In great hands...

Life doesn't always work out the way we plan it, but then again, I bet you already knew that.

Well, my life has turned out quite different from what I pictured in my head when I was a little girl. Don't get me wrong, I've actually been very blessed and have accomplished things I never even imagined. However, life has been a bit more difficult than what I expected, specially when it comes to matters of the heart.

It's good to know that my life is in better hands than my own, that my Creator has much better plans for me than what I had in mind. It's good to know that, even though the future seems unclear, there's nothing to fear, because God's plans are and will always be better than ours. I'll be just fine!

"For I know the plans that I have for you..."

Seasons...

"There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven.”
Ecclesiastes 3:1

This morning I found out that the radio station that I listen to the most will no longer exist after the end of this month. The owner's have decided to sell it, leaving me and God knows how many others in a state of shock. I mean, what now? What am I supposed to listen to know? I don't want them to go! So many times I tuned in and heard exactly what my heart needed to hear, so many times I listened and a song described what I was going through. Man, Spirit FM was there during my darkest hours and during happy times as well. I don't get it! Why must they go? I guess it was out of their control...
The Bible tells us that there's a time and a season for everything, so, in this case, I have no choice but to accept...even if the reason seems unclear or somehow unfair. I thank God for every single time I tuned in and they were there. I'm grateful for all the times I felt alone and God used them to play the right song, with the right words to bring encouragement to my life.
I wish they would stay, but God knows why they wont. I don't know how my drives will be now that I wont have them there anymore, but I will be forever grateful for the times when they were.

Father, thank you for the blessings you bring into our lives. Whether they are here to stay or for just a season, only you know.

What now? I don't know, but I know I'll soon find out. My Father, the God that knows all my needs and has promised to meet them, He will come up with something, and then...a new season will begin.

Our gift to the world...

If I won't be myself, who will?

-Alfred Hitchcock


Nobody!
Throughout our lives, we might be able to meet people with a similar mentality than ours, people that believe in what we believe, people that like the things that we also like and people that enjoy the things we also enjoy. Although these are people with whom we have things in common, God has created each and everyone of us unique and special. There are things that only you can offer to the world, because they were only given to you by our Creator. By trying to be someone we're not, we're actually denying ourselves the opportunity to impact the world around us in a way that only we could.
Today, I choose to embrace who I am, the wonderful me that God created...special and unique. I choose to offer the world the very best of me, the real Pris.
I invite you all to do the same...I'm sure you wouldn't want the world to miss out.

Giving up or letting go...

When should one give up? When is it acceptable, if ever?
In any circumstance, whether it be in a struggling relationship, the difficult pursuit of a dream, or whatever process we might be going through, we all come to a point when the thought of giving up knocks on our door. This tends to happen when we're tired, when we feel like there's no more strength to fight inside of us, when we're overwhelmed, when we've lost hope, that light at the end of the tunnel that kept us walking towards it, but all of the sudden is gone...or at least so it seems.
The reality is that giving up has been an option chosen by many, if not by all, at some point or another. There's a point during the journey, when we are so tired, drained and weak that we feel that the reason which got us there on the first place, the purpose for which we're fighting for, is suddenly not worth one more effort. But, does that mean that it really isn't? Could it be that the fight has gotten so intense and, since we're already tired, we'd much rather tell ourselves that there's nothing else to do? That's definitely possible. I mean, can we proudly say at that point that we've done all we can, given all we have, gone as far as we can, pushed as hard as we can and held on as strong as we can? Can we say that we've tried everything possible in our power? If the honest answer to any of these questions is no and we still choose to give up, there's a possibility we might one day face regret. However, if the honest answer to all these questions is yes, then we wouldn't be actually giving up, but instead, we would be letting go...having in our hearts the satisfaction of knowing that we did our part.
Whatever our circumstance, whatever our struggle, whatever battle we might find ourselves in today, let's make sure to fight with all we've got. Let's not see giving up as an option, but instead, let's remember that, as long as we're fighting, we have a chance to win.

I'm blessed...

If we could only see clearly at all times, if we would take the time to notice, we would see how blessed we are. Do you know how many times I've sat in my car thinking of the many things I wish I had? Many times! We all do it, we all tend to invest more time feeling unhappy about the things we lack. I could give you a long list that would have you reading for a while. Things I wish I had, problems I wished I didn't have, places I wish I had already been to, goals not yet accomplished, memories I wish I could erase, and so on... Anytime I want to, I can find many reasons to be unhappy and feel sorry for myself. It's easy, we all know this, we have all done it many times, I have done this many times.
Fortunately, there are times, like today, when my eyes are able to see clearly. There are times, like today, when I'm not blinded by my "I wants", but instead, I'm amazed by seeing and counting my many blessings. First of all, I'm saved! I'm healthy, good looking (you know I had to say that :)...) I have amazing Parents, who are ALWAYS willing to show me how much they love me. I have two beautiful Sisters, who are also my greatest friends and supporters. God has blessed me with a great job, a wonderful gift and passion for singing and an amazing, totally awesome Church I can call home. I've seem dreams come true and prayers answered. I have been blessed with wonderful, WONDERFUL friends who touch my heart and show me God's love time and time again. This is just to name a few. This list would actually be longer than the first. Can you believe it? I have so much, I have received so much by grace and so many times I fail to see what has been given to me, because I let myself be blinded by what hasn't...the cruel reality of human nature.
Today, I'm just glad to be able to see, to be able to embrace my many blessings and rest in God's promise to provide ALL my needs. He can worry about the things I want and still don't have, since He's my God and provider. And me? Well, I'll rejoice counting my blessings. I'll give back from what I've received by grace and, hopefully, one day God will allow me to be counted as a blessing on somebody else's list.
I like being able to see clearly how good my God has been to me. When the enemy reminds you of what you don't have, take out your list of blessings...he'll have no choice but to run and you'll have no choice but to rejoice.

Much love...

Nothing to fear...

The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you

No better place...

If all wishes came true I would be in Heaven tonight. Don't freak out, let me explain and then you'll see my point. On my flight back home today I decide to take out my iPod and listen to some music. After listening to a couple of songs, a new one started to play and that's where my journey began. The song was "Always" from Hillsong...wow. I've always felt connected to that song from the first time I listened to it, but it had never taken me as deep into God's presence as it did today. I listened carefully, I felt every word and, as I did, I found myself before my saviour. I walked in the streets of heaven with the best companion one could ever had, Jesus Himself. I sat under a big tree, played with little bugs without fear, felt the breeze of everlasting peace caress my face, stared into the eyes of love, true love. I told Him so much without words, He answered with a smile that filled my entire heart with the desire of never leaving His side. At that very moment, with tears running down my face, seating on my airplane seat, I asked God "would you just take me? Can I just stay with you forever?". It's just that being in His presence made everything else so insignificant, so small. He was all I wanted, He was all I needed. I thought about my family and how they would suffer if God decided to take my life, but not even that was strong enough to take away this feeling of wanting to experience His presence forever. Nothing compared to the feeling of being made whole, nothing was worth letting Him go.
I'm still here, He didn't take me, but things have changed. You see, our lives are never the same after we have walked with Him, after we have stared into His loving eyes. His love fills the deepest most hidden corners of our hearts, making us whole.
So, until the day I graduate, until my mission and purpose are fulfilled on this earth,until the day He tells me I don't have to come back, I'll continue to visit heaven through worship. I'll cherish every walk I get to take with Him, even if I can't stay. I'll seek His face knowing that He desires to be found and I'll never forget His smile. By the way...He wanted me to tell you that He's waiting for you. It's your turn to visit...

Mission accomplished

This was Promissa's second trip to Boston. It was non-stop since Thursday and it all ended today with Promissa ministering at 3 different Churches back to back. Even though we've learned a lot since our CD came out last May, we realize that we still have a lot more learning to do.
I'll tell you though, what an amazing feeling it is, to do what God has called you to do. We're tired, exhausted actually, but feeling like we've done our job. We have accomplished this mission, with God's help. We have, once again, overcome the obstacles that the enemy had placed in our way and we have received the victory. The victory that only those who persevere get to taste.
Wonderful God and Creator, thank you for choosing us, Promissa, to do this mission. Thank you for allowing us to bring life to others through our music. Thank you for choosing this three imperfect girls to fulfill your perfect purpose. We love you and forever thank you.

Always better...

As we know, we all go through life and, during this journey, we get to experience a large number of different situations which determine our grouth and shape our character. These process cannot be avoided. Why? Because if we did, if life actually spared us its tests, we would just be a bunch of big children walking around without the ability to bring life to those around us. In my case, man I've been tested. God must really have big plans for this Dominicana, because He's really determined to help me grow...it's pretty obvious.
I'll tell you, in the middle of life's trials, in the middle of every situation, there's a choice to make. Yeap, we can either let ourselves be brought down, defeated and ultimtely made worse by life's unavoidable storms or we can decide to face whatever comes with the conviction that at the end of the storm, after going through the fire we will indeed come out purified...we will come out as gold. That's what Job said when he had to endure his share: Job 23:10 "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold."
When I look back, I see how I've come out better out of each situation. It has not been easy or fun to face the storms that I've faced, but the me that has come out of every single one of those has been better and better each time. Don't get me wrong, I'm not at the point where I actually look forward to going through the fire, I would be the biggest liar if I said that. I've just learned that once I'm in it, God's power helps me get through and I come out victorious. I get tired sometimes, I can't deny. My heart wants to take a break, a breather, but God knows the plans He has for me and He knows how ready I must be for them. I cry and try to get away from trials and suffering...I'm human, aren't I? But the truth is, I ain't scared! I've seen God's hand way too many times, I've seen good come out of bad situations many times, I've seen tears turned into laugther, I've seen how God can use a broken heart. So here I am, standing, knowing that no matter what life may bring, the result, the me to come will always be better. Guys, I can't wait to meet the new me!

A naked dreamer...

It may be that those who do most, dream most.

-Stephen Leacock

Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all.

-Dale Carnegie



I'm a dreamer, I can't deny it. I've been a dreamer since I was a little girl, so by now I master the art. The great thing is that I've seen many of my dreams come true and I must say that this brings one's heart a wonderful sense of fulfilment. Like when I heard one of my songs play on the radio for the first time or back in June when, at one of our concerts in Boston, I stopped singing and the crowd continued to sing our song word by word. Makes you want to go back and live those moments over again, doesn't it? The sweet moments that only a dreamer can taste.

You know what though? There's a whole lot of other things a dreamer gets to experience. As a dreamer, I have been discouraged and have faced disappointment time and time again. I've been tired, sad and all these has felt so strong and overwhelming that, at times, I have even prayed "God, please take this dream away...I can no longer". So glad that during those times He has decided not to grant that request. You see, when God plants a dream in your heart, He doesn't do it to make you suffer or to make you miserable, knowing that you will never see it come true. I refuse to believe something like that...my God loves me too much to do something like that to me. Instead, throughout your life, He prepares you, whether you are aware of it or not. He allows moments of glory as well as moments of what to our eyes seems as defeat, all as part of our intense training...all part of His purpose in order to fully equip you.
I have my days...days when I don't want to feel this burning flame in my heart that tells me what I'm meant to do, because I feel like I have no clue of how to go about doing it. I have my days when I feel like I want to just be a "normal person" a non-dreamer, only because I'm so tired, only because the road seems to long and difficult to walk on, only because I don't have the resources to make things happen. I have my days...when those closer to me are the source of my discouragement, when I want to mute every voice that says "you can't, that's not possible, it will be very difficult for you and your Sisters to do this, it will never work out, are you sure this is what God wants you to do?, you should consider doing something else", and blah, blah, blah... I have my days when I feel like throwing in the towel, taking out my white flag. As hard as it is to believe,however, these days are still part of my training. They teach me to persevere, to exercise faith, to endure, to push through, to not believe what my eyes see, but instead, trust that what my God has promised will come to past. That's why I can't just give up, I choose not to...for only I know how strong this flame burns in my heart, for only God can plant a dream so strong. I'll just do what I possibly can and He'll do what seems impossible. I'll see through His eyes when I find no hope seeing through mine. You see, it's not really my dream, it's His.

A dreamer goes through ups and downs
a dreamer cries when feeling doubt
a dreamer knows the fight that takes
but also knows how sweet can taste to see a dream come true.