Reaching Out

       So this is going to be my first blog ever, and the whole reason for me starting it is because I have seen first hand how they can touch people and how they have touched me. (If you would like to see what I mean then read this http://shelbibaywatson.blogspot.com/2013/07/how-i-became-military-girlfriend.html )

       So if you haven't realized yet those blogs are from my amazing girlfriend Shelbi Watson! So I am going to start by saying I am by far not the best Christian ever and have way to many flaws to count. I fall on my face everyday, but yet God picks me right back up dusts me off and says go. Growing up I was raised in church and had the best family anyone could ask for, so if your looking for the story of the kid who had no parents and got bullied through high school and hated his life everyday that's not here, but I can tell you that even if you grow up with the best parents and the best family and the best friends that the Devil just tries even harder to pull you down. I can promise you that he did just that to the point where I didn't even think God wanted me to talk to him or even go to church anymore.  Well anyways at the start of high school I was consider a goodie goodie I hung out with all the kids who went to church on Sundays and Wednesday night, went to all the big church events and even on mission trips. The first mission trip I went on was a World Changers event to Buffalo, New York. There I was a leader in my small groups where I was responsible to make a small devotion every night and teach it the next morning during small groups. At that time I felt closer to God then I have ever felt before and I still remember to this day how it made me feel inside and how I loved to teach Gods word to kids around my age. Well moving through high school I started to change my values and my friends. I started hanging out with a new crowd and really enjoyed it. That's when I got introduce to alcohol. So throughout the end of my high school career I started sneaking out at night and going to friends house to drink and party. Well this became a habit that was hard to shake because when I started college and was out on my own it only got worse. Not only was I drinking but I started to smoke and just be around people that a true Christian should not be hanging out with. Needless to say I pretty much stop going to some of my classes and started to fail out of my first year of school (not smart on my part because I'm still paying it off today). So after countless of wasted years of living the party life, trying to just make ends meet, and relationships that was leading to no where and had absolutely no focus on God what so ever one day I just decided to give it all up and pray that God would forgive me and help bring Christian friends back into my life. So God did just that, I moved in with my sister and brother-law and started slowly getting back into church soon after that I started hangout with the church crowd and eventually God lead me to a wonderful Christian girl named Shelbi! The thing is everything was happing so fast that I really didn't even realize that he was answering every prayer that I asked for! His grace and mercy was all around me and I didn't even take the time to stop to thank him for everything... so I guess he gave me a little reality check and that's when I got the "call" from my Sergent that I was getting deployed for about year and leaving in less than 2 months.... Wow talk about smack to the face! So I gave Shelbi the news and honesty to start out I really didn't think she would stay with me after all we have only been together for about 2 months. So I pretty much just fell flat on my face and wonder why God would you give me something so wonderful and just take it away from me like that??? But to beat the odds for some reason she stay with me!!
 So that's pretty much
where I am at now in my life overseas and just trying to make it back home!

 Our verse Genesis 31:49