kind of hard for me to do, as I hadn't taken much time to listen to the Lord lately, but this is what He told me:  "No matter how far you feel you may have fallen, I am right here.  Just come back to Me."  Wow.  That was exactly what I needed to hear.  How comforting...how reassuring...how true!  A few of the UCO staff came up to be after the meeting and said they'd like to meet with me soon to chat.  Just what I needed!  I thank the Lord for each and every person that wanted to meet with me.  What perfect timing!


While I was driving home from Ann Arbor after UCO on Tuesday, I felt the Lord calling me to stop at the adoration chapel at Christ the King.  I felt like He wanted more of me.  I obeyed His calling and got off the expressway at Plymouth Road.  As soon as I walked into that chapel I felt relieved.  There were a few other people in there, but I honestly felt as though it were just me and God.  When I sat down to pray, I felt led to read a "Sequence for Pentecost" in which I found complete peace.  This prayer was in a little journal(?) called The Word Among Us.  I'd like to share it with you:


"Come, Holy Spirit, Come!
And from Your celestial home
Shed a ray of light divine!
Come, Father of the poor!
Come, source of all our store!
Come, within our bosoms shine.
You, of comforters the best;
You, the soul's most welcome guest;
Sweet refreshment here below;
In our labor, rest most sweet;
Grateful coolness in the heat;
Solace in the midst of woe.
O most blessed Light divine,
Shine within these hearts of yours,
And our inmost being fill!
Where you are not, we have naught,
Nothing good in deed or thought,
Nothing free from taint of ill.
Heal our wounds, our strength renew;
On our dryness pour your dew;
Wash the stains of guilt away:
Bend the stubborn heart and will;
Melt the frozen, warm the chill;
Guide the steps that go astray.
On the faithful, who adore
And confess you, evermore
In your sevenfold gift descend;
Give them virtue's sure reward;
Give them your salvation, Lord;
Give them joys that never end.  Amen.  Alleluia."


I had to read it very slowly to really let it sink in, but I just felt so comforted after I read that.  It's so beautiful! Let me know what you guys think.


I want to share one more thing before I close...another thing that brought me back up in my spiritual life.  I went to Solid Rock Bible Church (where my good friend Hannah goes to church) last night for the college group meeting.  I always feel encouraged after the talks there, but this one was especially interesting.  We did an exercise where we all lined up across from one another in a big line across the room.  We started with our eyes closed, but when we opened them we had to stare directly into the eyes of the person across from us.  For an uncomfortably long period of time.  While we were looking into eachothers eyes, the pastor was saying things like, "Who is this person?  What made you want to get to know them well?  Or what made you not want to get to know them?  Do you believe that God loves this person as much as He loves you?  How do you think God wants you to reach out to this person?"  It was so hard to just look into all of those people's eyes and think such things.  I didn't know most of the people there, but I felt that by just looking into their eyes I got a small glimpse of their heart.  It's hard to explain, but I am glad I got to experience something like that.  After the meeting last night we all went out to Applebees (as it is tradition), and the guy that leads worship for the college group asked me if I'd like to play guitar sometime with them!  It was such an answer to prayer that he asked me that, because during the meeting I thought, "Hmm...it'd be fun to get up there and play with them sometime."  Of course I was too shy to ask, but I didn't have to worry about that!  God had other plans.  And now I'm playing and singing next Wednesday night for the meeting.  :)


That's all for now.  I wanted to share a little bit of my heart with you, and I also wanted to include this stuff here as a record for myself that this fundraising journey hasn't just been rainbows and sunshine.  It's been hard.  I want to thank you all again for your support and prayers.  It means the world to me, and without you I wouldn't be at 60% of my goal.

Sixty Percent

Support has been slowing down a little bit.  There were two days this week in which I didn't get any support checks in the mail.  Today I checked the mail and it was just the usual stuff...some magazines, some coupons, and some junk mail for my parents.  No support checks.  I started feeling a little discouraged.  I thought that maybe this was almost the end of receiving checks in the mail.  I went out tonight with some friends from work, and when I came home there was an envelope on the counter for me.  I know it wasn't there before when I checked the mail, because I looked through it pretty well.  Sure enough, though, there was an envelope addressed to me from one of my best friend's parents.  I opened it up to find not one, but two very generous checks.  One check was for graduation, and one was for my GAP year.  I am so very blessed to have received this support today, especially after I was feeling slightly discouraged this week.  What perfect timing God has!  I am now at $6,700 out of $11,000.  That's about 60%!  :)  Praise God from whom all blessings flow!  


I am planning a bonfire fundraiser for the evening of June 18th, and I am getting pretty excited about that.  While considering different fundraising events to do, I talked with my mom to get some ideas/advice.  She recommended targeting different groups of friends for each fundraiser.  I thought that sounded like a pretty good idea, and I'm sure my friends will appreciate it as well.  The whole idea is not to keep bugging the same group of people for money.  With that in mind, my bonfire fundraiser is aimed mostly at my high school friends that either I still keep in touch with or who I think will support me.  Please keep me in your prayers as I continue to plan this event.  I am praying and hoping that God will bless the hearts of my friends and that I will have a good turnout for the fundraiser.


I wholeheartedly thank my family and friends who have supported me!  If you have not contributed towards my trip (either financially, through prayer, or both) and would like to, please let me know and I can send you a support letter with more information.  I pray that God will place a deep desire in your heart to support me on this mission to build His kingdom in Ireland.  I also pray that you are open to whatever gift He may be calling you to give.  Thank you again!

Booked My Flight

Last night I booked my flight to Ireland!  My dad and I have been comparing prices online for a little while now, but it was so exciting to actually book the flight!  I got my ticket for just under $800, too, so that was quite the bargain.  Praise God for providing such an inexpensive flight.  :)  I will be leaving the States on September 4th for Dublin, Ireland!

On the way to church yesterday morning my mom mentioned that she had visited an Ireland tourist site (www.discoverireland.com), and she was all excited about it.  She said she watched all the videos and she was telling me all sorts of random facts about the weather, food, and tourist spots.  It's so awesome that she's so into my year in Ireland.  She and my dad used Skype to talk to Peter, the GAP director in Dublin, on Saturday...and my dad got to ask all of his questions.  It's really exciting to see everything coming together.

I'm still receiving support checks in the mail and I get so excited about every single envelope!  Every time I see that self-addressed envelope in the mailbox it's a confirmation from the Lord that a GAP year is what I'm supposed to be doing, and this is how He's providing the money for me to go.  Though I have sent out almost all of my thank-you notes, I want to thank you all again for supporting me!  I am so wonderfully blessed with such a great support group.  And just as I think I have so many people on my team, the Lord brings me more!  More people that want me to send them a letter, more people that want to help with fundraising, and more people that are praying for me.  Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Trickling In

More support, more support, more support!  Like the rain falling from these dark, cloudy skies, the support for my GAP year just keeps trickling in.  Today I came home from work and as I picked up a self-addressed support envelope from the counter, my mom said, "Isn't it nice to be getting mail every day?"  I told her "Yes, it is.  It's awesome."  And I just thought about everyone that has been supporting me financially and what a blessing that is to me.  Not only have I received financial support, but I have also received support through prayer and words of encouragement...despite some of the not-so-encouraging experiences I've had.


In the first "stages" of discerning whether or not to do a GAP year, I experienced quite a bit of negativity from others.  I went to a Bible study late last summer and overheard a woman telling another woman that she was a speech-language pathologist.  Since that is my field of study, my ears kind of perked up.  When that woman finished her conversation, I said, "I couldn't help but overhear that you're a speech-language pathologist...that's what I'm going to school for!"  She and I started talking a bit and I told her I was going into my fourth year of undergrad at Eastern Michigan.  She then asked me where I would be doing my graduate work.  I told her that I was considering taking a year off (I briefly explained the GAP year to her), and she didn't quite take it so well.  She told me, "Oh, no...don't do that.  You'll forget everything you learned in undergrad!  Go straight to grad school or you'll regret it."  By that point I had already heard a clear word from the Lord and was almost positive that He wanted me to do a GAP year...so this conversation was troubling to me.  I had told her that I really felt that God was calling me to do a GAP year, but she was trying to convince me otherwise.


Another similarly troubling experience came from talking to my parents about my GAP year.  They doubted that I'd be able to raise enough money to go.  A few weeks before I graduated, my dad asked me if I would be getting more hours at work once I was finished with school.  I told him I wasn't sure because it seemed like the managers had been trying to cut hours, so I might not get many more than what I had during school (about 20-25 hours).  He immediately told me I should think about taking up a second job, because there was no way I was going to raise enough money to go on my GAP year otherwise.  I guess he just didn't really realize that I'd be asking others for the majority of my financial support, not using what I've saved from work.  And I think he was having a hard time believing that people would actually give me money.  I guess a little bit of that pessimistic attitude kind of rubbed off on me, because I started to think that maybe he was right.  Maybe I wouldn't raise enough money to go to Ireland for a year.


Both of these experiences, along with a few more, really tested my faith.  It was as though God were saying to me, "Okay Rachel...here's what these people have said.  Are you going to believe them?  Or believe in Me?  Are you going to trust them?  Or trust Me?"  It was extremely difficult, but I had to really take a step forward and push both of those conversations (along with others) away.  I had to completely place my trust in God that because He called me to go on a GAP year, He would provide the money.  Not only that, but He would not let me forget what I have already studied in school (unless He wants me to go into ministry instead of speech-language pathology).  I believe that He will do these things because this GAP year is part of His beautiful plan for my life.


Right now I have so many people on my side.  I have my family, friends, coworkers, managers, and even strangers on my side.  Who are the strangers?  Right now it's everyone that came to my garage sale and the people I talk to at Costco.  I use every chance I get to have it be part of my conversations with others.  When they ask me about school, I explain that I just graduated and that I'm going to be taking a year off.  Then come the questions...and then comes sharing Christ.  If someone asks, "What's new?" or "What have you been up to lately?", that's my chance to share the blessings I'm receiving every day as I follow the Lord's plan for my life.  It's really a beautiful thing.


Before I close, I'd like to share that I am extremely thankful for the unexpected blessings I have received at work.  One of my managers is following my blog and has been so supportive of my trip to Ireland.  She's also given me great fundraising ideas!  She even suggested that we do some kind of fundraising luncheon at work before I leave, and I can't wait to see how God blesses that!  One of my other coworkers randomly told another coworker today, "Hey, guess what?  Rachel's going to Ireland at the end of the summer!  She's going to be a minister there!"  Okay, so I'm not exactly going to be a minister in Ireland...but he kind of got the point.  And I thank him for that, because it started up another conversation about my trip!  :)  I am so excited for what the rest of this summer holds.  God, keep showering me with Your blessings!

Graduation Party

I had my graduation party yesterday with a bunch of family and some close friends, and it was wonderful!  My parents and my brothers worked so hard getting ready for the party...and it all paid off.  We had delicious food, lots of people, and perfect weather!  We really were blessed with such a nice change of weather after so much cold and rain!  :)


Here's some pictures from the party for those of you who didn't see them on Facebook.

Me with both grandpas...mom's side on the left and dad's side on the right.

Some family on my dad's side.

The delicious food!  :)

Lovely Costco cake thanks to my wonderful co-workers.  :)

Jennifer and her grandmother Sittie (Arabic for "grandma")

All of the cousins (minus my bro Jake) on my mom's side.

My mom's parents and brother & sisters :)

Some of my cousins on my dad's side.

My cousin Kara (dad's side)!  :)

Hannah and her boyfriend Jake.  So glad they came!

My younger brother Joel.

My parents. :)  Love them.

I was blessed with an abundance of nice cards and financial support for my GAP year from my graduation party.  People were so generous and I am extremely grateful for that.  It was not only nice to receive this support from all these people, but it was so encouraging to have them come to my party and celebrate with me!  I loved talking with everyone and sharing about my GAP year.  One person who I am especially grateful that she came to my party is my godmother, Mrs. Gallagher.  I am so sad that I didn't get to know her more as I was growing up.  She is such a wonderful woman of Christ and she is a great person to talk to.  She just has a really loving and caring way about her.  At my party yesterday I had the opportunity to share with her how I discerned whether or not to do my GAP year, so that was awesome.  I love when people ask me questions like that...it makes it easier to share my heart with others.  It's like...the more you practice sharing your heart the easier it gets.  And then the more it'll flow naturally in conversation!  :)  Soon there'll be no more surface-level conversation (or at least not much).  It'll be just straight to the good stuff!

That's all for now.  As for a financial update, I now have (with the money from my graduation party added) a total of $4,572 out of $11,000.  I'm getting close to halfway there!  Come on Lord...keep providing support for me!