I've been meaning to share one of my testimonies. It dates back to 2011, one of the most impactful years I've had in my life. You'll know why when you finish reading all the parts.
Let me put you into context. It was the first week of June 2011. I was living in Spain, and I had almost finished the first year of college, except for a couple of final tests. Around that time, though, I had to start thinking about what to do for the next school year. For that particular college, July was the month to enroll in subjects and pay tuition fees, meaning I was only a month away to go through that process.
Nevertheless, there was a huge problem: I only had €192 left in my bank account. For that month and year, that would have been the equivalent of $278. As you probably assumed, that was not enough to pay the tuition fee of a single subject, let alone a whole semester!
It gets even worse. That first year of college? Yeah, a total disaster. I failed eight subjects out of ten. For this reason, I had to retake those eight subjects and would have to pay double. You read that right.
Let's go back in time. It is now August/September 2010. First year of college was about to start, and I thought: "You know what? Maybe I should enroll in a scholarship or something, just in case". I researched, tried to work my way through paperwork, emails, websites, systems, yada yada yada. Long story short, I only was able to enroll in one scholarship out of dozens. Keep that detail in mind. I should also point out that the scholarship would only be granted to me based on performance. If I did a bad first year, I could forget about it.
Then, the semester started. If I'm honest to you, I felt alone. It was a weird time for me, being surrounded by more than a hundred students, and not knowing anybody. I managed to have a couple of acquaintances through the year, but I was shy, and scared to be myself even to them. I felt like a stranger venturing to a deserted island, although it looked like a city full of life. Along with the spiritual and emotional struggles I had during 2010 and 2011, all of this piled up and made my first college year as disastrous as possible without getting myself kicked out. If I had failed nine or all ten subjects, the university would have shown me the door. What a start, huh.
Let's return to June 2011, but for another reason. A few weeks prior, my dad encouraged me to join him in a mission trip for the second time. We would go again to Moldova during July/August, the first time being in summer 2010. Other people from our church and even other countries would be joining us. The catch? I needed at least €350 to pay for the trip and lodging. Well, guess what? €350 is also more than €192. I couldn't even afford the mission trip! How sad is that?
I was getting worried, so I started praying. I remember saying to God: "If I get a job, I will miss out on the mission trip for sure, but at least I will be able to pay off part of the tuition. If I don't get a job, I can only hope that the scholarship comes through on time. Otherwise, no more college for me". Then, I read Matthew 6 many times, the whole chapter. Other passages as well, but that chapter stood out. Towards the end, Jesus explains that we need not to worry about having our basics needs met if first we seek the Kingdom of God. I prayed to God to help me out, help me understand what it meant to first seek the Kingdom of God and trust in Him.
A few days passed, and I realized I had to make a choice. It was a hard one. After days of praying, I decided to give up on college and focus on the mission trip. I still had to find a way to raise support, of course, but raising from €192 to €350 was definitely easier than getting enough money for college. Also, after the amazing experience I had in 2010's mission trip to Moldova, I did not want to miss out on what God would do again in Moldova. I would worry later about my studies.
Then, it happened. An envelope. I recall grabbing it and thinking: "This is weird". At first, I didn't recognize the sender's address, nor the company's logo, so I was wondering what it was. I opened it and pulled up a paper. When I saw a currency number, €500, I knew immediately what it was. Remember that one scholarship I enrolled in? That is exactly what it was. It was a tiny amount, which was expected due to my (really low) performance in college, but still, I felt relieved!
It gets better. I noticed the envelope was still a little bit bulky. I took out another paper, and what I saw blew my mind. It was the same scholarship for the same amount, and the letter clarified that it was an additional sum they were giving to me. Why? To this day, I still have no idea. I was astonished.
Oh, I'm not done! I saw yet another paper inside the envelope. At first, I thought it was extra information or some legal document to store for tax records purposes. However, when I started pulling it out, the weirdest thing happened. That paper wasn't from the same scholarship provider I enrolled in. In fact, I never heard of it before. The whole thing was different, the wording, layout, logos, you name it. It didn't make any sense. I thought somebody made a mistake.
Well, somebody granted me a scholarship I never asked for, and for a total amount of €3,500. That alone would cover almost two years worth of college's tuition fees. Thanks to this miracle, I was able to go on a mission trip with my dad and continue with college. Needless to say, I was grateful to God for providing me with the money I needed, and right on time!
However, what I thought was just a money miracle, became much more than that. Want to find out what happened next? Read now the second part of this testimony!
Spoiler alert: more mission trips and a turn-around in college with impactful conversations.
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