My Story

 

 

I never dreamed I would live to be 22 years old. I never dreamed I would go to Africa. I never dreamed I would fall in love with a country so far away from my own. And I definitely never dreamed God would call me to live there!

  

You see, I was born with cystic fibrosis. Which for those of you who aren't familiar, CF is a genetic disease that mutates literally every cell in my body. This mutation causes think sticky mucus to build up in my organs, especially my lungs, sinuses and digestive system! Pretty icky right?!? When I was born the doctors were not optimistic about my life expectancy. They told my parents that if I made it to five years old that would be a miracle.

 

Needless to say I am still here 22 years later. Only by the grace of God am I still here. For I now know that He has a plan for my life that far exceeds my own plans or the expectations of my doctors. I am blessed and honored to be able to sit here and write my first blog post to share with you how big and mighty our God truly is.

  

But maybe I should rewind and introduce myself to you. My name is Alicia. I'm a Registered Nurse. I am a daughter to two amazing parents, I am the baby sister to three beautiful sisters and three handsome brother-in-laws, and I am an aunt to five adorable nieces. God has blessed me with an amazing, supportive, Christian family. I couldn't have picked a better one myself.

 

We said prayers before meals and at bedtime, and went to church every Sunday. My parents raised me and my sisters to love the Lord. They tried to instill in us a solid foundation in Jesus Christ that we would be able to find hope and rest in in our adult lives.

 

Growing up I believed in Jesus and I knew He loved me, but I didn't understand the true relationship one can have with Him until the past two years. He desires to be our best friend, our companion, the one we turn to in times of trouble and in times of joy.

  

As a teenager I walked away from the Lord. I started living a life completely for myself. I rebelled against my parents and everything they had taught me and poured into me, worse yet, I rebelled against God. I rebelled against the one who laid down His life to save me from my sins. How sickening it is to think about that now.

  

But I am thankful for that time in my life. I am thankful for the lessons I learned and the things I experienced in my foolish youth. Without those experiences and without those lessons, I would not appreciate my savior as much as I do today. I am so thankful for His gift of salvation and His death on the cross that allows me to have eternal life in heaven.

  

God has given me a new passion in life. He has given me a burden for the lost and for the needy that I never had before. He has taken me to deeper places in my relationship with Him and has caused me to want to share His love with the world. So today I am sharing this story to encourage you...God loves you! He has a perfect plan for your life. No matter what you have done or what mistakes you have made, if you come to Him and ask to be forgiven your sins will be covered by the blood of Jesus. Your name will be written in the book of eternal life and God will begin a transformation in your heart and mind that will blow you away.

 

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life."

 

God loves you that much. He sent his ONE and ONLY son to the world to become human flesh, to suffer an unthinkable beating, and to hang till death on a cross. And by His wounds, His nail pierced hands and feet, we are healed! His love is the only love that doesn't fail. God's love is pure, it is unconditional and it is everlasting.

  

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. LOVE NEVER FAILS"

 

This is the love that God has revealed to me. This is the love that He has given me a burden to share with the people of the world.

  

My heart is for the orphans in Uganda. I have a love for those precious souls that words can not explain. God has called me to go and love them...to teach them what it means to love and to be loved.

 

If God can transform my life and send me to Uganda, He can do anything. I encourage you to surrender your life to Jesus. If He has put a call on your life have faith in him to help you fulfill it. He will give you the strength and He will never leave you or forsake you. God does not call the equipped, he equips the called. There is overwhelming peace in knowing you are doing what God wants you to. No matter how hard it might be, He will give you the strength to endure.

 

Philippians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength."