Dear friends,
Where can I begin to express my thankfulness to you all and my amazement at God's abundant provision in this time? Words just can't express it. But I'll try. :)
I sit writing this at Crestfield, where I served a year ago last summer as Worship Director. It's just astonishing how much has changed since then. I am in complete awe at all that God has done and is doing in my life and the lives of those around me-what a transformative time this has been in so many ways, but more than anything it's been a time of extreme abundance-rich in relationships, rich in encouragement, rich in growth and in responsibility and challenges-very rich indeed.
I can't believe this-but all my funding is in. It was in before July even began! Let me state that first of all, I had not even sent letters to my close friends, nor to my conference family at New Wilmington, nor to HALF of my list of people I was going to send letters to.
Deep breaths-this makes me so emotional every time I think about it.
I received an email at the the end of June with an updated funding report that showed that I had met my goal. I double checked it, triple checked it, and then just started balling my eyes out. Thank you, thank you, I can't thank you enough. My church family has been extraordinarily generous in many ways. I can't tell you how it feels to have people I don 't even know give to my cause, or to receive a large anonymous gift... I can attribute it only the work of the Holy Spirit.
As soon as I found that out I thought, "I needed all of this support by NEXT July-it's not even July 2011 yet! Are you kidding me?!?!?!
Secondly, I had been preparing my big fundraising event, a benefit voice recital, since April!!! How crazy is it that I didn't even need to host my big fundraising event?! AND I haven't even gone to New Wilmington Mission Conference yet-a place abundant in mission support and rich friendships with a deep love of mission- I haven't even gone there yet!!!
So I thought, should I still give my recital? I decided to, and it was held on July 8th.
What an extraordinary difference it made to be able to give back to my church family in that way, not as a fund raising event, but just as a sharing, as a celebration! A big thanks to the @150 people who attended. I performed classical pieces in Italian, French, and German for the first half of the recital, and then spoke a bit about my upcoming time in India. The second half was a collection of American and English arias and I ended with four musical theatre pieces. It was such a wonderful evening in so many ways. I hardly even remember it, it just felt like a dream!
If you want to watch the videos from the recital, check them out on youtube: here's the link to the first one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MOOCx0xXgP0
Friends from all over were there-church family, actual family, college friends, camp friends, conference friends, people from the community...I was really surprised by the number of people (we'd prepared a reception for 50 people-whoops! :)
It was really just a wonderful evening of celebration. I was very nervous but eventually relaxed and was able to really enjoy sharing with you all and celebrating with you. Though I shared that I had met the minimum requirement for my funding for the year already, I was still given over $2000 just that evening.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Words really just can't express my thankfulness-the support in prayer, in finances, in encouragement, has just been flooding in. I feel deeply as though I am being filled up and sent out.
Thank you-thank you for being open to His call, for being led in generosity, and for just flooring me with your love. I can't believe I'm going off with it all raised-what a relief and what a testament to His faithfulness.
So thank you, thank you, I can't thank you enough. I'm just so amazed...and so very grateful.
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