A tough semester

The transition back to school in January was rough. Almost every week felt overwhelming. It seemed there simply wasn’t enough time during the day to get everything done. Apparently I had somehow overcommitted myself. But the biggest thing that hung over my head was the fact that I didn’t have the money or resources to pay my tuition before graduation, which would ultimately mean I would not be able to walk in the ceremony in May.

This wasn’t the first time I had considered dropping out of school. My desire to not be in debt and to make my school payments on time was strong. I even considered borrowing money in order to pay the school and still be able to graduate. However, I knew that God had led me to FIRE School of Ministry and wondered if perhaps He had something else in mind. This was confirmed to me by a close mentor so I decided to stay in school and see what God had planned. Worst case scenario, I would finish the semester with a relatively small amount of debt, wouldn’t get to walk in my graduation, and would have to explain the situation to my family who were all planning to come for the ceremony. I didn’t have peace about sending out a mass text or email letting people know of the need, but I did share it with a few people who either asked me directly or with whom I felt God’s prompting to talk to about it.

So having turned down a job offer along the way that would have provided most of my needed money but also required a commitment that interfered with other commitments and promises I had already made, and having decided not to borrow money or send out support letters, I embarked on a crazy journey of believing I was supposed to stay in school and that God would somehow provide, in way different than I had expected He would.

God’s way

As the months went by, I wrestled with feelings of irresponsibility, people-pleasing, and fear. Graduating without God’s intervention was impossible. What if God didn’t provide? What if I got to the end of the semester and couldn’t walk at graduation? What if my family was wasting their money on plane tickets and other travel expenses? And yet I was driven by a desire to see God move and know Him more deeply through experiencing Him in a new way.

By the first week of May, the amount of tuition that I owed was reduced almost in half due to some generous gifts from people who had discovered or asked about the financial need. I was trying to be excited for graduation, but it was difficult to push past the fear and doubt and the realization that this was still humanly impossible. Then it happened. With only two weeks left before graduation, a family who had earlier asked about my tuition expenses approached me and said they wanted to cover everything that remained. I was surprised and so incredibly blessed, and later God reminded me of His specific promise to me in April of unexpected supernatural financial blessing when the time came, to get me where I needed to go, and that I didn’t need to worry. He had done it after all!

Graduation

Having been homeschooled and then completed a bachelor’s degree online, I had never gotten to walk in a real graduation ceremony before, so this day was special. I was so happy that my parents and all four of my siblings had made the long journey to be there, and to be surrounded by my classmates and church family was such a blessing. My graduation day was a reminder to me of God’s faithfulness and that what He has promised, He is able to do.

Thank you 

To everyone who gave financially and prayed for me this past semester, thank you. You know who you are, and your obedience to God has meant so much more to me than I could express. I pray that God would bless you abundantly in your own adventures and journey of faith with Him.