From St. Louis, Missouri I traveled to Raleigh, North Carolina to attend IMPACTO '12 with my dearest friend's The Vitanzas. I was invited along with my parents to sing and promote my AYC missions trip to Switzerland. Bro. and Sis. Vitanza pastor an amazing church that words alone cannot describe how sweet and so very kind their congregation were to my parents and I! From the moment I walked in the door waiting to meet with Sis. Rhonda about the service, one of the young ministers Sylvester (not as in the cat or Sylvester Stallone) met my mother and I asking us if we needed anything or what they could do to make our stay more hospitable. I felt so welcomed and very much at home! Walking into the sanctuary hearing people worshiping and in the presence of God was powerful and moving. God was most DEFINITELY there! At the start of the service the musicians singing and the congregation worshiping and dancing before God was so very powerful. The little children were dancing and praising God too!
My daddy preaching
I was very nervous about singing but I know God would give me strength and if I left it up to Him He would do the ministering and I just gave my heart out to Him and worshiped with everything I had. My sound track got left at another church I had visited back in January and I since have not replaced it but so thankful for technology that I was able to sing my song with my iphone. I felt the presence of God while I sang and I'm so thankful God moved!!
The hermanas (ladies) cooked for the ministers and boy did they make some of the
AWWWWWWWW.....
most amazing homemade mexican food I have ever tasted...wow, I wish I had some right now! My plate was so loaded I couldn't hardly eat it but the second and third times I finished and got seconds it was that good. The preaching and fellowship was so amazing got to meet some new friends and was "adopted" by the Vitanza kids. They are some very, very special kids and I had so much fun being their "other sister." I sang on the second day and at the conclusion of my song, I was presented with an offering from the church for my missions trip...totally unexpected WOW! I was in shock and felt so very special to have receive it. I am very thankful more then that I can't express for what they did for me. I am taking 1st Church with me on my trip along with many others too. THANK YOU PRIMERA IGLESIA and Pastor Vitanza!
Singing.
We had a personal chauffeur well not really a personal one but he took us to the hotel and back a few times, Bro. Guizar who also was a special speaker at Impacto. Bro. Guizar preached on Friday night and Sunday Morning of Impacto as well as to the Singles which I so enjoyed very much.
Bro. Vitanza interpreting for Bro. Guizar
The town where the church is located is a very country and amazingly beautiful. Old buildings, cemeteries, houses, farms and churches. Trees', lakes and very green grass surrounded the beautiful country landscape and I fell in love with the beauty that God created for my eyes to see. I saw some amazing sights and wished I had more time to enjoy it. People everywhere were so kind and super friendly! Yes, I most definitely was in the South!!
Bro. Vitanza playing his guitar
On Sunday, at the conclusion of the services we were honored to be in a private concert with Pastor Vitanza, he plucked his guitar and it "talked" some amazing classical music, I sat in owe at what I was hearing. I had heard him many times before but never in a private setting where he just played his heart out. I already contracted him to play in my wedding someday. Bro. Vitanza is one of the best concert guitarist I have ever had he privilege of knowing. I loved it!!! We left the church to the most amazing weather it was such a mist of cool air and quietness surrounded the country. I did not want to leave I wanted to just sit and grasp the quietness and beauty of what I was feeling. My time in Raleigh was now over but I have a reason to return to visit once again someday. I left with a huge blessing, a fresher mind and new heart to what God has in store for me! Bro. Vitanza was our chauffeur to the airport but also traveled with us all the way back to St. Louis, Missouri that was a very fun flight!!
Switzerland is just around the corner....36 more days! Super duper, awesomely, can't wait, excited!!!! I know God has great and awesome things in store for me on this trip. I have met a few of my fellow AYCers on facebook as well as in person and one I get the privilege to travel with. I can't contain my excitement and to travel to Europe oh yeah! lol. I ask that you keep us in prayer that God will move amongst our teams and that wherever we go that His light will shine through us on the streets, the churches, in the hotels and wherever we sightsee that His presence will shine in the darkness of this evil world that truly and desperately needs Him!
The official count down to Switzerland is now on, 50 days away from going on my first youth missions trip to Europe! Itineraries and lots of information is trickling in everyone is anxiously awaiting to meet everyone. Some will be meeting in DC others in NYC (where I will be flying out to Swiss from) and we will all meet in Geneva, Switzerland on July 7 Lord willing!!!!
Today, I am in the beautiful state of Missouri and I've enjoyed spending time with my grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and the list goes on! Thankful for my family God has been so good to me more then I'll ever know.
This Past weekend I spoke a session for the very first time at a Spanish Ladies conference in Dallas, Texas. "Visión De Dios Para Ti Mujer"I didn't really know what to speak I procrastinated for a very long time but something in me said to talk about my experiences as a young single women so I decided to talk about MY DESIRE and how its worth waiting for! My desire to serve God to wait for Him and doing His WILL was worth waiting for. Then the song "This is my desire" also came to me, it had been in my heart for a while and every time I listened to it I knew God was speaking to me through it.
I actually fought with my thought up until the very last minute and it was time to get up and speak. I edited and changed my mind several times, I knew the enemy was telling me "don't say it no one els is going to listen to what you say, it's not going to make sense"
But God had it all planned it out! I got up to speak I was very nervous but God gave me the strength to say what was in my heart. I don't like to give myself praise for what I did but I give HIM praise for what HE DID because He is the one who speaks through us! If we let Him use us even though we think we can't do it, He puts words in our mouths for everyone to understand in so many different ways. I finished my thought with the song (Listen at the end of this page) and I knew God had it all under control!!
This was the verse I read for the conference I changed the 'he to she' I love how it says we have a HOPE in the LORD.
Scripture: Psalm 146:5 “Happy is he(she) that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whos hope is in the Lord.”
"This is MY DESIRE....Its Worth Waiting For"
How can we honor God and know His will? First of all we must SEEK God’s will in our lives. How can I seek Him? Heres an example, offer your help to clean the toilets in your church, make them sparkly clean! I’m the cleaning director at my church and when its my turn to do the cleaning and I get to the restrooms, I disinfect the mens restroom in Jesus’Name and pray “Lord bless this restroom and I rebuke the germs!” Yes, its dirty work and no one wants to clean the guys restroom but who els?
When someone truly wants God’s will in their life they will start with the dirty work and go up and God will honor that. No one may not see how much time you spent getting the toilets cleaned but there is a God does. He sees what no man sees, He sees what’s in your heart! Some people want God’s will and to honor Him but they refuse to do what the pastor or pastors wife or their leader says. If you ask them “What can I do to honor God, what can I do to do His will?” Well, if he or she tells you “You must clean the toilets and scrub them till they shine so bright you need to wear sun glasses” then you must do it but if you say “No that’s not Gods will I don’t want to clean the toilets thats just nasty” you are out of God’s will because God speaks through our pastors, pastors wives and leaders too!
If you do it without problem and you truly want God’s will, you must have a heart to serve Him. Do everything you can do to do it for His glory and will in your life and you will see great things happening like never before!
You will see that your reaching higher levels in ministry, blessings start pouring in, your bank account is getting full and you don’t realize where it came from, you have things happening that you never imagined and God’s WILL will come! Now cleaning the toilets is an example but that is the way I see it! In order for me to seek God’s will for my life I must start from the bottom and go up. We also need to have a clean and pure heart. Our hearts must be in tuned with God’s heart, if our hearts are wrong we must turn it to God ask Him to give us clean one so that I can know and do exactly what it is He has for me!
Praying, fasting and reading God’s word is one the most important things in finding out God’s will. This is an area I fight with daily and I get frustrated very easily. I always tell the Lord how come I am not married, how come I am not oversees doing missions work, how come I still live in hot dry TEXAS how come Lord? In reality He is expecting us to seek Him first. He expects us to take a few steps to see if we are truly following His WILL and if its right He’ll make a way, if its not then He will change them to better fit our needs for what He is preparing us ahead. Putting God first in everything you do He’ll honor you more then you will ever know. Some people say: “Well, I pray but God doesn’t seem to answer my prayers” well you must put your prayers to work before you can see them answered. God is usually put aside because some get tired of waiting on HIS WILL!
When I was starting my teen years people everywhere would ask me how come I don’t have a boyfriend and as I got older the same question “how come your not married yet?!?”Your an old women you need to get married? I’m not ready to be married at 16 years old thank you very much.” I got to be 20 and the same question “YOUR NOT MARRIED YET?” twenty-five came “now your really getting old.” Yes, this question is getting very old now. I was raised to make friends everywhere I went and that the “right one” out there and would be amongst those many friends.
I was taught that If I waited for God He would place (colocaría) the “right one” in my life but only if I would wait on HIM. I am almost 30 and its worst now people still ask me the same o’l questions. In reality not very many know but I am waiting on God’s WILL! I’m seeking what He has just for me, yes my desire is to meet the “right one” and be married have my dream wedding. I want nothing more then to experience having a child to be a mom and my desires are so strong.
But if I jump out of God’s WILL I’ll have missed some great opportunities that He is anxiously waiting for me! He’s preparing that special moment that I can shout out and say: “I’m glad I waited...every step was worth waiting for!” Every dumb question of how come I’m not married yet or have a boyfriend yet was worth waiting even in my older age! Every step is worth taking even though we have to wait a longtime, it will be worth it in the end. Maybe at the alter to the most handsome, most amazing, holy ghost filled guy God has chosen for me and I for him.
Yes, there are times I beg and cry and I’m like “OK GOD SHOW ME MY FUTURE HUSBAND?!?!?...who is HE? what does HE LOOK LIKE? Is he tall, dark and handsome maybe he’s Ecuadorian or Mexican or just blond blue eyed?I’d like to really know?” I can see God has a big smile on His face saying: “Just be patient and wait till you see what I have just for you....Just wait and you will see.”
In the past few weeks, months and year I’ve seen God’s hand in my life like never before and I now know I’m getting closer to His will in my life. I’m seeing glimpses of what He’s got in store for me. Its an amazing feeling to see and feel that you have waited this long and come this far. Ladies, waiting on God’s will is worth it! If you’ve had bad experiences in the past and your heart is scarred and you don’t want to go through another relationship or difficult situation just remember there is a God who will take away all the scars and heal your heart!
And for the single ladies, He’ll bless you with that very special one who you have been waiting for your whole life, even if you have had to walk through some bad experiences in the past, just to get where you are right now and you will be glad you did! That ONE will treat you like a jewel or a diamond that shines so bright in the Sun. Its ok to beg and ask God exactly what you want and he the chosen one too is praying for you.
Another way to find out God’s will is to that we must have a vision for what God has for us. We must seek a spiritual anointing on our lives. We must worship Him no matter the horrible storms we face. If our hearts are hurting so bad that it won’t go away and you don’t feel like nothing is happening, all you have to do is say “God I’m tired of having a hurting heart, its so scarred that every time I think of horrible events, maybe people hurt me in the past or present I can’t let go but here you go Lord I’m asking you to take it away. Cover me with your blood give me a new heart, a new spirit, a new soul it all belongs to you”
Hand it to over to him He’ll take away all the pain and hurt that you are facing. We must praise Him weather we feel like or not, if you truly want God to take away all the hurt and give you a new life. If you will just surrender your heart to Him. Sometimes we feel like we can’t worship Him because we’re so exhausted and we can’t take it anymore but when we start worshiping and praising Him we start seeing the victory in our minds, then there will be greater things in the end. You will have the victory and you will see the results, you will see His WILL. Let this be MY DESIRE to worship God, to SEEK His WILL, seek His face, his heart, to have a VISION to do what He has planned for you life.
This is my desire God to honor you to with ALL my heart I give you praise no matter what weather I am weak and I can’t go no more, sick or just hurting and I can’t go no longer but here you go Lord it all belongs to you!
This July I will be taking a lifelong dream of going to Europe on a missions trip with the United Pentecostal Church General Youth Division. I will be sightseeing, outreaching as well as ministering to the Swiss churches, making new friends and having a time of my life! I am very excited for this awesome opportunity and I look forward to taking you with me on my journey through this blog. Keep checking back for day to day post and pictures!
