What Makes You Beautiful

So today when I went into my Nana's house she gave me this magazine she had bought me. She mainly got it because it came with free mascara but when I was flicking threw it, I was struck with the image of beauty which is portrayed to women, both young and old. I took some pictures of how beauty is translated in this culture. And that's the first picture. From this all I seen was how girls have to be thin, have to have a skinny waist, clear skin and how cosmetic surgery is no big deal because who gets what they want right? I will never be the skinniest, have the super small waist, the clearest skin. Women have this extreme expectations there and few rarely meet these insane expectations, and when they dot meet them they begin looking in other places for fulfillment and acceptance. They look to guys, to clothes, these expectations have resulted in abusive relationships, anorexia, self harm and these are few among a wide spread area of issues. Girls and women are under so much expectation, expectation which is unreachable yet so many will beat themselves up to meet that. I have fell it for it before, I have and it brought me no happiness, I struggled with weight issues and self image issues and to an extent still do but when I fully realized this today. The effects of just some pictures. It broke my heart. These pictures give both guys and girls expectations, guys think these girls are the norm and that's what they need. I have friends who are absolutely gorgeous, but yet they aren't happy with how they look. They'll beat themselves up over how they see themselves. Satan is crafty. I know that. An he knows us girls weaknesses. And this one hits us all. YOU are beautiful, you're God designed, your looks are a masterpiece, designed by the greatest artist of all time. In the magazine I also found some images which I did like, which shown fun in women. This is why i want to teach our women! Confidence is the greatest thing which a woman can show. Be confident in who you are because you are so stinkin beautiful! And you don't need to do anything to alter your looks. You don't. Not for anyone! Be the person God wants you to be. Be proud because you are 'fearfully and wonderfully made' by the author of life! Dont let society and the media tell you what is beautiful, YOU tell them and show them what is beautiful! It's a girl who owns herself, is confident in who she is,in how God made her and has a heart which she devotes to him. That my sisters and brothers is beauty. It is what it's intended to be.

A Love Affair

So I want to take you back to this time last year. I was an 18 year old girl who wanted nothing more than to leave her messy past in Ireland and throw it behind her. But let me forward you back to Summer 2012, where a 19 year old young woman sees in this small island so much need and loves it with her whole heart, a heart she cannot give to anything else. I honestly can tell you I have fallen in love with this country. Its small, its significant and it has so many problems, but I can tell you that I love it so much, I have such compassion for its people and my calling suddenly took a dramatic shift this Summer. When I left this island, I left a part of myself here and while it is still here I cannot devote my heart fully to somewhere or someone else. God still remains priority. Always. But this place needs so much, it is breath-taking with its beauty. I will go back to America with an Ireland sized hole in my heart and that is no lie. But I will still go back because I know, that as hard as it is, America is where God wants me right now. I am learning so much, and it inspires me beyond belief to be there amongst the people and learning so much about the gospel and how we can change the course of history with it. This island needs Jesus. These people need to see Jesus for who He is, not who dated religion in the country says He is but which a relationship with Him says He is. I want you to look at this picture and pray for my country, the country which stole my heart and no matter where I go in this life will continue to have a special part of my heart. This country is my motivation in so many things. I see so much opportunity here for ministry, I truly do, and I have been a great believer in John Moxen's saying "He who gets the vision...gets the job". This place inspires me so much and I cannot put into words how much I love this place and these people. There is a lot of work to be done here. Join me in that, whether that is through prayer, through talking to me about it (vikki.smyth@fsmail.net) or through thinking about visiting this incredible place. YOU can be a part of a movement here without even leaving your seat on the other side of the world. Join me. Lets start a ripple effect.

The Team Have Arrived :)

So the Lexington team arrived today and I am so excited to work with these really class people. They are all wrecked today with jet lag but I have such amazing belief in these people. Please be praying for this program and our leaders both American and Northern Irish, and for the hearts of the kids we will be working with :)

Making Memories

So I hate to say this but ... YOLO. I really just want to live a joyous life for Christ and just make crazy awesome memories whenever and wherever I can. Today I am thankful for friends. For fun. For smiles. For laughing.

This is Where I Live.

Fused camp begins in one week! Monday will be kick off day and I am beyond excited to pour myself into these youth. I will we working with kids aged 11 to 14. It will be a two week camp and if you could all be praying for the leaders and kids it would be class! These kids see these beautiful surroundings every day yet don't see God. Ready to start a ripple effect :)

Pretty Much Me.

My 100th Post Reflection

Hi. My name is Vikki. I wanted my 100th post to tell you about me. I wanted to remind you that I'm nothing special. Im really not. I mess up everyday. This time back in Ireland, looking back on the eighteen years I spent here, seeing friends and family again has really caused me to look at myself, how far I have come, and I want to tell you a little about it.
A month before my 12th birthday, my Mum died. Of something that could hit anyone at anytime. After this I sunk into depression. I never wanted o leave the house. Was terrified the same would happen to my Dad. Struggled with self image. I was a mess. My best friend Caroline kept hassling me to go to youth group and to be honest it was the last thing I wanted to do. But when I did go, is was to keep her quiet haha I heard all I needed to hear. I suddenly got life back when I thought I had given up on it. It was a gradual change, I had an still do have huge trust issues, and trusting something that I cannot see with every part of my life wasn't high on my to-do list. I started volunteering when I was 15 at an organization which takes in American teams, I was a quiet and self conscious 15 year old and I had no idea why I felt I needed to go there, but I did and the consequences of it would greatly alter my life. From this a guy called Richie Shilliday organized for me to travel to the states, I went when I just turned 16, again quiet and huge self image problems among other things. I loved the two summers that I travelled to Lakeside Christian in Ky. They changed me. They contacted me to Cincinnati Christian University where I got accepted and was blessed with a scholarship. God is really molding me at this school, rebuilding me the way I should be and changing me more into what God wanted me to be. I have a passion for God,for ministry, for people. I still struggle with self image today but He's helping me. More than you'd believe. This is who I am. Life is still hard, but the strength I get from Him when I look for Him outweighs that every time. This is my love story with Christ, the man who has been pursuing me since I was born. I will never have a love story that will match it. Ever.
I have a passion for the Bible, for art, for literature. I have a heart for girls ministry in particular and ministry for those with addictions. I want people to find their worth in Christ. It makes me so sad when I see people but they have no idea of their worth, of their identity in Christ, and how precious they are. I can be the worst offender, believe me. But that's my mission: to show people that they are indispensable, there is no one in this earth who can fill their shoes, that they're beautiful, God created (and our God doesn't make crap, He always makes the best)
YOU are beautiful, yea YOU reading this. 'the king is enthralled my your beauty', yea that's in the Bible!! The king! The guy who created the sea and the mountains and the landscapes which take our breath away! He is ENTHRALLED by your beauty, he loves it when you talk about Him, he will always answer you when you call Him, will love you at your lowest and when everyone else has given up on you: He will be right there, arms open, never closed. His love is relentless. It's a furious love. It's a love that changes absolutely everything. Turns your world upside down. But its what kept me alive. What gives me hope. What sustains me.
This is an epic love story which you can have with Christ. The author of love writes it. The Bible is the greatest love story of all, and it's written by the author of life.
This love is what it's all about. And when the world makes no sense to me, I still know I have that love. That no matter what I do, where I am or who I'm with, it NEVER changes. Never alters. This love is where I should look for comfort, acceptance and strength, not in people or things.

Hen Party

So I went to my best friends Hen party on Friday night. When she came in she was greeted with those rather attractive masks of her face which we all had. Her actual face was priceless when she walked in and twenty of us had them. We ate and it was all very civilized then we went out to the promenade, right by the sea where her dad, brother and fiancé surprised her with a group who she sang with for most of her life, they sang some songs for her and we released Chinese lanterns. It was so lovely. Then we loaded her an her new fiancé into the back of a pick up truck and drove them around the town all dressed up. People were blasting their car horns as we took up both lanes in the town. Was incredible! I got shot gun. :) when we got back to the restaurant again we danced til 12:30 an it was great! Anna was my jam! Gimme gimme gimme is such a TUNE! Live music and dancing with some of the best girls in the world, I just wanted time to stop. Cannot wait for this wedding :) eek

One of my Favorite Worship Songs at the Moment

Well in the Swing of Norn Iron

So I want to start with saying you can take the girl out of Ireland but you cannot take Ireland out of the girl. I am back with my own kind again, the people who get my humor, who I know. I know were not called to be comfortable but familiarity has been so good. I have not been comfortable. So many people have asked me about my major, what I am doing, and you get mixed results when you tell people "oh biblical studies with general ministry". Today I told a girl who is one of my friends but I wasn't sure how she would react, and I can honestly say she could not have been more positive, its funny how people who aren't necessarily Christian have been the most accepting of what I'm doing.

It's so funny how God works. When I was younger I never wanted to leave Northern Ireland, but when I got my first taste of America, I wanted out of here. I told myself entering my freshman year that I would never return long term but every time I have came back to visit I have realized the need here and how well I fit here. This has not come easy to me. I have a life in America, a life I could easily continue living. At the moment my heart is torn between two places and both of them are 4000 miles apart. But God has got this, and I firmly believe that. I just see so much I could do here. I still have three years left in the states and so much could happen in that time. God only knows what could happen. But I trust that God will place me where I am needed.

Its such a culture shock when you get dropped back into real life from Christian College. And I'm so thankful for that culture shock. We can get so easily caught up in petty things at Christian College, you would honestly laugh but since being back I have had to face some crazy issues. Issues that I have never faced before. But I honestly tell you that the beauty here steals my heart everytime, the people steal my heart, God is so evident in the surroundings of this place but not in the places He should be. Churches are dated, Christians are fairly scarce (in comparison to America) and God is irrelevant. This place needs a revival. And I don't want to miss it.

Home

Well I am home! The travelling was pretty rough but when I arrived in the airport an saw my brother, dad and bestfriend I was all totally worth it. The weather has been... Well terrible. Rained non stop. But it has been so good to be back with my family again. Prayer would be super appreciated right now in basically every way! I'll get some photos up soon! When the rain clears or something. it's just so good to be back to familiarity.

First stop

So as I write this I am sitting and waiting on my first flight to O'Hare, Chicago. In less than 24 hours I will see the friends and family I haven't seen in nearly 6 months. It's going to be a long day but once I feel those wheels touch Dublin, this girl is going to have the biggest smile on her face. The next people I'm going to see who I know are going to be my Dad and brother, all these miles, security points, hours in planes will be so worth it when I see all the people I love an have missed. The thought of seeing everyone seems so surreal. But I'm ready. This whole day is going to be a day just to think back on my last 6months, my freshman year of college, my faith, my trip home, everything. Irish readers...I'll see you in 20 hours. ;)

The Struggle of Trials

Sometimes I get angry at God. Do you think any less of me? We all do it, the moments we cry our eyes out, throw stuff around the room, take those moments to just sit around and feel sorry for ourselves, (maybe hit the ice cream ladies?, for me I grab a tub of peanut butter and put jelly in, eat it straight out of the tub. I'm trying to work on becoming a lady)
But I honestly believe that Satan can use these moments of self pity and exploit them. He can trick us into thinking that our whole lives are falling apart, that were in that situation because we're not good enough or he can tell us that things aren't going to chance do why change ourselves. There is a multitude of lies Satan can tell us when things go bad in our lives,
The majority of times when things don't go my way in my own life, I can usually see the positive side. After all the creator of creativity is in control of my life, He has an unimaginable crazy plan set aside for me.
But it is when I look to other peoples lives and think 'God where are you in this?' and I get frustrated because I think that God is somewhere else. God is working in every life, yours, mine, everyone's. Some of us are just more aware of it than others.
You see I would never take back the bad which happened in my life or the bad which is going to happen in my life. I know that these trials are going to mould me. They will mould me into the woman God wants me to be, the follower, disciple, daughter, sister, friend and possibly wife one day which God wants me to be. And I want to be the best I can be at all those things.
But every time I'm hurt, I always run back to God for comfort. Whether its putting on my favorite worship music, praying through my tears, writing it down in my journal, I always come back to God because He is the ultimate comforter. His love for me is greater than anything I'll ever imagine or experience. Always remember, God gives his toughest battles to His strongest soldiers. These trials mould you and they'll make you into the person God wants you to be. Now it suddenly makes sense why we should rejoice in these trials, right?

Have Heart.