Tahoe Week #5

Hello friends and happy {early} valentine's day!! We have had quite a busy week here in Tahoe! This week my class has been studying Moses! The students really enjoyed this! We focused on what it means to 'trust' God! Check out some of our crafts!

On Friday night we had what is called 'PNO' (parents night out). It was quite a long day! We have regular work all day and then run 'PNO' from 6-10pm! It was a blast though! Since it was the opening day of the Olympics, we had an Olympic themed 'PNO!' We played lots of games such as a torch relay, hand hockey, and bean bag toss! Needless to say, I slept in on Saturday! 

This weekend was rather rainy, but I got a lot of plans done for next week! I did A LOT of shoveling snow! { not so much fun :( }Today I was able to really relax and catch up with family and friends! I actually had time to paint my fingernails!

I am going to make valentines this week for my class and I will share those with you later! ( haven't made them yet!) 

Here is a word of encouragement for the week! Love you lots!! I am holding firm to this! 

Tahoe Week #4

Hi friends and family! I wanted to share this encouraging devotion that I received from the home missionary here this week!

Forget the Past

by Charles R. Swindoll

If anyone is in Christ,

he is a new creature,

the old things passed away;

behold, new things have come.

2 Corinthians 5:17

Some of the unhappiest people I've ever known are living their lives looking over their shoulder. 

What a waste! Nothing back there can be changed.

What's in the past? Only two things: great attainments and accomplishments that could either make us proud by reliving them or indifferent by resting on them . . . or failures and defeats that cannot help but arouse feelings of guilt and shame. Why in the world would anyone want to return to that quagmire? I've never been able to figure that one out.

By recalling those inglorious, ineffective events of yesterday, our energy is sapped for facing the demands of today. Rehearsing those wrongs, now forgiven in grace, derails and demoralizes us. There are few joy stealers more insidious than past memories that haunt our minds. . . . 

Forget the past!

This was so encouraging to me in understanding that no matter where I or you have been, we are NEVER too far from God!

This week was full of adventure for me! I went on a 5 mile hike and went skiing!! The recreation here in Tahoe is what keeps this place running! There is so much to do and it is so fun! Here are some pictures from skiing and hiking!

I am so blessed to be here and have the opportunity to do so many amazing things! Not only that, but also share the love if our Savior everyday! God is so good! 

We have finally gotten snow! Woohoo! Unfortunately that means lots if shoveling for me, but great for the community! Thank you Jesus! I think that there is more in the forecast this week too!!

I want to leave you with this message of encouragement today! I love each of you and am praying for you daily!!

Love,

holly

Tahoe Week #3

Whew! What a week it has been! I have to be honest and say that I have been looking forwar to this long MLK weekend! As I told you before, this past week my class studied the creation story! We had a blast! We went on a nature hunt, created animal calls, made star and moon mobiles and so much more! Here are some pictures of our "creations!" Next week we are going to study Noah's ark!

I am so excited because I have now started singing in church! It has been wonderful! This is definitely my true passion and I am so thankful to use my gifts here too! 

This past week we were required to get CPR certified and boy was to a long night! We all made it through and I passed! Yay!! Glad to get that out of the way!

Last Saturday we went on a beautiful hike called Paige Meadows! We got a little of track for a while (lol!) but soon found our way! We also did some climbing to a small creek! Here are some pictures from our adventure! After the hike we visited some of the shops downtown, got ski stuff for ski ministry, and went to the grocery store! It was a relaxing yet productive Saturday!

On Sunday Sam and I made Pot Roast for supper! Our goal is to have one meal as a group every week! Tomorrow we are going shopping in Roseville and we may get to eat at a Cheesecake Factory! Delicious!

Weather Report!

We still have not had any more snow:( I would really ask that you pray for snow and for the families here. Many families are really struggling financially because so many of their jobs depend on the snow. It is getting pretty scary and the governor of California is about to declare a drought in the state. Please pray for February snow! 

I love and miss all of my family and friends so much! I do know though that even though I am not with you God has provided me with such a wonderful, supportive family here! When I stop and think about where I am, what I  am doing, and what kind of things God is doing in my life right now, happy tears fill my eyes. I don't deserve this friends, but I have such a gracious Heavenly Father who loves me and you unconditionally. Therefore, I encourage you to trust Him no matter what is happening in your life, because He will come through! He always does! Yesterday I was telling my class the story about Noah...we are taking about trusting God with everything in our lives. I simply shared my heart with these 1st and 2nd graders about how trusting God has brought me here to them. I was a amazed at how much they understood what that meant! It brought tears to my eyes! We are all hungry for love whether we are 8 or 88! I have definately not done life perfect, and I have plenty of mistakes and mess-ups in my back pocket, but God has NEVER left my side! Run to Him today! Bless you all! I love you!

Holly

Tahoe Week #2

What an exciting week that it has been! I was really able to see how ministry works in Tahoe this week and am slowly learning the ropes of everything around here! I also have been able to travel around in the city a little more and explore many of the shops and cafe's they have to offer! I think my favorite part of Tahoe so far has been how active the community is and how many outdoor things there are to do! There is hiking, skiing, boating, shopping, cross country skiing, and snow shoeing just to name a few!! Here are some pictures from a hike that I took last weekend! This is Eagle Rock!

I cannot begin to explain the beauty of this part of the country and I am so thankful to be able to be apart of it!

This was also an amazing week serving the church and community . I will actually be teaching for the first time this week with my own class!! The staff at the church has allowed me a lot of time to get to know how everything works and see it in action!! There are so many wonderful people here and I am so thankful to be in a position where I can share and show the love of our Savior to them! I can't wait to tell you how my first week of teaching goes! Our bible focus for this week in my class is going to be 'creation'! I have got a lot of fun activities planned to hopefully make this amazing story come alive and be real to some of these children who have never heard it!

Last Friday some friends and I went Ice Skating! This is one of my most favorite activities to do!! Here are some pictures from our adventure! The Northstar ski resort is where we went and it was a blast!!

On Saturday Sam and I did some baking for some people in the community! This is another one of my favorite things to do!  A sweet lady in our church gave us a whole basket of persimmons and before they went bad we decided to make something out of them! We made lots and lots of persimmon muffins and cookies! They were delicious though there are so many that they are coming out of our ears now!! We have been giving them away constantly because there is no way we can eat all of them!

This experience has been amazing so far and everyday that I get out of bed I cannot wait to see what God is going to do! I am one of the luckiest and most blessed girls in the world to be here! I absolutely love it! I wanted to share this word of encouragement with you this week...

I know that I am definitely not perfect and I admit that I have made my share of mistakes in life, but through Gods amazing grace I know that it is for this cause that I was born! No matter what I face or go through I know that my Savior is with me and everyday of my life is for Him! I don't know what all God has in store for my life here in California but I know that it is for a purpose and a reason! I am here to love just as I have been loved! I never would have thought this is where I would end up, but here I am and I am determined to live every moment of my life for God! I'm simply not satisfied if I don't!

I send lots of love and prayers to my family and friends back home this week! I miss you so much and cannot wait to share more about my life in Cali with you! XOXO!

Tahoe Week #1

Well I arrived I Tahoe on January 2 around 11 pm!! Tahoe is three hours behind my friends at home, therefore it was 2 am in Georgia. So far it has been wonderful! I cannot even begin to explain the beauty of this place! I do lot know how you could look at this place and not believe there is a God! I will show you lots and lots of pictures! All of the people and friend at the church are very nice and so genuine! There is a little bit of snow now but it may snow next Tuesday! I'm excited! I was able to unpack everything the night that arrived and we will go on a grocery shopping trip tomorrow probably (Saturday). My bunk is very comfy and I have a small shelf where I can put personal items like pictures, books, etc. Here are some pictures from airport and my new home!

I admit that I already miss home in ways but I also know with 100% certainty that I am where God wants me! I am in the palm of His hand and He is not going to ever let me go! He is for me and with me! It is my prayer daily to only have one passion and desire for Him and die to myself everyday! Even if there is challenge or struggle ahead He is for me and will be with me every step if the way!! How blessed I am to have this opportunity to share the love, hope, and grace He has shown me to the people here in Tahoe!! Amazing!! I love each and every one of you and pray for you today! 

Christmas Crazy!

This weekend my mom, grandmother, and I decorated their house for Christmas ! This was quite and undertaking but lots if fun! We go big or go home when it comes to Christmas decorating! Some may say we are a little over the top.... We love it though and not only do we get to decorate, but we also get to spend lots of time together! Here is just a quick post some photos of our Christmas decor!

The FIRE that lights the DYNAMITE!

Today the Lord allowed me to have one of those amazing moments of realization that only comes from Him! This morning I took my grandfather to the airport to go back home to Mexico and on the way home I truly believe The Lord spoke to me! This was so exciting and I just had to share this good news with you! Over the past several months I have really been in constant prayer for the Lord to restore me daily and give me a burning passion for Him in my life! I admit that so often in life it is easy to get caught up in the idea that if we are doing all of the right things, and following God's plan for our lives, He will meet all of our wants and desires. When this doesn't happen we get upset. I want you to know that it is OKAY to get upset sometimes and ask God WHY??  We tend to feel that when there are unanswered wants, problems, or situations in our lives that God has forgotten about us! Sweet friend a I am here to tell you that He HAS NOT! I want you to consider this statement: THE EXACT WORDLY ISSUE THAT YOU ARE GOING THROUGH ( tragedy, hopeless situations, unanswered desires, etc.) IS WHAT HE IS USING TO BRING YOU CLOSER TO HIM! Therefore, however terrible your situation may seem, you can be THANKFUL in those times because those 'Terrible' things are what are drawing you closer and closer to the Lord because he is ALL you have got when nothing in this world can help you! Satan and the world do not want you to realize this, but imagine if we ALL did?! I know it sounds crazy but sweet friends we can be THANKFUL in terrible situations! When we understand this idea, that is the exact moment that we have HOPE in situations that satan would want us to feel hopeless! If you and I would live in this mindset everyday we could change the world! Nothing of this world can win! With Jesus we will never fail! Friends this what our faith is all about! It's not following all of the rules and going through the motions, but helping share the love and hope that Jesus offers! I know this sounds so simple but yet it is so life changing! Today I am saying YES to Jesus and making myself available for Him to use me and help share this GOOD news with others for His sake! Will you join me? I am praying for you! Love and Blessings!

Holly

Sips and Scripture!

It is currently 6:53 am and I am sitting In my parents living room sipping my yummy coffee, listening to the Frosty the Snowman DVD main menu song play over and over again, and yearning for God's love to fill and overflow out of my soul today! Oh how He loves us and it is my prayer everyday to die to myself and become more and more like Him! Because of the society we live in today we so often want things perfect, happy, and instant all of the time, or at least I know I do. I have a secret for you friend, Christ never promised us happiness and perfection; not here in this earth! I want to challenge you today to look at your life and all that it entails and look at it through God's eyes today, not the worlds! When I think about this I realize how much time I pour into yearning for control and perfection and realize that I am never going to win! Only God can win! I pray that today we will all let Him be everything we need because that is all He wants anyway; to be our everything! Let Him be your everything today! Realize things are never going to be perfect and He never promised us Happiness! What He does promise us is eternity with Him and the hope that He will never leave or forsake you! Friends God will never give you anything you can't handle with Him on your side! Remember that God is bigger than satan in your life and though temptation may come satan can only do what God allows him to! Satan may intend things for bad, but believe me God only intends them for good! Say YES to God today and make yourselves available to Him and see what amazing things He does! I love you and am praying for you today!

Holly

Whenever you feel tempted to do something bad, you should not say, “God is tempting me.” Evil cannot tempt God, and God himself does not tempt anyone. You are tempted by the evil things you want. Your own desire leads you away and traps you. (James 1:13, 14 ERV)

Thanksgiving Day Family Photos!

Thankfulness!

Happy Saturday! I hope that today has been filled with nothingness and relaxation for you! I have had such a wonderful day and as we approach this holiday season wanted to share this encouraging verse with you! I so often find myself constantly searching and trying to improve my life. Sometimes I feel like the world we live in is always telling us to do that! We are bombarded with getting the latest technology or new diet plans or the latest style trends! Unfortunately we often fall into the trap of thinking we need more and more but really it only makes us feel miserable! As Christians it is our job to take the gifts and blessings that The Lord has given us and be thankful for them without constantly wanting more! We find true peace, joy, and contentment when we embrace what we have and use every bit of it for Him! It is my prayer that you would take time on this wonderful Saturday to reflect on this verse and thank God for all that He has given you! Share God's love with someone today! Lots of love!

Holly

Beautiful, Beautiful!

I wanted to share a little bit of my heart with you this morning. This is my verse of the day! As women it is so easy to get caught up in the demands of our society today. We are constantly told that we need to look and act a certain way in order to be successful in our lives! Unfortunately many if us become enslaved to these ideas and only end up broken and shattered. I tell you this because I know that I have and will always face this battle in my heart! I think we all do to some extent. The truth is that it is what is on the inside that matters! Girls fill yourselves up with Jesus today and that will make you glow and look more beautiful than anything in this sinful world will! Have a blessed day!

The NEXT Adventure!!

I promised that I would get back to you with some life updates, so here it goes! The exciting news to tell you is that I am headed to California in January! I have accepted a Pre-K teaching position at a church in Tahoe City, California! I am SO excited and CANNOT wait to go! Throughout my student teaching experience I have been in constant prayer for the Lord to open the door to exactly where/what He wanted me to do once I finished college. He has showered His grace upon me and shown me exactly what He wanted me to do. I am so thankful for that. I admit that at first I was very hesitant and didn't really know if this is what I needed to do. I would be lying if I said that I don't have any fears and doubts... I am very nervous about leaving my family and friends because I am so close to them. I know that this is going to be one of my biggest challenges, but I know that the Lord is going to meet every one of my needs as long as I trust in Him! 

This is not only a Pre-K teaching position, but also a mission opportunity with Tahoe City Baptist Church! One of the most incredible parts of this experience is that it is truly a perfect mesh of my passion for teaching and sharing the love of my Savior! I will be teaching and serving at the church throughout the week, and leading a ski ministry on the weekend at local ski resorts! I am definitely going to have to learn how to ski! I admit the one time I went skiing before, I was terrible at it! Just keep trying, just keep trying; that is what I keep telling myself! My goal is to post on my blog every week in order to keep family and friends updated with my life in California. Please pray for the Lord to continue to prepare my heart and life for this experience as it approaches! I can't wait to tell you how it goes! 

In the upcoming weeks I am will be slowly packing and getting things ready to go! This has already been quite an overwhelming task! Hopefully I will be able to only take the necessities! I have checklists already made and am ready to get packing. I will finish my student teaching next week, and that is when I will really be able to kick things into high gear! I want to be able to have things ready to go so that I can cherish every moment of this holiday season with family and friends! Be back soon with more info! Love and Blessings!

holly

Updates!

Hi friends! Oh my goodness! It has been FOREVER since my last post! I have been super busy with teaching and no time to maintain weekly posts. As my student teaching quickly comes to an end, I am excited to have time to be able to post weekly about what's happening in my life again! I have lots of wonderful news and opportunities to tell you about in the upcoming weeks! LOTS to prepare for! My life is going to be quite an adventure in the next year! Be back soon with all of the details! Love and Blessings!

holly

He will NEVER let you go!

As I write this post today, I hope and pray that my sweet Savior helps me to truly communicate with you the many lessons and truths that He has been teaching me over the last several months. I have to be honest and say that I have kind of been avoiding my blog over the last several months due to some “sifting” the Lord has been doing in my life. I would like to begin by saying that I am so blessed to truly know a Savior that loves me unconditionally, and never lets me go no matter where I wander off to in my life. As I am sure all of you know, throughout our lives we go through so many different seasons and situations. Some of those are great and some of those are tough. It is so true that it is during the tough times we endure that we learn so much. I can honestly say that I have watched the Lord lead me through both tough times and wonderful times in my short life of 23 years already. There have been so many times that I have watched Him take my shattered, broken heart that was in a million pieces, and slowly, in His most perfect way, put it back together again. I am here to tell you that He will NEVER stop doing that!! EVER! My God is so good, and all that He wants is to simply be ALL THAT YOU NEED! It is so easy in the world that we live in, to get consumed in all of Satan’s lies that tell us what we need and how to get it, but the truth is that we already have it; God’s love. He loves us so much, and all He wants is for us to realize that, and choose Him over everything else! This is not a bargain deal friends. He sent His son to die for you and I because He loves us and wants us to follow Him. He did not allow His son to die in order to only save a few, but to save ALL! He already loves you despite the mess-ups, mistakes, and bad choices that you have made thus far! All he asks you to do is simply accept that, and believe it with every part of your being! Friends, He is alive and well, and can do whatever He wants with your life! The best part of this truth is the joy, peace, and contentment we receive in our lives because of the HOPE that we have in Him!

Now, I would like to take some time to be very honest with you. I am here to confess that even though I have known this truth for my entire life almost, I am STILL sinful. We all are. Even though I know the love and hope of my sweet, sweet savior, I have still followed the path of sin in my life so many times. Too many times to count actually, and I am here to tell you that HE NEVER LETS YOU GO! As I said before, I have had many different seasons throughout my Christian life. I have had times where I was simply going through the motions of life, times of hurting, times of pain, times of regret, times of passion for Christ, times of joy, times of peace, times when I felt so close, and times when I felt so far away. I know that He has never left though, despite how horrible or wonderful times were. He is constant. Throughout all of these times I have realized how incapable, small, and weak I am, and how mighty, gracious, and powerful He is. I have learned that I am capable of nothing without Him, and how easy it is for me to drift away. Friends, this is why it is so important for us to stay grounded in His word and be armed with His shield in order to have His strength and wisdom within us when temptation comes our way! I know without a doubt that Satan is alive and well today, and ready to bring you down at any moment, and in any way He can. Beware! Because He will use the one area or thing that you are weakest in to do it too! Sweet brothers and sisters I cry out to you to cling to our Lord and Savior every single day of your lives, because all that this world will do is break you and shatter your heart over and over again. I have learned this the hard way too many times, and I only am able to have the perspective and passion for Christ that I have because of His unconditional love and grace that is so present in my life! Who am I? I am a child of the King! Every day, I surrender everything I am to Him, because I DO NOT want control! It only leads to hurt and pain for myself and those that I love and care about! Lessons learned hurt sometimes, but that is only because I put myself in the wrong situations. I want you to know that I love you and am praying for you, because we all need Him to constantly intervene in our lives. We are naturally sinful, and every day we have to fight the battle for Christ! Don’t give in to the lies of this world. Stand strong and hold on even when it’s tough, because He is always right beside you, even if you don’t know it! 

PS- I wanted to add one other word of truth. No matter how "close to the Lord you are" or how "good" you think you are, you are not an exception to sin. Though you may not mean to, it is so easy to enter into this mindset after you have been a follower of Christ for a long time, and seen Him do amazing things in your life. It is easy to feel invincible, but you are not. To be honest, it is in those moments, that Satan is ready to strike. Never lose sight of the humbleness of our Savior, and plea for Him to constantly align your desires with His! As I said before, ground yourself in His word! Trust Him, even when you get impatient in life. He is the only one who needs to be in control! Love and best wishes until I write you again!

holly

"For I know the plans I have for you,' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

Day #4 and #5 of Smoothies!

I hope that you have been enjoying these yummy smoothie recipes! I also want to encourage you to come up with your own smoothie creations! Anything with peanut butter in it is perfect for me! I LOVE peanut butter! Find an ingredient you like and then get creative! It really makes this whole process more fun! Yesterday, I have to admit that I took a break from creating my own smoothie and went to PLANET SMOOTHIE! I LOVE Planet Smoothie! This will help you feel not so restricted to your home during our challenge, and allows you to go on a fun, healthy outing! One of my favorite smoothies there is the "Two-Piece Bikini", but yesterday I got the "Chocolate Elvis" and it was delicious! The ingredients are below! The other smoothie that I made is the "Sweetie Pie Smoothie!" Try them out and see what ya think! Enjoy!

Chocolate Elvis Smoothie!

Cocoa

Peanut butter

Bananas

Yogurt

Nonfat milk

Energy blast

Sweetie Pie Smoothie!

1/2 c. crushed ice

2 c. spinach leaves

½ c. strawberries

1/8 c. avocado

¼ c. sweet whole kernel corn

½ c. grapes

¼ c. carrot juice

½ c. almond milk

Pour all ingredients into blender and blend until smooth.

Day # 3 of Smoothies!

Okay! Here are the smoothie recipes for today! I began with the "Banana/ Almond butter Smoothie" again because it is so delicious! I had this one for lunch and I really enjoy it because it keeps me full for along time! For dinner tonight I had the "Sharecropper Smoothie!" This smoothie got its name due to the many different family member's refrigerators that contributed to it! I am also excited to inform you that my sister has decided to join us in our 14-Day Smoothie Challenge! I am so happy to be able to share this experience with her too! Check out the recipe and try it out for yourself soon! Remember the " Banana/ Almond Butter Smoothie" recipe is already posted. Have a great night and I will be back tomorrow with more tasty smoothie ideas!

Love,

holly

Sharecropper Smoothie!

½ c. crushed ice

½ c. strawberries

½ avocado

1 c. frozen cantaloupe

1 frozen banana

2 c. spinach leaves

1 c. almond milk

½ c. red grapes