Dogs With Muzzles? I Think Not

OK so I should be studying for my Entreprenuership final that is at 2pm, but I just can't stop thinking about my AMAZING JESUS!! I am SO thrilled and honored to serve Him!

Can I please get an AMEN!?
AMEN! That was me. Alright.

Anyway so I keep thinking I could go through college like normal. Go to class, learn, study, pass, go on to the next semester, then graduate. But what in the world would come from that? Sure a degree and hopefully a nice job. I mean what would come from that for GOD? I don't think it is acceptably enough to just go through the motions of life like that. As if to not know that there are hurting and lost people all around. We need to wake up and smell the aroma that is death! What would God save us for if we were no use in His kingdom? I get it, God loves us so much (John 3:16). But come on, why would we sit steadfast when God Himself has put His power inside of us (Romans 8:11). We HAVE to USE it!

I really believe God wants His people to rise up and take their place. And I for one choose to follow God's way. We could all do the world and ourselves a favor to think about and consider this. And let's be reminded... WE AREN'T DOGS WITH MUZZLES!

Farewell Seef.

My bottom lip is sticking out tonight as I stare at this image across the room...

My roomate Seef (Chelsea) moved out this weekend. She's transferring back up to Penn State. I'm sure going to miss her. She's one of my best friends in the whole wide world and I love her to pieces. I'd like to pray for her return to PA. ...God, thank you for Seefanator. I love her and I'm so blessed to have her in my life. She's a great friend. About 7 or so years ago I prayed for You to bring good solid friends into my life. You have blessed me. Seef in one of those I believe you placed in my life. She's a blessing. So thank you. I want to lift her up to You with an open palm and know her life is resting in Your arms. So safely. I pray that she follows Jesus' example as she goes to live at Penn. Let her see and follow Your paths. Help her transition smoothly and keep her life gripped tight. Let her know the power You have inside her and have her use it with Your guidance and glorify Your name with it. Again thank you for my little SeefSeef. In Christ name, Amen.

Scripture's Got Our Back

'Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish it's work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.'
(James 1:2-4)

Young Seef (my roommate) and I dwell on this scripture from James as we fight our harsh frustration built up inside. Although being 'the better person' gets old, we are reminded that it will be worth it in the end...'Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.' (Galatians 6:9)

So let's pray..God, we love You. It is difficult to live by Jesus' example sometimes. You understand this, we know. But make us better. Make us able to withstand the frustration and rise above it. You have the power to give us hearts of pure love. How can hate exist in a heart of love? Thank you for growing our faith and producing perseverance in our inner being. You work in us and we are SO thankful!! Love YOU! In Christ, Amen.

You Are God in Heaven & Here Am I On Earth

Let my words be few...Jesus, I am so in love with You.

Operation Christmas Child

Great reflection of how amazing God is. ...
My previous post on the little orphans I loved on in South America, or rather they loved on me...the thought of their little happy faces tugs at my heart. Last night I wrote about it and tonight I got to volunteer with Elevation Church at Operation Christmas Child- Samaritan's Purse! It was a TON of fun and worth every minute of being there. The people who work on staff there are amazing lovely people to be around. All the hundreds of people volunteering tonight were great! Most importantly..every time I opened a shoebox to go through and make it perfect for the little child who it would be handed to on Christmas, I thought of those little orphans again. What if I was arranging and tucking every little item in so neat for one of my little friends in Colombia. It could be. I wanted every box to be perfect. Better than perfect. Not just for my little friends in Colombia, but ALL OVER the world! It made my heart light up with joy to think of all these little children hearing the message of the Gospel and getting to experience God's love from all the hard work of the tons of people who had a hand in Operation Christma Child. It makes me feel so warm and excited that I think I may volunteer full time on one of their community teams. Shoot!

P.S. please get your church or school club involved in O.C.C.!! It's not just seasonal. It's year round! The power of a child's smile and happiness. The power of the Gospel through the eyes of children. Think about it. You can be a part of this!
http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/index/

Those Little Ones in South America.

I was just skyping with my friend Nikalas (Nikki). She's on the world race and is currently in Thailand with her team about to transition to Cambodia this weekend. I was asking her about the people she has met and her plans to stay in touch with them. She replied that most of the people are low income and there isn't really ways to stay in touch. I told her if she writes about them in a journal and takes pictures, then she can always remember them and pray for them. And they would remember her and her team, so they would really keep in contact mentally. This immediately made me think of the children I met at the different orphanages in Colombia this past May. I started picturing their faces and smiles. They were the happiest, sweetest kids I have ever met. I remembered the leader of our group telling us these kids will remember us if we were to come years later. They remember our faces and usually our names as well.

I just can't help but wonder, do they ever think of me? I can remember the ones I made connections with because I took pictures of them and wrote about them in my journal. But they don't have pictures. I wonder if they remember me. There was a language barrier but we still made connections and were able to communicate. Sabastian, Daniel, Esteban, Kevin, Marina, Guillermo, Angelica, Jose, Felipe, Fabio, Brando, Raul, Mariela, Valentina. These are just the children I can see and remember off the top of my head. I remember their happy little faces and it makes my heart burst with joy. I pray that they are happy now as I'm typing this. If I never get to meet them again, I pray they turn out to be happy sweet adults just like they are happy sweet little children. I pray they know God's love and they follow Jesus. And if they ever remember and think of me while they're lying in bed waiting to fall asleep, I hope they think of me as a friend that loves them in a distant country and it's because of God that friend loves them like that. I wish I could send a picture of myself and a message translated in spanish to the specific children I had encounters with just letting them know I remember them and miss them and am thinking/praying for them.

So, I send this message of loe over to South America tonight! You're beautiful and I'm sending prayers and blessings your way.

Passionate Heart

What do you do when you have so much passion but don't know what to do about it?

I see how the world is hurting. I see what needs to be done and what can be done. My life doesn't mean much to me anymore, because I've seen God's heart. His people all around this world that need help. His children need help. What can I do as God's servant? What can I do? There's so much that needs to be done. How will I make a difference in anyone's life? My heart breaks for the hurting.  It doesn't satisfy my soul.  There is a sense of urgency isn't there?
'It doesn't matter what you own, how much money you have in the bank, how talented or educated you are, or how many people you know. If God calls you to have a servant's heart, He will make a way for you to accomplish what He has put on your heart to do.' (Alyice Edrich)

I think we feel this way because God put it inside of us.  I gave my heart to God; therefore, I'm sure I share His own heart.  Patience over frustration.  "being confident of this, that He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." -Philippians 1:6

"equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever.  Amen." -Hebrews 13:21

God is GOOD

I just wanted to post saying the past month has been very good! God has taught me a lot about His character, heart, and love. I'm so very excited for the rest of my life in His sovereign grip!

I'll share this verse I've been dwelling on...

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
-Ephesians 3:20-21 (TNIV)

Suffering In Colombia

A friend asked me, 'how could God let this happen?'


I dont see it as God let this terrible stuff happen. I see suffering, but we as humans think we're deserving of God's love and we definately aren't. Why should we question God. We don't deserve anything good. We are evil to the core and the only thing good about us is Jesus who lives in us. I just can't look at the situation and think, God this is your fault, you've caused this suffering and I'm mad at you. If anything, I would thank God for allowing me to see this suffering, because it has sparked something inside of me and now I want to give my life's work into doing what I can to help these people. Like I said, we don't know what God's doing to make His name famous. If people have to suffer for Him to get glory..then that's just what is going to happen. I don't see suffering as a bad thing. It brings us closer to God, because in suffering, we realize we have no power and it's God who is in power. "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." -2Corinthians 12:9.  This suffering is almost a blessing. I hardly think we can look at a situation and automatically judge it based on what we see, what we see is nothing compared to the big picture of what this world and life are all about. We can't see on God's level.  "You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns" -Mark 8:33.

"However, if you suffer as a Christian, do not be ashamed, but praise God that you bare that name." -1 Peter 4:16

Colombia, South America

I´m in Colombia South America with a group from the First Baptist Church of Raleigh. We´re spending 10 days here and it is day 8. It is absolutely amazing here. I love it and the people. These people are so hospitable. I think that´s a word. They have welcomed us very warmly and I feel so privileged to be working with them. We´ve visited several orphanages, a high school, Mennonite churches, a nursing home, very poor areas, and many other places around Bogota, Colombia. This country is the most beautiful place I have ever seen so far in my life time. Completely breath taking. God is definately doing big things in the lives of these people and I am so glad I am getting to see it first hand. I have seen poverty that I never could have imagined if I had not seen it in person. My heart is broken for this country for many reasons. I hope to tell you more about it later on. I don´t have much time using the internet here. God thank you for this opportunity and I pray that glory goes to your name in all of this. In Jesus´ name, Amen.

Luke 10:27

"He answered, 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind; and love your neighbor as yourself'." --Luke 10:27

I fell asleep last night, which was really this morning at 2 AM, having just read that verse. I woke up this morning, which was really lunchtime, with the same verse running through my mind. Last night I just read it, not really putting any thought into because 1) it was 2 AM and 2) I have heard that verse so many times before. Why is that? Why do we hear a common verse and blow it off like it's old news and has lost its importance? That is anything but true and I'm glad God kept this verse on my mind, so that I could listen to it with an open heart.

As a result, I heard these words and it gave me so much conviction. Jesus said this particular command is true and that we should surely obey it.  This is eternal life we're dealing with here.  For eternal life we should obey this command.  So...I just keep telling myself..heart, soul, strength, mind. Am I loving God with all those things? Am I doing for myself or am I doing for my neighbor?

I feel like once we ask ourselves these questions enough, correcting them as needed, we will begin to automatically live out these commands. Then we will be able to stay connected with God's own heart and live our lives the way He says we should.

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"

This Franklin Roosevelt quote has been on my mind all day. "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."

That is so encouraging! Thanks FDR! 
Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in it's various forms. -1 Peter 4:10

Glorify God where ever you are! Whatever you're doing!  We are to use what He has given us as best we can to give Him glory and honor.  Give the highest praises possible with our circumstance.

Prayer for Friends...

"I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen."
                             --Ephesians 3:16-21