A Child-like Faith

The above picture was drawn by Elana, a 7 year old girl who for the past 2 years has endured harsh words about her weight from her peers. Like her older siblings have gone through, she is in the midst of what you may call her "baby fat" years. She often tells her mom, "I don't want to go to school anymore."

A close friend of mine gave Elana's mom of one of our Wonderfully Made postcards which has our logo on the front with some encouraging notes on the back. The mom brought two of the postcards home, one for her and one for her daughter. She used it as an opportunity to tell her daughter how God created her beautifully and out of love.

Later that day Elana's mom walked into her daughters room to find both postcards propped up on her mirror. She had one of the cards facing forward displaying our WM logo and the other card was propped up to show the backside with the words "you are loved," "you are beautiful," "you are worthy" and other truths.

Later that night Elana drew this picture on a white board in her bedroom. Elana's Mom shared this in an email to my friend:

"Here is a picture Elana drew of herself being "wonderfully made". I love all the hearts on her shirt, hugs and kisses around her words and Bella [her dog] sitting there in front of her. Most of all, I love the big smile she has on her face. It really shows how she feels and it is how she looks lately. Wonderfully Made and God's word really spoke to her."

Elana, told her mom, "I get it! I am wonderfully made!"

Please keep Elana in your prayers - that the harsh words will cease and that she will grow to be a woman who knows where her true value and worth is found - a woman who doesn't believe the lies the world tells her and is confident in who she is in Christ.

Wonderfully Made - Promo Video!

Hey Girls! Check out our first promotional video for Wonderfully Made! A huge bucket of thanks to Mike Segovia & Will Pierce for volunteering their talents and time!

To support our cause, you make a donation here. We are beyond grateful for your support!

Be Inspired: White Girl Rap

I just came across this entertaining and truth-filled "middle class white girl rap" as it was called on You Tube. I instantly loved it and had to learn more about this "white girl rapper." She gives me hope that I too can flow or at the very least one day learn to sing on tune.

A former drug addict and dropout, Tamara Lowe is recognized as one of the world's most successful speakers and consultants, having trained more than two million people in seventy countries. Tamara is a respected author, educator and businesswoman. She is the co-founder and Executive Vice President ofGet Motivated Seminars, Inc., a business training company that produces America's largest business seminars. She's worked with five US Presidents, Prime Ministers, and other and influential people and celebrities including Billy Graham, Goldie Hawn, Joe Montana, George Foreman, Mother Teresa and many others.

Tamara tells her seminar audiences that it would "be very unprofessional of me to share the secrets of success I know and not tell you the number one secret of my success which is my relationship with God through Jesus Christ."

She tells them "If you want to know more I can rap for you."

You can watch or read more about Tamara's testimony here.

Tamara's story is a testament to the truth that with God all things are possible! Keep the hope girls!

Love,

Allie

A Seemingly Irrational Love

Photo by Katee Grace Clay.

“Can I talk to you?” she whispered, as she pushed her wheel chair close to me.

“Of course.”

“But I still don’t understand why He should love me.”

“You mean, why God should love you?” I clarified.

“Yea. Even after everything I did, I’m still doing bad things. Like throwing up and cutting myself."

Her confession came an hour after she first disclosed to me and Bianca the news of what she had done to herself. Barely fifteen, she had jumped from a high concrete ledge to the pavement. Once like me, she had wanted to end it all, and tried.

Praying for wisdom, I gave my best attempt to share what is sometimes so hard to understand myself. How God’s love for us is not like the love we grant each other and the love we receive from those we hold most dear. Our love is a love that falls short. God’s love is set apart - a divine, sacrificial, grace-filled, uncompromising and unrelenting love. It doesn't make sense that He should have affections for us when we mess up and fall down, but yet He does.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. -Romans 8:38-39

Does God’s love ever seem irrational to you? What “heart blocks” are standing in the way of believing and receiving the ultimate love that sets captives free and heals the brokenhearted?

-Allie Marie Smith

WM Young Women's Event: Hosted by our SCU Chapter!

Hey Girls!

If you're in the bay area (Nor Cal represent!) this Sunday, April 18th from 1-4:30pm, we really, really hope we get to see you! Bring all the girls in your life - your friend, sister, grandma, roommate, mom, newest Facebook friend, pet sea monkey. Can't wait to see you all there. xo

Click here for detailed driving directions.

Happy Anniversary to our SCU Chapter

I am thrilled to see so many of you this Sunday, April 18th for our WM Young Women's Event - hosted by our Santa Clara University Chapter of Wonderfully Made. Being the over-achievers, they are, our '09-'10 SCU Leadership Team has been working relentlessly to prepare for this upcoming event which is going to be fabulous!

This marks our SCU chapter's 5th Annual Spring Event. I can't believe it's been over five years since our small beginnings when just 4 of us met for the first time. Dozens of women. Each with her own story, her own struggles and victories; her own dreams, hopes and passions. Connected in authentic faith - doing life together.

I know I am selfishly a better person for having encountered each of you. You inspire me, encourage me and make me laugh till my stomach hurts. I'm so thankful for you, your presence in WM and in my life and for the light you are shining. Let's keep dreaming and pressing forward until every girl knows her true value and worth in Christ.

2005 - Small Beginnings. Our very first SCU WM Event

2005-2006

2006-2007

2007-2008

2008-2009

Glory belongs to God, whose power is at work in us. By this power he can do infinitely more than

we can ask or imagine. -Ephesians 3:20

Our True Value

Today's featured photography was taken by our friend and professional photographer Katee Grace Clay.

Check out her beautiful work at kategrace.com.

Our True Value

Our true value isn’t that we’re beautiful, brilliant, talented or fabulous. It is not hidden in what others think of us, or what we think of ourselves. It is not equal to our output – our accolades, failures or potential.

The truth is we are but a vapor (James 4:14), here today and gone tomorrow, but yet God loves us. We are messed up and fragile, coming apart at the seams (Romans 3:23), but yet God doesn’t abandon us (Hebrews 13:5).

We have worth because God himself is worthy and He calls us His.
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! 1 John 3:1.

We are worthy because our Maker LOVES us in a way no friend, parent, boyfriend, husband or human person could ever match. God extravagantly, unconditionally and boundlessly loves us.

Though we fall short, He picks us up. He sees us (YOU) as worthy enough to fight for, die for and to redeem - to make a way for our wrongs to forgotten, forgiven (1 Peter 2:24). For our sickness and frailties to be healed and our soul to never perish. Our true value does not lie in who we are, but in who God is and in who we are in Him.

Purpose In Pain & Life In Death - The Beautiful Irony of "Good Friday"

As I write this from the comfort of a small town coffee shop, I pause for what I admit to be the first time at the irony of this day - that it is called "Good Friday." "Bloody Friday" seems a little more fitting. Our natural, physical selves wonder how anything "good" can come from such a day:

They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull). Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him. Mark 15:22-23

And in the same way we ask ourselves this question: How can anything good come from this mistake; this abuse that was done to me; this depression, this eating disorder; this loss; this sickness; this battle I wage against myself?

Hosanna, our weary souls cry: save us!

On Good Friday Jesus set out to prove three days later when He conquered the grave that there is purpose in pain, beauty in ashes, forgiveness from our trespasses, life in death and redemption from brokenness. This hope we would not have, it if were not for what God did on our behalf.

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed. 1 Peter 2:24

In the lyrics of one of my favorite worship song: “You count it strange, so did I before I knew my Savior.”*

To all who are weary – this day is for you - for all of us. We are not alone in our pain. There is purpose. Hang tight and believe in Jehova Rapha – the Lord who heals and makes all wrongs right.