Just Take a Chance

The other day my friend, Hannah and I were suppose to go over to her house to study. But little did we know something else was about to happen. Hannah and I went to go walk her dog because she had been in her crate all day long.We ran into a lady that was walking her dog and started up a conversation. After the conversation I told Hannah I really felt like we should've invited her to church and tried to witness to her. God keeps handing me these opportunites to witness to people and I walk away in opposite direction due to fear and the potential of it being an awkward conversation. Hannah and I decided we weren't going back to her house till we had witnessed to someone and invited them to church. (eekk!)
So we walked down to the waterfront and took Maggie with us as bait because most people want to pet a dog or ask about it. We passed this guy and Hannah told me I should go talk to him, but I got really nervous and said 'no that could be a sketchy situation', haha. We continued to keep walking and quite a few people kept coming up to us and asking to pet the dog. But none of the conversations were long enough to say anything. After about 20 minutes or so we turned back around and saw the same guy sitting on the bench. We decided to sit down on the bench next to him and just try to start a conversation. After about 10 minutes or so he started asking about the dog and then asked where we went to school, etc. We responded and asked about his life, and he said he was looking for a house to buy in the downtown area. Well lucky him cause Hannah's house is for sale in the downtown area and so they were able to talk about it. The conversation kept going and we ended up getting on the topic about God and going to church. He said he's been Catholic for 10 years but it just wasn't fulfilling to him. He didn't get much out of it and wanted more in life! To God be the GLORY! We continued sharing Christ to him and I asked him if we could pray for him in any way. His eyes lit up and he got really excited. He shared his prayer requests and was shocked when I asked if we could pray for him right there. He even started tearing up. He agreed and we prayed. I felt the holy spirit rush through me and God was totally speaking through Hannah and I. I can barely remember what I said. I just stood there with words coming out of my mouth and shaking nervously. He thanked us for everything and felt really inspired. I told him we hoped to see him sometime at Bethel and he said 'it's not if I come, it's I will come!' Hannah and I left that situation in complete shock and felt like we could do anything God threw at us from that point forward. The man also thanked us for our boldness and willing to talk to him. The whole afternoon was crazy and I'm still in complete awe! I'm so grateful for this boldness God's given me and I now know that with God anything is really possible. I knew that before, but now I have this experience and it's amazing.
I challenege you. Are you walking away from the opportunites to share your faith, or ask someone to church because you're scared of the outcome, it being uncomfortable/awkward, or not knowing the words to say? I was, and still am. But because God spoke through me and provided me with the words to say, I know it's possible! Try asking for boldness. See where it leads you. We should be jumping for joy, we have a risen and alive Savior who lives in us. Who wouldn't want to share that, especially with the people we love!

Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness. Stretch out your hand to heal and perform miraculous signs and wonders through the name of your holy servant Jesus. -Acts 4:29-30
I can do everything through him who gives me strength. -Philippians 4:13

The Way I See It

I sit here at my desk. I'm a 19 year old college student studying to be a social worker. I'm currently putting off studying and spending my time not on Facebook (my roommate changed my password so I'd stop procrastinating), but reading blogs about people that are all over the world spreading the gospel. If we're being honest here it makes me jealous. People are on the world race or spending their semester  in another country. I love people and helping them. I love learning about different cultures. (Why I've chosen social work, who knows.) I love learning about religions (I'm currently fascinated by LDS and Fundamentalist Mormons). I love hearing life changing stories and seeing God work in miraculous ways. I love traveling and always have. There's so much more to this amazing world than living in the U.S. In fact it's my dream to one day live outside the U.S., and hopefully more than one country.
Last night I watched a sermon from Louie Giglio, it was the last session at Passion and he was talking about carrying names. We carry names on the clothes we wear, the things we buy. Giglio talks about how my generation we're good at this, and that carrying the name of Jesus shouldn't be any different. But it really is. It's hard to start a conversation about this man who died for our sins, and rose on the third day. A man who walked on this earth a hundred percent man, but also a hundred percent God as well. A man who was tempted and had his own desires but took the high road and entered through the narrow gate. It's intimidating and makes my stomach do somersaults just thinking about it. I've done it before on mission trips, but never really on my own. My passion for people, helping the helpless, traveling, and serving God all makes sense to me because I know that's what I'm here on this planet.
This year at college I've been challenged in so many different ways. The first few weeks living here in Evansville I finally experienced the real-world. I was no long hearing about it from my parents or others, but I was living in it. My eyes were opened to a place of darkness, people with different beliefs, and opinions. I was challenged to figure out what I believe and why. I needed to be prepared to defend my faith and not just say 'well it's biblical', but actually dig deep into scripture and make note of it. The way I see it God has been preparing me for something huge. I wish I knew what it was, it could be numerous different things. I'm still digging deeper and learning more than ever about Christianity and taking it to heart. I'm tired of conforming to what the world says and it's time to take the high road. I'd rather not be in college right now (that seems selfish), I'd rather be living with the poor and learning from them. I've spent the last 13ish years of my life learning, learning about history, math, English, government, etc. While yes I'm grateful for it beyond imaginable, I'm tired of learning in a school. I'd love to spend my time learning in the real-world, with real people. Not just seeing pictures and hearing about it from other people. The way I see it one day I'll be married and have kids and not be able to do this. The world says I should be married by at least 24 and have kids a few years afterwards. I don't want to waste this precious time I have now, where I'm free to do whatever. So here's to taking every opportunity and spending my free time wisely.

What's the problem?!

I admit, I'm shy. It's kind of annoying to me. I meet new people and find myself struggling to start a conversation. And then once a conversation gets going I find myself struggling to keep it going. Moving to Indiana and starting at a school where I didn't know anyone, along with moving to Evansville and starting college this has become quite apparent to me. It's something I worry about and waste time thinking about. The bigger problem that I face is sharing my faith. Yep, I know I'm not alone when it comes to this, but I want to share my story I just don't know how to bring it up really.
I wear things that stand out, are different, and have an important meaning to me. I wear a bracelet that says, "I AM SECOND", meaning God comes first in everything I do, I put him above all else, and I put myself second.  A few people have asked me about it, but I find myself struggling to share my story and the love of God.
I wear a ring on my left ring finger that says, "True Love Waits". It reminds me how important my purity is, that it's a gift for my husband, and to never ever ever give it away till I get married. Once again a few people have asked if I'm engaged, or have children (weird) and I just politely respond saying 'no'. Yet again I could respond by saying no but this is what it means to me....
So what's the problem? That I'm shy and can't bring myself so share something so exciting and life-changing. Yup. I've been given this boldness and happiness that others need to hear and I'm holding it in. I hope that one day I'll overcome my fear of talking to others that I don't know and just share my story. May God give you the same boldness that I long for.

Learning to Fall in Love

I love me some girl time, it's simply amazing, and it's something I'm learning that is a necessary part to my life. God's blessed me with some amazing girls and I'm beyond thankful for them. Today my friend Haley and I were talking about dating and our thoughts on it. In that conversation she shared with me this prayer (posted below) that God has for us. As humans we normally choose to pick what our heart desires, not Gods. Lately God has been revealing to me a lot about past relationships I've been in and what my heart should desire.And that is to love God alone. I need to learn to fall completely in love with God before someone else.

Wait until you are satisfied, fulfilled, and content with being loved by Me alone,

with giving yourself entirely, unreservedly to Me alone.

I love you, My child, but until you discover that only in Me is your satisfaction to be found, you will not be capable of the perfect human relationship that I have planned for you. You will never be united with another as you desire to be until you are united with Me, exclusive of anything or anyone else; exclusive of other desires and belongings.

I want you to stop planning and stop wishing, and allow Me to give you the most thrilling plan that exists-one that you cannot imagine. I want you to have the very best. Please allow Me to bring it to you.

Just keep your eyes on Me, expecting the greatest things. Keep experiencing that satisfaction of knowing that I AM. Keep learning and listening to the things I tell you.

You must be patient.

Don't be anxious.

Don't worry.

Don't look around at the things others have done.

Don't look at the things you want.

Just keep looking at Me, or you will miss what I want to give you.

And then, when you are ready, I will surprise you with a love far more wonderful than you could ever dream. You see, when you and the one I have for you are ready, when you are both satisfied exclusively with Me, and your relationship relflects your relationship with me...this is perfect love.

I hope that I will never forget the plan God has for my life. His ways are higher. His ways are better than I can ever dream of. He has a plan for me, the perfect guy for me, so in the meantime I will fall head over heels for my Father in heaven. I will worship and sing him praise. I will get lost in His ocean of love.

Helping the helpless

1st FashionABLE scarf!

Note from Meselu

It happened around the time of my junior year. I started looking at colleges I wanted to go to and was trying to figure out what I wanted to major in. I knew from going to Cluj, Romania in 2009 that God had called me to do something huge! He called me to take a risk, try something different that most people wouldn't be interested in doing. Around this time people started asking me what I wanted to do with my life. Well I think the question was more detailed to, "So what are you planning on majoring in?" My response was, "I don't know. But what I do know is that God's called me to do something big. He's called me to the mission field."
The reaction from most people when I say that is either "Oh that's cool." (But you can tell they don't think that, or think that a 19 year old girl know what she wants to do with her life.) The other reaction is, "That's awesome!" << And I can tell when they mean that because they further conversation about missions work, helping people, and how this all came about.

To this day I still get that question, I guess because it's a good conversation starter, rather than talking about the weather. But it never gets old to me, I love talking about what I want to do with my life and to see what God has in store for my life!

So as you can see that I have posted two pictures to the right. The first one is me wearing this awesome new scarf my mom and pops got me for my birthday. Below it you will find a note from Meselu, the woman who handmade it.

If you have ever spent about an hour or so around me, I would hope you know how passionate I am about helping this world that is broken, hungry, thirsty, etc for anything and everything. It breaks my heart to know that there are people in this world that don't have clean drinking water, children die because they lack nutrients in food they can't get because it's too expensive, and girls are sent to brothels to "work" and can't ever escape.

I know I'm still in college and young, but that hasn't stopped me before to try and do something good.  1 Timothy 4:12 says, "Don't let anyone look down upon you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. May this be the prayer of your heart if you are young like me and have dreams. Meselu is able send her son Eyob to school because she has learned a new skill. FashionABLE creates sustainable business for women in Africa. These scarves are handmade and allow women to become a vital part to a developing economy.

Thanksgiving

This past weekend I went home for my birthday. I knew if I didn’t go I would most likely be in hot water with my mother, so I went. I brought with me my roommate, my roommate’s twin sister (Haley), and my suitemate (Leah).  It was an awesome weekend and was really good to be back home. 

On Saturday we went to the mall in Louisville because Haley wanted to go to Forever 21. I had heard about how the store had been remodeled and was now two stories. So I was thinking you know just your average JC Penny’s store, nope. It was massive. The store contained so many different kinds of female clothing that I didn’t even know could exist. But it did, trust me. As soon as we walked in I felt extremely overwhelmed. I didn’t know where to start looking or if I even wanted to. But I did. About 2 hours or so later I walked out of the store with four things. It was that time in the store and day I realized how thankful I am. 

I'm thankful for:

awesome parents who are making me go to college (I don't want to)

the amazing girls I've become friends with

the storms God sent me and continues to

living in a country where I'm free to worship (may I never take that for granted)

this list could continue on for forever, but I'll save you from that.

This year has been off to a pretty rough start, minus going to Passion, but it's the trials and tribulations I've gone through that have made it into a good one. I'm excited to see where I'm headed in life, how I will contribute to making this world a better place, and most of all, serving an Almighty God. 

May you carry the name of Jesus wherever you go!