A Whole Lot of Coffee & a Few Thoughts

Never were those words so sweet than hearing them after a 14 hours and 41 minute flight. Last post of mine was when we were in the ATL Airport, waiting for our 7:15 departure. Needless to say, the flight didn't leave on time, but it was all good because we didn't have connecting flights. Then the rest is pretty boring from there. 14 hours and 41 minutes of airplane time. Most of it spent sleeping, watching FREE movies, or eating the interesting choices they would give us for the meals. Plantains and chicken? Some vegetable that was cold and the flight attendant didnt even know? But overall it was a great flight. PS for those of you who don't know...sleeping on a plane, is not comfortable at all, thank God for Dramamine. It was the only reason I got some sleep After arriving in Jo'burg we did the usual airport stuff and met up with Stan, our ride to the BIMS Guesthouse. I knew immediately that I was where I was supposed to be. I could feel it. Not to mention it was a...

So not only is today my 20th birthday, but its DEPARTURE DAY! Im currently typing this from ATL airport(I had to pay for the internet...what is up with that?) Anyways, we left from Charlotte today around 2pm after saying our goodbyes and having a prayer said(And Mom cried her eyes out). We have a 4 hour layover here and hopefully we will be getting some grub, our last American meal for a while, soon. God has already showed us He is here with us today in an interesting way. The guy sitting with Johnny was wearing a hat, and on the back of it said "BCM", for those who don't know, the group that Im going with is from BCM, Baptist Collegiate Ministry. Although that guy wasn't part of BCM, it was just cool to know that God placed that man in front of us as a sign to let us know that He was here. God is awesome. This post is going to be short and sweet, but Im going to put pictures from the plane ride and a short video of our team so you will have faces for the names you...

This is an excerpt from Francis Chan's book, Crazy Love. I think it is fitting for me to post it since stress and worry are both feelings I've felt in preparing for this trip. ...When I am consumed by my problems---stressed out about my life, my family, and my job---I actually convey the belief that I think the circumstances are more important than God's command to always rejoice. In other words, that I have a "right" to disobey God because of the magnitude of my responsibilities. Worry implies that we don't quite trust that God is big enough, powerful enough, or loving enough to take care of what's happening in our lives. Stress says that the things we are involved in are important enough to merit our impatience, our lack of grace towards others, or our tight grip of control. Basically, these two behaviors communicate that it's okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional. Both worry and ...

So hard to describe how I feel right now.  Nerves, anxiety, excitement, and joy all in the same bundle makes for a very interesting mood. Every since I found out I was going to Swaziland, I have filled to the brim with excitement. I just couldn't wait to leave. I guess this was because it hadn't really set in that I was going 8,394.9 miles away(yes I calculated it, well a website did). Now that its only a mere 6 days away, truthfully I am nervous more than anything. People have been telling me that I will do great, and I thank them for having that kind of faith in me, but honestly, I, being a mere human being, will nothing except for that of God. He will be doing great things through me. All credit goes to God and God alone. I ask you all to do thing: Pray, Pray, and Pray some more. I personally  believe that the power of prayer is the strongest way to fight these nerves and the spiritual warfare that is in front of me. When I think about how nervous I am, I find my...

For those confused by the title....if you pronounce it the way it spelt, it sounds like I freaking out. Which I am...freaking out of excited!!!! So the other day we finally received the email, we (the team) had been waiting on, our travel itinerary! When we got the news we were going on this missions trip, we were told we would be from June 1st-July 29th. I was assuming that we would leave on June 1st, and to my surprise, when I got our itinerary, the departure date said May 30th! Thats two whole days then what I planned for, but I'm actually glad that we are leaving earlier. For those of you who know me, you also know that I will be turning 20 on May 30th. This possibly could be the best present I've ever had: leaving my comfortable life here to go and do God's work. How awesome! I wish you all could feel the feelings I have right now! I can't wait!!! Anyways, heres a breakdown of my itinerary: May 30th: Leave from Charlotte  May 30th: Arrive in Atlanta May 30...

" A person’s steps are directed by the LORD.  How then can anyone understand their own way?"                                                            Proverbs 20:24(NIV) "In their hearts humans plan their course,   but the LORD establishes their steps."                                                           Proverbs 16:9(NIV) Letting go . To humans, its possibly one of the hardest actions for us to...

Preface: This is not a post of judgment, this a post of awareness, and saying something needs to change. As I sit here, I can't count how many bible verses are popping up on people's facebook statuses. This is a good thing right? Usually, yes, but these same people who are putting up these statuses are putting up pictures of them drinking, or their next status will contain profanity of some sort.  Whats wrong with that picture? Does that make any sense? In a sense these kind of Christianity is what I like to call "Convenient Christianity" and unfortunately, this is a majority of American Christianity has become. Instead of believing there is an Almighty God who is always with us, most people believe that God is there only when they need Him...which isn't true at all. Being a Christian isn't a convenience, its a way of life. Its everything we breathe. Its our lifeline. Without it WE ARE DEAD. So how can we turn it into something that we use like a pill...

So here we are, 4 days after the killing of my generation's biggest bad guy. When the news first broke, a sense of joy and celebration came over me. I was thrilled to hear of the mastermind behind 9/11 had been shot and killed. I felt a sense of justice for the countless American lives that were killed on 9/11. I turned on my tv and saw many people in Times Square and in front of the White House celebrating. I was just as happy as they were. I felt this way pretty much the whole next day, then it hit me. We were celebrating someone's death, someone that God loves just as much as me. Talk about a reality check. How hard was it to swallow that God created and Jesus died for Osama Bin Laden. Once I wrapped my head around that thought, my thoughts about the whole thing changed. I felt like I had been slapped in the face over and over. Some people on Facebook had cited Ezekial 33:11 which says,  "Say to them, ‘As surely as I live, declares the Sovereign LORD, I take no plea...

One Month. 31 days. Approx. 730 hours. Approx. 43,800 Minutes til I leave for.... SWAZILAND!!! So many feelings and emotions are filling my heart right now as I think about this trip. Excited, yet nervous . Ready, yet anxious . I believe without a shadow of doubt that God will work within me and use all of these feeling and emotions to do His work. Its just exhilarating to know that I, along with 5 other people, am about to fly half way around the world (that God made) , to Africa (that God made) , to live with the people of Swaziland (whom God made) and serve them in ways that only God has planned. This is joy in the purest form . This is what we were made to do. Whether it be thousands of miles away, or right in your own backyard, we as children of God , were created to help and serve others while spreading the love of Christ to the ends of the earth.    Our group thats going has a little facebook group so we can communicate back and forth before our trip. The other d...

So its just been one of those days...All day long I've felt God just pulling at me and telling me to stop and be still. He set my heart today on Africa and my upcoming missions trip. As my heart got heavier throughout the day, I began to wonder why God chose me to be one of the ones to go to Africa. Don't get me wrong, I'm not questioning God, I just wonder because I lived such an impure and sinful live before, so why didn't He pick someone who lived a more Godly life. Here is a poem that was inspired by today: Here am I, far from a saint, closer to a sinner... To do Your work, You picked me, a mere beginner... So many others who fit the role... Still You picked me to go save souls... I sit and wonder, how can this be... That an Almighty God would pick small, unworthy guy like me... Who am I that you would see below... To pick me among many and tell me to go... A sinner's heart, yet You saw through... With arms wide open when I came running back to you... With a p...