Sooooo, I had my fundraiser on Friday night. And it was incredible. I'm going to have a hard time conveying how great it was in words because it truly was the greatest support I have ever felt from my church family!
It was the final proof that this was
exactly where God wants me to be. And I'm so excited to be here! It's thrilling, to say the least.
Close to one hundred people came and joined in the night of worship, and although it was a little hectic at first and I am glad it's over, it was a truly wonderful time of fellowship with friends and family.
It didn't go smoothly the entire time though. I originally had four "musical acts" done by friends and family of mine slotted to be at the beginning and two of those girls got extremely sick and had to cancel. It was stressful and awful, and I'm not gonna lie, I fell to my knees in frustration (I can be a little dramatic, so bear with me). I texted my other friends to see if they could scrounge together another song just to fill in time, and they said they would ask their brother to see if he would sing. And he did, and what a blessing! Although we had such last minute cancellations, God still got the glory from this night and that is all that matters in the end!
First up, we had my mom singing and playing piano.
She is the best mom everrrr. I mean, she helped me plan this concert/worship night, she made a ton of beautiful jewelry to sell for the craft show, and she was the opening act of the night even though she would have preferred to sing in the audience.
Be prepared for me to get a little sentimental here.
Mom, you have been the biggest blessing in my life and especially in these last few months as we plan for my trip. I wouldn't be going if I didn't have your hard work, love and support. Every single day, I realise more and more that you are willing to help me accomplish my dreams and and God's dreams for my life. You are a beautiful, wise woman, and I am so proud to be your daughter.
Then we had Josh and Sam Gray.
These guys are golden. I mean, I asked Sam if he could do a song 15 minutes before hand, and he was willing to help me out! It was such a huge blessing to have these guys supporting me with their music and time, and for them to be so willing to help me last minute. Thankyou!!
Then we had Alyssa Fleming and Josh Gray (with Josh Goodman on the drum).
Alyssa and Josh were gracious enough to sing two beautiful songs, as well as encourage a time of prayer for my upcoming trip and for the preparation of my heart and the hearts of those in Africa. They are just lovely, godly people.
And then I shared about my trip, and Mr. Dayo Idowu shared about the mission and goals of CHIPROMS.
The craft show was great too.
My sister and her friends helped run the tables, and it went really well! Also (not pictured) we had a silent auction table where some handcrafted items that had been donated were there for sale.
After the coffee break, we had a wonderful worship time with my mom, Jake Beerman, Josh Goodman and Ben van Arragon. (Thank you guys soo much! The music was beautiful.) It was really a great time of collective worship to God, and I had a lot of people come and tell me that they would love to do this every Friday night!
I am just overwhelmed at the support both financially and spiritually that people have given to me! I am doubly blessed to have such an amazing church family!
Peace,
Sierra
