JUST 25 DAYS

UPDATE!!

Just 25 days to go and I will be on a plane headed straight for Canada! WOW, how time has flown by! It still has an unreal feeling in my mind...just thinking about being in another country, away from home, meeting new people, learning so much more about God, and then traveling to another country, just completely blows my mind and I AM BEYOND EXCITED. So much so that I can't sometimes express how much.

I have been collecting items for my trip here and there and with each item, it becomes more of a realization. Yesterday I just received my backpacking backpack and that was the last major item on my list. Now I need to do a trial run and learn how to pack it. While I am in Canada I can bring luggage and things from home but during the outreach phase, that backpack will carry everything I'll bring. I don't think I've ever packed that light, haha. It's all part of the adventure!

God is GOOD All the Time and All the Time God is GOOD

Around every corner of life, we all have decisions, we all have choices to make. Some can be life alternating, some for the future, some for the present, and some that might have little effect at all. You might be wondering where it is in this life that you're meant to go, who you're meant to be, what you're meant to do. God doesn't give us all an exact direction for our lives; He might have some go to college, others to start a family, some to serve in the mission field, or some He might have stay right where they are. NO MATTER what path you go down though, NO MATTER which direction you take in your life, one thing is for certain, REALIZE YOUR PRIORITIES and MAKE SURE THEY GET INCORPORATED INTO YOUR LIFE. For a Christian, our main life purpose (and should be a priority) is to HONOR God, to GLORIFY and PRAISE Him, and to make Him KNOWN among the nations (even in small ways, including in your neighborhood, school, among friends, family . . . etc). Just SHARE His glory and marvelous Name with those around you. 

Proverbs 3:6 says (paraphrased) in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

You might be scared or nervous about your future if you're going down the right path or not, but you don't have to be! You got the KING of kings and LORD of lords on your side (Romans 8:31-32)! If we just all turned to Him and saw that HE IS GOOD, that He Provides, and that if we share that with others no matter where we go, that unknown journey will be WORTH IT!

Wednesday, this past week, was just not my day. It was not like it was too much different than any other day, it was just that the stresses of this life, decided that Wednesday would be the day to take my emotions on a rollercoaster. With the pressures of school, financial situations within my family, and my car, which decided to die on me, while driving, two times that day! You could say that I could have definitely been on the verge of letting the devil steal my joy. I was feeling sorry for myself, upset because what I had planned for that day wasn't happening. One thing is for sure, if I did not have God in my life to keep my eyes on Him, if I did not seek Him above all else while I went through that, if I did not decide to invite Him to stay close to me throughout the day, I could have totally stayed in that state and I would have ended up a major wreck. 

Wednesday, one of my teachers also shared with the class about how a college student recently took his life. It is so sad to think about the many people who get so bogged down with the pressures of this life and stay there. Who don't know where to turn, where their joy comes from, or who they find their identity in. I know for certain that if I didn't have the Lord, who uplifts me with His right hand (Isaiah 41:10) and didn't cling to His promises I could be their situation. But the JOY OF THE LORD IS MY STRENGTH. He will ALWAYS provide. He will ALWAYS continue the good work that He set out before me to do (Philippians 1:6).

Have you watched God's NOT Dead? If you haven't, I would DEFINATLY recommend it! From that movie, I love how in all the different situations when everything went wrong and the pastor and/or his missionary friend could have been upset, they instead kept their eyes on God and His GOODNESS. How even in those upsetting, painful, or stressful situations there is always something to be THANKFUL about. From that movie, I have learned the saying: God is GOOD all the time and all the time God is GOOD. Now whenever I am down and out, or when this life feels like it is against me, or when Satan tries to deceive me and steal that JOY, I just say that over and over,

GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME AND ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD

because He is! When my car died the first time, I was so thankful that I had just turned off the main busy highway. There was also no one close to where I was that I knew I could call and my car did not want to start. I let it rest for a while and prayed, rebuking the devil and by the power and grace of God my car started and I was able to make it to my destination. The second time, it was really close to dying as I was going up a hill, but because I felt a warning and my breaks still worked I was able to stop abruptly before being stranded on a hill with a corner and cars behind me! 

God doesn't make bad things happen to us, it is the sin in this world and the imperfect nature of it that tears people apart, that death by natural causes, murders or suicide happen, or that natural disasters occur. Then there are just those that happen like mechanical problems. Yes, God doesn't necessarily stop misfortune from happening to good people but in the truth of it all and from a Christian standpoint, when we go through things that have a tendecny to tear us down we come out of it stronger; we come out of it braver and more dependent on God. If we were able to do this life without Him, where would His place be? We would be like, "See you later, I don't need you anymore. I got this." But no. We DO NEED Him! He doesn't promise us an easy life, a life without any struggles, troubles, or pain, but He does promise to be with us. God is true to His word and I am a testament that He is GOOD. I am definitely still going through struggles and have much growing to do in my faith and walk with Him, however, I have learned so much (especially from the hardships of this life). If we just keep our eyes ON HIM, we can still have the JOY that He gave us from the start!

So I encourage you, wherever you are in this journey of life, whatever you're going through, whatever decisions you have to make, know that GOD IS ALWAYS WITH YOU. HE WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU, nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6). He will UPHOLD YOU with His right hand and if you just acknowledge Him in all your ways, He will always direct your path in the way that it should go.

Also, keep yourself surrounded by good God-fearing people. It is SO important to be surrounded by a community of believers and STRONG ones. So that way when you have those tough days or when you feel like the whole world is against you, they can be there to encourage you, pray with you, and remind you that God is still on your side.

Thank you so much for reading and have a GREAT weekend!   

Our Omnipotent God

I wasn't planning on blogging today, but I feel that God is directing me to share this really powerful message with you all. This is a message that He has been really growing me in and showing me that it is indeed true! I also feel that it is really important and is a really big "influencer" in our Christian walk of faith.

If you believe, work hard and desire God first, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE.

I said ANYTHING!

God might be calling you to do something extraordinary! Maybe it's something that has been on your heart for a long time. But if you don't take that first step in faith it might never happen.

I was just reminded yesterday, in a message from Pastor Chris (Church of the Highlands), that God WILL call you to do things that require more than you have. This is because God doesn't want you to go off on your own, depend on your own strength, and leave Him behind! He wants to be your guide. Your provider. Your counselor.

Funny enough, I was just listening to a message this morning from Pastor Steven Furtick (over at Elevation Church), about how our relationship with God is "By Invitation Only." In his message, he said (paraphrasing here) that God wants to show up, direct our path, and help out, but He will only step in if an INVITATION is EXTENDED to Him. Meaning that if someone never wanted anything to do with God (😢), He won't just pop into their life (usually, but He can do whatever He wants like He did with Saul!😁) and say "I give you my Word but you don't listen. Straighten up!" 

God gave us all free will and that free will includes being able to decide whether or not you are going to invite God along on your journey called life!

So please, wherever you are, have the DESIRE to INVITE God into your situation. Into your troubles. And also into your times of peace. 

GOD WILL SHOW UP! Maybe not in the way you thought or maybe you don't understand it in that moment, but He WILL BE THERE!

TRUST IN HIM FOR ALL THINGS

INVITE HIM ON ALL JOURNEYS
and

KNOW THAT ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE WITH OUR OMNIPOTENT GOD!!!  

I hope that this encouraged someone tonight and I want you to know that these are NOT my words. In fact, as I was proof-reading this post, I was thinking to myself... WOW, I really needed to hear this! These are God's Words! 

Have a blessed night (or day)!

{GUATEMALA LOVE}

"Therefore, as you go, disciple people in all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit . . ."  ~ Matt. 28:19

Hi all! I hope everyone is having an awesome summer! My summer has been great and flying so by fast! 

Now that the summer is almost up, get ready for this throwback and read about some of the amazing things that God did on my trip to Guatemala and also get ready to see some awesome pictures!!

To start off, I want to give you a little more background info about this mission trip. My church has partnered with a missionary in Guatemala for the past 10 years and started taking teams down there ever since the beginning. My church has grown in its love for Guatemala and what the Lord is doing there. Since 2007, my church also started a sponsorship program with a private non-Christian school and now the program has grown and expanded to our missionary's own school.

~ TEN DAYS FAR FROM HOME ~

//  D A Y  1  //

It felt so good to be back in Guatemala (as this was my second time)! Our first day was filled with touring around Antigua, learning some history, and then going to our missionary's school to get started on a couple of our planned projects.

This is one of the main Catholic Churches in Antigua, Guatemala

The arch downtown

This is a Mayan market

An outdoor street market that we walked past

The courtyard of the school and the three new picnic tables that our guys put together 

The freshly painted sky blue bathroom 

//  D A Y  2  //

Our second day there was Sunday and another fun day for the group. First on our agenda was Church, and I have to say that worshiping the Lord with strangers in another land was an experience that I know the Holy Spirit was involved in. All our hearts were focused on One, even though the language barrier kept our minds from understanding it all. It amazing me that when we are focused on the Lord, language, color, ethnic backgrounds, or disabilities cease to exist and what is left is LOVE.

The place where we went to Church (this building is a school, we went to Church in a tent behind it)

After Church, we got to go back to Antigua to have lunch and to do some souvenir shopping.

        

Also, in the main square, there are people that are selling all kinds of jewelry, toys, food, and instruments. The ones that get me are the kids that are trying to make a living by selling different things, like these two little boys below. When I see them, I can not help but ask "Why are they out here?" "Are they all alone?" "Are they forced to sell items?" All these questions I know will probably never be answered for me and I just pray that God has His hands in their little lives. Being in a country that has a high percentage of children that often have to fend for themselves is heartbreaking and I thank the missionaries that devote their lives to help and be there for these children. 

       

//  D A Y  3  //

Oh, how I was so excited for this day! for this was Monday and the start to a week with precious kiddos! 

They start their day off in a big circle to sing, dance, and just get their bodies moving together

An essential part of their day is worshiping the Lord and it was such a pleasure to worship with these kiddos. Most of these kids live in small areas with a lot of people, do not have clean water, wear worn-out clothes and shoes, and some have to walk close to an hour just to get to school. To realize all that they go through and to yet see them sing their heart out to the Lord is overwhelming. It reminds me that I could never go through anything too bad that I could not still lift my hands and eyes to my one true King.


After we were done at Light of the World school, our next stop was at the San Lucas school.
 
They were all so excited about our visit and decked out the whole school!

We did basically the same VBS program at this school, except with a wider range of students. I was on the recreational team and so I got to help with different games and basically just hang out with the students.
   

Monday was also a very emotional day, as we visited the city dump and a place called Kairos House.

What amazes me, is all the trash that we throw away and how it ends up. More than a couple football fields in length and width is a landfill full of toys we wanted so badly, plastics of all sorts, and more. Worst of all in this dump, there are real people living among the trash and making a very little living off what they can find to recycle. For most of them, this is all they know and so are stuck in this cycle of life.  

Some people have asked, "Why can't you just move these people to a better place with the tools that they need to succeed?" It is not that simple, as it is a mindset. To change the outcome of a situation, the person's mindset must be changed first. 

There is an organization in Guatemala City, right out side of the dump, that walks along side these people. Their goal is to empower the people to make significant changes in their lives, their communities, and their nation. I would highly recommend you to check them out and to just pray over what they are doing. Check out Potter's House by clicking on the link. http://pottershouse.org.gt/

To tell you about Casa Kairos is to share with you just how God provides, how His mercy and grace resides in this house, and how His LOVE is just surrounding His children. Kairos is the Greek word for God's timing and for that to be the name of this house is so touching, as this place is sorta like a Ronald McDonald house. As in Guatemala when people are getting treated in a hospital, they cannot stay there and so a couple seeking God for guidance (after going through a similar experience) decided to open a house where families could stay while member(s) are getting treatment.

An abundance of HOPE, GRACE, FAITH, and LOVE radiates through this home and to meet people who fully place their trust in God's hands, is inspiring. These people are INSPIRING, ENCOURAGING, OVERCOMERS, and ROLE-MODELS. 

I met this little boy, named Cami, and his mom at Casa Kairos. He was so adorable with new shoes on his feet, a panda bear in his lap, and one of the biggest smiles stretched across his face. His mom was telling us how there is a defect in his legs that keeps them from bending and it was so heartwarming and touching to see how much his mom appreciated and gave thanks to the Lord for the smallest things. It just opened my eyes to see them keep a smile with all they have gone through.

http://www.cmmhost.com/kairosguatemala/home/

//  D A Y  4  //

This was the classroom I was assigned to and I have to say that I just love these kiddos! <3
Oh and sorry for the blurry picture

As I mentioned at the beginning of this blog post (which probably feels like miles away :D), our Church started a sponsorship program for children in both of the school that we visit. With that program, once a year all the sponsors put together a packed zip-lock bag for their child/children and then the mission team delivers them. This time around I had more of a privilege to be a part of this area and to really see the impact their American families have on them. 

The peace sign is universal!

This year the kids were surprised with the addition of new shoes!

     

//  D A Y  5  //

Day 5 was another day having fun at both schools and so here are a few photos:)

We also got to hand out friendship bracelets to everyone and toothbrush sets to the kids at LOTW!

    

      

After we were done for the day at the schools, it was time to do some house visits. House visits are for the people who came that had a sponsor child. They are able to pack extra things for the whole family and then go visit and spend time with the family at their house. The extra people (like me) get to go with of course! :D

On our way to one of our visits

//  D A Y  6  //

Well, the four days spent at the school were amazing and I could have stayed there forever, but this day was our final day and goodbyes had to be said :( Perhaps maybe not total goodbyes, as I know that our paths will cross again in some way.

   

The kids even put on a little play for us. It was the story of Joseph. 

  

Can I just take them all home???

// D A Y S  7  &  8  //

Our last two days in Guatemala were kinda like our regroup days. We got to go to a lake and just have fun together and enjoy our last days in our home FAR from home. 

The End :)

WOW! If you are reading this right now, I want to thank you, thank you for sticking with this very long blog post!! <3 <3 It means a lot to me when people take time to read my posts and I appreciate all of you!!

This post took me a while to write and I am glad that I have finally finished it so that I could share with you guys a little of what I experienced.

If you ever have the opportunity to go on a mission trip, I would totally recommend it!! God will use your life in incredible ways and He will also change it by using the people you thought you would change. Trust me! It is definitely WORTH IT!!

Thank you all again!!!

Blessings,

Izzy<3

P.S. I took most of these pictures, but some were taken by other team members.

{He Turns Worry into Peace}

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid. 

~ John 14:27

**                                    **                                     **

The Lord is ever growing me in this area and He is teaching me to give Him all control. My most recent story about giving all worries to Him started around the ending of last year, as my church just announced the details for the spring mission trip to Guatemala. Immediately I felt drawn to go and of course, I was very happy about that (this would be my second time going as I went on one 3 years ago). I started praying and lifting the idea of going on this mission trip to the Lord and was especially praying for the providence of funds (because of the distance of the location, airfare and then accommodations). A month passed and the deadline to sign up came and stepping out in faith I handed back in my application. At this point, I had solely put my plans in God's hands and I knew that if it was His will, He would provide a way. You see... I did not have the money to go on this mission trip. God was putting my faith to the test. To see if I could really experience His blessings at His timing. 
I prayed every day for His will and for the providence of the funds, and as one deadline approached, He came through. A month and a little fundraising later, the last and final deadline for the trip came and there was still a hefty chunk left. Honestly, I was starting to let fear and doubt creep into my mind, but then I remembered who was in charge; GOD, and I am sitting here typing this to you: NEVER GIVE UP ON GOD, because He could be working to the very last second!
A couple days before the deadline, I got a text from our trip's leader that read: "Your amount is paid for. You OWE NOTHING." Oh.... My mind was totally blown. I started to think HOW...? WHAT...? HOW...? and then it hit me... God had the whole situation under control! I didn't need to be questioning Him about how it happened because in my heart I already knew. THANK YOU LORD! 

"Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more thank food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" ~ Matt 6:25-27

In more ways than one, God is showing me that I can truly TRUST Him and GIVE Him every part of me. I know our human side likes control, it likes to be in charge, but giving my life over to God, I believe, was one of the best decisions I have ever made!

I want to encourage you to put all that you are and have in the hands of our magnificent Father. To trust Him to meet all your needs, physically and spiritually. I know you won't be disappointed!

Izzy<3