Jesus loves you.

Jesus loves you. 

It's a line us Christians say to one another for encouragement or to someone going through a hard trial who is a non-believer. We especially hear it during Easter time, as we celebrate the day that changed the future of humanity forever (Isaiah 53:1-12).

I began to mediate on the saying "Jesus loves you, Jesus loves me." I began to ask myself, "Do I really acknowledge this fact about Jesus? Do I really know and acknowledged the fact that Jesus loves me especially when I make mistakes or even sin? How can God continue to love me or how can He love someone like me?" Believe me these thoughts were circling around my head for a couple of days. Until one day in prayer, God in His loving kindness spoke to and said,"Do you love your son?" I said, "Yes Lord, I do." Then God asked me, "Do you stop loving him each time he makes a mistake or when he makes you angry?" I said, "No Lord, I don't." He asked, "Why?" I said, "Because he is my son and when he makes a mistake I correct him and guide him." The the Lord says to me, "Just like you, I correct you and guide you. Why? Because I love you!" 

I bursted into tears when my heart felt that. To know that Jesus loves me was something beautiful. Jesus died for me and you on that cross. Why? Because He loves you and me. If you didn't know it than know that we are loved by a holy and sovereign God and His name is Jesus. Be blessed! 

Marisol's Letter of Victory

Praise Him ladies! We thought we would kick off our second year with a brand new Letter of Victory! Today’s testimony comes to us via Sis. Marisol Saldana from the church in Apopka, Fl. We love our Marisol oh so much! She always attends all of our youth activities and her enthusiasm inspires many others. Enjoy! Blessings!

PTL beautiful young ladies! Some of y’all might know me and some might not have an idea of who I am. For those that don’t know me, I’m just a normal young Christian girl trying to make a change in this world. I’m from the Apostolic Church in Apopka, Fl. Some of y’all don’t know this because I don’t tell many people, but I like to write. What I’m about to share with you is something I know we ladies struggle with a lot, some of us more than others. And I just feel in my heart to share this with y’all.

“You’re Beautiful and Wonderfully Made”

·         Psalms 139:14 “I will praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works and that my soul knows very well.’’

A couple days ago I was in school waiting for the bell to ring before going to class. One of my friends was late and was putting on her make-up, when I said, “I don’t know why you put make-up on, your skin tone is pretty.” She answered me with something I never expected, “Are you kidding? I hate my skin tone, that’s why I use make-up. To cover all my imperfections and ugliness.” Yes, I have heard many girls say that, but this time it had such a different impact on me for some reason. Like her comment hurt me or put me in shock. That whole day all I could think about was what she had told me and about how many girls also think that. I know many of us girls are not happy with our eye colors, skin tone, height, weight, hair and body. I feel like some of us have forgotten about something. We were created in God’s image; I’m positive God doesn’t make mistakes and you aren’t either. In Ephesians 2:10 it says, “For we are God’s master piece.” I have used a bible verse, but some still might not believe we are truly beautiful. I’m pretty sure every girl has been told that they are beautiful, pretty, gorgeous, perfect, and much more. And like always we say, “Aww, thanks!” But I have one question, and only one that I want you to truly answer. Do you actually believe that you’re beautiful when someone tells you?  I was one of those girls that didn’t believe it. I use myself as an example. When I was younger I was skinny as heck. My parents would always say, “Oh you need to eat more and get a little more fat.” Then after many years, right before I hit my teenage years that all changed. I went through some emotional things which lead to me eating when I was bored, happy, sad, or mad. I just ate all the time non-stop, eating was my get away. I gained weight, but I couldn’t stop eating. I got to a point where I hated myself. I would ask God why He made me ugly. I hated everything about me, from the top of my head to the bottoms of my feet. I got to a point where I guess you could say I was depressed. I would spend the whole day in my room eating and on my phone. Then a couple of months later, God used a sister to tell me something that had an impact on me. She said, “God loves you, you are a precious diamond in His eyes, you’re beautiful, and don’t ever doubt it.” The enemy is always trying to bring us down. His goal is to make you feel ugly, nothing and even worthless. Why do we believe the lies of the devil and not believe our heavenly father? We are young ladies full of valor, grace and beauty, so we might as well start believing it! I know we heard this a lot, but this time let’s actually believe it. I just want to say from the bottom of my heart that every single one of you girls are beautiful, don’t ever doubt it! We are daughters of the one true king, and stay blessed!

Thank you Marisol for sharing your story! We can’t wait to read more of what God leads you to write! God bless you!

 

 

Rinnah Dance Workshop 2014

PTL Ladies! We just wanted to let you know that Sis. Wendy Bellorini is hosting The Rinnah Dance Workshop on November 15th in Miami, Florida! For more information please contact her. 

Here's the link to the registration form: http://form.jotform.co/form/33374241311847

Blessings! 

Happy Anniversary!

Praise the Lord Young Ladies of Valor, Grace and Beauty!

Does anyone know what today is? If you guessed the 1 year anniversary of VGandB then you are correct! That's right! One year ago today we embarked on a special journey together. We pray you have been blessed by this ministry as much as we have. We thank God for the chance to serve through this ministry. 

We have celebrated a lot including 14 Letters of Victory, starting our Ministry Mustard Seeds campaign, given out 3 camp scholarships and most recently hosted our very own young ladies conference with Sister Vanessa Cardenas.  

We are very grateful and thankful for what God is doing with the young ladies of Florida. We believe God wants to do so much more and we are before a threshold of something very big and expanding this ministry. We know there are more stories out there just waiting to be blessings for someone else. These testimonies are meant to be shared and give Glory to God! 

As we begin our 2015 plans, we pray that the Lord pours out a fresh anointing and we can continue working in Gods kingdom. 

As always, if you have an idea or testimony you would like to share, please email us! lupevp4@gmail.com or karenealdana@gmail.com and please check out valorgraceandbeauty.blogspot.com

We love you and are praying for every single one of you. God Bless to all of our past, present and future Letters of Victory! 

Camp Scholarship Application

Praise Him ladies! Throughout the last few months we have been praying over the direction of Valor, Grace and Beauty. Our main goal is to follow God’s will with this ministry. We have felt the economic need we are all experiencing and we want to sow into the kingdom. With that said, the Lord has placed it in our hearts to sponsor our first annual Valor, Grace and Beauty Camp Scholarship. We will be giving out a total of 3 scholarships valued at $100.00 each. The winners will be responsible for the other $60.00 needed to attend youth camp. The application is simple and is attached to this post. Applications are due via email to lupevp4@gmail.com by July 31st, 2014. Happy writing and God bless!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B3qsgJueLhndSlkzQUV2aXFuRUU/edit?usp=sharing

Katherine's Letter of Victory

Praise the Lord VG&B! We pray you've been having a fantastic summer. Today's Letter of Victory comes to us via Sis. Katherine Jara. We truly admire the passion and love Katherine has for serving the Lord. She has faced so much adversity throughout her life and the resilence she's had to bring her this far in life. Be blessed!

My Testimony

I have faced numerous mental illnesses beginning at a very young age. Ranging from depression, bipolar disorder, borderline personality, anorexia/bulimia etc. It wasn't until I had encountered God, I was unaware of my purpose in life and thus attempted to end it. Now, with Jesus, I understand that God has such an enormous purpose for my life that the enemy tried to kill me off as a young girl.

Last year at camp, Bishop Esparza prophesied over me that I am a pillar of flame in the ministry of praise and worship and would be a healer and interpret dreams. Since then, this prophesy has been confirmed through numerous credible people of God and I know that what I went through has only prepared me for what is to come.

God has everything under control. He knows our rising and sitting, every thought before it is birthed within the neurons in our minds. He has every hair numbered and every tear collected in His merciful hands. God is with us. I understand atheists because I was one. I understand evolutionists because I had that faith of mind. I understand the broken-hearted because my heart has been broken. I understand the lonely, drug addict, the lesbian/bisexual, the alcoholic, the suicidal, the young woman who chose abortion, the self-mutilator, the absence of self-esteem because I myself have been there and now I place my life in God's hands. I'm not close-minded for putting my faith in something. I'm seeking God and a purpose.

Jesus has revealed to me a life I never knew possible. I remember walking up to the altar on Easter Sunday of 2011 before I was baptized, not believing in God but wanting to more than anything and just then, His great love washed over me, speaking to me as if face to face, that without this encounter I would never believe. I was like Thomas who needed to place my finger in the savior's wound to believe. So, the Holy Spirit filled me and I spoke another language; a language of heavenly love and power.

My life will always be for His glory. I hope my testimony reaches beyond where I can lay my hands to pray. All for the glory of Jesus' name. I'm here and grateful for this life. If there's a sister out there needing a shoulder or a hand, here I am with love.

Thank you for sharing your story Katherine! God bless you!

Cassie's Letter of Victory

Praise Him! This Letter of Victory comes to us by Sis. Cassie Reyna from the church in Wauchula, Fl. Cassie has a very infectious smile and we admire her courage for sharing with us why her smile is the way it is. Read on and be blessed!

I have had quite a fight living the life I chose to follow God. I wouldn’t give it up for the world! For a long time I have had trouble sleeping which is odd because I love sleep! Well, when I finally figured out it was God waking me up I didn’t pay attention at first. Me, being human, I ignored it. I thought it was just stress and me over thinking certain things, you know normal stuff. When I saw a very special lady that has a special place in my heart, she asked if I would share my story. I wanted to pray about it first. God knows what He wants me to say. Well April 18, 2014 He did it again. I woke up in the early hours of the morning. He said, “It’s time to share your story.” So here it is.

Now in days, women have overpowered the world and helped man steer it. Women are strong, courageous, and compassionate. For a very long time I was none of the above. I do believe with all my heart God has a calling for each and every one of us, but I’ve come to find out it starts with God’s time. His timing is always perfect. Time, I’ve come to find out, is limited. When I was 14 I learned that in the hardest way possible.

The phone rang and I had a gut feeling something was wrong. My mom stormed out of the house just saying my dad had driven himself to the hospital. I was at home with my best friend when Sister Bertha, our pastor’s wife, called me and she had said she was coming to pick me up. I only live 2 streets down from the hospital. When I got in her car she was quiet. I had no idea what was going on. She was on the phone with someone and said, “Please send a prayer chain. Brother Jesse is in the hospital. He had a massive heart attack. He had the heart attack while driving home from the store and crashed in the hospital parking lot.” I lost it.

We got to the hospital and they took me to the operating room where they were working on him. My mom was holding his hand on one side of the bed and my older brother and sister on the other. I just remember grasping his hand and saying, “Please don’t leave me!” I was praying so hard out loud asking God please not now! God had decided it was time. When they finally stopped working on him, God called him home. They took us out of the room to grieve in the waiting room. We didn’t make it that far. We all fell in the hallway next to his room and my mom was praying and I lost it. I was blaming God! Asking why? And how could you! I tried to run back to his room. I didn’t want to leave the hospital without him, but he was resting now.

From that point on, I knew my life would never be the same. He would never see me graduate High School, father’s day would be a day that sliced the wounds back open again and again every year. He would never walk me down the aisle on my wedding day. I no longer had a father. He was just a sweet memory. For a while I thought I was depressed. I wasn’t. I was angry with God. I didn’t blame him, but why did he take him away so suddenly? I didn’t even get to say bye or I love you. I miss him more and more each day. Not a day goes by I don’t think if him. Some days I just come home and watch home videos and just wallow. I would come home from school and realize his truck wasn’t in the driveway. My fear was I didn’t want to forget the sound of his voice or I didn’t want to accept the fact he was gone. At his funeral I just wanted to get in there with him and say, “Take me with you.” I knew that wasn’t right for me to want that but I felt incomplete.

At that point in my life things went downhill fast. Some issues came up in my church and my brother left, and then my mom and sister. They went to a different church. They still worship the same God and that’s where my mom was called to go. The problem was I was alone…again. I decided to stay with the assembly. It was my home for 16 years and I didn’t want to leave. Now I am 1 person, my own family. I had to learn to stand alone. Being left alone is something I was way to familiar with.

A little after my dad passed away, I ended up back in the E.R room of a hospital. My brother was fighting for his life and had lost his kidneys. He was in the ICU for a long time. God had already given Josh his miracle. We don’t know how long his kidneys had stopped working. When he got to the hospital the nurses and doctors couldn’t believe he was walking and talking not in pain at all, or worse in a coma. I tried to give my brother one of my kidneys, but I couldn’t since I didn’t have kids yet. I didn’t care. I would have rather saved my brother’s life. God had another plan at his own time. These have been the scariest 3 years of my life. At any moment I didn’t want to hear that he was also called home. 3 years later exactly 2 weeks before National Youth Advance 2014 my brother received his second miracle. He got a kidney transplant. He had only been on the list a year and 6 months. People can wait up to 10 years and are still waiting. Doctors say they have only heard of people getting one at 5 years. God knew what he was doing. I only pray now that it opens my brother’s heart to go back to the Lord. That’s all I really want is to have my family with me again.

For about 3 years I thought I was in love for the very first time. He was everything and more. Except little did I know he was pulling me farther and farther away from God. After 3 years, God finally told me it was time to say goodbye. I didn’t want to! I loved him. I’ve learned you can’t give your life to someone else because then what do you give God? It was a toxic relationship. I had been hit, lied to, and most of all just spiritually empty. I have always been in love with God. I loved going to youth activities. I loved singing with all my heart. That was my connection with God. When I sing I can’t explain it, but I just feel his arms pull me in close to him. It’s my safe place.  I fall in love with God all over again.

When we came back from NYA 2014 God confirmed it was time to let go. He had something better for me. He was ready to lead me to my calling and I am fully ready to change the course of my life to follow Him forever! I know God is not done with me yet. He has greater things for me. This is just the beginning and I am ready to take on whatever He wants me to do. I’ve decided enough is enough. The enemy loves to see you stumble over him well now I’m stepping over him and moving forward. I know when you feel like God is not with you, that’s when He’s there the most. It doesn’t matter what you have lost. I know I have lost my dad, and my family in my church but I have a father who will never leave me in my times of troubles. He will pick me up when I fall and stumble. I am not perfect. I make mistakes and I will keep making them, but I know with him I will become that strong, courageous, and compassionate woman He wants me to be. With Him I am not alone!

Philippians 4:13 “I CAN do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

Thank you Cassie for sharing a piece of your family’s testimony! We are praying for you and your family. We love you and your ministry and we can’t wait to see where God takes you next. God bless you!