God Working!!

Happy Monday!


I’m going to El Salvador in August with a group of my friends/family! I’m excited to bring clean water and Jesus to El Salvador! Well, Jesus is already there, so I guess I am just meeting Him there.

We had a fundraiser in the Fall and we are having a bowling fundraiser on March 31 (it’s a Saturday if you’d like to come, consider this your invitation – more details to follow). We do have lots of money to raise! I felt like I should have a bake sale at work to help raise the funds for our group. Use the gifts that God has given me for His glory. You’d think this would have been an easy thing to do… however, it really wasn’t. Asking people for money (or help in general) is not my favorite thing to do. HOWEVER, I really felt like I needed to do it. I’m excited about my trips (Haiti – June, Detroit – July, El Salvador – August), I’m excited to do something, anything, in the name of Jesus. Clean water is not a privilege, it is a right if you ask me.

So I stepped out, I even wondered if I’d get in trouble, but that didn’t stop me. I sent out a letter (adapted below) to the people I work with. I was going to put a goal on it, and God spoke very clearly, “don’t put a limit on what I can do”. So I took that part of the letter out (after the bake sale I will share with you what my goal is and what was achieved – but I can tell you, I’ve already passed my goal with pre-orders and donations by 50%).

I tell you all this not because of what I can do, because on my own, I can do nothing! I know that God brings to us a lot of things, I know that He gives us incredible talents, and sometimes when we are scared, it is then most that He works in us, and others. Sometimes I think I just need to tell fear to pack it’s bags and hit the road!

I think that it is so important to remember that whatever we do, that we remember everything in our lives is our mission field. We reach people’s hearts in our grocery stores, in our office, in our family, in our city, in our world. I’m excited about my trips, I am excited about helping others, and I am also excited about God working in my own heart, to make me more like Him, and bring more people to Him.

1 Cor 12:1-11 1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.


4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.


7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.



Dear friends,

I am going to El Salvador on a mission trip with 10 of my friends. We decided as a team that we would sponsor our own well and pay for our own trip. The money I am raising is to offset the cost of the well and some traveling expenses. The amount in our general fund is $13,000. We’ve raised a little over $6000 so far.

Going on a mission trip overseas is scary for me. What is funny is that I am never afraid of getting hurt, I am always afraid of not being comfortable. In the past, I have been involved in overseas missions by cooking food for fundraisers, selling candy so my daughter could go to Colombia (she’s been twice 2009 & 2010), helped organized the trip, and been the financial tracker for 66 people. I have always loved, loved, loved local missions. I’ve been on 5 local week-long mission trips, I’ve cooked for 5 of them, in some fashion, worked in organizing them, 3 of them, I will be helping lead the 2012 I love Detroit Mission Trip. I serve in numerous ways in the city of Detroit, Pontiac, and Hamtramck. I’ll be happy to tell you all about them, but you should pack a lunch because I can talk for hours (shocking! I know !!).

I used to say that if God called me to an overseas mission trip, I’d hang up, but I’ve learned that when God calls you to do something, if you love Him, you really can’t say no, no matter how uncomfortable you will be. I believe, because I believe that what the bible says is true, that we are the hands and feet of Jesus and we can all do different things to make it possible to provide clean water, love people, whatever it is we are called to do.

I want to be clear, the cost of my trip is $1750 which I will be paying for all myself, including any medical expenses I will have. Our team has a general fund of expenses that includes sponsoring the well that we are digging.

I will be having a cupcake/water sale at my desk on Feb 21 throughout the day. Whatever I raise on Tuesday is going 100% to towards the trip. I will be covering all the expenses for the cupcakes. I’ll also have containers so you can bring them home to share with your family.

I will be selling the following:

Cupcakes $1/each
6 cupcakes for $5
12 cupcakes for $10
Water for $1/bottle.

If you would like to make a donation, any amount is accepted and checks can be made out to Harvest Bible Church in order to get a tax deduction.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!! I appreciate any prayers, purchases, and donations!

In His Love and Grace,

Margie

Comments

Jada's Gigi said…
you are a genius! I'll bet the money pours in! Yay God!