Little, Big Blessings

Good afternoon everyone!

I figured that I should probably tell you a little bit about who I am before I continue to post, post, post. So here's a little list of some of the big blessings in my life...

1.) My Family

So here we have my dad. Although you can't tell on the surface, this is the most adventurous man you'll ever meet. He is super intelligent, sentimental, and absolutely LOVES his children with every ounce of his being. 

My mother is one of the strongest women I will ever know. Her story is absolutely incredible and despite her sometimes headstrong attitude, she really is just a big goofball. 

My baby niece, Eden Rose. Ah...I could go on and on about her. With ease, Eden stole everyone's heart the moment she took her first breath. She's already 8 months old now and beginning to crawl...she is absolute perfection. 

My sister-in-law, Marie, is literally THE most beautiful woman inside and out. She is the epitome of class, grace, and elegance (which makes sense because she danced as Jasmine, Belle, and Snow White in Tokyo Disney)....of course she is going to be princess-like! She is witty and independent and just happens to be one of the most hilarious girls I know. 

Finally, my big brother, Allen. Now, talking about him almost makes me cry because of how much he means to me. Most people know him because he plays professional baseball, but even BETTER than that....he is an incredible big brother, wonderful son, and an amazing father. He is the greatest guy I know. 

2.) My Best Friend

Let me just tell you about Madeline. She is syrup sweet, she is sugar sweet. She leads with her heart and always looks to the Lord in all that she does. I met her in 1st grade and now that we are going into our 3rd year in college it blows my mind to see how far we've come. Although this Cali girl found herself all the way at Franciscan University of Steubenville (Ohio) she still manages to challenge me in my faith, she is a true Sister in Christ. 

3.) My Sister

 I know, we don't look alike. That's because we aren't related. haha, but besides Marie, she is the closest thing I will ever have to a sister. She use to babysit me when I was only a couple months old and somehow we just managed to stick around in each other's lives. This girl is my concert buddy, my dance in the car buddy, my adventure buddy. She recently moved to Seattle, but distance makes the heart grow fonder!

4.) Mi Amor

 This guy right here is special. I met him at a wedding last September and he quickly became my best friend. I never thought I'd meet someone weird enough for me, but here he is. No matter what we are doing, I can be sure that laughter is to follow. Our relationship is a true testament to how in tune the Lord is with all of our hearts and I cannot help but Praise Him every time I think of Cory. He completely reconstructed my idea of what it means to be a true Man of God. A real gentleman, a modern day Prince Charming. (he'll prolly make fun of me for saying that).

5.) My roommates

Stephanie on the left and Sabrina on the right. These girls are my partners in crime and together we probably make up THE most awkward group that you will ever encounter. I have lived with Stephanie for three years now and she was the person that has been there for all of my college experiences, the good and the bad. I met Sabrina last year and I'm not sure there is anybody on Earth that is quite like her. She is a true gem! I adore the both of them and I know going into my third year of college that they  will continue to be by my side. 

So there ya go! My life in a nutshell :) I hope you learned a little bit more about what makes my life so beautifully blessed! 

Wow....it has been a WHILE since I have even THOUGHT about blogging. It use to be quite the addiction and then all at once and all of a sudden, it just stopped. Which was probably for the best because I had a lot more time to fix my eyes on something other than my computer screen. 

However, here I am.....yet again. But, this time around I am going to use 'blogging' for a completely different purpose. This time I will be writing solely for the purpose of recording and remembering how the Lord has blessed me. Looking back, I sometimes forget all of the miracles that He has performed in my life (the biggest one of all was when He stole my heart for the very first time). 

Therefore, I figured that by writing down those "god moments", those "divine appointments", those "i'm so in awe i can't even breathe" moments, I would have no excuse for not believing that God really is good ALL. THE TIME. These moments - both big and small - are what truly anchor my soul, give me peace, and continuously remind me that even in the darkest of my days, that the Lord is moving and working all things together for my good.

So here is the first "i'm so in awe i can't even breathe" moment.

 Tonight was Intervarsity's very first Large Group. We had spent the past three days in the blazing hot sun passing out snow cones and talking to hundreds of passing students about who we are and what we are all about (at a secular college, it takes a significant amount of boldness to try and tell students that Jesus really is a cool guy). After getting 700 contact cards, we proceeded to follow up with every. single. one. of. them and invite them to Large Group this Wednesday. Making them feel welcome to the community is something we really take seriously. haha

(keep in mind I don't remember what all of these people look like, all I know are their names) 

So, during my follow up, I called about 40 girls and left voicemails for about 25 of them. There was only ONE girl who called me back, Maggie. We had a great conversation and she decided to go to Intervarsity with some of her roommates. 

Fast forward...my staff leader, Ramiro offered an alter call at the end of the night. Anybody who wanted to get to know the Lord and accept him as their Savior could stand up. Before I knew it, 12 people were standing, including a girl that was sitting across the aisle from me. 

Ramiro asked that we lay hands on the 12 and so I prayed over the girl who was closest to me. She was crying.....and so was I.  We both knew that the Holy Spirit was definitely pouring out His love on this moment. 

Afterwards, I introduced myself as Kendal and she proceeded to say:

"I'm Maggie, you were the one who called me and told me to come"

talk.about.a.heart.melter. 

Sometimes all it takes is a phone call guys! You never know what it could lead to. It is only the third day of college and Maggie already made the best decision she will ever make in her life.

ALL GLORY TO GOD!