Your FAITH is infectious (Personal Pics Inside!)...
Hi Darling,
My parents are currently visiting Birmingham and it made me wonder how in the world I even got to England because living here was never part of my plan. My dream was to fall in love and be a stay at home mom in Ohio. Things didn't quite turn out that way.
My journey to England started with a tiny bit of faith (sometimes that's all you need).
After my Plan A failed, I was on a mission to figure out my new direction. I had suffered a terrible break-up and I needed something big to happen in my life so I could turn things around.
While on Spring Break, a friend of mine told me about an internship she had applied for in London which would take place during the 2012 Olympics and, being in the same major, told me I should apply too! I wouldn't get paid for the internship but instead had to invest a womping $4,500 (not including my flight or spending money) to take part in the internship. At first, I thought there was no way this would be possible for me.
I had zero clue where the money would come from but all I knew was that I needed to be in London that summer. Thank goodness I followed my heart because this trip course corrected my life journey.
I remember enthusiastically telling my mom about the internship but she didn't have the money to pay for the trip. She wasn't sure if it was even going to be possible (she kept that thought to herself)! I knew I was going to have to get creative and raise the money one way or another. That's when my community stepped in.
My community came around me and supported me in the process. Ladies at my church started organizing bake sales, friends donated towards my trip, and my mom helped me pull off something I had never done before...a soccer tournament (or for my English friend, football).
Darling, I had never hosted a tournament before. I had no idea what we were doing but I had to try something.
I posted flyers around town. My mom made phone calls to close friends and different soccer leagues in Columbus (my hometown) to see if any teams wanted to take part in our tournament. Our friends even offered to sell drinks and snack during the event so they could donate the proceeds to my trip.
This was a true example of the saying, "it takes a village," and my "village" definitely came through for me.
Through that whole experience, my mom was my rock. After the madness and miraculously meeting our goal, the time had come to jet off to London! As my parents dropped me off at the airport, my mom handed me a letter and told me to read it on the flight.
In it she wrote...
"...Beth, your faith inspires me. You are determined, daring and boundless to believe God. It brings me joy to see that God has never failed you..."
In her letter she told me how she had doubted the possibility of this trip, but she had acted in faith because of my faith. I had no idea that this desire to go to London and being part of this internship would affect the people around me.
My faith rubbed on her and forced her to believe.
Faith also brought my community together and believed in my crazy dream. Many of them have now seen the fruit of their support through the life I lead in England. Something that never would have happened without them.
Darling, your faith is infectious! Chasing your crazy dreams can affect the lives of those around you. Maybe your family or friends don't get the journey you're on right now but seeing the product of your faith could change their lives!
Don't be afraid to take action in faith, Darling. It'll change your life and make an impact on others.
Have you stepped out in faith before? I'd love to know how it has affected those around you! Comment below and share your story with me! 😊
Spread faith,