Argentina.

Well this is long overdue...

 Hola.

Let me begin by telling just a sprinkle of sugar about my summer. I have to say it was one to remember. I spent six weeks in Argentina with the Christian organization I'm involved with--called Cru [or known as Campus Crusade for Christ]. While over there, I shared the Gospel all summer with students of University of Buenos Aires and was blessed to help build up a college ministry for ones who have no Christian community whatsoever.

  I worked on the Economics Campus  in BA

 During the six weeks while I was living in Buenos Aires I saw God do some incredible things not only in the big city, but also in my life. He blew me away with His grace and love. I was blessed to personally see 4 girls come to know Jesus Christ! And our Summer Project team of 24 saw 20 people come to Christ over the few short weeks we were there!! It was absolutely incredible how our Holy God used us sinners to be a part of bringing people to His Kingdom. God has big plans for the lost city of Buenos Aires and we continue to hear confirmation of that even after we left.

 Some of these girls here gave their live to Christ and are currently growing and learning more about God's Word and what it means to be a Christian as they're involved with Vida Estudiantil [Cru].

 It was very challenging and exhausting at times, but it was an experience of a lifetime. It's also an experience that is hard to put into words. Our team was very close and during those tough moments of spiritual warfare or weakness, we were able to encourage and pray for one another. The Lord has definitely given me a passion for the Spanish culture and for traveling and while there-- I fell in love with Jesus all over again.

 Our team.

 Chao.

ROMANS 10
"Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
 
For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. But the righteousness based on faith says, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’” (that is, to bring Christ down) “or ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

Here's our Buenos Aires Summer Project's video, to get more of a picture of our team.
http://vimeo.com/45522697


 

Take the jump?

One thing that I've always wanted to do before I kicked the bucket is to skydive. But unfortunately I am just a tad bit scared out of my mind. To be thousands of feet up in the air in a plane is okay for me, but when that time comes to take a leap out of it.....now that's just what scares the you-know-what out of me.

Why shouldn't I be able to take that step though? Many people have done it before. I seek the rush of thrill and excitement. I want to take that step of accomplishment. So shouldn't I be able to step out of that plane with ease? What am I afraid of? Injury? Broken parachute? Death???

It's just a leap of faith.
but that [leap of faith] is hard to get past isn't it?

Just take a look at this, doesn't skydiving seem familiar with our walks with God? I know my walk did.

I was comfortable in my plane. I was flying that airplane with ease. I controlled it. I flew it to where I wanted it to go, and I was on my way to living my life the way I wanted it to be lived.
But unfortunately I was not a very good pilot. I was crashing. I was on my way to death.

The thing is, that everyone who tries to fly their own plane-- will always be led to death.

To have life, we have to let God take the wheel.

I know it sounds cheesy but it's true. God is craving our attention.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6

He asks you one question and one question only... "Will you take a leap of faith?"

And Jesus says... "Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?" Mark 4:40 
"Don't be afraid, just believe." Mark 5:36

"The law was created because we were sinful. We were slaves to sin. The wages of sin is death. I was dead. God gave us a gift-- Jesus, who defeated death. Through FAITH in Jesus, I have been set free from sin. I am a slave to righteousness. I am released from the law. I serve the new way of the Spirit. I am alive."

-Lynda's journal

Romans 6-8 

God tells you that if you don't take that jump, you will die. He says that you can take that leap and be blessed with equipment to guide you home; your parachute---> the Holy Spirit. Then you will receive life, a life that's everlasting. 

Who wouldn't want to take that leap?

Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last." 

Revelations 1:17

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He Maketh No Mistake

My Father's way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I'm glad I know
He maketh no mistake.

My cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But still I'll trust my Lord to lead,
For He doth know the way.

Though night be dark and it may seem
That day will never break,
I'll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.

There's so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight's far too dim;
But come what may, I'll surely trust
And leave it all to Him.

For by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He'll make;
Through all the way, though dark to me,
He made not one mistake.

(A. M. Overton)

When God passes you His glasses..

then you can truly see.

"God opened my eyes to see a whole new world."

                       "My eyes were opened and I could see things from a completely different view."
-lynda's journal

If bad things didn't happen then why would we ever need God? He has already extended His grace by giving us the chance to choose His love. If this world was always happy and unbroken then we would all live more for ourselves [even more than we already do] because we wouldn't think we would need anything else. And that is not the purpose of life. The purpose of life is to live your life for God, because He created you and made you in His image.

He had to break me for me to turn to Him. And when I went seeking, He opened my eyes to a whole new world [Matthew 7:7, Jeremiah 29:13]. I stepped out of Lynda's world and into God's. We are so small and to know that God knows every hair on my head and everything in my heart [Luke 12:7]... I can believe that He makes all things work together for my good [Romans 8:28]. So many bad things happen in this world but don't you think that the God of the Universe who shows His true faithfulness and love in so many ways, has a good hold on the world? Our little tiny minds can't even begin to comprehend what God's reasons are. His mind is completely different. He doesn't even exist in our time. But if we trust in Him, then He can pass us the glasses and we can begin to see things through His eyes instead of our own.

We can see the good that comes from the bad.
We can see the orphans and the homeless who need us.

We can see broken hearts healed.

We can see people never being truly fulfilled by a temporary, worldly satisfaction.

We can see that without God; nothing is good, nothing is everlasting, nothing is created.

Ephesians 3:17-19 says "And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God."

How would we live differently if we could grasp and truly understand how much God loved us? We would never doubt God's plan for us, even if our life was really tough at the moment, because we would understand that God would never do anything with intentionally hurting us, and that would lead us to give Him complete control over us--we could find everlasting joy in how much He loved.

Ask God to give you His glasses. So you can see life through His eyes. Which then it can show you how much He really loves you and why His plan is to never harm you. Bad things happen but with a God written story, there is always a happy ending. Find His glasses so you can read it.

Cracked, Bruised, and Shattered Hearts

Heartbreak is such a powerful thing. Not only can it lead to tragic times and miserable feelings; it can lead to months or even years of emptiness. Loneliness sinks in, depression takes over. There are so many side effects to a broken heart; some of the side effects never go away. Yes we all go through many different ways of heartbreak but in the end, most of us know the feeling of our hearts getting injured in some form. 

Last week, I had three different people approach me concerning heartbreaks. One girl was broken up with due to the boy not wanting to settle down. One man was dealing with being dumped due to having different values from the girl he dated. And the other was a girl who worried that there would be a heartbreak somewhere in the near future because she sensed the boy was talking to other girls.

These situations all seem very familiar don't they? Breakups occur all around us whether we are experiencing them or we know someone who is. I too went through a rough breakup last year and till this day, I struggle with getting over it. It took some time to realize that just because I was "single"-- it didn't mean I was alone.

There's only one great Healer who can eternally satisfy and mend those shattered pieces to a heart. 

He is our merciful God.

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and He saves those who are crushed in spirit." Psalm 34:18

We can fully rely on God's resources like His word, His Spirit, and His people.

"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. For just as the sufferings of Christ flow over into our lives, so also through Christ our comfort overflows." 2 Corinthians 1:3-5

He can mend and repair those hearts. Through the grace of His son, we can start new. He has a major plan for us and when we pick up our crosses daily, our hearts will be filled with the characteristics of God.

His healing hand can pick up those pieces and carefully place them back into the shape of a heart.

Through time, good friendships, and trusting in Him--your heart will be restored.

"I love to take long walks on the beach."

A few weeks ago the Watsons took a family trip to Edisto Beach in the bottom corner of South Carolina. We have family down there so we packed up the dogs and gathered all the food and headed towards the big blue ocean.

The week was peaceful and relaxing. To give you an idea if you've never been to Edisto; it's covered in trees with hanging moss and if you're not wanting to rock on the front porch and listen to the whippoorwill birds, then all you can do is head down to Whaley's-- the tiny karaoke bar in the middle of the island.

 I love to take long walks on Edisto beach, and I'll tell you why..

When someone is describing things that they like, the saying "I love to take long walks on the beach" has kind of become a humerous cliche. Well I want to dive into something deeper with this saying. Imagine your long lonely walk on the beach is your lifelong walk with God. I did and my eyes were opened to a whole new realization.

At Edisto Beach, every now and then you'll come across a trail of rocks that are placed from the dunes all the way to the water. It's like the rocks section off parts of the beach.

Seeing this image, I compared it to my own life. Having God being my first priority, my walk with Him should be smooth and flat--just like a perfect walk in the sand. Yeah you might step on a seashell every now and then, but it's nothing compared to walking next to the beautiful ocean. Walking at Edisto, God pointed out something different, because nobody's life is perfect and smooth. No one has a life where it's just a simple walk on the beach. There will always be trials-- there will always be rocks.

As I walked down the beach, I was kinda troubled because I wasn't sure how I was going to get over those rocks. They were huge, and the tide was high so there was no way to get around them. I was thinking I could walk over them but it was dangerous and could take awhile. Then I saw a pathway leading up into the tall dunes. I slowly followed it and it led me to a simple path right over to the other side of the rocks.

"Well that was easier than I thought," I said to myself.

Things then began to click in my head. If I truly trust God, the trials that are placed in my life will be easy to overcome. He can lead me over the rocks. And then I can still enjoy my long walk on the beach.

My sister and I loving Edisto.

a lot of people say they hate sushi; but they've never tried it.

So my parents are very predictable. Every friday night they go to the same sushi restaurant and sit at the same table and speak to the same waitress. Every. Single. Week.

Living with them as I am home from college for the summer, I attend their weekly outings to the sushi restaurant and have fallen into their "routine." Might I add, I'm not ashamed at all. Free meal and good food!

I encourage you to find a good little sushi restaurant! Step out of your comfort zone and let sushi become your new weekly routine!

You say you don't want to go out? Cook it at home. Spice up your life.

Yes sushi might not look appetizing to some of you, but if you've never tried it, don't say you hate it!

Insecurities; nobody wants them but everybody has them.

So many girls feel unloved and ugly and they feel like they can't ever measure up to par with the models we see in magazines and the actresses we watch on tv. But that is the beauty of God.

He loves and adores each of His children. We are His treasures; we are His diamonds. We hold so much value in God's eyes. When we finally come to truly understand His love then we find joy in ourselves. We are adored by the God of the UNIVERSE; the Creator of this World.

I see so many girls [including myself] spend all of their time craving the attention from boys. Once we receive  that "love" from them, our self esteem increases. And a problem is some of us give parts of ourselves or hearts to that boy to get the attention from him--which then leads to maybe even more insecurities. If we crave the attention from God, which He will give, then insecurities are washed away. We find full satisfaction in our Lord and true joy will come. Our God loves us so much and He is everlasting. We are beautiful to him and that is the highest standard to ever be at.