Peace

Many have been asking how my support is going.  And till last night I had no idea. But at the same time I was not worried at all.  I know that this is where I am suppose to be. I know that the Lord wants me in Sicily this summer.  

 Maybe you are asking why. 

The simple quick answer is peace. Now as I prepare for this trip, more that any of the other times before trips, I have peace. I don't even know how to explain it really. It is a sense that everything is going to be good. Perhaps this is because I have sound some freedom from fear, especially around mission trips.

But more than that I believe its because I have let go and am fully trusting Him with this.  There are so many questions and unknowns, which usually my planner self would want to know. But I am okay not knowing. I am okay just sitting back and letting others organize and figure out the questions. I am okay with each day giving it over the the Lord knowing that He knows way more that I do. And in His hands its safer. In His hands its a sure thing. In His hands is love and hope and freedom.

The support update I got last night has me at $1452 raised. I still don't know what the final cost of the trip will be. Its has been estimated at over $6000.  Which puts me just over a 6th of the way there.  I do know that in April they will be purchasing our plane tickets. I believe this cost is around $1200. Which means I have made that goal. THANK YOU!

If you are interested and haven't bought one yet my tshirts are only on sale till tomorrow (23 March) evening.  I have sold 26 and am hoping for at least 30 by the end of the sale. That is 4 more in the next day.  Please go HERE to purchase one.

A little check in

Hi everyone!  I am just over 2 months from leaving for Sicily.  As each day passes I get a little more excited and sure that this is where I am suppose to be. 

I went down to IHOP in Kansas City (the prayer house not the pancake place) for prophetic prayer with the Discipleship class. I got two words from people who don't know me at all and don't know my plans for Sicily, that spoke into Adventure and Going Places. How cool.  Thank you Jesus for confirmation.

I did get an update on how to give online through our church's givingfire page. Visit it here. There is now an “Engage the Crisis-Interns" option from the pull down tab. You can select that and still put my name in the additional comments section below at the bottom. As long as my name is attached to your support it will get to my account.   Thank you if you have already given and if you have not, please pray about being part of this with me.

I posted last week but I am still selling my T shirts and will be till the 23rd. I have sold 22 so far and have a goal of 50. So 28 more to go.  If you would like to buy one please go to Bonfirefunds to purchase one.

 

I don't think there is anymore updates to share. I continue to wake up each day and befoe I can start ot worry about things I tell the Lord "I trust you". What a great gift we have in Him that He can be trusted and that He is so good and so loving towards us.

Letter #2

I have sent out most of my second letters.  If you did not get one and would like one. Please let me know. It gives some specific prayer requests and goes into what I will be doing this summer just a bit more. 

 An up close view of the meat of the letter.

Shirt for Sicily.

Hi everyone!

 I posted on Facebook but also wanted to share here. I with a lot of help from a friend designed a shirt and am selling it to help fun my and others trips to Sicily this summer.   Check it out. Please buy a shirt and share with your friends. They even ship internationally. 

Check out my Shirt for Sicily here.

Lots of bagels and orange juice.

We had our first team meeting today. Really it was all information passed along to the team.  We got packets of paperwork.  I will share with you a few things that stood out to me.

1.  We don't have to wear skirts and we can wear tank tops.  A little blessing. I'm excited to be in warm weather and don't have to dress in long pants or skirts. Yay!

2.  Our day doesn't end till 12am. Yes you read that right MIDNIGHT. Now if you have been around me at all in the last 3-4 years you know that I like to go to bed early. Last night I was in bed (not asleep) by 8pm.  I wake before 5am so going to bed early is a must. So I'm not sure how I will stay awake till 12.  My team will have to keep me entertained or keep elbowing me to keep me awake. I usually hit a wall at 9:30.  Good luck to me.

3. Our trip cost, which has not been completely figured out has been estimated at $6300.  Yes that shocked us all on the team.  That is a large number. But I have to remind myself that this is Europe not Africa.  And that the Lord has called me to this, so He already knows that the money will come in.  Several key factors in the cost of the trip are still being figured out so the cost could be below that. Please pray that housing for my team and I (the Interns) are found.  This is just one more place for me to say "Yes, Lord I trust you". 

If you feel led to give and support me financially this summer I thank you. Please go HERE and choose Sicily and in the optional comments section put Rebecca Arnold. As long as my name is attached to the gift it will go towards my trip. 

My support letter.

A little business-- numbers

I sent out many letters and depending on what draft you got. The estimated amount of the trip will be either $3,300 or $4,500.  

Why the change? 

Its because it is all an estimation. I am hoping soon that we will get an actual number. We were told that it could be as high as $5400.  I'm trusting the Lord that it doesn't get that high.  As soon as I get a final number I will post on here and probable put together a PDF that I can email out to people.

If you haven't already please go back to my homepage, unless you are there already, and sign up to follow by email.  This will let you get all my updates on here in your email.

A summer overseas.

I'M GOING TO SICILY!!  

Many of you  have gotten support letters. And if you haven't but want one please comment below and I will get one to you. 

I go to a church that is part of a bigger church network--Antioch. They are based out of Waco Texas and have church plants all over the United States and the world.  They have a passion for the nations and for the Lost to be found. When the Refugee Crisis got more and more serious they just knew they couldn't stand by and do nothing. So they are Engaging the Crisis. Check out the link to see what they are doing.

Our church as a church plant of Antioch's is in this with them. And because we have church planters over there in the middle of it. it was an easy decision to do our part. We will be staffing our "hub". (Hub being a word to say a locations chosen to have many people come and all focus on helping the refugees.) And I will be part of a team on interns that will help our church planters on ground for the summer so that when the short term trips come in they aren't overwhelmed. 

I don't have ton of information on this or what it will really look like. This will be a summer of trusting the Lord. Im excited to see what the Lord will go thru our hub this summer.

I will try to update on here when I know things and when things happen when I'm in Sicily.

Right now I'm working on getting all my support letters out and trusting the Lord for support to come in.

Waiting.

I was driving to work today and the verse of the day was read. Psalm 27:14.

New Living Translation
Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD.
 
International Standard Version
Wait on the LORD. Be courageous, and he will strengthen your heart. Wait on the LORD!

When I heard it I thought Yes. Yes everyone should wait for the Lord. Yes it takes patience to do it, on mornings when it seems that He isn't talking to you. Yes it takes bravery and courage to wait for the Lord and not the world. And Yes this is where I have been the last two years. 

I moved to Omaha, thanks Kt, two years ago this weekend. And it has been two year of waiting. Two years of strengthening my heart. Two years of discovering who Jesus is again. And who Becca is. I came here with a heart that was damaged and fortified. I'm not saying that my heart is completely healed and whole. But it is definitely on the mend. I have been told lately that I am a completely different person that even a year ago.  I sure hope so. I feel different. I feel lighter, freer.  

Waiting on the Lord is so good. Its hard to do at times. I don't have it mastered. But I know the good it does. I know what comes of it and I don't want to not want to do it. I want my life to be spent waiting on the Lord. So that when He speaks I know its him. When He moves I know it was him that moved.