His Love is Enough

*Meet my friend Brooke. She has one of the biggest hearts I know and her passion for missions is contagious. I recently found out she has a blog so of course I had to share some of her inspiring words on my own! If you're a girl who has ever doubted the beauty that you possess (aka every girl) this post is for you. Enjoy! 


"I’m not beautiful”  A reoccurring thought in almost every adolescent girl’s mind.

How can a generation that is constantly being told that they are not accepted, that they are not adequate, and that they are not sufficient, ever believe that they are beautiful?

How can young people who are under constant attack by the enemy ever truly believe that they are loved, when the media’s twisted definition of love is being hurled at them from every direction?

The love that the world displays is not love at all. It is far from love. 

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

 We’ve all heard this verse more times than we can be count, but have you ever truly looked at it? Have you ever thought about what it truly means to love with patience and with kindness?

 Love displays selflessness. 

 This is something that is so absent from the world’s version of love. The world presents love as being beneficial to the giver and not the receiver. But the love that the Lord shows to us is a beautiful example of what it means to love out of selfless ambition. 

 It’s so easy to feel unloved by the world. It’s so easy to feel like we are not beautiful. But this couldn’t be farther from the truth. 

 God’s love for us surpasses the love that any member of the world could ever show to us. It is so much greater and so much vaster than that of the world. 

 But the greatest thing about His love and the thing that separates God’s love from the love of the world is that we don’t have to work to earn this love. It is given to us freely as a gift. All that we have to do is open our hearts to receive it. 

 So stop worrying about what the world’s vision of you is and start reveling in the love the Lord has for you. Because His love is more than sufficient.

Ps. Make sure you go check out her website!

God is so good guys. And sometimes I forget that.

Sometimes I think I'm entitled to living a life full of clothes and money and no problems.

And then there are days like today where the Lord is so real, so close, and so precious to me.

He saved me; a wretched, broken, insecure, 17 year old.

He chose me and loves me with a love that binds all joy and peace and grace into one.

And he didn't have to do that at all you guys. He CHOSE us with a boldness and a passion that we can't even fathom because He wanted to make sure that not a day went by that we wouldn't feel his love.

When I sit on the floor sobbing about my problems that seem to drown me in self doubt and anxiety, he calls me out saying,

"Not today Amanda. Today you are my child, my gift, my joy;

today I will walk with you through this and the next day

and the next day after that until eternity.

Until you precious child realize your worth in my eyes.

Until you sing to the world of your wholeness in me.

And until you never let go of my forever love.

Pumpkins, Pizza, and the Purge

Last year we decided to have a pumpkin party for all the juniors and it was such a success 

that we decided to do it again for all the seniors!! We ate tons of yummy food, carved 

some pumpkins, watched the Purge II and had a blast. Oh, how I love senior year and the 

people who are sharing it with me. 

A Heart for Missions

This year, I felt my heart long for a word that had rarely crossed my mind: missions. The prospect of my little self becoming a missionary or even having a small impact on this huge scary world drove me to always say, "No, someone else will do it." And yet, I was tugged and pulled and pushed into the direction of missions every time I visited Mexico and saw the hurt, the brokeness, and the poverty. When I looked into the awe-stricken eyes of a mother whose new house we had just built for her and her children the call to do something was overwhelming.

The idea of starting a mission's club came to a few of us girls as we processed through the emotions that hit us smack dab in the face. Knowing that tribes were longing, begging, and dying for a missionary to come and teach them about Jesus ripped at our hearts. Realizing that the American dream would always be the easy way out and that it was ultimately our choice to say enough is enough, urged me to make sure we had a mission's club at our school.

Not knowing how in the world us girls were supposed to lead a mission's club, our mentor, Bones, came to our rescue. With a heart for missions more powerful than anyone I have ever met, she continually inspires us to move in the direction of being mission-minded. She challenges us to live for Jesus in every single moment of the day and to never underestimate the faithfulness of our Savior.

With her encouragement, we are now planning, praying, and fundraising for our trip to Ethiopia!!! With a need far greater than the poorest American, Ethiopia is the eighth most impoverished country in the world. Our trip is focused around informing the people of Ethiopia of the horrors of sex trafficking as almost all of the homes we will go into too have already sold their child with the misconception of them gaining a better life.

As we continue to move in the direction of preparing for this trip, I ask that you pray. I ask that you pray for the families who have been mislead into thinking they are helping their child. I ask that you pray for the children enslaved. Pray for the team, the travels, and trip. And lastly, pray that the girls of the mission's club will be open, aware, and long for the same heart that Christ had for missions.

A Season of Flurry

This is a season where my body never seems to get enough sleep.

Where the world seems as if it has never spun so fast and where I'm lucky to finish my homework ten minutes before class starts.

And yet, it is a season filled with an endless amount of peace as well.

My heart has never been so full, so joyful, so happy as it is now.

Through every sixteen hour day filled with ASB, volleyball, homework, family, and friends, I always crawl into bed with a smile knowing someday I will look back onto this season of life and see how blessed beyond measure I am.

The Lord is shifting my mindset into resting in this busyness and using it to enjoy every. single. moment.

And I am so grateful for that.