"I'll handle it..."

What do you say when you can’t describe what you’re seeing happen? I don’t know. I wish there was a word that fully encompassed all my feelings about what is happening right now. I do know one thing though; God is teaching me exactly what “Omnipotent” means.

“Let Me handle it…” Those are four words that I do not easily take from others. Naturally I need/want to handle situations on my own, work out my own problems, and take care of myself on my own. But how do I tell the Omnipotent God of the universe, “No thanks, I’ve got it under control.” I can’t! At least, not without making a complete fool out of myself. This is definitely one area of my life where I am red hot on God’s Anvil. He is molding me to rely on Him instead of myself. 

Sure I could have raised some money on my own. But the amount that has come in in less than a week is only by God’s laying it on His people’s heart to give and letting HIM work it out. I’m not sure how much has come in because it keeps changing, drastically. One day it was $400, the next it was close to $1,000; and it keeps going up. People are making tremendous sacrifices so that I may be able to go to Uganda. That is both humbling and exciting. That is my Dad looking out for me and saying “Here, let me do it.”

I laugh when I think of God smiling down at me and saying, “Silly Brandon, I have just a wee bit more experience with miracles than you do.”

The amount  my relationship with Him has strengthened is incredible and exponential. And I’m still at home. I haven’t even left for Uganda yet! God is blowing me away. It’s amazing.

Thank you, everyone, who has given sacrificially to support me on this Mission trip. Hearing Him say, “I’ll handle it…” is incredible. 

A short video...

Here is a quick video I made that quickly spotlights SOS Ministries. Their website is located here. I took none of the pictures in this video. I borrowed some of the ones I liked from another church and their excellent photographers. The experiences, pictures, and videos of their trip are located here. Enjoy!

God says yes...

     After about two weeks of praying and looking for both closed and open doors that would indicate God's will for me regarding this trip, I believe God is saying yes.

     He is saying yes I should go, leave my comfortable (albeit a little hot and mosquitoey) home and go and serve the people of Uganda.

     Additionally, while I have no idea where the money is going to come from, He is also saying yes that He will provide. This part greatly excites me. I cannot remember a time where money just appeared out of nowhere other than in the washing machine after I accidentally left it in my pockets to begin with. I long to see how God will use my fellow Brothers and Sisters in Christ to support me as I partake in serving and teaching the people of Uganda. I am not saying I expect it to just pop out of my washing machine, though. I fully intend to work hard and earn the money. However, I know very well that, of my own abilities, there is no way I can raise close to $2,300 in one short month. This is where my Provider shows one of his many talents.

     To see Him work is one of my greatest desires for these next few months. To see Him work through finances is just the beginning though. I have known of several friends who travel to foreign countries expecting to share the Good News and to be involved in the changing of other's lives. But, what ends up happening, is they themselves become changed in all new ways. That too greatly excites me. Through my prayer and quiet time, I have grown closer to God because of what I've read. Now, I want to see. I want to see God working in both my life and the lives of the Ugandans. I want to experience His power and omniscience. Traveling to Uganda is no small task. Many things can and probably will go awry. Learning to trust Him is one thing I can very easily say I need to improve upon. This logistically complex trip seems the perfect training ground.

     Above all, my utmost hope is that God will be glorified. I am His servant. This is His operation. I am not the commander, but an infantryman. "He must increase, but I must decrease." - John 3:30 -- I plan to put this Bible verse into full operation.