It’s December 31st, the final day of 2013. Today also marks the official end of our 10:3 Campaign. Honestly? I thought this post would be going a lot differently. Let me explain.
Back in October, I set out to raise $10,000 in three months for the Whatever Girls ministry. We have a lot of exciting things coming up, have experienced a lot of growth, and I felt it was time to start raising funds to support these dreams of this quickly growing ministry while investing in the strengthening of our foundation.
The plan was if just 333 people would commit to giving $10 per month for three months, we would easily reach our $10,000 goal by December 31. Easy peasy, right?
It was exciting at first. The first hours and days it was fun to see the numbers climb. Then they stopped climbing. A few more gifts came in and then…crickets.
I’ve learned a lot about a lot these last few months. One of which is fundraising campaigns are a lot of work. And, I’m tired. No, I’m exhausted. And I’m stressed. Some days I feel like giving up. But I can’t. I won’t. Because this sweet spot I’m in that tastes awfully sour some days, as exhausting and stressful as it is, is right where I need to be. This is where Hebrews 11:1 comes into play: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.”
Five years ago, I was just a mom on a mission. My daughter, Grace, was a preteen and would soon be going to middle school. I didn’t want to just drop her off at school each day and say “good luck”. I wanted to help shape and guide her teen years and help other moms do the same for their daughters. You can read more about that plan and about what become the Whatever Girls, here.
Fast forward to today. It’s actually after 11 on Monday night. I’m sitting on my couch in my living room writing this post. My family is already in bed. Next to me is my Costco list for tomorrow morning. Yes, I know tomorrow is New Year’s Eve. And yes, I know I am crazy for going to Costco tomorrow. But, we’re almost out of Tide and I’m determined to give that green smoothie stuff another shot come January 1, so I need to stock up on produce. But, I’ve got more than Costco and green smoothies on my mind right now. I’m thinking about the $9,000 I hope to raise tomorrow so we can make our goal. I’m thinking that I’d much rather be telling you in this post how God went above and beyond our $10,000 goal. But who am I to measure His work in dollar signs?
For a long time, this ministry has been a one-woman show. In the last year God has blessed me with an incredible team of contributors, social media coordinators, board members and executive leaders, and most recently, an assistant. My entire team is volunteers, including me. I have relied on personal finances and the occasional generous gift to help fund the ministry.
Much growth is happening. In a few short days we launch registration for Online Bible Studies and in April we are hosting our first conference, Whatever Girls Live right here in Spokane, Washington. We have moms across the world starting up their own Whatever Girls groups, too. There are a few other things brewing that I can’t share just yet, but they are so exciting I often pinch myself throughout the day to make sure I’m not dreaming.
So, who are the Whatever Girls? We are moms, like me, who regret some of the choices she made as a teen and in her 20’s and have been called to share the hard lessons we have learned with the next generation, we are moms who led a godly life and want so much for this generation to know that following God will be difficult, but that it is possible and so worth it, we are moms with all sorts of battle scars that don’t define us but have shaped us into the women we are today. We are women who believe the world changers of tomorrow are worth investing in today. We are women who want to see moms be informed and equipped to intentionally raise their daughters.
We are teen girls who want so badly to believe that God’s plans can be trusted and are worth waiting for, we are teen girls who have made mistakes but want the promise of a white as snow new beginning, we are teen girls who have loved Jesus for as long as we can remember and just want to serve and follow Him.
When I think of the Whatever Girls, I think of these words from the song “Hosanna” by Hillsong Australia:
“I see a generation rising up to take their place, with selfless faith.”
Let me tell you about these moms and daughters of selfless faith in our campaign video.
They aren’t starving and they have and endless supply of clean water. They aren’t homeless; they have roofs over their heads and clothes on their backs. They have access to top-notch medical care and education.
But.
They are tomorrow’s wives, mothers, missionaries, doctors, peacekeepers, educators, ministry leaders- they are influencers and world changers. And because of this, the enemy has placed a target on their backs. They need to know that who Jesus says they are matters more than what the kids at school say. They need to know they can trust that God has a wonderful plan for their life.
How can you help?
Though it’s the end of the year, our campaign will keep going. If you want to make a tax-deductible gift for 2013, you can do so online via our campaign.
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Thank you friends for your words of encouragement, support and prayers.
Wishing you all the best for 2014!
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