Nehemiah

I wanted to share with you what God has done in my life in my recent trip called Nehemiah through IMPACT 195.

Prior to the week of going on this trip God started to work in my heart. For some reason I was able to grasp just a bit of God's goodness. One day during school I always get there about an hour early to go pray for the students and staff, but that day was different as I went into the prayer room God started to reveal all of His goodness to me. I've realized that I am just a sinful person and will always be. Even though, I am a sinful person God still loves me and blesses me beyond what I could ask for. I remember that day 2 of my brothers were in the prayer room with me and I just remember crying and and poring my heart out on how good God is to us. He was already at work in restoring my heart, so that instead of choosing sorrow I would chose His grace.

As we got on the road Monday morning to head up to Romona, CA all I could think of was how God had a beautiful week full of his glory planned for all of us. I had no expectations and went with an open heart to learn and grow. I was hungry for more of God! As we got into the 8hr lessons God was revealing that he had been preparing my heart for the message a week before. Everyday I was in awe of who our God is.

The first day I learned about Nehemiah's heart for the Jews. He had a heart for people he did not even know. He put others before him and was a selfless man. He had a huge burden in His heart for them. Then there was a question Who do you ask questions about? because that is what truly reveals what is in your heart! What do you pray for? Your future house, wife, car, ect...? God has called us for a greater work! Sometimes we are so consumed on what we think is right and better for us that we lose sight in what God has for us. God is faithful and we should trust him. He will do things for you that you can not do. He did not create you for what you were not meant to be.

The second day I learned about how the Jews for so many year lived in captivity. They remained captive in their minds and lack of boundaries in their lives. There are areas in our lives that we need to set boundaries and put gates. Because there is some of us that walls have been burned down. The jews lived in a captivity mind set as many of us do. We forget who our God is! Then we start to get bitter and our hearts are hardened. The heart that is critical is already in bondage because they are critical they judge.

If you are a critical person it reveals you are in bondage. If you are trash talking God’s people you are trash talking God. Do you trust God with your reputation?  If you  respond to criticism you are in bondage of your mind.You have to be ruthless with yourself about the truth. We all perceive ourselves different then other people see us. That brought conviction to my heart because there is times when I can get prideful and I start to get critical of my family who are not Christians. It shook my cup! 

The third day I learned who I am in Christ and where I fit into this community of believers. I am not speaking with pride, but humbleness that God has gifted me in so many ways. I have finally been able to realize that this week. He is a giving God, even though I don't deserve any of what he has given me it shows me how big his love is for me. Here are the spiritual gifts God has given me: Exhortation, Leadership, Prophecy, Apostleship, Faith, Words of Knowledge, Tongues, Evangelism, Shepherding, Craftsmanship, Discerning of spirits, Mercy. Those who have been given much are responsible of much and I have realized that God has given me a great responsibility. I am not saying that you have to have many gifts to be highly look at or better because we are all one part of one body and we all must work together. We can't work one without the other. We are all responsible to know our gifts and how we fit into the community of believers. We must put all of our gifts to work because that is why God has blessed us with those so we could bring kingdom here on earth.  We must be generous with our gifts and always give the best to the community of believers. What are your gifts? 

Lastly, learning to have a thankful heart and knowing that God is enough. The main response to revival that you have a generous heart. That you are dedicated to purity. That you are dedicated to purity and sacrifice. There are store rooms that represent the chambers of your inner heart we store stuff that we worship God with. I can be carnal and still expect God to be good in my life.What are the worldly vessels clogging  your heart that need to be thrown out? God brings the things that need to be there in your heart. You need to bring back what fuels your worship with God. What are the things that fuel your heart? Thankfulness, meditation, thinking about God’s goodness, mercy, and grace! What we need to do is bring the aroma of thankfulness into our hearts.

God has taught me so much through this journey and hope it was a blessing to you all! Love you! 

Keep Walking...

I know I have not written a blog in a long time. So much has been going on in my life, but through all of it God is good!

I wanted to share how God has been working in my heart and how I have been changed by His love. One of my favorite places to spend my time with God is on my hammock from Guatemala on my porch. It's kinda of a comfort to know that it came from a country that I have a heart for and miss. As I sat outside asking God to reveal what has been hindering my relationship with Him I've realized that my whole life has been a hinderance and what was drifting me away from his presence. I am a sinner! I've realized the closer I want to be with God I am just a filthy person that deserves nothing of Him. But he loves us too much that he lets us be in His presence. How could God be so good? I don't understand? At that moment I fell to my knees with a thankful heart. As tears of shamefulness fell from my face he spoke " you are my chosen, beloved, forgiven , adopted, beautiful..." I am nothing without my God!

Moving on, one of the hardest things for me is being still. Well this past year God has been making me walk when I want to run. It has been one of the most challenging things for me. As my heart and calling are in 3rd world countries. I've had the hardest time being here in America. However, God has been teaching me that there is so many lost souls here and I have been a witness to many amazing things God has done through me to bring kingdom here in the States. Well, being in one place has never been the story for me since I was 14 years old. I have always been on the go moving from city to city, country to country. As you can tell I love adventure and change. I thrive off of that. I like to experience change and be out of my comfort zone, never knowing what to expect! But I realized that no matter where I am at I can be on an adventure with Jesus. As I sat in my room one night I prayed and asked God to show me a dream of where he wants me because my heart could not take it anymore. He gave me a dream of a path that I was taking HE said "take that path and keep walking" I am already on the path where he wants me. I just have to keep walking and stop asking! I have to trust that the lord will guide my path (Proverbs 16:9). My daddy knows best! 


Everyday I have to keep dying to who I am. I just want more of HIM and less of me. He is faithful and we can trust Him. 

La Paz Team

As we prepare to head down to La Paz for a 23hr drive I am more excited to spend this time with this team. We have some mighty warriors that are on fire for God. I know He will be doing great things in us and in the people of La Paz. I wanted to share with you all the amazing team of passionate people I will be leading down there. Enjoy!

Scott

Scott is our financial leader. He has been there to back me up and to get things moving. I am so blessed by him and all that he does for the group. 

Alvin

Alvin is our food leader. He will be organizing all of our food and cooking schedules. He has such a fun spirit and joy. I am so excited to be serving next to him in La Paz. 

Manny

Manny! Can we say warrior! He is a mighty man of God with a gift of prayer and encouraging others. I am so excited to see what God does through him in La Paz. Bring Kingdom! 

Andrew

Our fearless devotional leader. This man of God is full of wisdom and insight. Also he is one of the funniest guys I have ever met. There will never be a dull moment on this trip with him. Excited to serve and grow next to him. 

Randy

Our worship leader! I get to hang out with my brother Randy everyday as we jam and practice our guitars. He is an amazing man of God. I am so glad he will be coming on this trip. I am blessed by him everyday :) 

Gisela 

Our very passionate outreach leader. She has an amazing heart for people and she just loves people with God's love. I am so excited to see how people will be loved and touched by her. 

Seth

Our mighty warrior. He has a gift of evangelism and he has so much wisdom. I am excited to serve next to my brother. 

Angela

Our media leader! I love this sweet women of God. She brings so much peace and joy to this team. I can't wait to grow with her and learn the new things God has for us. Love my sister! 

Michael 

Our mighty prayer leader/ transportation. What a mighty warrior we have on this team. He is on fire for the lord and ready for battle. I am so excited to see how God will be working in him in La Paz. Bring Kingdom!!! 

Byron

Our lodging leader! Also one of my favorite brothers at school :) I am so excited to see what God does through him during this week in La Paz. 

Damaris (me)

The leader of the pack. I will be overseeing the trip. I am excited to see how God will grow me in this time. Also learning how to step out in Boldness. God is GOOD! 

Please keep each one of us in your prayers while we are down there. We will be leaving on July 31st- Aug 9th. We need all the prayer we could get. Also if you will still like to donate to this trip please pray about it and let me know. Come and be part of the work God is doing in La Paz Mexico. 

Giving UP!

Lately God has been challenging me in some huge ways. Starting IMPACT 196 (www.therockuniversity.org/impact195/) has changed my life. I don't even know who I am anymore, but I know why because God is molding me to be more like Him everyday. God has broken my heart into beautiful. He has taken the bad and turned it into good. It has been scary, but I am now truly living!

I am giving up on my hopes and dreams! I am done planning my life. I am done having control and how God needs to bless me, or how things should work. I am giving up! To this point I have been planning my life and where God is taking me. I was leaving on a long term trip to Nicaragua this week, but God had different plans and sent me to IMPACT. However, I  was still was planning on leaving to Nicaragua when I was done with the program, and nothing was going to stop me. I had it all planned out, but God has been stripping me away from everything.

During our 3 day worship and fast God told me these 3 words GO, WILL, and OBEDIENT. I was like ok Jesus. I need to go and do your will and be obedient in Nicaragua. "Well I know that God." But he was like "NO" "GO and do what I say,"" do my WILL and not yours," "be OBEDIENT to where I am telling you to go." and me: "I was planning everything all this time and now you are taking this away?" I needed to surrender my hopes and dreams. I have always been striving for what is least all my life, when God has always had something bigger for me!

I am giving up all my hopes and dreams and following God's dreams for me. God has confirmed that I will not be serving out in the missions field alone, but with my beautiful Australian friend Trish. She is on fire for Jesus and us two together are just burning flame! Also, God has been putting Mozambique, Africa in my heart. I have no idea why! But I am in prayer about it. Maybe that is where God is leading me for now, but praying and leaving it in God's hands.

God is so good to us! Blessings!

My faith was crushed

Recently I got accepted to IMPACT 195 through The Rock church university
( http://www.therockuniversity.org/impact195/). Check out what it is about! However,  I wanted to share my journey with you all this week of how I got accepted into this school. This program only takes 60 students a term and I was one of them. The only thing is that is coast $6000 dollars, yikes! That is a lot of mula, right? But I felt a deep calling to this school. Everything that had happened for me to get into this school it could only be God. First, the director gets my call which she dose answer call for applicants. Second, she is the only one in my panel interview then she decides to stand by me through this program. Last of all, God provides $1500 in less then 3 days, and thanks to a lovely person in my life. What more could I as God to confirm? He has confirmed I am meant to be in this program!

I know God is going to do some major surgery in my life. On my last missions trip I was crushed and put back into the USA for not good reason and many others were hurt too. There was a group of us that were sent home because we did not deserve grace. I will share the reasons why I was sent home. One was because I wanted to stay in Africa, but I went over leadership. For me in this time I could not trust leadership because on of my friends was sent home because she "was not growing enough." Without speaking to he she was sent home. I know people make mistakes and I forgive those leaders for what they did to many people. But through that people were hurt and lost faith. People gave up their faith and beliefs. I was one of them! I also fell into depression and everything that comes with that. It was a dark time in my life. I was broken and beaten where I fell down. But through that month God brought me back. It has been over two year that had happened.

However, I know god has so much healing to do in me because of the hurt that was done to me. Ever since I have not had the same faith as I did. Recently at church I have seen people with a huge smile on their faces full of the joy of the lord and His HOPE. I lost that through what happened to me. I want to learn how to trust again and have that faith I had once before. Through this program I will have people that will come beside me to and to mentor me. My walls will be broken! I will learn how to love and be loved again. I come upon this song that I wanted to share with you all called: When Grace Walks in. This song describes where I am now and that Grace is here. God has opened that doors in this school so that Grace will be poured over me.

Please join me in prayer and maybe you would like to help financially to get me through this program. I am still in need of $4500 to complete this program God has called me to. You can call in and give an anonymous donation at : 619.226.ROCK (ex:7625) or send a check.  


God bless you! 


Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-QiEfD8CJFU
When Grace Walks in:
You?re standing with your list of regrets that you can?t get past yourself 
You wish so bad that you could make the mark 
But your dreams are stuck on a shelf 
And all you want to do is turn back time 
And redeem the days you lost 
But shame keeps calling out your name 
The chains refuse to fall 

CHORUS: 
But it?s not over, it?s not over 
This is the moment that grace walks in 
With arms wide open, arms wide open 
To tell you this is not the end 
When doubt is strong and your will is weak to even believe again 
That?s when grace, that?s when grace walks in 

You once believed that you could change the world

With a fire deep in your soul 
Your faith was strong and the call was clear 
You were sure you could make a new road 
Like so many, the flame grew dark 
And your confidence hit the wall 
There always seems to be a lot of big questions 
But the answers seem so small 

This is God!

Wow where should I start!! God is so amazing and now I know why he has me here in the States for now. Yes, he has revealed it to me! IMPACT 195 http://www.therockuniversity.org/impact195/ 

IMPACT 195 is a program that equips people to go out into the missions field and also to do some deep spiritual searching of who we are in God. 

How do I know this is God? Well how can I know this is not God LOL. As I walked into the Rock Church yesterday I saw a sign to IMAPCT 195 then I remembered my friend Amanda was telling me about it. Then I walked up to the lady just to ask questions and she prayed for me then she told me here is an application because this program is clearly for you. I looked at her and just felt like God was telling me that. I always told God " I am never going to the Rock Church" "Heck no!"Don't ever make me go there." The only reason I was there yesterday was to see the play my friends directed and played in. As I was sitting in my seat God said "GO!" in a clear voice like I never heard before. I was like this is some crazy S*&%! Then I was like ok God I am going home to apply for this just to see what happens. Then some girl called me while I was at work today but I did not answer. Then when I got home i decided to call just to see. This lady answered my call. She started speaking to me about the program and what it involved and I asked a couple of questions. I told her about Nicaragua and how I want to be equipped before I go into the missions field. But I told he that God keeps telling the word RESTORATION. This whole day he has been haunting me with this word. Then it clicked God wants to restore my heart form what has happened in the past... Then the lady told me well that is what you will get with this program. God confirmed through her that that is where God wanted me. Then when we were done she told me " I am the director of this program." " I never really answer the phone, but for some reason I felt I needed to answer this call." This was God! This is God! My mind was blown away! 

Please continue to pray for me that God will open the doors for me to attend this program. I know if God is calling me he will provide, but without people like you I can't make this happen. Classes start May 10th. I know this is last minute, but the director this is normal and God works through this. I need to raise $6000 in order to do this program. But I know God wants me to do this before I head to Nicaragua. I need that restoration and to be equipped to be my best for God's kingdom. Please pray with me through this and please let me know your thoughts.


IT IS TIME FOR HEALING AND RESTORATION before I leave to Nicaragua! AMEN!

Check out the video for IMPACT 195: 

God bless you all! 

Oh my GOSH!

I have never been so sure about doing something my whole life. I have never been so excited to do something! Words can't even describe what I am about to do! 

Matthew 10

God calls us to leave everything behind and go out and bring kingdom to the nations. 

Is everyone called to do this? 

NO! 

He has called each one of us to different callings for his kingdom. Mine is to be a missionary in Nicaragua long term. Maybe 2 year or even 20 years! 

I really don't know how long, but I do know he is sending me to Africa long term too but a long ways from now. God has so much to teach me before I can even head to Africa. 

I am leaving everything I have ever known behind. It can be scary, but I know I am doing what God has called me. I am selling everything I have to pay off all my bills and be debt free when I leave. As of now I want to live like it was my last day here on earth. I want to give it my all, live it to the fullest, and take every risk I can. I am going to trust God with all of my life. 

I won't live in fear anymore of "what if?"

I am FREE! 

Vision:

God has given me a dream about what I will be doing in Nicaragua.
My friend and I will be starting an orphanage/ center. 

Discipleship  youth

Build relationships

Church ministry

Love

When: 

3 months from now! 

How: 

Through faithful servants for God's kingdom 

(Donations)

Faith<3

Please continue to join me in prayer over these three months <3 

God is going to do some amazing things!