12 Signs that I'm getting old...

1. I find myself thinking "when did they get so big, I still remember when they were babies"

2. It seems completely wrong that my cousins are teenagers, getting mustaches, and becoming young adults.

3. I can no longer ride all the fast spinning rides at the fair without regretting it.

4. I'm graduating college in a year and a half!

5. I turn 21 in less than 6 months!

6. I can no longer make a spur of the moment purchases. I have to carefully plan out and really decide if what i'm buying is a necessity.

7. I buy my own groceries, clean my own bathroom, and do my own laundry.

8. I've realized that real life can and will hurt, but it does get better.

9. I find myself thinking "I hope I didn't do that when I was their age"

10. My relationship with my mom and sister has gone to a whole new level, to that special relationship it should be.

11. I choose comfort over style more each day.

12. I've realized i'm growing up and as scary as it is, I'm really excited to continue the journey!

Want to make a donation?

If you would like to make a donation to support my trip to Ethiopia you can do so through this ChipIn meter. It is safe, secure, and all funds will go to directly to me through my paypal account. Thanks for your support!!! :)

Change This World: Ethiopia

As many of you may know, I worked at my church's kids camp this summer. All summer we asked the kids to bring in spare change to help provide meals to children in Ethiopia. We showed them pictures and videos, and explained the starvation issue taking place in Ethiopia. We explained to our kids that the children there, unlike them, did not get three meals a day that the children in Ethiopia are lucky if they receive just one meal. We also told them that they could help solve this problem, because it only cost 25 cents to package and send a meal to Ethiopia. The kids at our camp got very excited at the opportunity to help change lives, and all summer they brought in all their spare change so that they could make a difference. By the end of the summer our kids had raised enough money to send over 5,000 meals to Ethiopia. That in and of itself was incredible, but then our church paired with other churches in the area teamed up with Change This World to send a total of 250,000 meals to Ethiopia. We held a packaging event at Grey Stone one Sunday where we got to package over 70,000 of those meals ourselves. Well now, it is time to send those meals and I am SOOO excited because I have been blessed with the opportunity to help deliver those meals. On January 2nd, I will join Chris Leader (Our kids camp director), Jamison Berthold (our 3rd & 4th grade kids camp counselor), Trey Fletcher (our 5th & 6th grade kids camp counselor), and some of the team members from Change this World to Ethiopia where we will be delivering those 250,000 meals to some of the local villages. But, we need your support, both through prayer and financial support. To learn more, about what we will be doing and how to aid our mission read this letter that I sent out:


Hello everyone,

I am so excited to inform you that God has blessed me with another incredible opportunity to serve through missions this year in Ethiopia. Through the support from many of you last year, I was able to travel to Haiti and work in some of the local schools and orphanages. God placed a true passion for missions on my heart that week and I believe this trip to Ethiopia is the next step in God’s plan for my life.

I will travel with a small team from Change This World January 2nd -12th (dates are tentative) to Ethiopia, where we will be delivering over 200,000 meals to some of the local churches and villages. I was able to help package over 70,000 of those meals at Grey Stone Baptist Church this summer, and will now get the incredible opportunity to see those meals delivered. Our team will also work with a local Ethiopian pastor in the area to help plant new churches in some of the villages that have not yet been reached with the Gospel. Our goal is to bring more people into the local churches so that they will get the opportunity to hear the Word of God. We will also help end the hunger problems by providing enough meals to feed approximately 15 villages for an entire year. This trip will truly be life-changing for the people of Ethiopia and for our team.

Recent statistics show that 8 million people die each year from a lack of food and nutrition. That means that 16,000 people today, or one person every 3 seconds, will die because they are not receiving adequate nutrition. So what can you do to help? Well, there are two ways you can help our team end this problem. First and most importantly, we need your prayers. We ask that you pray for the people of Ethiopia. Pray that the Lord will begin to work in their lives and open their minds to the message we will be bringing. We also ask that you pray for our team. Pray that the Lord will prepare our hearts and minds; pray for our safety; and, pray that the Lord will bless our time in Ethiopia. Ephesians 6:18-20 says, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. Pray also for me, that whenever I open my mouth, words may be given to me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. And pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.”

The second way you can help is through financial support. The cost of our trip is $2,700 per person. As a student, I cannot come up with this money on my own. However, I can, and am trusting the Lord to provide the financial contributions that will allow me to take part in this mission trip. I ask that you would prayerfully consider supporting our mission through financial support. Any extra money I receive will go to Change This World to package meals for other countries. If you would like to make a donation, please make a check out to Innovative Mission Opportunities and return it in the enclosed envelope. All checks made out to Innovative Mission opportunites are tax deductible.

If you are unable to contribute financially, I ask that you please continue to pray for our team. It is the support from people like you that make mission trips possible, and allow the great news of Jesus Christ to be spread all over the world. Thank you again, and God Bless!
Love in Christ,
Allyson Hemric

Here is also a link to the news clip taken of our kids raising money:

----> One correction to the news clip, the website is actually www.hope4ethiopia.net

To learn more about Change This World visit their website

If you would like to make a donation please send it to 1219 Infinity Rd Durham, NC 27712

How I Did It: Part 4

The third and most important/successful way I got through everything was by digging into the Bible. When I was at my lowest points where hope seemed unattainable, I would dig into God's Word. Each and every time, God would reveal his love, compassion, support, and comfort to me. I also found a lot of love and support at church. The church is where I had people who loved me unconditionally, that would pray for me, and help guide me through the hard times. I also found that taking the time to worship God and thank him for getting me through each day, drew me closer to Him which made everything a little bit easier. The pain didn't go away for good, but I can honestly say that in those moments where I just sat and focused on God and my relationship with Him was where I found the most happiness. Happiness more incredible than anything I've ever experienced. God truly poured his love and mercy over me during those times. So my advice for you, during those times where the pain seems endless, is to draw close to God. Lean on Him, talk to Him, trust Him, and find your strength in Him. He promises to take care of the brokenhearted and I'm living proof of that.

Here are some of the bible verses that helped me during my hard times. I wrote these out and put them on my mirror, in my car, on my dresser, on my notebooks, above my bed, and on my desk. That way, no matter where I was, I had a constant reminder of God's unfailing love for me. I hope they will give you some encouragement too :)

"And the God of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast." - 1 Peter 5:10

"Those who know Your name will trust in You, for you Lord have never forsaken those who seek You." -Psalm 9:10

"The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit." -Psalm 34:18

"And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose." -Romans 8:28

"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." -1 Corinthians 13:4-8

"Evening, morning, and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice." -Psalm 55:17

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." -Isaiah 41:10

Some other verses that helped me out are: Hebrews 13:5, Psalm 147:3, James 1:19-20, Psalm 145:14, Ecclesiastes 3:1,4, Matthew 7:7, Psalm 37:8, Psalm 138:3, Psalm 94:19, Isaiah 66:12-13, James: 1:3, 2 Timothy 2:10

Trust God- He knows what's best for you and will get you through anything that comes your way!