Hi there!
I am so happy that you are here. I am, truly. I am about to tell you an amazing story. An amazing story of provision and God's faithfulness. But I am also here to tell you about the process. The hardships and work that the Lord did in my heart before He provided financially for me.
It was long before I boarded the plane to Maui, Hawaii to attend a Bible School that the Lord started speaking about going there. I have to say, this is a whole other story that I will tell you another time, also an amazing testimony of God leading me every step of the way. But it was the end of July 2021, about 4 weeks before I would have to leave for the school that I applied. I had just finished DTS, another Bible School, and felt the Lord saying I needed to take steps to go to Maui. I had 4 weeks to prepare EVERYTHING.
Everything.
This meant applying for the school, flying two weeks earlier because of quarantine rules, raising funds, packing, and so much more. The biggest hurdle were my finances. I had spent almost all my money on DTS and was left with a good €200. I didn't know how I could ever pay for everything. The school alone was €4000, and I still needed tickets to fly which would also cost me at least €800-€1000. I also needed to quarantine in another country because of Covid for two weeks which would also cost me about €150. I think in total I needed at least €5000.
I remember applying for the school and the next day I got an e-mail that I would get money back from a vacation that I booked but was never able to go on because of Covid. I had been waiting for this money for over 9 months and now the day after I apply for the school it comes in! I could clearly see God's hand in it and it gave me faith for my other expenses.
My parents also supported me financially and bought me my plane ticket so by the time I left I had paid for half of my lecture fees and a plane ticket to Mexico where I would be quarantining. When I was in Mexico I had enough money to buy my plane ticket to Maui as well which was such a blessing.
A few weeks into the school I was still in need of half of my lecture fees and a plane ticket back home. This would still cost me around €2700. Week 6 came along and one of our staff said that in one week the second half of the fees were due, since we obviously needed to pay for our place to stay and our food as well. So I had one week, for at least €2000.
And then I had a dream.
I had a very significant dream. In my dream I opened my bank account and saw that there was €2750 added to my balance. And the Lord spoke to me saying: "This is money for your lecture phase."
A few days later I check my balance and €500 is added. A few days later again, €500 is added. And again, a few days later, €500 is added. Another day or so later, €1000 is added. And over the course of these few days another €275 is added. In one week, God provided ALL the money. It came from people and sources I didn't necessarily thought it was going to come from. But He provided. He provided almost exactly the amount that I had dreamt about, only €25 more.
This was an amazing experience for me, seeing His faithfulness in my life. When I think about this story I am still so amazed. But then I remind myself that the Lord is so much bigger than I could ever imagine. This hadn't been an easy journey for me. Taking this leap of faith was challenging. Not knowing where or when the money is going to come from forced me to completely fall back on God. He did not only provide for me, He also let me grow in my faith and trust in Him. For that I will be eternally grateful. He challenged me so much in this time, but His faithfulness was bigger than the challenge I faced.
This journey was not without doubt. We need to understand that doubt does not equal unbelief. It was a journey for me with ups and downs to trust Him for provision. It forced me to become completely dependent on Him. And this is the biggest blessing that I received. It taught me a priceless lesson, one that I will always remember when He challenges me again to trust Him.
I hope and pray that this story will build your faith. This is a beautiful testimony but I want to encourage you when you feel like the Lord has never provided for you in this way or that you don't have enough faith. Jesus says that we only need faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains. Often I felt that my faith was even smaller than that. But God IS faithful and He WILL teach you and grow your faith. But in order to grow and see His glory revealed, we need to take the step outside of the boat and walk on water. And with Jesus, we can.
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