by Greg, YWAM Madison missionary
I was on the plane, flying home from one of the most exciting outreaches I had ever been on. We had ministered in a closed nation and I saw God do so many things while we there! I wanted to stay in that mysterious nation that had so captured my heart.
You see, I was a bit bummed to go back home. I had been so busy with ministry that I didn’t have time to focus on the everyday stress that sometimes comes with “living by faith.” The outreach had been expensive–not only did the flight to the other side of the word take a chunk out of my bank account, but as a foreigner, I also had to pay a daily fee to be in the country. Just a week of those fees would have paid my monthly rent back home several times.
Before I left, God had provided most of the money I needed through gifts from friends. But I wondered how I would pay off the little bit of outreach that I still had on my credit card. On top of that, I had to pay for next month’s rent and other bills right away. Of course I know that God provides for us when He asks us to do something, but it can be difficult to really trust him, to not feel the stress of counting every penny.
After the plane landed and I made it back home, I saw a stack of mail waiting for me on my desk. It included a weekly financial statement with the latest donations that came in for me. I took a look at the total and was stunned! A new friend of mine had sent in a $1000 while I was away. It was enough to pay all my bills!
The stress I felt on the plane ride home was immediately gone. As I was doing what God asked me to do on the other side of the world, He had provided for my needs!