Stories of God's Provision

Throughout this period of sharing with others about the unique mission of Black Forest Academy I have been reminded again and again of God's faithfulness and abundant provision. It isn't always easy to surrender my everything and to trust that God will provide for my every need. However, God has certainly supplied exactly what I needed through the kindness of others.
I wanted to share a few snippets of God's faithfulness over the last few months.

In the beginning:
My financial support started much slower than I was anticipating and the stresses of fundraising were starting to sink in. This was going to be a lot of work. I remember sitting on the wall overlooking lower campus at Grove City College and sharing with my good friend Brittany about what I was stepping into. "I'm only at 1%," I told her with a heavy heart. Brittany wrote to me later that it was in this moment when she decided she wanted to one of my financial partners in ministry. However, her current financial situation wouldn't allow for it. Brittany writes that she didn't know what to do so she, "sat and waited and prayed for a while." By the grace of God her financial situation changed and she was able to support me at an amount that equalled 1% of my future needs.
Brittany's story reminds me that our God answers prayers and is eager to bless His Children.

Sharing at churches:
Throughout the last few months I have been so privileged to share with the congregations of many churches about partnering with me to support the children of missionaries and sharing the love of Christ around the globe. After sharing at a church I typically stand in the lobby with materials and talk to individuals as they leave the sanctuary. On this particular Sunday, a woman came up to me and took my hand. She explained that earlier in the week her daughter had an orthodontist appt. for her retainers and the orthodontist had only charged them for one of the retainers. She told me that when I stood up and shared about my mission in church that morning she knew that the Lord wanted her to give me the money that they would have spent on her daughter's other retainer. What a blessing.
The story of this woman reminds me that God is sovereign and He certainly sees the bigger picture of our lives and will use any situation for His glory.

Not alone:
One of the biggest blessings of my preparations has been the support of my family. My grandfather, Blake Nicholson, otherwise known as Poppy, has been a huge help to me. He has helped to make contacts with family friends as well as make connections at several churches. He has been willing to assist in getting materials printed and making phone calls among other things. It has been so wonderful to have him as my advocate and someone who is passionate about sharing Jesus with others. In addition, my parents have been so helpful as I make many decisions before leaving for Germany and above all else, they continue to express unconditional love.
The love of my family reminds me of the love of God my Father and the importance of staying connected. We need Him above all else and we also need each other.

Thanks for reading some stories of God's amazing faithfulness! I know there will be more to come.

I'm reminded of Psalm 89:1:

"I will sing of the LORD's great love forever; with my mouth I will make your faithfulness known through all generations."



Kandern, Germany

I'm flying from Philadelphia airport on August 8th and will arrive in Basel, Switzerland on August 9th.

Please pray for safe travels and smooth transitions!

Check back soon for more updates

Also, if you would like to purchase a t-shirt (pictured below in previous posts) please let me know! We have more and they are $15 each!
You can e-mail me at rnicholson@teachbeyond.org and I'd be happy to get one to you!