Well, all I can say is the Lord is good! He provides what we need, when we need it.

LOOKING BACK: Prior to going to Charlotte this past January, I was under the impression that I would have to wait until after my 2 week training in July to begin support raising. However, while at SIM (Serving In Mission), I was told that I would be able to start support raising as soon as my placement was finalized.

While I was trusting the Lord to provide, the idea of support raising seemed a little daunting. I was eager to begin meeting with people, but realized I had to focus on finishing strong with school and student teaching. Once my placement was finalized towards the beginning of March, the mission agency informed me that it would be necessary for me to raise $15,300 for my 9 month stay.

I began meeting with couples and individuals who were excited about missions and the calling that God has placed on my life to go and serve the people of Burkina Faso. My Mom got word from a friend in the neighborhood that her friend had raised money for a mission trip by doing a garage sale. My Mom is a garage sale fiend and we both thought the idea was intriguing. We got the word out that we were looking for donations, not knowing what the response would be.

FAST FORWARD: Now, three months later, I am amazed and overwhelmed at the generosity and support of so many INCREDIBLE family and friends. My Mom and I received so many donations that we had to have two preview sales in May. 80+ families donated to the sales. Then, this past weekend we had two full, action-packed days of garage sales. For pictures of the event, CLICK HERE! This Wednesday, we will have one last sale. However, this time everyone will receive a brown paper grocery bag to fill with whatever they want for $5!

While I plan to post the final amount from all three days of garage sales after Wednesday, I wanted to take this time to thank everyone who donated to the sale, helped work, and/or attended. Words cannot begin to describe the amount of love and encouragement I have felt over the past couple of months.

While raising $15,300 seemed like a daunting task to me, it was not daunting to God. The Lord has provided more money than I need to go to Burkina Faso for 9 months. I am so blessed and eager to see how God uses the extra funds to further His Kingdom in Burkina.

At church last night, the pastor shared this simple prayer:  Lord, I know you are IN me, now live OUT of me. My prayer is that the Lord would be able to use someone as insignificant and incapable as me to impact His kingdom.

Thank you again for your partnership in taking the gospel to the people of Yako, Burkina Faso! I am beyond excited to get to share my experiences with you all.

God Bless,

Olivia