My roommate wrote this on her blog about a week ago. This event she describes here was the catalyst of a new invigoration in me. (I am the author of the letter at the end). She also encouraged me to begin this blog, as did my dad about a year ago, although until now I didn't know what I'd write about. But I expect God to do great things.
Here's the story: I have been praying literally every day for nearly 5 months for the opportunity to visit my sister in Uganda. It started with a class on prayer, and how God wants us to be persistent in our prayer. While studying this, God really gave me the impression to make a list of the things/people on my heart and to begin praying with expectancy for these things. and with persistence. The next day, I was healed from lactose intolerance... one of the things on my list. I kept praying for these things, some more diligently than others. The lesson I was learning was that it is a 'yes' until it's a 'no' from God. No answer is not necessarily a NO. He wants us to keep coming to him in prayer. He wants to refine our hearts through prayer. He also wants to test our faith in what we are willing to pursue. Anyway, long story short, after much faith wavering and prayer, God answered my prayers by providing me the money I needed to purchase the place ticket to Uganda - through a friend and my forgotten tax return! What a Valentine's Day gift! It took me a couple days to reach Jess and tell her, and I still haven't been able to actually book the ticket. It's a little stressful having this all so last minute! There is much to do... including getting a yellow fever shot. book the tickets. call jess and finalize details. PLUS make sure Im caught up for homework and work that I will be missing next week. It's a busy week to be missing too!! But, God gave me the answer yes before I had any idea HOW it would work. He is faithful, and will work out the details of this trip! and my schoolwork!
My dear friend and roommate wrote me a letter when she found out, and it turned out to be a great encouragement to me! It explains very eloquently what I was feeling on Monday so I wanted to share it as well:
My dear Jenn,
I hope you realize, my dear sister, that Jesus has just given you an enormous valentine! Not only in the form of the trip to Uganda itself has this come, but in such a grand increase of faith! He has given this to me too!! What a joy this is to be so close to such a story - and to have been used by God to bring it about through prayer.
This is huge Jen. This is God Himself sitting next to you in class and joining you in the hallway to cry. This is Him standing with us in front of the bathrooms and the echo room laughing with us as we hugged and jumped up and down. It's HIm sighing with love and asking with a smirk: "Why did you doubt?" (for at least I did, a little). This is God proving to us, yet again, that we have no reason to live as if we think He is not trustworthy, or omnipotent, or that He doesn't love to give good gifts to His children. This is indeed a Happy Valentine's Day. I applaud God's impeccable timing. How more sweetly significant this is than it would have been on any old day, like February 3rd. I think this date was the cherry on top. Man, He must love us Jen!
Remember what I wrote about Nathanael in John 1, and my dad and the swing? "You will see greater things than these" - I believe this was one of them - and thatit's only the beginning. I don't want anything to hold me back from greater faith and explicit trust in God for everything from finding shoes for work, to plane tickets overseas - and beyond! your faith and vision has brought about this straw (which I hope will be the last) necessary to break my accursed scepticism. He has won me over again.
But God Himself has done this, by working in secret until the opportune time, anticipating your reaction of astonishment and wonder. Meanwhile, He's kept me riveted to the hope of this result by the assurance: "And then you will know that I am the Lord." I trust I will not be the only one convinced of this by the testimony of this story. However you tell it in the future this must be resoundingly clear: The zeal of the Lord Almighty has accomplished this.
I'm so glad I can share this joy with you.
Love, Alyssa
