Chosen to be Set Apart!

        Man how could it be the beginning of the fifth week already! God has been showing me so much incredible stuff, and I am so broken and amazing I don't even know what to do with myself. I am super behind in updates so I'll just go a week at a time. Our first week was just introduction to YWAM Denver and getting to know everyone. It was fun but we were all ready and excited to get started! the second week was world view with Doug Toller; 

     This week was sooo good but definitely an information overload.  Mr Toller took us through the top four most prevalent worldviews in society today which are biblical Christianity, secular humanism, new age, and liberal theology. It was fascinating to see how people form their ideas and opinions, and essentially the way they live their lives in their worldview. It is so true that we all follow something even if we don’t want to. I feel like I have such a better grasp on why people coming from anew age point of view vote, and believe the things they do and I also was challenged with areas of my own worldview has swayed to another category because of the atmosphere and people I had been around. I had to get myself back on track with what the bible says.
       I also feel like I have a better grasp on what a biblical worldview looks like, because there are’nt a lot of good examples today. I was also challenged with this quote “if you don’t stand for something, then you’ll fall for everything”. It is so hard to say there is a black and white answer on issues today like abortion for example. It is so contriversal and we all as individuals need to decide what we think and why we think it. I had to go to God because my own mind and heart were getting in the way. We can’t sway what we believe to fit in with what people say is politically correct, because in reality Jesus was not politically correct, and he was murdered for it. Did he call us to live lives of compromise; trying to fit in with people and be liked by everyone…I don’t think so. He told us to not “conform to this world” to be in the world but not of it. No it is not easy and honestly it really sucks sometimes, but we were not redeemed and put on a pedestal to blend in with everyone…we were called to be “set apart” and to bring light into the darkness. We can only do this with Jesus holding our hand and guiding our steps. He will never leave us or forsake us. Life may not be easy, or painless, but when, not if, when we get knocked down, when we are rejected, when life kickes us in the face with spiked boots we know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he will always be there to bandage us up, accept us into his arms and fill the longing that every person feels in their heart with his agape love! 
     Jesus is amazing! I also officially decided to go to Brazil! I was originally thinking about going to another school through YWAM but both of them were canceled...so I was trying to decide to  either going to do an internship in India or Brazil and I decided to just take a leap of faith and go to Brazil! I had exactly enough money for the first payment, and I am more and more sure every day that I made the right decision! We will be in Northern Brazil in Manaus working with an orphanage ran by the YWAM base there! We also have an opportunity to go on a 10 day boat trip up the Amazon river to reach out to some remote tribes! Our leaders are still praying about that because it will  be a little more money,  but hopefully we will know soon! I have another payment of 1500 coming up soon, so please keep me in your prayers! Thank you for reading my word vomit...until next time!

Last Two Years...

What compels a human being...what were we created to be compelled by? Love, loss, the future, our pasts, dreams, people around us, our hearts? I was asking myself this question exactly a year ago after intently examining my life, or the remnants of it... A girl, a college student, a waitress at the local Applebee’s drifting through life, merely existing nothing more. I wasn't satisfied, not by a long shot and that is when the life altering, terribly amazing words came to my mind. What if...what if this isn't the path I was supposed to choose...what if I'm not supposed just blindly accept the ordinary life, the "norm" for society today? What if there's more to life, what if there is something else out there...Sure there was nothing wrong the way I was living but I knew in my heart that there was and is so much more out there then the American way. Graduate from high school, college, marriage, and 2.5 kids…ect ect. Those are all incredible things don’t get me wrong, but who said that that is the way we HAVE to do life? Who determined the exact same path is the right direction for every person?  The human race is so diverse and completely different from one another so why is our culture stripping away our uniqueness and merging us all into one big blob?

Anyways I could write about this all day but to make a very long story short I dropped out of college a week before classes started, sold everything I could, packed my bags and got on a plane to North Carolina to join a missions organization called YWAM, Youth With a Mission, with all the money I had, and a stomach full of butterflies. I had no idea what I had signed up for, and it was the best decision of my life! YWAM is a Christian organization that trains people and sends them out to make a difference in the world. They are the largest mission’s organization in the world with thousands of bases all over the place! Their focus is to know God and make him known, which is a never ending process. The entry level school is called a discipleship training school which basically teaches what being a true Christian looks like, a real life, living, thriving relationship with God! Living by grace, and walking in the power of the Holy Spirit! It is an incredible thing, and I have never felt such joy or fulfillment in my life! We went for India after three months of training, and the things I saw and experienced have ruined me for life. Now I am in Denver Colorado doing another YWAM school called School of Social Justice. No it is not socialism…it is a school focused on learning about injustice in the world and them putting action to our passion! We will be learning about many issues like human trafficking, gender based prejudice, children soldiers, poverty, and many more. Our school is going to Brazil in December for outreach where we will be working with an orphanage and possibly going up the Amazon river to do some tribal ministry! I am still unsure if I will be going as well, but hopefully I will know soon! So this is a shortened version of the last two years of my life, thank you so much for joining me in my adventures with Jesus!

Disclaimer!! I have terrible grammar and spelling, and am not much of a writer so please bear with me. :)