We have $160,000 raised for the home campaign! Praise God for how he's provided thus far. There is still $140,000 more to go. In this last week of raising money, I'm trusting God for something beyond my understanding. As I wonder where this amount will come from, I lean into him, holding fast as if to the main mast of a ship in a storm. How did Peter, a fisherman who probably knew what falling overboard a boat would be like, have the kind of faith to step out onto the water where Jesus was? Yes, he saw the incoming waves and began to sink, but at first, steps.
Currently, our incoming wave is this deadline, this $140,000. I'm not oblivious to what a wave can do in the middle of the sea. It's been very tempting to lose heart, to fear, to want control over the situation, to know exactly if and how this home campaign will succeed. But I trust God. How do I get peace in this situation, perfect peace? By keeping my mind stayed on Him, because I trust in Him. (Isaiah 26:3).
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, with prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7. In this moment typing, I feel peace.
A couple cool things that have happened in October in 2nd Mile that I want to highlight. First, our middle and high school students planned, designed, built, and ran a Family Fall Festival game this year! With the simple prompt of Turn this disc golf basket into a game, the students all had creative ideas. The eventual winner was a cookie monster game, with discs designed like cookies. After researching and designing, the following week, we all put it together. Below are the creepy before and the not-so-creepy after pictures. Two of the students sacrificed their Saturdays to volunteer most of the Family Fall Festival, ensuring that families enjoyed playing and received their candy. Second, two of the high school students, who have been in 2nd Mile programs a combined 13 years (!) got the first opportunity to get hired at our after school program to help with the littler ones. Normally shy, they've taken this responsibility to heart and it's been great to see their growth not only over the years, but even recently. Getting to see their faces when they got the first paychecks of their life was awesome.
Just as the sad disc golf basket was given vision and a plan and was built and used...
Just as the two high schoolers have been given vision of their growing responsibilities...
Just as Nehemiah assessed the ruins of his people and made a plan, a request, and did rebuild...
We too put our vision for a permanent home to work, hoping and praying to see God fulfill our request.
Would you prayerfully consider helping us out? If you've made it this far in the blog and God has prodded your heart to give at all, I pray you consider what you can give in faith. Don't think about the incoming waves of deadline and amount left to raise (obviously there is a deadline though), but be open to if God wants you to partake in building more permanent walls for 2nd Mile.
If interested, click here to go to our giving page on our website. And you have my permission to share this blog. Please do.
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