Leadership Conference

Hey ya'll!
So......... This past week, I got to go to Missouri and Kansas! I went to Kansas to visit some family and then my mom and I drove to Missouri for a leadership conference. I feel so blessed for the opportunity I had to go and fellowship with other young leaders/believers and learn to better serve my team as a leader.
The conference was called "What Time Is It?" Maybe it was time for us to search our hearts. Maybe it was time to make some change in the way we lived. Etc.
Another thing we seemed to focus on was Discipleship. This was a really awesome thing for me because just recently I felt a calling on my heart to disciple the youth on AIM. I even had a discussion on how to do so with our Assistant Director. While I was there, I felt like the calling was growing even deeper. I felt like I had more of a heart for it.
We also had a time of Communion at the end. While we were singing I Surrender All, I started to open my hands in worship (When I worship I sometimes like to show I surrender or thankfulness to the Lord by raising my hands/arms and opening my hands). But then came the fight inside... I wasn't ready to surrender all. No. I was still holding onto my troubles and my hurts. The pain and hate I had been having inside me. I realized I wasn't ready to give it over to God. I wasn't ready to let Him help me. I had been pushing Him away. I didn't really want His help, and in the process I was making decisions that I never should have. I was hurting Him. I was hurting those around me. I was hurting myself.
After all that, I know I need to hand it all over. I need to raise my white flag of surrender. I need to give Him my hurts, my insecurities, and all the other junk I've been holding onto.
I would really appreciate your prayers as I work to be able to fully surrender everything to my wonderful Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
Another thing that I really enjoyed doing during my time there was look at the standards of excellence in AIM based on 1 Timothy 4:12.
Love.
Faith.
Purity.
Speech.
Life.
Our team discussed how we modeled those excellently. We also discussed what we needed to make better and how.
This also led into more discipleship stuff. Like how to disciple the kids in these areas.
This was probably one of the biggest highlights for me of the whole weekend.
I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to go to the conference. It was a good experience for me and a blessing. :)
Thanks for reading.

Mathew 16:24-27 (New King James Version)

²⁴ Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. ²⁵ For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. ²⁶ For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.

Dealing with Disappointment

If you are human, you've been disappointed before and probably quite a few times, I know I have.. :(
But is disappointment really a bad thing? Does God allow us to be disappointed sometimes for our own benefits?
I remember a time where we were supposed to do something with our neighbor, and it didn't work out. And then I thought, well, God had a reason why we didn't go. Maybe one of us could have gotten hurt or something.
God has a reason for EVERYTHING. Good or bad.
So, when you are disappointed, remember that whatever caused your disappointment really had a God-sized plan behind it.
Some Verses -
Romans 8:28 ~ And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Jeremiah 29:11 ~ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.

My Passion: Saving the Children

Another paper I wrote...... Enjoy.

My Passion: Saving the Children

I am passionate about many things, but one passion that really got a hold of my heart is fighting modern-day child slavery, both physically and spiritually, and child abuse. Slavery still exists today, taking many shapes and disguises. Child abuse is a sad, cruel crime which needs to be fought. My passion is to help abused, enslaved physically, and enslaved spiritually children.

Child abuse is wicked. There is nothing good about it. Innocent children should not be treated like animals. I want to help children suffering from abuse. I have a passion to help them, and it is a burning passion. Child abuse must be stopped.

Next, I want to rescue children in bondage. Slavery is also bad and even today it exists and is worse than it was years ago when people were more aware of it. I want to make people aware of it, this would probably help the problem the most. I want to boycott certain products to prove a point. I have also started a couple petitions towards companies who buy products produced by children in slavery. Fighting modern-day slavery is very important to me.

Lastly, I want to free the many children who are lost in spiritual darkness. This case is so sad. Children will grow up and influence people, companies, and even countries. It would be so much better if they were spiritually strong. Their choices would be better. Our country and world would have people full of good morals. Rescuing children from growing up without the Lord will help raise up a generation strong Christians who are living to serve the Lord in all that they do. This is very important.

Helping abused children and children who are enslaved physically and enslaved are things I am very passionate about. Child abuse needs to stop because children should be able to live in their homes feeling safe, not living in fear. Because child slavery is wrong, something needs to be done to stop it. By helping children living in spiritual darkness, I can help raise up a nation that loves the Lord. I pray God will raise up people who will help me in my fight to help these kids suffering from these issues.

The God-Given Passion

My far-from-perfect 5 paragraph essay for writing class... Enjoy.

The God-Given Passion

Doctors are highly respected in society because of the years of hard work they have put into reaching the state of knowledge they have today.  This knowledge can be used to help others and even save lives.  Physicians have also been trained to know what to do in emergency situations.  When I grow up, I want to become a general practitioner.  I believe this is a God-given passion.  As a doctor, I can reach others for Christ, help others with their health, and understand how God created the human body and the way it actually functions.

Reaching others for Christ is a big goal in my life.  I am hoping to be a missionary, using medical skills to lead people to Christ.  When someone offers help with physical issues to others, they can be opening a door to help heal their spiritual illnesses.  Thus, giving them the opportunity to know and be a witness for Him.  Being a doctor could help open the door for me to share Christ to those who desperately need Him.

My next reason for wanting to become a doctor is to be able to just physically help others.  So many people suffer and even die from the lack of proper medical care.  I want to help prolong lives, and I want to help allow people to live a full life for Christ by giving them longer to do so. Helping someone physically would give me great joy by allowing me to see them healthy and happy again.

Lastly, I want to understand how God created humans and how the body actually functions.  God has given us such complex body systems. Learning about these systems would help me better understand how they all work and how I can help others keep their bodies healthy.  Keeping our bodies healthy is important because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Having a healthy body would enable us to serve Christ more fully.  I am passionate about being a general practitioner when I grow up, because I can use these skills to reach others for Him, help others physically, and better learn how the body functions.  Doctoring could help bridge the gap from the patient to Christ.  Helping others with their physical needs could help them live long fulfilling lives for Christ, and enable them to take action in keeping their bodies healthy and fit for Christ’s sake.  Becoming a doctor is something that may be hard to do, but if an individual loves helping others with their health and wants something to help build the bridge to Christ, becoming a doctor is something they might want to consider.

Two Different Kinds of Friendships

I've noticed there are different kind of friendships which happen because of the different kind of people who make them. (Hope that that makes sense!!)
Have you noticed that some people tend to make friends very fast, and others take way longer to develop a friendship with someone?
The first kind seem to have an easy time making friends. Maybe people see them as a cool person who is talented (they probably are!!), and maybe they kind of seem to sparkle. These friendships might be light, fun, and not really long-lasting, but they can also be long, deep, and fun friendships.
The second may seem to be kind of dull and not very fun. These are the kind of people who will probably take longer to build friendships with others, but they aren't really as dull and "unfun" as they seem. They are probably more of the deep kind, and they will stick with their friends no matter what.
Make any sense? I think that both kinds have pros and cons. ;)
So, whether you are the first or second person, it doesn't matter, just be careful with your friends and remain  faithful to your friends because "one who finds a faithful friend finds a treasure".  God has given you a treasure when He has given you a friend. Cherish them.

Best Friends Forever

So, I used to always think BFFs were really cool (I still do, but......).
I was never allowed to have a "Bff" though, and now after growing up a little (I hope ;) I can see some of the reasons.
Have you ever noticed how exclusive the name is? Like normally you hear of a person having one BF and then the others will feel like they can't be good friends with them because of this person.
And I haven't actually heard of BFFs really and truly being BFs forever. Like will they really be "forever"?
It's sad that friends can't be as close forever, but they do have changes and life, and sadly, some issues where your friendship will always be different.
So, a few thoughts:
1. The only perfect and BFF that will remain forever is Christ. He wants to have that position in your life.
2. Be careful that you don't hurt others by only having one BFF. I don't think it is wrong to have a very close friend and not have another like them. Things just might work that way. But try not to be exclusive.
3. Be a good friend despite differences and issues. Remain loyal/faithful. It will be worth in the end if you have really found a good friend.
4. Remember good/close friends are treasures.
And that's all I have to say about that for the moment.
Have a blessed day!!!!
Blessings,
Bekah

Christian Youth Of Action

If you aren't checking in on CYOA's(Christian Youth Of Action's) blog, here's a little update on what they've been up to.
 Btw- CYOA is a Christian-youth founded group that raises money to help reach a lost world for Christ.
They recently finished raising money for a water buffalo(this water buffalo will be given to a needy family by a church where hopefully they will become interested in learning more about Christ)!! They did two movie night fundraisers one of them being a  "dinner-and-a-movie" night where the youth showed Fireproof and had a served spaghetti dinner!
Their next goal is to sponsor a missionary for a year and to buy a barnyard bundle consisting of a cow, a pig, and other animals. Altogether, this will cost them a little over a $1,000. From the last fundraisers, they have enough money left over to already sponsor the missionary!
Please pray for this team of youth that are on fire for the Lord. Please pray for the leaders and the team members as they grow in their roles. Please also pray for the families who will be affected by their work. Thanks!!
To see their blog and learn more about them and what they've been up to, click the link below.
http://christianyouthofactionblog.blogspot.com/