zacharyjohnson - Influence

Four months ago, I had nothing to offer but my 'yes', so I gave the Lord everything I had. What I didn't see coming is how God would use that one 'yes' and multiply it into a hundred more. Not only did I end up giving more of the same, but countless people have given the Lord their 'yes' to support me in this ministry.

This post is to say thank you to everyone who has supported me thus far. We have officially passed the halfway point and have raised over $10,000 towards this mission trip! My mind is blown away by the love, kindness and generosity in your hearts. Every prayer and every penny goes a long way when submitted to something good. I am surrounded by a community of people who love to make a positive difference in the world, and you have all done so in my life. Thank you.

As I prepare to leave in just over 4 months, my hope and prayer is that this trip will be fully funded by the end of December. The official deadline is April 2022, but when I am on the field, I want my head and my heart to be fully on the field, not worrying about raising funds. Knowing the heart of God and of those around me, I am confident that it will happen.

I want to reiterate something I mentioned in a previous blog. My biggest challenge with fundraising these past few months has never been the raising of funds. In fact, I have not done a single fundraising activity or event. My biggest challenge has been keeping up with thank you cards and expressing my appreciation to each person who supports me. My biggest challenge has been accepting and receiving the depth of your love and generosity. Who am I to be worthy of your time, energy, finances, prayers? How am I supposed to earn all the support being given?

Worthy? Deserve? Earn? That's not the point, is it? I haven't done anything to earn this love, but I have it. So, what am I going to do with it? I'm going to use it and love others the way you all have loved me. That is how your support goes beyond myself. I've learned that, for every person who is given kindness, ten more are given the same. Kindness, generosity, love, support. It all adds up, multiplies and spreads. Every single one of us has far greater impact and influence on the world than we realize. What are we going to do with it?

If you would like to support me and this ministry (and aren't already doing so), then there are 3 ways you can help:

Pray - for me, my team, the ministries we are partnering with and the people we will encounter
Give - none of this can happen until the financial need is met; you can click the orange donate button to give directly to my trip
Connect - subscribe to this blog to stay up to date, reach out to schedule a time to talk more about the trip, or introduce me to someone else who might be interested

Either way you may choose to support me will play a vital role in the entirety of the trip and in the impact that we will make. We're all living in the same broken world, so let's make a difference together!