“Anyone who loves their father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves their son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it." Matthew 10:37-39

"A large crowd was following Jesus. He turned around and said to them, “If you want to be my disciple, you must hate everyone else by comparison—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple." Luke 14:25-27

These verses have crossed my mind more than once these past few weeks.  Let me explain...
I am looking at a trip oversees for 9 months in the year 2013. Thinking how long that actually is to be away from my family is a little bit nerve racking. Thinking of all the things that I might miss out on like birthdays, holidays, family time, crazy long car rides that are always exciting experiences, cooking in the kitchen with my Momma, et cetera, et cetera.  But if I were to miss out on any of these things it would have to be because I was serving God and following Him where I felt Him leading me (and I think he is leading me to go on this trip).

I wonder at times if I love God so much that in comparison to my love for him, my love for my family looks like hatred. We hear people say, 'so-and-so, I love you so much that I would take a bullet for you any day.' or 'so-and-so, because I love you so much I would lay down my life for you.'. Now I am not saying that that is a bad thing because obviously John 15:13 is in agreement with this, but I wonder if these people would be willing to 'take a bullet' for Jesus. Me included. 

Do we love Jesus so much that we would go anywhere for Him? That we would do anything for Him?
Would we lay our lives at Jesus' feet in complete surrender? Giving Jesus complete control of our lives?

Well, this is the part of the blog where I try to think of a good way to end it and I am having a 'writers block' kind of moment. So I will end off with a wonderful Bible verse (that I love, love, love) which is found in Isaiah.

"How beautiful on the mountains

      are the feet of the messenger who brings good news,

   the good news of peace and salvation,

      the news that the God of Israel reigns!"

Pictures That "Pinch My Heart"

                                                   These are a few pictures that "pinch my heart"

This boy was outside of our van taxi as we stopped to try some corn roasted over a fire. 

He is just so adorable and was loving all of the attention.

Girls staring at a very interesting sight.... Us.

Ladies working hard to feed their families but stopping to

look at probably one of the strangest sights they have ever 

seen... once again, us.

Children surrounding the little brick house we were having lunch in.

More children!

Looking through holes. I was playing a cute little game with this child.

She would stick her hand through the hole and then I would tickle it, she would 

bring her hand back out of the hole as fast as she could and giggle then we would repeat. 

To add to the fun I would stick my hand out the hole and she would tickle my hand.

It was precious.

This little boy danced for us! He is so cute!

This is a priceless picture.

I am still amazed...

My African Tree!!!!!

If you can't see this clearly, there is a boy (guess of age:3 or 4) with a 

baby on his back. This was a very normal thing to see.

I am loving this picture! 

We visited this school got to share the love of Jesus with them

and hopefully got to make their day a little bit better.

Priceless moment. This young lady was so excited to win the relay race.

Bless her little heart!

We were playing a game of Team Tag. I loved seeing all of their smiles and hearing 

all of the laughter.

How cute are these two little darlings?!?!?!

Resting under the shade of a tree. It was a very hot day.

A BABY GOAT!!! I really miss seeing these little animals meandering around...

Cute, right? 

I know!!!

I love this little girl. Such a precious child of God.

Meet Precious. Precious is so cute! I love her so much but

don't let her deceive you. Her teeth are very sharp. There is a scar to prove it. Just ask Josie.

Precious and her first balloon! 

How cute is that little face!!!

She was our little neighbor across the road. . . Oh how I miss these little faces.

I hope you enjoyed!

Dear Brothers and Sisters...

I remember what a man had asked me one day in Africa while I was standing outside. He asked if he could have a Bible. He then went on to say "How can I know God's word if I do not have God's word?" 
This got me to thinking. How many christian homes have Bibles throughout their house that they are taking for granted (probably more than you can count with just your fingers)? How many Bibles are sitting on a shelf collecting dust when God could use His word to pour into someone's life? How many people around the world don't have a Bible, and here we are with them just sitting throughout our homes while we are watching TV or hanging out with friends... without us giving any thought to it? 
Something is just not right.
"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." Hebrews 4:12-13
Goodness! I would love to know how many of us ''christians'' actually take time to sit down to read and meditate on God's word?  Here we are with the word of God that could-and would-change our lives and it is just sitting somewhere collecting dust...
This has to change. The people of Christ should be reading, studying, and meditating on the word of God! We should be giving the word of God to those who don't have one and who want one. 
What are we doing dear brothers and sisters! 

Stand up, reach out, and change the world... One Bible at a time.

..Church...

I have been home for three weeks, but my heart is still in Africa. I can't get those children out of my mind. I can't keep the struggles that the people there are facing every single day out of my mind. Living conditions that are normal for them but are considered poverty for us... 

Adjusting back to America is much harder than you might think (and to be honest, I am not sure if I really want to) but what I really want to write about is not about me but the church in America. 
I hope you're ready for this.


Let's start- 
Why do you go to church? 
What makes you get up on a Sunday morning when you could be sleeping? Or maybe it is on a Saturday evening when you could be hanging out with your family or your friends? 
Maybe you go because you think that it is the 'religious' thing to do and if you go enough times then you will be able to go to Heaven. Or you go because you are being made to. Maybe you just go because you want to see your friends; hey, you have nothing better to do!
Just think about this for a minute. 


Why do YOU go to church?  
Maybe you know the 'right' answer but is that reason really truly why you go? Is that really the underlying current of your going to church?


Consider this:

When you think about the word "church" what comes to mind? A nice big building with air condition, a nice pastoral staff, a nice worship band with some great singers, a sound team and all of the other people that you might need to make this church service inviting and comfortable for everyone, a youth group, a place for all of the younger kids to go. You might think you need a kitchen, bathrooms, and a lounge for everyone to go to before and after the service. Oh, we can't forget about a nice big parking lot for everyone to park their cars in! 

All of the basic 'necessities' and then you need to have lots of activities going on within the church, right?

"For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”     Matthew 18:20

You see the church is not a building and everything going on in that building. The walls of a building are plainly just walls of a building. What makes a CHURCH is the gathering of two or more people in Christ's name. That's it! There is no building involved.

Now, we have buildings that we go to to gather with the body of Christ. That's fine. But you must be careful to remember that the building itself is nothing special. The body of Christ and His presence is what makes it a place of worship.

I am going to venture off a little bit now.. (Fair warning!)


Imagine this: What if the the place you gathered for church was a small one-room building made of crumbly bricks. It has a few windows with no screen or glass in 'em, no air conditioner, and everyone sat on wooden benches with no cushion or back and/or they sat on the dirt floor. 
Would you still go?


What if the sermon lasted anywhere from 1 1/2 hours to all day? One man teaching the Word of God. Singing and dancing with no fancy instruments, no worship band, and you would be getting all sweaty because, remember, we have no air conditioner and you are dancing (and when I say dancing, I mean dancing).. What if you came out of church looking dirtier than you looked going in.. What if there was no parking lot for your car and you had to walk to church, no matter how far away it is..
Would you still go?


What if it would cost you your LIFE to go to this church just to HEAR the Word of God... just to sing praises to your Heavenly Father... just to be gathered with your brothers and sisters in CHRIST... 


WOULD YOU STILL GO???

Overwhelmed By The Things Of This World

First off I would like to say an "I am sorry" for not updating you on my blog while I was in Africa. I tried but the computer wouldn't allow it - don't ask me why, it just didn't. Ha ha.
Secondly I would like to say a huge "Thank you" for all of your prayers and support before and during this trip. They were a total blessing.


This blog might sound like it came out of a book called Cheesy 101 but there is really no other way for me to say this...


We have it  so good here in America - yet we still complain and we still need the next best thing to come out..     We have windows with glass, floors with carpet, we have toilets, showers, and sinks, all in one room we call the 'bathroom', we have computers in our houses, TVs, cell phones,  and air conditioning. We have clean running water that we can get basically anywhere we go. You really don't know how much we have that we take for granted.  We have malls where we can go in and just try on clothes, decide if we like them or not and buy them. We don't have to make our own clothes or go to someone else to make them, all we have to do is get in a car and grab our wallet out. We have tons and tons of different kinds of shoes that we have the option to buy - yet we still want something better or more in style or maybe something more comfortable.  We have closets with lots of clothes in, dressers with more clothes - yet we still think we need more.  We have fridges and ovens, stoves and microwaves - yet we still think we need the newest technology and the newest look. We have it so good here in America...


Now let's talk a bit about the kids in Africa.
The kids that I saw- most of them didn't have shoes and if they did they would be old and falling apart, they might not even fit their feet. The clothes they would wear would have holes in them and they would be covered in dust - the clothes might even be too big or too small. Boys might have to wear girls clothing or the girls might have to wear boys clothing but that's what they would wear and they would just be thankful that they had clothes on their backs.
Some kids couldn't go to school because their parents couldn't pay for it. 
Some kids were orphans who didn't have a house to live in or some might just stay with friends or maybe a relative. 
Some kids can't get medical care that they need cause they can't afford it or the hospital or clinic aren't really educated on different sicknesses so they just suffer all the time.
I don't know what those kids would do if they came here to America. When they see all of our houses and stores, hospitals and a restaurant - what would they say or think. Would they pass out? I know I probably would! 


It is just so overwhelming on how much we truly do take everything for granted. 


I am so thankful that God gave me the chance to go to Africa. It was so life changing. It really changed the way I look at things now.  
I know that my team and I got to bring some joy, happiness, and love into the people of Africa but the people of Africa brought joy, happiness, and love into our lives. 

Strengthening Words

"Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus."


Her Last Prayer
Girl
16 or 17
Asia
1970's


The Communist soldiers had discovered their illegal Bible study. 
  As the pastor was reading from the Bible, men with guns suddenly broke into the home, terrorizing the believers who had gathered their to worship.  The Communists shouted insults and threatened to kill the Christians. The leading officer pointed his gun at the pastor's head. "Hand me your Bible," he demanded.
 Reluctantly, the pastor handed over his Bible, his prized possession. With a sneer on his face, the guard threw the Word of God on the floor at his feet.
 He glared at the small congregation. "We will let you go," he growled, "but first, you must spit on this book of lies. Anyone who refuses will be shot." The believers had no choice but to obey the officer's order.
 A soldier pointed his gun at one of the men. "you first/"
 The man slowly got up and knelt down by the Bible. Reluctantly, he spit on it, praying, "Father, please forgive me." He stood up and walked to the door. The soldiers stood back and allowed him to leave.
 "Okay, you!" the soldier said, nudging a woman forward. In tears, she could barely do what the soldier demanded. She spat only a little, but it was enough. She too was allowed to leave.
 Quietly, a young girl came forward. Overcome with love for her Lord, she knelt down and picked up the Bible. She wiped off the spit with her dress. "What have they done to Your Word? Please forgive them," she prayed.
 The Communist soldier put his pistol to her head. Then he pulled the trigger.
-Jesus Freaks, dc Talk and The Voice of the Martyrs


That verse and this true story and more that I have recently read are, I believe, God's way of readying and strengthening me for this trip. Not to say that I am going to go to Africa and I am going to have to give up my life for believing in Jesus, but strengthened me in the respect of not being afraid of standing up for my faith. God has used these things to get me ready to stand up for him. To not be timid or afraid because "I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,  neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." and "If God is for us, who can ever be against us?" 


I hope that this encourages you as it did me. 
I am so excited for this trip! I have no idea what God has planned but I know that "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

The Power of Prayer

This week for me has been very testing. Not really concerning the trip that is coming up in 29 days but about the power of prayer. My Grandpa is hospitalized and had to have one of his legs amputated, and on top of that- having to have a heart cath a week later. In both of these situations my family and I were not sure if he would make it through alive. All we could do was pray. Well, in my life I have learned a lot about prayer and how powerful it really is. But when someone's life that you care a lot about is on the line, it is very easy for fear to take the upper hand and your faith can start to waiver. But let me tell you something. I wanted no part of that and did not let it overcome me! And it is such a faith builder when you see God answering your prayers (in the way that you had hoped)!
Through this time I have SEEN with my very eyes the power of prayer. How then, concerning my trip, can I question if everything I need will come together? How then, can I get trapped in my fear and not trust God for my safety? *waiting for your response* That is just what I was thinking! I can't! I can't think those things if I am confessing my trust and faith in Christ. Yes, we are humans but we should not let that become our excuse. We need to strive to become more and more like Christ... and as far as I know, He didn't worry about what the next minute would bring because He knew His Father and trusted in Him with all of His heart, mind, and soul. Can you please turn on your imagination for just a second and think how freeing and good you would feel if you didn't worry or get caught up in your fear?!?!?! How much more willing you would be to do those things that God is asking of you right now, if fear was not a problem because you were placing all of your trust in Him?
That is my goal- to be fearless of acting out my faith and doing those things that God is asking me to do. Knowing that no matter what the outcome, God is still for me and no matter what other people think about me, He will always love me.

A Goal In Reach

In my very first blog I said that I have set a goal to reach $5,000, to cover expenses to go on this trip. I would like to share with you that I only have $453 left to raise! I have a deadline to raise that amount before June 2. That means that I have 27 days left.

“Trust in the Lord with all your ; and don't lean on your own understanding. In all things acknowledge him, and he shall direct your way.” Proverbs 3:5, 6

Beautiful Surprises

Last night at Bible Study I was told that some of the people in my youth group (I don't know who)  got together and they all pitched in some money for my trip! They gave a total of $115! What a wonderful blessing and a beautiful surprise.
Like I said, I don't know who everyone is who gave so I can't personally thank them but if you are reading this and was apart of that then...

Vaccinations

Today I got shots for the trip!
So we took a picture to mark the historic day.

So I think that blogs should be kinda long but I can't think of anything that has changed since my last blog besides the exciting vaccinations.

If anything new comes up I will be sure to blog about it.
Thanks for reading!!!

Follow Me On My Mission Trip To Uganda, Africa

I created this blog for those of you who want to stay updated on my upcoming trip to Uganda, Africa.

The trip will be from June 16-July 15, 2011. I will be ministering at a school for orphans, where I will then get to provide friendships, Bible studies, education and present the Gospel to the kids. I will get to work alongside Ugandans who are trying to reach their peers with outreach events. There might also be opportunities for the team to work with local churches in the bush once a week.

I have to raise for the trip itself $4,375, but I also need to raise money for airfare, my passport, shots, and all of the necessary items that I will be taking. My goal is to raise $5,000 which will cover everything.
To this day I need to raise $908 to meet my goal of $5,000. 


If you would please keep me and the people that I will be coming into contact with in your prayers, that would be a huge blessing. I have learned that prayer plays such an important part in all of this and there can never be too much praying going on. 


The desire and passion that I have for this trip is like nothing I have really ever experienced before. I know that God is going to do mighty things on this trip. 


I believe that the mission field is something that God is calling me to and I am so excited to see what He has in store for my future. 


Thank you for reading and I hope you come back to see how my progress is coming along.