2 for 1

A "Two Birds, One Stone" situation (horrible, don't go around killing birdies! Or I'll find you).

 I hope to shine some light towards this season of elections, and encourage you to make the wise choice of sticking to your gut and what you believe. 

    While we prepare to vote, the media seems to make it harder and harder time after time. Sometimes putting physical appearance, relational connections, stature and personal matters of each candidate as a priority, that honestly affect and blur our opinion whether we like it or not. I recommend that individually we look at their agendas, place our priorities as individual and as a country, and choose those who stand for what you believe. I don't believe in standing on a party alone, but rather looking at what the people around them (working for them) are doing. A lot of time it is not necessarily the candidate's words, but what his public relations committee would like him to say or appear to be. They want to please the people and say what you or majority of this country want to hear. Thus, if you know you disagree with the position each candidate takes on matters that are very important to you, make your case (explore, get informed, ask around you), but don't refuse to vote. I suggest you keep in mind the next generation coming behind you, and how they will be facing our decision today. Remember that we form our government, it is up to us to choose. (And not for them to tell us what to do.) 

So with that being said, what are some topics you should keep in mind? (And take a stance on!)

This is BOUND4LIFE (http://bound4life.com/), an organization that stands up for life (or against abortion). Life is a gift, not a curse. The future victims of this crime (killing innocent babies) could get a chance by the way you vote. Abortion has been a "touchy" subject since the day it became allowed. In my opinion, it is that way because of all the emotional chaos attached to the word. It is also rooted in selfishness and increasing in revenue every passing moment. I think that life is life, given by God and not allowed to be taken away by us. (In NO circumstance). Thus, abolishing abortion is not taking away a right or our choice. 
I encourage you to take up the responsibility to do what's right for the world. Do not be intimidated by the big words, the super-knowledgeable people or the constant oppressors that may stand against what you believe. For a long time, I really thought I was uninformed on subjects like this one to speak up. (And I still don't know a lot on it). I do know that I can't just know a little bit and still do nothing. And many, many organizations are not passive when it comes to letting everyone else know. 
Here are some links to movements/organizations standing up for millions of unborn babies:

http://backtolifemovement.com/

http://www.whyprolife.com/

http://www.operationrescue.org/

http://www.everylifeisbeautiful.com/

Do take consideration for the people that have been part of this or know women that have had an abortion, and choose to love them. A lot of times, in hopelessness and in desperate times, we long for someone to shine some light and bit of hope, and you could be it. There is help and options, but abortion is not one of them. 
  

I believe this is a battle for my generation and generations to come. Get informed! 

One more thing, I also recommend you watch the movies "180" (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7y2KsU_dhwI&feature=youtube_gdata_player)  and "October Baby" (http://octoberbabymovie.net/)  
(Do it!! :) Please!)

“Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” (Proverbs 31:9)

The foundation of my values is Truth, and it is the base of my stance in this matter. 

Pray and stick to your gut as you vote, 
Estefania. 

Girl Talk?

I want to share with girls some of the encouraging websites I visit from time to time. They have been encouraging and have challenged me in my walk with God. These also have some good advice on topics I might not have been bold enough to ask about...

Captured. (http://www.iamcaptured.org/)

This is definitely a website with some great pointers on life for young women like me. Especially on areas that affect our every day life, such as relationships. They give multiple point of views, and just fantastic encouragement. I truly look up to the founder of it, Laura Allred. I could not have found a more inspiring, godly women directing to women and standing up for life. She is also the founder of Back To Life that has hit big all over the news this year. She's definitely a world changer I look up to.


Love&Respect Now. (http://loveandrespectnow.com/)

If you're looking for some spunk in your life, you need this. Although it reaches a wide spectrum of subjects, recently this has been my "relationships advice" go-to. I learned a lot on how to handle situations and it kind of broke many myths I had on relationships. It is easy to grasp and most importantly it is the truth. I have received answers to so many questions, and if you email them, they will respond to you! I just love how Joy (the funny girl in the videos!) is so honest, transparent, and has opened up this subject to our generation!


Crowned With Purpose. (http://crownedwithpurpose.com/)

I read this blog on and off, but it has been a great up lifter in the area of prayer for me. It really has been a helpful tool when it comes to making bold prayers and just increasingly standing in faith. I admire Dr. Iris Delgado as a writer, a mother, and a woman of God. I have heard her testimony, have seen her life pretty close and I have watched her as she shares the liberating love of God to many, many women. I definitely love her writing, her family and her very much.


Girlfriends in God. (http://www.girlfriendsingod.com/)

This is the website where I get my daily devotionals. I love the way they relate to women and our daily lives. God has definitely used these amazing women to speak to me through the devo's. When I need it the most, God has spoken. I recommend every lady I know to sign up for their daily devotionals. They are very encouraging, and they have also helped me meditate on God's word throughout the day.



Check them out! :)


Estefania

(Oh, I purposely used a picture of piano keys instead of keyboard keys! They're keys!)

Rough Week: It's the little things.

"In my attempt to sound sophisticated as I complain, I won't even try." (This is actually the first thing that 'pop'ed into my head as I tried to explain my rough week). Instead of talking about my very random, not-so-great week, I'm gonna tell you about some of the stuff I'm truly grateful for! 

One, my family (this is not a list, by the way. I don't know why I started with 'one'). During this week they have brought nothing but laughs into my life... (Really, really grateful for laughs. Especially when you think you really won't be able to laugh again or just can't laugh).

Definitely coffee. It is tasty. It wakes me up. It is just a delicious magic potion. Yes, I'm grateful for coffee. 

Good reads. Stuff that make you wonder and definitely take you places by just reading... (Mind-blowing stuff man!) Grateful for that!  

The World Wide Web. The infinite amount of information at your fingertips. CRAY-CRAY! (I don't ever use that phrase for crazy, but it seemed appropriate. I also don't think you'll ever hear me say it... but never say never, right?!) Anyhoooo, grateful for that! (And Facebook?!) 

Friends. Those that are happy to feed you (not literally feed you, but get food for you) once in awhile. Thanks! 

I want to give a special mention to sports. NFL, you're killing me (your amazing ref's have been the jokes of the week).  >.< Maybe that is not a nice thing to say... (even if everyone knows it). Grateful for sports! (Watching my brother play football is just a plus!)

Music. Music. Music. Best form of expression ever. I personally can't play or sing to save my own life, but trying to figure it out as I "touch" the piano is FUN. Definitely grateful for pianos. (I was probably lost in a piano room with no track of time three times this week, and I loved it!) Grateful for cheerful songs, inspiring lyrics, and their composers. 

(Oh man, and the Composer of composers. Seriously, the One who knows what my souls needs. That's where all my praise goes to!) 

I love birds. Grateful for them too!

**If you know me, you would know that I am truly grateful for these things and there is no sarcasm found  in it... (I figured some would think I was being sarcastic, considering the NFL comment). 



I'll leave you with this today (something I need to take in myself): 

Love life; what comes with it and what surrounds it. Smile; to yourself now (look how far you've come), to the past (the person you use to be; with no bitterness) and to the future (your dreams). Fly; soar through your imagination with anticipation of encountering greatness. Let it go; trust God. (Anything that keeps you down, preventing you to look further, to fly higher, let it go. God can handle it.) Hope. Hope for the best always. 


If you know who you are and what you want, things and circumstances can't change that. Only what you choose to change about you will. 


Love LOVE, 

Estefania <3

Please visit my campaign: http://mycharitywater.org/estefania-21  Thanks!

All Girls Allowed

You can also find them on Facebook. http://www.facebook.com/AllGirlsAllowed

        It wasn't long ago when I first heard of All Girls Allowed. I cannot stress enough that organizations like this one represent and stand in the gap for millions of faces that no one has ever heard about. My heart breaks at the thought that so many women suffer by being forced to make a choice between keeping their baby and suffer great consequences, or aborting, killing them, or abandoning them. No one should be standing in such place of hopelessness.

All Girls Allowed has been working to gain support of nations to end gendercide in China. This government specifically has been forcing women to abort their children due to the "One-Child Policy". This only allows a Chinese family to have ONE baby or in special occasions two IF the first born is a GIRL. And because of the higher demand for strong, manly man, many families choose to give up their daughters, abandon them, and even kill them for their chance to have a boy.
(The cause of this has been an incrementing rise of human trafficking, abortions, and orphans.)

Through this movement, many women who chose to give life are now being helped and taken in through their "Baby Shower" program that helps them facilitate a mother so that she may keep her baby.


Recently, I was able to read about some GREAT NEWS! (if you could only see my excitement!! I seriously leaped for joy! Click on "great news" to read why). Because of the policy, many parents that were to have a second child must abort it (no matter the stage of the pregnancy). But through the fighting, many fervent prayers of Chinese Christians and because of all that China is involved in (foreign policies and United Nations regulations), they have now left it up to the parents to choose if they want to abort the child.



Expose, Rescue, Celebrate from All Girls Allowed on Vimeo.


I urge you to check their website, to donate, and/or to spread the word. Not many know that if not stopped, this epidemic idea can spread and make millions upon millions of babies, baby girls, mothers, women its victims. Please, follow their link and share it with others. If possible sponsor a mother for only $20 dollars a month. Please keep them in your prayers as well. 

All women are valuable, carriers of life, they are a God-given treasure to a filthy world. 

From a woman, 

Estefania. 

(Videos are from their Vimeo account. I have included their links on the underlined words, where you can get more information, sponsor, and purchase products.)

Fashion Forward

 Around two weeks ago, I came across a lovely clothe line that definitely styled with a cause! A greater reason to look great! This is Sevenly.

  If I had the money, I probably would be spending it all here! (I know, who wouldn't?!) I recommend EVERYONE to check them out and ally with them as they help those in need of it. 

Following this post I will be posting some of my favorite causes, charities, and movements I have been a part of and/or some that I have been really close to my heart. Causes that I've followed and prayed for awhile now and causes that need your help financially. And if you can't, please be another voice to get the word out there. Many people just aren't aware of what's happening outside their four walls. With all the multimedia out there, we cannot be kept silent. Although not considered much, spreading information is a vital part of change by making others aware.  


Fight for a good cause, 

Estefania <3  

Countdown Beats Me

Quick and fast update.

You don't know this, (of course not, unless you're part of my family reading this (and I guess you're about to find out...)), but on all seriousness (or not so much) I have no MacBook Pro until I get a charger. Apple refused to take it in saying it was considered "physical damaged" (so cool) and was not covered. Umph! So, now I need to get a charger... Which they sell for $79 plus taxes. Boo.
This is actually not the first time it breaks! The charger really is super sensitive to anything. (In fact, it is the third time it stops working.)

Well, with that being said... I have tons to post and not enough time to get them typed. I am racing against the countdown. And well the countdown is beating me (haha, it'd be funny for that phrase to be literal).** I have 23 day until my birthday and I have only posted 3 entries. Wow. I need to post a little more often. You might see two posts in one day.

Also, I want to announce to all that I did have a couple of sick days in between, and as much as I tried, I couldn't get myself out of the bed. But I am healthy now! Thanks to prayers and an amazing nurse, my momma!

If you have any requests on what you would like to see as a post, let me know! I've sorted out topics, but could use some input from those who want to give it...

Awesomeness, racing against time, here I go,

Estefi :)

**I amuse myself easily...

(First picture from http://www.oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/?tag=social-media)

(Second picture is a file from masterfile.com)

Post Numero Dos

I told y'all I would keep up! (Yes, I use y'all on a daily basis. Yes, I live in Texas.  Yes, I believe in myself.)



Recently, I started to work out again. It is a pain. First, you should  know my background on this "working out" thing. Although I look so  not athletic, in my opinion, I grew up in sports until high school. Actually, my dad is to blame for that. He use to be a professional baseball player in Mexico. (I like sharing that part...) At the age of, well since I could remember, I was placed in gymnastics. That was until I turned ten Then, at that age, I was placed in cheer leading for a few years. (Yes, I do believe cheer leading is a sport. We seriously practiced more than the players.) After that, I joined Athletics in middle school. From volleyball, to basketball, to track, and then soccer. The summer of that year, I began to enjoy  bike riding and pilates. So, I was never just sitting down on the couch watching TV. I even started doing yoga and cardio videos my freshman year. But it all stopped. My sophomore year became one of the busiest. (More like I lost track of time hanging out with friends. But..) I lost my routine, and began to focus on school, volunteering there and at church. Thus, it all faded away.... I began to take walks or runs (mostly walks) around the neighborhood once in a while, but not really. So now, here we are:

I'm sore. I am not a fan of running. And did I mention I'm sore. My legs can definitely feel it. So far, I've been trying to catch up with my cardio. A whole hour of it non-stop.  (You know: fast, slow, inclined, steppers.) That's not including all the stretching and warm up before and after. Ugh. And although it has been tough, I think it's a great change of routine in my schedule and great change for my health. Actually, I even believe spiritually it can be a breakthrough. While I was working out, every time I felt like stopping, (even those two times my phone fell, but coincidentally there was always someone there to pick up my phone), I was reminded of something someone once shared with me, and it kind of stucked with me ever since.

 "If I can't dominate in the physical, how can I dominate in the spiritual?"

Consider it. I did, and boy, it changed my perspective in a lot of things. (Not just in working out, by the way.)


Estefani.

Testing, Testing. Check One, Two. 21

Name: Luisa Estefania. (or Stephanie)
Age: 20 soon to be 21!!

Jesus Christ. family. dogs. bunnies. flowers. books. twitter.


For a while now I have been debating whether I should start a blog again... I like to write, but there was a day I decided to just do it for me and no one else. I also need to admit I became "busy"(or lazy, one of those) and could not keep up a blog. This time around I would like to start a blog of 21 posts until I turn 21. Hey, if I can start with 21 posts maybe I can manage an "official"(not sure I know the definition of an official blog). I'm just going to write what's on my mind,  and maybe a few tips that I've learned. You will also, most likely, but surely, read about the relationship I carry with Jesus Christ. Who I believe came to set you and I FREE.

I am counting this post. (Hey, I got to start somewhere!)

Oh, snaps!

COUNTDOWN WIDGET