Africa

So as I was doing my usual internet skimming this morning, you know, Pinterest, Facebook, gmail, blogger, and I read something on Pinterest that made me remember/think about how fortunate I was to go volunteer in Africa. It just started a chain of thoughts about what a miracle it was that I even got a spot to go, and how everything just fell into place piece by piece. The whole thing was a huge testimony to me of the power of prayer and having faith that everything will work out. When I decided I wanted to go, I prayed about whether it was right or not. The answer I got was the strongest that I had ever felt, so I knew I needed to go. So I called my friend McCall and told her I wanted to go with her and her mom. The next day she called me and told me that her and I wouldn't be able to go because all the spots had filled the day before. I was devastated! How could this happen? I KNEW I was supposed to go, so what was I going to do now? I couldn't go any earlier because of school, and I couldn't go any later in the summer either. This was the only team I was able to go with, but now it was full. What the flip? So I said a little prayer and felt calm about things, so I let it be. A few days later McCall called me back and told me that a family that had signed up for the June team had just moved to the July team, so we were able to go if I still wanted to. Heck yes! I was so excited. Let the fundraising begin! So I sent out letters and let everyone know what I was doing. The girl I worked with had done something similar in Bulgaria, and she said she got one thousand dollars from Wal Mart, since her brother-in-law was over donations. Her nieces where actually coming into the office the day after we had talked about it, so she said I could talk to him about it when he brought them in. So when he got there she explained what I was doing, and he said I would probably be able to get the money. He just needed to run it by his boss, then it was a done deal. Woohoo! That was a HUGE chunk of what I had to raise. What a relief! But....the next day he called Anne while we were at work and told her I needed to get my paperwork into him that day. He said they had just had a meeting and told everyone that if the donation wasn't going to a local cause it was an absolute no. No if, ands, or buts. He said he would try to get me the money, but it wasn't looking very hopeful, and I needed to start looking for other ways to raise it. When Anne was telling me this she looked like she was about to cry, but I felt totally calm about it. I knew that the Lord wanted me to do this, so I had faith that he would help me get there. Anne was so confused about why I wasn't freaking out, but I told her that it would all be ok. She thought I was nuts ha ha. So a few weeks went by and I heard nothing. Then one day I went into work and Anne threw a handful of ripped paper over me and screamed "You got the money!!!" We were both so ecstatic! After work we went over to her brother-in-law's house and he handed me the check. He said "I have no idea how you got this money. I pushed this every day for two weeks, and they shut me down every day, so I gave up. Then today my boss walks up, hands me this check and says give this to her, then walked away. I really can't believe you got this." I just smiled and thanked him and we left. What a miracle! Then through all my wonderful aunts and uncles, friends, and so many other generous people I was able to raise the money I needed to. The opportunity I had to go to Africa was such a blessing and literally a miracle. I'm so so grateful I got to go and learn everything and experience a completely different world. Thank you again to everyone that helped me get there!!!