by Melanie Irizarry on Saturday, March 28, 2009 at 10:03am
So, it's my junior year of high school and I'm walking through the halls. I see this sign for a trip to England. I have never had the desire before to go in my life and I hear in my heart that familiar voice "You're going to England". This time at the front end instead of questioning it as my overactive imagination though I was like "ok God" ... because in knowing myself I knew very well prior to this I hadn't the slightest desire to go. That night I went home and told my mom and dad "I'm going to England" -lol... them living across the street from one another this year of my life made it possible. After a funny look my moms first question was of course "how are you going to financially? " and my dad followed suit. I hadn't thought about it yet but it didn't bother me so much. When all was said and done the three of us struck a deal. If I got a job and could raise a third of the money needed that summer they would both meet me with a third. I went, I got employed with the YMCA day camp, I conquered. And, then, the twists came. My dad backed out on his end of the deal. He said he thought I wouldn't be able to raise the money.
At this point I thought to myself maybe I got it wrong this time. Maybe I had no idea what the voice of God sounded like in my own heart. So, instead of praying over the matter I said eh... forget it... and went out and bought my first guitar with the money I saved up.
England kept playing through my heart the entirety of my senior year though. Go Go Go.... I had no idea how though. In the latter half I learned about an organization that did missions with youth called AIM, and on 3 separate occasions the England/Ireland trip was presented to me. Finally after the third time I said ok... maybe this is what God meant by "your going to England" after all, I had imagined myself sharing Jesus with people even on the academic tour.... :) missions it is God! A month before all the moneys would be due I applied for this trip. I was accepted onto the team... not only that, but the day they called me to let me know they also informed me they had split the team into 2 teams, one was for England and one was for Ireland, and I was placed without my own hands involved on the England team.
How would the money come now was the questions. And, I have no other explanation but God. In my small church on the first day that I had a little cup set up to receive money with my youth leader helping me we raised over half the money. Most of the money came in really quick. I was also given gift cards to get what I needed for the trip such as clothes etc. On the last day though when all the money was due I was still short. NO ONE in the church knew how much I had or needed. NO ONE. I walked into a backroom and said "God you've taken me this far I KNOW you will take me the rest of the way if you want me to go and I give it up to you". A few minutes late my youth leader walked in and said one of the older ladies from our church asked her to hold me at the church because she had to do something. This older lady went home and came back with a check for me. She said God had told her to do it a while ago but at that moment she felt the urgency. SWEET RIGHT? to top it off I thought she gave me more than I needed for the trip but upon recalculating everything together it turns out my first math was wrong and that final check she wrote with no knowledge of the need was to the exact penny what I needed to turn in the rest of my money for the trip that day. GOD DOES PROVIDE.
At this point I thought to myself maybe I got it wrong this time. Maybe I had no idea what the voice of God sounded like in my own heart. So, instead of praying over the matter I said eh... forget it... and went out and bought my first guitar with the money I saved up.
England kept playing through my heart the entirety of my senior year though. Go Go Go.... I had no idea how though. In the latter half I learned about an organization that did missions with youth called AIM, and on 3 separate occasions the England/Ireland trip was presented to me. Finally after the third time I said ok... maybe this is what God meant by "your going to England" after all, I had imagined myself sharing Jesus with people even on the academic tour.... :) missions it is God! A month before all the moneys would be due I applied for this trip. I was accepted onto the team... not only that, but the day they called me to let me know they also informed me they had split the team into 2 teams, one was for England and one was for Ireland, and I was placed without my own hands involved on the England team.
How would the money come now was the questions. And, I have no other explanation but God. In my small church on the first day that I had a little cup set up to receive money with my youth leader helping me we raised over half the money. Most of the money came in really quick. I was also given gift cards to get what I needed for the trip such as clothes etc. On the last day though when all the money was due I was still short. NO ONE in the church knew how much I had or needed. NO ONE. I walked into a backroom and said "God you've taken me this far I KNOW you will take me the rest of the way if you want me to go and I give it up to you". A few minutes late my youth leader walked in and said one of the older ladies from our church asked her to hold me at the church because she had to do something. This older lady went home and came back with a check for me. She said God had told her to do it a while ago but at that moment she felt the urgency. SWEET RIGHT? to top it off I thought she gave me more than I needed for the trip but upon recalculating everything together it turns out my first math was wrong and that final check she wrote with no knowledge of the need was to the exact penny what I needed to turn in the rest of my money for the trip that day. GOD DOES PROVIDE.
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