I Applied!

I wanted to write a quick little update to let you all know that last Thursday I applied to DTS! I am so incredibly excited about the possibilities that will follow!

The journey so far has been extremely faith growing. Coming from a low-income single parent household, my faith has had its moments of stretching. Believing God for what seems like an incredibly impossible amount of money. Sometimes the more I think about the funds part of DTS the more I can get discouraged. I know it is the devil using those little thoughts of doubt to spark the fire of unbelief. However, I will not let them last! God is MY PROVIDER and HE CAN DO THE IMPOSSIBLE!!

So do not fear, for I am with you;
    do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
    I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
                    - Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

Along with my application to DTS, they also require a couple references which will need to be submitted before my admittance to the program can be fully considered. After they have been reviewed and I hear more, I will share that update. Until then, please keep my mind/heart in your prayers. That it will be guarded against the enemy's lies and that the fire of determination will not die.

Thank you so much for reading and coming along with me on this journey!!

Only ONE FEAR Fundraiser

I am so excited to announce that I am fundraising with Fund the Nations! They have designed some awesome clothing styles for me with the logo “ONLY ONE FEAR.”

I heard this phrase first at Fired Up a couple years ago and it has been so powerful in my life. It acts as a reminder that I don’t have to fret about what lies ahead, for God is so much bigger than anything else in my life. Whatever I may come to, it will always be so small compared to our GOD.
There are so many verses in the Bible about how our fear needs to be in God, no one else and not only for the rule of it but there are also blessings that come with fearing God (a few of my personal favorites are Psalm 33:18-19, 34:9, 115:11, Proverbs 9:10).
When I took an Old Testament class my teacher explained how in some verse contexts the original meaning of the word FEAR is AWE-STRUCK WONDER. A term for being filled with amazement, which I believe sums up how we should feel about God. Only One Fear also is a focus setting phrase. It is determining ahead of time that God is for you and He is the ONE you're looking to. A great focus setting verse is found in Hebrews 12 verse 2 which says - "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, For the joy set before Him, He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." 'FIXING OUR EYES ON JESUS' is that focus setting phrase and when Jesus is our main focus we will not waiver.

Back to the details on the fundraiser!

A Heart Longing to Go

I am really excited to share with you all in today's post about the upcoming plans for my life!

I have always had a strong desire for missions; to travel and explore God's creation with also the passion to incorporate sharing the LOVE I've found in God with others. It is so amazing to go over to another country and witness God do the miraculous. To see people with very little but SO MUCH!
God uses everyone's gifts and passions for His Kingdom and it is so amazing to see that worked out, whether here at home or overseas.

While I was on the path of looking into various programs and ways to incorporate missions into my life, I heard about a very AWESOME program from someone who shared their experiences with it in Fired Up. It is called Discipleship Training Program (DTS) through Youth With A Mission (YWAM). You might have heard about it before but if you haven't, I would encourage you to check it out, if you are interested in missions! It is such a vast program that has so many opportunities for people based on desired location or passions. There are over 200 school locations with varying focuses but all designed to bring a person into a more intimate relationship with God and to equip them with the needed tools to share His gospel with others.

Fired Up > Just A Youth Group

This last year, I got the opportunity to be a small group leader in a discipleship group called Fired Up and I loved it so much! Fired Up is definitely not your average youth group. It is designed for growing Christians to come and expand their knowledge in God and His word, their faith, and to be in fellowship with like-minded people. Its also not only a come and hear group but instead the invitation is to come and be involved! Not only hear but also do! Throughout the Fired Up year, we come together each week (besides breaks for holidays) and worship, listen to a message, dig deeper in small groups, memorize verses, and of course have a blast together!
I've been involved in Fired Up for the last 3 1/2 years and during that time I have grown so much in my faith and built amazing friendships. I am so grateful that I was invited to Fired Up and that I've gotten to be a part of its amazing ministry!

Each year Fired Up has a main focus for the year and this year that topic was 'Equipped to do Good Works.' There was so much to learn from and all the message topics were so beneficial! In fact, it can be a little overwhelming because there was so much, but as a fellow Fired Uper said, 'just pick one thing, one area and work on it.' That's all God really asks of us, He wants us to start somewhere and then expand from there.

~Snow Day~

Sometimes, especially in winter, I dream of living somewhere on this earth where the winters are actual winters with freezing temperatures and snow, that is everywhere. :D Maybe someday it will happen haha... I don't know what it is about the snow, but it makes me feel so warm inside (even though everything else is usually freezing). Just seeing everything covered in a white layer brings such a peaceful attitude to my spirit. With all the negative in the world, a completely white layer over everything makes it as if God is sending His cleansing spirit over us. Helps us slow down. And look at old things in a new way.

Down in the valley where I live, we haven't had too many days below 35 degrees this year and with that came the lack of snow. I have been so hopeful for the days that it will snow us all in but that hasn't exactly happened yet...YET! It did, however, just snow in the hills around the valley and before we lost the chance to enjoy it my mom and I geared up and had a wonderful snow afternoon!

It is so amazing to walk in God's creation when it is all covered in this white powdery stuff. It's like being transported to a different world!