The Lord is a provider!!!

The Lord is a provider!!! My faith is growing as He continues to prove his love for me by providing! Just when I start to get anxious about my finances, He sends another supporter or surprises me with some gift. There is a couple who is interning with me this year, Jerry and Megan Chanel. They are two very amazing people. Originally they were not going to raise support because Megan is a nurse and was working weekend shifts to keep their insurance and income. The time she was spending away on the weekends was really affecting their marriage and their rest so they felt like she should quit. In that same week their only car broke down. Needless to say they were really struggling financially and very unsure of their future. In the midst of all of that, I had a conversation with Jerry about support raising and financial struggles. Unknown to me Jerry felt that the lord was calling him to give me a donation. A few days later Jerry came to me and said I should check my intern account and when I did there was $100 from Jerry and Megan. Even in their biggest time of need, they give selflessly of what they have. I was humbled and overwhelmed by the blessing. I was also highly inspired to be a giver. The Lord really blesses a giving heart. What we have is not ours. It's His! and if we give, He will provide. I'm learning to believe that even when I don't have much, I should find ways to give. I am so thankful that my supporters have all chosen to answer the calling of the lord in supporting me and have decided to be givers. He will honor that! I could share multiple stories with you guys of how the Lord is providing for me. I had quit working at Chick-Fil-A last March. When I moved back to Athens this August I realized that the support I had raised wasn't going to be enough so I went to ask for my job back and the Lord showed me favor. Matt kirby hired me back and let me start the next day! He started me at the salary I had worked my way up to over the past two years and gave me my leadership position back. The Lord continues to show me favor through Chick-Fil-A by giving me the hours I need and working around my interning schedule. So this is just my BIG THANK YOU!!!!! to all of you who are chosing to support me finiancially. The Lord is using your gift is HUGE HUGE ways to bless me and to bless others!

Well classes are well underway which means things have actually started happening at Wesley! Small groups started last week! Mine is on Thursday nights and my student leader's name is Laura. We had 7 girls this past week and are expecting 2-3 more next week. It really is the perfect size. The girls seemed excited to be there and to meet new people. The first two weeks we are just building community and getting to know each other. Next week we will begin reading and studying a book by Beth Moore called "Breaking Free". Pray that God gives us a grace to create a comfortable environment for the girls and that the book speaks to each of them exactly where they are at in life.

Discipling is going GREAT. I have 6 girls who I meet with weekly and they are such amazing girls. All 6 are just totally different from the next. It is so cool to see how God has each of us at different places with different experiences and understandings. I am really enjoying getting to know each of them and catering to their specific needs in our time. God is really blessing those 6 hours so pray that His blessings continue.

Wednesday night services continue to be blessed and just go really well and smoothly. We are really retaining students and seeing a joyful heart in them. There has been a grace in worship to really abandon all else and put God first for a time. Every Thursday morning we meet as a staff and go over the previous night. Each week there are just tons of stories of how the Lord did amazing things in students lives and through our staff.

Women's ministry is just now getting our events for the semester planned out and on the calendar. We are planning karaoke nights, WHOA-men's night (a night of all manly things such as video games, poker, pizza, sports etc.), potlucks, a chili cook off, retreats, a conference called "restored", and many other things!!! Pray for our planning meetings to be productive and for the lord to bless us with creativity.

Thank you all for your continued prayer support and encouragement! I'm really loving being here and the Lord is just doing great things!!! I will be continually praying for you all as well!

Abby