Impossible Amounts of Money
Several years ago, I was sitting in a seminar on fundraising that was being conducted by a colleague of the organization I used to work for. At the end of the seminar, this charismatic speaker reached into his bag and pulled out $100 in cash and a ceramic mug. He put the money in the mug, told the audience about my youth entrepreneurship program, and invited the attendees to make a contribution in support of my program, to see firsthand how good it feels to give. Including his $100, I left that seminar with almost $700 for my program!
A few months later, I had the opportunity to speak at the college fellowship I had participated in when I was at PENN. I had just graduated a couple years before, and was still living in a house near campus, along with several current members of the fellowship. One of them was from an Asian country; his fiancee was still there, and he didn't think he'd have the money to see her over the holidays. My talk was on money, so, emboldened by my experience from a few months past, I decided to give my listeners an immediate opportunity to respond. Like my colleague, I too reached into a bag and pulled out $100 in cash and a ceramic mug, told the audience about my housemate (whose story they all knew), and invited others to contribute towards raising the money to get him home for the holidays.
When I conceived of this idea in the days leading up to the talk, I was excited to see how much we would raise, and eager to see the look on my friend and housemate's face (I hadn't discussed this with him previous, so it was going to be a huge surprise). But once that mug left my hand on the night of my talk, I was filled with unease. PENN may have richer college students than most, but the prospect of a room of about 100 students having any significant amount of money in their pocket on a Thursday evening was slimmer than I had considered. Even as I wrapped up my remarks, my mind spun with the worst-case scenarios: what if, including my $100, we only raise another $200-$300, not nearly enough for a plane ticket and blowing a huge hole in the fanfare with which I had launched this unannounced fundraising campaign. I said a little prayer inside, and upon concluding my talk, prayed aloud, among other things that God would provide the funds for my housemate.
When I said "Amen" and we all opened our eyes, I asked someone in the back to bring the mug forward and count out the money. Including pledges, we had raised over $2000! The ensuing set of worship songs was sung with special enthusiasm, as you can imagine, especially by me -- I breathed a sigh of relief, said thanks to God, and gave a quick glance to my friend and housemate. Who knew that in a room full of college students, we could raise so much money, and so enthusiastically no less. I'll forever remember that night as the time God provided impossible amounts of money, and we celebrated it in joyous song.
A few months later, I had the opportunity to speak at the college fellowship I had participated in when I was at PENN. I had just graduated a couple years before, and was still living in a house near campus, along with several current members of the fellowship. One of them was from an Asian country; his fiancee was still there, and he didn't think he'd have the money to see her over the holidays. My talk was on money, so, emboldened by my experience from a few months past, I decided to give my listeners an immediate opportunity to respond. Like my colleague, I too reached into a bag and pulled out $100 in cash and a ceramic mug, told the audience about my housemate (whose story they all knew), and invited others to contribute towards raising the money to get him home for the holidays.
When I conceived of this idea in the days leading up to the talk, I was excited to see how much we would raise, and eager to see the look on my friend and housemate's face (I hadn't discussed this with him previous, so it was going to be a huge surprise). But once that mug left my hand on the night of my talk, I was filled with unease. PENN may have richer college students than most, but the prospect of a room of about 100 students having any significant amount of money in their pocket on a Thursday evening was slimmer than I had considered. Even as I wrapped up my remarks, my mind spun with the worst-case scenarios: what if, including my $100, we only raise another $200-$300, not nearly enough for a plane ticket and blowing a huge hole in the fanfare with which I had launched this unannounced fundraising campaign. I said a little prayer inside, and upon concluding my talk, prayed aloud, among other things that God would provide the funds for my housemate.
When I said "Amen" and we all opened our eyes, I asked someone in the back to bring the mug forward and count out the money. Including pledges, we had raised over $2000! The ensuing set of worship songs was sung with special enthusiasm, as you can imagine, especially by me -- I breathed a sigh of relief, said thanks to God, and gave a quick glance to my friend and housemate. Who knew that in a room full of college students, we could raise so much money, and so enthusiastically no less. I'll forever remember that night as the time God provided impossible amounts of money, and we celebrated it in joyous song.
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