One Hundred Dollars

What can $100 buy?

•         • 100 cans of Arizona Sweet Tea
•         • Groceries for a week  
  • •         • Gas for a few days

A few months ago, Nathan heard a call from the Lord.  Our church here in Florida has a short-term missions program with the theme, “Someday is  Today.”  Nathan believes his “Someday” has come!  He wants to go on Northland’s missions trip to Brazil this summer. The trip starts June 4, just one day after school lets out for vacation.

At an information meeting this week, we learned that Nathan still needed to fill out an application form and that half of the money for the trip needs to be turned in April 15th.   Some serious panic set up in my heart.  I actually turned to Nathan and exclaimed “We don’t have enough time!”  Felipe, the coordinator of the Brazil trips, challenged my faith.  “Why not?” he said, “There’s 20 days – plenty of time for God to work it out.”

As I read over the application form, I saw that Nathan needed $100 as an application fee.  We’ve been living on an extremely tight budget since August, and literally don’t have that kind of money.  So I prayed, asking God for $100.  But my prayer was much more – it was more pleading with God to give me faith, to give assurance that He wanted Nathan to go on this trip, to supply the money needed by the deadlines. 

Nathan has been planning to have a fund raising yard sale this weekend.  (Providentially, our neighborhood is hosting a multi-family sale, so the timing was perfect.)  Neighbors across the street are moving, so yesterday, I sent Nathan over to check if they might have anything they didn’t want to move that they might want to donate to his yard sale.  The husband said to Nathan, “Hold on a minute.”  He went inside, came back out, and pressed a $100 bill into Nathan’s hand.  Not what we expected for a donation! 

What can $100 buy? 

• • Absolute peace that:
  • (1) God is in control.
  • (2) God answers prayer.
  • (3) God wants Nathan to go on this trip. 

Pray with us for the remaining money to come in – half of it by April 15th.