No, my lack of blogging has nothing to do with lack of big changes in my life: I have simply jumped ship to my other blog hiddenandseeking.blogspot.com. So if you are interested in seeing what is going on- and all the changes (some very major) taking place in my life, as well as how my walk with Christ is growing, come on over and follow me there!
I may still update this dear starter every once in a while, but better chances on blog #2. And if you do check it out, I suggest reading the very earliest post to uncover the meaning behind the name.
God bless you and keep you and guide you closer to HIM!!!!
His Beloved
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
Part III: Sight-seeing and Fun
Sorry this comes so late. I have been messing around on my other blog, hiddenandseeking.blogspot.com. Hidden&Seeking is a light and random blog about myself and my frustrations, fun times, and life in general. Check it out if ya wanna :)
BUT this blog is about the big changes. Like a missions trip to NYC. Speaking of which...
We had so many activities mixed in with all of our serving opportunities. We went to the beach and stepped in the ocean, had a fun experience at Coney Island, went to the top of the Empire State building, ran around the streets of NY (and when I say ran, I mean it in the literal sense!), stood and stared in the middle of Times Square, and had some amazingly fun meal times! I didn't get pictures of everything we did, but here are some pictures I did get (or borrowed from other SMITErs :):
These pictures don't give the trip and the memories justice. But they do give a tiny glimpse into what those days of the trip held. I don't think that I have ever laughed so hard so much, cried so easily, learned so much, taught so much, reached outside my comfort zone so far, dug so deep into myself, or felt so at one with the work of God as I did those two weeks. One of the best weeks of my life. God is so good!!!
BUT this blog is about the big changes. Like a missions trip to NYC. Speaking of which...
We had so many activities mixed in with all of our serving opportunities. We went to the beach and stepped in the ocean, had a fun experience at Coney Island, went to the top of the Empire State building, ran around the streets of NY (and when I say ran, I mean it in the literal sense!), stood and stared in the middle of Times Square, and had some amazingly fun meal times! I didn't get pictures of everything we did, but here are some pictures I did get (or borrowed from other SMITErs :):
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| At the beach in the evening (from like 9 to 11ish?) |
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| Coney Island :) |
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| Holding the guy's stuff while they go for a swim... in the disgusting water lol :) |
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| One of our SMITErs actually made close to $4 while playing and singing his mini-guitar :P |
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| Empire State Building! |
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| View from our first Ferry trip. NYC bright at night :) |
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| Me in the middle of Time's Square. I got lotz of other pics here, but they aren't on my computer yet... |
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| My favorite meal time of the whole trip~ @ Carmines |
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| The SMITE team eating on the way down. What a happy bunch :) |
These pictures don't give the trip and the memories justice. But they do give a tiny glimpse into what those days of the trip held. I don't think that I have ever laughed so hard so much, cried so easily, learned so much, taught so much, reached outside my comfort zone so far, dug so deep into myself, or felt so at one with the work of God as I did those two weeks. One of the best weeks of my life. God is so good!!!
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
Part II: Vacation Bible School
Unfortunately, I only brought my camera the last 2 days, but here are some of the pictures that I DID get :). God did some amazing things!
Not only did several kids accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, but God worked in each of the SMITEr's lives as well. We got to teach, share testimonies, work with the kids, play with the kids, talk with the kids, get soaked by the kids (water balloon fight :), and see a different way of life. I was amazed at how open the kids were to us- total strangers who were willing to talk to them and play with them. God broke my heart for these kids and broke down the barrier of fear I had to sharing the Gospel. During the park ministry we had in the afternoons (inviting kids to the VBS, sharing Wordless Book bracelets, showing them God's love), I had the opportunity to go through the Gospel story to two different girls. I will NEVER forget the feeling of joy, happiness, fullness of heart, that I felt when doing this. Makes me wonder why I haven't shared it back home~ it really was the only thing that I have ever done that made me feel full. God did many things to my heart during these weeks in New York.
More later: Part III: Sightseeing and Fun
Not only did several kids accept Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, but God worked in each of the SMITEr's lives as well. We got to teach, share testimonies, work with the kids, play with the kids, talk with the kids, get soaked by the kids (water balloon fight :), and see a different way of life. I was amazed at how open the kids were to us- total strangers who were willing to talk to them and play with them. God broke my heart for these kids and broke down the barrier of fear I had to sharing the Gospel. During the park ministry we had in the afternoons (inviting kids to the VBS, sharing Wordless Book bracelets, showing them God's love), I had the opportunity to go through the Gospel story to two different girls. I will NEVER forget the feeling of joy, happiness, fullness of heart, that I felt when doing this. Makes me wonder why I haven't shared it back home~ it really was the only thing that I have ever done that made me feel full. God did many things to my heart during these weeks in New York.
More later: Part III: Sightseeing and Fun
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Experience of a Lifetime
I have been staring at my computer screen for a while now trying to find the words to describe my SummerMissionsInTeenEvangelism (SMITE) trip. I do not believe that there is a concise way to accomplish this...
I guess this will have to do:
{The ride down and first night}
I didn't want to go. Like, really did not want to go on the trip. I almost backed out the night before. I was nervous, NOT excited at all, worried that we didn't know what was going on, and not looking forward to working in the projects of New York. But, I was a "good Christian", and went anyway.
By the end of the trip, I was wishing I didn't have to leave.
God is pretty amazing.
The 15 hour ride to our destination~ Staten Island, New York~ was fun. I got to talk to one of my college freshman friends about my concerns with the trip. She felt the same way, but after talking through of all the wrong reasons why we didn't want to go (example: this trip is not about pleasing ourselves, but bringing glory to God), we were anticipating (instead of dreading) the week ahead and couldn't wait to see what God was going to do in, with, and through us.
The fellowship within the bus, the craziness at mealtimes, and the working together to make a tentative plan for the Vacation Bible School we were leading, are all memories in and of themselves. And the trip hadn't even begun yet.
We arrived at the Watkin's (our missionary family) house later Monday evening. They had a beautiful 100 year old house, that we girls had the opportunity to stay in. The eight of us somewhat overtook their living and dining room areas in the evening...
I guess this will have to do:
{The ride down and first night}
I didn't want to go. Like, really did not want to go on the trip. I almost backed out the night before. I was nervous, NOT excited at all, worried that we didn't know what was going on, and not looking forward to working in the projects of New York. But, I was a "good Christian", and went anyway.
By the end of the trip, I was wishing I didn't have to leave.
God is pretty amazing.
The 15 hour ride to our destination~ Staten Island, New York~ was fun. I got to talk to one of my college freshman friends about my concerns with the trip. She felt the same way, but after talking through of all the wrong reasons why we didn't want to go (example: this trip is not about pleasing ourselves, but bringing glory to God), we were anticipating (instead of dreading) the week ahead and couldn't wait to see what God was going to do in, with, and through us.
The fellowship within the bus, the craziness at mealtimes, and the working together to make a tentative plan for the Vacation Bible School we were leading, are all memories in and of themselves. And the trip hadn't even begun yet.
Meal time :)
I was all the way in the back, under the table lol :)
The Watkins were all so sweet and kind to our whole group. They provided us with a marvelous breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every day! May God bless them for their hospitality, godly examples, and memories that we brought back home with us!
I think I will end this post now, but I will continue with Part 2: Vacation Bible School soon. I am nowhere close to explaining all that went on in my life and in my heart the past few weeks.
So stay tuned =)
Monday, July 18, 2011
New York here I come!
I leave for NY in one hour. I know that God is going to do great things in and through me. I will write about it all when I come back. For now, I leave you with my testimony~ this is how I am going to present it to the teens we are working with. God bless!
Even at a young age, I knew enough to know that I was NOT perfect. I admitted that I had sinned- done wrong things. Around the age of four, my mom showed me in the Bible the result of our sin: Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death..." I also understood that I could do nothing to save myself, because Isaiah 64:6 says that even our most righteous deeds are as filthy rags.
But God didn't leave me in my lost and sinful state. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 explains, "...that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: " I trusted that Jesus had taken the punishment for my sin, and believed that He made a way for me to go to heaven.
As a result of me admitting my sin, and believing that Jesus was the only way to heaven, I called on Jesus and asked Him into my heart. For the last 14 years, I have grown in my love and knowledge of Christ. He bought me with the price of His blood, and now I seek to live for Him. It isn't easy to deny myself, but it is soo worth it to live life God's way!
If you haven't already, I challenge you to take three steps to salvation in Jesus: Admit that you are a sinner, Believe that Jesus died in your place to pay for your sin, and Call on the Lord to save you. If you have accepted Christ, I then challenge you to live you life for God: obey His Word, and follow His commands. I can say from experience: God is good!
Even at a young age, I knew enough to know that I was NOT perfect. I admitted that I had sinned- done wrong things. Around the age of four, my mom showed me in the Bible the result of our sin: Romans 6:23, "For the wages of sin is death..." I also understood that I could do nothing to save myself, because Isaiah 64:6 says that even our most righteous deeds are as filthy rags.
But God didn't leave me in my lost and sinful state. 1 Corinthians 15:3-4 explains, "...that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: " I trusted that Jesus had taken the punishment for my sin, and believed that He made a way for me to go to heaven.
As a result of me admitting my sin, and believing that Jesus was the only way to heaven, I called on Jesus and asked Him into my heart. For the last 14 years, I have grown in my love and knowledge of Christ. He bought me with the price of His blood, and now I seek to live for Him. It isn't easy to deny myself, but it is soo worth it to live life God's way!
If you haven't already, I challenge you to take three steps to salvation in Jesus: Admit that you are a sinner, Believe that Jesus died in your place to pay for your sin, and Call on the Lord to save you. If you have accepted Christ, I then challenge you to live you life for God: obey His Word, and follow His commands. I can say from experience: God is good!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Joys of Summer
Summer is almost over. I leave for my missions trip in exactly one week, will be gone for over a week, and will start college not long after that. This summer has passed so quickly, it is hard to fathom that we are already into July! So I thought that I would reminisce over this short summer while I had a small amount of "free time".
This Summer:
I graduated from high school,
I decided to change my major to Business Administration (after months of thinking it would be Medical Assisting),
I received a leadership position in my work place (more hours + more responsibility = more pay... though not by much...),
I moved into the college class at church (more people, more activities, more fun :),
I suffered the loss of a family member, but felt God's peace and comfort on a deeper, personal level,
I have met new people, made new friends, and learned many lessons from my Savior in the past few months, and,
I will be going on my first missions trip next week.
These are just the highlights of my summer. And even though each memory starts with "I", it is God Who has orchestrated, planned, led, and made these events happen. I give all the praise and glory to Him:
This Summer:
I graduated from high school,
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| Years of hard work~ payed off with a diploma :) |
I decided to change my major to Business Administration (after months of thinking it would be Medical Assisting),
I received a leadership position in my work place (more hours + more responsibility = more pay... though not by much...),
I moved into the college class at church (more people, more activities, more fun :),
I suffered the loss of a family member, but felt God's peace and comfort on a deeper, personal level,
I have met new people, made new friends, and learned many lessons from my Savior in the past few months, and,
I will be going on my first missions trip next week.
These are just the highlights of my summer. And even though each memory starts with "I", it is God Who has orchestrated, planned, led, and made these events happen. I give all the praise and glory to Him:
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Words of Promise
Today was my grandfather's funeral. I was blessed to be able to rest in the fact that I will see him again once more. As I was dwelling on this fact this morning, I became curious as to where exactly in Scripture do we find this promise? Thus the mini-Bible study began.
*Bible Study Time*
- "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ." ~ 1 Corinthians 15:55-57: The grave is not the end for the Christian. Because of Christ's sacrifice, we can have "eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord"~ Romans 6:23
- "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him." ~ 1 Thessalonians. 4:13-14: We have hope in Christ that we will see our loved ones who have gone before once again. We may sorrow for ourselves, but not as those who are missing God's comfort and promise~ leading to the next verse...
- "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And He that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." Revelation 21:4-5a: One glorious day, after Christ has raptured His church, there will be no more pain~ emotional or physical. The Creator of the universe Himself will wipe away our tears, and we will enter an eternity of joy with Him.
- "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28: Even through the death of a loved one, God works things together for His glory and our good. Many of Grandpa's unsaved friends heard a clear presentation of the Gospel today. Grandma and uncle have started coming to church. I felt my Savior's presence in a way unlike any other I have known. And these are just the visible ways that God has worked a sad event (on our part) for a greater good.
There are also a few songs that are a beautiful reminder of heaven, and a comfort to me through this time. Here are the titles:
"Homesick" ~ mercyme
"Finally Home"~ mercyme
"I Can Only Imagine"~ mercyme
"Amazing Grace: My Chains Are Gone"~ Chris Tomlin
"He Is"~ Mark Schultz
"I Am"~ Mark Schultz
I have been so blessed with the songs, Scriptures, and prayers for our family! God is good!
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