Not Enough & Saying Yes {My Story}

Hey friends! Thank you so much for coming over to read - it means so much that you've taken the time. Let me introduce myself and tell you a bit about how Clothe Syria began.

My name is Natalie Raboin, I am 24, and live in Mexico Missouri. I have a Bachelor of Science in Cross-Cultural Ministry from Central Christian College of the Bible. When I was 13, I went on my first trip outside of the USA to Monterrey, Mexico. That is where I was exposed to people living in the slums, and people who were hurting, and needy. I realized that the world was much bigger than the U.S. and had a lot of hurting and needy people. That is when I knew that I wanted to be a missionary and reach the people of the world.

My sister Leanne and I 

I went on a two more trips to Monterrey, and then when I was 17 I started traveling more of the world for months at a time. I saw more needs and more hurting people. In the last 7 years I have been to Africa, India, the UK, and Eastern Europe. I have seen and held the orphans, the poor, the homeless, the hopeless, and dying.

On the 24^th of August I went to a Women of Faith conference in Des Moines, Iowa. At the beginning of the conference one of the speakers said a few words about Syria and about refugees that are fleeing the country. She then asked that we would pray with her. As she prayed I never felt such a strong stirring, burden, and conviction to do something about what is happening to the people in Syria. I knew I had to do something! But what?

Later the same speaker, Christine Caine, shared the story from the Gospel of Mark chapter 6 about Jesus feeding the five thousand. Jesus’ disciples came to him and said that the people were hungry, Jesus then tells the disciples to feed them, feed five thousand people! The disciples went out in the crowd to see what they could find and came back with five loaves of bread and two fish. That was not enough for the five thousand men, which did not even include the women and children, there could have easily been fifteen thousand people there! However, Jesus did not even bat an eyelash at the fact that fifteen thousand people needed to eat and they only had five loaves of bread and two fish.

The ingredients for Jesus to do a miracle were in their midst, they just had to go and gather them and give them to Jesus. Then Jesus began to multiply it and everyone ate, and there were even twelve baskets left over. 

Christine Caine went on to say how many times we look at our “not enough” and curse it instead of giving it to Jesus to multiply. We think we have nothing, therefore we give nothing to Jesus and we miss out on miracles.

That is where “Clothe Syria” was born. Me? I was not enough. I didn't have much to give - but I chose to take my "not enough" and hand it over to God and believe that He would make up the rest. I could not wait to get back home and get rid of my clothes. Earlier in the summer I had been feeling the Lord convict me that I needed to live simply, but I was hesitant because - honestly? I like my clothes. But with this vision for the Syrian refugees,  I started throwing my clothes in a black garbage bag! I had never been more excited to get rid of my clothes, even ones I had only worn a few times. It made my heart glad to think that a girl over in Syria might be excited to get an outfit when I had plenty to choose from. 

I am one person, I know that my one bag of clothes will not clothe the 2.5 million refugees that are streaming out of Syria, but this is my “not enough” that I am more than willing and excited to give away and see the Lord multiply it! I said “Yes!” and the multiplying has started. 

So, how about it? What is your not enough? 

Because we have the ingredients for a miracle on our hands, friends. 

Will you join me in saying, “Yes!”