Chili Ignite!!!

    So here it is folks!! We are a week away from our first church fundraising and it involves LOTS of chili!:) Now before I go on and on, ill fill you in on this "Chili cook off". Its gonna be completely for Jonathan Sharp and my trips this summer. (hes going to be going to Zambia Africa for 3 months!!) The basic Idea is for people to find out who has the best chili by entering for $20! Family recipes, stolen recipes, or even your FIRST random attempt to be a cook! But the cool thing is you can still be part of it even if you dont enter. Head on over and for $5 you can cast your vote and have ur filling on chili, cornbread, and water! And of course well be wondering around talking to everyone and sharing about our trips. Winners even get a prize! :D
Our goal is to have at least 20 entries and you can still sign up!

    Were all super excited to see the results and honestly this Sunday can't come sooner! Coming up in the next month or so we plan on a few more fundraising events (along with me still selling T shirts and support a day) that well keep you updated as the time gets closer.

    Getting off of me sounding like an info-mercial....Ive actually have had the opportunity to not only speak with a couple from my church who i just found out are not only Filipino, but were missionaries for 10 years! I also have a upcoming meeting with a couple who were also missionaries for like twenty some years!! AHH! This is incredible! I can not wait to be able to sit down and hear face to face stories from people who took what im doing for a month and LIVED it!!! super humbling!

    Soon ill fill yall in on our mission partners we will be working with while actually in the Philippines, along with giving more detail about finances and my trip in general. I basically just wanted to inform about this cook off! Thank you all so much for your prayer and support. I know that Gods using your prayer in my life already and im ready to receive for this trip ALL the blessings that God has already given me!

                 Ephesians 1:6-10
To the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that he lavished on us. With all wisdom and understanding, he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.
                                                     (powerful verse right there)

                                 
                              *kumain ng maraming pagkain*
                          (eat a lot of food!)... concerning the cook off lol :)

Joy is a serious busness in Heaven....

    Wanna know what brings me Joy?.....Joy! Seriously, think about it, how incredibly boring life would be without it. Riding a roller coaster, friends, chocolate cake!!! All these things would be pointless if there was no joy.

    Those who know me, typically say that joy is a quality that I show a lot (ma be even to the point of annoyance sometimes) but recently some things happened that really took that joy from me and i hated it! Growing up i was always told that if u have a problem, find a verse, stand on it, and stick with it and nothing will be able to defeat you. While i was trying to find this "life saving" verse, i realized how little i actually knew about joy! This incredible gift of God! And like any gift, once you open it you wanna know everything about it! its secrets, its beauty, and you want to get every ounce of use from this gift that you can!! Not just say that u have it but to even show it off! So here I began my study on Joy. To reveal and receive all that this gift offers me.

   One definition that really caught me off guard is this:
Joy: "It is the Overwhelming sense of comfort and contentment that floods ones soul. It is the thing that we have when we are walking with the Holy Spirit and mortifying the deeds of the flesh.
-True joy comes only when we are focused upon walking with the Lord and esteeming others!

    Joy is just God being in you!!! When you are showing joy, you are showing the very beauty of God. You hear so many testimonies about people who have gotten saved because they saw the love and joy from other Christians so obviously it is a very important factor.
     Isaiah 55:12
You will go out in joy and be led forth in peace;the mountains and hills will burst into song before you,and all the trees of the field will clap their hands.
                                     (this ^^ seems like some serious joy to me!)

    And if your wondering about that one verse that I needed to stand on.....I found myself writing it everywhere the next day at school! And I can honestly say that THAT day, I really understood for the first time what it means to have peace and joy that passes all understanding!! Because I still don't completely understand how its possible! Its just one of those things that God not only gives to you but reveals to when you accepting Him at His fullest... were its all of Him and less of you! <3
                * Romans 15:13
    May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

kagalakan (JOY)