Trusting God against all odds

When I staffed my first DTS (Discipleship Training School) in Thailand, God clearly told me to take a break after every school and equip myself before going back and staffing another one. I staffed two DTS’s in Thailand and took courses in between. 

As I was considering what to do after my second school, my base leader suggested I do DTS Equip – a school for training DTS leaders. I did some research and found a DTS Equip school that was held in Battambang, Cambodia. My leader said it would be easy for me to go there, so I started working on it. Everything looked good – the fees were affordable, the visa would be easy to get, so it was all set. 

I did not have any supporters at the time but my leader and other staff at my base said they could help me pay for it but then God started speaking to me about doing the school in America. I knew they ran the DTS Equip school in Montana, so I spoke with my leader about going there. 

She told me it would be very expensive. Then God spoke to me and said that was why he wanted me to go. It was not possible for me, but with him it was possible. I did not have money for the fees and it would be almost impossible to get the right visa. 

Going to Cambodia was easy; going to America took trust. I said, “Ok God, I don’t have any supporters so I am just trusting in you.” 

Within one week, God showed me what he was able to do. A girl from Kona, who was interning at our base, heard about how God was encouraging me to go to America for my school. She said, “Why don’t you come to Kona, Hawai’i instead of Montana – they have the school there too and I think it would be great for you.”

I said, “No, I can’t do that – Kona is even more expensive than Montana!” She said, “Come to Kona and I will see what I can do.” She went back to Kona. 

A week later, she wrote to me to say she had raised $2,000 USD! I was totally blown away!

God spoke to me then and said, “See – I have given you the money you need, so go ahead and work on the visa.” 

My friends were discouraging me, though, saying I would get rejected. One friend told me her visa had been denied and she had lost 10,000 baht (about $300 USD) in the process. My friends back home in India were telling me that, even if I got the visa, I could be sent home after I landed. 

I felt like God said, “Go ahead, I am leading you in this thing. You are not making this choice on your own, I am making a story here to be a testimony of how good I am.” So I told my leaders and they said, “Ok – if that’s what you feel, then do it.” I trusted God and prepared my visa application. 

Then, right before my visa interview, my fiancé and I broke up. I felt completely overwhelmed with shame and that night I decided to run away to Nepal and not tell anyone what I was doing. It felt impossible to tell my friends and family what was happening. Everyone knew we had been planning our wedding. What would I say?

Then the next morning God clearly spoke to me and said, “Do you want to leave everything I am giving to you just because you are in a painful place?” He told me to go and talk to my leaders and not feel ashamed because the break was good for this season and he was going to bring us back together. God also told me to go to the interview and that he had already given me the visa.

So, I spoke to my leaders and went to the interview. The interview was less than five minutes and they didn’t even ask for my financial information. Before I knew it, I had a ten year, multiple entry visa for the United States.

When I told my friends what had happened, they were all amazed. Everyone who had applied before said the interviews were very hard. When I landed in America I was nervous, but the immigration officer was very friendly. He stamped my passport and said, “Welcome to America.” 

I arrived in Kona, but had spent part of the money I had been given on my flights. Since the DTS Equip school required everyone to pay their full fees upfront, I didn’t have all the money. The leaders of the school however, came to me and said, “We never do this, but we feel God is very clearly leadings us, as a staff team, to cover the one thousand dollars that you still need.” 

So on the first day my fees were paid in full.

Since then, I have seen God provide over and over again for me as I obeyed him to stay in Kona and staff here. Every month my staff fees have been paid promptly. Sometimes I would be afraid and go talk to the accountant and she would tell me, “Your fees are already paid and you have money left over.” Somehow, anonymously, someone had given to help me. I have had enough not just to survive, but to bless others as well. I have even been able to send money back to my mother in India to bless her. 

Three weeks after I came to Kona, my former fiancé and I started talking again. Our relationship became even better after taking a break. After the DTS Equip school ended, I traveled to Seattle to meet her family. We got engaged again, had a big celebration in India with my family, and then were married in the United States. Today we are both on staff with YWAM and are excited for the adventure of following God into the future he has for us!

Prabhu B.
YWAM Ships Kona

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