The end of a Decade....

Today is the last day in 2009. This decade was home to my Childhood. I have gone through and done so much... I graduated elementary, and middle school in. Moved to a new house and met all new people at my High school. I went on my very first Mission Trip to St.Louis, went on the most amazing experience ever- Challenge 2008. I had my first boyfriend, my first kiss, and also my first heart break. I learned to drive, I gained a MUCH deeper relationship with Christ. I jet skii-ed, tubed, and knee boarded for the first time. I learned to branch out and hang out with more than just my group of best friends, I learned to love them and get a long with them better than ever before. I became more confident in my self. I began appreciating Christmas for what it really means rather than the presents. I began reading the whole bible through rather than just letting it collect dust on my shelf. When I look back... I have grown up SO much in the past decade. And good or bad, I will never forget the things I experienced in these past ten years. I can't wait to see what the next decade brings!

Day of thanks...

I'm thankful that Jesus died on the cross for our sins. I'm thankful for my parents and the close relationships I have with both of them. I'm thankful for my little brothers who always make me smile. I'm thankful for my grandparents who share their wisdom with me. I'm thankful for my cousins and the time we get to spend together. I'm thankful for my Aunt's and Uncle's and everything they do for me. I'm thankful for my friends and their willingness to be there for me when I'm going through the worst of times. I'm thankful for laughter, it's the best medicine. I'm thankful for the Bible that God left for us to use as a guideline for life. I'm thankful for my small group at church and the way they understand me like no one else does. I'm thankful that my family has enough money to eat and pay the bills. I'm thankful that God has allowed me to live as long as I have so far. I'm thankful for all the possesions I have. I'm thankful for Bay Lake, one of the most beautiful places in the world. I'm thankful for the trips I've been able to go on like Challenge and BUMP. I'm thankful for Haley and Abby, the cutest little girls I know. I'm thankful for Wichita State basketball, get 'em shox! :) I'm thankful for summer and the warm sunshine. I'm thankful for electronics, and all forms of communication. I'm thankful for food, Enough said! I'm thankful that I get to experience the greatest kind of love there is. I'm thankful for my Monday night Bible Study. I'm thankful for the strong youth group at my church that I get to be a part of. I'm thankful for Alena who's more like a sister than a friend to me because we are so close; and no matter how much time passes when we don't hang out we always find a way to start back where we left off. I'm thankful for the "Star Group" as we named ourselves back in Middle School, lol! I'm thankful for all the new friends I've made at Heights, and the old one's from Robinson. I'm thankful for my health. I'm thankful for the Jubilee Youth and every single person in inner city- St. Louis. I'm thankful for all the beautiful things God created. I'm thankful for my freedom here in America. I'm thankful for my nice warm bed, and sleep. I'm thankful for Christmas and all the other holidays. I'm thankful for hugs,kisses, and all the people in my life that love me.

I definitely don't take enough time out of my life to thank God for everything he's done for me. This one was for you Big G- I love ya!!

I Kissed Dating Goodbye

Today I purchased a book called "I Kissed Dating Goodbye." I'm only 2 Chapters in but I can already tell that it's going to be a life changing book. The Author starts out by explaining his first serious relationship- and I was surprised to find that the way he described it was EXACTLY how mine had been. He went on to say how that relationship only led to hurt and losing a little bit of that purity that we all strive for. That relationship let him to "kiss dating goodbye" so to speak, atleast until he is ready to make the commitment and consider that person for marriage. The book is not saying that dating is bad or that you shouldn't do it, but rather suggesting better means of going about it and living your life for God as an alternative. Another interesting tidbit from the first two chapters is when the author describes a dream a friend of his had. In the dream she is walking down the aisle on her wedding day, to meet her groom. But when she gets there all of a sudden 7 other girls walk up next to him and hold his hand. These are the 7 other girls he has dated in the past and given part of his heart away too. The girl in the dream begins to cry and says to the boy, "I thought your whole heart was mine?" The boy replied- "It is, It is, I promise it is! Whats left of it is yours."
This dream really struck a cord with me. After reading that dream- I decided to kiss dating goodbye for a while as well. Because on my wedding day, I don't want anyone standing up there with me besides my husband- I want him to be able to have my whole heart (besides the part that only belongs to God).
Anyway, It's a really great book and I highly recommend it!

Update!

Lots has happened since I last updated this thing.. So I'm gonna try to catch everyone up! Are you ready for this??

So, Firstly, I'm single now. That's right, Alex and I broke up. To be completely honest, it broke my heart and it's going to take me a while to be back to normal again. However I am very thankful because we decided to still be friends, and I'm very excited about that. Even though this sucks and I love him, I think it was actually a good thing. I'm going to take this time to fall in love with Jesus, I know that I have to be completely in love with him before anything will ever work out with a guy.

Secondly, I'm a sophomore now! It's pretty stressful, I have much more homework than I did last year, and my classes are difficult. It's so hard to believe that after this year I will be halfway done with High School, and the majority of my friends will be Seniors. I've definitely grown up fast, I still remember my elementary school days when Nsync was the Soundtrack to my life, and every Saturday morning I'd wake up early to go to the Pet store downtown with my dad.

Thirdly, I've got this idea. As you all know, my youth group went on a mission trip called BUMP this summer. (If you don't know what went on there, read the post below this one). Anyway, the other day at Church some of the kids from the apartment building next door were talking to my friends and I before youthgroup started. They reminded me of the kids from BUMP- They were so happy that we were paying attention to them, and they were so sweet. When It was time for youthgroup to start they had asked "Are you going to come back?" After that encounter, God really put this idea on my heart. I want to do something with those kids like we did at BUMP. You don't have to go to a foreign country or another state to reach out to people in need- you can do it right in your own neighborhood. So i'm not sure quite yet how to reach out to the kids in the apartment building, But if you have any ideas please let me know :)

And Fourthly, as some of you may know, my cousin Ethan has Autism. In a few weeks there is going to be a Walk for Autism held in Kansas City. My family and I are going to be representing my cousin Ethan in that walk. The walk is to help find a cure for Autism. If you want to check out Ethan's page, go here https://www.kintera.org/faf/donorReg/donorPledge.asp?ievent=305758&supId=261462670 . This is his donation page, if you're interesting in donating to help cure Ethan you or your buisness can enter your dollar amount to the left of the page.

Thanks for Reading and God Bless! :)

Best week of my life!

This Saturday evening I got home from the mission trip, also known as BUMP. We stayed and worked with Jubilee Community Church in the inner-city of St.Louis. On the trip I met many amazing people from the church and the neighborhood. I also grew in my walk with Christ. I even got to lead a girl to the Lord! But Hey, Since they say pictures are worth a thousand words- i'll put some up and let them do the talking!




Shonnday and I with her very first bible! She is the girl I got to lead to christ! :)



Emilie and I!


Geniece and me! I FREAKING MISS HER!


Sarah,Jenna,Jordan,Me,Andrea and Zach! With Razon and Kauilwnee in the middle.

Jenna,Me,Andrea,Zach,and Jordan infront of the Arch.

Sarah,Hannah,Jenna,Me,Andrea,Gracie and Geniece at the Arch! We went there on our free day.

Jeremy and James at the Block party

Natalie and Sarah

Kauilwnee and Zach

Kauilwnee and I!

Alena, Me, and Gracie at the Block Party we held the first night!

Andrea, Me, and Jenna at the Block Party!

The church!

Keren,Hannah,Me,Jenna,Gracie,Sarah,and Andrea just lounging around!

Those are only some of the many pictures I took, If you want to see more go to my facebook!

Doin' Da BUMP!

This Saturday I'm leaving for a week long mission trip known as BUMP. It stands for Bridging Urban Ministries Program. We're going to be running a VBS in St.Louis and doing service projects there as well. While I am excited for the week and to serve God and lead kids to Christ, I have to say It's going to be a hard week. There are certain everyday things I really take for granted that I won't be able to have that week. Such as, sleeping in my own warm bed, taking a long shower everyday whenever I want, Having my cellphone, being able to talk to my wonderful boyfriend every day, being able to wear whatever I want, doing whatever I want all day,taking mid-day naps, watching my favorite shows, spending time with family and friends I will leave behind, and much more. I'm very excited for this week and for all that will happen for God's Kingdom while we're there. I'm going to miss Alex so so much! I still can't beleive I won't be able to talk to him for a whole week, or see him. I know this week will be hard for me, and everyone else going on the trip. So if you're reading this, please pray that we will come with a Servants Heart, and that we will be able to concentrate and not miss our loved ones at home, TOO much. Missing them a little is healthy, right?

God is Good

I'm not too sure what inspired me to start blogging...and I'm not too sure if i'll be good at it- but I guess we'll find out! So let's begin with what's been going on with me lately....

Saturday I got the priveledge of going to Worlds of Fun with some of my very favorite people! (Incase you were wondering, it really was a WORLD of fun--they did a great job in choosing that name for the theme park!) I had been looking forward to going all Summer- and once we finally got there I was so excited, and happy. The day went by pretty quickly since we were having so much fun, and It's just now hitting me that that awesome experience is now done and over with.... I think thats how it goes with many things in life. We look forward to something SO much, and we have a great time with it, but before we know it it's over- and we have to find the next exciting thing to look forward too. But luckily we have God to look too- who is always exciting and will always be there!