Destination Unknown Teen Activity!

So, this past weekend was pretty great! Friday night I got to help in the kitchen at a church concert and make all the yummy desserts! Fried oreos, reeses, etc. Then, after the concert I spent the night with my best friend Marlene for the first time in forever! Finally, Saturday we went shopping and got some great deals then we had a youth activity. They announced this activity a couple weeks ago and said it was destination unknown. We have done one other destination unknown and ended up at the beach to play some games. That was pretty fun! Before I tell you where we went this time I will give you a hint. :)

If you haven't figured it out, we went to a corn maze. This is a classic activity to do in the fall and overall it was pretty fun! The first time we went through it only took us 7 minutes but we also used a map for the first few turns. The next time we did not use a map at all and it took about 15 minutes. It was not as long as I thought it would be, but it was fun because of the people I was with. I am so glad I have such fun friends!!

The maze we went to is called "Amazing Grace Crop Maze" located in Fleming Island. They had the maze itself, tractors for photo ops, a hay ride, pig chase, and a couple other activities. They also had a pumpkin patch. It also makes it even better that it is a christian owned place. That is always a plus. :)

Here are a few pictures from the trip. Hope you enjoy!

 

First, a picture of me and Marlene. I love this because it definitely describes our relationship perfectly! We are so goofy, but at least we have fun! :P Also, I realize not everyone who reads my blog knows me very well, so no I was not actually slapping her. We were just goofing off!

 Another photo of me and Marlene. A serious one this time since we haven't gotten a picture by ourselves together in months! We use to take pictures all the time but I guess we have just been pretty busy!

 Me and my cousin sitting by a cute little set up they had.

This would be another one of my goofy friends :) This is the kids maze. Bethann was saying she couldn't figure out where to go. What would I do without these people?!

10 Things I have Learned in the Past Year

  In the past year, I have changed dramatically. I believe I have changed for the better. I have started to realize that soon it will be time to go into adult mode, so I need to start growing up. So, here are ten things that I have learned this past year.

1. Passive aggressive Facebook statuses or posts are a sign of immaturity. We all have our moments where we would like to get on Facebook and post about someone without using their name to show our frustration, but it is not worth it. When I see these posts, it makes me look at the person who posted in a negative way, which is why I stopped posting things like this.

2. There are so many opportunities to minister to others that do not have to involve physically being somewhere. The internet can be used for good or evil, but I believe God has given me the ability to minister to others through things like this blog, Facebook, etc.

3. The way that you carry yourself and act affects your beauty big time, whether it be good or bad. If you carry yourself in a slouchy way with a no care attitude, it is much less attractive. Just showing that you take time to look nice and present yourself like a lady is what makes you beautiful.

4.No matter how young you are, there are people who look up to you. I recently noticed that girls at church who are younger than me actually look up to me! This makes me want to be a better example.

5. Never take your time with your friends for granted, because soon you will be going in separate directions. This isn't a bad thing if it is where the Lord leads you, but make the most of your friendships!

6. Being able to help people is one of the most rewarding feelings ever. You never know how much of a blessing you may be to someone by just helping them with the smallest things!

7. Being single means that the Lord knows you are not ready for commitment right now, and he wants you to grow closer to him. I get asked all the time by adults, "Do you have a boyfriend?" Followed by the question,"Well why not? I am sure you could have one if you wanted to." My answer is that the Lord has not shown me anyone that I am suppose to be with right now, which is fine! I am pretty busy anyway, so I don't know how I would even find time to hang out with anyone else!!

8. College decisions are so hard. There is so much going through my mind when it comes to making that decision, and I just don't know how I am going to commit to a college. I will definitely need guidance and I am so glad I can depend on God to show me where I need to go and open all the right doors.

9. God uses trials to make us stronger. I have been through things that I just can't understand. For instance, I can't understand why God allowed my dad to lose his sight 7 years ago. I often think about the day I get married and it makes me sad that my dad won't be able to see me all dressed up, but I know that this made us stronger as a family. If this hadn't happened, I don't know where my family would be. God used this to get us back in church. We often wonder what it would have taken to open our eyes next if this hadn't happened.

10. Sometimes, your friends will hurt your feelings even if they do not mean to or know that they did. When this happens, you have to decide if it is even worth telling them. My feelings have been hurt recently a couple times, and I decided it's not even worth talking about. Sometimes it is better to just let things go. Especially if that person is a great friend. It is hard to find those these days.

About Me

   Ok, so I recently realized that I haven't shared much about myself on this blog, so I am going to do that in this post. Below, I am going to list 20 random things about me.

  1. My church/church family is my life. I love going to church and would go help out in some way every day if I could.
2. I accepted Jesus as my savior at the age of 9 and my life has been so amazing with him walking by my side.
3. My best friend in the whole wide world is named Marlene and I do not know what I would do without her!
4. I love journalism! I would like to study that when I graduate, if the Lord allows. 
5. I do not have a favorite color. I love neon, but that isn't technically a color!
6. I am going to try and do a better job at keeping up with this blog because I know there aren't many christian teen bloggers out there. Trust me, I've looked!
7. I love baking. I was thinking about making it a career at one point. However, that is not what the Lord wanted and I know that now.
8. I have never had a "serious" boyfriend. Of course when I was around the age of 13 and not very bright I had guys I would call that, but I regret even doing that. I am now waiting for God to show me someone and until then, no boyfriend for me. I am perfectly content with that. I am too busy right now anyway!
9. I LOVE LOVE LOVE photography. That is a passion of mine that started at a young age.
10. I am dying to go on another missions trip. I am praying that the Lord will allow me to go on one again sometime soon.
11. I think about Nicaragua all the time and miss being there. I love my home, but I miss the mission field terribly :(
12. I am finishing high school a year early so I can get a head start on working and saving for college. Yay! 
13. I love shopping. Like almost every other teenage girl!
14. I love vintage things. When I have my own house, I want to decorate a whole room vintage.
15. My dream would be to live in a lake house with a balcony, wrap around porch, swings outside and a gazebo in the back yard. I know, far fetched, but hey, I can dream!
16. I like the country sometimes, but I don't like being too far from the city. I am a people person!!
17. For the most part, I avoid conflict. Of course everyone will have at least a couple people who do not like them, but I think I do an okay job at avoiding drama.
18. In the past 2 years, I have changed dramatically. I think I have just started realizing that I am actually graduating high school this year and it won't be long before I have to go into adult mode. I am not gonna lie, it is kinda scary, but I know I have so many people to help me with anything I need.
19. I love roller coasters!!! We just got season passes to Universal Studios and I seriously cannot wait!! Ah!!!
20. I will stand up for what I believe, no matter what! Especially in this blog. I do not mean to offend anyone, but I will definitely say what I feel needs to be said. I hope to do this in a very meek way that pleases the Lord but also takes a stand for my beliefs. 

Thank you for taking the time to read about me! Even if I am a little boring! ;)

You are beautiful!

    Recently, I had to write an editorial for a school assignment. At first I was not too thrilled about it. I love writing but editorials aren't my thing. However, when I realized I could use this to write about something I am passionate about and I can relate to, I was thrilled. So for this assignment I decided to write about photoshoped pictures of models in magazines and how it makes women and girls feel and look at themselves. Below, I will post my editorial. I hope this can be a help to at least one person!

   

What image comes to your mind when you think of the word beautiful? Do you think of a picture you have seen on a magazine cover lately? A recent picture you have seen of a model or actress? For most girls, the word beautiful is defined by an altered picture they have seen recently of someone famous.  Unfortunately, most of these photos depict an unattainable standard of beauty. Pictures are taken of women who are already beautiful and then altered to make them look a different way. In most cases, they are made to look thinner, with a flawless complexion and picture perfect teeth. How does this make young girls and teens feel about themselves? What does it make them think based on what society deems they should look like?

      In this New York Times article by Eric Wilson, he discusses his views on Photoshop and how he believes that magazines should not be portraying women in a mendacious wayhttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/28/fashion/28RETOUCH.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0. He is undeniably correct. He also mentions a man by the name of Mr. Lindbergh has called it “heartless retouching”.  This is an excellent way to put it. When photo experts are editing these photos and erasing  wrinkles, or retouching the photo to make the model look like a  Barbie doll rather than a real person, they are not even thinking about what they are putting in the minds of countless girls. This type of thing affects not only young girls, but women as well. However, women are wiser about the situation in most cases and they know that the women truly do not look the way that is shown in a magazine. For that reason, young girls and teenagers are much more susceptible to the deceits of these magazines. 

     With that being said, my next question is, what will young girls and teenagers do to try and achieve this look? Many girls who are trying to look like the ones they have seen in magazines will start skipping meals to try and achieve the body of the woman in the magazine. Sadly, some will never realize that these magazine images are a lie and their occasional skipping of a meal will turn into anorexia. Unfortunately, some will not live to tell their story. You can find a true story of a girl who did not survive the fight against anorexia at the link http://library.thinkquest.org/21298/Mind&Body/Carpenter.html. 

     So here is my question to those who have the final say on what image makes it into the magazines. Is it really worth it? Is it worth losing young lives because of this false idea society has put in their minds? Being a teenage girl, I know how hard it is to love your body and I have to make a decision daily to accept the way I am made and remember that society does not determine the definition of beauty. If we teach young girls to love themselves the way they are rather than trying to live up to a standard of beauty, there would be a huge decrease in the amount of eating disorders in teenagers.

    Finally, I would like to share is what real beauty looks like. I have inserted some pictures of women without their photos being altered, in their natural radiant beauty that every women has. We should be teaching girls that all women are made differently and beauty is not determined by what someone else looks like. You do not have to be a size 2 or have perfect hair, flawless skin, or pearly white teeth to be beautiful.However, this is contrary to what most magazines today would like you to believe. A little retouching to remove a few blemishes or brighten the colors of a photo is one thing, but changing the overall appearance of an already beautiful woman is taking it too far. Especially when no real woman can look like that. Every woman is beautiful in their own way and I wish more girls would realize that.

     In closing, society does not determine your beauty. Every woman is beautiful, even if they do not see it. We should start teaching our girls at a young age that they do not need to look like the woman on the magazine to be beautiful.  The reality is, women do not look like that. Photo experts have made her look that way by altering the image. If more girls started learning this from a young age, it would help them through the tough teenage years when all girls are self conscious about their looks in one way or another. Do not let society change the way you feel about yourself. You are beautiful.

Nicaragua

      This summer I had the opportunity to go to Nicaragua on a missions trip with some people from my youth group, my pastor, youth pastor, and a couple of other people. Of course when I heard about this I immediately wanted to be a part of it! However, I thought there was no way I would be able to go because the trip was announced in January and we had to have over one thousand dollars raised by August! I pretty much was not even going to try to raise it because I didn't want to get my hopes up only to fail and be upset. So I told my mom and dad that I would love to go but there is no way I could raise that. They encouraged me to try anyways. Then, a few days later while I was helping someone with yard work (to raise money) I got a phone call saying somebody needed me to babysit their kids every day during the summer and they were going to pay me $125 per week! I was so excited!! It was a huge answer to prayer! A couple weeks after that another couple came to me with the same offer! So I now had two babysitting jobs! I'm not gonna lie, giving up my whole summer was not easy but it was worth it. Anyway, the reason for this blog is to share what the trip did for me. So I'm gonna attempt to put into words what this trip did as best as I can. The first day we were in Nicaragua we went to see a man named Marcielle. This man lives in the middle of a sugar cane field with no AC, no running water, and none of the other conveniences we take for granted. What amazed me about him was that though he had next to nothing, he was so happy and you could not wipe the smile off of his face. Our translator told us that he was saying we were such a blessing to him and that we made his day. We couldn't even speak his language! It brought tears to my eyes and broke my heart when I realized how happy he was with so little. It opened my eyes to how ungrateful I am. Marcielle walks miles and miles every week to visit his church people and I sometimes don't feel like getting out of bed to go ride in an air conditioned car and go lead people to the lord. Whenever I feel down or when I start throwing a pity party, I just think about Marcielle. All of the people there were so happy with what they had that it changed my heart and the way I think about alot of things. The second thing it did for me was something I will never forget. One day we went to a part of town where there were a large number of kids running through the street playing like you would see in America. We were told that 90 percent of those kids had been abandoned and had nobody to care for them. They were left to find their own way to get through life. That night, we were all gathered in the living room of the house and we just started singing. One song that we were singing caused everyone to break into tears. This song was "I have been blessed" by the rochesters. The lyrics are below.
1st Verse
When He walks among us, all that He does, All of His mercy and all of His love.  If the pen of a writer could write every day even this world could never contain just how I've been blessed / The warmth in the winter, the flowers in spring, the laughter of summer, and the changing of leaves.  Food on my table, a good place to sleep, clothes on my back and shoes on my feet.  Oh, I have been blessed.

Chorus
I have been blessed, God's so good to me, precious are His thoughts of you and me.  No way I could count them there's not enough time, so I'll just thank Him for being so kind.  God has been good, so good.  I have been blessed.

2nd Verse
Arms that will raise, a voice that can talk, hands that can touch and legs that can walk.  Ears that can listen and eyes that can see, oh, I've got to praise Him as long as I breathe.  Cause I have been blessed / Father and mother, nurtured and raised, my sisters and brothers, memories made.  Our pastor to lead us, this altar to pray, Stripes that can heal and a Blood that can save.  Oh, I have been blessed.

3rd Verse
We live in a country, the greatest on earth, our flag stands for freedom and what it is worth.  She stands in the harbor, Ms. Liberty calls, all have gave some, but some gave it all for me to be blessed / A shoulde to lean on when I am down, a rock where He leads me when I'm overwhelmed.  The place where He hides me under His wings.  He's not just a song, He's the reason I sing, Oh, and I have been blessed.

Singing this after that day just really made everyone realize how good we have it and how good God has been to us. So many times we overlook what we have and take it for granted. If you ever have the opportunity to go on a missions trip do everything you can to make it happen! I can assure you it will change your life! I miss Nicaragua sooo much and I cannot wait to go back!

First Blog!

    Well, I'm not really sure what to write about because I have never done this before. But, I just decided I wanted to start my own blog so here we go! I am still trying to figure out how this whole thing works so bare with me if my profile is pretty boring right now! I hope to be blogging very frequently once I get everything figured out. :)