I serve an Amazing God!

Now I know everyone will say, "Yeah, I know." But man, He has really been revealing himself to me lately.
It all started while I was pregnant with Delayna. He was telling me to trust in Him. I thought I always did, but He showed me where I was lacking. He showed me through his blessing for Delayna that, that is exactly how He wanted to bless my family as a whole. I just needed to trust in Him with EVERYTHING!
As time has been going on, I have noticed my husband growing, tremendously! I didn't understand everything as to why I was feeling the way that I was spiritually, but it was revealed to me this weekend, that He was pulling me back, to bring Jose forward. See, I always felt that "I had to 'push' Jose to get involved & apply himself."
What was revealed to me though, was that God is doing the work, I just have to trust in Him!
While I was sick with the pregnancy, healing after a deliver and caring for a colicy baby during bible study nights. Jose was able to go, alone. Learn, listen, be taught & grow the way that God wanted him to be able to.

Every year our church has it's Easter Outreach. We have been part of this for 4 years. Our first time at our church was exactly 1 week before Easter & we were hooked!
Last year was awesome! Jose and I teamed up and were the leaders for the Food Ministry & what a blessing it was to be able to feed these people and know we had a part! Even then Jose was "just going to church". Just after this time, is when he really started applying himself to the word & getting in depth.
This year as we were gearing ourselves up for the Easter Outreach, Jose and I were talking about how awesome it was last year & how excited we were this year. Knowing all of the blessings we have been given and to be able to do the work of God, reaching only God knows how many lives is beyond words.
Then Pastor announced his plans for this years outreach. Come to find out, our church is teaming up with Canaan Assembly of God Church and Pastor De La Cruz. Our church thought it was awesome (I can't speak for my church family members or my Pastor. I don't know how close to the heart it hit), but for Jose and I, it meant so much more.
You see, Jose and I met when I was attending Canaan as a teenager. I started going there when I was about 13 years old. Pasor De La Cruz was my pastor & her family was very special to mine. I babysat for her daughter, Liz. My mom was close to her daughter, Tina. I went to the outside services they had in the summers, youth, Disneyland. I have MANY memories growing up in Canaan. *Like the time I babysat for Liz & I had to make chicken for the kids for dinner. I made what I thought was fried chicken, but luckily Liz came home in time to find that it in fact was undercooked fried chicken! Or the time I went to Disneyland. Jeanette, myself & another girl were in a store. The other two went out when I was still inside browsing. They called me to look at a boy outside. I walked passed the security alarms & was accused of stealing...NOT a good thing when your there with your church!*
Anyways, back to the story at hand...
Jose started attending church with me while we were still dating. I got pregnant in March of 1995, just 7 mos after my 16th birthday. The day I found out I was pregnant was awesome, but I knew what I was doing was a sin. I vowed to God that I would obstain from sexual immorality with Jose until we were married. I also prayed and asked God, that if Jose was the man for me, then I wanted Jose to convert to Christianity and accept God as his savior & vow to follow Him.
We planned our wedding. During the planning, I was blessed with my first blessing, Anthony Jose Herrera. Pastor De La Cruz told us that she would not marry us, unless we got counseling, from her. I of course agreed, but it was Jose that I was worried about. He still hadn't converted & didn't have plans to. But, he wanted to marry me. So I told him that I wanted my Pastor to marry me, and for it to happen, she would have to counsel us. He eventually agreed. Pastor De La Cruz counseled us for a month, while we continued to plan for our wedding. She opened my eyes to many things and to this day I thank her for the time she took with Jose and I to guide us into a God appointed marriage. I shared with her my "pact" I made with God. I also told her that I wouldn't marry Jose unless he accepted Christ as his savior (Jose never knew this. I still don't know if he does). Well, one week to the day before our wedding was set, Canaan had a Saturday Service (I don't remember exactly why or what). But that night, Jose went up to the alter & gave his life to God. It was then that God showed me that Jose is my husband.
We were married a week later.
Jose and I continued to go to church there for a while. I can honestly say that I was really growing close to God for a while & during that time God gave me a vision for Jose and I.
Well, time went on. We walked away & lived a life away from God for a while.
During the 8 years that we were out of Canaan & before Legacy, we attended another church. Nothing special. We were never really involved. We just went I guess you could say to go. The church is a great church and is a symbol in the community, but it was just too big & we got lost in the crowd. Not to mention, Jose has always been on the quiet, keep to himself end of the stick.
So, back to Legacy...
After Pastor Todd announced that we would be teaming up with Canaan, Jose and I were estatic! We thought, how cool is this going to be!?! A church that we began our journey in & the church that we have planted our roots in & are raising our children in, are coming together for the greatest outreach we have annually.
Then as I began to ponder, God brought back to my memory the vision He gave me 11-12 years ago.
That vision was Jose and I reaching out to our "old friends", the gang bangers that we hung with, the partiers, the lost, hurting, rejected. Those who 'hang' on the East Side of Banning. Jose and I were going to be bringing those people into the kingdom & showing them the love of God.
When God gave that vision to me, it was SO REAL! But at the same time, I knew Jose & thought, "No way would he ever do something like that for 'the church'".
Well guess what...all this time that he has been taking in getting to know God in a more personal way. Everytime he goes to pray for someone at church and walks back to me with tears in his eyes. Everytime I call him when he's supposed to be home and he's off talking to Mick, Noe or whoever else from the church about a passage in the bible he didn't understand. Everytime he is late for dinner or misses a soccer game because his friend needed him to talk to & just be there to show them that someone cares.
God is building MY MAN up, so that WE can fullfill the vision God has on our lives!
I am sitting here in my bed, while Jose is sleeping next to me. He has his new bible next to him and I know he is only going to grow deeper.
I am blessed to call him my husband and stand next to him this coming up weekend. We will stand strong together before it and love on God's people during it!
Jose and I have been praying for many of our friends for many years! When God revealed the vision to me & I shared it with Jose this time around, we both had certain people in our minds that we want to see give their lives to Christ.
I am blessed to say that 2 weeks before Easter, My best friends for over 20 years started attending church. They are teaming up with us this Saturday in the kitchen and we will be loving on the people together.
God gave us the vision, He is building us up to fullfill it and is giving us victory to prove it!
I serve an Amazing God!
Here is a song that Jose has been driving me crazy with lately (I'm not gonna lie. I love my husband, but the man can not keep a beat, tune, nothing). It's an awesome song & I just felt it fitted perfectly on my entry for tonight....


I'm sorry if this was choppy, but I was blogging while putting Delayna to sleep.
I pray that you are blessed & that you can have the love of the Lord in your life, as I have. I pray He reveals his mercy in your life. He is ALL we need! Live in His Freedom! Rest in Him!