New Strength, New Confidence & New love

     With summer break being over for a couple weeks now, I have had a full calender with school and other things that are all taking up a lot of my time.  However I still wanted to take some time to update my blog since the summer, and actually start writing more regularly.
     S.O.S. was an amazing two weeks and I am so glad that I got to go and meet so many new people that have now become such close friends to me. At the start of the camp I had made a rather long list of expecations I had towards God, and things I wanted to experiance with Him during this time, and it was amazing to look back and see how God had given answers to every wish I had.  During those two weeks I got to really fall back in love with God see new sides of His glory and love in ways I had not yet experianced.  I really felt myself grow closer to Him in so many ways and learned to really follow when the Holy Spirit lead me and to trust that He gives strength in my weakness. It was such a great time,  I could end up writing a book about the things I experianced with God, and about the great new people I got to meet.
     The list of great experiances goes on and on, from having 24 hours of worship time (Burn), dancing in the streets of Berlin, being able to "preach" on the streets, having teachings and an all round really fun time. However some of the most meningful things that happened would be in the small conversations with people.
     In Berlin I got to meet Sophia for the first time, and before long we had become close friends and were able to talk about God and how he has and is moving in our lives. One of the things that we bother "realized" during a converation is something I also want to share with you.  It was something that really encouraged me, and I think that it will do the same for you.
     We started talking about challenges that we face in our own lives, whether spiritual or just in different situations, and found that God never gives you more than you can handle. And from that we found that there is no reason to fear anything that God asks of you, since He knows that you can handle it.  This made me think of
     Philippians 4:13
 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
     This is such a famous verse, and one of my favorites, but the meaning is so often not really understood. As children of this most high God we can do ALL things through Him. This shows that we have been given such strength through Gid who loves us so, and we don't need to worry about things that we face, for as simply said in the verse; we can do it!
Then another verse came to mind which was
     2 Timothy 1:7
 "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."
     This then just confirmed it to us, that fear of the future and of troubles is not of God and that there is no reason to fear, but that we can face challenges and things that may seem to be difficult, with full confidence and power in the name of Jesus.
This was encouraging especially in a time where we were all overcoming challenges for God in Berlin, but not just for then but for every day in every moment. I love how these are just small reminders of God that show that we don't need to fear, but with trust in God can walk with confidence in worries and in hardships.
     Psalm 23:4 
"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."
     Finally this verse, one that I remember learning off by heart at the age of 7, is of such importance because it pulls all of these other verses together, and just shows that God is there for His children and that we don't need to fear of evil, or that we are to weak or that we cannot do something for God, because He says we can!!! He proclaims that over my life so that I can walk through my life and through every day being confident in the fact that God is with me and that He is guiding my steps and giving me strength no matter what!
-Katya

Update, Berlin & Future Plans

   So I am just a couple days away from going to Berlin for two weeks for the S.O.S. camp.  The name stands for "Summer of Service", meaning that for 14 days I will get to serve God and the people in Berlin through prayer and outreaches in the streets in the amazing metropolitan city.  I will be staying at the YWAM base during this time and get to meet loads of new people and see those again who I met there in the previous year. I am so excited to see what God is going to do this year, and just remembering the amaing time I had in 2011 makes me look forward to how He will be moving again this summer.
   One thing that I have a heart for, and love to see is how the youth of today are so on fire for God and eager to serve Him.  I love seeing how God moves in the midst of young people, and seeing amazing things He can do through us as a generation.  God has such amazing plans for this generation!!!
   Over the past two weeks, I have had several talks with people about school, and what I want to do when I graduate.  Now I have just under a year until I will be done with school forever! Yay! However then the question arises: "what do I do next?".   For about 8 months now I have been asking God and hoping He would show me what to do, whether it is go to university, like many people expect of me, or take a year off and do a DTS or a year of ministry. And through countless people now God has been showing me what options I have for the future.
   Since it is still unclear to me what I want to do, one thing I do know; which is I want to serve God through missions, dance, theatre, worship and reach young people and families across the globe.  I have now decided that I want to take a year off, and get to know God's heart even more, and what He has instore for me.  Now all I need to do, is wait for God to open a door for me and see where he leads me during this year.
A bible verse that comes to mind, when thinking about my future, and how to trust in God is
   Proverbs 3:5,6
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your path."
   This is a very well known verse, however I think that the meaning is often overlooked.  The bible tells coulntless times that we should trust in God, and that He is the one looking after us.  But so often, in times of difficulty and worry, we forget that its all in His hands, and all we need to do it trust and have faith.  The part which says "lean not on your own understanding" is what right now means a lot to me, because when moving forward in life, I tend to try to deal with things myself, and forget to let God take control.  It reminds me that if I follow Him and trust in Him with all my heart, He will be the one making my way straight (like it says in other translations) and leading me so there is no reason for me to be worried about what the future may hold, because I am a daughter of the most high God and He is looking after me.
-Katya

Welcome to my Blog

I thought that I would start off by saying why I decided to call my blog the way I did. Life is a journey, and each day is filled with experiences and moments that can change a person.  I want to be able to share the things that move me and the things that I have a passion for.  To be able to share about my relationship with God and my journey in learning to trust in Him everyday a new. I want to be able to give testimony of His goodness to me, and share the amazing things that he does and is doing in my life.  Along with this blog I will also be stating a YouTube channel, where I post vlogs, of thoughts and ideas that are encouraging and of things that I am doing, and how God is moving in me, and in the people that I am with.
I am starting this blog at a time in my life where I am clueless as to what steps God wants me to be taking now.  At a time where I am learning to fully trust in Him, and not to try to take things into my own hands but let myself completely go in His arms and rely on Him that He be carrying me through difficult times, just like He has always done in the highs and lows of life.  Being in a moment in life where I feel almost lost, but I still can say with full courage that I know that God is still there by my side, and in the end He will have been the one to help me get to where I need to be, even if right now I cannot  say what the future holds.
Jeremiah 29:11-13
"For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.  Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."
This was a bible verse that God put on my heart recently, and it shows that the Lord's thoughts towards us are countless and that they are good wholesome thoughts, thoughts of hope and of a future.  Here He also promises to listen when we have need and seek His face.  The Lord of heaven and earth listens!!! He is alive and well, and in hardships I will choose to praise His name, for His mercy is everlasting!
-Katya