"When He's Four Days Late, He's Still on Time"

Since the New Year just recently started (I originally planned to get this written a little sooner, but got busy, so I’m a little late) I thought this would be a good time to look back and reflect on the year 2012, and on all that God did in my life this past year. And since I think it is important to share with others what God is doing in my life, I decided to share my reflections on my blog, so that maybe I could be an encouragement to someone else.

At the beginning of 2012, I was traveling with my parents and helping them out as they shared in Churches across the Nation a Biblical view of life (www.chooselifeusa.org). Traveling with them opened the door for me to have many opportunities to share about teaching at the Deaf School in Nepal, in 2011. 

Sharing with Middle Schoolers about Nepal

At the same time the beginning of 2012, was very much of time of me seeking God’s will and direction for my life, because at that point I really had no clue what my plans for the rest of the year were. It was a time for me to grow closer in my walk with God, which was awesome! But it was also a hard time for me. Before going to Nepal, I pretty much had everything planned out for my life (not in detail but in general), but going to Nepal really changed me, and when I first got back to the States I felt kind of lost because I was not really sure what God wanted me to do, and it was kind of scary. There were a few really great Christian songs that really came to mean a lot to me during this time: “Already There” by Casting Crowns (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qrOotpSKOX0), “Revelation” by Third Day (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IOfoXDymFZA), “While I’m Waiting” by John Waller (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bb7TSGptd3Y&list=AL94UKMTqg-9BHwggVBtHjhHu_QtfbVXrf), “Surrender” by Barlow Girl (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG7lBZAULE8), and “Out of My Hands” by Matthew West (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b4uNWd7_P84).

One thing I was considering at the time, and that I thought God was leading me to do, was to transfer to Gardner-Webb University in the Fall to finish up my degree in sign language, but I was still not entirely sure if that was God’s will for me. As I was spending time seeking God’s will, I remembered hearing about opportunities to serve for a Summer with NAMB and I decided to see if they had any opportunities to work with the Deaf. To make a long story short, I applied to work for the Summer with NAMB, and was accepted to work at a Deaf Camp in Concord, North Carolina. I found out that the Deaf Camp I would be working at was not too far from Gardner-Webb, and that kind of confirmed for me that God was also leading me to transfer to Gardner-Webb in the Fall. Little did I know how perfectly God was working everything out. I had an amazing time serving at the Deaf Camp last Summer! I learned a lot over the Summer, especially about working with the Deaf, and also how to be flexible and patient. Once Summer was over, I had a short break to visit my family before starting classes at Gardner-Webb.

Last semester here at GWU, God taught me so much and I am amazed at how He worked in my life. I especially learned to trust God and depend on Him; and also learned that where He guides, He provides. There were a lot of things that needed to work out for me to attend GWU, and so far God has worked every one of them out. First of all, the classes that I needed to transfer from my other college did all transfer! But probably the biggest thing God did was provide for my needs, especially my tuition for last semester. Tuition was the biggest thing I was worried about when I came to GWU, but I knew that this was where God wanted me and I believed He was going to provide (and He did! Just maybe not exactly in the way I thought He would). Even with scholarships and Pell grants, I still owed quite a bit for my tuition at the beginning of last semester, so I set up a payment plan. When the due date for the first payment arrived, it did not look like I was going to be able to pay it, I really struggled and began to doubt. But God worked everything out, and I made the payment, and I learned to trust Him more. At the same time I had decided that I was going to attend the Deaf Church at Parkwood Baptist and help out there as much as I could during the semester. So I started attending services on Sunday, helping out with their after school tutoring program for Deaf youth on Wednesday nights, and attending Wednesday night Bible study. I had no idea how I was going to afford the gas to get to and from there every week (it’s an hour and a half drive from my school to there), especially since I did not have a job (not for a lack of trying), but I knew that God wanted me at Parkwood, so I knew He would make a way. And He did!

Also, during last semester a young man who had grown up in Africa as a Compassion child (http://www.compassion.com/) came and shared his testimony at a chapel service here on campus. I have thought about sponsoring a Compassion child before, and felt God leading me to, but I always said no, because I did not have a stable job or really anyway of supporting one. When this guy came to speak, I once again felt like I needed to sponsor a Compassion child, but I was like “God, I don’t have a job, I still have another three payments to make on my tuition for this semester, there’s no way I can support a Compassion child.” And God said, “I want you to support a Compassion child, I’ll provide for you to be able to support that child.” But I told God that as soon as I got a job I would sponsor a Compassion child. Well, I never got a job last semester, and a few weeks after that chapel service I went with a friend to a Christian concert, and at the concert they talked about Compassion. And once again, I knew God was leading me to sponsor a Compassion child, and this time I said, “Okay, God, if you want me to sponsor a Compassion child I will, but I still don’t have a job, so you’re going to have to make it possible.” Now I support a precious little girl from India. Her name is Shrutika and she just recently turned five. I have already written like five letters to her, and at the end of last semester I was so excited when I got my first letter from her! I can’t wait to write to her more and get more letters from her! 

Shrutika

Even though I never had a job last semester, I was amazed at how God always made a way for me to make the monthly payments to sponsor Shrutika, and how I never ran out of money in my bank account even though I had money going out every month, and no job to put money in my account. One time I knew I did not have the money to make the next payment for Shrutika, and I was starting to get worried when I decided to go down and check my mail, and in my mailbox was a really nice letter from some really good friends of my family who I haven’t seen in almost seven years. And in that letter was a check, which gave me enough money to make my payment! And there are more stories I could share about how God provided in amazing ways!

Not long after I started sponsoring Shrutika, I had to make the next payment on my tuition bill, and I didn’t have the money. As the time kept getting closer and closer for the payment I kept waiting on God to do something big to provide, but I learned that sometimes God does not always work in the way or in the timing that we expect. The day came for me to make the payment, and I did not have the money, so I had to get a loan (actually three loans). I had really hoped I would not have to get loans, because I want to go straight to South Asia to teach Deaf as soon as I graduate, and being in debt could keep me from being able to do that. But when it came time to get the loans, God gave me peace and brought a song to my mind called “Four Days Late” by Karen Peck (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDLfAx5IQ4k), and it’s about Lazarus and how even when it seems to us like God is “four days late” He is still on time. And I knew that even though God did not provide in the way I expected Him to for my tuition, that He would provide at the perfect time, and that I will be able to pay the loans off when I need to. There are many other stories I could share about what God taught me and how He provided for me last semester, but that would take a long time =D

Now I am back at GWU for another semester, and once again I have payments for my tuition that right now I have no way of paying, but I learned from last semester to trust God, and I know He will provide for me again this semester just like He did last semester (even though sometimes it might not be in the way or timing that I expect). I have already seen Him provide in one way this year, even though it’s just barely started, by providing me with a job that I enjoy, and also providing for me to continue going up to Parkwood, where I am doing my internship for school this semester.

I don’t know who all, if any, will read this, but I hope that it is an encouragement to whoever does read it with whatever you may be dealing with or struggling to trust God with.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” ~ Philippians 4:6-7

“And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.”

~ Philippians 4:19

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.” ~ Ephesians 3:20-21

Me with some of my students from Nepal