My Next Chapter

Hello again.

Today (or tonight I guess), I am going to talk about why I started a fundraising campaign for Operation Underground Railroad.

Many of you probably didn’t even know I was running a campaign; those who do may be interested to hear a little bit more of an in depth story.

It all started with rejection.

Long story short, I had a plan for my life, and that plan was going to begin this fall.  I had started imagining things about how my life was going to go and I had it all figured out in my head.  All I had to do was wait for a decision to be made, and I was already very sure of the outcome of this decision.  I was so confident, but I was also so worried because time was running short on another decision that had to be made, but my answer depended on the first decision I was waiting to hear from.  So, I prayed that the answer would be given to me, and that the decision would come back so that I could make my other decision.

(I’m trying not to disclose a ton of information, so I’m sorry if this part of the story doesn’t make much sense).

As I was praying, I received an email from the company I was waiting to hear back from.  I was sure it was an answered prayer.

And it was.  But not in the way I thought.

The news I received was not the news I was absolutely sure I was going to get.  I was devastated.  I felt in that moment that my life had been turned upside down, then turned inside out, and shattered.  I didn’t know what I was going to do.  The plans I had for the next stage of my life were instantly smashed to bits.  Suddenly, my backup plan of going to college didn’t seem right to me anymore, and for the next two days, I agonized over what I should do.

Finally, I decided not to go to college.  I decided I would try again to get accepted into the company that had declined my application.  I needed to work on some things, get better, and be ready for the next time.

So, since I want to do something in the area of marketing, sales, and event planning, I decided to run a campaign, and work on some projects.  For starters, I started reading several books at once, listening to positive audios, and learning about marketing skills online.

And then, I thought of something.

Back in July, I was at a Life Major Convention, and they talked about this non profit, Operation Underground Railroad.  They perform sting operations to rescue children from sex trafficking.  I decided I would run my first campaign to benefit this charity.  My dad came up with the marathon bit.  He told me that he would run the marathon and I could manage the campaign.  Sounded fair enough 😉

So, ever since then, we’ve launched a website, a Facebook page, and a Twitter account.  One of our good friends even offered to be a match donor and double every donation up to $10,000!  I’ve learned so much from working this campaign…everything from what gets more likes, views, and comments on social media, to how to get the word out about your cause, and how much time it takes to run a campaign (hint: it’s more than you would think!).

More importantly, I’ve learned a lot more about the world of sex trafficking, and the more I learn about it, the more I am determined to raise our goal of $10,000.  God calls us to take care of the least of these, and even more so, the children.  I keep remembering the story about Jesus talking to the little children, and remembering how much He loves them.  It makes me sick to think of how people are hurting God’s innocent children.

The link to our fundraising site is at the end here if you feel God calling you to donate.  And please.  SPREAD the word!  Help us.

So, that’s my story.

Lesson #3: You plan what you think you need, but God KNOWS what you need.

I thought I knew where my life was headed.  I thought I had carefully planned my future and that it was going to happen as I had imagined it.  But God had other plans, and I have to trust that His plans are the best ones.  It may not have been what I thought was supposed to happen, and I may still not understand completely, but I trust that God has taken away this opportunity for now to help me become and achieve something better later.

So the next time something unexpected happens in your life, remember that God loves you, and He has a plan for you.  Trust Him.

Until next time,

Hope Frances