Getting What You Ask For

What a blessing this past Sunday was, in preparation for going to Kenya and in seeking to raise the necessary funds I spoke at Sparta UM Church. I've been looking forward to this opportunity for about a month and hoping that God would help me know what to say and how to introduce myself to a church that had never heard of me. I told my former roommate that I had to figure out how to be memorable in 5 minutes or less.

I decided to keep my "speech" simple, count on having a good display with memorable pieces of Kenya and some of my past video projects playing. Also I knew that one of my videos would be shown in the service as I was tag-teaming with the founder of the ministry I had created it for.

Saturday night as I was getting ready for bed rather than asking God to bless me by getting all my funds and making me more memorable than other ministries represented at the missions fair and so funding me and not them, I asked that He would be glorified first and foremost. I asked that all the ministries represented would be blessed and encouraged and that the congregation would be blessed as well.

Sunday morning I arrived at the church and felt instantly welcome, the first couple I met helped me find my way around the building, find the Pastor (who used to pastor at my home church and is the only person I knew at this church), and where I would be setting up my display. As I set up my display I met several other wonderful and helpful members of the congregation.

During the service the Holy Spirit was at work and I sensed that God was pouring a blessing on everyone in attendance. One couple got up and shared with the church how they had just that week seen God provide for a gift toward the missions fund and he had come through. Soon it was time for the other speaker and I to share. Before we spoke Pastor Ray introduced us each and truly humbled me in telling the church about the impact that my family had had on his life and about my heart to serve. It's hard to write about this and not feel like I'm tooting my horn so just know I was greatly blessed at that moment. Jesus also granted me calm nerves as I shared with the church, and the congregation was very responsive. When I finished we watched part of the video and then Pastor Ray got up and challenged the congregation that at least 17 people should take up support in me, now that's seventeen because I had announced that I needed 18 but Pastor Ray followed up by announcing that I could count on him to take a share.

A few minutes later I was back by my display table and several members of the congregation came to talk with me for a few moments and took letters and information on how to support me. Not only was I being blessed by the fellowship, but I was greatly encouraged by the interest in supporting me.

Once the congregation cleared out and I got my stuff put away I went out to lunch with the pastor and his wife and the missions coordinators. I expected this to just be a nice time to sit, eat, and fellowship, but Pastor Ray brought along the extra copies of my letter that I gave him. This wasn't simply because his coat pocket was a convenient place to keep them but so that he could give copies to the restaurant owner and several of the customers whom he knew. As we were eating he would periodically get up and I'd see him pointing me out to some one and handing them a letter.

Driving home that afternoon I realized that God had given me precisely what I had asked for. I could tell from the service and the responses afterword that the congregation was excited about their involvement in missions and that those ministries represented were greatly encouraged. But then God went above and beyond that (as He is known to do) and blessed me specifically with great amounts of encouragement and what will probably turn out to be a great shower of new support. Since I get my weekly support updates on Tuesdays there hadn't been enough time between Sunday and my most recent update for it to show any support from that service, but I believe that next weeks update will be very exciting.