Faithfulness

God never ceases to amaze me with the amazing, crazy, ridiculous ways that He works.

My life has been completely changed in the time that I have been here. In one week, I will have been here for a year.
I still remember last Halloween, sitting in the airport at 6 AM with anticipation so thick I could hardly breathe.
Now, I cant even imagine what my life would have been like had I not bought that one way ticket to LA.
My family has been restored, my life has been changed, my attitude towards so many things has completely turned around.
God has been so faithful in so many ways it's hard to even write about it.

On Wednesday I, and a team of about 14, will be leaving with the World Missions dept here at the Dream Center to go serve in Guatemala for a month. I had eleven days to go and about $600 + dollars to raise. I was starting to get weary. I had started opening on Saturday mornings to raise money for this trip. The great thing about Saturdays is all our regular costumers. One of them is this tall good looking older guy named Patrick. We started chatting a few weeks ago and my trip came up. I explained to him what I was doing and why I was going and he was so excited about it. I brought him one of my letters about my trip so he could read more about why I wanted to go. That was probably 2 weeks ago.

That morning Patrick showed up to get his iced grande red eye and gave me an envelope with "Shannon Rae Galford" written on the front. He told me that he probably wouldn't see me before I left (in eleven days) but to have an amazing trip. I had a huge line so I couldnt open the envelope. Once my line was gone and people were waiting for the drinks, I went to the back and opened the card. This is what the card read...
"Shannon,
I think what you're doing is a wonderful, giving, selfless gift to those children. That kind of spirit is what this world needs more of. You definitely do shine. I, too, was a complete mess and a discovery and surrendering to a higher power saved me and my life. Please take this contribution to your trip with all my love and prayers.
Best,
Patrick."
I was so touched. In the envelope was another envelope. Inside was a check for one thousand dollars. ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS. I started crying immediately. I could not believe that someone, who is virtually a stranger, would invest so much into something I believed in. Not only did this pay for my trip but everything else I would need. I went to thank him but he was already gone.

The really cool part, that Patrick doesn't know, is that not only is helping send me, but he created a walking testimony to so many people. A lot of the people I work with and even most of my family are not christians. But they have heard me going on and on and on about how I knew God was going to take care of it all. Even in my few moments of doubt, I told them. And now, they can see first hand, just how big, and how amazing and how faithful God really is.

The Dream Center has shown me in some HUGE ways and also tiny ways just what God really can do. Whether it's a nice stranger sending me to another country to help kids or whether its getting on a truck to go and serve food to a family who is struggling on the other side of town. God's faithfulness is real. His power is real. And His love is real.

I can't wait to see what the next few years bring and how the Dream Center will continue to help people, just like me, to see how faithful God really is.