A Pic is Worth a Thousand Words

God definitely works in mysterious ways. I started the year believing the word that my Pastor Erwing Cardona received from God. "This is my year. This is my time to prosper." Little did I know that God was going to open doors to go on a missions trip to Costa Rica. The vision that God gave me 10 years ago is finally coming to pass. I can't leave out the fact that my friend Jonathan has been a blessing and instrument of God in starting this missions revolution in Maranatha.

I've been speaking to my new friend Carla a lot lately. She's from Zion Christian Fellowship, and she went on the missions trip to Costa Rica last year. She was kind enough to send me pictures to share here. ENJOY...

Missions... Missions... Missions...

I am humbled by all the support and encouragement I've received. That is why I've decided to start this blog. I want to share my heart with you and tell you about how all of this began.

I am a missionary; no doubt about it. This is God's calling over my life.

A project I did as a freshman in high school led me to consider different career paths and choose one that I felt most identified with. My kid cousins love me, I love to help others in need, and I am a science nerd; Pediatrics was a perfect fit. This is when I decided to join the medical magnet program at Miami Northwestern High. The bus-ride to and from school was long, leaving a guy named Erick with a lot of free time to talk to me about Jesus. It was on these long bus rides where I fell in love with my Lord and Savior.

In 2001 I went on a youth retreat where God spoke to my heart in a way like He had never done before. At this retreat I received my first prophesy about missions. I had never heard of missions before, and so I was left with an overwhelming curiosity to investigate what this all meant. I went into research mode. As I found information, it became more and more apparent that this was God's plan for my life; something bigger than what I had planned for myself. My heart for medicine and missions became inseparable. Since then I've received several other prophesies and confirmations that this is indeed my destiny.

On July 5-15 I will be traveling with Zion Christian Fellowship to Costa Rica on my first missions trip. I will be sure to take many pictures to share with you here.

Please keep me in your prayers. This is sure to be a life-changing experience for me; the first of many more to come.

God bless you,

Jennifer Alvarado