Answered Prayers and Dreams Come True

Dear Friends,

I have some exciting news! I have a wonderful opportunity to go to the Philippines after my graduation to write and love on the people there! I would be visiting a school for the deaf there as well as the areas of poverty. I have had this desire and dream to travel and write for quite some time, but I didn’t know how it would ever happen or how I would go about doing it. This opportunity was offered to me after I had pushed the idea aside and trusted that God would allow me to do it sometime in my life. When I heard about the chance to go, I prayed that if this is what God wants, that my parents would support me in it and allow me to go. I was nervous that they would have a hesitation about it or tell me that I wasn’t able to do it. I have prayed for an opportunity such as this for a long time and once I conquered my nerves, trusted God in whatever the outcome, my parents gave me their support.

My dream is to travel and bring awareness to the tragedies, and the injustices of the world that we turn a blind eye to, or are unaware of. To use the gift of writing that God has given me, and be the voice for those who have been silenced. Through Christ, I want to bring hope to the hopeless, love to the broken, faith to those who have given up, and I want to fight for those forgotten. Though I also want to spread the word of the joy, and the smiles of the children in the midst of brokenness. The hope in the middle of heartbreak. I want to encourage people of Jesus’ love for us and pick them up from their despair, and help guide them to the open arms of God. This is a dream come true.

 ^“He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.” -Mark 16:15

To hear the stories of women, and children, fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters. Couples, and widows, broken hearts and songs of joy. Provision and redemption, hope and poverty. To go to the place where I can be touched by the hearts of those in need, and through God touch their hearts as well. To hold a Filipino child in my arms and whisper to them that Jesus loves them. To be transformed by what God opens my eyes to, and reveals to my heart. To travel out of my comfort zone and love those in need. To give up a week of my summer to spend with people I don’t know, to get dirty, to give up being comfortable and secure, to cry as my heartbreaks for the poverty that has overcome the people, to smile and raise my hands in overwhelming praise to the God who loves us, to cherish new friendships, to use the gifts given to me by God to glorify Him, to reach out to my brothers and sisters in Christ and to bring back stories to transform your hearts to love others and reach out to those in need. This is an answer to prayers.

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” -Acts 1:8

My prayers are that God would provide the money to go. I know if it is His will, He will take care of me in that way. It’s a little overwhelming since I have to pay for college in the fall, and this trip as well, but God will provide. I know that, and I take comfort in that. If you would like to help, whether it be donations or prayer, I would greatly appreciate it! The amount of money I receive and save up determines how long I am able to stay and how much I can do to help. Of course God already has His plans. If you hear God whispering to your heart to give, I pray you would listen. None of the money will go to my pocket, it will go directly to the funds I need to travel and any money left over that I receive and do not use will be donated to the Bohol Deaf Academy as well as to help the communities in poverty if possible.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.” -Malachi 3:10

Please follow the link below if you would like to donate, or comment on this post to get more information. If you don’t feel lead to donate, I will not be offended! :) I would love your prayers as well. Even just reading this post is enough support for me.

Thank you so much for reading. I will keep you all updated.

Blessings,

Athena

About these ads