Goodbye 2010, Hello 2011!!!!!

This year has been AMAZING to say the least!! It has been a year of TREMENDOUS life change and one that i will NEVER forget!

In the year 2010 I :

- Surrendered my life to Jesus while watching a podcast version of a NewSpring sermon my ipod on February 2nd!

-Got baptized at NewSpring Church GVL Campus on May 30th!

-Started going to Fuse* and attending small group! You can't do life alone! I'm so thankful for my small group!

-Became a member (owner) of NewSpring Church!

-Started serving in KidSpring! Springtown Toys is the room i'm in! It is 2-yr-olds, and so much fun!

-Had the AMAZING opportunity to go to the Gauntlet for the first time! JESUS BLEW MY MIND!!! So much life change happened I can't even begin to describe it! I got to witness friends receive Jesus as their Savior and get baptized! I learned SO much during that one week!

-Had the privilege to go with NewSpring Church to Hollis Academy to put brand new shoes on the feet of all the kids!! Hollis Academy is an elementary school at a 99.5% poverty level. The kids we SO excited to get a brand new pair of socks and shoes!!! Such an amazing experience!

And SO much more! I thank Jesus for such an awesome year and I am looking forward to another amazing year in 2011!!!

"Commission my soul

With a fire uncontrollable

For this great cause

To save the lost.

Open my eyes

To the reason i'm alive

Oh Lord

I'm ready now

I'll follow you."

-Fuse*

#Commissioned!

Volunteering For Show Hope, An Awesome Concert, Meeting The Chapmans, And Hanging With The Mestas!!!

This past weekend my sister and I got the opportunity to go to Wake Forest, NC to visit a friend! We got to Ellie's house on Thursday afternoon. It was SO awesome to see all the Mestas'! They truly are an AMAZING family!!! Jerry and Eileen have 3 biological and 6 adopted children! Highly recommend their blogs above!!! On Thursday night we went to "A Night With The Chapmans" in Durham NC. We went to a Question and Answer session also!

We got to volunteer for Show Hope! We had a blast and got to sit in on a lot of the concert! Steven Curtis Chapman, Caleb the band, and Geoff Moore played some awesome music! Mary Beth Chapman spoke about her new book "Choosing To See". (Which is a fantastic book!!! You should definitely read it!) It was unbelievable! Afterwords we got an amazing surprise! The Chapman's had invited the whole Mestas family to come backstage after the concert! Since we were with the amazing Ellie we got to go too! It was awesome to meet Steven, Mary Beth, Caleb, Julia, and Will! They are such an awesome family and have such an amazing testimony!

Group picture with Steven Curtis Chapman!

Group Picture with Caleb, Will, and Mary Beth!

Caleb the band and SCC!
Show Hope Table!

Us with Julia! (Caleb's wife)

The rest of the weekend consisted of amazing fun and hang time! And some AMAZING late night (or early morning) discussion!

Thank you Ellie and the rest of the Mestas family!!!!!

145 Million Orphans

"...we have enough bedrooms to house the orphans. Here's the math. There
are 145 million orphans worldwide. Nearly 236 million people in the
United States call themselves Christians. From a purely statistical
standpoint, American Christians by themselves have the wherewithal to
house every orphan in the world. " - Max Lucado

Before The Morning by Josh Wilson

The story behind the song "Before the Morning."

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0704_oGFX1w&feature=player_embedded

I HATE ______!

Some notes from Fuse* 2 weeks ago. The series is called "Wasted" and the subject was "I HATE _______!

John 12:25 says - Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever HATES his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

"If you don't hate your life, then you waste your life."

Luke 14:26 says - If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother, his wife and children, and brothers, and sisters - yes, even his own life - he cannot be my deciple.

"There are way too many "Christians" in the world and not enough Disciples."

"Get rid of unhealthy relationships! Leave then behind and come and follow me! -Jesus

Here is a good question for us to ask ourselves : What are you chasing after more intentley than Jesus Christ?

One thing I absolutely HATE is my obsession with comfortability. After reading the story of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego and the fiery furnace, (and so many others) I realize that it deffinately wasn't comfortable for them to refuse to bow down to the gold image or walk into the furnace... but Jesus was in there and that is who they wanted to be with. I have learned that Jesus didn't die on the cross for us so that we can live a comfortable and WASTED life. Standing up for Jesus isn't always that comfortable! But it is the right thing to do!

"The Son of God will always show up for those people who stand up for Him!"

Another thing I HATE is my obsession with image. I keep reminding myself that I was put on this Earth to bring glory to God and God alone, and not myself! So why do I spend so much time and energy on, well, me.?.

"There are alot of gods that we construct and worship because we are all consumed with our own status and image. Some of us spend more time in one day trying to figure out what we are going to wear and getting ready than an entire week of time spent with Jesus."

I no longer what to be obsessed with my comfortability and image but instead be obsessed with being obeident to Jesus!

Luke 14:33 says - So therefore, any of you who does not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

What do you Hate??

Hello!

WOW! It has been like two and a half months since i posted. So i am well overdue! I thought i would post about the story of Zac Smith. His story is truly amazing.

Zac Smith stepped into eternity and went home to be with Jesus on Sunday, May 16, 2010.

Foster Care Adoption

Foster Care Adoption Facts

On any given day in North America, nearly 550,000 children are in the foster care system, and more than 150,000 of them are available for adoption, just waiting for the right family to find them.

• There are 463,000 children in the U.S. foster care system; 123,000 of these children are available for adoption. Their birth parent's legal rights have been permanently terminated and children are left without a family.

• More children become available for adoption each year than are adopted. In 2008, 75,000 children had parental rights terminated by the courts, yet only 55,000 were adopted.

• Children often wait five years or more to be adopted., move three or more times in foster care and often are separated from siblings. The average age of waiting children is eight years old.

• Each year, one in five children (29,516 in 2008) who are available for adoption turn 18 and leave the foster care system without a family.

• Adopting from foster care is affordable. Most child welfare agencies cover the costs of home studies and court fees, and provide post-adoption subsidies. Thousands of employers offer financial reimbursement and paid leave for employees who adopt and Federal and/or state adoption tax credits are available to most families.

• Every child is adoptable. Many children in foster care have special needs. All of them deserve the chance to grow up in a safe, loving, permanent home. Support and other post-adoption resources are available.

• Adopting from foster care is permanent. Once a child is adopted out of foster care, the birth parents cannot attempt to claim them or fight in court for their return. A family formed through foster care adoption is forever.

• According to a National Adoption Attitudes Survey commissioned by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, 63 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of adoption and 78 percent think more should be done to encourage adoption.

• Nearly 40 percent of American adults, or 81.5 million people, have considered adopting a child, according to the National Adoption Attitudes Survey. If just one in 500 of these adults adopted, every waiting child in foster care would have a permanent family.

NOTE: Statistical source is Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System; Department of Health & Human Services (October 2009), unless otherwise stipulated.