Ecuador

I have had the AMAZING opportunity to study abroad in Quito, Ecuador for the past three weeks. I took a two week spanish course and spent the last week in the Amazon Jungle in a small town called Misahualli. While we were in Misahualli, we spent two days doing work at a small school and we spent two days at a small village where we did VBS with the children there. That was one the best experiences I have ever had. Seeing those children's eyes light up every time we arrived and spent a few hours teaching them about Jesus and just playing with them was one of the most rewarding things of my life. One verse that we talked about while in the jungle was Joshua 1:9 which says, "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." Looking back, it was the perfect verse to sum up the missions work we did in Misahualli. Not only was it the perfect verse for our jungle trip, but it was the perfect verse for my entire trip in Ecuador. Take a look at this picture: 

I took this picture after we left Cotopaxi (the world's second largest active volcano in the world) and were driving back to Quito. It wasn't until I upload this picture onto my computer that I noticed there was a cross in front of the mountain. As soon as I saw it I froze and was flooded with emotions. It reminded me that there are times that we forget God is with us because we are so wrapped up in our own lives, but He is always there, he never leaves and never will. And when we were in the jungle talking about Joshua 1:9, the very end of the verse says God will be with you wherever you go and once again I was reminded of the love God has for me. This has been a life changing trip and I can't wait to get back to the states and share all of my experiences with the people I love and continue to spread God's word.

Friendship and Community

Today a friend and I made plans to grab lunch at our cafeteria at school. What started out as a quick lunch with a friend turned into an hour and half lunch with us talking about our struggles. We both have been through a lot recently and both of us had a lot to say. At the end of our lunch we prayed for each other, made plans to see one another tomorrow, and then went our separate ways. During our time together we talked a lot about how God is working in our lives and some of our struggles with Him. During that time, I learned more about myself and steps I should take to get closer to the Lord. 

This is a great example of the importance of friendship and community. In Matthew 18:20 it says, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them." Here Jesus is saying that sometimes it is better to pray and gather in His name then to be alone. I could list off for you so many examples from my life where this is true. Some of the best moments I have had with God were during times with friends when either having a bible study or just having a conversation about God. What I have discovered is that God is so good at using people you trust and are close to to talk through to you. After all, aren't those the people that mean the most to you and whom you know want nothing but the best for you?

This just goes to show how important friendships are. God built us in a way where we need and hunger for community and without it, we would be completely lost. I encourage you that the next time you are with a close friend or someone you love, just thank them for being there for you. Tell them how much they mean to you and how thankful you are for their friendship. At first it may feel a little uncomfortable, (it's a pretty deep conversation!) but I guarantee they will be so thankful for you kind words and your friendship will grow on a deeper level. Also, don't let those little moments with friends pass you by. God makes each moment in our lives count and if you let the little moments pass by, you will be missing out on something grand. It's the conversations like I had today, and many days in the past, that have done some much for my walk with Christ. If I didn't take the time to thank the Lord for sending me that friend, I would be missing out on God's message for me that day.

-LauraK

Hello!

Hi my name is Laura Katherine and I am a sophomore at Biola University in California. Recently I have had the urge to create a blog and write about the struggles of being a Christian teenager in the 21st Century. I am not here to say that I know it all and know what every single religious teenager is going through; I just want the opportunity to share my experiences and some of the struggles I am going through. I also want to warn you that I am not an English Major! I am actually not that great of a writer and I am a terrible speller (thank goodness for spell check!). My hope is that this blog might help others who are going through some of the issues I am experiencing and hopefully vice versa! Before I dive into the deep stuff, let me share some things about myself!

 I am a very outdoorsy person. I love to go camping, whether that be tent or trailer camping. My family owns two ATV quads and we love to go to the desert and the mountains and ride. I love being at the beach, sitting on the sand, and just taking in God's beauty. Even though I am a month and a half away from being 20 years old, I am in love with One Direction. I have been to two concerts and still dream of meeting them one day! I also love to travel! I have visited Canada, Mexico, France, and all of the western states in the US, including Hawaii. In January I will going to Quito, Ecuador to take my last spanish class and I am so excited!

This is me at Huntington Beach, CA

A few things that make me, me are my family and friends. I love my family to death and my friends mean the world to me. At home I have two parents, a sister, and two dogs. Both of my parents work for the State of California and my sister is a senior in high school. My two dogs are both Cocker Spaniels and their names are Harley and Winnie.

I have seven best friends and when you include me that makes eight. We call ourselves the Great 8 and we have been friends since our freshmen year in high school. The eight of us always have the best time when we are together and I know that God sent them to me for a reason. Friends are sisters God forgot to give you and that is definitely how I view my best friends!

I am excited to see where this blog takes me and the experiences that come out of it. This could very well crash and burn for I have done nothing like this before but I am excited to see what God has in store for me. This will definitely be a learning process for me and I hope to take a lot out of it. I have been a Christian all my life but it wasn't until the past few years that I am truly living out the Christian lifestyle and have wanted a true relationship with God. That is why I say I don't know everything, I myself am still learning day to day and I hope this will just add to the list of ways that I will learn about the love and grace of our Lord. I hope that you would bear with me and I hope that in some way or another, something I write will impact you for the good.

-LauraK