A LOOK BACK AT MARCH (through Messiah's eyes)....
Hey guys, it's me Messiah! This month has been absolutely great. It has been full of ministry and exciting events. During this month, we have been going to the rehab regularly. If y'all read my blog last month, y'all know that we sing three songs in Spanish: "Chain Breaker", "No Longer Slaves", and "O Come to the Alter" The people at the rehab love these songs, and every time we sing them, they belt them out. I love to hear all of their voices in unison. Sometimes, while singing, I just stop and have them sing. To see them worshipping the Father drives me to want to worship more. Some of them lift their hands, and close their eyes to praise God. When people raise their hands, I envision surrender and reaching up for God's grace and mercy. The people at the rehab also come to church on Sunday, and they love it. One Sunday, I sang the song "Battles", and Hansito, a person from the rehab, wanted me to write it down for him. While I was writing it, I was glad that God was touching people through the worship. Easter week at the rehab was super exciting. On Maundy Thursday, I did my first foot washing ever... And it was at the rehab. A lot of you know that for me to wash feet would be hard because I struggle with pride, but actually, it wasn't to bad. I'm glad that I did wash feet because it was really humbling, and it really helped my character. After we washed the people at the rehabs feet, they started washing our feet, and a lot of you know that it is close to impossible to get me to cry (which is kind of bad). I almost cried, because the guy (Scott) who washed my feet REALLY washed my feet. He was a servant, and really humbled himself. I love going to the rehab, it really fills my soul.
Pictures at the rehab...
Along side with serving at the rehab, most of you know that I lead worship at our church. It really is my favorite thing to do. Every time my fingers touch the strings, and I feel the vibration after the strum, I get... I don't know... like electrified. Some of the songs that I usually sing at church are "See a Victory", "The Blessing", and (my favorite) "Graves Into Gardens" by Elevation. I do "Champion" by Bethel, and "Another in the Fire", "Oceans", and "Wonder" by Hillsong. If you get to look up songs by these groups, I'm telling you, you will be on a whole 'nother level. During this month, I also helped my mom with translating Celebration Place. My job was easy. All I did was read, and tell the grammar of the book. My mom did all the other work with google translate, and everything else. This Easter, was amazing. The message and the worship was awesome. We sang "Resurrecting" by Elevation, "This is Amazing Grace" by Phil Wickham, "Because He Lives", and "O Praise the Name" be Hillsong. There are a lot more ministry things to talk about, but so you don't spend forever reading the blog, we wont get into them all.
Picture of worship at church...
One of the most exciting things about this month is that I AM NOW A CERTIFIED SCUBA DIVER!!!!!!!!! All I have to say is that if any of y'all get time to dive and get certified, DO IT. It will be one of the best hobbies that you ever had, and the most fun that you ever had. Of course, some people have problems equalizing, staying buoyant, clearing their mask, getting freaked out by breathing under water, and just plain fear of the water, but it is sooooooooo fun and worth it. Diving makes me feel so calm, and it is so quiet down there. Every once in a while, you will hear a boat, but to see God's creation under water is on a whole 'nother level. We had a great instructor who taught us at Clearwater Adventures. One day we went on a double dive. When you go on a double dive, you have to have a surface interval so you don't get decompression sickness from excess nitrogen in your body. Once you have taken the interval, you can go on another dive. There is a lot more theory to diving, but it is awesome. On our last dive, we saw a Hawksbill sea turtle, a file fish, a drum fish, two squids, and a whole lot of other tropical fish. Seeing the turtle was the best.. our dive instructor motioned us the turtle sign, and that is when I lost it. I kicked my legs so hard to catch up with her that I thought my fins were going to come off. Once I rose over the coral wall, there it was... It was eating something from the coral. The closer I got, the bigger she got. Though she was about as big as a truck tire, she was as calm as a sleeping baby. Diving is definitely one of my favorite things to do, and the skills were really easy for me. What will be hard is becoming a Dive Master later on in the future. One of the skills for becoming a dive master is wading in the water for I believe 13 minutes, with the last three minutes having your hands out of the water!!! Those of you who know me know that I SINK... more that a rock. I still have a lot of time to practice because Dive Master is way down the road. I can't wait to dive again though.
Pictures of diving...
Like always, The family still loves hanging out. I bought the board game RISK because I've always wanted to learn how to play. Well... I kind of read the directions my way, and got some of the game totally wrong. With moms help, we figured out how to play the right way. Let me tell you, taking over the world isn't easy, It takes the best and brave to do it. When you play, you think you are doing good, then it backfires, and your plans come crashing down. Mom, Dad, and Guenther don't really like the game, but I do because it is a game of chance, strategy, and of course, risk.
Lastly, I'm officially finished with high school since I did my dives. College iis coming soon. I only have a little under four months left. Now since I am done with school, scholarships and trying to get it paid off because it is super expensive. I can't wait to go, but I'm also a little nervous, but I know that I'll be fine.
Prayer requests
*Get more scholarships
*Keyboard gets fixed
*Learn how to play the keyboard
Praise reports
*Done with high school
*Got certified as a open water diver