To Do the Impossible

It has almost been 8 months that I have lived in Minnesota. It doesn’t seem like that long and it doesn’t seem like the school year should be coming to a close…but it is. Some things still surprise me about this place, like today when I was at Wal-mart. It stuck me how truly north I am when I discovered that they didn’t even sell hot salsa.
But seriously God has used this time, beyond a shadow of a doubt to transform me and change things in me, some of which I hadn’t even been willing to acknowledge as a problem before coming here. He taught me to trust in His provision for everything from the tuition money to come here to providing everything on a “Crosswalk.” And it’s a good lesson to learn. Two feet from my bedroom door is a wall completely covered with sticky notes marking times that God was faithful to my accountability group (about 10 people) throughout this last school year. Every time I see it, I am reminded of how much God loves providing for us as His children.
Today at church my pastor said something which stuck me close to the heart. He said, “People are doing good and great things all over the place, but God is calling the church to do the impossible things.” Over the past month or two, God has been growing a dream in my heart which (a few days ago) I accepted as my own dream for the next few years. It sounds impossible and unlikely. It sounds crazy, even to me. It sounds illogical and impulsive and naïve and impractical and absurd and…well, you get the picture.
The dream God has given me is to visit 30 countries in the next 5 years. And no, dropping out of school does not figure into the picture, leaving about 2 years that I can fully devote to traveling. How is it going to happen? When? Why? And for what purpose? Good questions. Questions God hasn’t answered for even me yet. But I’m excited to discover the answers with Him. However, even acknowledging this as my dream is a huge step of faith and also one that I’m sure will bring some heat as people begin pointing out the impracticalities of such a goal. But if you’ve read my last blog, then you know that God has been teaching me a few things about faith, reliance, and trust in Him.
I’m starting to fulfill the goal with two countries this summer. I’m traveling to Jerusalem and a closed country in Asia. God still has to provide the money and a few other things, but I’m confident that He will. It wouldn’t be the first or the last time that He has provided absolutely everything for me. My opinion is that very Christian should live most of –actually all - their life that way. It’s great for faith building. But also, there’s nothing like knowing that you have nothing and that there’s nothing you can do about it except pray.
You may not thank me for this right away, but I pray that every one of you reading this has many such experiences in your future. What impossible thing does God want you to accomplish through Him?