soy latina!

 My Dad is from Kentucky and my Mom is from Honduras...so I'm Latina. I did not grow up speaking Spanish nor was I born/raised in a Latin country but it's in my blood and I have definitely fallen in love with the culture. Luckily, I've been able to visit a few places in Latin America and experience the life first hand.  Since there are SO many things I love about my culture I'm going to try and share it!!! Recipes, dances, music,crafts, language....etc. Enjoy!

G.O.S.P.E.L,

oooo. I really like this one. I feel like he could be at one of those places where you snap clap...ya know? For reals though, Love what he says in this video. It's what I believe.

G.O.S.P.E.L. from Humble Beast Records on Vimeo.

God
Our
Sins
Paying
Everyone
Life

beach trip

Last weekend I got to go to the beach! It was a spur of the moment trip with nothing planned but it all worked out:) I went with my brother...we hardly ever see each other anymore so it was so nice to spend this trip with him. We first decided to go to Charleston, S.C. Our stay in Charleston lasted approximately 20 minutes. ha. These were the two pictures I took while in Charleston, no clue what the metal thing is but I figured I needed some documentation of our brief stint here.(

)  Now don't get me wrong, it was cute and full of neat history but there were no hotels by the beach in our price range, old ladies were riding bikes everywhere, and John couldn't find a sports place that would play some fight he wanted to watch. So after 9 hours of driving we decided to add a couple more and head to Myrtle beach to try out our luck. Even though it was the beach I specifically said "anywhere but there" about, I suppose you get desperate when you don't know where you're going to sleep at night...and when you are so close to the ocean you can smell it! Anyway, to make matters...more interesting...our phones died (the means by which we were searching for hotels and avoiding the 500 country stations that filled the radio). A brief stop at Mickey D's, wi-fi and some chargers saved the day, we found the only vacant room by the ocean for a decent price!! Here's the view--->

nice right?! I could totally get used to that every morning...well and afternoon and night. (seriously though. I'm going to move by the ocean soon...I can feel it) Anyway, after I got over the initial penny pincher regret of spending so much money on one weekend....AND despite being in a place full of "first trip to the ocean alone, let's drink and be annoying" teenagers, I had a pretty relaxing time. We laid on the beach every day, read, swam, fished, and were bums! Oh let me just mention that I...Amanda...cast and reeled in not 1, but 2 shark!!! I was a little excited--->

side note: my brother caught a sting ray!!! the same thing that killed Steve Erwin...and this is in a side note because I missed the darn thing! another side note: every time I turn my head or bend down or go to the bathroom I miss something epic or cute...like a deer crossing a road or a freakin' sting ray!!
ok--back to the beach. We also got to worship on the beach that Sunday! It was Uhh-mazing. Praising the God that made the beautiful ocean we were sitting next to was pretty awesome. So all in all I had a fun time and am glad I went!

for everyone

I know I've been posting a lot of these videos but I really like them! So here's another one----> this made me cry


this KINGDOM from phos pictures on Vimeo.

That's My King!

That's My King! from Albert Martin on Vimeo.

The 23rd Psalm

The Dancer from Kensington on Vimeo.

I've heard this Psalm tons of times, especially when I think of death and funerals...they always seem to read this. I've never really taken the time to look at the Psalm apart from those times until recently I suppose. I guess I didn't realize how beautiful the words were and how much they pertain to not only the hope we have in death but the comfort we find in life through Jesus.

The LORD is my shepherd, I lack nothing. ----> all this junk we think we need...we lack nothing!! :)
  He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters, -------> sometimes my life is so chaotic and noisy...I love this
  he refreshes my soul. ----> nothing like a good soul refreshin' on a bad day
He guides me along the right paths
   for his name’s sake. -----> I 'm always so worried about my future...am I making the right decisions?? BUT how silly is that when He guides me!
Even though I walk
   through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
   for you are with me; ------> life can be scary, tough, sad, evil, lonely...but He is with me...no worries
your rod and your staff,
   they comfort me.-------> sigh!
  You prepare a table before me
   in the presence of my enemies. ----> those enemies got nothin' on me...I will always have a seat at God's table :)
You anoint my head with oil;
   my cup overflows. ------ I am a chosen child of God....how cool is that?!
 Surely your goodness and love will follow me
   all the days of my life, ------ALL the days of my life :) Love that
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD
   forever.-----FOREVER

a must read

I just finished reading this really great book called "The Hole in Our Gospel" by Richard Stearns. The book describes how Richard Stearns got a call to be the President of World Vision and leave his very comfortable life in order to serve God in that way where you need to rely completely on Him to make it through. He talks about the excuses and fears that almost stopped him and then the things he saw once he decided on doing it. The book talks about injustices, political/social/economical gaps between people AND what we, as the body of Christ, could be doing. There are really touching stories about the people he met while in different countries as well as information that will make you think. It's hard for me to explain without re-telling everything so I suggest you read it!! ha.

It is my mission, it is your mission and it is the mission of the Church to care about what Jesus cared about.---   Matthew 25:31-46

"God expects us to serve Him on His terms, not ours."
"To be a disciple means forsaking everything to follow Jesus, unconditionally".
"on the surface, they may have looked godly. But they hadn't changed their underlying behavior."
We are to lift up the poor and the marginalized, challenging injustice wherever we find it.