ANEW is not just an AVON product………..

I was just looking at an AVON book and noticed that they are promoting the regeneration of the skin through their skin care line ANEW. As I looked at many of their products it hit me how many areas can regenerated by using this product. ANEW actually means in a new form or manner in another words doing things differently.

Let’s get this straight, I am not promoting the product but I will like to share with you the power of finding a FRIEND who will help you REGENERATE as you go through the experiences that will leave you scarred.

We as human beings have the tendency of going through life almost blinded. We tend not to think too much what is going to happen in the future. We only plan certain parts of our lives. As we walk this journey of life we come face to face with the reality that we need some type of support to make it through. We begin to build our support system, our friendships and we rely on these friendships to always be there.

As we face challenges in our lives we either make these friendships stronger or we BURN our bridges with them. We tend to take the approach that all we need is ourselves maybe our husband and just a few family members but we forgot how RICH the experience of having a FRIEND is. A friend who you can share the process of REGENERATION at the end of a sad, uncomfortable, happy, and or exciting experiences.

Our church is going through an exciting period of its growth. We are experiencing new members become part of our church that are need of getting REGENERATED in many aspects such as spiritually, physically and emotionally. CAFELATE identified in our last meeting the need to create friendships within our church. The need to step our comfort zone and our prejudices and create friendships that will fulfill our vision of becoming and help others become TREES OF RIGHTOUSNESS……..We identified groups of friends that will begin meeting and getting to know each other in a personal level. Many of you might not find many things in common from the beginning but as we continue to converse and get together believe me we will find many things in common. We already have a few in common: we attend BETESDA, we like to BLOG(ha, ha) and so on….

Let me start by sharing my experience with one of my new friends. I have in my group Alexandra, Nani, Josie and Aura. I went to a salida that Aura went as well and we began to talk. During our conversation we begin to share some experiences and GUESS what?????????? Aura has three years of Theater and loves to put together plays and pantomimas. She has done a Christmas Musical and has an artitistic ministry. For those of you who know me well know how I am feeling about this already………YEAH!!!!
If you don’t know me well find out why I am liking this.

During the next few weeks lets make an effort to share sometime with our friends in the group and begin to BLOG how these experiences are going. BUT first please share who is in your group and what is your thought about building new friendships in our church. As we continue I will like to hear about those experiences.
STAY TUNED for the next BLOG on how to continue to ANEW yourself……….

LET’s stay connected!!!!

TREASURE HUNTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Many years ago I heard a simple message from Victoria Osteen about transforming everything in your heart to a treasure. She talked how we treasure the good experiences and we remember them with nostalgia. On the other hand we want to forget the bad experiences and never tried to find something good out of it. We tend to hide them deep inside our hearts and only used them to hurt ourselves over and over again. Bad experiences scar us and we tend to hide them away without looking at the other side of the experience. BELIEVE it or NOT, bad experiences do have something that can be treasured and is the fact of experiencing something and learning from it. It is like looking at the other side of the coin.

I recall hearing so many stories of challenges and difficult times in our lives during our last CAFELATE and how we have survived it and now are stories of inspiration to ourselves and others. It is in that ultimate moment that we decide to allow those bad experiences to empower us, help others and keep us close to God in which they turn to be TREASURE in our hearts.

I recall my first few years of marriage in which I found myself not having the marriage I dreamed of and where I found myself having more differences than similarities with my husband. Where I found that I need to be strong and take control of my marriage and my situation. It was the hardest years of my life because I was also becoming a mother and juggling two new stages in my life was very difficult. There were times when I was ready to give up in my marriage. It has not been an easy road maybe because I am not an easy person to get along with………………..LOL……….. Without the support of my family, church and friends it would have been more difficult to understand and bear. God gave me and continues to give me the strength to make it through all the stages in my life. Maybe everything is not the way I probably expected it would be but through it all the lessons I have learned have become a TREASURE in my heart. Ask me in a few years how I made through my kids teenage years……………..That is another story……..LOL.

TREASURE is anything that you hold in high regards and/or treat as precious. Once you decided that an experience, no matter how difficult it may seem, will be cherished, it will become a TREASURE of surpassable value.

I have a co-worker who has gone through a great deal of very difficult experiences from a sick child to infidelity in her marriage and all at the same time. She did not know how tomorrow will look for her but she decided to hang on to God and allow him to steer her life. It was very difficult for her to speak about her experiences with others but now she even amazes herself how she is using her experiences as way of inspiration to others. She has turned these experiences in to her very own TREASURE and as the years go by she will look and admire what she has gained.

Proverbs 4:23 says:
Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.

I would like for you to respond to this BLOG with a specific situation and/or experience that you felt you have turned into a TREASURE. Better yet, for those who have not had that opportunity, to share an experience in your life (you don’t have to give all the details) in which is still being a scar in your heart and you will like to turn into a TREASURE. After you shared an experience and you will like to do another posting with encouraging words to someone else’s posting feel free to do so.



Let’s go TREASURE HUNTING!

VOLUNTEERS needed for an INTIMATE MAKEOVER!

In the American Society MAKEOVERS have become a pastime for many because our culture has placed it as a necessity to boost self-esteem and quality of life. MAKEOVERS have been created to fix and/or improve physical areas in our bodies, homes and many other areas.

How can we not forget one of our favorite shows Extreme Makeover? How the homes of many people around our nation have experienced a MAKEOVER to improve their quality of life.
A few years ago a spin off of this show gave Physical MAKEOVERS to people that weren't happy with their physical appearance and needed a boost for their self-esteem. They seemed happy with the end result because they asked for the lips of Angelina Jolie, buttocks of J-Lo, breasts such as Pamela Anderson and the list goes on. Their families were present to see the end result and how their eyes lit up with the transformation of their loved one. How many of us wished we were one of the participants to nip tuck and fix a couple of rolls, to enhance some areas and so on.

Sincerely, I dreamed about it a few times and still think about it once in a while but when reality hits I realize other areas in my life that need a MAKEOVER. These areas might not be appreciated by the eye but my soul, relationships and my God will appreciate it.

Have you taken time lately to meditate on who you are, what purpose God created you for, where are you now and where are you going? What are you like and don't like about yourself? What it is hurting you? What are your goals in life for yourself as woman? How you value and love yourself? How are you feeling about your health? How are you feeling about the role you have at home, work, community and at church and what are those challenges?

This is the calling for an INTIMATE MAKEOVER.

One that starts from the inside out. One that God has designed especially for you.

This is when you begin to re-discover who you are, what you love to do, what you want to do, what bothers you, what hurts you, what would you like to change, what you want to continue to do and what would you like to share.

Yes, Yes. I know it seems like a lot of questions to think about or to try to answer at one time. I am not asking you to answer them all at the same time but take your time to meditate about them. I will like to hear your opinions and experiences when you have tried to answer these questions.

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." (Romans 12:2)

I invite you to accept this calling. We are in this together. We will find areas that we will like to experience a MAKEOVER but it takes commitment, self-disclosure and prayer. I encourage you to begin praying for guidance on your INTIMATE MAKEOVER. It will be an experience that will change your life.

Lets stay connected,

Yali

¡Hacia un nuevo rumbo! TOWARDS A NEW PATHWAY!

This morning when I woke I realized how CAFELATE was on it's way towards a new pathway and it gave me an exciting feeling . If you have not realized it but we have been meeting almost consistently during this last year. Our group has done some exciting activities that have edified our spiritual and emotional aspects of our lives but where do we go from here?



How many of us have goals that we have been working on and sometimes it feels like we are not getting anywhere? How do we prioritize what should be done first in order to effectively reach our goal? What are the struggles and barriers that you face during this process? How do you feel once you have MET a goal?



This is food for thought! As we look into CAFELATE we will be working on some goals, we will be prioritizing, analyzing, strategy zing and reaching goals during our journey. Please share with me:

1. what are some goals you see we can reach during our journey?

2. what could be some of the struggles we could face?

3. how we can overcome the struggles?

4. share with me an experience you had with setting goals and process to complete them.





I pray and hope that as you take this new pathway with CAFELATE you will greatly enriched and blessed.

Lets' stay connected,

Yali