The Honor Academy!

Hi there!
I just wanted to share a little about what I've been up to lately at the Honor Academy.

If you don't know, the Honor Academy is a one year internship designed to cultivate and develop the leadership potential in young adults while preparing them to impact today’s world for Christ. The scope of the program is extensive and includes classroom instruction, practical hands-on experience, and life-transforming events. All are designed to give each intern at the Honor Academy a balanced, strategic approach to godly character and lasting leadership skills.

I cannot tell you how much God has used this place to shape who I am today.

for the past year and a half,  God has been showing Himself as a Father to me and to rely on Him as a Dad. The Lord has been giving me a heart for lost people who don’t know Christ and He’s showing me how He wants to use me.

And I have been apart of ministering to thousands of teens in America and Canada every weekend at an event called Acquire the Fire. Last year as part of my internship,  for 6 months I called hundreds of youth pastors in the New Orleans and Cleavland area inviting their youth groups to come and I got to go to New Orleans for free to watch the event and to see lives changed for Jesus.

But starting in January, I will be traveling to 11 different cities in the US for 8 months with a group of people and leadership of the Honor Academy to set up these conferences.

I have made great friends and enjoyed sweet fellowship daily. Plus, I love getting away and sneaking off in the beautiful campus woods to spend time with God. I would love to encourage you to consider checking it out. If you love music, there's an opportunity here for you. If you love videomaking/media, theres an opportunity for you. Pray about it! He has used it to change my life! Check out the website! honoracademy.com

My friend & I at band practice

Amazing friends!

God bless!

Spending time with precious friends!

Spending time at the Rose Garden in Tyler, Texas!

                             Friends, like flowers, give pleasure just by being. –Unknown

Fell asleep in Texas & woke up in Louisiana!

Well it's been forever!

I have so much to share. This weekend I finally got to attend the event I've spent 6 months working for: Acquire the Fire. These past 6 months have been a journey of ups & downs calling youth pastors to come to this event in New Orleans. But it was worth every call to see with my own eyes the teens that were impacted.

So, it started in the bus from the Honor Academy here in Texas, all the way to New Orleans. The people on there I had no idea who they were. But once we entered the church ATF would be held at, and as we worked together setting up the event, we built such a strong bond.

Before the event, I had gotten a vision of a girl crying on my shoulder as I prayed for her. I wondered what this meant. During the alter call, we were told to go up and pray

for people. I prayed for a sweet 12 year old named Victoria. But she didn't cry on my shoulder.

As I looked into the crown, I saw a beautiful girl, her face upward, and she was singing directly to the Lord. I almost cried to see that in the face of a small girl!

We worked and worked and worked all day, hardly any time to rest. I dealt with many insecurities, many struggles holding me back. I looked at all the empty seats and felt condemnation for not trying harder in the callcenter. But He is faithful still.

I enjoyed the moments with my new friends of laughter, prayer, and the time we couldn't event shower properly b/c we had to sleep in the church & the showers pressure was low. (This is a weekend long event so we needed to shower!)

I got so amazed every time I think of the way God has changed MY life as a 12 year old. He grabbed my heart & attention & now has done so many wonderful things in my heart! I get so excited to see Him doing  that in others' lives like here in New Orleans.

There's something so emotional about seeing the fruit of your labor. One night during a Youth Pastor session, the speaker (Kemtal Glasgow) began talking & then said we were going to worship together & come up if anyone needed prayer. This was just a room full of YPs & the volunteers. So I was standing around, & my leader said, "Go pray for the Youth Pastors you called." I was so scared at that point. I battled a lot of fear of man. I simply just walked to the end of the room praying for God to help me. A woman walked up next to me & I asked if I could pray for her. She said, "Yes. I was actually about to tell you..." Then this woman begins to cry. She says, "My husband is a youth pastor and he recently told me he doesn't believe in God anymore." I began to pray for her as her tears kept rolling. I gave her a hug & saw the vision God gave me come to pass.

I know none of this was of me. He brought all this together & has been SO faithful. Praise God for His amazing-ness!

"The LORD has done great things for us, & we are filled with joy!" P S A L M 126:3

Pictures at the event...

The church pews behind me!

Me at registration

My new friend Holly & I

Life in the Call Center!:

My desk

During our Christmas party!

The callers on my team

Hello 2012!

Gosh, this year has been both the best & scariest of my life!

God has taken me through such a beautiful & crazy journey.

Trust.

That was my 'one word' for 2011.

And everyday, I have seen how important it is.

 January 1, 2011 came & my heart was stirred with anxiety & fear though it could make a home in my life.
Am I going to get a job? What am I gonna do after high school? What will I even study? 

Then, I heard Him speak a word to me that He would want me to focus on for the new year 2011. The word was trust.

He’s taken me one step at a time

Has taken me places

Has answered prayers.

Let dreams come to pass.

Developed passions inside me.

He encouraged me with this verse:

“The LORD Himself goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you nor forsake you, Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged” Deut 31:8

He has grown me so much in confidence, courage, delighting in Him, trusting Him.

This year has also brought a lot of stuggles. With self-image, self-worth. Going through valleys of dryness. It hasn't been all flowers and rainbows. But He got me through everything.

Time is flying & Im already 18. But even when im 80, God will always remain the same. This year He started opening up the possibilities in my heart for many dreams. Has taken me on a journey to enjoy the waiting season. He has shown me gifts & talents I never knew I had!

God has made everything beautiful in its time. Ecc. 3:11

My new words for 2012: Delight. Abide. Remain.

This next year I want to stop pursuing my dreams more than I pursue God. I want to delight in Him, remain in His love, and continue to trust Him.

John 15:5

Psalm 121

Ps. 27 & 28

If I don’t stand firm on faith, I won’t stand at all.

Thank You Abba for everything You have brought me to & through. For guiding my footsteps and revealing wonderful things!

Goodbye 2011.

Hello 2012!

*Pictures unknown

 

תרצה‎- Delight

A short video about what the Lord is teaching me. =)

(Turn off the playlist at the bottom =)

Pictures!

My roomate Sarah & I frolicking in the muddy waters!

Best weekend ever!

We did this activity calld Damsels In Distress.

 Basically, my roomates/sister core & I (Along with a lot of other girl interns) were instructed to go into the woods at night, where 3 large boards are set up with lights pointing at them. From far away, they look like big walls of light.

The women sat behind the walls. We were waiting. They told us our brother core were going to come save us! There was war music in the backgroud of all kinds of guns & stuff.

The woman were supposed to pretend we were trapped & needed the men to save us. In the distance was pure darkness, but as we scram, we saw the men running toward us.


They were instructed to only save one sister. There are many brother/sister cores so our brothers had to search for theirs. The girls were screaming their heads off!
The guys I guess were getting shot with paintball guns when they were running the fields & so they had masks on.
The guy who grabbed me, I couldn't figure out who it was but he obviously recognized me.
He led me out to safety & it was awesome!
It taught the men to use their God-given strength & stuff.
I loved it!

Singing in the trees!

A little bit of strumming...

A little bit of sunlight...

a bit of woodsy exploration..

"I have held many things in my hands, and I have lost them all; but whatever I have placed in God's hands, that I still posses."

-Martin Luther-