The Real Reason for the Season…

As Christmas is winding down, I ponder upon the true meaning of Christmas. What is Christmas to you? Is it just a holiday, a day to receive a butt-load of presents, to splurge on food, to practice family traditions? When I really thought about it, it came down to this…Christmas is the day we received the best gift we could've and will have, ever received: a Savior, named Jesus Christ!

The real message of Christmas is this:

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son (John 3:16-18)."

It is here, where God gave us the best gift of all times: JESUS Christ--if that doesn't get you excited, something is seriously wrong! Now-a-days, people are trying to remove Christ from CHRISTmas; but how can you remove Jesus from a day that was created FOR HIM?!?! When crazy things happen in the world, people are so quick to ask, "Where was Jesus in this situation," but in reality, Jesus was right where you put him: OUT OF THE EQUATION! If we begin to put Jesus back into our lives, schools, families, jobs, etc., we will really begin to notice a difference in the world and in our lives. Let's start putting Christ back into this nation!

So when thinking about Christmas, it isn't about giving and receiving gifts (which we do also), but it's about celebrating the birth of the greatest gift ever given: Jesus Christ! As Christmas is coming to an end, consider the gift that God gave to us over two thousand years ago, and think about your walk with him. Let's accept the gift of Eternal Life; after all, God has already purchased it for us, wrapped it with His love, and sent it to us by way of the cross. Jesus IS, and WILL ALWAYS BE, the reason for the season!


Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight,

M.C.F :)

Ecuador in a Nutshell...

I Miss Ecuador...

I miss the 2-3 hour rain outbreaks everyday...

I miss the breathtaking scenery...

I miss the volcanoes with the snow on the top of them...

I miss the colorful buildings...

I miss seeing laundry hung up on a line on top of almost every house...

I miss the traffic...

I miss the bumpy van rides...

I miss bringing toilet paper with me to every restroom I went into...

I miss using bottled water to brush my teeth with...

I miss waking up every morning to the most amazing Ecuadorian breakfast...

I miss trying different foods...

I miss the icecream...

I Miss the people...

I miss attempting to speak Spanish to every person I encountered...

I miss trying to understand everything I heard in Spanish...

I miss seeing mothers carry their babies on their backs...

I Miss the orphanages...

I miss the beautiful smiles on the kids faces...

I miss their big, tight hugs...

I miss loving on them...

I miss laughing with them...

I miss playing soccer with the boys...

I miss dancing with the guys...

I miss everything about Ecuador!

WOW, where do I even begin...my week in Ecuador was absolutely amazing! God taught me so much through this mission journey, my team, and the children we ministered to in Ecuador. This is the second mission trip I've been on, and I've felt the same way when I returned from them both: man oh man we are so blessed here in the United States! We take so many things for granted, and we don't even realize it. My life will never be the same because of this trip and I want to say thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for your prayers, encouragement, and/or financial support. Without your prayers and support, this mission trip would not have been possible. May the Lord bless you and your family for blessing and being a part of God’s transformation of not only my life, but many of the orphans in Ecuador.

THE Story

The day we left, God showed up in the kitchen of the missionaries apartment where we ate everyday; the presence of God was so strong in that kitchen! It was there, where God began to confirm things I had been praying and seeking guidance on. One of those things, happened to be long term mission trips. Awhile back, God had placed on my heart to go to another country and volunteer for a certain period of time. Let me just say, I have never heard the voice of God more clearer in my life!

Later on, we went into the city to eat lunch and do some souvenir shopping. As we were driving, the city started to look completely different to me; it felt as though I had fallen in love for the first time; I had butterflies in my stomach and everything! We ended up eating lunch outside, and it was possibly the most beautiful day I've ever seen. After I finished eating, I secluded myself and read my bible and just talked with God. I began to read Joshua 1:9, "Haven't I commanded you: be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go." In that moment, I knew I was supposed to stay in Ecuador! Of course all these thoughts were running threw my head: what if this, what if that, but I knew I had heard clearly from The Lord.

The BIG News

Soooo now being back, I have looked into the extended stay option with Visiting Orphans, and I've decided to go back to Ecuador February 1st, and volunteer for a month! This is the biggest decision I have made in my whole entire life: I will be leaving what I know and call home (where I am comfortable), for a whole month. I am so excited, yet more nervous/scared than I've ever been. This journey will not be possible, again, without yall's prayers and support. Please support me as I embark on this new, amazing journey God has for me! Thank you in advance :)

P.S. If you would like to donate in helping me get back to Ecuador, there's a donation button on my blog that will take you directly to PayPal (any amount will help). Thank you again!

Love in Christ,
M.C.F. :)

Why Panic?

                     

Growing up, we would always travel; we would drive some places, and we would fly some places. As a child, I have always loved flying. My family and I use to play this game when we would take off: it was a contest to see who could sit up straight without being pushed back once the plane took off (at this point in time, I don't seem to remember who won)! My older brother wasn't, and still to this day, is not a fan of flying. He would always get super sick; he would have to take pills and have a paper bag with him AT ALL TIMES (not sure why I am telling ya'll this lol)! 

Before last November, my last time flying was to Hawaii when I was 12 years old. Like I mentioned, I had loved flying; it was something I enjoyed doing! When I went to Trinidad and Tobago last November, I knew I was going to be okay to fly because I'd loved it when I was younger. Let me tell you this: I was so sick and AFRAID on that flight! It was somewhat okay on the way there, but on the way back, the weather was a little "odd," so we were hitting these really thick clouds, so it was kind of bumpy. There was actually one point where, I swear, the pilot cut off the plane and we dropped like a ton of feet (not really that much)! I literally saw my life flash before my eyes; I was terrified, and I knew that I never wanted to fly again. I HATED FLYING (and still do)!

I am writing this on the plane from Nashville to Dallas; somewhat because I have to keep myself busy and not think about the flight (because I HATE FLYING)! What sucks is that I have to get right back on another plane after I land in Dallas, to get back home. God help me; two flights in one day! Sometimes I often wonder how I plan to travel the world if I can't stand to fly! I have to constantly remind myself: God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). 

 

If you are on a plane, and you notice the flight attendant is panicking and going cray cray, what are you going to do? PANIC AND GO EXTRA CRAY CRAY (if that even makes sense)! I feel secure, when the plane starts to make a weird turn, and I look around and see that the flight attendants are just walking around serving people food/drinks; it makes me feel as though I have nothing to worry about!

When I first started writing this, I was just going to write about my fear of flying (it was actually titled "Fear of Flying") and what not, but as I was writing, God began to place things on my heart that He wanted me to write about. God wants us to be so close to Him that we automatically know when we begin to experience some sort of turbulence in our lives, or something weird takes place in our lives that just doesn't feel right, look to Him to feel secure and know that everything is going to be alright! Pray, read your bible, turn on some worship music, etc. When you begin to do these things, you will feel His tangible presence surrounding you everywhere that you go. He wants us to know that in the midst of a storm, HE IS THERE WITH US. When something goes wrong in our lives, God is not up in Heaven running around like a chicken with its head cut off; He is sitting on the throne, calm as ever! We know He is not panicking, so why should we?!?! God is fighting for us!

With love,

M.C.F :) 

An Update on My Life!

Hi ya'll (in my country accent),

I have not been on here in awhile, and I've missed posting on here; I have just been really swamped! So  I thought I would share a little bit of what's been going on in my life:

As some of you may know, I was supposed to be leaving for a mission trip to Siguatepeque, Honduras on October 12th, with Visiting Orphans; but some things changed. A requirement for VO is that you have to have at least 4 members on your team, which I knew we would for sure have that. Things happened with some of the other possible team members and we ended up having only 3 team members. Around the same time we were coming to the conclusion we needed to figure out what to do about only having 3 team members, they were having major drug cartel problems in Honduras. So basically, there was no way we could go there. I started getting really discouraged and began to panic because I knew that God wanted me on this trip; I was just running out of options. I decided to stop freaking out and just place it all in God's hands. As soon as I did that, one of the trip coordinators from VO asked if we would be interested in joining the Quito, Ecuador team. Which just so happened to be leaving and returning at the same time were supposed to; not to mention it was the same exact price! They had a small group as well, so it worked our perfect--I just knew this was a God thing!

Like any other person would, I worried about my finances and how I would get to Ecuador. God being the mighty God He is, showed up like He always does: within days of my deadline for my money being due, my entire trip was paid off! Hallelujah--Praise The Lord--He is good ALL THE TIME (can I get an AMEN)!!!

Now, being less than 4 weeks away from being with the beautiful orphans in Ecuador, I am overjoyed and cannot wait to embark on this amazing journey God has placed in front of me. I honestly cannot even explain this feeling to you: just to know that I will be able to hold and love on these amazingly precious children of God is astonishing, and brings me to tears! I am so blessed that God has chosen me to do such an amazing thing.

I am committing to posting EVERYDAY while I am in Ecuador (which will be 7 days)! I will be posting about the country, the people, the food, the orphans, the orphanages, and any other amazing things I encounter while I am there! So be sure to subscribe to my blog so you can find out all the awesome things we will be doing while we are in Ecuador. Until then, peace out!


Roar'n,
M.C.F :)

Go. Be. LOVE.

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope that God is doing as many wonderful things in your life as He is in mine. I am having a wonderful year, and feeling God's will to do more for the world around me. I would like to share some ministry opportunities God has presented to me in this season of my life:

Towards the end of this year, from October 12th through October 19th, God has put on my heart to travel to Siguatepeque, Honduras to visit the orphans and widows. My best friend, and myself have partnered with Visiting Orphans (www.visitingorphans.org) and Providence World Ministries to lead a team in visiting and working with La Providencia Orphanage (Providence’s incubator model for family-based community care for orphans and at-risk children), as well as widows and orphans in the surrounding Siquatepeque community. We will have the chance to minister to these children in a very humble and powerful way: being the hands and feet of Jesus by offering love and support.

Last November, I traveled to Trinidad and Tobago to minister with Redeeming PINK International, and I am overjoyed to inform you that I will be returning again this November! I am so blessed that God has given me, yet another opportunity, to be able to minister to my newly founded Trinidadian sisters in Christ.

While God has opened up doors for me to express my heart of compassion for His people around the world, the exciting part is that you will be able to share in this compassion in several ways. First, you can help by praying that God will prepare the team and myself for our journey to both of these countries, as well as keep us safe while we’re there. I will also need prayers that my financial needs will be met. Another way you can get involved is to help provide financial support. The total cost for both trips is $4,250 (Honduras-$2,600 & Trinidad-$1,650); which is quite a challenge, but I know that God will supply ALL my needs! Please consider supporting me: if you’d like to make a donation, you can go to the PayPal link below (debit/credit donation); or if you'd like to make a donation by cash, check, money order, etc., you can contact me by email: magan@triumphchurch.com. I will need to raise all funds no later than September 12th in order to attend both trips. Whether you feel led to contribute financially, through prayer, or both, I want you to know that all of your support is greatly appreciated.

After I return from both trips, I will post on my blog, sharing all the great things God did and also include some pictures as well! I look forward to doing God's work in both Honduras and Trinidad and Tobago. Thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers.


You can donate from my Facebook page here (click on the website link under “contact information”): https://www.facebook.com/magan.fontenot/about

OR

Direct PayPal Link: https://www.paypal.com/us/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_flow&SESSION=456gPBPiZSDu6PtUCUAMPc8rk9yGoP0lSehL_Tp0e2vaIdDupc6YCFLTN8y&dispatch=5885d80a13c0db1f8e263663d3faee8d96fc0752e9614158f04872d2f2ae25dc



God Bless,
Magan Fontenot

Redemption Made A Way...

"We have overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony..." (Revelation 12:11)

You know the girl in high school that was insecure about everything, even things that didn't seem to make any sense? What about the girl that was raised in church her whole life, but never fully committed to Christ? Yeah, I WAS that girl; the girl who HATED the way she looked; the girl who felt WORTHLESS; the girl that cried herself to sleep at night…yeah, that WAS me. I was at a place in my life where I was desperate for hope, but really, I was hopeless; I saw no purpose in life. I began to look for "love" in ALL the WRONG places--I started doing ALL the WRONG things. I felt so alone…but why? I was never really alone. I needed God, but I couldn't find Him…or maybe I just didn't want to...

Elementary/Junior High

In elementary and all the way up to the end of junior high, I was pretty "chunky" I guess you could say...basically I still had baby fat okay (lol)! So as you can imagine, I was picked on in school because of the way I looked; I tried a lot of things that I shouldn't have tried to lose weight, but it never worked anyway--I even tried dieting and exercising, but consistency was not in my vocabulary. Towards the middle of my 8th grade year, I decided I wanted to tryout for cheerleader at one of my local high schools. Problem was: I attended a private school and you had to be enrolled in a public school in order to tryout for cheerleader (stupid, I know). So my parents allowed me to switch to a public school (FINALLY after 8 freaking years lol). During the process of tryouts, as you could imagine, I was obviously stressed out--I was in the gym tumbling (flipping) 8 hours a day, every single day; in a little over a month, I lost 30 pounds without even meaning to! I was looking good...feeling better, and on top of that, I made the cheer squad! Not long after that, I began to notice a lot of guys that went to the high school (upperclassmen) were sending me messages on social networks (Myspace at the time) telling me how pretty I was and blah blah blah...basically they were pumping my head up...telling me what I longed to hear. So yeahhhh...you know I was feeling really good and I just thought I was the stuff...I had never received so much attention in my whole entire life! During the summer going into my Freshmen year, I began to develop relationships with these guys over the phone/computer and what not--by the time I started high school, I pretty much "talked" to a bunch of upperclassmen. 

High School 

Sooo my first day of high school: okay so you know on Mean Girls when Cady (Lindsay Lohan) is walking down the hall of her high school after she was accused of pushing Regina George in front of the school bus...and everyone is staring at her and whispering about her?? Yeah so basically that's what happened to me on my first day of high school....tragic, I know! Long story short, no girls really liked me because they thought I was "messing" with their boyfriends or whatever...which was so not the case at that point in time. So the girls that didn't like me started spreading rumors about me--the guys that I never talked to in my life started spreading [nasty] rumors about me...I wanted to move schools within the first week of my freshmen year. I was hurt, depressed, confused--I didn't understand why people would make up such rude rumors to ruin my reputation...I mean I was only a freshman in high school and my reputation was already ruined behind things I never did! Later on, I decided that I didn't give a crap anymore...people were already spreading false rumors about me...I thought: might as well do what they were accusing me of (which was not good). So I began to not care and I started doing things I shouldn't have done...I got into some relationships I shouldn't have gotten into: I was embarrassed, manipulated, and cheated on. In the 11th grade I lost my virginity because I was embarrassed by the fact that 9th and 10th graders weren't virgins...and I was still wearing my purity ring. I cried myself to sleep that night because I knew it was wrong...but I kept trying to make myself believe it was okay because I was "in love" and I would marry the guy someday (yeah freaking right). I began to go to parties and do the things people would do at high school parties--I was a complete, SLOPPY mess. What happened to my Christian morals? What was I becoming..or should I say WHO was I becoming? I was supposed to be a follower of Christ, but instead I was a follower of the world...I was living in the world (the bible clearly states to not be conformed to this world).

Anyhow, I "somewhat" got back on track with "trying" to live a Godly life. The summer of my senior year, I went to church camp knowing that would be my last year because the following year, I would be attending college in another city 5 hours away. Let me get to the point: basically, I was at the altar worshipping and God revealed to me that I needed to not move off and go to college. Of course I was stubborn and tried to ignore it, but ended up coming to the conclusion that God wanted me to stay home and attend college, but I didn't quite understand why (then)...

"THE" College Life

I decided since I wasn't moving off to another city, I would at least move out of my house and onto campus...let me just tell you...that was the WRONG decision. I was trying to do the "right" thing, but it seemed to be so hard..blah blah blah that's a lie...I wasn't TRYING hard enough! I wanted to live "THE" college life like everyone else--I wanted to be a follower. I could honestly go on and on about the many times I went back and forth between living in sin and "trying" to do the right thing (lukewarm Christian; Rev. 3:16), but I rather not bore you with same scenarios over and over again. I was being disobedient--I just wanted to do my own thing and have fun...what I was doing was taking advantage of the grace of God.

At that time, I was in a relationship that was gradually falling apart; sooner than later, it fell apart...what I "thought" was my future was gone. I was DEVASTATED. HEARTBROKEN. CONFUSED--I was an EMOTIONAL WRECK and everything else you could possibly think of. I was literally sick to my stomach--I didn't eat anything...I couldn't eat anything; I stayed in my room all day everyday with my door locked..my face planted in the pillow crying all day and night. My parents were praying hard; my best friend was praying hard; the people closest to me were praying hard....but I seemed to be hardly praying. One night I was talking to my best friend and she just started to declare things over my life and told me all I needed to do was to pray and ask God for peace. That night I prayed and cried out to God more than I ever had in my whole entire life; I told Him how much I needed Him and how I couldn't endure the pain any longer. I'm pretty sure I fell asleep praying, but when I opened my eyes the next morning, I felt like a totally different person. God gave me this peace...a peace that surpasses all understanding...a peace that calms the most violent storms--He had completely transformed me into a new person over night! My whole outlook on life had changed; I knew that I was a daughter of the Most High King and he deserved ALL of me. 

A Woman After God's Own Heart

So later on, I discovered the reason God wanted me to stay home. Well, technically I didn't "discover" it..it was actually right in front of my face the whole time...I was just too distracted to notice it! I honestly couldn't tell you were I would be today if I didn't decide to stay home for college...BUT GOD came to my rescue...He took me out of a dark and lonely place. 

I am now:

• A full time online college student.
• A student at a bible institution.
• A full time Intern for my church.
• A Worship Leader for my church's main services.
• The Worship Leader/Director over our Youth/Young Adults Worship Team/Band.
• The Director over our Youth/Young Adults Outreach Ministry (founded by my Youth Pastor). 
• In the process of establishing a Nonprofit Organization to be able to travel all around the world with my best friend and minister to people.

If I look back on my life at everything I've been through, I can tell you that I wouldn't have made it to where I am today without the grace and mercy of God. I look at all that I've accomplished at 20 years old and I just thank God for the doors of opportunity He's opened for me. Right now, I am at a place in my life where I'm just basking in God's presence; falling more and more in love with Him everyday.

I my heart is in the hands of the Almighty God, and He will place it in the hands of a man who He believes deserves it. "A woman's heart should be so lost in God, that a man must seek Him in order to find her." 

TAKE this WORLD and GIVE me JESUS...

Daddy. Master. Savior. Lover. Best Friend. Redeemer. Comforter.

Healer. Strong Tower. Mender. Forgiver. Giver. Provider. Protector. 

Peace. Love. Joy,

                          Magan Fontenot 

"It's Not the Sinner...It's the Sin"

Do you know someone who has done something they knew they weren't supposed to do and when you asked them why they did it, they said, "It wasn't me who did it, it was the sin that dwells within me!" In your head, you are thinking, okay this person is really cray cray and they NEED to see a crazy doctor before the "sin that dwells within them" causes them to do something TO ME! The thing is, in actuality, when someone says statements like that, it actually possesses somewhat of the truth...just not a very good explanation of it.  

As we all know, God created Adam and told him he could eat of any fruit in the Garden of Eden, except one (Gen 2:16-17). Later on, God created Adam a companion, Eve, who Adam loved dearly. She was later tricked by "the serpent" (the dirty rotten devil) into eating from the tree God told them not to eat from; Adam was with her and also chose to eat the forbidden fruit . Long story short, sin and death entered into the world due to Adam and Eve's disobedience. After God reveled to them the consequences, God, being the mighty God that he is, also gave them a glorious promise! He promised to send a Redeemer (His son Jesus), who would destroy Satan and restore their relationship with Him. 

With that being said, we all know that Adam's life became a sinful life; since we derived from Adam, we received from him the nature of sin. So since we have a "sinful nature," we do things that aren't right because of that sin that dwells within us. Even though we received our sinful nature from Adam, in Christ, we received everything that is of Christ. Meaning, Christ died on the cross for our sins; knowing what we would even do before He died on the cross. We can try to suppress sin all day long, but in order to actually remove the sin from our life, we must recognize that we are powerless and God has already given us dominion over our sins when He died on the cross for us; we just have to give EVERYTHING to Him. We must become weak, so that He will become strong--less of ourselves and more of Him. 

If we confess our wrong-doings to God and ask for forgiveness, He will forgive us--no questions asked. Some wonder why we must confess our sins if God already knows them. The thing is, even though God is all knowing, he wants us to confess our sins to Him so that we can acknowledge the sin we have committed. We are basically agreeing with God that sin is against Him and is destructive to His purpose for our lives. 1 John 1:9 states, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Let's make a commitment to die of ourselves daily so that we will begin to walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh (sinful life). 

Prayer of Forgiveness
“Father, I know that I have sinned against you and I am truly sorry. Please forgive me, and help me to die of myself daily so that I may walk in the Spirit and not in the flesh. Lord, I ask that you would send Your Holy Spirit to help me obey You, and do Your will for the rest of my life. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.”



Peace. Love. Joy,
                               
                          Magan Fontenot 

Here it is...

Well, here it is...my very FIRST blog post lol! My blog page is still under construction, but I thought I would post anyway! So basically, I've been contemplating all day on what to write about--it WAS going to be my testimony, but I decided to save that for tomorrow (so be on the lookout). I decided I would give some quick, general facts/details concerning my future blog posts:

1) First off, I WILL honor God with the things I post on this blog; meaning, I will not post anything on here that would be displeasing to my Heavenly Father.

2) If and when I post something that somehow relates to you (which it probably will b/c we have all dealt with/or are dealing with some of the same things), PLEASE DO NOT think that I am "targeting" you. Whatever I post on here will either be something for funzies (made that up), or will be something that God put on my heart to share. If you feel as though I am aiming something directly towards you in an offensive way, that is obviously a personal conviction...I am not here to judge anyone. I am most likely talking about a specific subject because I have gone through it before. (Luke 6:37)

3) EVERYTHING and ANYTHING I ever post on here IS and WILL BE REAL LIFE (if you guys know me, you know I say that a lot lol). Basically, I am going to be real on here like I am real anywhere else...some may like it...some may not.

4) If you have anything specific you would like me to discuss on here, just let me know! If it happens to be on a subject that I am not as strong in (which it will happen because I am still learning), I will either get back to you after I study and learn more on the subject, or seek advice from one of my spiritual leaders.

5) I will be sure to back up any subject that's commonly questioned (tattoos, piercings, drinking, sex BEFORE marriage, etc.), with biblical facts. Whether you agree or not, is up to you--I encourage you to do your own study and let God lead, guide and convict you.

6) You know the saying, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?" Well, "What is discussed on Magan's Blog STAYS on Magan's Blog" (whether it's someone's comment or something I discussed in a post)! I understand this is a public blog and people will see whatever is posted on here regardless, but I am just saying, don't go around being a blabber-mouth and gossiping to everyone and their MOMMA!

In the beginning, I will ATTEMPT (may or may not happen) to post something everyday; later on, I will probably only post once a week. I believe this will definitely be a blog you WILL WANT to subscribe to and tell all your friends about--things are going to get pretty interesting! I will share my testimony (not cover to cover b/c that would be extremely long lol) tomorrow night...so be on the look out. Until then, goodnight everyone!

Peace. Love. Joy,

Magan Fontenot <3 p="">