bye 2014

2014, you've truly been fabulous.

January brought me to Tennessee for a worship leaders conference with my worship leader and friend. It also brought me a new friend, Debby, from Honduras and cold walks in 20 degrees through my downtown mall.

February brought me a car. There were snowball fights. I got a pair of sweatpants. I worked my butt off. It was a good time.

March oh March. I had radio & TV interviews, my LLB Concert, almost killed myself trying to do a handstand and went to Honduras for the first time!

April was AMAZING. I sang in front of 8,000 people live. WOW! And they chanted my song..oh the feeling was incredible. I went to NYC and Connecticut. I went to my second CFAW and saw Trip Lee and Tedashii in concert!! SO FUN!

May well...What can I say? I finished high school. I was voted to sing a solo for the AHS graduation. I got a senior ensemble spot and sang Oceans while my sister danced.

June took me to VA beach for my first paid gig and a vacation! I had SO much fun this month! I also graduated on the 14th and it was great. Scottie & Alaney & I hung out a lot.

July was spent in Honduras. The entire month!! HOW AWESOME?! I participated in my second medical brigade and brought me closer to the Holy Spirit. AND I GOT BAPTIZED.

August was kind of nerve wracking. I cut off so many friendships. I was kind of in tears a lot. But I started college! And that was exciting-ish. I also took my first roadtrip without my parents. Amanda came along and we went to the beach!!!! and I pierced my nose.

September kind of dragged along I guess. I don't really remember much about September. I met Nirva! I participated in Open Mic at Liberty. I saw Andy Mineo perform!!!

October brought me head lice. nasty. I had my second paid gig w/ Cynthia Murray and DWD. I got to see Andrea and Bernard get married <3 nbsp="" p="">
November. I got CPR/First aid certified and started my new job at LaHaye Student Union. So life was just really filled with that.

December....ahhhh December. I went to Florida. Found out that I get to go back to Liberty next semester. AND I TURNED 18!!!! oh and I released "My Cross" on iTunes.

so yeah. It's been a good 12 months. I'm ready for 2015. BRING IT ON.



XO,
Lily

The Lord is good and He always provides.

Let me tell you something. I have learned that there's nothing wrong with nice things. There's nothing wrong with change. There's nothing wrong with going to college. There's nothing wrong with starting a Bible study. There's nothing wrong with volunteering at a food bank. What's wrong is thinking that good works or following what we think is a "good path" will save you in the end.

As 2014 comes to a close and 2015 commences, let's remember that our hope is found in no other name or thing but Jesus Christ.

Psalms 33:16-22

 The king is not saved by his great army;
    a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
 The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
    and by its great might it cannot rescue.

 Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him,
    on those who hope in his steadfast love,
 that he may deliver their soul from death
    and keep them alive in famine.

Our soul waits for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
 For our heart is glad in him,
    because we trust in his holy name.
 Let your steadfast love, O Lord, be upon us,
    even as we hope in you.

because if Britney Spears can make it through 2007, then I can make it through this day

My day started off with me rolling out of bed around 7:10am and being pumped by this text message.

I left for my 7:40 Biblical Worldview class at 7:37. Got there at 3:47 (it's an 8 minute walk) and the instructor, Dr.Matthews, STILL hadn't started the reading/attendance quiz! Jesus is good! Amen?

I actually made it through the class awake...shocker, I know! Afterwards I went to my English 102 class. ENG 102 is actually my #1 fave class this semester. Not gonna lie.

After ENG I went to Evangelism class. It was pretty fantastic. That's my second most favorite class!
We shared our testimonies to the people next to us and I had no idea the way my "partner" felt. So I am really glad we did that. During class it was announced that there was going to be an evan outreach event at 6pm so I blocked off that chunk of time to go out with them.

After EVAN I went to my Aural Skills class for testing. It was so so so great. That's my third favorite class. After Jon and I took our test we went to the bookstore with Jemell and bought coffees for $1 and I bought one for Profe Feldman . Which led to this lovely email about Miley Cyrus' song "Wrecking ball" that I was singing earlier in class. (HAHAHAhahahaHAH):

After that I went back to my room and brought Jemell to my common area and he watched a movie while I took a shower. Let me just say..I love mid day showers lol. I got to talk to my dad earlier too. Then Jemell and I went to choir. Choir let out early so I went back to my common area to chill for 10 minutes, went to the Tilley and got a meatbull sub, and headed for the EVAN thing!

Turns out this guy Andrew and Rob sent out the WRONG text!! But Aaron (from my EVAN class showed up) and so did I! So Andrew, Aaron, and I went to the bookstore and just talked to people and prayed for them. Then as we were on the drive to Wal-mart to go talk to more people and just ask them if they needed prayer ANDREW asked if I was the girl who sang a song at open mic night..I said yes..he said he had recorded me, and only me, because it was so amazingly awesome and that sometimes he pulls out the video and listens to it!! HOW COOL IS THAT?!! Well anyways we went to wal-mart and got to pray for some people :)

Last, but not least, I went to Bdubs and cookout with my prayer group. It was incredible. I cried and laughed and was just so so so honest. I had a great talk with Kelsey.

Afterwards I got to ride in a cop car to my dorm whoop whoop.

TBH this was really just like a journal entry and pretty crappy and possibly lame, but..

It's 2:28am and I have an 8:50 class :-)

Your Call (pt. 1)

There are times we don't know what's going on.

There are times when we don't know what God is doing. 

There are times we are unsure what we're doing in a place.

Honduras was that place for me. I had no idea what I was doing there.

Maybe college is that place for you. 

Maybe your job is that place for you.

Maybe you're about to get married and you're making other big life decisions too.

You know how in life we listen to a song 

so many times because it's

our life "Theme Song"?

From February to June (2014) 

Oceans by Hillsong was that song in my life. 

As I got on the plane from El Salvador to Honduras 

I realized, "Omigosh...I'm going to be in Honduras for a whole month.
What am I doing? My mom isn't going and neither is my dad. What am I doing?

I'm not a teacher!!! How am I supposed to teach little kids?"

Let me tell you..

One night in prayer my life completely changed (yet again). 

July 21, 2014

A spontaneous night of prayer.

Earlier that day I was on the bus with the team coming back from a medical brigade and one of the ladies and I were talking about dreams and how good God is. She loves to interview people and so I had her interview me so I could practice my interviewee skills. We pretended like we were on a Christian family radio program (a real program that is broadcasted from Gerizim every Monday night).

We ended our interview with prayer and when we opened our eyes we saw a huge sign that said, 

"God makes dreams happen."

We were THRILLED to see that sign! 

Then as soon as we saw the sign the lady who runs the radio program 

coincidentally called Claudia, the lady that "interviewed" me. 

She asked Claudia to please do her radio show that evening

and to invite ME as a special guest. 

We literally screamed on the bus. 

So we finally get "home" and got changed and we met up outside our 

quarters and the power went out on the entire church plant!

(the radio show, mission & pastor homes, and Gerizim church/ministries are all on the same plant/land)

We walked up to the radio station regardless and declared that we were going to PRAY! 

I won't go into detail, but let's just say it was powerful and when the Holy Spirit finished doing everything He wanted to do that night, the power turned back on.

My life no longer had a theme song. 

This is unusual for me.

About three weeks later I was by myself at my church back home in VA.

I was sobbing and just giving everything to God.

When I finished praying...I got up and went to the piano 

and wrote this song:

It is currently my life's theme song as I start college

and adapt to a new life. I love Jesus and everything

He has in store. I know it's good. I know it's great.

Maybe it will become your theme song too. 

John 13:7

If you need prayer for anything, please do not hesitate to contact me.

 I will pray for you right away. lilygaraymusic@gmail.com 

Also, PS

I know I never blogged about my trip to Honduras in July, only the one in April, but here are some photos that really sum up my trip.

College 101

So I'm here. I made it. I am currently sitting in the room my hall has deemed "the family room".  There are bursts of giggles and lots of socks and slides. I have made it through my first week of college! Okay so I'm gonna admit that I went home for the afternoon on Wednesday, but then came right back and went to Spiritual Emphasis Week. I also went on Thursday. I literally bawled both nights. When I came home I was a little sad, not because I left, but because I felt like one of my friends had really just stabbed me in the back and I thought I was over that stage. I came to the realization that I probably won't ever have people not want to stab me in the back. Does that make sense? But that's okay because Jesus will never fail me! So here's a selfie to remember this great week and here's to a promising weekend full of more giggles and music and food and fun. (Actually it's already started with my dorm's scavenger hunt!:)

(awkward on purpose, I promise) 

And off to Honduras I go!

     Hola! As some of you may or may not know, my sister and I will be heading for Honduras tomorrow for a total of 30 days. We are really excited for this opportunity to serve, be a hope, be a light, to enjoy God's beauty, and reunite with some of our new friends. We will get to work at a Christian school called Gerezim and also participate in a medical brigade at the end of the month with Christ Community Church (from here in C'ville). We would appreciate your prayers! Not only for us, but for our family back here at home and also for the people of Honduras.

     If you have ever debated about whether or not you should go on a missions trip, then I encourage you to take that leap and go for it! However, if you can't go right now, don't forget that there will always be needs in your own community. There are plenty of people who need our help. Something as simple as having a face painting party at the boys and girls club or giving a meal to a homeless person can truly touch someone's life:) 

XO, Lily Garay 

(p.s. the photo is from our first trip to Honduras back in April:)

June was awesome because...

#1 Well this one is a little sad..but I got to sing at a memorial service for the first time..It was such a great experience. While the service was a bit sad, there was definitely a lot of hope, joy, and toooons of love. Then I got to stay at a beach with family friends for a week and that was so so so fun

#2
I GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL

#3 I helped to coordinate the most amazing, SOLD OUT, event at the Paramount Theater in my town. 

#4 

and last but not least, I've really grown as a person. I've had to make some "mature" decisions. I decided that there were certain friendships/relationships I didn't need anymore. There were things I simply had to let go. It was such a healthy decision because I've been hanging out with so many of my other friends now and having adventures and fun. I can't believe that I will be starting college in one and a half months...I think I'm finally starting to become ready:)

before graduating

Everything in my heart is telling me that I am ready and that it is time. Another chapter in my book of life is coming to a rapid close, but you know those books that you love so much you just don't want them to end. That's me. I'm scared. I know I'm scared. I don't want this chapter to end because I know that means I have to go to the next chapter and what if I'm not ready?

i can't take this anymore.
i'm in a raging war.
a horror storm.
and why do i feel this way.
i really need to change.
take me away.
to my special place.

May was fabulous because...

1. I went to Prom

2. I finished High school

3. I watched my friends graduate

4. I honestly just had a good month. It was a really stressful month, but by the grace of God I survived. 

Can I cry now?