The Intimidator
"What have you gotten me into???" I yelled to Graham, our youth intern, as we began the 21-story ascent to the top of the roller coaster. He looked at me and laughed. Laughed!!
Last Saturday, I went with our youth group to Carowinds, a thrill-seekers paradise positioned on the NC/SC border. As we entered the park, the first ride on the list for our MS girls was The Intimidator. I've always thought of myself as a pretty adventurous person and have enjoyed roller coasters in the past so I figured, "Why not?"
Being early in the day, lines were short and before I knew what was happening, I was strapped in and listening to the click-click as our car crept up the ramp. As we peeked over the top to begin the 85mph descent, it immediately became clear I am not as much of a thrill-seeker as I once was. Needless to say, I survived, although my prominent memory of the ride is 2 minutes and 48 seconds of strained effort not to throw up.
So how does riding roller coasters relate to preparing for departure to Albania, you might ask. My primary focus this past few months has been on fund-raising and contacting potential supporters and thanking new ones. I feel as though I have been on the ascending part of the ride all this time and support has been slow in coming, although interest and verbal commitments have been high. Well, I have reached the peak and am currently at 52% of my annual budget! I'm not saying it's all downhill from here but it sure feels good to type that number.
My thanks goes to those who have given but the praise and honor are truly His. God has been so faithful and I have found encouragement in the oddest of times and places. Just yesterday, feeling down and suffering through a sinus infection, my downstairs neighbor with whom I have a passing acquaintance, asked me about my plans for the summer. After sharing the abridged version of my upcoming move, she said she and her husband would like to support me with a gift. He's a seminary student and they have two children under age two. Talk about a cheerful giver! (2 Corinthians 9:7)
So today, I am encouraged and feel more confident than ever that God will see me through to the end of the ride. I'm sure I will continue to have moments of panic and perhaps even nausea as I move through the loops and negative g-force of full-time ministry, but I claim Philippians 1:6 "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."
If you'd like to get on the ride with me and be a part of this exciting ministry, please go to http://www.teachbeyond.org/ and click the DONATE button at the top right of the screen. Be sure to put my name as the missionary.
Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give,
not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
2 Corinthians 9:7
