A Glass of Water

As the sunset on that typical Sunday afternoon, everyone got ready for the week ahead; never expecting what would happen next… In just a few short hours the silent night sky was interrupted with the booming noise that came two blocks away from our house along with screams that got louder and louder by the second. The beautiful night sky covered with a blanket of stars disappeared as thick black smoke dominated the clear air.

I was in my room on my computer chilling after a long day when I smelt the smoke from my windows, as if the very smell itself came to tell me of the news. Not long after, dad rushed in the house asking me to call the fire station. I panicked as I fumbled through the pages of the phone book looking for the emergency numbers. I dialed the numbers nervously and waited a few rings before someone picked up. I could hardly get the words out from the shock. Our family looked at the balcony staring at the flames that got bigger and bigger. I felt helpless, I needed to do something…I knew our church was doing something for sure about this, so I told my folks I would go to the church to see what I could do there. So I rushed out the door and ran a block towards our church…not knowing what to expect…

I could see people running the opposite direction from me as I headed towards the church, from afar I could see tons of people gathered around church, some were standing and others were running in and out dropping things off. As I got closer I saw a bunch of the girls from our worship team just agonizing over the events that were unfolding before them. I was just shocked… I could have never imagine such a scene, people were everywhere crying in corners, whaling thinking they have lost their family members, panicking, running, screaming each time a loud bang came from the burning sight. It was unbearable…I could feel my heart beating faster and faster as the situation sank in. My heart went out to everyone around me, and then out of nowhere a rush of thoughts hit me like a train. “What if I was in their shoes?” “What if it was my family member was left behind?” “What if my house was the one caught on fire?” I was so scared…My whole body started shaking as the response to my emotions. My heart sank..I felt hopeless…but then I looked at everyone around me who was actually going through it. I didn’t know what to do but just hug people around me.

Somehow I still didn’t feel that it wasn’t enough, I looked around to see if anyone else needed help. I saw a water container with cups around them, but no one was drinking them or knew they were there for that matter. So my brother and I took cups around to different people who needed water, especially the kids that look terrified. It felt pretty small…yet it was the only thing I knew I could do at that time…It was then where I felt I was finally doing something God called me to. After what seemed like a long transition in college, I finally felt my purpose in life again. And it all just started with a glass of water.

Everything is alright now, they got rid of the fire within 30 mins after it started, although at that time it felt like an eternity. Please continue on praying for the families that lost their homes in this event. Thankfully no one got killed or injured badly. Thank you so much!

Love is in the Air

That time of year has once again befallen us; that time of year when the post office is like busy beehive with all the mail they get. It’s that time where people send cards, flowers, chocolate and anything you can think of to their significant other to show them how much they care. Yes, you’ve guessed it, it’s Valentine’s Day. People gives so much emphasis to it that they would go and do things above and beyond the normal things they do. Just to make sure that the one they love get that three word message. This “holiday” has become so popular in the recent years that a lot of people would have to book certain events months in advance for this day.

People just put so much effort into this one day just to show that they care, but that just got me wondering…do we ever go through that much trouble showing God that we care about Him? I mean I go through life mostly saying the words “I, and me” over and over again with very selfish motives in order to please my desires. Cuz I want to be comfortable and I want people to love me and know that I am loved. And all too often I fall into the trap of wanting the people around me to satisfy my wants and ignore what’s going on in theirs, instead of putting myself aside and putting others first. Jesus shrunk the Ten Commandments for us down to two: Love God and love others (Matthew 22:36-40). And this time of year always gets me thinking, if I have shown love to Christ by loving others. I’m merely human so obviously I can’t love everyone all the time, but Christ is the perfect example of that. So this Valentine’s Day season I am reflecting on how I can take time to actually show others I care about them. I mean if none Christians can do it for the ones they love on this special day, shouldn’t we as Christians be able to do it all the more cuz we have a Savior that loves us soo much that He was willing to die on the cross just to be with us for all eternity? Can’t be we moved by that? That someone was willing enough to die for us. In John 15:13 it says “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” There is no grater love than there is of Jesus Christ, why can’t we show Him how much we love Him on this day. To close my thoughts off I’ll end with one of my favorite songs from Tenth Avenue North called Beloved

You're my beloved
Lover I'm yours
Death shall not part us
It's you I died for
For better or worse
Forever we'll be
Our Love it unites us
It binds you to me
It's a mystery

In what ways can we show our love for Him today? and Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!

Picture by Abbie Wright

Freedom!

If you haven't heard the loud cheers and the honking horns from the streets of Egypt to your corner of the world; I am pleased to share the news with you! Egypt's President Mubarak has finally resigned! After about two weeks of dedicated protests the people's voices have been heard and it brought about change that would impact the course of history forever. Thank you so much for all your prayers! I appreciate it from the bottom of my heart. :)

I remember back when I was a junior in high school a friend of mine once prayed that we would be a generation that will impact the world. I have never thought of that before. I never thought of the big picture as a whole when the youth of my generation would make a dent in this world for Jesus Christ. Thinking through these past few weeks with what has been going on in Egypt and being worried about the people I loved that were still there it got me thinking of the big picture once again and was reminded of that prayer. The Egyptian people were sick and tired of their government not bringing about the change they expect from their country. So they took it into their own hands and started the protests. Of course their cries were heard not only in Taharir Square, but all over the world. When it first started they were just ignored and the government didn't think they would cause permanent damage, but as the days went by the people united together and persistently kept on going. They loved their country and could not bear to see the future of their families suffer through what they had because of their government. They took a stand, took a risk that now has affected Egypt forever more.

It got me thinking, what if we as Christians had that kind of passion for bringing Heaven on earth, to see the lost get found, to continue on "protesting" until our voices get heard all around the world. I'm not saying that we do this in a violent way, or all protest in a square that can fit 3 million people until we get what we want, what I am saying is that what if we all desperately wanted to see change in our world today that we don't stop until we see that happen. What if we all fought for the Kingdom and bring every lost soul to Christ and show the world how amazing our God is. No matter how hard the world might push us down we still seek for a brighter tomorrow just like the Egyptians did. What if our generation devoted our every move, thought, and action fully to our Lord and the overflow of His love for us overflows to people around us; we so long to please no one, but our Creator that we go out of our way to put others first than ourselves. Wouldn't the world see that and wonder what this is all about? Wouldn't that be something that would impact history forever?

Just something I've been thinking about these past few days. Let me know your thoughts on this topic, it would be cool to hear ya'lls responses. Feel free to comment below. Thanks again for all the prayers. :)

Photo by very esteemed photographer from Cairo, Egypt GJ Tesar

Thank You

    To everyone who has been praying for Egypt and my friends I just want to say THANK YOU SOO MUCH! These past few days have not been easy for any of them or even us half way across the world freaking out cuz we can't reach them. But PRAISE THE LORD they have internet now and all of them have contacted me in one form or another indicating that they are in fact safe and unharmed. They are either still in Egypt or flew out with their families. According to one of my friends they do not feel like they are in danger because the people have military protecting them in every single neighborhood in Cairo, and people voluntary looking after their neighborhood taking shifts. She says it's not a protest against religions but between the people and the government. She and a bunch of other friends of mine don't feel threatened at all. I am thankful for their safety and Praise God who has protected them through the whole time. I ask ya'll to continue on praying for Egypt as they are in the midst of what my high school principal calls a Revolution. Thank you once again for praying for my friends' and family friends' safety this means the world to me. So I thank you all and encourage you to keep joining me in prayer.