My First Venture...

I was 13.

I'd done so many awful things, especially to my cousin Hannah.

And I'd been forgiven. I thought that there couldn't be any rational way that I would be forgiven after being such a brat {And girls, trust me when I say this, I was a brat. Much worse, actually...}. But I apologized, and everyone forgave me. I was absolutely blown away, but I knew it wasn't my small, weak words that had accomplished such a feat. It must have been an act of... Well, that guy I didn't believe in {God}.

I was so thankful for the way things worked out, the way I'd been forgiven for all of my awful sins, that I started believing. 

Yup, the girl who cut Christ out of her life at the ripe old age of 8, came back to Him on her knees 5 long years later, at age 13.

I didn't know anything, girls. I didn't know where to start. My family had already stopped going to church 5 years ago because I hated it so much and I used to cry and scream whenever they made me go {I wasn't lying when I said I was a major brat.}

How do I get close to God? I wondered.

I craved Him. I was new, and of course confused, but I had this strong desire to develop a relationship with God. I did the only thing I knew to do. I grabbed my tiny little mini-light blue NIV New Testament, which I only had because it had come in a Christmas stocking from this group that brought Christmas gifts for inmates children at the prison where my dad worked (there were always extra stockings, so the employees of the prison always took some home for their kids.) and started reading.

I read 5 minutes a night. It was like a page and a half of my mini-Bible. Some night I even read 10 minutes {Wow}! I know now what a slow pace, but for me, I got to really absorb the meaning of everything. It was my first time reading any of the Bible. Ever.

I would write pages and pages in my journal every night, reflecting on the whole 5 minutes of the Bible I read, my day, the other things I was reading and watching to help feed my new hunger for faith.

In November, I kind of stopped reading for a while, but when I realized it was the week of Thanksgiving, I started back up, this time reading more than I had been each night. I had a goal, and I was determined to accomplish it on time.

So on December 2nd. which was my 14th birthday, I finally finished. After about 4 months, I was finally done reading the New Testament. And that was one of the best birthdays I've ever had, even now.

I felt so accomplished. I was so proud of myself. I was so amazed at the grace of God to help me complete such a thing! It was an awesome feeling.

I didn't really even know about the Old Testament back then. Seriously, and I didn't really care. The New Testament was what I had, and that was what I read/studied. Life was good.

That was my very first experience with the Bible. Now, I'm taking the challenge to read the whole thing in just 90 days. I'm very familiar with the New  Testament, but I don't know much of the Old at all! It's day 4 of the challenge, and it's awesome. I can't believe that in 86 days, I'll be able to say I've read the entire Bible, cover to cover. God is so good, friends, He really is!

YAY Phoebe!!!

Guess what?

Phoebe found her family!

For those of your who don't know, Phoebe is the 2 year old cutie who captured my heart way back in February.

I've been thinking about her for a few days, just knowing in my heart that she had a family committed to her.

I don't know why. it was just this feeling I had that I knew was true!

So today, when I finally couldn't take it anymore, I hopped onto the Reece's Rainbow website, did a quick search for this little girl, and lo and behold:

YES!!!

Even tough I already knew, my heart still lurched. Because it's AMAZING news!

I'm so excited for her. She's just barely 2, so she's going to get out of the horrible orphanage she's in an into a clean home with a loving family before she's even 3 years old!

She's a lucky duck, this girl.

Don't get me wrong, just because I knew it was coming doesn't mean I'm not freaking out. Trust me, I still freaking out!!! 

I'm just amazed my the way God opens the hearts of families. Almost all adoption stories start out the same way. "We didn't know we wanted to adopt, we didn't think we could adopt, but when we saw that face, we dove in."

No plan. Most of he time, no money. Just a rock solid faith in God and the willingness to believe that miracles DO happen.

No news, on who Phoebe's family is yet, which means her family has just found her, maybe even within the past week!! 

Adoption is just a calling. It can come to anyone and everyone. The journey is long and crazy. But the reward... is priceless! 

Go sweet Phoebe!!!

{Please keep Phoebe and her soon to be family in your prayers. They will need them!}

The Power of Prayer... A Realization!

Remember last week, when I posted about my grandmothers generosity to my family? Just to refresh your memory, she bough us a new laptop (among many other items). We felt so truly blessed that she would do something like that for us. I know that God was using my grandma as a messenger. We prayed about getting our computer fixed or getting a new computer and He answered our prayers through her! What a blessing. Once the new laptop got here, we officially has two laptops (I bought my own a few months ago). As I mentioned in my other post, our desktop computer had succumbed to a virus. Or so we thought.

 A few days ago, my uncle (He had been trying to fix our computer for a while, but he had basically said it was a lost cause.) called to tell my dad he got the computer working.


"What? No way! An answer to our prayers." He brought the computer over and what do you know? It was working like we just ran off to the store and bought it.

"Okay," your probably thinking," great. You already have 2 computers, why is this such a big deal?" I'll tell you what the big deal is. It's not really about the computer. That's just whats on the surface. Really, I just wanted to share with everyone the power of prayer. You ask, and God answers, in some way, shape, or form.

For a while, back in November, we had no computer at all in our household. Currently, we have 3. That means that 60% of my five person family can be on the computer all at once.

God provides. There are plenty of testimonies out their to prove my point. Stick to God's principles, and you will always be rewarded. God doesn't want us to go without. That is evident in my family's story, because we went from having none at all to being triply blessed.

Sometimes, when faith is low, you need some kind of sign to show that God is there, He does love you, and He will provide for you. Don't let that message escape you.

Not that I've been having any doubts (far, far from it!) but, for my family and even other people out there, this is a reassurance of God's existence. How else would a totally infected and messed up computer just suddenly start working again?

God has given me his Blessed Assurance. He does answer prayers and he does care deeply for each and everyone of His children. He loves us all so much, and we must love Him back.

This little episode demonstrating the Power of Prayer really reminds me of the story of Lazarus. Lazarus' sisters, Mary and Martha, informed Jesus that Lazarus was very sick. Jesus waited two days to go the Bethany, and by the time he reached his destination, Lazarus had been dead for 4 days. Martha told Jesus, " Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." Jesus replied with, "Your brother will rise again."

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who
believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in
me will never die. Do you believe this?"

"Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the
Son of God, who was to come into the world." - John 11:
25-27

Martha went to get her sister Mary after this. Mary was cry and grieving with many other Jews, and Jesus joined them in weeping. Then, everyone joined Jesus at the tomb. They removed the stone covering the burial place and Jesus prayed, "Lazarus, come out!"

Miraculously, Lazarus walked out the tomb. People were shocked, and they immediately put their faith in Him.

So you see, sometimes all it takes is a sign, big or small, to restore someone faith in Jesus. I've been given the gift of God's Blessed Assurance. I know He is there, because I have put my faith in him and prayed. You have not because you ask not. Never forget one of my favorite Bible verses: "And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you." -Luke 11:9.

Miracles, whether they be huge (like being raised form the dead), or minuscule (like your broken computer suddenly working again) are everywhere. You just have to open your eyes and see!



God Bless,



Sydney



"But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." - James 1:6



P.S: Tomorrow, as a live demonstration of the Power of Prayer, I am dedicating a Wordless Wednesday to some very special children. I've briefly posted about them before, but I won't tell you when. Any guesses? I'm hoping for this to be a really powerful Wordless
Wednesday that will get many, many people praying!