Another Guest Post :)

 Today, I have another post, Listen and Respond on Blogs by Christian Women! I would love if you would head over and check them out! :)

Check it out HERE

My Greatest Fear

I am not fearful of what I feel my future holds. In fact I am excited to see all that awaits for me in Africa. I cannot wait to hold the babies and children. Speak to the people. Learn from them. 

But I have a fear that scares me. 

I have this fear that we will get to Africa and I will feel no emotional connection at all to the country. That everything I have felt God speak to me about the life he has for me there, is me talking to myself. 

That this is not my purpose.

And you won't understand how this is so scary to me if you don't understand what has been happening in my heart. You see, I feel no desire to spend my life in America. I do not want my life to be spent the way an average American spends theirs. When I see a African child, my heart leaps. I crave to spend every single day helping children who need help. And who need love. 

My heart feels like it has been disconnected from America, and all the things here. I dream about Africa. I think about it constantly. About the people, the country, the babies, and the life it holds for me. My heart longs to hold a child who has never felt love, and be able to love them.

And to find out that this is all a dream that I have made up would absolutely devastate me. 

I know in my heart that all that God has told me is true, but still, some days I doubt, because of  small faith.

I had a dream one night that Africa was all a joke, that there were no black babies, no poverty, and no children that needed love. I don't even think there was the continent of Africa. I was devastated.

And to think that this dream was a coincidence would be stupid. I whole heartedly believe that it was satan playing off of my greatest fear. 

And this is what I found.

"Blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord."
Luke 1:45

Mary had just found out that she as a virgin was supposed to give birth to Jesus. She must have felt crazy as she told people that this was to happen. 

As a 15 year old I sometimes feel crazy as I tell people what I believe I am supposed to do one day. I mean what 15 year old wants to go and live in Africa? But I need to become more like Mary, and just trust that what he has spoken is true.

Let us trust that what he has spoken is true.

Be Strong and Courageous

Hello!

I am over on Jessinia's blog today, talking about.....

I would love if you would head on over to check out her little space and read my post :)

Click Here :)

Thank you!

Indiegogo

So today we created an Indie Gogo to help in our fundraising efforts. This is a site that allows you to share an idea, invention, or trip and allow people to donate to it. 

The way that an individual's Indiegogo becomes successful is through it being shared. 

I want to thank all of you so much because you have already helped us so much in being able to travel to Swaziland this summer. We literally could not go without every one's help! Thank you so much I am forever grateful for you helping me!

I am asking that you would consider helping me in another way by sharing my Indiegogo. It can be shared through facebook, twitter, google+, (do people even use this) or any other internet presence you may have. And of course this can be shared through word of mouth.

If you would like to share it in any way, here is the link:

 >>http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/swaziland-mission-trip-2013/x/2888389 <<

If you happen to share through word of mouth, it can be found by visiting: indiegogo.com , and searching "Swaziland." 

                  V This is what you are looking for!

I would also love if you would share my blog address with your friends to help me share the story that God is writing! 

Literally thank you SO much! All of you are awesome!

A Bigger, Better Story

Have you ever stopped to wonder what your life is really about? Why you do everything that you do? What the reason for this life is for?

I believe that this life is a story that is being written, and you are the main character. Every single person has a story. There is a plot, main characters, minor characters, a setting or settings, a climax, and a conclusion.

Sometimes a story is extremely interesting, and more often than not, there are maybe one or two interesting events.

Have you ever stopped to think what it is that makes a good story? Is it how the character looks? Who they talk to? Where they go? The choices that they make? Or what they do?

I believe that a good story is formed around what a character does and their reasons for doing it.

Usually the character does crazy radical things. Events take place that are out of the norm. The character pushes past fear. 

Good stories involve courage, perseverance, and persistence. 

“If the point of life is the same as the point of a story, the point of life is character transformation."
Donald Miller

The character changes into a better person because of the risks that they have taken and the experiences that they have gone through.

So what does your story look like? What do you want it to look like? 

I believe that we all know what we want our lives to look like, we just need to be different in the way that we actually take action. 

"Here's the truth about telling stories with your life. It's going to sound like a great idea, and you're going to get excited about it, and then when it comes time to do the work, you're not going to want to do it....People love to have lived a great story, but few people like the work in takes to make it happen. But joy costs pain."
Donald Miller

It will require sacrifice. It will require bravery. It will require courage. And most of all, it will require change, great change.

It is guaranteed that you will fail at some point. 
But you can choose to stand out because of your choice to stand up and keep going.

And one day, when you look back it will be worth it, and it will be beautiful. 

"A story is based on what people think is important, so when we live a story, we are telling people around us what we think is important."
Donald Miller