God Moves Through People - A Follow Up to Adrienne's Story

Shelley Pearson • May 28, 2021

Less than three weeks ago, we shared the story of prospective staff member, Adrienne Haugen, who had been working for over eleven months to raise her salary and had only three weeks remaining to bring in an additional $500 per month (roughly $6,000 for the year). Prospective staff members are given one full year to raise 100% of the needed funds, and if they come up short at the end of that one year, their time of pursuing a staff position with FCA is over.

As Adrienne looked at that impending date on her calendar, she will admit she had times of anxiety and uncertainty. At the same time, Adrienne says, “My word for the year has been Hope, so I was hopeful and relying on the faith that God was going to make it happen.” Of course, there were times she wondered whether God had led her on this journey only to teach her some things that would ultimately lead her away from FCA staff. She hoped not, but she was surrendered to His will.

Fast forward only fifteen days, and Adrienne met her goal: 100% funded!

God at Work

Adrienne recognized God’s hand throughout the process but was blown away over the last two weeks of support raising. She says, “You could see God’s hand at work from the moment the story hit the website. God’s hand worked in ways none of us could have done.”

Shelley Pearson, FCA Communications Specialist, knows God led her to write that story. She says, “I saw a post that James Bolin, Southeast Minnesota Area Director [and Adrienne’s boss], posted about Adrienne on the Southeast MN FCA Facebook page. I saw how little time she had left to raise support and thought it might help to tell her story. I had no idea the impact that one act of obedience would have.”

Most people only read the stories that are posted on the Minnesota FCA website when they are shared through social media and newsletters. It is rare that anyone would just stop by the website and randomly start going through blog posts, but that is exactly what happened for a brand new donor for Adrienne. She says, “He is a donor that never would have donated except for the story. He said it was all because he saw the story and wanted to help. He checks out the blog page periodically and happened to go in and check it during that time and read the story.”

As followers of Christ, we know he didn’t just “happen” to check out the story, just like Shelley didn’t just happen to write a story at an opportune time. God was at work, as He often is, behind the scenes, leading and guiding His people to join the work He is doing.

Besides those reached by the story, another staff member, Gina Woodyard, took the lead in hosting cookouts and gatherings with potential donors. Some of those people came on as monthly donors, and others made connections with more people who joined Adrienne’s team.

Learning through the Process

Through the whole support raising experience, and especially over the past few weeks, Adrienne has learned a lot about God, herself, and others. Adrienne says, “Support raising has helped break down the fear of talking to people. I can talk surface level to people all day long, but once you have to start getting deeper, I’m terrified of it. It goes back to that saying that growth comes out of discomfort. Support raising is uncomfortable, but it opens the door for you to learn how to reach out to people.”

Over the last year, Adrienne has become more confident than ever before that God is holding her in whatever she faces and wants others to know it too. She said, “Don’t give up when things look bad. Trust in God because if it’s His will, He will provide a way. Keep praying and do what you should be doing. Ask for help if it’s needed. It’s more than okay to say, ‘Help me, please.’ The ultimate is knowing that it’s God. It wasn’t me, it wasn’t Shelley, it wasn’t Gina, it wasn’t James, it was God. He used everyone else to fulfill His purpose.”

Shelley, Gina, James, and others would wholeheartedly agree with Adrienne. It is God. God who prepared hearts to give, God who led James to write the Facebook post that Shelley saw, God who led Shelley to write the story at just the right time, God who gave Gina a desire to come alongside Adrienne, and God who worked in and through so many other people who want nothing more than for more and more coaches and athletes to be reached with the Gospel and experience life transformation. It is Philippians 2:13, which says, “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.”

Looking Forward to God Continuing the Work He Started

The staff at Minnesota FCA look forward to doing ministry with Adrienne, and we are praising God for what He has already done in and through her and for how He will use her in the years to come. We are reminded that God is in control and very much at work in the hearts and lives of our staff members and the coaches and athletes we work with every day.

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