The Song of Praise..

And Mary said, 

“My soul magnifies the Lord, 

and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 

for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. 

For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 

for he who is mighty has done great things for me, 

and holy is his name. 

And his mercy is for those who fear him 

from generation to generation. 

He has shown strength with his arm; 

he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 

he has brought down the mighty from their thrones 

and exalted those of humble estate; 

he has filled the hungry with good things, 

and the rich he has sent away empty. 

He has helped his servant Israel, 

in remembrance of his mercy, 

as he spoke to our fathers, 

to Abraham and to his offspring forever.”

Luke 1:46-55, ESV.

My journey SOUTH.

     It was the first time I had been below the equator...in the southern hemisphere. It was full of new sights, new friends, and new experiences. That remarkable journey took place five months ago, during their winter, in a place called South Africa.
     I didn't just sign up to go on this adventure randomly though, it all started back home, in the small church that I have been going to for all my life. My cousin, Sara, had taken a church group two summers ago and she was offering to go with another group. So, a few months later, after a good amount of praying, me and my twin sister and a bunch of friends boarded a 20-something hour flight to the country of South Africa (with a delightful stop in Heathrow, London airport).
     There are many delightful memories that were made in the two weeks we spent there. I couldn't possibly write about all of them. I met children that made me laugh, care workers who told uplifting tales, and other missionaries who made me feel right at home who had a bottomless supply of love.
     During the trip we had some oppurtunities to walk to some of the childrens' homes, they were called Holy Home Visits. We would have a chance to pray with the family and they would tell us a bit about what they were going through.  Me and a friend, Diana, and the pastor of my church were able to visit a mother who had two young sons. she had a few odd jobs that she did, but nothing that was regularly supplying her with money. The family lives on a rented piece of land, with a shack as their home. The father of the two boys was a logger, and had abandoned his family. In South Africa if there is no supporter then you get a set amount of money to help with school costs and food. The man who owned the property would recieve the money, take the rental money out of it, and then pass the rest to the family (which at that point wasn't that much).
During this conversation the mother told one of the boys to get some drink for us. The older boy, Prince, ran into the shack and came out with three tall glasses and a tall bottle of soda. I remember being so touched by this selfless act. The family has so little, but was willing to give up their soda, to complete strangers. We said our thanks and drank up. Needless to say, it was the best soda I'd ever tasted. We walked the kids to  the care point after that and we all sang on our way. It was great to see the boys were so happy. That memory will always stick with me. Period.
     If there are any other questions, or more stories that you want to hear, you can leave a comment below. You could leave a comment just for fun too. You just had to be there to experience everything that happened to all of us. It was definitely a life-changing experience for me, and I'm sure for the others also.

This New Year..

This year I didn't make any New Year Resolutions, which may sound a bit weird to most people.

I did make a commitment to read the complete bible in one year though. I own an iPod touch which is handy and I downloaded an app (that just happened to be a recommendation apple gave me) called She Reads Truth. There is also a website: shereadstruth.com.

It is a community of women committed to drawing closer to Jesus by seeking his face. It started small in 2012 and in 2014 it became more official (and even has an app now). There are a multitude of devotional plans that go through various books of the bible (James, John, Hosea, etc) and various holiday themed plans (lent, advent, thanksgiving, etc.).

This January they released a 2015 Bible-In-A-Year plan, which got me interested. I prayed and God led me to travel with him through his entire word this year, which I am sooo thrilled about. It's been an amazing time so far and I've learned so much already. I look forward to reading God's word every day.

In addition to reading the bible in a year they do a daily plan and right now we are going through the book of Esther. There are small readings to do along with the bible passage and you can even comment in addition.  You should defintely check it out for yourself! May the lord bless you in this coming year.

Unwavering Hope!

This is my computer background right now - anyone surprised?? 
I hope not, because on my author's page it states that I love horses. 

     Every month at crosscards.com there are new monthly calenders. The thing I love about these backgrounds is that they have a bible verse. I looked yesterday for the one that would grace my screen for September. When I saw this choice, it was a hands down winner! Usually its a harder decision and takes a while for me to choose. When I saw the picture it was void of the horses...half the background was blank. When I looked at the wooden planks, the figure-eight knot on the side it, and the verse, it reminded me of the hope the first frontiersmen must have had as they continued west into "wild horse country." To me the horse has always been symbol of strength, grace, beauty, and hope.

     David also had hope. The first four verses of Psalm 71 are all pleas for God to come to the rescue. David must have been in a bit of trouble and his enemies were close at hand when he cried out to God. But the rest of the Psalm tells of how God has helped in the past and how David trusts in God. Verse 13 states: "May my accusers perish in shame; may those who want to harm me be covered with scorn and disgrace." Then in verse 14 he says (also above): "But as for me, I will always have hope." Let us also have an unwavering hope in God!

My hope and dream...

     Every little girl dreams of the knight that is going to sweep her off her feet and honor her all the days of her life. We all had those thoughts of castles with nothing but happiness and love surrounding us. We all twirled around in those beautiful dresses and pretended we were waltzing in a large ballroom. Believe it or not we probably all know how to curtsy even though we never will in public. I think that is a God-given desire. Then, when we meet the man he isn't perfect or honorable everyday. He may not even love us all the time. Soon, we stop that "foolish" dreaming. 

     Well I haven't yet! One day I will meet my knight and you know what, he won't be perfect. He will have weaknesses. This is the man I look forward to meeting one day: A strong man in Christ! A man who, to the world, may be weak, but through Christ is made strong. He will hold my hand throughout life to support me and will treasure my heart. He will love me indefinitely. BUT, I pray that above all else, including me, he will love God. The way he will show his love to God is by cherishing me, the gift God gave him. And I hope and pray that God will help me do the same.