As a child of Pastors (both my Father and Mother) I have experienced many things and sharing them here, is my way of giving them to God.
This is my testimony and new life.
Trials and tribulations used for ministry.
This is my path to God's plan and I Thank You for experiencing it with me.
God Bless You all for Reading.
These are the final posters/flyers for our Annual Hallelujah Party! I am completely excited to run this Party! :)
I am praying that more and more people will come and maybe even help out with the outreach! I would also like to add that if my father does not answer or you would rather email, please contact me:) - jacey_clubsantos@hotmail.com
Anything and everything is appreciated! Contact me for more information!
Recently, in a certain class that I am taking, we have been discussing the Bible. It would come into conversation, occasionally.
Now, I am 100% for talking about the Bible in Education Facilities..actually, everywhere! But I am constantly reminding myself and others to remember the word of God and to not allow the flesh to fall into the lies of man.
Recently, this happened when talking about the seductress, Lilith.
What someone told me was Lilith was the first wife of Adam. She was jealous of Eve and gave her the fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Book of Genesis). She was then turned into a serpent for her "crime".
Now, I may not be very familiar with the Bible (YET!) but I know that there is no "first wife of Adam" there is simply Eve, the ONLY wife of Adam.
It was Satan, that gave Eve the fruit, where the first sin was started.
I can accept that this may be that person's view of things but I wasn't going to sit there and let my fellow students buy into a lie. I proceeded to ask questions and the answers were more than vauge.
There was also the argument that Satan and Lucifer were two completely different people.
I have heard this before and I said "They are the same person. Lucifer changed his name to Satan." This resulted in more "Facts" about how I am incorrect about this and that.
I acknowledged their views and I stated mine. But I will not allow anyone to tell me different than the Bible's Truth.
I prayed that night. For more courage and more wisdom on God's Word. There were moments when I was scared that I would keep silent on the lies that were being spread. I was scared for a split second that I would not be informed enough to keep the discussion supplied.
I did.
I sighed in relief, that I was able to hold my ground and hopefully, give enough information to keep other people questioning and looking for God's Truth and His Truth only!
Prayer Requests:
God will be allowed back in schools.
More and More people will be Saved. Or at least curious about God
**Following the post, are a few movies that are worth sharing** (I Do Not Own any of these videos and am not showing them to make money either)
For the past 3 years, I have been attending a college focusing more on General Course and can we say Discouraging! I had a hard time with classes because I became uninterested in the content that I was learning. My mind was filled with thoughts about how I didn't need the class, how that was going to apply to my career and so on.
After years of really good classes (I am willing to admit that I was wrong in thinking that I did not need them) I am closer to graduating from Liberal Arts! This winter I will be done with general courses and finally be able to work on the final step of getting my degree. The only problem was, was that I didn't know where I was going to go...in fact, I am still very unsure of where to go!
There are not many school with TESOL majors, much to my displeasure.
So what do I do?
I start to bang my head on the table or floor, which ever I find myself closer to. For the longest time, I soaked in the troubles of my disappointment and often found myself searching and searching with no answers.
Then one day....
I recieved a message from one of the people I went on a Missions Trip with sent me a message. Now she isn't just a normal person. She is my new sister and I love her dearly. She reminded me that I just need to wait and see that this is all in God's hands. He already has a plan for me and know where I will be the happiest.
I cried.
I was so caught up in what I wanted that i forgot that it wasn't my true decision. God gave me the passion for teaching, the people who encourage me and I forgot that HE is taking care of it.
Recently, My father asked me why I wanted to be a teacher of English and TESOL. At first, I was speechless and angry at myself for not having the answer right away. After about twenty minutes of thinking, it came to me; a huge rush of hope and flaming excitement came over me.
I told him:
"Daddy, How many people can say that they change lives for a living? How many people can say that they dedicate their lives to helping others who are less fortunate in getting to where they want to be? Who can say that dad?...Sure there are nurses and doctors, lawyers, and so on. But teachers...Wow, Daddy Teachers saved me."
You see, if it weren't for my teachers, I wouldn't be the cheerful person I am now. I had so many inner conflicts in my life and once I was able to open up to the people who give an education, I smiled for real. Teachers, to me, not only teach their specialized subjects but are role models for life and play a major part in people's life.
Think about this with me. Has there ever been a teacher that has ever influenced you (Good or Bad)? I am about 99% sure that every teacher has done at least one thing (or said) to make you think even if it has shown up unconsciously. {I still question my art teacher from HS}
Changing a life for that life, is my number two goal in life (the first being to share God's word with an open heart).
I no longer worry about where I am going to go. I know where I am going now and I thank God for keeping that option in my mind. For giving me a family that questions my decisions for me to question them myself. My mother did the same just a few moments ago. Where am I going to go, mom? The only true answer I have for that:
God will show me.
-Prayer Requests:
That I will be able to wait for God's Answer
My family; that they may see the sacrifices I am willing to make to teach in other countries.
That I will be able to better retain the languages I will be learning.
That I will not be afraid.
Verse for Thought:
Jeremiah 29: 11
For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope
I have two different blogs. This one, which focuses more on what God has to offer, has given me, and more! While it is a bit more...personal as well.
My other blog (Located at: Slice of Life Flavored Cheesecake Blog )
is about other things in life, some of my preferences and opinions of other matters (i.e literature, art, family, school, etc.)
I deeply apologize for the long wait and I know that there really is no excuse for procrastination or laziness. But every time I tried to sit down and type something out, my mind would go blank, my head would spin, and the seat of my pants would fall asleep. Maybe my mind was thinking this was homework? (Hope that doesn't happen in the upcoming semester).
A lot has happened this summer and there will be many things going on so I will use this post as a "HI JACEY, WHAT IS UP?!"
1.) Our town decided that they would invest in building a dike, thus buying out our houses (ours and three others). We have spent the remainder of the summer preparing a basement to set the house on.
2.) The braces will be coming off soon! In September maybe and I will finally be able to eat raw fruit properly, crispy chicken, almonds, caramel apples, and more! :D
3.) This will be the last semester at Northland! Graduation is in December and then going to a Christian University for TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages).
4.) Losing some weight and loving the feeling! More energy and more time to clean -.-
5.) Going to try and learn the Piano for Church, going to have to see how that goes for the Semester.
6.) Praying for a good Job and that I can retain information better during the semester so that I can actually have a job this time.
7.) Our puppet team is growing and is so lively. Hopefully, we will be able to go out to the community and share God's word: Our Team name. S.O.S Puppeteers- Sharing Our Savior.
8.) Two weeks after returning from Uruguay, I shared God's word in Church for the first time! Preacher in training maybe? :)
I know that there are a lot more things that I would love to share but again, my mind seems to be going blank. I will be trying my hardest to post weekly and not daily. there are too many things that are going on and that will be going on.
Thanks to everyone who supports my writing and spreads the word!
If you were given the option to go with a group of people, to a different country, to do missionary work. Would you?
Tomorrow morning, I (along with my family) will be boarding a plane (I, for the first time), to go to the beautiful country of Uruguay.
To be more specific we will be doing Mission work in Montevideo, Uruguay- while staying in Piriapolis, Uruguay.
Located in the following map:
We will be arriving there with other churches from the MN, ND, and SD areas.
There, we will be visiting people and teaching them the Word of God, Children's Ministry, Prayer-walking, Kitchen work, Worship, Construction (of a Church, I believe), promotional groups in schools, and more.
There is no way to describe the excitement I am feeling with this upcoming trip.
I mainly want to work with the children that are so excited to see us come and share God with them. Another thing that I am very excited for, is the Festival we are dancing in.
The Festival is taking place in Piriapolis. Even after looking for more information, I have yet to find an answer to: what exactly is this festival? I will hopefully find out after we arrive there. This, to me, seems like it will be a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Perhaps, God will allow me the honor of visiting other countries, with the years to come. Maybe next time, it will be in Europe or Asia. Who knows really?
Please help me pray for this country and all those there. Pray for salvation and also, Please pray for my family and I, along with the other Missionaries, that we may receive twice the amount of Spiritual gifts than we are giving. That we may be safe. And that we are able to travel the world, in the Name of God.
*This post, seems a bit "empty" to me but I will be sharing more and more as the time comes.*
*I am not quite sure if I am going to be bringing my laptop during my trip or if I will have the time to post while I am there.*
~~**GOD BLESS YOU ALL**~~~
Verse For Thought:
Mark 16:15
- And he said to them, "Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation."
When I think about my past I realize that there were so many times when I would feel down and I would bottle up those emotions, which, I learned the hard way, to be the worst thing to do.
What would always change my mood? (Well, besides praying)
MUSIC!
Most of the time, while I tried hiding my feelings from my family, for fear of burdening them, they were the ones to see through this mask I produced and presented me with songs for every occasion.
I truly felt like it was something that I should share with all of you, maybe for the times when you see yourself walking down the same road I was once walking, or even a situation where these songs will be of great use. There are even those days when I listen to those songs again, remembering those painful times and smiling at how small that problem was.
Such a small problem that my family jumped into to pull me right back out and remind me that God Is Always There...Just like they are.
My TOP 5 Helpful and Problem-Solving Songs
*NOTE: I do not own any copyrights for the following songs* 1.) Beautiful by Mercy Me
Ever since I was about 12 years old, I thought I didn't matter, that I wasn't a beautiful person and that I would never find anyone who would love me. I had such a low self-esteem, I would cry myself to sleep every night. No matter what anyone told me, I wasn't good enough to receive any type of praise. No, my life was not all bad and I did get the praise I deserved but my heart and mind weren't in the right place. I stopped hating myself after the age of 16 or so but there was still that doubt that was hidden in the back of my mind.
After my longest relationship ended, I had the hardest time recovering. I had felt like my life was finally becoming what I wanted: having someone to truly love me. After what I felt was an unjust end, This song healed my heart. To make this song even more special, it was my younger sister who played it for me.
I finally let go of that little girl who yelled hateful things to me and told me that I was not good enough. Goodbye Ex-Jacey. I am Beautiful...no matter what you ever said.
2.) East to West by Casting Crowns
Along with the previous problem, I had a hard time believing that God could really love someone who could do one of (what I believe) the worst sins possible: Disowning God.
There was a night when I yelled to my mother, that I did not want anything to do with God. I even took my Bible, tossed it onto the dining room table and said "Here, I don't want this. God has done nothing in my life. I don't need him ever again."
The days following that incident I felt worse and worse about myself. I finally took back my Bible and cried. Praying that God would forgive me for committing the worst of all sins.
Once this song came out and played on the radio, I cried and thanked God for dying for me and my sins. I took back the spot I had with God and in fact started walking higher above it.
3.) Hello, My Name Is... by Matthew West
The lyrics of this song really make me smile. I AM A CHILD OF A KING! :) I will say that this is just as simple as that. I have had my regrets, disappointments, and sadness in my life but this is one FACT that I will never need to see end. This is something that makes me happy to live each and every day.
Simple. As. That.
4.) Ya No Llores Por Mi (Don't Cry For Me Anymore) by Tercer Cielo
This song is in Spanish (Duh, Jacey!) One of my uncles in Mexico made a small slideshow of my Grandfather after he died and I cried for weeks on end, listening to this song, trying to convince myself to stop crying. I guess all the crying finally tired me out and even though I still cry for him, I know that he is watching me and that I don't need to cry anymore. That I can be happy that he is lucky enough to be with God now. :) *I recommend looking up lyrics and translating them with google or something, really beautiful song*
5.) We are the Free by Matt Redman
Something I have always disliked is that people think "religious people" or "church people" are boring and so is their music. That is why, I love blasting this in the car any chance I get! Along with my church's worship music, my car music is upbeat and crazy! The lyrics to this song (even if it WAS slow) would pump anyone up and set their soul aflame! That is why I love Sunday worship..its not the typical cathedral style hymns (Not saying that there is anything wrong with those hymns, they are just not my style).
Verses for Thought:
Psalm 95:1- Oh Come, let us sing to the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
Psalm 150:1-6 - Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty heavens! Praise him for his mighty deed; praise Him according to His excellent greatness! Praise him with trumpet sound; Praise Him with flute and harp! Praise Him with tambourine and dance; Praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; Praise Him with loud clashing Cymbals
Prayer Requests:
>Safe traveling for the upcoming Mission Trip to Uruguay (Upcoming Post)
>Keep praying for healing in my soul and that I am able to give myself completely to God.
>Safe Keeping to friends and family who are in need of prayer.
Blessings are all around, especially in this celebration of today- as of 20 years ago, today, my beautiful mother had given birth to a child.
While this is a very wonderful blessing all in itself, it was also a grand miracle.
Why?
When my mother was younger, my father and herself were given an MMR shot (measles, Mumps, and Rubella vaccine). They were told not to become pregnant within a certain amount of time.
Some time later, my mother ended up falling down, causing her go to the hospital, the nurse asked her if she was at all pregnant. my mother responded with "I don't think so." When she was checked, they told her that she was, in fact, pregnant. As time went on, the doctor who was to deliver the baby told my parents that she would need to abort the child. The doctor proceeded to tell her that the child would be Blind, deaf, deformed, possibly born without a limb, have several heart problems, and brain damage, all of which was a "high chance". Praying to God, my mother and father refused an abortion, saying that Satan would not win this battle. On May 30, 1993 at 8:20 pm- a beautiful little girl was born. All her limbs in tack, no eye sight problems, no heart or brain damage. Just a perfect little girl.
20 years later, here I am. An ambitious, humble, and healthy woman. I have never had heart problems, or brain damage. I have all that I need both physically, materialistically, and spiritually.
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When I woke up this morning, I looked out the window and saw that it was raining. Most people would complain about the rain on their birthday but I cried with happiness. These were my first thoughts:
There shall be Showers of Blessing. Thank You Lord, for giving me another wonderful year of life. You know how much I love the rain, Thank You, God. No matter who does or does not recognize that today, 20 years ago, a miracle happened, I am more than grateful for being alive and almost perfect, as You want me.
I cry at the thought of how Satan tried so hard to kill me. How hard he tried to plant the seed of death in my mother's heart. but I also cry at how strong she was in the Lord. Sometimes, I think that maybe it wasn't Satan's work but God's. Maybe he is going to use me as a testimony- the woman who beat all odds and lived, showing that God is preparing the world for his return.
I will pray for the truth. Perhaps, both answers are correct...While Satan tried to stop a blessing, God was going to use Satan's attempt as a miraculous blessing and testimony. It is now my turn. God is preparing my mind and heart and now, I WANT to spread his Love and the Knowledge that he has so graciously provided me with.
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Last week, my family and I traveled with a man and his family to Colorado, to visit his past church. During one of the sermons, I had the urge to write something down. This is what I wrote:
"Satan tried to kill me from the start, he was defeated. Now, he is trying to break me down and pull me away from God by using those around me. He will fall. The Lord needs me and I want/need him more than my flesh can handle. One day, my flesh will break away and the Lord will finally say "You've done what I needed, your purpose has been fulfilled. It is time to come home, my daughter." I am not afraid of Satan, or his demons, or death. For the Lord has made me invincible until I have accomplished His will and my purpose. ~My purpose- To Share the Word of God With Those Around the World~
I now understand why God gave me the love to communicate with others on deeper levels. Why he gave me the love of other cultures and an open mind to accept what is very different from me, while others frown upon different or even fear it. Why He gave me the love of travel and understanding....GOD WANTS ME TO GO AROUND THE WORLD AND TEACH HIS WORD. HE WANTS ME TO SPEND THE TIME I PREPARE FOR THAT TRAVEL, SPREADING THE WORD TO THE "WORLD" THAT LIVES HERE IN AMERICA.
I have finally found my purpose. I finally see why Satan tried so hard to stop me before I was even born. He thought that he had the world in his hands. But I am going to take every piece of it in the Name of the Lord.
Happy Birthday to me, Am I ready to fulfill my purpose?
Verse of Thought: Jeremiah 29:11 - For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. Prayer Request: >Help me pray for the cleansing of my soul and that I may break the temptations and the blockage of the flesh. >That I not let those who speak wickedly of me, affect me or tear me away from God. That I may have a strength to plant the seed. ~~**God Bless You All**~~
