Through support raising God drew me closer to Him...

Raising support was one thing that my parents were really concerned about. They didn't think I would be able to raise the amount needed to go on project. But as the support started coming in, their feelings about the whole thing started to change… the most amazing part about raising the support was seeing my parents faith grow right along side mine.

The coolest part of raising support was to see how God used it in the lives of my parents. It was so great to watch them as the Lord provided. They initially wanted to use their own money to pay for half of my trip, but I told them to hold off and see what happens - they were blown away by how the Lord provided...

I did not want to raise support, but I am so glad that I did! I come from a non-Christian home and raising support was not something my parents supported me on. It was amazing to see how God provided through college student's funds at two universities… I raised most of the support from students like myself who were going on summer projects!

God used the support raising process in so many ways in my life. The Lord softened the hearts of my family… My grandma stepped forward and gave me $900 in support, but more importantly it opened the door for communication with her and the rest of my family that has never existed before!!!

My parents didn't like the idea of me asking their friends for money, but it was amazing to see how the Lord brought the support in. When they saw people really wanted to support me it opened their eyes to how the Lord works...

I didn’t come from a Christian home so support raising seemed impossible. I had raised only half of my support with a few weeks left until the money was due. I continually prayed and just a few days before all the money was due, I received the other half of my support through two big donors!! I had asked that God would move in big ways; He did!

I did not have enough support the week before I was leaving for project. A staff member challenged me to call some supporters and ask. I was so afraid, but I stepped out and made the calls. Within the next two weeks I received all of my support and even more. God was just waiting for me to take that extra step!

I felt awkward asking family members for support, but after encouragement from my support coach I sent the letters not sure what to expect. God provided!! I learned that God provides for his work…

I questioned if this was God's will for me, but I remember receiving my first check for a $100 and I just started crying... I knew at that point that He truly wanted me to go...

I sent out my support letters late. About a week after I sent the letters I received a response from Richmond, VA, where my grandparents live. I thought it was a 25 or 50 dollar check from them. But I opened it and saw it was from another relative. They had sent me a check for $1000 - a fifth of my support!!

The Lord used support raising to humble me! I went in thinking of a few specific family friends who I thought would be able to cover all my support so I was really just trusting in my own efforts instead of taking my needs to God. When those people didn’t come through in the way I had thought they would, it was amazing to see how the Lord had other people in mind to provide the hundreds of dollars I was needing...

I was accepted to project, but I was doubting that I could raise that much money. When I got to church one night, a friend asked me about the Japanese ministry group I am a part of in Philadelphia. He had no idea I was accepted to go on a summer project to Japan. After updating him on the ministry, I mentioned in passing the possibility of going to Tokyo with CCC. He asked if I had to raise support. I answered ‘Yes’. He said, "Good, because I would like to write you a check for $1000!!"

I was really afraid to ask people for money at first, but honestly the hardest part about it was writing the letter. When I first started making a list of who to send to, for some reason the first person that came to mind was my 3rd grade teacher who I hadn't talked to in a couple of years and who is not a Christian. I was nervous to send a letter to her, but I really felt I should, so I did. It came closer to the due date for my support to be in and I was still missing some money. I started to worry. Then about a week before the money was due, my teacher sent me a small check with a note enclosed. She had shared about my project with one of her friends, and he wanted to support me too!! He sent me a very large check… I had never met him in my life.

I needed to raise $500 only a few days before my support was due. A college friend gave me $500 the day before I left!

I wasn't really sure if I actually wanted to go on a Summer Project. Once I was accepted, I sent out support letters. Within two weeks, I had almost half of my support in - it was amazing how fast God worked…

My grandparents are not believers, yet I sent them a support letter anyway. I received a very unsupportive letter back about how they disagreed with what I was doing. I was discouraged, but as I read on my grandma wrote that she had asked some of her friends for their opinions and that they all disagreed with her!! (In fact, one of her friends was so moved by what I'd be doing on the project that she gave my grandma $100 which was included in the letter!!)

The Lord brought in all the support that I needed as well as excess to help with some expenses! I had about 40 supporters, so the small amounts added together to partner with the larger ones.

Support raising was a roller coaster! I went from avoiding even thinking about it, to dreading it, to really seeing God through it. Through raising support God confirmed His desire for me to go on summer project.

I learned that we should never control who we allow to support us, but let God control who will support us. Sometimes we think, "Oh no - they would never support me so I won’t send them a letter". However, we need to let others make the decision rather than have us make it for them!

Something brought to my attention during support raising was that relying on the Lord does not mean sitting back and praying to see if something happens. You have to make the phone calls in order to see the fruit!

I would encourage students to never control who they will allow to support them, but let God control who they should ask for support from. Sometimes we don’t ask someone because we think, “oh no, they would never support me, so I might as well not send them a letter” however, we need to allow others to make the decision, rather than make it for them.

My biggest hesitation about going on summer project was that I was so nervous about raising support. I knew I wouldn't feel comfortable at all asking people for money. Plus I come from a really small church, and I just wasn't sure where the money would come from. But God is sovereign, and he did provide-- despite my doubts. All of the money arrived on time, and it was exciting to see that God really was working and that it was His will for me to go to East Asia.