Good lookin' out.

Prayer. It is an awesome and incredibly powerful thing. And I’m not going to lie…I have been known to be a bit of a doubter. Let’s just say that trust and patience aren’t my strong suits. And you need a whole lot of both of those things when it comes to prayer. But God has been proving to me that all things really are possible through Christ.

Like many other poor college students, finances are a pretty regular source of stress and a pretty constant subject of prayer. With the recent death of my car and purchase of a replacement, another tuition bill due, and a summer without working, money has not been in surplus to say the least. I am now back to my near-minimum wage part-time job living at home because I can’t afford rent with an empty bank account and a stack of student loans. And then there’s that pesky addiction to traveling that’s eating me out of house and home. I am a firm believer that God helps those who help themselves, and that is why I am working at an on-campus job and paid internship while going to school full time. And with all that, it's easy for me to start thinking my prayers are broken or something. But completely out of the blue, my campus minister brought up a scholarship opportunity for students that are involved with Campus Ministry, from Kent County, and have financial need…so basically, me in a nutshell. He nominated me, and I got it! I didn’t even have to do anything. It is a straight up blessing, and I am heaps thankful to know that God’s got my back. Good lookin’ out, God.

So, this week alone, God has blessed me with a car and a completely unexpected scholarship. And that is after He gave me the incredible opportunity to spend my summer in Australia. Which was after he answered months of prayer about his will for music in my life by blessing me with the CM music internship. And after the past three days at our Campus Ministry Leadership Retreat, I am feeling nothing but grateful and completely blessed for the amazing community I am a part of and the role I have in that community. So basically, I am ready to take on the world. From Grand Valley. Because I can. For with God, nothing is impossible.

-Ray