Waiting

I have been sorely lacking on updates lately. It has been a very busy semester, even with a smaller load of classes. I’m very thankful to say that I am finished with my classes! Now I’m just waiting around for them to give me my degree on Friday, May 12th!! It is truly amazing to look back to 4 1/2 years ago when I felt like going to college would be impossible because of money. I wrote in my last post that I would share my testimony concerning college, so here it goes. I graduated high school in 2012 with my license in cosmetology. To be honest, I was never passionate about wanting to style hair. I am very thankful I received that training, but it was not the thing I felt that I was necessarily called to do. I tried it out for a couple of months before enrolling in school to see if I would learn to love it or not. I really didn’t learn to love it at all. I was also in a strange place in my walk with the Lord. I sort of put Him on the back-burner during that time and was just living the way I wanted to. There was a moment when I was in the salon that the urge to go to school was strong. It was also the time where I began acknowledging where my priorities really were. God was basically tugging on my heart back to Him. After that realization, I decided to quit doing hair and go back to solely working as a hostess/server.

After looking up costs of tuition for Weatherford College, I was extremely discouraged and felt that there was no way I could even afford to go to community college. At the time, I could not receive financial aid and my parents really could only do so much. I felt like I had made a mistake in giving up on hair, even though it was not a passion of mine. I was waiting for days to try to figure out how I could make it work, and was praying for God to show me what I should do. It wasn’t until I talked to a co-worker that I realized that payment plans could be a good option for me to take classes. At that point, I would’ve worked double shifts every day if it meant that I would get to go to school. (There were some weeks that I definitely had to do that) The day that I was trying to enroll for the spring of 2013, I had to come up with a certain amount of money to receive a required shot to be enrolled. I was stressed about it, but scraped up every penny I had to pay the amount. I know that the Lord was with me that day, because when I went back with the money to pay for the shot, the pharmacist told me that they had reduced the payment because I was a previous customer. (They reduced the majority of the cost) I cried that day because I knew God was helping me overcome seemingly small obstacles that were huge for me. I was enrolled to spring courses in the same day that I nearly gave up on it. God is good.

I was at Weatherford College for three semesters, paying payments on my own and trying to keep up with bills. It was probably the most stressful time of my life, but also a huge growing period. I began thinking about universities that I would want to transfer to, but was pretty negative about the process. I felt that my options were very limited. I heard about Dallas Baptist University, but looked up the tuition and immediately assumed that it was not a possibility. The people that I met from DBU loved the Lord and had so much to say about it, but I did not think I would get to go. It wasn’t until a couple of months later that I really looked into it. Despite the cost of tuition, I decided to apply anyways. I was praying daily for weeks during the admission process to DBU. After being accepted into the university, I began feeling very strongly that it was where I was supposed to go but was also very anxious about it. Over the course of about six months, more and more doors opened. Scholarships were granted, financial aid was received, an apartment on campus was found, and a job on campus was found. Every detail that I prayed for was answered. Not only did God allow me to get my education, He exceeded my expectations as to what they experience entailed. The most important thing I learned through this entire experience is that when God calls you to do something, no man can hinder it. Not even I could hinder it, which was nearly an issue since the urge for me to run out of DBU’s transfer orientation was at an all-time high. I spent way too much time worrying about how it was going to work out and if God really would do it, when I should have just believed that He would do it. That waiting process has forever changed the way I walk with God.

I think all of this has helped me in the process of raising funds. I know without a doubt that God has called me to Honduras. For how long, I don’t know, but I do know that He wants me there for a year. It’s a start. I’ve been somewhat discouraged these last few weeks because I felt anxious that I had to wait to do certain things to raise money. I really hate procrastinating or feeling like I’m procrastinating, but sometimes the Lord wants you to take your time. It’s something I’ve had to give Him every day so I don’t dwell on the metaphorical mountain I’m looking at. He has always enabled me to stand on the heights, which is the scripture He gave me to cling to concerning DBU. Nothing is too great for Him. (Habakkuk 3:19)

I ask that you would join me in prayer as I raise funds. If you feel led to give, please message me and I’d be happy to give you information as to how you can go about that. My goal is $14,000 by the first week of August. Thank you to those who have inquired about this ministry and for those who have supported me. I am very thankful for you all. Please pray for 61 Isaiah Ministries and all the missionaries who work within it to keep it moving. God is doing an incredible work in Honduras. I’m very excited to be apart of this mission.

May 9, 2017