"You're all done! That is so great!"
I've heard this quite a few times in the last few weeks, understandably. Yes, God has fully provided for the school construction. The funds have been raised through tremendous support from all over the globe. Although there were administrative costs to raising the funds, we covered them, and the full $30,000 has been provided.
And yes, it is indeed great -- we rejoice in that with you, all who have supported...
... but we can not rest.
The estimates arrived yesterday from Touch A Life Foundation for the in-country travel expenses.
They estimate that we will need roughly $1200 per person for our transportation, lodging and meals. Transportation may very well be the most expensive cost, as it takes all day to travel to/from the Lake Volta area.
It's more than we anticipated.
This is above and beyond what we've already paid for visitor visas, vaccinations etc, and does not include the cost of the Compassion visits. Those costs are covered by the sponsor so as not to take away financially from Compassion's ministry, which I applaud and appreciate.
There are four of us going.... Debra, Tia, myself, and my 13 year old son Joshua.
Together, we have a little more than $2500 for travel costs.
That leaves a seemingly impossible $2300+ to raise in less than a week.
May I confess? While I had sun stand still faith that we would raise the funds for the school, yesterday, I struggled with the faith that the remaining $2300 will be raised in time. All I could do yesterday afternoon when we received the estimate was think of the 2 photo sessions I'm doing this weekend, the fundraiser at church on Sunday morning, and ask myself "Will that be anywhere near enough?"
I know... I know GOD alone is enough, and that work of my hands can not provide as well as He can, and that we simply must trust -- it IS as simple as that... but in those moments yesterday, I had to borrow from Debra and Tia's faith to find peace.
I'm still learning, growing right along with you.
This morning, my strength is renewed, my faith refreshed.
I do understand that we didn't know how God would provide for the school in such a short amount of time, after all, we were still at 12% in mid-September. And yet He did, in ways only He could.
We're back in that boat.
We don't know how He will provide for the travel expenses in such a short amount of time. We don't need to know in order to know that He can -- we know He can.
We just need to trust that He will and rest in Him as we do what we can to rest in preparation for our time in Ghana.
It's as simple as that.
