Ten Years and Counting!

Time flies so quickly, and it can be so hard to realize it until it's passed. This past weekend I had the privilege of celebrating my church's 10th anniversary, woohoo! God has done some awesome things through the ministry at Trinity Baptist Church. For one, this is the church where I accepted Christ as my Lord and personal Savior! (PRAISE HIIIM!!) Pastor Eddie (who also happens to be my best friend's dad-pretty cool, eh?) preached a sermon about heaven and hell, and I realized that even though I had a complete head knowledge of salvation, I had never truly accepted Jesus Christ into my heart, making me unsure of my eternal destination. So on February 18th, 2001, I entered into the family of God, and it was the best decision I ever made. Ever. :) So yeah, it's been awesome growing up in one place, from junior high, to the teen class, to the A-Z Discipleship class, until I left for college! And even then whenever I'd come home I knew I could find a home at Trinity. There's definitely an awesome body of believers there.

Unfortunately I wasn't able to capture all of the photos I wanted of the church's anniversary service, but at least I took some! The day before the Sunday service there was a really nice dinner for all the members and some guests, so this is where the pictures are from.

The tables were so nicely decorated!

I was pretty much in love with the drink fountains. :) 

These were the centerpieces for the tables. The glass containers were filled with mustard seeds, representative of the faith we've had in God to make it this far as a church to further God's kingdom! Very creative and symbolic.

I pretty much loves the rose balloons.

A few of the teens.

The parents! :) 

Blurry, but the praise team is singing.

My pastor is on the left, Pastor Reynolds is in the center. (He's the pastor of Trinity's sending church!) Pastor Davis is on the end. He preached on anniversary Sunday.

Me and Pastor Eddie!

Whether I'm at Trinity or somewhere else in the future, I know that the more Trinity grows together in the Lord, the more it will be able to do for God's kingdom! She may not be a huge church, but she's impacting the community with the gospel of Christ in a great way, and because of that God is glorified. Looking forward to seeing all that happens in the next ten years! ;-)

A Life Poured Out

Tonight I was greatly blessed and moved by a blog I read about a ministry outreach to orphans in Uganda. Moved is actually an understatement. Heartbroken and nearly bawling my eyes out is slightly more accurate. As I read through different posts and saw various pictures, I really felt like I was getting a really good depiction of biblical womanhood:  a young woman who's life was being completely poured out as she let go of her own life in order to show the love of Jesus Christ. (Kinda makes me think of Vibia Perpetua...)

I was about to close the tab where the blog was located when I suddenly stopped. Would this be it for me? Would I be one of the people who sees the needs of those who Jesus had the greatest heart for, is temporarily moved by them, and then goes to sleep in my comfortable bed, forgetting the things I have seen? I hardly believe that I happened upon this blog by chance, especially now that I feel so burdened! So I've decided to not walk away pretending I haven't seen the things I've seen, read the things I've read. It's kinda crazy/funny (okay, not funny, but yeah) that I just got back from South Africa and was more moved by the needs on a screen than the ones that were right in front of me. Granted, I was in a totally different position then. Outside of working with the children in Nkanini  (which was both heartbreaking and an incredibly beautiful and exciting blessing) I was on college campuses day in and day out, ministering to students who looked just like me, living in a place, though on a different continent, that was totally Westernized. I wasn't that much out of my comfort zone.

Children from the township Nkanini, in the city of Khayalitsha in Cape Town, South Africa. Listening to a Bible lesson we shared with them. Note: They were fascinated by the cameras. :)

I believe that living a life in full surrender to Christ is to let go of the comforts and conveniences that this world offers, counting all as loss for the sake of the gospel of Jesus. That doesn't necessarily mean that God will send all of us to third world countries where sharing the gospel will be a daily risk to our lives. But who's to say that isn't what God has for us? So often we (yes, myself including) limit the plans God has for us simply because it isn't within our realm of comprehension. But why should it be? God is wayyy more than we can wrap our minds around, so of course His plans are too awesome for us to understand completely! Yet He uses us, sinful vessels, filling us up and pouring us out if only we'll allow Him to use us to the extent that He desires:  completely.

I don't know about you, but I don't want a life that I plan out myself. I don't want a life that keeps me comfortable. I don't want a life where I'm never stretched. I don't want "the good life" that is so consumed with my little world that I miss out on the best that God has planned for me, in order to further His kingdom! I know God has me where I am right now for a reason, so all I'm trying to do right now is PRAY for those that I don't have the ability to physically reach out to at this stage of my life, and to grow and take in all the lessons God is trying to teach me, so that when He calls me to move forward into whatever He wants me to be, I'll be as ready as He wants me to be.  I greatly encourage you guys to evaluate your life right now. Are you where you want to be, or where God wants you to be? His best is better than our will ever be, and I hope that you'll seek the Father for the incredible, fulfilling life He desires to give His children.

Cape Town, At a Glance

Here's a little taste of my short term missions trip to Cape Town, South Africa! This isn't the only post; there's more to come! Enjoy, and if you have questions/comments, feel free to ask!

During the missions trip to Cape Town, the team did an intensive study on the book of 1 Peter. Our theme verse was 1 Peter 3:15. What I got the most out of this verse was setting apart Christ as Lord in my heart, thereby transferring all control and authority of my life over to Him, submitting to His Lordship over me. 

Fun place called Mama Africa in downtown Cape Town. The artwork was amazing, and the live band was fun to dance to :) 

Beautiful art depicting Table Mountain. I loved how no matter where I turned, I could see it!

Too bad all the baboons decided to disappear the day we went to see them! :(

Feeling exhilarated at Cape Point

It was so humbling for me to realize that I was at the southernmost tip of AFRICA! God brought me that far across the world!! Incredible.

On top of Table Mountain

The view was breaktaking! The climb up the mountain was so hard, but once I got to the top, it was SO worth it. Kinda like life...I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus!

Kinda small and blurry, but Campus Crusade for Christ and Impact Movement joined together in Cape Town to share the gospel at University of the Western Cape, Stellenbosch University, and Cape Peninsula University of Technology! Here's all of us together. 

Me and Lauren, a UWC student

UWC students dancing at the Cru & Impact going away function

Who better to face paint the South African flag than a South African? :) 

Four UWC students, one STINT person (in Cape Town for over a year), and two of us are Impact project students!

Lauren and I shared our faith together at Stellenbosch from day 1! It was so nerve-wracking that very first day, but God showed Himself strong in our weakness and we had some awesomely blessed conversations with both believers and nonbelievers alike. 

Cory (1), Keenan (4), and Chelten (5) with Igshaan and Grayson, the two students leading the Impact chapter at UWC. They are literally ON FIRE for God! Never met two guys so enthusiastic and bold in their witness of Jesus Christ on a university campus. 

Pravani and I! This woman is such a sweetheart and SO funny. Amazing testimony of being a former Hindu who converted to Christianity. Her family rejected her, but praise be to God, as of early this year they are now all believers! :) 

At this really cool outdoor buffet called Moyos. Me and the roommates, Chaneal and Njia. Love and miss them!

At Moyos Restaurant, doing Keenan's style dancing at the table, hehe.

The ladies went to Limnos Bakery for our first small group Bible study. This was a ridiculously good eclair. I ended up buying two or three more, and finishing them before we even left the bakery. Yes...that good...

Welp, that's all folks! More pictures and stories to come about my adventures in the beautiful country of South Africa! 

Today is the Day!!

Wow, guys, just wow... God is so amazing. He totally came through with providing the needed funds to go to Cape Town by burdening people's hearts to give, even on the last day!!! How awesome is that!? So today, I'm headed to meet up with the team I'm going with, and we'll be taking a flight to London, then from London to Cape Town! I should be in Cape Town by Tuesday morning!! There's a ten hour layover in London, so I'm excited about seeing a couple sights. I promise to take lots of pictures and video! I'll be there for a month and three days. :)

I'll try to update the blog as frequently as posibble, but the wireless is a little different in SA so we'll see! Please pray for the team and I as we endeavor to share the truth of Jesus Christ with South Africa!!

Birthday Money

This is about my birthday. And money. But not about birthday money.

I'm so thankful to the Lord for bringing me into another year of life!! I'm incredibly excited to see what the age 21 holds. I know God is going to do some big things in my life and the lives of others I know, and I'm just looking forward to seeing the turnout! I ate lunch with the Favorite, and then went and had an Oreo shake with the Hermanita at Potbelly's. On the way to the Metro I got into a conversation with a homeless guy named Marshall (who I now regret passing so many times in the past). He was such a nice guy, and so smart, and very interested in spiritual things as well as philosophy. I ended up buying two books from him, and I look forward to stopping and talking with him in the future! The Scripture about what I do for the poor being a reflection on my relationship with Christ kept coming to mind that day, and I could've ignored it, but praise be to God that His Spirit enabled me to follow His leading in talking to this man. God loves him no less! So important to remember. Definitely a birthday highlight. :)

Okay, so after that I went home, worked on the last of the fundraising for the day, and leave to mail out some donations. But when I get to the post office I realize I left the envelopes at home. Booooo. At this point I'm getting kinda frustrated, but it's all better when I meet my family at Wegmans. They surprised me with a mini-celebration which included a chocolate creme pie (YES!!), pizza, the surprise arrival of Mom's Friend and the Favorite, and the Hermanita and Bro-in-Law! Yayyy!! It was awesome. Good food, conversation, and gifts!! The Hermanita and Bro-in-Law bought me a brand spankin' new camera (which I've been without for a while) for my trip to Cape Town, along with 8 gigs of memory! Woot woot! Beautiful cards and sentiments were expressed as well. :) I love love love my siblings and my parents and the Favorite and the Bro-in-Law, even if I do say mean things and beat up on them every now and then ;-) I'm so thankful to God for a good day!

Now about that money. That's actually regarding all the donations needed for my missions trip to Cape Town in a little over a week! Friday (um, today) is when the full $6,000.00 is due! As of Sunday I only had $3,505, but I have seen God move in people's hearts big time this week, and have seen another $2,300 or so come in this week alone! Still praying that the last little bit will come in today, sealing me in for this trip! How exciting it is to see God work. It's been especially great to see people who aren't giving out of their abundance, but simply out of a heart to sow into the kingdom of God. Plus all these people who've been so supportive are partnering in the work God is doing in Cape Town, even though they aren't physically there! How amazing is that!?

Anyways, it's well past my bedtime, and I just wanted to do a short catch up since it's been a while since I've posted. Next time I post hopefully I'll have some pictures to post from my new camera, woohoo!!

Halfway There!

As you all know, I'm in the process of raising funds for my missions project to Cape Town, South Africa with the Impact Movement! I have to raise a total of $6,000.00 for the trip (which lasts just over a month) by the end of June! Large amount, huh? Well boy do I have an exciting update!! As of this past Thursday, I am now at $3,375.00 exactly!! (God, You are awesome!) I am just loving how He has been putting it on people's hearts to give toward this incredible opportunity for me to share the gospel outside of my regular sphere of influence!! People who I least expect to give having been giving far beyond what I've even asked! All glory be to God. :) I'm really excited to see how the Lord will work out the remainder of these funds!

My Ministry Partner Development coach for the trip sent me something very encouraging called "What Is True of Me." Not only was it a good reminder to me of the what God says in His Word in terms of trusting Him for the funds, but it can also be an encouragement to you all as you lean on Christ's promises during whatever season of life you are in. Here are just a few lines of what was included:

· I serve the Lord God whose resources are infinite (Psalm 50:10-12) and who can abundantly provide. (Ephesians 3:20)

· My team of ministry partners is laying up treasures in heaven and is greater involved in the fulfillment of the Great Commission because of their participation in my life. (Matthew 6:20)

· I am inviting people to be partners in ministry with me by committing their time, prayers, resources and finances to what God is doing in our world. I am not begging for money or asking for a contribution. (1 Thessalonians 1:8)

· My ministry is very significant since people have a need for God. (Matthew 9: 36; Romans 3:23, 6:23)

· My ministry is very significant since I am calling others to consider decisions that will affect their eternal destiny. (John 11:25-26)

· God promises that those who give to my ministry will be more blessed by the giving than I am by the receiving. (Acts 20:35)

· I am an encouragement to my ministry team in their own walks with God as they see what He is doing through me. (1 Thessalonians 1:8)

· God is using me as an opportunity for obedience when others give to my ministry since He has called everyone to give financially to His work regardless of the amount of their personal income. (Malachi 3:8,10; 2 Corinthians 8:1-5)

· As a laborer in the harvest, I am an answer to prayer. (Matthew 9:37-38)

I love the fact that God not only blesses me for my obedience to Him in His service, but He also blesses those who partner in supporting me in my obedience to Him! How cool is that!? :) I get pretty excited about the Lord's work, as you can see hehe. I definitely ask that you guys continue in prayer for the 9 other students who are going on the trip, as well as the staff!! Everyone has to raise nearly the same about of funds (unless of course you've got it like that and can pay out of pocket hehe). This is really an awesome opportunity to exercise our faith in God's ability and provision, as well as His sovereign timing for things. As He stretches our faith in this area, God is making us more flexible in our service, trust, and obedience to Him in all other areas of life! This applies not only to raising money for ministry, but also any test or trial the Lord puts us through. And it's so awesome, because when He comes through, He comes THROUGH! and we're able to point allllllll glory and praise to Jesus for doing the work. My verse for this season? James 5:16b: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth MUCH! (emphasis mine) Have you guys ever had opportunities to lean on these or other assurances found in Scripture? I'd love to hear about them! I'm so thankful to you guys for the prayers, encouragement, and advice thus far; and I do hope you'll continue in to intercede on behalf of me and my missions team for the remainder of this preparatory time before the trip! :)

**If you are interested in finding out more information on supporting me in prayer or financially in this endeavor, just let me know, and I'll answer any questions you may have!**

It's Official!

I'm headed to Cape Town, South Africa this summer with the Impact Movement!

It's funny, because I've already been telling people I'm going, with a teeny-tiny disclaimer that I actually didn't have confirmation yet...hehe. Well, I guess I should be thankful that everything went through! I'm so excited to see what the Lord is going to do in Summer 2010. I'm sure the whole experience will be an opportunity for growth in my walk with Jesus, of course, but I'm also looking forward to seeing what life is like outside of the United States! It will be so awesome to see how the power and truth found in God's Word extends much further than America. I already know that it does, but to actually see and experience it in person will be incredible! I should be receiving my acceptance and information packet in the mail in a week or two, so I'll definitely be keeping everyone posted on how preparation for the trip is going!

CAPE TOWN, HERE I COMEEE!!! :) 

Food, Food, Glorious Food!!!

Food to Eat
So during the month of December 2009, I was on a fast. From food. And not just any food...fastfood. Nearly every place that had a drive through was out for the entire month. Now some of you are probably like, 'Oh, no big deal.' Noooo, let me explain. I eat (well, ate) fast food all the time. May not be able to tell it from looking at me, but I am an addict to all things junky, fatty, and cheap!!! (Sad, I know.) Among those places that were hard to give up: Taco Bell, McDonalds, and Checkers. But alas, I got pretty convicted about the type of food that I put in my body (no, I don't think eating fast food is sinful! hehe. I just had no sense of moderation.)

Think about the Scripture in 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17:  "Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple."  An analogy I heard went something like this:  If you have a really nice luxury car that you spent a ton of money on, one with a state of the art engine and functions, would you put cheap gas in it? No, because that could lead to your car's engine dying out on you faster. So why put junk food into our bodies? So...does eating junk food all the time mean that I'll die sooner...uhh...maybe...lol.  (okay, -muffles laugh- not funny). Actually, it is funny, at least I know where I'm going when I die (if you don't, ask me how I know!)!! But how horrible would it be for me to die at the tender age of 20 due to my heart/arteries giving out on me because of my, at best, unhealthy eating habits? Not so pleasant, huh? Okay, done rambling. Changing what I eat opened up opportunities to cook more, and also to discover new and exciting recipes made totally from scratch! Yum!

I had been craving some oatmeal raisin cookies since Thanksgiving!! But sadly, they weren't on the menu last year...but last month (yeah I know, it's been a while now), I finally got to make some!! I searched high and low for the perfect recipe (online of course, hehe), and settled on this one by Elise at http://simplyrecipes.com/. VERY VERY good choice!! Not having a mixer made fixing the cookies a little harder to do (it got lost during one of the past 3 moves!). Let's just say, my arm muscles should be pretty strong from mixing that thick dough! One thing I did do in the recipe was soak the raisin in one egg and vanilla extract. The raisins did plump some, but weren't fat like I expected (which is sad, 'cause I love chubby/fat things!). Either way, the cookies were great. Later in the month I made a variation of the cookies (chocolate chips instead of raisins) per my younger sister's request for her birthday (which happened to be on Christmas!). Anyways, I encourage any and everyone who likes oatmeal raisin (or oatmeal chocolate chip) cookies to make them!

I made another type of cookie in..December? I think. Either way, I've used the recipe twice since then because I (and my family) so enjoyed them! They're sugar cookies, and they are yummy delicious and tasty! The recipe is really simple. I tweaked it a bit, and it's still awesome. :)

2 3/4 cups of flour
1 1/2 cups of sugar
1 cup (2 sticks) of butter, softened
2 teaspoons of vanilla
1 egg
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
couple dashes of cinammon (optional)

1)  Preheat oven to 375 F. In a small bowl, stir together the flower, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.

2)  In a large bowl, mix the butter and sugar until it's smooth. And egg and vanilla and stir until thoroughly incorporated. Gradually blend in dry ingredients (but don't overmix!). Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls and place in ungreased pan/cookie sheet.

3)  Bake 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand on the cookie sheet 1-2 minutes before removing.

4)  Enjoy! :)

I could really go on about food forever, but I think I'll try to stop soon! (Yeah, not yet, hehe.) A really nifty idea (at least I thought so) if you run out of chips to go with your did (and just so happen to have tortilla shells in your fridge!):  cut the tortilla shells into triangles, and fry lightly. Takes less than three minutes, and they're really tasty! I salted mine, and if you want to do the same, salt them while they're hot!!

Okay, last things (yes, I know, I'm such a fatty!). Something that super excited me was that I learned how to make eggs over hard! I already knew how to make them sunny side up and scrambled, but I hadn't mastered over hard. The trick, for those who'd like to try it, is to pierce the yolk before you flip it over! Ta daaa!! (Actually, you shouldn't have to flip it over, but I'm not on that level yet lol).  And since I'm on this cooking spree, hopefully I'll get to make these yummy looking and sounding lasagna rolls that I found on My Italian Grandmother, and maybe some Orange Oatmeal cookies (I'll keep you posted on that...). Mm-mm-good!

Spiritual Food

Right now I'm reading a book called Our Covenant God by Kay Arthur.(Shout out to the bestest for the recommedation!) Finished the fourth chapter today, and already it's been so great to be reminded of the promises God has made and keeps for His children!! It's a big encouragement to me, especially during this awkward, and sometimes frustrating stage in my life (more on that another time...). Other than than, I've been studying the book of James and the Lord has been teaching me so so much! (More on that later as well, otherwise this post'll continue forever!) Last thing with my "spiritual food." So I'd been looking into summer missions trips through Impact Movement and through Campus Crusade for Christ for a while. One of my goals for 2010 is to go on at least 2 missions trips, and what better time than the summer to go! With God's leading, I was able to narrow it down to my top four choices (Tennessee, South Africa, Mexico, Indiana), and with much prayer, put Cape Town, South Africa as my first choice!! If you look reaaallllyyy closely at the picture, in the bottom left corner, you can see the little dot that's Cape Town. I'm already sooo excited about the summer (and I technically haven't even heard back yet, hehe)! Sometimes I wonder if this is how Jabez felt when God granted his request of enlarging his territory...Nothing like knowing the Creator of the universe wants to use me! (and you!). :)

Computer Food

I'm always on Facebook!! Alas. My freshman year at Howard, I was voted "Facebook Queen" by my floor in my dorm. Is that an award I should be proud of? I'm not quite sure... Anyways, you're probably wanting me to get to the point; what does Facebook have to do with food? Well. I have been playing this highly addictive game called Cafe World. Basically you gain points by "making dishes" and "serving" them to customers. Who knew that such a simplistic game could be so...well, addicting!! So there's my "computer food" for ya :)


Food for Thought

"Christians may not tell lies, but they do sing them." When I first heard someone say this, I had to sit back and think about the statement. I mean, to be honest, Christians do tell lies (though I hope it isn't habitual, and when it does happen that we repent and let our mouths and lives speak truth!). But when I stopped over-analyzing the statement, I was actually quite convicted. I can think of times in church services in times past when I found myself mouthing words instead of singing them aloud because I felt like a hypocrite. "I Surrender All" is an example. I definitely can't be singing that hymn if there are things in my life that I'm not allowing the Lord to completely take over! So yes, that's my food for thought; not only should we think before we speak, we should think before we sing.

And this is me, signing off on food for the day. Hope you were well fed! ;-)