LOVE

   Lately I've gotten to talk to all of my closest friends. And although we are going through the same things one thing that we are going through that is very different from each other is Love. We are experiencing it but at different levels. 

I think I can speak for every girl out in this world that the "one" thing we long for most is finding "prince charming". And we want him to appear right now on his white horse and to sweep us off our feet. 

           I currently don't have a love story. But in reality I do and I just got hit in the face by it. My love story with God is starting and growing. Yes I do already have a relationship with God but I don't think I've really thought about "our love story". God wants us to long for him. We should love him so much that he should be the only one that we want to love. Sometimes I think he wants us to hit rock bottom with a boy to realize that His love is the best and most important. 

God is preparing our hearts for the one we are going to spend the rest of our lives with. I believe he puts the wrong ones in our lives to show us we will have better. But first seek Him and he will provide you with your hearts desire "if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer."-Matthew 21:22

            I can honestly say that I've been looking for love. And maybe did things to try and make things work when I shouldn't have tried to fix it. Because its not up to me on how things come to me. It's the way Gods Will is made for me. It took me awhile to realize this. Although it was nothing serious. I've had my heart crushed recently and it took all of that to realize that my faith does not need to be wrapped around something I want rather wrapped around what God wants for me.   

  Although it didn't feel good that my heart was aching the reinsurance of my faith in God is what keeps me going. There is a reason why that "someone" isn't in my life yet. God is preparing both of us to be right for each other. And while I wait for that exact moment when that person walks in to my life, I will pour all my Love in to the Lord and do what he wants me to do with it. I've never not loved God but this Love is different. It's letting God know that I am trusting him to write my love story for me. I'm excited to see who he has planned for me. 

           I'm at the point in my life where I am going to stop looking for Love and let God put it in my life when he knows my heart is ready and his heart is ready. 

   It's going to be hard but I'm ready to give it my all. 

"Above all else, guard your heart. for everything you do flows from it."-Proverbs 4:23

Love,

Briana

Younglife! Polar Bear Weekend!!

He is ALWAYS there!

This weekend was so incredible!  I was blessed to have the pleasure to do work crew this past weekend for Younglifes Polar Bear camp! I didn't know how much this would change my life. On friday I was in Kindergarden all over again as I arrived to SRD and was surround by people I hardly knew. I was scared and nervous there was so many new faces. How was I going to get through the weekend? Luckily some of my friends from my high school were also chosen to do work crew at the camp I was going to! It was comfterning to see familiar faces I knew. As we packed in to a car friendships started. Our first night there was awesome seeing over 600 kids run in to the clubroom was amazing. Knowing lives were going to hear the TRUTH was mind-blowing. By Saturday I had met so many new people. It was like we turned in to family. It was nice knowing that I was in a group that Loves serving, especially for people we don't know. We constantly took the time to pray for everyone in the camp for their eyes and hearts to be open. It was no doubt that Gods presence was there. Saturday night "the talk" was given. For me it was the two year mark from when I was saved at Polar Bear camp. What surprised me is that they played the exact song  that I was forever saved to. As I started singing "Amazing Love" I stopped and prayed, prayed for all the kids in that room that they found it in their heart to be saved right there that night. And thanked God for the ones who have already been found. As the talk finished I stood up and found Brett the area director to thank him for what he puts on every year. Talking to him I started crying because I kept looking over at the kids saying "I know hearts are opening right now", I see myself two years ago". It was such a honor to see what God was doing there that night. 

The weekend finished on such a good note on Sunday. All the kids were so happy and so excited to hear the gospel. I felt like all of our work was paid off. It was hard to say goodbye to all the amazing people I met. Every single one of them will always be in my heart. 

This weekend really opened me up to many different things that I'm about to share. I have been so moved by Younglife and the meaning behind it that I never knew. I feel like God put me there this weekend for a purpose. I know now its my calling to serve kids and become a leader. I am so overjoyed to have found that here this weekend. I can't wait to get involved this coming semester. I'm ready to change as a person to love more. I can't wait to see how God leads me in this ministry. I'm excited to read more and more in to the gospel to help me understand what God wants me to share with everyone I know and people I don't know yet. 

As many of you know I've had my heart on Transferring to Texas Tech soon! This weekend has really put me at a stop to that. Getting to know the Austin Younglife staff has really made me think about staying here. I want to continue my walk with Jesus with all the amazing people I have met. I think God might be telling me something that keeps leading me back home. I will just have to leave it all in His hands knowing he will let me know what to do. 

Going back to the normal life after a retreat like this is hard to do. Because you go from such a loving place with loving people with values just like yours to a toxic outside world. I'm striving to make it out alive and spread the Word of Jesus to everyone I know and meet. I hope that anyone who reads this can pray for me because this is going to be bumpy ride. I'm praying that with me and all the younglife staff that we can change our generation and the upcoming generation. Because we have seen the light we have been saved. We are loved by Him. There is no better gift then that, so why not spread it to more people? 

"We are the work crew we serve the Lord in you"

Love,

Briana

Thankful

In honor of Thanksgiving I thought it would be appropriate to write about things I'm very thankful for this Thanksgiving. 

The most Important thing I'm thankful for is my relationship with God. I'm so happy that it has grown more then what I ever thought was possible. The best part is knowing that it isn't even over yet!
I'm thankful for my wonderful dad. Without him I honestly don't who I would be. He has taught me so much. I've been so blessed to have such a great dad. 
I'm thankful for my best friends. Because without them I wouldn't be as crazy as I am now. 
I'm so thankful for fresh starts. Because honestly I felt like i didn't even deserve one but God gave me a chance. 
I'm thankful for my new sisters:Gina and Kaci! I'm so glad that I know what its like to have big sisters who you can just talk to!
I'm thankful for younglife. Without it I wouldn't have such great friends who Love Jesus so much. 
I'm thankful I was able to help bless little babies in other countries with gifts for christmas. 
I'm thankful for Taylor Swift and her wonderful music…it's gotten me through awesome memories and healed me with my heartache this past year. 
I'm thankful with being able to serve others in so many different ways. 
I'm thankful I was able to hand water out to survivors at race for the cure. 
I'm thankful I've been the bigger person this year when it came to certain friendship. 
I'm thankful to have my best friend Sean in my life. 
I'm thankful for the Polancos,Gills,Thomasons and Gatewoods. They've given me a reason to be a better person. 
I'm thankful for the stupid boy who fooled me and played with my heart. I know better now. It's really good to know how boys can be. 

Most importantly I'm thankful for the eyes that are reading this blog right now. 

Love 
Briana

Serving

I've been striving to make my relationship with God so much stronger, I let him guide me on how to do so. It wasn't until this summer that he really lead me to serving others. I had been approached about going on a mission trip to the valley for a full week to help one of the top five poorest cities in the United states. At first I didn't want to go just because we would be five miles away from the valley and I didn't want to die. Plus coming up with the money would be a challenge because the trip was quickly approaching. My best friends really wanted me to go because it would be such a good experience for me. It would make me realize how well we had it over here. God works in mysteries ways. A week prior to the trip I had my graduation party. Many family members and friends gave me great gifts and donations to whatever I wanted to buy. The next week I was at VBS and everyone was talking about how excited they were to be leaving for the mission trip on Sunday. I then thought to myself that I finally had enough money to go should I? I was worried for my safety. That Thursday night I prayed so hard on what to do. I asked God to lead me in such a way that my heart would let me know what was right. I came up with conclusion that it was my calling to go and serve people who need it most. And that God would keep me and everyone going safe because we were serving him and serving others. I'm not going to lie it still frightened me knowing how close we would be to the boarder but when I got to meet the kids and the family we would be helping that seemed like such a small problem. 

Walking in to the Colonia (neighborhood) my eyes were full of shock. These families were living in poverty. Houses were the size of my living room or smaller. What surprised me the most was how much happiness each family had even though they were in that situation. How even though they might not have the nicest things God still provided just enough for them to get by. I thought wow, if I was in this position it would be so hard for me to even smile. I knew then that every person I would meet that week would be so much stronger and better then me. 

That week changed my life. I fell in love with every child that came my way. I became a shoulder for a mother to lean on when she felt she had nothing. But she has her faith and that's what keeps her going. It broke my heart leaving all the beautiful people I had met that week. There is not one day that I don't think about them, hoping and praying that they are okay. As winter draws closer I wonder how they will stay warm. I can't wait to go back next summer and love on everyone and new babies and families I will meet. God kept me safe and that's when I knew that he wanted me to start serving because not only did it make me feel good but I was serving him and that's all I ever want to do. 

God has been blessing me with opportunities to serve locally. Which is very cool. Because there are many families here in our City who need just as much help. I recently went with a bunch of friends to a soup kitchen it was so rewarding. We were helping stop hunger just for a day. How rewarding is that? Very! God is changing me more and more through every opportunity that comes my way. I crave opportunities to serve. For Christmas I'm researching non-profits such as noonday, toms and Krochet kids to give as Christmas gifts to others. If you hear of anything that would help me continuing on what God has called me to do please let me know.

Thanks for reading! I'm really enjoying this and can't wait to write more.
Love
Briana
"Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men."-Ephesians 6:7

Framily

True Sweet Blessings.

Welcome to my first blog! My blogs will consist of blessings in my life as they come! I thought I would start out with one of the recent blessings God has placed in to my life. 

Friamly-that is the mixture between friends who turn in to family. 

Sometimes when your family doesn't live close it can be hard. But when you need someone to lean on to its your friends. It wasn't till this May that I realized what true friends I had and the ones with the wrong intentions. It's hard to say goodbye to some of your closest friends when you really didn't want to lose the friendship. But sometimes its the best thing, especially when it was so unhealthy for me. I questioned why God had made me lose some of the closest people in my life. But it wasn't till I really thought about it this week how he had such a better plan for me. 

It really all started with my friend Amanda. Amanda is such a strong, trust-worthy friend that I could have ever asked for. Going through such a hard time losing friends she really brought me up. She was always a phone call away or a snow cone trip away. It wasn't until mid may when she invited me to go with her and her group to prom that I would soon meet my new "friamly". 

Needless to say prom was amazing and was spent with amazing people. People who I never knew I would become so close to in the next few months. Friendships started to bloom and I realized how sweet God can be when you leave everything in his hands. So now I'll reflect on everyone and their family and how they have changed me for the best. 

Brianna "my little nugget"! My oh my! If it wasn't for this girl I wouldn't know what I would do right now. Brianna has taught me so many things one being how it would be to have a sister and all the arguments and that it comes with haha! Me and Brianna didn't really start hanging out until after prom. She welcomed me in to her home which now has really become my 2nd home. We have such a chill relationship. We can honestly just hang out at her house and make the best out of it. Her family has been sooo good to me. I have never felt so loved in such a short amount of time before. Her mommy knows when to give me the best advice that I need at the perfect time. Her dad always makes me laugh on my lowest days. It wasn't until September when Papa T was having his birthday when he referred me as their adoptive daughter that I knew I was in the right place. It's amazing to me that Brianna and I actually went to elementary school together and only talked for awhile till now. It's also so nice to know that her dad knew my mom and its awesome to know that my mom knew this family before they became my second family. 

Taylor! my goodness I admire this girl soo much! When we started to hang out I wanted to become best friends. When I would ask her this question she would reply with you're my really good friend. Well my friends this has certainly changed within time she became more then a best friend she became my sister. We really let God handle our friendship now that she's not home anymore. Taylor and I can sit and talk about Jesus for hours on out! All we need is a bible. I'm so glad that Taylor's family is just as sweet as she is. If you attended my graduation party, it wouldn't have been as amazing as it was without her and her family and momma T! Her family has loved me as their own from the get go. Her mommy reminds me so much of my mom. I love being a part of their holiday activities it really warms my heart so much. Gina, Taylor's oldest sister is amazing!!! She took my fabulous senior pictures. When I was in one of my lowest points this year she really picked me up and told me how she had been through the same thing and that I would come over this. She has stepped in as an older sister and I couldn't thank her enough for that. 

The Gatewoods! Let me just start by saying I seriously didn't even think about how close I would get to this amazing couple. Tyler is the new youth minister. Knowing that I would be leaving youth soon because I was graduating made it seem like I really wouldn't get to know the both of them before I would graduate. But it really wasn't until I helped with VBS that I really got to know Meghan and Tyler. Meghan and I went out to lunch in June it was a awesome Austin day. I got to show Meghan a little part of downtown Austin. Meghan learned a lot that day from where to get really good cupcakes at "Hey Cupcake" to learning I was a diabetic after eating my cupcake. :) Our friendships only got better when we attend a mission trip together in the Valley this summer. There were times were I thought I couldn't deal with being in huge warehouse with no AC sorting out over 1,000 pairs of shoes. Tyler gave me words of encouragement when I was just about to give up. Tyler is like the big brother I never had. I'm so glad that these two have changed my life. With the weekly bible studies it just helps me become a better person thanks to them. 

       Not having my mom here makes it tough for my dad especially when it comes to girl things. I know that my mom is a better place now, I also know that God wasn't going to let me down. No one can replace my mom but having Momma T, Momma P and Momma G, Gina and Meghan have made my life a lot better. And my dad and I can't thank you guys enough!

That's it for today. Thank you for reading and stay tuned to another blog next week! 

Until then

Happy Halloween!