I Couldn't Make it Happen; But God Could. And He Did.

I can very distinctly remember the first time that I was able to recognize and acknowledge prayer working in my life.  I was a junior in college and had just started getting pretty involved with one of our campus ministries, RUF.  The week before my answered prayer, our campus minister had announced that he would be taking a group of people to pair up with a missions organization in Peru during our spring break.  I knew literally nothing about Peru, I had never been overseas, I did not know what type of work we'd be doing; what I did know is that I desperately wanted to go.  He said that all folks that were interested would have to raise $1,600 and would need to turn in at least $200 by the following week to reserve a spot.  Bummer, I remember thinking.

I did not have $200 to give.  I am pretty sure I immediately surrendered in my mind and decided I would not be able to go.  But the desire to go to Peru was laid upon my heart and sometime in the next week I remember praying, God, I would really like to go on this trip, can you let me know if you would like for me to go?  The next day I was talking about it with some of my sorority sisters, explaining the situation and how I would love to go but just didn't think I could make it happen. 

"I can loan you the money."

Just like that, my good friend Stephanie (hey Cov!) offered to loan me $200 from the tips she earned as a restaurant server to help make my trip to Peru happen.  If that wasn't a smacked-answered-prayer to my face I don't know what else could have been.

That was the beginning of my praying life.  Not to say that I became this diligent, prayer warrior immediately following (I'm still not that...but working on it) because God had a lot of growing planned out for me.  But that was the beginning.  That's when I knew something really cool was happening within me and above me and all around me. 

Stephanie's loan started the ball rolling on the support I would begin to raise to make it to Peru for the spring break of my junior year; an experience that forever changed me and one that led to a fellowship there for 5 months after I graduated from college.  I ended up raising exactly the amount of money that I needed.  No more, no less.

Earlier I said that I just did not think I was going to be able to make the trip to Peru happen.  And that was accurate.  I couldn't make it happen; but God could.  And He did.  And I was forever changed.