To God Be The Glory

Hello,
I hope those of you that read this blog will find it useful.
My goal is to be able to tell others about my life and how it has only been God's faithfulness that has brought me this far.

My name is Lydia. I'm 19 years old. I have a 2yr. old boy. I've been married for 2.5 months!

My story:
I'm born and raised within the ministry of Victory Outreach. My parents were missionaries when i was born. I've lived in San Diego since i was 5. Growing up within the church walls you become familiar with the ways of Christianity. I remember being about 7 sleeping in between the chairs of the sanctuaries during an all night prayer session. Carefully watching how my parents would react under every challenge that came their way. By the time i entered junior high i had experienced the presence of The Almighty not only in my local church by in another country as well. I had full understanding of who He is. I met my husband when i was 11yrs old. We became very good friends. He knew i was a pastors daughter and that i went to church. Yet he wondered how i became the very out spoken young girl i was. Through J.R.High i had a very strong relationship with God. Then i began to long for more attention, for a friend. So there he was, Carlos. It was a innocent relationship. I had my morals and he knew. So about a year we were very serious, we knew it was more than puppy love. But in the summer that we were transitioning to High School one of us made a bad decision that ended our relationship. Then that winter i was in a terrible car accident and i thought man God must want my attention. That next spring was the grand opening of the U.T.C. in Mexico. I was so excited. I was there all the time and became very close to the leadership there. I spent my whole summer there. It was amazing, the power of God was moving through me in so many ways. It was my greatest escape to be with him. Then that fall as i was entering my second year of high school. There again i was reminded of my past relationship and the heartbreak it had caused. But i guess , actually i don't know what drew me back to him. We were just friends always denying that we were an item. I guess just old feelings came back and with it came new ones too. I was always taught that sex was a sacred affair never to be awaken until its time. But there is a devil that is real that will do anything to stop you from fulfilling the calling God has given you. My promise was that i would attract other girls to Christ because i was different in style and music and other girls that were the same would see and feel accepted. I would travel the world with my gifts and talents, sharing the gospel. As i began to lose my prayer life and valuable disciplines, i became more vulnerable to the enemy. I was a teen mom at the age of 16. It was very difficult being a pastors kid in my situation. It wasn't easy at all. I remember during my pregnancy worshiping God on my instrument and just asking him forgiveness and being allowed to be in His presence after all i had done. It was hard for my husband as well. He grew up in a traditional catholic environment. He played sports and was in a rock band. It was a big let down on both of our sides. He didn't fully understand my church-going lifestyle and i didn't understand how sitting in a pew for one hour got you to heaven. It was a very difficult time.

BUT GOD......
He had another plan. As i surrendered my life to Him, things began to change. Carlos gave his heart to God. Now you have to understand he comes from a very hardworking family that never asked for help and found their pride in that. So this was a big step. Then it came time to deciding if we would baptize or dedicate our child, of course we both wanted different things. Then we weren't allowed to do this ceremony together because we weren't married. That was very painful not to be able to do it together but we agreed that Carlos would go up and i would take pictures. Carlos began to play drums for the church and i became involved with youth and nursery. From there our journey began. Many people in our position wouldn't have done what we did. Many leave to another city then come back.We faced our challenges , we didn't run away. Then came the time for marriage. We knew we loved each other when we had Jeremiah it just wasn't the right time. I think the best part about all of this is that our pastors blessed it, and so did our parents. We got married 8.02.08!! We had a beautiful wedding, God really blessed us. I just stand in awe of HIM. Not many girls in my situation have had their stories played out like mine. We decided to be different and let God handle our situation. The outcome has been mind blowing. The Lord has been our strength through it all. Carlos is so hungry for God and His word. He's even mentioned going to the U.T.C. I really cant believe how far we have come.I'm so excited for the future. Our church is on the verge of breaking into revival. Serving God is truly life-changing.


TOMORROW I'LL BE POSTING MY VIEW ON STORMING THE GATES PT.2
-STAY TUNED-