My year in review.

Wow. Looking back, so much has happened in 2011. This has been by far one of the best years of my life and one of the worst. So many ups and downs, highs and lows, but hey...we all have those. I started my year off with a New Year's kiss that will now be one of the most memorable new years memory for the rest of my life. I shared my 2011 new years kiss with my Pappy in Atlanta, GA. I started off my year by going to the event called Passion 2011. For those of you that don't know, Passion is a worldwide gathering where literally thousands of 18-25 year olds come together for one purpose...the purpose to worship our LORD and Savior. Off to an incredible beginning in 2011, I then got the news that I got accepted for the Silver Ring Thing National touring team. With hundreds and hundreds of applications, and only 4 openings for the team, I got accepted. God had His hand in it from the beginning. I had my future year planned out to travel the country with 12 amazing Godly people and who would become 12 of my closest friends. With all that excitement of my future plans, I still tried to focus to enjoy the last half of my senior year. Things such as senior semi, blast off, and graduation. MAHS Class of 2011 went down in history when our entire class came together against the Superintendent to put the initials of our former classmate, Phil Walker, on our caps. With 300 students all wearing the initials PCW on our caps, we were able to make sure Phil was with us on our graduation day. Shortly after graduation, I enjoyed the fun excitement of having my graduation party. Well, about that. I discovered that graduation parties are only fun if you are attending one. That was one of the most stressful things I've ever done. Haha, oh well. It was fun seeing everyone that came out. The following week, I took a roadtrip with my sister to Buffalo, NY to see Hanson<3 don't judge. We pushed our way to front row and I touched Isaac's hand:] haha, I'm a little screaming teenage girl when it comes to Hanson...no matter how old they get. After that, became my down for the New year making it one of the worst years of my life. I sat by my Pappy's bedside and watched my best friend slowly fade away. His last words to me being, love you boots. See you after while. Dealing with funeral arrangements was the most difficult time. My entire family still left heartbroken. The only good thing to the whole funeral week was bringing all of the grandkids back together. I don't think I've ever seen Gram more happy. A week after Pappy's funeral, my parents thought it would be good for me to get away and go on Mission trip with my church. We went to Newark, NY. Having my church family support system was a huge help to me. About a month later, I hit the road for the most exciting adventure of my life. I hopped on a tour bus, or a modified shuttle bus, whichever you choose to call it, and tour the country seeing lives changed every night and watch teenagers make the same choice I made 2 years ago. Over 3,000 commitments to Christ have been made in the 4 months I've been on the road. Praise God. This past month, I was given the amazing opportunity to travel to the beautiful island of Barbados to present the same message of abstinence to an entire nation. Working with some AMAZING people such as Praise Academy and Janette...ikz, it was definitely a life changing experience for me. I was blown away by God's glory and power. He brought me to an island to present His message...me of all people. He blows me away all the time. And He even placed me in a host home where my mom was a HUGE Pittsburgh Penguins fan! How awesome is that! God has blessed me with some incredible opportunities this year...and I feel so blessed everyday to be able to be used by Him. To Him be the glory. Well, it's almost 2012 now. And I can definitely say I am excited to see what God has in store for me this next year. Starting off 2012 with Passion in the ATL again! Thank You Jesus for an amazing year, and here's to another year to let Your glory shine! Happy New Year everyone!

Meet Michelle.

Meet Michelle. She is 42 years old. She has a 4 year old son who is her world. She is a single mother. This past year, Michelle's apartment caught on fire. She lost everything. 3 months ago, she got laid off from her job. Michelle lives off of food stamps. Michelle is homeless. She lives from shelter to shelter with her son. She takes care of her grandfather and mother who are both in retirement/nursing homes. When her world came crashing down on her, she chose to stay positive. Last year, she committed her life to Christ. Can you imagine? In the midst of losing EVERYTHING in your life, giving it all over to Him. That was a reality check to me. Michelle has a huge heart. And was so thankful for a simple meal that we gave her. She used to have a normal life. Until everything got taken away. Compare it to your life. How would you react if you lost everything? Would you praise God your Father? Or would you become angry and helpless? Michelle chose life. She chose to have faith. God is a God of mercy, healing, redemption, and forgiveness. He is a God of great powers. He can do miracles. I got to share my testimony with Michelle. She said it was a lot like her story. She was able to relate to me. We got to pray over Michelle. She had so much love to share with us. It blows my mind how God continues to place me in situations. God knew we would run into Michelle from the beginning of time. God had a plan for us to cross paths with her and to get to know her. God continues to amaze me every single day. We have been given such a crazy awesome life. The fact we wake up in the morning breathing. Be thankful. Be thankful for every circumstance. Every opportunity. Every crazy opportunity for God to use someone as simple and small as yourself. Be thankful. Praise Him for giving you the life you've been given. But most importantly, let your life be a ministry.

Here's to an awesome week on the road...

This past week has been my favorite week thus far on tour. You would think being on the road with a ministry, we would get a ton of ministry opportunities. Besides the shows themselves, we don't get much. This past week felt like a mission trip...which is what I love. When we showed up in Kentucky, we stayed in an area known for drugs...little scary thinking that before you go to sleep, but knowing God is your protection, it makes you feel a little more safe. After our first night in the area, we got to do a question and answer session with some students. That was an awesome opportunity for us because we don't get to be that personal with the students. We were able to answer questions that they had for us...whether it be questions like how tall is the red head, to serious questions like what is most important in a relationship? After that, we had a show in London, KY. The show went extremely well. It was one of our largest shows yet. Around 800 people. We had 56 commitments to Christ, and 299 commitments to wait until marriage. After London, we headed to a boarding school. The school was called Oneida Baptist Institute. We got the chance to lead their chapel services. For these kids, it is mandatory to attend chapel. The kids could believe in whatever they wanted, but they were to respect the beliefs of the school and chapel. These kids were the most energetic we had ever seen. Most likely because they had extremely strict rules and we were playing rap music...but still. These teenagers were from different countries, different home life situations, different beliefs, etc. The following day, we got the opportunity to sit and eat with the teens. Some of them were there because of drugs, sex, alcohol, etc. And some were there because their parents heard about it and liked the school. Getting to talk to the kids, they were the most open and kind hearted kids I have ever met. They were so happy. We got to connect with a ton of them and it was awesome to meet them and make friends. It was literally depressing for us to have to go. Even going to chapel the next day, they ran up to us and hugged us and were so excited we were there. It was such an amazing weekend. And there were a good bunch of teens that raised their hand and prayed for the first time in their life. There was a reason we were there. After we left the boarding school and said our goodbyes, we headed to Lexington, KY. Today, we got the day off. So me and Jack headed downtown. 1: we went to a breakfast place to eat...best. Breakfast. Ever. SO GOOD. 2. we went to a coffee shop that was called third street stuff and coffee. The coffee shop had a store attached to it. The store had a ton of homemade things and recycled items....I find that stuff the coolest stuff ever. 3. On our walk downtown, a lady came up to us and asked if we had any change for a pregnant girl to get a soda. Jack being Jack said, let's go get her something to drink! The lady led us to the park right around the corner. The girl was so sweet. She was 21 years old, pregnant, and just got out of foster care when she was 20. She was so kind hearted. She said she was living with friends. Her boyfriend came with us so she didn't feel uncomfortable going with strangers. They had only been dating for about a month. And the baby wasn't his. You could tell these 2 were genuinely kindhearted people that needed the love of Christ. Jack took us all to a convenient store and let the couple pick out a couple of snacks and sodas. Now, if you know me, that was a little out of my comfort zone...it's something I'm working on while on tour. If you know Jack, he does this daily. He loves talking to new people and asking a ton of questions. So therefore, Jack did all the talking. The couple told us their stories. From being neglected to being beaten. They said they had a place to be, so we decided to walk with them. They led us to a place that said, free meal Lighthouse ministries. We walked in and the room was filled with homeless people and less fortunate. A church fed them food and they would have a message. We stayed and listened to the message. The entire time, I sat in awe. I had never experienced something like it before. I feel so blessed for the life I have been given. And the opportunities God has given me...such as sitting with the homeless. I cannot tell you exactly how I feel or how in awe I really am, but let me tell you...Kentucky has been one of the most memorable places on tour. Thank You Jesus. I am in awe of Your love.

Where does the time go?

Uhhhhhhh, it's September 23rd already? Since when did that happen?! Well, 2 days ago marked the 1 month anniversary of hitting the road. It is insane how time is flying. It's even crazier to think only 8 months left on tour. Tour has been one of the biggest growing experiences for me. I've been stretched and pulled, we are still human. We are real people on the road just answering God's call for our lives. It's been a roller coaster. We've seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of every tour team member. Haha, I mean we live with each other. What do you expect? But I have made some of the closest friends on this bus. God is awesome. Even with the ups and downs, we have grown so much as a team and as individuals. When days get hard, all of those cares and worries go away in a heartbeat when students come forward to give their lives over to Christ and put on a ring. It is a reminder of why we do what we do. After only 7 shows, over 800 students have given their lives to Christ. 800 lives changed forever. 800 students that have joined us in eternal life with God our Father. That leaves me speechless. Hearing that just makes me want to fall on my knees praising God. It allows you to humble yourself. I feel so blessed to be a part of such an awesome ministry and such an awesome team. For some of us, we have only known each other for 1 month. We act like we have known each other all our lives. God has been so amazing in just one month, I am so pumped to see what He is going to do after 9 months. All I can say is...Praise God. We are headed to Tennessee for a couple of shows. Then 4 shows in South Carolina. I get to see a few friends in South Carolina, which leaves me very excited. After SC, Alabama. Again, I get to see a familiar face there as well. Then in 2 weeks, I will be headed HOME! See you soon, Pittsburgh! :]

Devotional boot camp.

Wellllllp, here's a quick update from on the road! Tour has been going awesome. God is so good. There have been some ups and downs, we're still human. But nothing that is too big for God. Some shows have been a little rough. In El Centro, CA, Ke$ha was playing and right after, "This place about to blow," literally...it blew. the power system had some glitches and everything turned out. We were laughing hysterically afterwards. Mason did an awesome job running around like a maniac to get things back on within a minute. Everything worked out. At our show in Greenville, TX, we were a little worried due to the venue had a lift for us to get our equipment up on. With a lot of team work, it was one of our quickest set ups and tear downs. So far, there have been close to 500 commitments to Christ...after only 5 shows. God is gonna do some awesome stuff with this tour. And I couldn't feel more blessed than I do right now to be here.

Well, now I'm sure you're wondering what the title, "Devotional boot camp" means. As a team, we try and have a devotional once a day. On the side, the girls have been doing a Bible study and studying the book of Ephesians. That book is so good! But anyways, devotionals usually just mean reading a few verses from the Bible and talking about it, then prayer requests. Well, Paco and Dani had a surprise for the team last night. We were texted earlier saying wear comfortable shoes and work out clothes for devotionals. uh...Okay! When we got down in the main lobby, we went to start and Paco led us outside into a field. He then continued to read to us 1 Corinthians 9:24-27. The title of it is "The need for Self-Discipline".

It reads, "24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. 25 Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. 26 Therefore I do not run like someone running aimlessly; I do not fight like a boxer beating the air. 27 No, I strike a blow to my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize."

We discussed it a little bit and our thoughts on what we thought it meant and things like that. After we discussed it for 10 minutes, we took a few minutes to pray. Then, Paco gave us a set of instructions. We were gonna be taught some self discipline. As a team, we did a group work out. We started with an indian run. If you don't know what an indian run is, it is where everyone runs in a single file line around a field. The last person has to run up to the front of the line. Once they get there, they have to raise their hand and the next person runs up and so on and so on. After we did about 2 of those, Paco gave us stations. One station involved squatting then jumping and hitting your knees in the air above waste level. We had to do 10 of those. The next station was sitting on the ground in the middle, standing up and turning around, sprinting to the tree, back to the cement, back to the middle and sit down again. We had to do 5 of those. The next station was getting in push up position, hands together, feet together. We had to open our hands and feet up wide and do a push up to the left, bring it back to the middle, then do the same to the right. That was equivalent to one. We had to do 10 of those. The next station was kneeling down, jumping back into push up position, jumping back into kneeling position, jumping up, doing 4 punches, then back down to kneeling. That equalled one. We had to do 10 of those. We had to go through each station 3 times.

Our team consists of people of all sizes, all different physical abilities. Me, I am not athletic at all. I mean, I was majorette captain in high school, which can be pretty challenging during advanced twirling, but we never really had to run TOO much. It was just awesome to work together as a team to FINISH the stations still breathing. Some people were about to puke, some may have puked, let's just say, it was hard work. BUT WE ALL FINISHED. The more athletic ones were there to go slow with the nonathletic ones and motivating everyone all the way. We were cheering for each other and motivating each other to keep pushing to keep trying. Everyone gave it their all. It was an awesome learning experience and was cool to work as a team. Did I enjoy it? Not so much. Was it worth it? Yes. I have some heart issues I was a little worried about, but God got me through. Along with the others who have allergies, asthma, and other health problems. We all got through, and we all are gonna feel it in the next few days, but we learned a lot about working as a team and disciplining ourselves to cross the finish line.

Well, that is all for now. We have a 10 hour drive today to Hereford, TX. Praying that people show up to the show tomorrow. Austin, TX show got cancelled due to the fires going on in the area. The team is praying for everyone affected! God Bless!

New Adventures.

Well, I promised a lot of people I would keep them updated on tour life and my new life on the road. I feel so blessed to be a part of such an INCREDIBLE team. We traveled the country in basically 4 days...already. I am currently in Yuma, AZ. My host family is absolutely amazing. So blessed already to be meeting such awesome people. We had 2 and 1/2 shows in this area. 151 commitments to Christ the first show, and 29 commitments the second show. God is so good. We had a week off for labor day weekend just to adjust to tour and to hang out with tour team members families and such. It's been cool to see everyone else's home town. Especially the fact 3 of the girls from Yuma lived with me in the past. I was excited to get to see where THEY came from instead of them coming to Pittsburgh. I am so happy I am here. God has called me and blessed me so much, words cannot even describe. I know the road is gonna get tough, but my focus is that I am here for a reason. And tour has been my dream for 2 years now. Dream a dream so big, only God can make it happen. Some of the friendships I've been making is definitely a God thing. He knows that everyone needs someone on tour. Mary Scott has been my rock to lean on:] The entire team is so awesome. Everyone is so welcoming and loving. We make one big dysfunctional happy family now. So many inside jokes already and it's only been 3 weeks. I cannot wait to see what God is gonna do in us and through us.

You're the God of this City
You're the King of these people
You're the Lord of this nation
You are

You're the Light in this darkness
You're the Hope to the hopeless
You're the Peace to the restless
You are

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater thing have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City

There is no one like our God
There is no one like our God

For greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here

There is no one like our god
There is no one like our God

Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done in this City
Greater things have yet to come
And greater things are still to be done here.

A New Beginning.

Crazy how tour is starting already! I really don't like when people use the term, "It feels like yesterday when..." BUT...it really does feel like yesterday when I sent in my application for Silver Ring Thing National Tour team. After a few months of praying and praying and praying for Him to reveal my new direction in life, I got a phone call saying, "We'd love to have you on the tour team!" June came along and I walked across the stage to accept my diploma. Not stressing, I thought, I still have 2 months before tour! Those 2 months slowly turned into 2 weeks, then 2 days, then 2 hours! Crazy how time flies by. Training has been going well. 14 hour work days surprisingly go by pretty fast when you are pushing yourself. I'm really nervous for tour. Leaving family behind. But a LOT of prayer has gone into this decision...by not only me, but many workers here at Silver Ring Thing. I know I have a purpose here and God is going to use me in ways I cannot even begin to imagine. I'm so excited to be used for His glory. It is a blessing to be here and I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Him on the cross. All glory to the One in existence. It's gonna be an EXHAUSTING week, mentally and physically, but we do it for the lives that are going to be changed for good! Thank You Jesus for everything in our lives. My new "family" is gonna work hard to bring glory to Your name. Welllllp, back to work!

Rest In You. [future]

Tossing my cap in the air on graduation day was such a bittersweet moment. We waited so long for that simple moment...and when it came, we cried. We wanted to turn back time and do it all over again...as much as we all said we'd never want to see Moon High School again. It's hard to let go. Memories, laughter, friendships, hallways, teachers, skip days, after school activities, everything. I'm gonna miss it to be honest, which I never in a million years thought I would say. Now that the countdown has begun and everyone will be splitting in a matter of days/weeks, it's a scary thought. I'm nervous. I'm nervous for my future...still. I'm nervous for tour and living on the road. I'm nervous for a lot of things, but I am so encouraged by the main view...God using me. I know He is going to use me more than I could ever imagine. It is one of the hardest things knowing I am going to be leaving behind friends that need me, family that needs me...especially after Pappy died, and leaving home. I'm scared to death. All I am left to do is pray. Pray for strength. Pray for wisdom. Pray for love. Pray for everything to work out the way it is planned. I have to keep focused on the fact everything happens for a reason. I will not rest until I rest in You.

I received a blanket from my Pappy's funeral that says, "Come to a quiet place and rest." -Mark 6:31. It has now become one of my favorite passages. The blanket is gorgeous and has Jesus standing at the gate. Just looking at it gives me peace...about EVERYTHING. I miss Pappy, more than anything in this world. But it was his time. God had plans for him. I was his life. That was proven to me when I weighed 7 pound 11 ounces when I was born...Pappy died July [7] of 2011 [11]. He had to leave. But Jesus was there waiting to greet him and reminding him in that hospital bed, come to a quiet place and rest.

A song that gets me through tough times is one shown to me by a friend, Holly. Thank you Holly...this song, and you, are truly a blessing to me.

Restless by Audrey Assad

You dwell in the songs that we are singing
Rising to the Heavens
Rising to Your heart
Our praises filling up the spaces
In between our frailty and everything You are
You are the keeper of my heart

And I'm restless
I’m restless
'Til I rest in You
(Oh God I wanna rest in You)

Oh speak now for my soul is listening
Say that You have saved me
Whisper in the dark
'Cause I know You’re more than my salvation
Without You I am hopeless
Tell me who You are
You are the keeper of my heart

Still my heart
Hold me close
Let me hear a still small voice
Let it grow
Let it rise
Into a shout
Into a cry

I am restless until I rest in You. <3

God, You are my rock on which I stand. You are my refuge. You are my Savior. My Father. My everything. Thank You Jesus. For wrapping Your arms around me no matter what. I praise You LORD.

Fear.

Someone asked me a question today and it has had me thinking all day. The question was, what is your biggest fear? Now, a general question like that, you would think one would be able to give an answer automatically. I honestly could not think of my biggest fear. I realized that I have multiple fears.
I have a fear of being kidnapped.
I have a fear of being in a natural disaster.
I have a fear of being burned in a fire.
I have a fear of car accidents.
I have a fear of becoming fat.
I have a fear of getting a terminal illness.
I have a fear of dying young.
I have a fear of dying old.
I have a fear of losing a loved one.
I have a fear of bugs.
I have a fear of terrorist attacks.
I have a fear of airplane crashes.
I have a fear of huge roller coasters.
I have a fear of roller coasters breaking.
I have a fear of choking to death.
I have a fear of drowning.
I have a fear of starvation.
I have a fear of hypothermia.

...I think you get my point. I realized I have a fear of just about everything. I later remembered 2 Bible verses that always stuck with me.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”-Joshua 1:9

and...

"Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.” -Deuteronomy 31:6

Now, there are not many passages in the Bible that say the same thing twice. But here, it says, be strong and courageous, do not be afraid. How powerful is that! The LORD is with you no matter what happens to you. It made me realize that no matter what the circumstance, God can always be found hidden amidst the terrifying events. Take the incident Columbine for example. I watched a father of a girl speak about his daughter's death in Columbine and hidden things that happened in their family since the tragedy occurred. One of the things was this girl Rachel always told her sisters, I feel like I'm not going to live much longer. They later found a journal that said, This is my last year here LORD. thank you. Now imagine being that family reading that passage. Later, they also found her bookbag that she had on when she was shot in Columbine. In her bookbag, there was a drawing she had done the previous week. To them and to anyone else, it looked like a simple doodle drawing. They later realized it was a pair of eyes with tears...the tears were watering some type of flower. Doing research, the family discovered it was the Columbine flower...The LORD was calling her before she even knew it. The 2 shooters in the school shot her once, and then proceeded to walk up to her. They lifted up her head and said, "Do you still believe in your God now?" Rachel continued on and said, "Yes." and they shot her in the head. The next words rachel heard was by God Himself saying, well done my good and faithful servant. Rachel was strong and courageous. She had no fear because she knew in her heart that God was with her through that process. Rachel's dad said she had a dream of being an actress and working in missionary spreading the Gospel. He said one day, she was watching Oprah and turned to her dad and said, I'm gonna be on Oprah one day. Her dad forgot completely about it until he was on set at the Oprah show, walked up on stage, and saw Rachel's picture on the big screen. He fell to his knees remembering his daughter saying she would be on the Oprah show one day...sure enough, God made it happen.

Now, another thing I realized about when I was thinking of all of my fears, I realized suddenly I never thought of this key fear...
I have a fear of God.

It is my whole way of living, and yet, I didn't put it? We get too distracted by things in this world to think of the most important. I fear God because when it comes time for judgement day, He chooses Heaven or hell. He chooses eternal life or eternal damnation.

"Fear the LORD your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. 14 Do not follow other gods, the gods of the peoples around you;" -Deuteronomy 6:13

It's okay to fear things. But remember to always trust in God. Always know He is with you. Because if you fail at doing that, you are failing Him. When it comes time for YOUR judgement day, did you fear God enough to follow Him and not sin against Him? Did YOU choose not to repent from your sins? Fear God, for He chooses your destiny...

3/15/2011.

Dear Future Husband,
I have been praying for you daily for so long now. I know you are out there somewhere and I pray you are waiting and praying for me too. I've made some mistakes in my past that I hope you can forgive me for. I pray that I can forgive you too for whatever your past holds. I pray that you have a heart of GOD and love Him more than you will ever love me. I am waiting for you. I am so in love with you already and I don't even know you yet. I pray that you will see that love revealed on our wedding day. It's not about the 3 words, "I love you." It's about those 4 words..."You're worth waiting for." I pray we can stay strong and face any obstacles that come our way. I am dedicated to you already. My heart has been renewed by God and I am so Blessed for that fact. 2 years ago, I gave my heart to Jesus Christ, my LORD and Savior. I cannot wait to hear how God has worked in your life and I pray more than ever that we have a Godly relationship. I'm waiting. And I cannot wait to meet you. I love you. More than anything.

Love always,
Your future wife.