Six Impossible Things
Have you ever met someone with extraordinary faith? I recently worked with someone who would make our heads spin with his vision and dreams. Most of the time we whispered things under our breath like, “No way, he’s crazy.” Or, “This is impossible.”
But he believed they would happen, and they often did.
Starting Rescue Pink has been a huge undertaking. If you read my previous post you know what it took to overcome my fears and take that giant leap of faith. Since that first step, it’s been moment after moment of God taking what I thought should be impossible, and making it possible.
One of the visions God gave me for Rescue Pink was that it would become a well-known organization. On one hand, this sort of dream was hard for someone like me to visualize. But on the other, I knew it would take a mighty following to inspire national change in India. I wasn’t sure how it would happen, but I asked God for it, and I’ve been amazed to see how He’s put Rescue Pink on the hearts of people from all over the world. They’ve messaged me and connected, and each one has used the exact phrase when introducing themselves: “I can’t get Rescue Pink off my mind and something in my spirit told me I needed to connect with you.”
I know God is putting together a team of people from various locations that will work hard to give these baby girls in India what they deserve. God is showing me that when I think the vision He has given is impossible, I just need to trust Him and be ready.
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I received an email with discounted airfares to India this past October. I really wanted our board of directors to be able travel there to research, gather digital media and connect with our Indian partner. But even with the discount, I knew the cost was impossible. Instead of dismissing the idea, I decided to pray. And in those prayers I felt God wanted me to move forward with this impossible dream. I felt like my visionary friend when I pitched to my board that I wanted us to raise ten thousand dollars, take off work, get Visas and travel to India within the next couple of weeks.
Five days later we went from having zero dollars in the bank to having ten thousand dollars pledged, and that November we traveled to India. I even got to meet and take my impossible dream photographer with me: Tina Francis Mutungu. And trust me when I say that she is just as precious in the flesh as you imagine her to be.
Impossible can be possible if you believe it.
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While in India, we spent days in the villages learning about the heart-wrenching issue of dowry and how it causes desperate moms to choose infanticide for their daughters. In a moment of utter disappointment I prayed that God would provide us with a way around dowry, even though there seemed no way to stop it.
It was an impossible thing.
The same afternoon I whispered that prayer, we found ourselves being ushered into the office of a member of Indian Parliament. He was surrounded by at least one hundred of his constituents. As we entered, I heard him say, “This is why I brought all of you here today. What she has to say is extremely important.” (gulp) What?
Normally, this type of situation would have left my introverted self in a puddle on the floor.
But I was able to passionately share Rescue Pink with him. I could tell he already knew what we were about. He let me finish and then he smiled kindly and said, “India is beginning to recognize this problem, but we need your help.” He went on to explain that just two weeks prior they passed a national law that would give financial incentives to the poor if they allowed their girls to be born and educated. These incentives are more than enough to pay for their dowry. He said that though they were the lawmakers, it was up to us to help these girls get what they deserve. I left the meeting thinking, “Only you, God, would go before us just two weeks earlier and make this happen. Making impossible things possible.”
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Upon our return home, I knew we needed to focus on fundraising, but a big obstacle was receiving our tax exemption status. That November, I called and found out the IRS was over a year behind on reviewing applications. I knew we wouldn’t be approved anytime soon. When I called that January to get a status update, the woman on the phone replied, “Ma’am, as of January 3rd you are tax exempt. You have been approved.” When I went to the IRS website, it said they were still processing July 2012 applications. We applied August of 2013.
Impossible is possible.
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A few days ago, a friend posted a photo on his Instagram. It was a photo with a quote and drawing of Alice in Wonderland characters: Sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast, it said.
It stopped me in my tracks. I thought, “People who allow themselves to dream impossible dreams every day, and have enough faith to take action to work towards making them come true, are the people who change the world. I want to be more like that!”
One of the things I’m learning is that faith is like a muscle that has to be exercised in order to take giant leaps and accomplish big things. If I didn’t take the leap and launch Rescue Pink last year then I never would have experienced the impossible things I mentioned above, and those are just a few of them. I love this quote from Through the Looking Glass. Alice and the White Queen are talking:
“I’m just one hundred and one, five months and a day.”
“I can’t believe that!” said Alice.
“Can’t you?” the Queen said in a pitying tone. “Try again: draw a long breath, and shut your eyes.”
Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one CAN’T believe impossible things.”
“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”
My visionary friend is like the Queen with his impossible dreams. I want to be like them too! I’m beginning to not let the reasons why something might not happen stop me from taking the risk.
I’m starting to understand the importance of not playing it safe. I’m stepping out more and believing more quickly.
I want to be that person who truly does believe in as many as six impossible things each morning, just to get my day started. I think it’s a great motivator, but I also believe it takes practice; so I’m shutting my eyes and drawing a long breath…
My #6impossiblethings this morning:
1) Funding for a Rescue Home in India
2) Funds to hire three advocates to help mamas in poor communities get what they deserve so they can choose to keep their girls
3) A way for at least two of those advocates to be women and still get things accomplished in India
4) Passionate volunteers from every state and province in North America
5) Funds to help supply business micro-loans to women who want to keep their girls
6) For the Indian government to offer us an adoption license
What are your #6impossiblethings?
(Written Feb. 2014)