-My journey-

Hey everyone, I wanted to share a little bit about myself and my journey as a person and follower of Christ. I was born in July of 2000, I am the third born out of all 5 of my siblings. I have an older sister and brother and 2 younger brothers and a younger sister. I am one of the middle kids. growing up I have always been on the more quiet, shy side. I was homeschooled along with all of my siblings. I grew up in a Christian home, I was super blessed to have parents that served God and reflected Christ well, I am more than blessed to have them in my life. I don't know how they raised 6 kids! We probably drove them crazy at times. Growing up in such a big family there were times you had to be pretty loud to have your voice heard, I mean 6 kids trying to talk at once! It can get pretty loud. But I never liked doing that, if someone else wanted to talk I would always just be quiet and listen. Even now I enjoy listening to other people talk and hear their stories and dreams. I am definitely an observer and a listener. I could tell you all kinds of stuff about the people in my life and to be honest they probably couldn’t tell you a lot about me. I tend to be a closed book but I’m trying to work on that and be more open with people around me.

If you grew up in a big family like me, you know you could almost always find someone to play with. We loved putting on plays for my parents, we would sword fight, dress up, and even sing. I have so many great memories as a kid. But life isn't perfect, as a kid, I had those days where I felt alone and left out, I didn't appreciate those times then but now looking back I am grateful for those times I felt alone because without them I wouldn't be who I am today. It was in those lonely moments I would hear a still small voice calling my name and comforting me. It brought me so much closer to God as a child because I realized I was never alone. From then on any time I felt alone, I would pray and talk to God. 

Growing up I was definitely a dreamer, I still am. There were many times where I would get lost in my dreams, whether it was dreams of the future or just plain out fantasy dreams. I would use those dreams as an escape from the real world. In my dreams, everyone was kind and loving and there wasn't anger or pain. As I got older I realized that the real world was not like the dreams in my head. I began to see how much pain was in the world and it hurt me. I didn't like what I saw and I remember telling myself that I wanted to change that and help people. I have always had a lot of empathy and sympathy for others. Not only could I put myself in their shoes and understand their situation, but I also could feel what they were feeling in their emotions. It's something that is hard for me to explain, but if you are a feeler like me, you just know when something is wrong. You can walk in a room and instantly feel it. As a kid, my mom said I would always know when to come up and hug her, it was like I felt and knew she needed someone to comfort and encourage her. To be honest, sometimes it can feel more like a curse than a blessing if you don't know how to deal with it. It can be easy to get overwhelmed with the emotions of others and let it pull you down. The only way I have been able to handle it is through Christ. After I pray I have to remember to let go and hand all my worries and cares over to God and remember that I was not created to carry the weight of the world. 

I believe growing up I always knew I had a heart for ministry, I know now this is something God is calling me to. I still don't know exactly what that looks like but I keep on trusting God and believing He will bring along Kingdom connections at His perfect timing. I definitely have a heart for the younger generation. I first realized this when I was volunteering at Winshape camps. I love being around kids and sharing the love of Christ with them. Camp brought out another side of me. I have always been a child at heart and I know I will never be too old to sing chants, dance around, and play games. I mean come on, who said games are just for kids?? 

But honestly camp has played a big part in who I am today. It pushed me out of my comfort zone and taught me to be confident in who I am. It helped me find who I am in Christ and not in other people or the world and to stand firm on my beliefs and not be swayed by the world. I use to be a people pleaser, but I have grown so much in the past few years. I have learned I don't need to try and live to please others, I am living to please Christ and bring Him glory! So, my dream would be to help and inspire the younger generation to chase after their God-given dream and take on the world with Christ by their side. I pray I have already been an inspiration to the younger generation. If through my life God can use me to bring one person to Christ, it will all be worth it.

My prayer is to reflect the Son. I want to encourage others to live a life of faith, be bold, and pursue their dream that God has given them. I pray God will use me to help others do just that. I pray that no matter where God leads me I will reflect the love of Jesus and bring Him glory throughout my life. That was the main reason I started this blog. I've always enjoyed writing, I'm great with words on paper I sometimes find it easier to write what I think and feel over just saying it sometimes. I pray God will continue to use this blog to encourage others and inspire them to believe that  NO DREAM is too big for God because He is so much bigger than our biggest dream! 

Here is one of my favorite verses:

"Those who are wise will shine as bright as the sky, and those who lead many to righteousness will shine like the stars forever." Daniel 12:3