As the day draws closer for my departure, the more excited I become for what is in store for me next year. Little "coincidences" occur, and it sets my heart more on fire for living in Leuven, for my service, for the transformation of myself that will happen while I'm away.
One "coincidence" that really got me going happened just last week. I was mailing out my fundraising letter (which will be at the end of this post) at the post office. I had just purchased my stamps and had affixed them to all the envelopes. I began to drop the envelopes down the mail slot. Unfortunately, it took awhile since I couldn't put all of them in the slot at the same time. Fortunately, it gave me an opportunity. For what? Well, as I was taking my sweet time, an older gentleman had walked in with his envelopes to mail. I quickly apologized for how long it was taking me to insert all of my envelopes in the slot. He sharply asked if I was travelling far away based on all of the mail I was sending. I was a little surprised that he would be able to tell, but I answered him with a confident yes. He ask where, and when I answered him with Belgium, he looked a little surprised. "Why there?" was his next response. I explained to him that it was because I felt called to go there. I told him I was going to do service and mission work for the next school year. I was not entirely sure that his response would be positive after I had said that to him.
I felt such a relief after a smile broke out on the old gentleman's face when he responded. He then explained to me that he works for a company here in Michigan (I wish I could remember the name now) that works closely with a Belgian company! He talked for a bit about his connections and friendships with the people there, and then proceeded to say that he was excited for me to go over to live in such a beautiful place as Belgium! It was fantastic.
Little moments like this have helped me to get geared up for the upcoming year. I know it will not be with out it's struggles, but through that, the fruits of the labor done there will be greater. Pruning is necessary for the most fruit to grow.
Now, my next challenge is fundraising. It is not cheap to just "go and serve" without any income for a year, in Belgium or anywhere! So, this is where I end this post with my fundraising letter. I hope that this will bring some clarity to the work to be done, but also that it may touch you, and that you will support me, whether financially and or through prayer as well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Dear friend,
Hello! I hope that this letter finds you well. I am excited to be able to share with you the powerful way that God has been and is working in my life. For my entire life, I have had the great opportunity to live within a Christian community and attend schools which have helped to deepen and strengthen my relationship with the Lord. Now is my time to implement all that I have learned during those past years, and apply that knowledge and understanding more radically within my daily life.
Over the past year, God has undeniably had His hand upon me, guiding me right where I belong, whether out of state or back home. Now, however, He is guiding me away from home again, all the way to Leuven, Belgium. At the beginning of this past year, I certainly did not have this in mind, but through much prayer and discernment, the Lord revealed that this truly was His plan for me. Definitely, I want to follow His will.
You might be asking yourself, “Why Belgium?” or, “What will she being doing there?” Both of these I can answer for you right now. Honestly, the reason I chose live in Belgium was because I felt the Lord calling me. As for what I will be doing, I will be participating in a program called the Standing in the Gap Program through an international Christian youth organization called Kairos. I’ll be on a GAP year, for short.
Now, again, you may be asking yourself, “What does this all entail?” and “What will she be doing while on this GAP year?” For the next year, September 2011 through June 2012, I will be living in Leuven, Belgium. While I am living there, my focus will be on student evangelism, reaching out to the students of Leuven and building Christian community, like that in which I had the opportunity to live. I shall also be a part of a team who will be leading and organizing events like street evangelism, prayer meetings, life in the spirit seminars, and service projects. I will also be involved helping to administrate international programs and conferences, helping out with the community youth program, and running school retreats. Honestly, I can tell you that I am truly excited for this opportunity placed before me in order to serve God more radically over this next year through these events.
The Standing in the Gap program will include all of my room and board for this year, training fees, and cost for conferences, as well as tuition for me to participate in a Dutch language class to help acclimatize myself to the Belgian culture. The fee for participation within this program is roughly $10,000 dollars. During my time there, I will not get a salary for my work. So in order to pay for this opportunity, I need to raise money.
Would you be in a position to be one of my sponsors for this work? If you are able to contribute, please make out a check to “Sword of the Spirit,” and send the check to me at my home address: 3101 E. State Rd. Lansing, MI 48906. Your donation will be tax deductable. Please attach a note to the check saying that the money goes for “Kate Stevenson – GAP Year.” Any amount of contribution would be appreciated. I also ask that your prayers be with me as well throughout this endeavor. If you are interested in following my journey, I shall be blogging while serving over in Leuven, Belgium at this web address: http://thesignofakingisthecrown.blogspot.com/
(You're already at my blog if you're reading this! Woo!)
I look forward to doing God's work in Belgium and letting you know all about how God has worked through me when I return.
God Bless,
Kate Stevenson
