Hey! For those of you who don’t know me, my name is Abigail Cable; mostly called Abby. I decided to create this blog so that I can update my family, friends, and community from back home what I’ll be doing while I’m away in South Africa for a year. South Africa, you say? Believe me..getting to this point in my life was the craziest journey by far.
I’ve always had a passion for people. I think the way people think, the way people’s minds work is a truly fascinating thing. So when God had called me to spend a year of my life in South Africa through a program called Radical Journey, my natural mind instincts kicked in, saying “There is no way.” But it’s funny, because God has a way of entering your heart, changing you, and making you see certain things through His eyes. So after many months of praying, fasting, and even pulling out my application for Radical Journey at one point, I finally surrendered and said yes to God’s calling in my life. Let me just say that since that day, my life has changed.
For Radical Journey, we’re required to raise $8,500. I got accepted to the program in April, I believe, so I had about 4 months to get $8,500. But what seemed like an impossible task for a kid like me turned into something that was possible. God’s voice always remained in the back of my head, telling me constantly, “Abby, I called you to do this. I will provide for you. Trust in me.” And see, I was feeling great hearing God say that. But my parents, yeah, they were really worried. So my parents lack of support in the financial area really put a damper on my faith and trust in God, knowing that He would provide for me. But no worries here, because this life changing story gets even better.
I had my first Advocacy Team meeting in May. For short, we’ll call them the A-Team. Every participant in RJ is required to form a A-Team. It’s basically a group of 4 people (or more) that hold special positions on your team. They help you fund raise, they pray for you, and they keep communication going between you, your home congregation, and your community. My A-Team consisted of:
Leader – Keith Yoder
Spiritual Director/Mentor – Jeri Hunsberger
Financial Coordinator – Tina Yoder
Prayer Facilitator – Heather Golias
I was blessed to have such an amazing group of people on my A-Team. They are truly awesome.
So we held our first meeting in May. At this point in time, I only had $750 in my MMN account towards RJ. My heart started racing a bit, seeing that time was getting shorter, and the amount I needed felt like it was getting bigger. I was working a lot during the April and May months at Stuver’s Nursery, putting almost all of my paychecks towards my trip. I even held a Hoss’s fundraiser, and yet I was still scared about the financial issue. But still, God’s voice remained, and I clung to that like no other.
On June 24th, I had my graduation/going away party. The outcome was incredible! It was an amazing time of food, fellowship, and a whole lot of love. When I got home that evening, I remember crying as I was counting out the money I had received. I was in absolute disbelief: $3,595 from my party alone. I knew God was working.
On June 25th, I had my next A-Team meeting. Tina told me the grand total in my MMN account so far: $7,590. I remember all of us just sitting there, not being able to believe this. That night, I knew for sure God was calling me to do this, and He was putting Himself inside of other people, He was making it known to me that other people wanted this for me too!
On June 30th, Tina messaged me on Facebook to tell me that more money had come in, and I had $8,700. I was over the limit of what I was required to have!
On July 1st, Tina messaged me again to tell me some more surprising news: I now had $9,122 in my MMN account towards RJ! I was beyond grateful for this. I couldn’t believe it. And it’s funny that I was so shocked about it all, because from day one, God promised that He would provide for me. God NEVER breaks His promises.
So here I am, getting ready to board a plane and head out to Chicago for a week and a half for training in just 11 days. On September 6th, I will board another plane for a lengthy 16 and 1/2 hour flight to Johannesburg, South Africa. From there, we will take some sort of transportation down to our new home for 11 months, Pietermaritzburg, South Africa.
We, as in my awesome SA team: Anya, Kristin, Nat, and myself. They are incredible people who I will talk more about in the near future.
I will be checking my blog I’m assuming regularly, and I will update you on life as it’s happening. Thank you for much for the financial support and for the support through prayer. I wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for you all and Jesus Christ, and I am beyond thankful.
Live Fearlessly,
Abigail Cable
This Life Of Mine 