Just a few more days.

In just a few days I will continue to step out in faith and move to Ethiopia by their new year. This is something that I have wanted to do for a long time. Right now I am still needing people that are willing to support me monthly. I have been faithful to God during this time by stepping out, walking away from my job. It has been a test of my faith believing God for the big and small things in all of this. I do know that God is moved by faith and not by fear, desperation, anxious emotions, or by anything else. Just as one day last week a family was in need of a bed. They had seen my ad on craigslist and called me. They really did not have the money because they needed to pay other things too.
Well they shared their story with me and I did the same, then they got ready to pay me and as I was looking at the money that was being pulled out I started to get focused on my need to move and everything else. Well this thought went through my mind saying, "If you take that money, you will be making a big mistake!" so I thought about it and as I did I knew that it was God and I started focusing on their need. She went to give me the money to pay for the bed and I refused it. I told them that if I took that money then I would be making a mistake and I need a blessing to move to Ethiopia. They broke down and started crying, prayed and then they left.
Later on that night I was with some friends and shared that story with them. We had talked about how at times God puts on our hearts to give or do something for Him and we miss it. We ended up praying for my situation and in return I was blessed with a gift of $400. Now that is faith in action. That is what I mean that God is moved by faith and sowing into others. That is what God is looking for. Just as I sowed into this pastor and his wife, God returned to me double than what I in turn gave them. God is so good.
So I am asking you to seek the face of God and ask him how can you sow into what I am about to do with Mission Ethiopia. I am still looking for monthly supporters that are willing to support me monthly. I have just a few more days until my flight leaves. I have stepped out in faith believing God to fulfill His promises to me concerning this. I believe God has called me to Ethiopia with all of my heart. It is the only place I feel at home at. My heart and mind are there. I was asked the question and God forbid that it would happen, "What if things did not work out with you and Hanna? Would you up and leave just because?" My answer to that is no I would not up and leave. Like I had said, this is where my heart is. This is what I want to do and what I have wanted to do. So my heart belongs to God first and foremost, then to Hanna. I love her with all of my heart and I am very excited about the plans we have together and I believe with all of my heart that God is using all of this to get me to move, cause all I have been doing is waisting time and I am tired of waisting time. click here and watch this!
So I am asking you if you would move with me by faith. I believe God has called me to do this work with single mothers, widows, and orphans. I cannot do it without you at all. Just as God used me to fulfill a need with that family, God can use you to fulfill this need to bring hope and empowerment to single mothers, widows, orphans.
If you so choose to partner with me, let me first and foremost say thank you! Thank you! Thank you! This work cannot happen without you. If it could, then it would not be much of a sacrifice or a move of faith. If you choose to donate here is how:
I am needing monthly supporters. I am asking that monthly supporters just give $20 a month. Or if you would like to do one time donation you can do that too. All you have to do is click on one of the buttons on top of the page either wepay or paypal and you can make your donations there. Or if you want to send a check in you can do that by making it out to Belmont Church and put in the memo Christopher Fisher/Ethiopia and mail it to Belmont Church ATTN Rob Fraizer 68 music Sq. East Nashville, TN. 37203 Please email me at fisher.cmichael@gmail.com to let me know so I can keep track of what you are going to do and also so I can email you each month to share with you what God is doing.
Thank you again for your time and potential support.
Blessings
Chris

Not only is my God enough, He's more than enough!

Last week I had a dry spell in my donations. Then a friend of mine called me and asked me, and left a message wanting to know if he could borrow some money, because a few of his clients had backed out on him. I did not know if I had the money to help him or not. With my up and coming missions to Africa, needing to pay my rent before I leave, along with the fact that I may need to move when I get back from Africa, how could I help him out. So I prayed about it, with the thought that kept popping in my head, "If you can not afford to loose the money, then you can not afford to lend the money!” After I had prayed about it, I went home and took a shower and went to sleep. When I woke the next morning, I had 2 missed calls on my phone, along with a voice mail. It was my friend calling me saying that he was sorry for putting his burden on me, and just forget about what he had said. So I did just that, but there was a feeling that the rest of my donations were tied up with lending the money to my friend.

A day earlier I was talking to some friends at work, and told them about the process of the trip, and that the enemy was throwing some things at us and I said them, "devil, is that all you got", well that opened up a door for a challenge that laid before me.

That following Saturday there were no donations coming in. none at all. I began to worry. I tried to send out as many letters as possible to raise the money, and nothing was happening. I began to worry more and get stressed out. I tried to remind myself of what God had asked me earlier, and that was, "Am I faithful?” but the thoughts that kept coming of no money coming in, kept telling me that I was not going to go this time around, and that I should call it off. You talk about heartbreak. Oh! Just to thing about that just gave me the nastiest feeling in my gut, but I continued on believing that God had called me to go on this trip.

That Sunday a memory popped in my mind of when I was a child spending the summer with my father, and I had asked him if he would retrieve my Hot Wheels from my grandparent’s house. He agreed that he would do it. That night my stepbrother told me as we were going to bed, "daddy is not going to get your Hot Wheels tomorrow. He told me." As a nine-year-old child I began to panic. Oh no! Why would he do that? So that morning I woke up early to catch my father to see why he was not going to get my Hot Wheels? I got into some trouble that morning for being up so early. I don't know why, but I asked my dad why he said that he was not going to get my Hot Wheels and that Mark told me that he was not. My father woke up my stepbrother and asked him. Mark told him that he did not say that. The fear of a nine year old just turned to anger. Anger, because my stepbrother just lied to protect himself. Well the whole thing ended that morning and I got my Hot Wheels that afternoon.

I applied this memory to what was going on at the moment with the fund raising, and the mission trip, but still, the thought of not going due to the fact that I did not have the money still rang as truth. It was almost as if I were in the middle of a spiritual battle. Is God faithful like He said? Is He going to come through in the end? Each question was answered with a doubt. I begin to wonder if I had made a mistake not lending out the money that my friend needed. So I prayed about it. I prayed that if it were true, then out of God's amazing grace would grant me another opportunity to help, if not him, then someone else. Along with this, the struggle to believe that I was going continued. I went to work that night, and worked hard. Told one friend about what was going on, and he reminded me of what God had told me earlier about His faithfulness. People told me that they would give, but nothing. "Maybe they forgot", I thought to myself.

Well I came home that night and was told to do a campaign for people to sign up for a small amount that was more manageable for their budget. It was not working out. For some reason the facebook email was not working. I got angry and then threw down my computer on the bed, then cussed. I realized that I had just sinned with my anger. I asked for forgiveness, and then the worry and stress of the money was gone. I went to sleep that night as peaceful as a quit night. The next day I went to work came home, no emails or PayPal donations. I was sad at first, and then I said, "God, you are in control here." After that I got an email saying, "Chris, did you see my comment on your facebook status? Your PayPal button is not working. I then went to work to see why. Took it off and put another one back on it. Then I got a call from my friend that needed the money, and I just apologized for not getting back to him. He told he was sorry for putting me in that position. I told him that after I looked at my acct. I could help him if he still needed it. Well he told me that he would not refuse it if I were offering. He told me that if he could just get only half of what he has originally asked for. That was not a problem for me. He came over that day and I gave him a check. When he left he told me thank you, and I responded, "no my friend, thank you." He left and the donations just started pouring in. Before I knew it, I was donated over a hundred dollars.

The next day I got an email from one of my good friends saying, "Fish, I have a Five Hundred dollar check here for you." I thought that is what it said. I went just crazy. I was just so happy. I began to tell people about what had just happened. Then Thursday, I went to deposit two checks in my account to cover the checks that I had written to cover my remaining balance for the trip. When I went to open up my buddies check, it was only for a hundred dollars. Ladies and gentlemen, please fold your trays up, and bring your seats to an upright position. I have just entered the panic mode.
I began to panic like never before, so I thought. How was I going to cover my rent, and this too? I began to act out of fear, and not out of faith. After a few emails to Amanda our team leader, and what a leader she is, God began to settle my heart. After the fear of not enough went away, I began to trust again. If God brought me this far, why would He just leave me be?

I left it as is. In His hands. A few more donations came in, leaving me a balance of a little over a hundred dollars. I knew it was going to happen. Then today I got a text from my friend and her husband saying, "Sorry I just got your message from the other day. I just made a donation, and you should have more than enough." "More than enough" she said. So I check my PayPal account. I broke. God is more than enough. I began to shout. I called my friend and just started shouting Glory, Glory, Glory. I called a few more people and did the same thing. I got so excited, that I wanted to put my football pads back on and hit somebody. I was jumping around and dancing that I almost broke something. Oh so good stuff.

I will have to say that God is not enough, but He is more than enough! So now my rent is paid, and my trip is paid for. How awesome is God? The day before I leave, He shows up. Right on time.
During all of this excitement, God began to show me that many times I acted out of fear when I seen that there was no money coming in. I could do nothing but thank Him for His grace. Thank you God that Your faithfulness is greater than our fears.