Leave No Doubt

 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing." - John 15:5

This past week I was at River of Life with a fantastic staff, going through training sessions, doing work projects and bonding as one staff, united through Christ Jesus. Now, as this week is over, camp is just about to begin!

Throughout training week, we were all presented with many facts, ideas, biblical truth and questions that challenged us. A few of these include the following: "If you love God, then you can love people", "God uses broken people" (Hebrews 11), leave no doubt as followers of Jesus Christ, and "what is my purpose here at River of Life this summer?"

I want to depend on the Lord fully for His strength, power and patience to love those who come to this camp with all that I am through Him. Therefore, I must leave the boundaries of my comfortable setting, be transparent, put others before myself and trust in the Lord. So, one thing I ask is for prayer. Not just for myself, but for all of the staff to continue to be united, and for the parents and campers who we will be serving.  Thank you for you love and support! I am hoping to update this blog with all that the Lord does over the following weeks at camp!

God bless!


"To be a leader you must follow God's lead" - may this be my prayer to remain in Him, and follow His lead.

Where to begin

When your pen doesn't write as fast as the mind can race...

Yeah, I'm having one of those weeks, where every moment of a new experience, a thought from the past, or just being in the present causes me to stop and think. These pauses are filled with gratitude, remembrance of struggles, the Lord's faithfulness and just all around joy of the blessings and trials the Lord has brought me through. This past week my little sister graduated from high school. Words cannot express how proud I am of all she has accomplished this past year, and the woman of God she is becoming. It has been a crazy week as we celebrated yesterday at her graduation party. Then today, was Father's Day. I thanked God for my Dad and what a great example he is to me. Then my mind wanders...I remember many special moments with my family. Going to the beach (or lake), jokes that no one could understand why they're so funny to me, old photographs of when I was just five and Marissa is one, my dad's endearing smile toward my family and I and the list just continues. Just as the time I spend with my family increases, tomorrow it begins to decline for a season of camp ministry. Though I my heart and body long for a summer of relaxation and especially time with just my family, the Lord continues to call us to do His work here on Earth. I am beyond excited for the next eight weeks of working at River of Life, as I can feel the Lord ready to move within that camp, and amongst His people. I can feel it within my soul, the refreshing waters of the Spirit ready to overflow and renew by heart, mind and soul. His Love is doing great things and will continue to do so because His love endures forever!

Continue with me as I embark on this journey as the camp season begins tomorrow.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all you ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

People

Men go abroad to wonder at the heights of mountains, at the huge waves of the sea, at the long courses of the rivers, at the vast compass of the ocean, at the circular motions of the stars, and they pass by themselves without wondering. -Saint Augustine

            People literally amaze me. Each day, I find myself thanking God for how He has made every single person I encounter unique and themselves. Take for example, my RA. This semester the Lord used her to bless all of us on W3N through her genuinely loving spirit. She brought together many of the women in my building to work on a dance together. This dance would be performed at our rec-IM basketball game since we were competing against our “sister” dorm. She spent many hours to teach those of us, who putting it lightly, are not talented in the dancing department. She has shown me much love this semester, staying up and encouraging me in joyous times and rough nights of what seemed like never-ending homework. Her love for others is inspiring and her love for dance is striking.

            Another person who I saw almost every day, who brings joy wherever she treads, is my RD. Her hospitality and openness are admiring. I praise the Lord for her and thank Him for all the qualities He has established in her. My relationship with her has encouraged me a lot. We can laugh, dance, cry and be totally crazy in each other’s company. I love walking into her apartment and seeing an array of either homemade food, fresh cut flowers, or a lovely group of smiling faces.

            This semester I made some of the best friends I could not think possible and strengthened many other friendships. The girls on my floor this past year are all individual blessings. I could go one for pages describing the beautiful work the Lord is doing in and through them. To each of you, thanks for everything :) Now that I'm home, I reflect daily about the people the Lord brings into my life. People come and go for a season, multiple seasons, or stay for extended amounts of time. I thank God for my family. And I need to learn to thank Him even more for such a loving, fun and interesting family. My parents and siblings make me laugh more than anyone, and they love me more than I know. Such a blessing

This is to You, Lord. Thank you for creating such friends and family members!

Goodness.

His goodness abounds?

Yet suffering is all around.

What do I do now?

Darkness wants to play

The world tells us not to pray

Death wants you today.

Unsure what to do

I just feel broken in two.

But what’s this I hear?

A voice calls: “come forth”.

Remove your blindfold and bandages!

Give them over to me.

A struggle takes place

His love is a sweet embrace

My child, you are free.

Look always to His face.

You must keep running the race.

His goodness abounds.

How Great is our God

 Set aside 40 minutes of your time. Watch and reflect :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtpTk2ENq7o

Memories~

I've been thinking a lot over break, especially with turning 20 in a couple months and going back to school tomorrow, of my childhood.

So bear with with me as I reminisce about past memories :)

I remember...
When we used to pretend there was a giant clam in our basement to scare my younger brothers
Making bacon at midnight with Miesa
Moving into our current house when I was just four
When Miesa was born
Good night hugs, kisses and nudges
Staying up late and reading Nancy Drew books
When I tried to convince my siblings that a monster bird lived next door to us, I even drew it into our bird book to make it believable
Having bunk beds with Miesa and staying up late talking and playing lava monster
Playing the scary hall monster game
Mud season and Miesa catching frogs
Having a power rangers birthday cake and costume when I was little
Going to Florida with my family and getting all of the princesses signatures :)
When Corey was born
And going to clark's trading post and riding a train ride where a hobo chased after us!
Playing out in the fields behind Grammie and Grandpas house and making crowns out of dandelions
Going to montreal and watching the expos play
Attempting to learn how to fish from madre at the pocanoes in PA
Reuniting with friends that I hadn't seen for years
Laying out in the grass catching lightning bugs and watching shooting stars
Lunch after church at Grammies and helping her cook, I got yelled at by an unnamed person for licking a bowl of batter and never again have I eaten raw dough
Hiking up to see the old sugar house and covering ourselves in mud
Feeding the cows hay and seeing the calves
Going to Grammy Rogers every Christmas Eve after the service
Always getting sugar on snow at the 4th of July parade :)
When Connor was born, and calling him fat man
Being chased by Brian in FL when trying to get back to our hotel room
University of VT basketball games with Daddy
Totoro...enough said
Always playing sports or adventure games outside
Having that last long conversation with Uncle Dave about woodchucks
Sunday school with Grammie and Sandy
Barton fair, cows, maple cotton candy
Growing closer and closer to my Savior
One Christmas I shook a gift and I instantly new it was an easy bake oven I always wanted
Building snow forts on the front lawn, with different rooms and furniture items
Singing crazy songs in music with Mr. Nicoterra. I.e. I want to join you, the picnic song and Molly the dolly
Having bunk beds with Miesa...and she fell and broke her nose
Game nights with different family members
Watching tv with Miesa and madre in her room late at night
My dad being my coach for all the sports I played
Getting baptized!
Bryan giving me fluff as a graduation gift
Going to river of life as a camper..then being a counselor :)
Watching Lord of the Rings many, many times (and all the appendices) 
Playing baseball with Corey and playing against an imaginary team!
Going to Boston for the first time in 7th grade and being amazed by what a city is like
Annual summer vacation trips with my amazing family
Waking up super early with Corey, Connor and Miesa
Veggie tale movies
Laughing at every meal with my family (especially the lettuce incident)
....and that is just the beggining

There have definitely been hard times such as grammie's old house burning down, when I was sick in third grade and injured multiple other times, grammie, grandpa and Uncle Dave passing away, losing some friends, but always finding truer ones. Different family members suffering from illnesses, being away from my family hurts at times and sometimes sharing my faith is scary. I've learned a lot though. To not expect people to be perfect, to love wholeheartedly, give without asking in return, taking each moment and being thankful for all the little things and to always depend on God. And no matter the circumstance, whether joyful or mournful,confusing or exciting; Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever! (Hebrews 13:8) And for that I am very thankful :) Through the rough and through the bliss, He is always there, and I am thankful for all these memories that have been experiences, even the not so great ones because they all have formed me to who I am now, and who I will continue to be as I grow closer to Him.

Keep looking up, because GOD is good ALL the time :)

p.s. to all my family and friends, I love you all so much! (more than you know) <3

"Why I hate religion, but love Jesus"

 Watch the video! What do you think about this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1IAhDGYlpqY&feature=youtu.be

Awareness

        Can you put a price on another person's life? I wouldn't say so, but others do with exploitation value of a sex slave. Today, January 11th, is National Human Trafficking Awareness Day, and the small part I can play in this day is do exactly that, spread awareness!

        Did you know an estimated 27 million slaves exist around the world today. Reportedly, three out of four of them are women. This year about 800,000 people will reportedly be sex-trafficked;at least half of them being children. Billions of dollars are brought in through this industry, and this crime industry has been growing incredibly fast (Polaris Project)

I've done a lot of research on human trafficking and there are a few things that we should know that many may not realize.

•  Trafficking does happen with the smuggling of persons across borders, but it also happens within a countries own borders, even in the U.S. 
• Human trafficking implies ownership over a person
•  An estimated 14,500 to 17,500 foreign nationals are trafficked into the United States each year. The number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country is even higher, with an estimated 200,000 to 300,000 American children at risk of being trafficked. (U.S Dept. of Justice)
• People are trafficked for prostitution and other sexual exploitations such as pornography, forced labor services, slavery practices and for the removal of organs
• The five main ways people are acquired, especially as sex slaves are through deceit (especially false promises of job offers), sold by their families because they have no other choice it seems, seduction and romance, abduction and being recruited by former sex slaves. 

So, what can we do about all of this? It seems almost over our ability to be able to help, but that's false.
1. The first important thing to do is learn more about what human trafficking is and keep informed
2. Next, spread awareness!
3. Start an event within your school or church
4. Fund raise or donate to a cause
5. Volunteer
6. Report anything suspicious to the Human Trafficking Hotline (1-888-373-7888)
7. Read the stories of trafficking victims
8. And let's not forget to pray. Pray continually. Pray for the victims. Pray for the wicked. Pray for those who can help. Pray for the world.

        Here are some sites I like, so check them out for more information and how to get involved!
http://love146.org/
http://www.beautyfromashes.org/index.aspx
http://www.polarisproject.org/index.php
http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/
Around the world, and around even your block, people are stepping up to help abolish this form of slavery. You can be one of these people! And remember to keep on praying, and relying on Him for strength, peace and perseverance! Someday justice will come

He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?- Micah 6:8