more REJOICING about stats!

Good morning friends,

If we wrote a story just from some of the newest statistical information alone, it would be a HAPPY one!

as of today...

283 blog pageviews (again this just is a snapshot that tells us many are following this journey and praying)

119 days till the trip (it still feels far away)

donations so far have been $1135.  THANK YOU!

only $115 needed before she can order her plane tickets...once the plane tickets are ordered I will know a final TOTAL...

I am totally blown away by God's provision for her.  Many of you have promised to be praying and have already encouraged her with your words, notes, and hugs.

THANK YOU so much!  

On a personal note, in case you didn't know, I will let you in on a secret.....this mama is HUMAN!  Our family has experienced some out of "our" ordinary LIFE these past few days.  LIFE that God has chosen to allow, but LIFE that has made the days hard and long.  My HUMAN instinct is to cocoon my kids around me, get quiet, find a way to protect myself, HIDE.  I am glad that God is so much MORE than my humanness.

I do not know what plans God has for our family, and the control freaky part of me HATES that.  I want to SEE what He is doing and of course I want to see it NOW (if not yesterday!)!  And most days...that is not how God operates.  He asks me/us to TRUST not SEE.

John 20:26-29 (NLT)  "Eight days later the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.  Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!” “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.  Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

To believe and not see...is HARD, really, really hard!  But that is faith...to believe when I can't SEE.  Without faith God says it is impossible to please Him!  He even counted Abraham's faith towards Him as righteousness.

Do I totally understand how that works?  Absolutely NOT, I am not a theologian.  I am just a Jesus follower who is HUMAN.

When we started praying and planning about this trip, all I could SEE was an incredible amount of money.  I still do not know how or if God will provide, but through a variety of circumstances and His Word this week, I have been reminded that I can choose to TRUST what I cannot see or even begin to fathom.  God's plans and ways are so far beyond what I could even imagine...and believe me I am good at imagining.  BUT, I am choosing to TRUST that He is writing a story that is far, far BIGGER than whether or not Emma receives enough funds to go on this trip.  He has reminded me that He allows LIFE to occur so that we will see our complete need of Him alone, and so that He alone can be glorified.

I am grateful that He allows us to be part of His story and I can't wait till the day when we get to see the FINAL production and finally understand what our role was.

Thanks again for all that you are sacrificing to provide for Emma and for loving our family!

~Mama B