God's Amazing Provision

Over this summer I have seen some amazing things. God has been teaching me so much & one of those things is His incredible ability to provide in ways that I never expected. At the beginning of this summer, I was facing a college bill that I couldn't pay. I saw no way to come up with the money so the only option was to give it to God & trust Him completely. God delivered in a big way! Not only did He provide enough for me to go back to Northland this fall, but He moved the scholarship committee at school to pay the remainder of my school bill. So I now owe absolutely nothing for this entire year of schooling. Incredible, huh? God wasn't kidding in Ephesians 3:20 when He said  that He is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think!! It doesn't stop there. Back in January when the earthquake hit Haiti, I was heartbroken for the people. I prayed & told the Lord that I didn't have very much money that I could give, but I would give of myself & my time if he would provide the opportunity. Several months later, a notice in the campus announcements at Northland caught my attention: 


SUMMER MINISTRY: Interested in taking a trip to Haiti this summer? Work with Haitian teens at a summer camp in the hills of Haiti. Contact Denny Vauters if interested in this week long trip.




Interested?! This was what I had prayed for! But then, reality...no, not reality, rather doubt set in. The reality was that God could provide, but my doubts reminded me of the amount of money I still owed on my school bill. (This was obviously before I learned of the scholarship.) I didn't really think it was possible, so I just tried to forget about it. The Lord wouldn't let me though. I went through all of my classes, practiced piano, & was about 2 miles into a run when I just stopped the treadmill & turned to my friend who was exercising with me. "Did you see the campus announcements today?" I asked her. "I don't know how in the world it's going to happen, but I think that God wants me to go on that missions trip to Haiti." We talked a little bit more & we both agreed that I needed to trust in the Lord's ability to provide & act in faith. We stopped our work out & prayed about it together. From there I contacted the man in charge of the trip & started getting more info. Fast forward to this week & it's amazing to see God's hand in this trip so far. He provided for every bit of the original amount I thought I needed to raise, & then He even provided for extra expenses that I didn't plan for. One of my favorite instances of this happened just this week. When I got the necessary shots at the hospital, the doctor also gave me a list of things that I would definitely want to have while in Haiti. She was a Christian who had been to Haiti every year for the past 5 years, including shortly after the earthquake hit. She told me that it would be "beastly hot" & that I  would be wise to buy a battery operated camping fan with an led light on top. (We will only have electricity for about 3 hours a day, so anything needed longer than that will have to be battery operated.) The fan sounded like a great idea, but I couldn't find one anywhere! Finally, I did find one in a sporting goods store, but it was $25. Not that expensive, but still, plus tax & batteries, it was more than I really felt okay about spending on something that I would likely only be using for a week. So I didn't buy it that day, but I did pray about it. I told the Lord that I really thought I would be fine without the fan, but the doctor had said that it would be a real blessing to have. So asked that if He would like me to buy the fan, that He would provide the money to purchase it in a very clear way. Otherwise, I don't mind going a week without the fan =) Well, that was Wednesday, & that very same night, I went to church & checked our communication file in the foyer. There was an envelope labeled "Alicia Ball" & what do you think was inside? A check for $25!! The exact amount that I needed! Isn't God good? It get's even better; when my mom went back to buy the fan the next day, she found a better one (moms have a way of doing that) & it was only $8! Awesome =) I was just so touched by that display of love from my Heavenly Father. I am so excited to see how He will work during this trip. 


Monday, I will fly from Minneapolis to West Palm Beach Florida & meet the other 13 that are also going on the trip. We will spend the night at a local church & then fly out Tuesday morning with Missionary Flights International. Once we reach Cap-Haïtien, it will be another 2-3 hour bus ride to St. Raphael which is where we will be staying with the Bower family. They are the missionaries who are heading up the youth camp. There will be 5 groups of teens from the surrounding area attending, so please pray that there lives will be transformed by the gospel. Also pray that our group would be unified with the goal of glorifying God & being a blessing to the people we will be ministering to. I'll be back in Florida on the 17th & returning home the 18th, so I look forward to sharing all about the trip very soon. Thank you all for your prayers!! Here are some pictures of where we will be going:

Cap-Haïtien: Where we will be flying into, it is the 2nd largest city in Haiti.

The local Walmart =)

The Bower's home (& where we will be laying our heads at night.)

One of the buildings on the camp site.

Please pray that I would be completely unselfish during my time in Haiti & truly reflect the love & humility of Christ. Thanks again for stopping in to see what's up =) Have a great weekend!!

"And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” -Matthew 22:35-40