Hope...

Pastor (Bro.Eddie) with his eldest grandson!

I have to admit it's been quite a week. Last Monday, Februrary 1st, our pastor passed away. My dad and I had been on our way to visit him in the hospital. I remember the shock of the words that I heard. He had a subdural hematoma (a bleed in his brain), which had caused the stroke. He  had been unconscious since Sunday morning (he hadn't even made it to church), but there had still been hope. Hearing that he had died was so...final. He was only 63 years old..too young to die, especially since he wasn't a sickly man.

BUT, it was God's plan, and nothing was ever going to change it. Our pastor had lived a full life, one full of love and giving. He had always worn a smile that was infectious (at least for me it was). I'll never forget the memories I made with him. He was an example to all of us in the congragation of what Christ should look like. His work here on earth was complete, and now he is in heaven with all the other angels rejoicing around our Heavenly Fathers throne.

"Fear not, for I am with you;

be not dismayed, for I am your God;

I will strengthen you, I will help you, 

I will uphold you with my righteous right hand."

- Isaiah 41:10

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.

Some Striking Songs...

1. Worn by Tenth Avenue North (lyrics)
This song has been such a blessing to me. When I first heard it I was driving in my car and I started to tear up. I know that everyone, at one point in their life, feels worn and tired. This "worn" they talk about in the song is more than just physical weariness though. It takes on a spiritual meaning. Our souls get crushed under the influence of the world's' temptations. sometimes it feels like you won't be able to get past this temptation, but God can help you. He is always there to help us rebuild our relationship with him. He alone, can lift us up to create a song of redemption. He is our rest and redemption, no matter how torn and tattered we are.

2. Hello My Name Is and Forgiveness by Matthew West (lyrics for Hello.. and Lyrics for Forgiveness)

Just look at that smile..

Hello My Name Is is a great song. It reminds us whose child we are. Regret and defeat are very real things that can consume us and block out Jesus from our hearts. But, they are lies that we believe. With a strong chorus, we become God's child. A child of the ONE true king.
Forgiveness is a song with a most stirring message. This excerpt is taken from something written by a mother who was involved in the sad, but touching story: "May 11, 2002, 24-year-old drunk driver, Eric, killed one of my twins, Meagan, and one of her friends, Lisa, both girls 20 years old. This was devastating for all three families involved, and countless friends that mourned the loss of these precious girls. But this is also a story of forgiveness and healing. My family and Lisa’s family chose to forgive Eric. We even appealed to have his 22 year prison sentence reduced to 11 years."
A little side note: During the Klove Fan Awards I heard Matthew West host, sing, and talk live a few times. He is by far the funniest artist that I know and was always making me laugh and smile. He could be a stand up comedian, I think. 

3. Words by Hawk Nelson (lyrics)
The words we say can have different effects and this song goes through them. They can bring us or others down and they can bring us back up, higher than we've ever been. So, in the chorus, we ask God to help us have words that heal and are always truthful. We should only want to say words that bring the world back to God. We should always speak words of love and life, bringing light to a dark world. 

4. Strangely Dim by Francesca Battistelli (lyrics)

The first time I heard this song I didn't really like it, but boy has that changed. I absolutely love it and I know all the lyrics by heart. It talks about how we, as humans, have our life planned out. We are gonna get married, have kids, graduate college, have a great career. But, God has the reins, not us. He may change our plans in a few seconds and make us wait for our purpose to be fulfilled. When we fix our eyes on Jesus alone, everything grows dim: our plans, our worries, our doubts.

5. Every Good Thing by The Afters (lyrics)
I was listening to the radio and when this song came on, the young lady broadcasting said "Want might to watch your speed on the road..this song may cause you to go faster." I laughed as I looked self consciously at my speedometer. I don't think it made me go any faster, but I did roll down the windows and turn up the volume. God is the reason for everything good. The lyrics are pretty much self explanatory. The second verse talks about how God is in control of the bad times, and will always be there to make them better and comfort us. The family we have is a gift from God, and so are the troubles, because he is always there to turn trials into gold.

6. We Won't Be Shaken by Building 429 (lyrics)
This song was written right after the school shooting in Newtown, CT last December 14th. I remember hearing about it all over the news, such a devastating piece of news. Surrounded by tragedy, the town pulled together and just a few days later Building 429 wrote this song. This song will always remind me of that tragic event, but it's for every day. This song is a call out to all christians that we should not be shaken by the devil's schemes or the worlds prejudices. We should stand strong in Christ, and not be shaken. 

7, Me Without You by TobyMac (lyrics)

Always wearing an awesome hat!

I thought this song was a bit too upbeat for me, but it wasn't. I learned the lyrics and now I sing it all the time as I listen on the radio. The strong and fast beat, well..that explains the jumping sometimes upstairs..LOL. Where would we be without God in our lives? We would just aimlessly be walking around without any purpose. All our dreams would fade, and we would be chasing anything that looked appealing. As TobyMac states it "You rescued me/ You are mine, I am yours/ You rescued me/ And I am yours forever /You saved me, remade me/ And where would I be/ Without You."

8. All This Time by Britt Nicole (lyrics)
God's been with us every day of our lives and sometimes its just amazing to stop and think about that. This is a true song of thankfulness and worship. It talks about the day when Britt gave herself to the Lord, how she felt love and peace. He's been there through every heartache and every dream come true.  I will never leave us, nor forsake us (Hebrews 13:5). 

God Still Performs Miracles..

I was driving to the hospital this morning, on my way to volunteer. The radio was on 96.7 (Klove here in West Hempstead). The "morning show" was playing with the three regular announcers. This morning there was a guest singer, his name was Aaron Shust. I was so happy and excited to hear what he was going to talk about. Then one of the announcers asked him about his oldest son and what came next was a complete surprise to me.

Sometimes it can be a bit hard to think of famous people living a normal life, not that Aaron has a normal life. Far from it actually. Aaron has a wonderful wife and three young boys who he loves very much. The eldest son was miraculously healed the other day from esophagitis, a disease in which the child could no longer swallow food and was on a feeding tube. They were in the hospital and nurses came into the room just because they felt peace inside the little boys room. Aaron was so thankful for the healing and all his wife could do was smile in utter joy.

There 18 month old son was born with Down Syndrome and almost full deafness in both ears. Just a few months ago Aaron's wife took a trip to New York to attend a prayer conference and took the little boy with her. She brought the boy up to the front to be prayed with. The next morning she called Aaron, and while crying told him that she had just called to the little boy from across the room and he had turned his head in response to his name. I missed the ending of the second boys recovery, but the story of this singer was truly a blessing. God can still perform miracles today. It can be easy to see it in this post, but everyday he performs a miracle in your life. That miracle is life. 

God Bless you all!