Three weeks – too long, I will not get days off. More than two thousands dollars – too expensive, I will not be able to raise the money. Africa – too far, I’m afraid to go alone. This was my first reaction to a short-term mission trip to Mozambique. Fortunately, God waited for me. He worked on my heart until I was ready to go.
It was in 2014, when I lay on my couch in my sleek apartment, reading, for the first time in my life, a book by Heidi Baker “Always enough”. I remember two things very clearly from that evening. First, some of the words I read caused pressure in my throat and tears flowed from my eyes. Second, a desire to leave everything behind and go into the world to love. Then it was an abstraction to me. Today I know it was the beginning.
Before I went into the plane in October 2016, I had to find my way to that place. It’s the way between a thought and a conviction that I described earlier and another one – between a conviction and being on board. That’s why even before I left for Mozambique, I shared what God had taught me through this trip, though I had not gone yet. I can sum it up in one sentence – when God puts a desire in your heart, He also provides everything that is needed for its fulfillment. I needed money, close relationships and courage. All this was provided.
When God puts a desire in your heart, He also provides everything that is needed for its fulfillment.
Today it’s a little bit funny that being so excited about what God had said to me, I completely forgot about finances. I had them at the back of my head, but the reality of God’s leading was so real that everything else did not matter. So when I got an email, in which the first sentence was “Bem vindo and welcome to Pemba!!!”, I was struck by two feelings: excitement (they want me in the base of Iris Global in Pemba, Mozambique!) and terror (but I have no money to go there, what will I tell them). Then for the first time I considered my finances and it turned out that for the trip (including what I wanted to give) I needed about $2300. I had about $800.
Our tendency is to take matters into our own hands. It was not very reasonable to apply to the base in Mozambique without estimating the costs. But my next step was equally unreasonable. I started preparations in spite of my lack of money. This was because I heard God’s voice and I recognized God’s will for me for this time, so I took a step of faith, believing that He will provide everything. I remember telling God that because He wanted me to go, knowing how much I have in my bank account, now He must finance His plan. It may sound hard, but it was my act of total reliance on Him.
Of course, I really wanted to go to Mozambique. At the same time, I had a great need to come up with a way to get the missing amount of money and organize the whole trip and to control the situation. But God put me in circumstances I could not control. And in this place of my helplessness God taught me one thing. When we receive a promise (that becomes our promise quickly, because we begin to identify with it), we still must have eyes fixed on Jesus. Let’s not hold on to the promise more than to God. Contrariwise, during this expectation to see the promise fulfilled, it should not be our focus, but He should be. Only on our way to Him every promise becomes reality.
When we receive a promise, we still must have eyes fixed on Jesus. Let’s not hold on to the promise more than to God. Contrariwise, during this expectation to see the promise fulfilled, it should not be our focus, but He should be. Only on our way to Him every promise becomes reality.
The same day I received an email from Pemba, I came to God – without strength, without ideas, but ready to go. And I gave each of my problems and struggles to God. Immediately in this prayer immovable certainty came to me, certainty that Jesus is always enough.
The following weeks I watched His faithfulness. During this time, I received several money transfers from people close to me, although I did not ask for any support. Yes, I shared with them my plans to travel to Mozambique but all I told them was that I would be going there soon. The day when I was supposed to buy my airline tickets, I had a little more money than what I needed. It was the final decision – if I buy, I would fly. But I still did not know if I would get money for the rest of the expenses. Another thing was that it was mid-month and my bank account was almost empty. For the first time in my life I had no emergency exit. I repeated to God: The idea about Mozambique was yours, I believe you will give me money. For a few days I ate fridge supplies, and finally I reached for rice supplies. But I held onto my decision. Or rather, to God. Within a few days I got an unexpected refund for my water bill, and it turned out that the tax I was supposed to pay would be $130 lower than I expected. And it was enough to live on until the end of the month. Soon supplies came from other sources as well. God Himself told people that I needed money to go.
I want to point out that God does not always work that way. According to God’s Word it is good to save money and to be prepared, to plan well. It is also okay to ask others for support. But it is also true that God always calls us to do things that are above our possibilities, financially also. And that’s why we must rely on Him and act according to His ways, which may be different in each situation. This is the economy of God’s Kingdom. There is always enough money in God’s Kingdom to accomplish God’s plan.
This is the economy of God’s Kingdom. There is always enough money in God’s Kingdom to accomplish God’s plan.
The money I received to travel to Mozambique is the fulfillment of a promise we find in the Bible. “And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.” (II Cor. 9:8 NKJV) The Word says that God blesses us not only to satisfy our every need but also to be a blessing to others. Traveling to Mozambique was my joy and my adventure, but it was also a great opportunity to love which I will write about soon.