Final Freshman Frenzy

So it has come....the end of my freshman year! It sounds great! But the feeling of satisfaction with being done has not come. The feeling of completion, of ending, of finality, none of these are what I feel when I think of this summer break. This summer is just that...a break from college and classes...but not a break from learning and continual growth in what Christ has in store for these next 3 months.

Finals week came and went, quite quickly. Praise the Lord for His help throughout this semester. He helped me with fiances, through my academic learning, as well as experiences and situations.

Graduation week came and is gone. It was a blessing to see graduates and think that in three years I will be up there. It seems like a long time, but yet, looking back on how fast my freshman year went, graduation is not extremely far away. I want to enjoy college as much as possible, for I know it is a crucial time in my life. Though one never stops learning, college is what is getting me ready for what comes after: REAL LIFE.

The Departure:
When: Wednesday
Time: 5:30pm
Where: in front of the Revels building
What: waiting for the shuttle that would take me to LAX

We gathered to say our goodbyes. I hate leaving before everyone else. I like to be the one to see everyone off and make sure they got to their shuttles and the airport and all that, but it was not like that this time. It had finally hit me....I was leaving. Even throughout the seemingly endless packing and cleaning, the fact that I was going to leave had not sunk in yet. But at that moment--standing with the ones who had stood beside me, who cried with and for me, who had corrected me when I was wrong, who pointed me to God, and most importantly, faithfully prayed for me--I realized how much God had blessed me with these wonderful friends. It was a good goodbye. Our usual teasing and sarcasm was not absent, as it is part of all of us, but a sad yet sweet air swirled around us. We waved our goodbye waves (which really are not different than our usual waves) and smiled our goodbye smiles as the bus drove away from the place I had learned to love.

The rest of the story is quite normal and not too eventful. We ended up with 10 people all from West Coast and most of us were on the same flight so we were able to chat at the gate for a couple of hours. This morning (9:34ish Thursday morning) I finally arrived in NC. I was greeted by my awesome family. Endless stories and questions were bombarded at me, and I heard my name "Ate, Ate, Ate..."several times over... and I enjoyed every bit of it. When we got back to the house I crashed for 5 hours. Of course, I got my filipino food and I really don't know much else of what is going on...my brain is out of it and still on California time. All I know is that Tuesday we get to fly home to Spain!!!!!

That is my update. I just thank the Lord for keeping me safe through all this "final freshman frenzy" and just being so faithful. He has put up with a lot from me and still chose to be patient with me and teach me!

Proverbs 31 Woman Part 3

Proverbs 31:19-22

19. She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.

20. She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

21. She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.

22. She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.

She knows how to sew – verse 19: “She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.” Both the spindle and the distaff were used with thread and sewing. It’s true that not every woman can sew, but knowing how to be able to fix things yourself is helpful. This does not only apply to sewing, but to many other things as well. You will not always have the finances or the place or time to go get things fixed. Can I do things myself, or do I always have to depend on someone else to do it for me? Now don’t take this too far either. Help is not a bad thing. Sometimes you just cannot do things on your own, and you are not expected to. I, personally, don’t really like people doing things for me. I like when I can do it on my own, but I have also had to learn to accept other people’s help.

She not only cares for her house, but others in need – verse 20: “She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.” We have been seeing how the virtuous woman cares for her family, which is important; but she also cares for the needy. In Matthew 22:39 we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves. The virtuous woman loves and cares for those around her. Do I show others I care for them? How much do I love and care? As much as I love and care for myself?

She plans ahead – verse 21: “She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for her household are clothed with scarlet.” Scarlet is a type of woolen cloth which shows us why the virtuous woman is not worried about her family. She had already planned ahead; they are all dressed warmly and are prepared for the cold weather. If she prepared for the cold weather, do you think she has prepared for other things also? Do I look ahead and start preparing NOW for what is coming? We are obviously not supposed to forget about what we have before us now, but always be conscious of what we will be facing down the road. By doing this, we can avoid problems and situations that can easily be evaded by simply planning ahead.

She dresses nicely – verse 22: “She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.” Why do people think that a virtuous woman should be dressed in rags, or maybe a bit disheveled and untidy? Is it because she is hard working? Is it because she is constantly caring for her family, friends, and others in need? Is it because she is serving so much that she has no time for herself? I don’t know. But I know that a virtuous woman of God can keep herself looking nicely. After all, our outward appearance should reflect Christ so that when others see us, they can see His light and love shining through us.  We should dress nicely and attractively, yet modestly. We are children of God, therefore princesses of our Heavenly Father.

Proverbs 31 Woman Part 2

Proverbs 31:15-18

15. She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.

16. She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.

17. She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.

18. She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.

I printed out the last blog post and kept it with me all week as a constant reminder to work on those things. Now, I am not sure I am ready to move on to the next part. I see so much that still needs to be worked on, but I know I will never be perfect. I can only keep working at it and strive to be the best I can be.

So here is part two that covers the next four verses:

She sacrifices to care for her house and those in it – verse 15: “She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.” She gives up pleasures she would like to have (like sleep) to care for others. Do I care for others enough that I am willing to give up some of my time to be a blessing?

She thinks things through before making a decision – verse 16: “She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.” Even in finances, she is careful to plan ahead. She does not make rash decisions, but thinks through them BEFORE she makes a decision.  How many times do I make decisions just because they sound right? Every decision must be bathed in prayer. After the decision is made, how many times do I forget about it? The virtuous woman keeps working even AFTER her decision.

She is physically strong, and cares for her body – verse 17: “She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengthened her arms.” We are the temple of God and we reflect Christ. If we are not healthy and do what we can to care for ourselves, we are not able to serve God to the best of our abilities.

She KNOWS what she is doing is right, and still works at it – verse 18: “She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night” The virtuous woman works long hours of the night and knows that what she is doing is right. She prides herself in her work and keeps at it.

Proverbs 31 Woman Part 1

Proverbs 31:10-14

10. Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

11. The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

12. She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.

13. She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.

14. She is like the merchants' ships; she bringeth her food from afar.

I have always heard so much about the virtuous woman, how she is godly, faithful, and hardworking, a wonderful wife and a marvelous mother. My thoughts were “Oh, that’s a great thing to write for Mother’s Day. My Mom is like that,” or “That is an honor to be called a virtuous woman because they are so rare to find.” But lately, my thoughts have been saying something like this: “Why does a virtuous woman have to be rare to find? I have the list here! Why can’t I be the virtuous woman?” So it got me to dig a little further and apply Proverbs 31 directly to myself.

I started a list of things I should be to become the virtuous woman God wants me to be.  I have decided to split them up into five parts, so for the next few weeks, I will put up one part each week.

She is trustworthy – verse 11: “The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.” I am not married, I do not have a husband, but can others trust me? Can my friends and those around me confide and depend on me? If even my friends cannot trust me now, how will my husband (if and when I have one) be able to trust me?

She will complete her husband, not hinder him – verse 12: “She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.” Again, I do not have a husband, but am I being a help or a hindrance to other’s lives?

She is willing to work and do the hard thing – verse13: “She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hand.” Wool and flax is rough and not easy to work with.  The virtuous woman does not look for a way out of hard work; she willingly does the work herself.

She seeks the best and goes the extra mile to get it – verse 14: “She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.” How many times do I just settle with what I have? We are to be content with what we have, but don’t settle for ‘good enough’ when God offers ‘better than the best.’ Do I work to obtain the best that God wants for me?

Worthy of Christ? Matthew 10:37

Matthew 10:37:
He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

The Bible tells us to obey our parents.  He tells us that we must love others.  We are to be a good testimony and show Christian love, but if we put our focus on others rather than Christ, we are not worthy of Him. This is not saying to forget about our family, but that our love for Christ should be even greater than our love for our own family.  Sometimes, I even put things like ministry before God.  But that is NOT acceptable! Without God, we would not have a ministry or the ability to do ANYTHING for Him.

I got to thinking deeper and realized that there is never going to be a time that I am worthy of Christ. Nothing I do will be enough to earn His love, but He still loves me, His love is unconditional.  Realizing this should make me WANT to show Him that I love Him. One way to show Him is to put Him first. God did not put Himself or others before me; He put His love for me first.

How many times do I put myself or others before Christ?  How many times do I put my studies, schedule and sleep before Him? How many times do I neglect Him to do what I feel is more important? What I am telling Him is “God, I don’t want You, I don’t need you, You are not that important in my life. I know You love me anyway, but I don’t have time to show You I love You.” What a selfish statement.

What is it that I love more than Christ? What am I replacing Him with?

I am not worthy of Him, but He loves me anyway—He is worthy of my love, respect and worship—am I giving it to Him, or am I more worthy of attention?

When you wake up on the wrong side of the bed, roll off and hit the ground... Isaiah 48:16-17

Isaiah 48:16-17

I love mornings, but this morning was not the best. I woke up in a bit of a bad mood. I was complaining and whiny. Needless to say, I was not your favorite person to be around.  I had my devotions and prayer time, but I was not very focused, and did not feel much better.  I finished my chores and headed out to breakfast.  At 7, we had our special Tuesday/Thursday devotions which encouraged me!  I then headed to class ready to tackle the day with God on my side.

But in the short time it took me to walk the stairs to first hour on the third floor, the devil attacked once again.  I was tired, didn’t want to deal with people or situations, and honestly only wanted to crawl in bed with a book.  My computer ended up dying in the middle of Romans class, and in frustration, I dragged myself to second hour.  Plopping down in my usual spot in the third row, I opened my Bible hoping for a verse that would tell me that it was ok to be in a bad mood.  Then, Isaiah 48:16 jumped out at me.


Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me.

Thus saith the LORD, they Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the LORD thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.

I realized that even though I had my devotions and prayer, I had not come near to God.  I had not opened my ears and heart to hear Him.  Selfishly, I had shut myself choosing to have a bad attitude, thinking I deserved a day for me and wallowing in self-pity.  But verse 17 reminded me that the Lord is my God and He leads me in the way I should go.  Today He tells me to cast my every care on Him (Psalm 55:22; I Peter 5:7; I John 4:18) and rejoice in Him (Philippians 4:3; Isaiah 61:10; Habakkuk 3:18).  I don’t know His will for tomorrow, or even for tonight, but for now—He wants me to trust Him (Proverbs 3:5-6).

The devil wants to get me down; it must be for a reason, so I determined to fight back.  When the devil knocks me down, I’m gonna get up on my feet; when the day seems mighty long, I’m gonna keep on keeping on.

So NOW I am ready to tackle the rest of the day and fight the devil with the Lord as my captain!

Family Conference in China Lake Baptist Church

It was such a blessing to spend the weekend in China Lake Baptist Church.  After much prayer, preparation and work, our Event Evangelism team finally got to travel about 2 hrs. to China Lake and have the Family Conference we had so long been planning.  After piling 11 people into the van, and a word of prayer, our journey and busy weekend began.

Upon arrival, we got settled, and went on to the church for some setup, preparation and dinner.  After a brief meeting, we gathered for prayer and that was the official start of the Family Conference.  We had a good starting service, with special music from some of the WCBC girls and a message from Bro. Williams.  We then went right into “Teen Time”.

This included crazy games, very active songs, and the never-failing pizza, soda and ice cream.  This time gave us a chance to meet the teens, know more about them and get them pumped for the next day.  That night as I was getting ready for bed, my mind kept replaying the events of the day, and got excited and ready for the next day and the opportunities God would give us.

Saturday morning, we were all excited and ready to go!

After an amazing breakfast at the church and a quick meeting with the event team, we continued with the conference.  There were three sessions, and I had the privilege of teaching one of them! 

Exhausted after battling the wind and dust while soul-winning.

At 6pm we began the Teen Rally.  Songs that cannot be sung quietly and games like “Marshmallow Dodge ball,” “Human Battleship,” and chugging soda through a 5 foot twisty straw kept the energy level at its highest!  The flying marshmallows brought in two teens wandering around the area.

A quick dinner was followed by a few songs and a message by Bro. Nix.  He gave a clear presentation of the Gospel.  An invitation was given and we finished and dismissed in prayer.  On the way out, the pastor’s son was able to talk to our two visitors and now, there are two new names written down in glory: Anthony and Quintin!

So all in all, it was a pretty amazing time.  We got back absolutely exhausted but excited for what the Lord had done.  We were so sad to leave, but alas, the campus and duty called. But praise the Lord for His protection and blessings!