5 loaves and 2 fish

God makes something out of nothing, provides through the unknown, and is faithful through the unexpected. Kinda like when Jesus fed the 4,000 and the 5,000. And kinda like support-raising.

Support-raising has been an unexpectedly joyful journey for me. Not only has almost $10k come in in around three weeks, but also the majority of it has come from unexpected places and in unexpected ways. God has been turning pennies into dollars through my Amazon fundraiser and through selling the bracelets, necklaces, and bags. The majority of the support that has been raised has come from people that God has placed in my life in the past six months.

There have been people that I have met, they have supported me, and it's likely I won't see them ever again until Heaven.

There have been people that I have previously worked with who are contacting me and telling me they want to support me. I didn't even know they were believers.

There have been people that don't even know me on a personal level, they know me through someone who has been so helpful as to share my story, and have supported me. Then their relatives, whom I also don't know, also give something.

There have been people who I know probably aren't able to spare the finances, but do anyway.

There have been people I have met on the plane, perfect strangers, who have asked to be put on my support list.

Over and over and over again stories like these are happening, which means leaving for Rwanda the third week of August is slowly but surely becoming a reality. Day after day after day God is magnifying His faithfulness. Again and again God is displaying His ways and His plans that are so far beyond my imagination. And believe it or not, this support-raising process is probably the greatest comfort and encouragment in this season of my life, especially as I wrestle with some other difficult things. Through the five loaves and two fish, everything from the pennies to the faithful and unexpected people, God is paving the road to Rwanda and giving me a great light and hope in one of the more difficult seasons.