I am so excited to see my parents on Saturday! They are coming to Powell for the second annual In dependant Baptist Friends International meeting. (See baptistfriends.org or templebaptistchurch.com for more information.) I will be going Saturday to pick them up from the airport, and I will be spending the next week with them! The Lord has blessed us so much; I am so privileged to call them parents, my friends, and the dearest people on this planet to me. I pray that everyone has a wonderful day! Oh! I almost forgot! Every day next week, services will be shown via Internet at templebaptistchurch.com and faithforthefamily.com (9 AM E.S.T. and 6:30 E.S.T.) If you can, be sure to watch some of the services; they are sure to be a great blessing!

Here is Love

For my Office Computer Applications course at Crown, I have been making a PowerPoint presentation about the place that the Lord has burdened me about. As many of you know, I have a huge burden for the people of the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Wales). For my slides about Wales, I have made sure to make much mention about the great Welsh Revival of 1904-1905. It is amazing to see how the small testimony of a young teenage girl named Florrie Evans sparked a huge revival; the Lord can use anything you do for Him, regardless if it doesn't seem very significant to you. Many hymns were used by the Lord during the Welsh Revival, and one has become known as the "Love Song of the Welsh Revival". It is called "Here is Love", and it has been a huge blessing in my life during the past few years.

♪♫Here is love, vast as the ocean

Lovingkindness as the flood

When the Prince of Life, our Ransom,

Shed for us His precious blood.

Who His love will not remember?
Who can cease to sing His praise?

He can never be forgotten throughout Heaven's eternal days.

On the mount of crucifixion,

Fountains opened deep and wide;

Through the floodgates of God's mercy

Flowed a vast and gracious tide.

Grace and love, like mighty rivers

Poured incessant from Above,

And Heav'n's peace and perfect justice

Kissed a guilty world in love.

In Thy truth, Thou dost direct me

By Thy Spirit through Thy Word;

And Thy grace my need is meeting

As I trust in Thee, my Lord.

Of Thy fullness Thou art pouring

Thy great love and power on me,

Without measure, full and boundless,

Drawing out my heart to Thee.

Let me all Thy love accepting,

Love Thee, ever all my days;

Let me seek Thy kingdom only

And my life be to Thy praise.

Thou alone shalt be my glory;

Nothing in this world I see.

Thou hast cleansed and sanctified me;

Thou Thyself hast set me free.

Grace and love like mighty rivers

Poured incessant from Above,

And Heav'n's peace and perfect justice

Kissed a guilty world in love.♪♫

"The most important thing you'll ever learn in your Christian life is this: 'GOD COULD USE ME!'"-Dr. Clarence Sexton

Are you going to let the Lord use you the way He so deeply desires to, or are you going to live everyday for yourself. I pray that I use everyday of my life for the glory and honour of the Lord God Yahweh!

The Ninety and Nine

♪♫There were ninety and nine that safely lay

In the shelter of the fold.

But one was out of the hills away,

Far off from the gates of gold.

Away on the mountains wild and bare,

Away from the tender Shepherd's care.

Away from the tender Shepherd's care.

"Lord, Thou hast here Thy ninety and nine;

Are they not enough for Thee?

But the Shepherd made answer: "This of Mine

Has wandered away from Me;

And though the road be rough and steep,

I go to the desert to find My sheep.

I go to the desert to find My sheep.

But none of the ransomed ever knew

How deep were the waters crossed;

Nor how dark was the night the Lord passed through

Ere He found His sheep that was lost.

Out in the desert, He heard its cry,

Sick and helpless and ready to die;

Sick and helpless and ready to die.

"Lord, whence are those blood drops all the way

That mark out the mountain's track?"

"They were shed for one who had gone astray

Ere the Shepherd could bring him back."

"Lord, whence are Thy hands so rent and torn?"

"They are pierced tonight by many a thorn;

They are pierced tonight by many a thorn."

And all through the mountains, thunder riven,

And up from the rocky steep,

There arose a glad cry to the gate of Heaven,

"Rejoice! I have found My sheep!"

And the angels echoed around the throne,

"Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!

Rejoice, for the Lord brings back His own!"♪♫

Praise the Lord that He goes to find those who have left the fold. I am so happy to say that the Lord never gives up on us, regardless of how unworthy we are. I love Him so much, and I am pleased that He is pleased with me!

My Personal Testimony

I had the privilege to be raised in a wonderful Christian home, and when I was nine years old, I made a profession of faith. I claimed to love the Lord, and I knew it was right to serve Him, but I did not truly know Him as I said I did. I went through a lot of illness and a few surgeries, and when my family moved to Texas when I was fourteen, I became slightly bitter towards God. I continued going to church, but I couldn't stand it. No one, not even my parents, knew how I didn't enjoy it besides the Lord and myself. I didn't enjoy that my friends didn't have to be "weird" like I had to because my parents were greatly involved with our church. We live in Dallas which is extremely diverse, and since Christianity "wasn't working' for me, I started to think that maybe the religions of my friends would be better for me. I secretly researched Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism, and Baha'ism, hoping to find a bit of truth. (Now I see how lost I truly was!) But, praise the Lord, He never gave up on me!!! When I was sixteen years old, I heard my aunt give her testimony of how she professed faith as a child, rebelled against the Lord, and truly came to salvation as an adult. She regrets not coming to the Lord when she saw that she was going down the wrong road as a teenager. As she gave her testimony, I fell under deep conviction. I told my family how I needed to be saved; they were thrilled that I told them and happily led me to the Lord. He led me to come to The Crown College as a Music Education major, and on October 20, 2010, He called me to serve him on the mission field. I am happy to go wherever He leads me, and I'm so thrilled to call Him 'Father', regardless of my unworthiness!

Happy Irish Heritage Month :)

I've met some folks who say that I'm a dreamer
And I've no doubt there's truth in what they say
But sure a body's bound to be a dreamer
When all the things she loves are far away.
And precious things
Are dreams unto an exile
They take him o'er
The land across the sea
Especially when it happens he's an exile
From that dear lovely Isle of Inisfree.
And when the moonlight
Peeps across the rooftops of this great city
Wondrous though it be,
I scarcely feel its wonder or its laughter;
I'm once again back home in Inisfree.
I wonder o'er green hills
Through dreamy valleys
And find a peace
No other land would know.
I hear the birds make music fit for angels
And watch the rivers laughing as they flow.
And then into a humble shack I wander--
My dear old home--
The folks that I have known
Around the turf fire gathered
On bended knee, their rosary is told.
But dreams don't last
Though dreams are not forgotten
And soon I'm back to stern reality.
But though they pave the foot ways here with gold dust,
I still would choose
My Isle of Inisfree!

What have I been up to?

I had a great weekend in Titusville, Florida with a group of students from Crown. It was great to be able to go out with the New Testament Church Pioneers to help work in Faith Baptist Church. Pastor Jeremy Coppock and his church family were a great blessing to our group. We were able to knock on over 3,000 doors and leave Gospel tracks for these souls. It was such a great blessing! I hope you will pray for these people, especially the three dear people who were saved this weekend! It is so encouraging to see that our work is not in vain when we're working for the Lord God Yahweh! I hope you enjoy some of the pictures from our wonderful trip!

Life's candy and the sun's a ball of butter...

So, what does one do with an overly optimistic person? I don't really know, because I've never been the one having to deal with that person! I've always been that person. I woke up this morning at exactly 5:00 A.M. and was happy to see the world! I can't stand how so many people just go through life as if everything in the world is depressing, horrible, and gloomy. I love every moment, and even try to be happy during the bad times. Have you ever noticed the little things in this world that are so beautiful? Here's a random list of things, in no particular order, of things that make me happy!
1) Music
-Classical
-Jazz
-Swing
-Christian
-Opera
-Broadway
2) My Family
-My Parents, Kevin and Donna
-My Brother, Casey
3) My Friends
They're the most fabulous people I have ever met in my life! I absolutly love them with all of my heart. God has blessed me with amazing friends. They are such encouragments to me, and I am so grateful for them.
4) Salads
5) Books
6) Clean rooms and cars
7) Shirley Temple movies
8) Old Musicals
9) Pink... anything pink makes me extremely happy
10) Babies :D
11) Professional choirs, especially The Crown College Choir
12) My churches
-Temple Baptist Church in Powell, TN (Dr. Clarence Sexton, pastor)
-Bethel Baptist Church in Grapevine, TX (Rev. Scotty Carrier, pastor)
13) Random people smiling at extremly random things
14) Driving in my car
15) Singing.... loudly... a lot :D

This is just a small sample of things that spark my interest, but it goes on and on. It's never ending, actually! I hope you will remember to be a happy person, of good cheer, and always have a song in your heart!

May It Be

♪♫May it be an evening star shines down upon you
May it be as darkness falls your heart will be true.
You walk a lonely road; oh, how far you are from home!
Mornie Utulie (darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way.
Mornie alantie (darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now.
May it be the shadows call will fly away
May it be your journey on to light the day
When night is overcome
You may rise to find the sun!
Mornie utulie (darkness has come)
Believe and you will find your way!
Mornie alantie (darkness has fallen)
A promise lives within you now♪♫

Amnon Had A Friend

Wow! The whirlwind of life has swept up once again! I'm back at Crown and the Lord God Yahweh is truly amazing! I love Him more than I can even describe in human languages. It amazes me how He cares for me, an alienated sinner who denied His great power. I did nothing worth His great love, but when He was on the cross, the Lord Jesus Christ reached up to God and down to man, and just as if I'd never sinned, He took me in His arm, embraced me, and willingly forgave me! We're in the beginning of our Faithful Men's Meeting here at Temple Baptist Church, and it has already been a huge blessing to me. Dr. Larry Brown from Washington, Iowa is preaching and He has been such a great blessing. This morning, his message was from II Samuel 13: 1-3 about Amnon, the son of David. He committed a great, horrific sin before the sight of God and his family, all because he had an untrustworthy friend. He probably would have not sinned out of respect for himself, his family, and his God if it weren't for his friend Jonadab, a very subtil man. How many "friends" do you have in your life that keep you from serving the Lord fully? This morning, I was truly convicted and had to go and get half of my music, literally rip it up, and throw them away with the assistance of my friends. We had a good time ripping up CDs full of garbage I didn't need in my life. I am so happy now! I went and deleated it all off of my computer as well. I pray that you will get rid of any "friends" you have in your life and get to know my dearest Friend, the Lord Jesus Christ!

100th Post :D

I don't know what to write about, but I am amazed that in my laziness, I just on my one-hundreth post. I probably should have been here a long time ago, but I sadly forget to blog many times. With all that goes on, I have so much to write about, but no time to sit down and write it!
Can you believe that Christmas-time is upon us? This is undoubtably my favorite time of the year. I am so thankful for the great sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ gave by coming to Earth and taking the form of a servant and dying for the sins of the whole world. I am pleased to say that I have accepted the great gift of His salvation through His pure, holy, precious blood. Have you? I pray that if you have not, that you will before it's eternally too late.
Today, I am getting my hair cut and possibly re-colored. It just depends! I'll post pictures as soon as possible!

Home at last :)

I am so happy to be home for Christmas break. I love being with my wonderful family, seeing my good old friends, and catching up with my church family. It is phenomenal how much a few months apart brings friends so much closer together. I love them with all my heart!
Last night, I was given the blessing of giving a devotional to our young people at church. I spoke with them about my greatest burden: People of all cultures and their equality in Christ. The prejudice of this world never ceases to amaze me. I'm saddened that people still look at the pigment in someone's skin, or their religion, or their struggle learning the English language and think them to be lesser men and women. I spoke to them in several languages, including French, Chinese, English, and American Sign Language. It was wonderful to see their reaction to the fact that so many people in this world cannot legally worship the Lord at all, and that we have the freedom to do that but ignore it. When was the last time that you gave someone the Gospel? In my entire life, no one has ever given me a single tract. It is sad that we aren't doing our proper job as Christians. It was a good reminder to myself, as well. I told the children, "The things on this whiteboard (It was covered in phrases of various languages about the goodness of God) are illegal in 51 countries. It is our job to make them legal everywhere." Next time you're nervous about giving the Gospel to someone you meet, remember that it might be the one person who you meet that truly wants it!

I know, I know...

It has been a LONG time since I last came on here and blogged. I get fussed at by my friends for not coming on here often enough. For this, I apologize. I am a college student who has a lot to do. Therefore, I kindly ask you to deal with it :)
What has been happening? Tons! For example:
1) My voice is still horribly messed up. I am still speaking with a British accent, and have no idea when or if it will ever go away. Thankfully, my singing voice is back to normal, if not even stronger. Praise the Lord for that! I think I would go crazy (As if I'm not already) if it was messed up as well. I am so happy that I didn't have to have surgery for it. All I could think of was the classic catastrophe, Lady Julie Andrews. I still am estatic to have my voice back!
2) I got to spend Thanksgiving in Georgia with my dear friends, the Suertefelipe family. I love them so much and am so thankful that they took me into their home.
3) I was able to be a part of The Crown College Choir's presentation of selections from Handel's Messiah. WOW! That was such a blessing! I can't wait to do it again next year.
4) I am completely finished with classes for the semester! Goodbye first semester of freshman year!!!!!
5) I am signed up for traveling groups for this summer. I pray that I will be chosen for this :)
6) I am going home next Thursday for Christmas Break! I'll be home for almost a month, and I am super excited about it! I love it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hope you have a wonderful day,. friends!