Day One

I am overwhelmed by the beauty of this island. I have been to Hawaii once before but fairly remember it. Everything here is just so different from what I'm use to at home. Just knowing that your on the island gives you a sense of relaxation and peace. I've meet what seems like a thousand people already and honestly its been easy to remember their names, Ellie, Campbell, Holly, Erika, Monica, Jose, Ryan, Jonathan, Mandy, Tiffany, Ashley, Madalyn, Emily 1, 2, and 3, Grace, Jaclyn, Sunkyung, so on and so on. So many incredible, beautiful people with such a heart for God. YWAM is an organization that really focuses on having everyone being part of their family, and once I got off that shuttle from the airport with my two new friends, Mandy and Emily, I felt so at home and comfortable with all these hundreds of people. Its funny to be here after months of facebook stalking everyone and knowing just about who that person is and now to finally see them face to face. A lot of the girls agreed with me. Its been pretty incredible getting to know all these people personally from all around the world, all with the same burning passion for God and a desire to grow more and more deeper in love with Him. Its only been day one of my six month adventure and I cannot wait what else there is in store for me and my everyone here on this campus.
Thanks for all your thoughts and prayers!
Love you all!!

This is a photo I took this morning around 7am. Love it here!

Holy Miracle!

You've probably heard one of those stories about a crazy miracle happen in someones life, right? Either through a friend sharing about a someone they know or even someone close to you in your family. But has it ever happened to you personally? I was one of those individuals who had heard of many stories about incredible things happening in other peoples lives but I never really thought that it has ever happened to me, until three days ago when I was on a drive back home from doing errands.

Early in the morning, I thought it would be nice to hit up Starbucks, enjoy a nice warm caramel macchiato, and finish up the book I was currently reading, Crazy Love by Francis Chan. I had read the book before but there's always something new that just clicks or you understand more the second time around. This time, I took up a challenge that was requested by the author. There is only one place in the bible where God invites His people to test him. Malachi 3:10, "Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that here may be food in My house, and test Me now in this, 'says the Lord of hosts, 'if I will not open for you the window of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows'". From this verse God was telling his people to give more than they could manage, give everything they had so that He could show them that for giving willingly, He would bless them immensely. So then here was my chance to test God. Right at that moment, I asked God to show me something crazy, radical, a miracle. I decided that I would tithe the money I had saved up from babysitting the past couple of weeks and then wait and see what God does with it. Later that day, I went on my business and did a few errands to prepare for my trip to Hawaii. While I was gone, my pastors wife called and asked me if I would come over their house for a few minutes to pick something up. So, in the early evening, I went over their house and they handed me an envelope. They said they were proud of me for wanting to spend my time serving the Lord and learning more about him through my trip and wanted to help me out a bit with the finances. They sold a few things from their home and decided to give me the money from what they sold to me for my school. I was thankful for their act of kindness and love for the Lord and really couldn't believe that they had done this for me. The only thing they asked of me in return was pictures of the beaches and maybe a few sea shells. This family is such a blessing to me and a number of people. They are prime examples of selfless giving and are an inspiration for myself and others that no matter what you have or what your situation is, you can bless another person with either money, giving of food, or even just a genuine smile. Once I returned home, I opened the envelope and found that they had given me $1,050!! "Holy Miracle"!! I said and began to cry. What an incredible blessing and what a way for God to prove to me that he is all powerful and that he loves me.

God is ready all the time to bless us, we just have to submit to him and ask for it. There's no need to doubt, no need to wonder. He has me taken care of and knows what I need in the time that I need it. He is my father, my provider and my first love. He will never let me down.

As the days seem to pass by faster, my time here at home gets short and my life changing experience quickly approaches. I have FIFTEEN days left until April 5th and I am still in need of funds. Most of you have received my letter and may have felt in your heart to donate. I am so incredibly thankful for that, but had the return envelope sent back to you, do not worry. There was a complication with the post office with receiving my mail, but has been handled and fixed. So if you still feel lead to give, you may do so and resend your donation to the same mailing address. It will be received and I will send a thank you card in return.

Again, thank you so much for your prayers and donations. I will be sure to continue to updating you all on my adventure with photographs and posts on this blog. Love you all very much!

Thirty-Nine Days

Only thirty-nine days until April 5th. Thirty-nine days until I leave for six months to live in a beautiful, breathtaking island, learning more about who I am in Christ, and God showing me what I am capable of with him leading the way. Thirty-nine days until I learn new ways to use my talent of photography, to show others about the beautiful things God has created on this earth, tell others a story about a child in poverty, or a young woman working in a field for money to buy food for her family. Thirty-nine days until I am face to face with some Jesus Freaks that are not ashamed of who they are and are in the same position as I am of digging deeper into God's love.
As crazy enough as this seems to me, to be leaving everything I know, friends, family, regular routine things, I am PSYCHED for this part of my life to start!! What better way to live my life than to learn more of who God is and his unending love and mercies over me while to doing what I love to do, photography. But all this cannot happen without the help of a few people to sponsor. The lecture phase cost about $4,000 and the Outreach cost about $4,000-6,000. I am in great need of funding so, if you feel led to donate or sponsor there is a yellow donation link on the right side of my  page for you to do so.
I also ask for you all to please pray that not only I am financially blessed but also for the protection of myself and my group during our time in Hawaii and also wherever we are taken outside of the US.
Thank you so much for reading and I cant wait to share more of what God will be doing in my life.
Blessings!

So, this is a little old.. Wrote this back in 2010 but for some reason, I never posted it. So here it is and I hope it challenges you to think about whats to come in the near future.

So, this is a little old.. Wrote this back in 2010 but for some reason, I never posted it. So here it is and I hope it challenges you to think about whats to come in the near future.

Have You Ever..

Heaven's Song

By: Phil Wickham

You wrote a letter and You signed your name

I read every word of it page by page

You said that You'd be coming, coming for me soon

Oh my God I'll be ready for You

I want to run on greener pastures

I want to dance on higher hills

I want to drink from sweeter waters

In the misty morning chill

And my soul is getting restless

For the place where I belong

I can't wait to join the angels and sing my heaven song

I hear Your voice and I catch my breath

'Well done my child, enter in and rest'

Tears of joy roll down my cheek

It's beautiful beyond my wildest dreams

I want to run on greener pastures

I want to dance on higher hills

I want to drink from sweeter waters

In the misty morning chill

And my soul is getting restless

For the place where I belong

I can't wait to join the angels and sing...

I want to run on greener pastures

I want to dance on higher hills

I want to drink from sweeter waters

In the misty morning chill

And my soul is getting restless

For the place where I belong

I can't wait to join the angels and sing

No, I cant wait to join the angels and sing my heaven song

Have you ever..

Have you ever truly thought about what it would be like to stand at the gates of heaven before the Almighty God. The one who created man out of dust, the one who made each star that shines above us every night, the one knows every thought, hears every prayer, and sees every heart longing for love.

Whenever I listen to this song, I seem to get emotional and I think about how incredible it will be to finally hear those words from my God, letting me know that I may enter through the gates of heaven and spend ETERNITY with him and those who trusted and believed the words of the Bible. Could you imagine how you would feel? What you would be thinking? Who you would see once you entered in?

Psalm 45:16 "They are led in with glad and joyous acclaim; they enter the palace of the king."

We were made to have a relationship with Jesus Christ. He left his place in heaven, to willingly sacrifice his life to save us all from the dark pits of hell and bring us home to a place of perfection that no one could have ever imagined. On the third day after his death, he defeated all the evils of this world and rose up from the grave. Because of this act of compassion and obediance to his father, we now have a choice and when we choose God, we choose an everlasting life of love and joy. This Sunday represents the day he resurected, it is a day of happiness and exaltation. Our Savior has risen and he gave us all a promise, that he would return one day and reclaim this earth, and he will come on clouds with countless angel. He will fight the darkness and bring light on earth and show satan who is truly the powerful and holy one.

So, are you ready.. Are you ready for the return of the Savior? Remember what Christ has done for you thousands of years ago, remember his promise.

-Phillipians 3:20- But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.