Africa Update #2

Hello!
First off, I want to apologize to all those who have asked me to post on here. I am sorry I have not been very good about it. Sadly, my computer seems to have broken down. That being said, I now have to type all this out on my phone.
Africa! Wow. Where do I start?!
Victoria and I have nearly finished up our sponsorship program cards. Now we can take the info and pictures back to America and have people sponsor these adorable kids. The process of making these did not turn out to be easy. First of all, the organization was not very good. Even some of the birthdays did not match the kids' ages. Second, my computer did not save my work correctly and then just stopped working altogether. So, we had to start all over. Next, the pictures all got lost. So we ended up retaking those only to find out someone had found the memory card with all the pictures on it right after we finished retaking them. That was amusing. But after all that, we are nearly done. We just have to organize and add a few more kids and make sure all the info lines up, including the birthdays and ages.
This trip has come with a lot of down time. Neither Victoria or I expected that which means we didn't come very prepared. Thankfully, I got a SIM card for my phone so now I have Internet wherever I go. This way I can stay connected and download books to read to keep me occupied on the down times. Unfortunately, Victoria doesn't have the same luxury.
Victoria has started trying to learn how to cook some of the common dishes here. She seems to be enjoying that. She even started helping me wash the laundry.
I started teaching first and second grade reading at the school this week. I was not able to go today because I got a flu bug. Victoria also has been sick. It doesn't seem to be anything serious. It has just been a little inconvenient.
For the most part, I feel like I have adjusted to the food (minus the meat), the showering and restroom, the mosquito nets, laundry methods, etc.
Uganda is a very beautiful place. It is very green here. And just gorgeous. It is overcast almost everyday which is kind of good because when the sun is out it gets very hot! The humidity isn't as bad as I expected thankfully.
The people.... The people are beautiful. The kids are precious. So full of joy and love.
I find Uganda to be a very beautiful place. Yes, for the reasons I mentioned above but also for another reason. This morning, while eating breakfast, I was thinking about how I love Uganda kind of like I love TJ, Mexico. Granted- Uganda is way prettier from what I've seen. But I realized that I love the poverty. Okay, that probably sounds a little crazy. But I love the way of life poverty brings. It is so simple. And the people are so grateful for the little things. So, in a way, I have fallen in love with the poverty of Uganda, Africa.
Now for the more personal stuff..... God has been working in my heart. My heart is so stubborn and hard.... So He has been and will have to continue to do a lot of softening with it. In my life, I continually struggle with doubts, the biggest we being- Is God real? I am ashamed to even admit this. Recently, I have been doubting so much. I feel like I should be past this. Like, I've been raised in a Christian home, I made a commitment to the Lord, and I love Him. I love Him so much. So why do I doubt? Anyways, on this trip, the last few days I have been really trying to journal my prayers and to read my Bible and journal about it every day. This kind of helps to keep me accountable.
Please keep Victoria and I in your prayers. We have less than two weeks left here before we head to Europe for a week. Please pray that the Lord would continue to work in both of ours hearts. Please also pray that we would be a blessing to everyone we come in contact with. And lastly, please pray for our health! Please pray we will get over this cold quickly so we can get back to work. ;)
Thank you all so much!!

Blessings,
Bekah

Uganda Thus Far!

​Hello from Uganda!

I am sorry I have not updated this blog earlier... But here I am! Now, where to start.....

Victoria and I arrived in Entebe, Uganda, Wednesday, the 20th, at night after nearly 30 hours of traveling. After being picked up, we proceeded to drive to Kampala (the capital of Uganda) to spend the night in a hotel. It was about an hour drive. In Kampala, we met up with an American pastor we had met back in the states as well as one of his team members. The next day was spent driving around Kampala, drinking coffee at an amazing coffee shop, exchanging currency, and eating pizza. Not too bad, huh? ;-) They gave us ketchup for our pizza which I found amusing... From Kampala, Rukungiri (the town we are staying in) is an 8 hour drive. Thankfully, I was able to catch up on some sleep

during the car ride. 

Rukungiri is much bigger than I originally thought. Like a lot bigger! It's not some small village... It is a pretty large district actually. Victoria and I are staying with Onesemus and Betty. Onesemus is a pastor at God's Embassy church. We met him through our church when he came to the states to go to Seminary. His wife is very sweet and a lovely person. They have three kids. Benny is 8. Boss is 7. And Pem is 2. The older two were so excited to have us. Pem is a little shyer, but still adorable and sweet. ;-)

In Rukungiri, they eat a lot of plantains. They are pretty much green looking bananas. They do not have much taste. They also have some corn stuff which is white and also pretty tasteless. But other than those two things, everything else is pretty flavorful. They have so much starch in their diet including potatoes and beans with rice. At the hotel we often eat at, they serve lots of chips and chapati. Chips are like fries and really good. Chapati is like a doughy tortilla. So good! They have a drink in the morning called Chai. Now, this is not like our American Chai. It is made with boiled milk and water and the African tea leaves. They call the tea leaves green tea, but I think it is more of our black tea in America. Not positive on that though... Breakfast is a very light meal. Usually just Chai with some bread. On Sundays, we do eat a heavier breakfast due to the fact that church gets out after noon so we will have lunch a little later.

Everyone here will stare at us because we are different looking. The kids all want to grab our hands and rub our arms. I don't think I've ever been this popular. Victoria took pictures with each of the kids at the school. I am now working on putting the photos on a sponsorship card so that when we get back to the U.S. we can find sponsors for the kids. All the kids are so adorable. I may start teaching English at the school as well. 

Another thing we have been doing is house visits. We will walk around and visit church members' houses. Yesterday, the mother of the lady we were there visiting got saved! Praise the Lord! Part of the American pastor's team have been coming as well and sharing the gospel as well as their own testimonies. We have heard the villagers testimonies as well. Some of them are really crazy and powerful. We spoke to one man who had been stabbed three times and everyone thought he was dead. And his wife used to be tormented by evil spirits and even possessed by them. I know all this sounds crazy, and it is. Over here, you hear about that stuff a lot. In America, it doesn't seem to be a problem, but here... almost everyone talks about it.

Where I am staying, we take bucket showers. I boil water, mix it with cold water to make it warm, and put a cup in it. I use the cup to shower with. It actually hasn't been too bad. It's kinda fun unless you're exhausted and still need to shower... ;-) Even the nicer toilet in the house is missing the top part... I think it is funny because back in the states, everyone makes a big deal about putting the toilet seat down... But here, there isn't one to put down.

I would continue all of your prayers as I try to figure out how to stay busy. I have been feeling discouraged and a little homesick. Most days, there is not too much to do so it is a lot of sitting around and being bored. Please pray that I find something to keep me occupied. Also, please pray that Victoria and I continue to stay healthy and don't get bit by any bugs. So far, I only have one bite and I don't think Victoria has gotten one. Thank the Lord for bug spray! Today, Victoria had a bad headache, but I think it is something that happens sometimes back at home as well. This past Monday, I wasn't not feeling very well, but after spending the day sleeping/resting, I felt much better. I am very thankful that we have not gotten any sicker than that!

Thank you all so much for your prayers, thoughts, and support! <3 :-)

Blessings,

Bekah​

Africa Here I Come!

I will soon be leaving for Africa (like this Tuesday to be exact)! I am still getting a few last minute things done. I will be trying to post on here while I am gone. We will see how that goes. If you wish to contact me, you can try my Instagram (bekahboo1315), WhatsApp (my cell number), or Snapchat. I am planning to use Whatsapp a lot, but I am not sure what the cell service will be like over there. 

I would really appreciate everyone's prayers...

I am going to be away from home for 6 weeks (42 days to be exact), 5 of which will be in a third world country. I have only been out of the country to Mexico and Canada, so this is a huge deal to me... I have also never been away from home for more than about a week. Please pray that I (and my sister Victoria who is coming as well) will adjust well and be a blessing to all those around me. 

The 6th week will be spent in Germany and maybe a couple other European countries. That should be really fun and I am really looking forward to that as well! 

Thank you for your prayers and support!

Blessings,

Bekah Grace

My Senior Year

“A woman’s heart should be so hidden in God that a man has to seek Him just to find her.” – Max Lucado

This year has flown by so fast!

In September, I bought my first car. A white Prius. Allll my friends love making fun of the fact that I own a Prius. So far it has been a great, reliable car and I am getting great gas mileage! I also started up my first official college class (on an actual campus ;-P). Spanish I was fun...

In November, I started working at La Vida Real, a retirement home. I learned to waitress in the dining room. It was a great experience since it was 5-star certified dining. It was easier to develop relationships with the people I served since I saw them 5 days a week. It was one of the hardest but best things I have done work wise.

I was also working at a small Italian restaurant and trying to do Awana as well making every night of my week full. This ended up being exhausting. I was working nearly full time while trying to have a social life and college classes and senior stuff all in one. It was crazy...

This semester, I took an introduction to business class online and continued with Spanish II. Spanish this semester has been a much better experience. I ended up quitting the Italian restaurant job which gave me one much-needed night off. Thankfully, my school load has been decently light. I finished Awana and received my citation. I also took a leave of absence from La Vida Real this month (May). This way I can enjoy the rest of my senior year and travel this summer (more on that later).

So that summarizes the past 9ish months....

Sadly, this year has not shown as much of a growth in my relationship with the Lord has I would have hoped. The quote I posted at the top is my senior quote for the yearbook. That is my desire. My desire is to be so completely surrendered to the Lord and walking in His ways while trusting Him to work out all my desires. I do not believe I am ready to be in a relationship with a young man yet because my relationship with the Lord is not in a strong, mature place. I hope by the end of this summer, I will be closer to Him and fully trusting in Him for everything in my life.

Thank you for reading. :-)

Blessings,

Bekah

And... I'm back!

Wow... I was looking at my last post and realized it has been so long since I have posted on this blog... I have been busy! Since my life may be slowing down just a little for the time being, I will try to be posting a little more often. :-)

Sometimes life throws us curveballs... Or we throw them for ourselves.
Ever since I was about 7 years old, I wanted to be a doctor/nurse. For ten whole years, that was my plan.
Fast fact about me- I love foundation. Solid things. Things that don't change. I like seeing the future clearly. So, when nursing finally wasn't setting right with me, I hesitated. I didn't want to swipe my slate clean and just up and "change my major". Plus, everyone knew I wanted to be a nurse. Everyone knew I was going to medical school. It began to feel like a burden. I wrestled with it. I didn't want to give it up even though it was causing me stress and frustration. Then, one day I had a little peace about the idea of giving it up. This caused my vision to blur. If not nursing, than what?
Then I got the phone call. This young man called me to ask me some questions and try to see if I wanted to join the program he worked for. He asked me what I wanted to study. I opened up and said my vision was really blurred. He said that could be a good thing. He asked me questions that made it clear to me that I was not meant to be a nurse. So... I changed my major. I knew I needed to work with people. I needed to help people. He recommended a major in Leadership and Management and a minor/major in Counseling. Wow... So very different from nursing. But it sat well with me...
Now, am I 100% sure that I am going to major in Leadership and Management and minor/major in Counseling? No! But I believe God has shut one door and opened another. Now, I don't have to go away to school like I was planning to. I can live at home and go to school online and graduate at the college of my choice faster, on my own schedule, and cheaper while working as much as I want. I am very thankful to God for opening my heart to other possibilities.

Now, I was also in a "relationship". Not officially or anything... But we both knew we really liked each other, and we wanted to court. He was even planning to ask my dad to court me this past June. It was nice being able to "see the future" in that area of my life. But then it happened..... I took this guy on the roller coaster of my changing feelings. I didn't want to keep dragging him on that. The end goal wasn't sitting right with me. Maybe he wasn't really the guy for me... So I let him go. Yes, I hurt him. A lot. But I only did what I did to avoid him future pain and to allow him to move on with his life. That was and still is one of the most painful things I have ever done.

There you have it. Two of the biggest things I thought were set for my life changed in a short period. So now I "don't have the guy". And maybe I don't have the major set either..
But that's okay, because I do not need to be in control of it. God does. And if He is in control, it does not matter if I can see the future clearly or not. Right now, He has me right where He wants me.

Aim Leadership Conference 2015

I just got home from a leadership conference with Aim. A few of us from the team in California went to join others up in Wyoming. Here is a little of what I learned.. We will also post more on our team website. Please check out the blog on our website. You can find our website HERE.

      Oftentimes, God takes something small and seemingly insignificant and turns it into something hugely important. I did not really have expectations going for this trip. Sure, I was looking forward to taking some time off of "real" life and going to spend time with some pretty awesome people, but honestly, I wasn't really expecting anything great, anything significant. Thankfully, God has other plans. I would not even say He greatly used the group devotions and sessions to work in me. He used something outside of those things to work.
      Let me be honest, I feel like one of those Christians that is a half-fake. Sure, I'm saved, love Jesus, and want to serve Him. But in the here and now, I am not very dedicated to Him.

I am not very dedicated to Him.

I do not love Him with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

I do not keep up with my daily devotions and prayer times.

I do not find myself even really growing in my faith.

Honestly, I feel like I am kind of in a scary spot. Yet, knowing all this, my heart was hard. Again, I found myself in dire need of full surrender. The same place I found myself back at the 2013 Leadership Conference.

      The first morning in Wyoming, Brooke, Katie, and I woke up early and went outside for devotions. I had not done that in, well, way too long. I started out reading one of my favorite Bible passages. Then I "forced" myself to journal. All of a sudden, a plea/prayer to God came out. It touched me and softened my heart. Yes, I still have a long way to go before full surrender again, but God was able to start the work in my heart this week through something as small as journaling. He spoke to me through the journaling in such a powerful way.

"Lord, lead me to the place where all I want is you... Where I love You more than myself, my needs, my friends... Lead me to the place of surrender yet again... Help me to be able to stand with arms lifted up fully Yours again... Please lead me to that place... The place of peace and rest..."

Loving Others- A Job we are all called to

Frustrated and a little offended, I walked away from a family sitting at the table tucked in the corner of the small family restaurant I work at. I walked up to one of the other girls that works there and said something like- "I hate when people make you feel like crap. I'm a person just like them! I'm not being paid to be treated like crap."
Sometimes I'll go to a table and cheerfully say- "Hello! How are you doing today?" To which the reply is sometimes "..." What's worse is when your boss gets on you making you eat humble pie. (But when that happens, you know she is really the sweetest person and is just having a moment.) But honestly, people can be so hard to care for. So hard to love. God calls us to love everyone. Even the people that treat us like dirt. The people that somehow missed the part where you are as human as they are. Other people are really pretty easy to love.. Like the couple that regularly comes into the restaurant. They are very friendly and caring.

Many people think that if you become a Christian, you will have an easy life. Haha. Nope! Not how it works. When someone becomes a Christian, they are called to be more. They are called to love those grumpy people that treat them like dirt. They are called to love that friendly couple. It doesn't matter who it is- they are still called to love them. I am still called to love them.

And believe me.. This definitely has not been easy for me. Yeah, some people are easy for me to love. But if someone hurts my pride and causes me to eat humble pie, I will put up a fight. No, I do not really care to care about them. But I know that isn't the godly approach. I want to encourage you all to love all those around you, because as a Christian, that's the job you have been called to. We can not do this in our own strength.. We must ask God to help us. That is the only way we will succeed. So, what are you waiting for?? You got a job to do! Ask for God to help you. Go love others. Go love everyone.

I'm a Senior Now?

I have been consistently bad about posting on here.. I meant to post last month, but I just never got around to it (if that wasn't obvious ;-P).

I've been staying pretty busy. It has finally been winding down around here. I still am working some. But... Aim is almost done for the summer. I also have finished 11th grade. So, that technically makes me a senior, right? I am super excited about this coming school year. But maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself.. Haha. 

I have been working on my summer plans. I was originally hoping to go on a missions trip for like a month or so. But that didn't work out. Instead, it looks like I will be in town for most (if not all) of the summer. Hopefully, I will be able to use my time productively.

Here's kinda what I'm looking at for this summer:

• Study for SAT test this fall
• Put together a reading list
• Follow the reading list
• Finish my college list
• Start working on college application stuffs
• Be a little more social ;-)
• Etc.

Also, I may (huge *may* here) take a trip to another state this summer. Maybe. We will see if the Lord keeps that door open.

What are you guys doing this summer? I hope you are able to do some productive and fun things! :-)

I have like three other blog drafts.. We will see when I get to them. Maybe I can post them all soon. 

Well, so long for now!

Have a blessed week!!! :-)

Movie Night Fundraiser

Hello!

As you probably know, I am apart of Aim (aimsandiego.org). In case you don't know what Aim is, Aim is a family that trains young people to follow Jesus. We also share the gospel with people through mime and drama.

Aim has a fundraiser coming up, and I would love to see you there! We are showing a movie called Mercy Rule. If you haven't heard of it, Mercy Rule is a movie that was put out last year by Kirk Cameron. It is a family movie starring Tim Hawkins. Below are more details:

When: Saturday, April 25th

Doors open: 5:45 pm

Movie starts: 6:00 pm

Where: Grace Brethren Church (3455 Atlas Street, San Diego, CA 92111)

Price: $7 per person presale, $8 at the door. $25 family (immediate family only) presale, $30 at the door. Children 3 and under are free.

Concessions will be available. We will also be having a raffle.

I would love to see you there!! If you have any questions, please let me know. I will also be selling tickets.

Thank you and God bless!

God at Work

The Lord has been showing me so much lately..
Recently, I have gone through a time of extreme spiritual dryness. Even being on a missions trip didn't seem to help me through that dryness. I felt like it would really help. Yes, maybe it did help. But when I got home, that is when I started to feel God really working in me. I guess the missions trip was kind of like a push in that direction.
I thought I would share some of the things I wrote in my journal from the missions trip to coming home, etc... I think it will best show what was going on in me during the missions trip and coming home.
2/3: Why do I keep pushing God away?
2/10: Coming back has been very hard.
2/18: God is working in me. I can feel it. A growing desire to be in His Word and surrender myself to Him. Again.

After I felt God was really working in me, He started to show me certain things..
2/24: I was thinking last night and I believe God put this on my heart: What kind of older sister would I want? Am I being that kind of older sister to my sisters? I was convicted. I could be so much better as an older sister.
3/15: Am I being the kind of daughter I would want to have?

That was a lot of what was going on inside of me. I found that if I look at who I am as a sister and a daughter and what I would want in an older sister and daughter, I could see that I am nothing close to that.
 There were other instances that I could see God at work in my life. It has been so encouraging and wonderful to see.
I just wanted to share a few of those things with you guys.

Also, below are some "nature" pictures from the missions trip.

Aim Missions Trip Winter 2015

It's been such a long time since I posted! The last time I posted, I hadn't gone on the missions trip with Aim.

The missions trip went really well! Doors were opened- Hopefully, a team will be started in San Jose. We also were able to visit a couple teams and teach them some of our songs.

There were 8 of us total on the trip. Three of the people on the team were from Pennsylvania. The rest of us are on the Aim San Diego team. Having people from two different states come together and work together was such an awesome thing to see. The unity between everyone even though some of us had just met was something God definitely worked out. Even the love for each other and the vulnerability we showed was amazing. Talking about it gets me all excited.

But now, we are all at home. It's been almost a month since we came home. It has been really hard for me to adjust back into "normal" life. All these amazing people that I got close to are either back in Pennsylvania or in San Diego somewhere living their lives. Yeah, I live in San Diego, but even not being able to see them very often is hard after being with them everyday almost 24/7 for two weeks..

On this trip, I wasn't a leader. It was so different. The hardest part about this was not knowing beforehand that this was happening. I guess my inexperience of missions trips didn't help in my thinking that I wouldn't be.. But the day we started, I found out. I also found out that this other girl was supposed to pour into my life. That is hard because I am the type that likes to pour into others. It is hard for me to let others pour into me. This is something I can definitely work on. Anyways, the girl who the leader put to pour into me was amazing, and we became friends pretty fast. I wish we would have had more time to talk and stuffs. Although, we did stay up super late (or early) the night we got back to just talk. :-)

The car rides were kind of one of the best parts. All 8 of us were stuffed with all our things into an 8-seater car. I was sitting in the back with two very outgoing girls. We laughed. A lot. They even came up with their own funny language or whatever. It was quite the experience. The three that sat in the middle of the car were pretty quiet and introverted. The contrast between the bunch in the back of the car and the middle was very funny.

As some of you may know, I am the outgoing introvert. I love people. People are fun to be with. People make me happy. I love serving and working with people. But it wears me out. I need alone time to reenergize. The thing about this trip was, if you were an introvert, you didn't really get any introvert reenergizing time. So dealing with that and the other things going on in my life (including getting sick and working through some relationship problems from back home while on the trip, etc.), it was hard not to get grumpy and moody. God really worked in me and helped me in this area. I couldn't be all grumpy and moody towards everyone just because I wasn't have a great day. Even though things were going on, I couldn't let them affect the way I treated others. It was a good reminder.

One of the most amazing things for me on this trip was the love God gave me for my fellow teammates. It was amazing. He gave me a love that I could tell wasn't my own. It had to have been His. Also, being open with others was cool. I had good conversations with some of the girls on the team. It was nice hearing them be open, getting to know them better, and hopefully, being able to encourage them in some way.

This trip was very cool/amazing/exciting/busy/etc. If you want to hear more about the trip, feel free to check out the blog on Aim's website (aimsandiego.org). I was able to post on there almost every day. There are also pictures on there.

Thanks for reading and have a blessed weekend!!! :-)

Aim Missions Trip 2015

Hey guys!

So I decided I should probably post and tell you what's been up and all lately.

I decided to go on a missions trip with Aim, the mime team. We will be traveling up the coast of California and back down. Because of this, we trained all day Wednesday and Thursday and half of Friday. Today, we had a service project. And tomorrow, we hit the road after a presentation. We will be heading to San Franciso first. 

I would appreciate all of your prayers for the team's health, safety, strength, and relationship with the Lord. 

I will be blogging about the trip on Aim's website. Please sign up for the email updates if you wish to stay updated with everything we are doing. You can go to the website (aimsandiego.org) and go to the blog page. From there, you should be  able to fill out a form from one of the posts. This will sign you up for the updates. 

Well, thanks for reading this post. Have an amazingly blessed week!!

God bless!!

Dear Church...

When most believers think of the Church, what do they think of? A building? A group of Christians? What about when most unbelievers think of the Church? A building? 
When people hear the word Christian, what do you think the first thing that comes to mind is?
I feel like people have a twisted vision of the Church and Christians in general. Well, maybe it isn't all that twisted.
Guys, what is a Christian? A follower of Christ, right? When people look at the Church, they should see Christ so very clearly. But what are people seeing?? What a lot of people see is something that repels them. When people look at the Church, they see a lot of hypocrites. They see people who pretend to have it all together but are really falling apart. They don't see love. They see judgment. They see people changing their opinions of the other the second they learn who that person truly is. Doing this tends to close many doors that would otherwise have been open to minister to that person.
Great! Doesn't all that make you want to be a Christian?? Sure! Why wouldn't you want to be a hypocrite that people are repelled by?
Church, what happened? Instead of clearly showing Christ, we have given the world a distorted view of Him. People don't see God as a God of love. By the way we act, He might as well be a God who wants to condemn everyone to hell.
Church, while you mingle in sin, you judge others.
Today, you find it okay to live with someone outside of marriage. The Bible is very clear when it says this is wrong. Yet, it is becoming more and more common in the Church itself. While the Church is caught up in this sin, they still have time to look around and judge others. It seems like a lot of Christians are very judgemental of the gay population. Yes, while I believe the Bible definitely points this out as very wrong, I also believe that it is the Church's job to love these people.
A sin is a sin. No matter how big or small. Yes, some tend to be more of an abomination than others, but as Christians, we are definitely held to a higher standard than others. What makes one way more wrong and worth judging others over than the other? Shouldn't others be the one to judge us because we have lowered our standards so much? Look at 1 Corinthians 6:9-10: Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Think about Jesus's ministry on earth. How did He treat those looked down on? What about the Gentiles? If you look at the story of Jesus with the Samaritan woman, He knew her sin, right? But was He quick to judge? No. He didn't judge. He loved her. And by doing this, many were turned to God.
Think of the impact the Church could have if they loved people. Genuinely loved. If they forgot how to judge others because of their looks, beliefs, and lifestyles.
What if Christians would take a look into their own lives and ask God to help them stop living in sin and instead walk in Christ. In love.
Now, I know all Christians are not judgemental and living with someone they aren't married to. But I believe these are two things that are becoming more and more common in the Church today. And I believe that we should do something about it. The change should start with you. With me.

Gen-J SATs

Hey y'all!
It's been a while... I have been crazy busy. I miss blogging though!

I have had a few awesome opportunities of going to help on a few election campaigns in the last couple months. I am actually leaving for my third and final one of the year tomorrow morning.
In October, I went to Colorado and encouraged people to vote. I went door to door and did some phone banking. It was a great experience. The next month, I got to go to Florida to work on Rick Scott's campaign. I did the same sort of thing. It was really cool also. I got to go to his victory part- so cool and exciting watching all the votes come in from all over!!! Now, I will be going to Louisiana to help with the runoff election. It should be another great experience for me.

Well, that's all I have time for now. Please keep me in your prayers especially this week as I will be traveling and going as a representative of the Lord.
Thanks everyone!!!!
Have an amazingly blessed month of December!!!!!

There is much controversy about whether or not humans came from nothingness or if they were actually created. Evolutionists believe that man is nothing more than an “advanced” animal. Creationists believe that God created man for a reason and a purpose. I am going to briefly discuss both of these views, and then maybe by the end you will see which one would make more sense.

Evolutionists believe in the big bang: matter exploding and then life suddenly evolving. First of all, where did the energy come from to cause such a big mass of matter to explode? They do not know. Second, how could life suddenly come out of, well, something that doesn’t have life? Yeah, they say it evolved, but who wants to tell me how an explosion caused life to suddenly start evolving. And then there is the whole thing of since when does an explosion create order? So, evolutionists are pretty much saying, “Hey guys, we dropped a bomb on a junk yard and it cleaned it all up and created cars, houses, and other useful items because of the energy caused by an explosion.” How does that even make sense?!

Creationists believe that God made the world and created humans. Now, I know to some people that thought is crazy. God?! Since when is there a God? All I have to say is look around you. When you see a painting, what do you think? Did the painting just happen or did there have to be an artist painting it? Now think about that instead with the world. The earth is amazingly made. It doesn’t look like a result of an explosion. How is there so much order and beauty? Did that just evolve? If God really did create the world and humans, think about the difference it could have on a person’s way of thinking. Also think about what that would mean for humans. That would give us a purpose. The Bible says we are made in the image of God. If this is true, that means we have souls and spirits because God also does. This also would mean we are above the animals. After all, animals aren’t made in the image of God. The same goes for plants.

All I’m trying to say is look around you. Is all this here only by chance? Or is there something more to all this? Maybe people don’t want to believe in a Creator because they would have someone to answer to. If we are just highly advanced animals, we wouldn’t have to answer to anyone. Think about it.

A Spa for your Soul

This past weekend, I went on a retreat with some women from my church.
The weekend was called- A Spa for your Soul. It was a time of encouragement and relaxation for many of the ladies.
I love our women's retreats because you go and feel so loved and appreciated by all the ladies. You can be yourself without worrying about being judged.
At the retreat, I wouldn't really say I learned anything, but I would say that it was encouraging.
I tried to be a blessing and encouragement to others also.
:-)

Dear Friend...

I recently took some time by myself and started writing. This is what came out.
I have a heart for the hurting. It came out of my heart. I am thinking about writing something like this for those who do not know the love of God or His Son.
Thanks for reading. <3

Dear Friend,
Why are you doing this to yourself?
When I think of your plight, my heart hurts for you. It breaks for you. So, if you will, please listen carefully to my words.
You are loved. You are loved more than you can even imagine. Look around- even if it may not always seem like it, your family loves you so very much. You mean the world to them. And where your family may fall short, always remember there is a God above who loves you so much. More than anyone is even capable of loving you.
You are needed. You have a purpose and a plan. Satan will do everything in hi power to keep you from fulfilling it. Someone once told me something to the effect that- maybe the reason for all these struggles is because Satan is doing all in his power to keep you from becoming who you were meant to be.
You are not worthless. You have so much worth. You have the ability to touch, bless, and encourage those around you. And you do even if you can not see it. And if that's not enough, think of this- God sent His Son to die for you because He looked down and saw how beautiful, precious, and special you are.
So, my dear friend, put down that knife. Do not listen to the lies of the Devil and other in your life who don't want to see God work through you to fulfill His purpose and plan for your life.
There is hope.
Do not leave this earth before God is ready to take you home. It isn't for you to decide. Leave it to Him to hold your life in His hands because His timing and plan are so perfect.
Please hand in there and do not be afraid to cry out to HIM, the Comforter and Savior. And do not be afraid to seek people to encourage and pray for you.
You are not alone.

Remember, your worth is priceless- so very precious.

Have you ever had that feeling in your chest where you can just feel your heart break because you love and feel for someone or something so much?
Well, I have. Just recently, I have seen my God-given gift become more evident then ever. Listening to the stories of broken people breaks my heart. I can feel it. Sometimes it's almost overwhelming. Sometimes it makes you want to burst out into tears because you feel for someone so bad.
What about the time where you invest so much time into a hurting, struggling person and you find yourself watching them travel further down that painful road? Does it drive you to your knees because of the heart full of compassion you were given for them?
Our world is in need of compassionate people. The kind of people who's compassion leads them to act- to do something for this broken world full of broken people.

Dealing with Stress

So, I am sure many of you have felt stressed at one point or another. Maybe you get really stressed all the time, or maybe you are the type to not easily get stressed out.

I personally am more of the first than the latter of the two. And lately, I have been very stressed and even unmotivated. I have been procrastinating and all that fun stuff. All those things combined spell disaster. Well, kinda.

So what do you do when you start to get stressed? I think the solution is easier than most would think. Give it to the Lord. It's one of those things that can be so hard for us, but really, it's really simple.

Jesus tells us His yoke is light. If we give Him our stress, etc., He will help us by taking that burden and walking along side us.

Think about how amazing and beautiful that truly is. :-) <3