Hillsong Update: 5

It's the moment you've ALL been waiting for....

Okay, not all of you, but definitely my family and close friends. We are ALL set to go to Australia. In the past month we've been so blessed with the final preparations it took to get completely ready for Australia. Now there are a few things still waiting to to be set in stone but it's crazy how God worked in this situation. Even down to the last second. Here's the low down on everything we needed for Australia and how God provided:

Tuition: $5,500
   

         ^ In a matter of 7 months, through saving and raising money, I finally reached my goal of having enough to pay my Hillsong tuition in FULL! I created a GoFundMe account June 5th, 2012 and friends and family gave a total of $2,235, I myself saved $2,500 and the rest was raised in the generosity of friends and family who supported me by sending checks and encouraging letters.

Health Care: $990

         ^ Micah has been such a supportive boyfriend and now husband throughout this whole process of raising money. He mentioned the idea of using all the money we got in cards and such at our wedding to pay for our health care. He's the most selfless man I know. So, we got close to $1,250 in checks at our wedding and used almost all of it to pay health care expenses.

Passport: $150

          ^ Most of everyone in America obtains a Passport.... except me. Micah found it crazy that I had never gotten a Passport before. We knew we had to have my new last name on the Passport so it would match all of my identification, but we didn't know if the process would take too long to do. Estimated time for Passports to be delivered can be a couple weeks! So we went to the Passport agency in ATL and got my Passport applied for (after three visits from forgetting important documents, erg.) and received it within 2 days!!!

VISA: $550

         ^ This one is crazy... At the time, a VISA was one of the last expenses I needed. I knew it was going to cost a pretty penny so I began praying that it would show up somewhere in a timely manor before it was too late... Estimated time for VISA to be accepted can be MONTHS! One Sunday, a sweet couple from my home church approached me saying they wanted to support my Hillsong trip! In my mind I was thinking "Any amount will be good at this moment, but I need so much more to pay the rest of these fees." The next Sunday, they came up to me and told me they had both been praying on some kind of mission work to support and that my schooling came to both of their minds. When praying on the amount to support (separately) they came together and both said they wanted to pay for the VISA! Not only did God bless me with the full amount for my VISA, but He also blessed this amazing couple by uniting them in a supernatural way.

Flight: $4,000ish for two one way tickets

          ^ FLIGHTS ARE RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE! We talked to several different people about getting buddy passes from their mom who knew someone, uncle who worked at Delta, dad who retired from Delta and none of them worked out. So I randomly asked my friend Meg if her dad who works for Delta had any buddy passes he wouldn't mind sparing and the next day she gave us a big fat "YES!" Micah and I feel so much better about traveling now that we're saving almost $3,000 on flying. So grateful for Meg and her friendship. :)

College Housing in AU: $250 a week for rent

            ^ We had been looking online and asking around if there was ANYONE who wouldn't mind going in on a house in AU so that we could cut cost of rent in half to save money while in college. Micah and I finally came down to considering college housing even though we'd be nearly poor the whole year. THIS WEEK, I got a message from 2 married couples (from the States, who are going into their 2nd year of college in the WORSHIP STREAM) who are looking for one more couple to go in on a house with! They said rent would be close to $150 a week for the both of us. Right now, we are still figuring out the details and it's not set in stone but God has been so good in being faithful to His promises!

Living Expenses: Too Much Money

               ^ Right now, Micah and I are saving like pack rats so that we can live comfortably in AU while we search for jobs. So far we've saved up enough money to be okay for 3-4 months without jobs. Hopefully within the first month of living there, God will open up doors for both of us to support ourselves for the remainder of the year or God willing, the next 3 years ;)



THANK YOU to everyone who has supported me and gotten me to where I am in this process. I know you will be bless abundantly for your selfless support. Micah and I will be keeping you updated as much as possible while in AU. I can't wait to see what God does in the next year. I am so blessed.