REAL Proof That God Exists

From the time that I found out I was going to have Nico when I was 18 years old, all I did was worry. People tend to make the mistake of assuming that because a girl is in her late teens, she is more mature in her ability to deal with the situation. 

I assure you that I was not. 

Pedro was unemployed, I only had a part time job, we were living in my mother's house, we were not married, and I was only in my second year of college. I honestly thought my life was over. I would have to quit school to get a full time job to be able to afford a place to live and all the things that a baby needed. Now, I realize that I should have had more faith, but I couldn't see past the things that society had told me about teenage mothers my entire life. 

I was terrified. 

But, Jesus really did come to our rescue. I don't mean that I prayed and some how found the strength, (it took MANY weeks of prayer for that to come) I mean that He literally rescued us! Real time, in our tangible world, He was doing things for Pedro and me that we could physically see! 

First of all, we found out about my pregnancy around Christmas time. What a wonderful present! 

Then, around the time of January, my mother received a large payment of back child support owed from my father, and she gave Pedro and I enough of it to get married and have a mini honeymoon in Disney World! 

AND, she agreed to pay the rent of our apartment if I agreed to stay in school and graduate! (I already had a full scholarship) 

Almost immediately, upon returning from our vacation Pedro found a secure full time job, and I with my part time job, it fit our needs almost perfectly! 

And on top of all this STILL God was working in our lives. As if all of that wasn't enough, He sent us absolutely EVERYTHING we would need for Nico for free! 

The clothes, the lotions, the books, the furniture for his room, the toys, the bottles, the bathtub; we did not need to buy diapers for Nico for the first 3 months of his life! It was incredibly mind blowing to me how He was there for us, even when we had such little faith. 

The most recent donation!

 

Amazingly, even now, He is still showering us with love and gifts. 

We STILL have not had to buy any clothes for Nico, over a year later! As he grows, generous loving people give us clothes that have been lightly used and that are in almost new conditions! Pants, shirts, sweaters, jackets, hats, socks, even shoes!

He even sent it to us according to my style taste! Look at how CUTE this outfit is!!

Received Sunday (Yesterday) 

 

I am sharing this testimony for the benefit of anyone who believes that Jesus is only an abstract idea. 

I want people to know that being unable to see Him, doesn't mean He can't see us! People think that God is far away in heaven, or that He has left us, but He hasn't, and I am giving you real live proof that He never will. 

If you ever doubted that He cares about us, this should put those doubts to rest. If He did this for me, He will do it for you. 

Why?

Because He loves us all the same, and He wants to bless us, even when we resist His love!

When Parents Turn to Murder: Issy

When I began to read the article on The Daily Beast about a mother, Kelli Stapleton, who tried to kill her autistic daughter, Issy, my first thought was, how could any mom feel such strong feelings against their own child? Strong enough to want to murder them? Even in the most extreme case, I feel that the love that a mother has for her child is strong enough to overcome any desire to murder anyone for risk of losing that child. 

In this case, people were upset because Kelli was being understood by Dr. Phil as he interviewed her trying to gain perspective and insight. 

Issy Stapleton has autism, and her mother was feeling overwhelmed. She was at the end of her rope, but does that really excuse what she tried to do? No. 

I do not know what it is like to have a child with autism, because I have never gone through the experience. But I have know many people with autism. 

My first encounter was when I was in the 6th grade. There was a red headed boy named Carl, who was a little different from the other kids. I noticed that he did things differently, and he interacted differently. A lot of my friend made fun of him, or tried to avoid him, but I was curios and sympathetic. I talked to him and often sat at his table in class. As a result of that, my teacher would often place him with me during group activities because I was more sensitive to his condition (which I was unaware of at the time). It was not until we were doing a science experiment that involved a golf ball that I truly understood that he had a disability. We had a disagreement regarding the next steps that should be followed and he ended up throwing the golf ball at my hand. I was upset, but more than anything I was confused. Finally, the teacher pulled me aside and explained to me that Carl has autism and that he thinks differently than everyone else, because of that he dealt with things differently and sometimes irrationally when he did not know how to express himself. 

Later on in middle school, I met another kid with autism. Him name was Brandon. I was interested in him because he was cute and funny. Sure he was a little different, but the curious thing about Brandon was that I had no idea that he had autism until he actually told me. Which didn't really change how I felt about him. Of course I never said anything about my little crush because I was a shy kid, but we remained friends and still talk occasionally on Facebook to this day. 

My point is, the solution to autism is awareness. People fear and reject what they do not understand. I am not saying that Kelli was not doing the best that she could, but there is always another way to deal with a person in that situation. Sometimes, instead of trying to pull them into our world, we should try to step into theirs.

Also, don't try to kill your child! Never ever! If you feel overwhelmed, like you don't want to deal with them anymore, there are plenty of other things you can do. Adoption, foster care, leaving them with a responsible loving family member. All are much more SANE alternatives than trying to kill yourself and your kid.

You can watch part of the episode below and decide for yourself. 

A Perfect Marriage

When I walked in to the marriage seminar "Modern Family" hosted by Calvary Chapel Puerto Rico, taught by Pastor Dan Crespo, I had one question on my mind: Is it possible to have a perfect marriage? After almost five hours of note taking, what I learn was absolutely mind blowing.

The example that most of us have had tells us that the answer to this question is no. It seems like most of our generation's parents divorced (including mine) or never even got married in the first place; a good majority of us Millennials came from a single parent background. As I talk to my friends and listen to their thoughts and opinions, I have found that a lot of them do not believe in marriage and see no point in saying "I do" to legally and financially bind themselves to another person forever.

But, there is so much more to marriage than money and paperwork. There is something so gratifying and comforting in knowing that there is a person who will love and support you unconditionally. Marriage is about finding a partner who will trudge through difficult situations by your side, and who will also be there with you creating the best moments of your lives. It is about finding your best friend, a person who cannot live without, a life long companion. 

No marriage is perfect, but every marriage can be fulfilling in every possible way.

In order to achieve harmony and blissful joy we first have to understand the purpose of marriage (to be one with another) and the purpose of life (to be one with God). You don't believe me, read Genesis 2:23-24, and John 14:1-4. You see, by focusing on pleasing God, we will ultimately please each other and our selves. 

What does it mean "to be one with God"? Read John 17:20-21, Ephesians 13-14 & 2:10-13, Colossians 1:27, and Philipians 3:10-11. As you can see, it is really a lot more simple than people think. The answer is Jesus. In order to be one with God, we must accept that Jesus is God in the flesh, that he was punished and died for our sins, and that he rose from the grave proving that he can conquer anything, even the inevitability of death. To be one with God, we must take up our cross everyday and live with Jesus as our example, trying to be like him in every aspect of our daily lives.

Now you're probably wondering, what does it mean "to be one with each other"? This is where things get a little bit more complicated. Our society tells us that we should worry about making ourselves happy and then worry about others, but in order to become one with someone else we must die to our self. That means that all instead of thinking about what is best for you, you should constantly  and consistently be thinking about what is best for your spouse. Worry about their comfort, their troubles, and their well being. 

This can be a lot more complicated than it sounds, so to help guide us through the challenge of letting go of our autonomy, here are 5 things you need to know that are absolutely essential to achieving oneness with your spouse.

1. Spiritual Companionship.

• Pray together
• This is the most important thing a couple should do! By praying together not only do you grow closer to God as a team, you learn about one another. Listen to what your partner is praying about so that you can understand each others soul and inner most desires. 
• Read the bible together
• Not only is reading to each other incredibly romantic, it will help you both learn about Jesus and grow spiritually by applying what you learn to everyday situations.
• Talk about your thoughts and beliefs about God and His Kingdom, without judging each other, without laughing, and without getting angry about what the other has to say. 

2. Sexual Companionship

• Believe it or not, God actually wants us to be sexually fulfilled (Read Genesis 1:28) 
• That means you must have sex unselfishly and you must never deny sex to your spouse (Read 1 Corinthians 3-5) 
• Talk to each other and be honest about your sexual needs, then reach a compromise, but never assume that your sex life is "good enough". Make sure that BOTH of you are completely satisfied.
• Make out! Remember those times when you couldn't keep your hands off of each other and rekindle that passion! 

3. Emotional Companionship

• This might be difficult, but talk about what makes you happy, angry, and sad, and why. It is vital to know what makes your partner tick, so that you know which buttons to press, and which not to. 
• If you or your spouse finds this impossible it is probably because one of you has a hard heart. There is a conflict that was left unresolved and now you are left feeling hurt, angry, resentful, or bitter. If you continue on with that unresolved problem this is the cycle that you will eventually find yourself falling into: hurt ---> anger ---> resentment ---> bitterness ---> divorce. My advice if you are feeling any of these things is, talk to your spouse and find a way to deal with it and overcome it together!
• Make every single decision together!  Not matter how big, or how small, the more things you confront and deal with together the better.
• Laugh and cry together.
• Read 2 Corinthians 2:4. You should feel for each other the way that Paul feels for the Corinthians. He cries for them and rejoices with them I'm sure, but he passionately admits to them when he is feeling emotional. It should not embarass you because if you can't cry in front of your best friend then who can you really count on?

 4. Parental Companionship

• Be on the same page when it comes to your kids. How many you want, what kind of education they will receive, how you will discipline them, etc., and reach a compromise. It is best to have this conversation a few times before you get married just to be sure. 
• If you did not have this conversation before you got married and reach a point where you cannot agree on something, get a second objective opinion (a mediator) and talk about it until you find a solution. 
• Be 100 percent honest with each other about your expectations and desires for your children. 

5. Recreational Companionship

• Last but not least by far, HAVE FUN TOGETHER!
• Find a common hobby, watch TV together, read to each other; find something to do, anything just do it together! 
• Have a date night at least once a week
• Take little trips together ALONE. Even if it is just spending the night in a hotel room every six months, you will appreciate that special time with each other. 

The most important thing is to enjoy each other. Remember all the reason why you got married, write them down and look at them every day if you have to. But never forget that you married that person because at some point you thought to yourself "wow, I can't live without him/her". 

Married at 18

My husband Pedro and I met in the last semester of our senior year of high school in 2011, in Puerto Rico, in a crowded classroom that I was afraid to walk in to. He invited me to hang out with him and his friends the day we met, and some how I ended up giving him my phone number. He called me that night and we ended up talking for hours. Next thing you know, we are going to prom together. 

He is my best friend. Though he drives me absolutely crazy sometimes, I could not imagine life with out him. I have spent some of the best days of my life so far with him. 

He loves me at my best, and at my worst.

 We spent 3 months in a long distance when he moved in with his friend back in his home town in West Virginia. When I went to visit my best friend in Raleigh, NC, he drove 8 hours to spend 2 days camping with my friends and me. 

When he got back, we were a little too happy to see each other, we ended up making Nico. But he was excited because it meant that we could get married much sooner than I had planned. We went to florida, got married by a Rabbi staying at our hotel, and spent the rest of the week in Disney World. 

We are not rich but we are happy. He is a full time dish washer at Denny's who plans on becoming a professional Rally racer, I fully support his dream. I am a part time bagger, full time student, who plans on writing and producing books and movies, he fully supports my dream. That is what is important.