Who I Am

 Dear Readers,

I thought you might be interested in knowing a little more of who I am, so let's start with the basics. My name is Adriana and I am 16 years old, I live at home with my parents and five siblings. I am the second oldest in my house, and am the eldest girl. I am Latino and have enjoyed learning more about my culture.  I love my family and friends, but most of all I love God and am excited to grow more in him. Down below I have my testimony, and below that is a list of my hobbies -hopefully you can learn more about me by reading those things. If you would like to know more about my beliefs then check out the 'My Beliefs' page.

My Testimony

Growing up I lived in a christian home for the most part. My parents didn't have any faith until I was about 3, but I don't remember being that young, so my childhood memories are of going to church on Sundays as well as other church activities. Growing up I guess you could say I went through the "motions". I did what I knew I was supposed to; I memorized verses for awanas, attended christian home-school co-ops, and went to church weekly. My faith never became anything but a bible story every week.

At age 13 I began to realize that there was something more to having a relationship with Christ, and that was just it, I had no relationship. It's like hearing all your friends talk about someone you don't know, you learn information about this person but all this individual is to you is a stranger. Yes, you may know there favorite color and where they live, but you have no relationship with them. And that is exactly what my relationship with God was, he was simply a stranger to me.

I knew I needed to make a change, but how? I always told myself "If only there was an instruction manual that could tell me exactly what to do to have the relationship I want with Jesus...". HELLO!!! What about the Bible? Is that not our instruction manual?! I must admit that for a while I was lazy, and didn't want to take the time to work on a relationship with God. Because it was just that, work. Obviously you can't get anywhere by just shoving your bible aside though either. As my mom used to say "If your not part of the solution then you are part of the problem", or in this instance, If your not making it better your making it worse. And so, my relationship got worse.

Over time it got to a point were I could take it no longer, and so I broke down. Even after that though, I still didn't have the drive to fully work on my relationship with God. Yes I got better about acting more "Christian-like", but I wasn't giving my all. Now I am ready to fully devote myself to God, or perhaps I should say willing -Since I have always been 'ready' but never willing to devote myself to Him. And not just read my bible when ever I feel like it, but to make an effort to read it daily. To strive for understanding and knowledge. To become a woman of God.

Just recently I read a book titled 'Captivating', and it helped me to see the woman that I want to become. I have been told by Youth pastors that your teenage years is a time to grow in God, because it's a time that you don't have all the responsibility's that being an adult brings. And I have come to realize that there right about that, and so during my youth years I hope that I can begin to bloom into a woman of God. No it won't be easy, and no it won't happen overnight. But through God all things are possible, and as long as I am seeking him and asking for his guidance, then he can lead me through this journey as I strive to become a woman reflecting God.

~I hope by reading this, you will realize that I am an ordinary girl. I have struggled with my relationship with God for what seems like all my life. It's hard for me to attain the relationship with Him, but did He ever say it would be easy? I don't think so. He gives us the choice to whether we want to accept him in our heart and fully devote ourselves to him, and that choice is one of the hardest but best decision you can ever make in your life. I can't say I know all the answers when it comes to having a relationship with Jesus, but if you would ever like to discuss it or ask any questions, then feel free to send me a message via e-mail.(Check out the 'Contact Me' page)
~Miss. Adriana Castillo



My Hobbies:

Art

I just started taking art classes at MSOA (Masters School of Art) during the spring of 2010. I never realized the raw talent that I had until I started going there, the teachers there have helped me develop my art in ways I had never imagined. I am so very thankful for that, because I now have a true love for art and have found that that is where my heart is. My goal is to one day be able to draw someone who is sitting right in front of me, mainly portraits. I also want to be able to learn how to create clothing, aka fashion illustration. I realize that this can only happen over a period of time, but I am working toward my goal and hope to someday fulfill my dreams. (To the right is the 1st Portrait I drew, It's a picture of Lucille Ball. Special thanks to my amazing teacher Mrs.Williams, without her wonderful teaching, I never would have imagined drawing such a thing)

Baking

Just recently I discovered my love for baking. Since the beginning of this year I have been experimenting making dessert after dessert of everything from cheesecakes to cookies to pies. I hope to go to a culinary school after high school and become a Pastry Chef as my career major. Some people wonder why I don't make art as my career, but since the economy is bad and art has been taken out of schools as a result, I thought it wiser to go with baking since there are more job openings for it. If you would like to know more about my desserts then you can check out my recently started blog titled Simply Exquisite Desserts; http://simplyexquisitedesserts.blogspot.com/

Writing
I like to write, I write anything from short stories, to novels (That I never manage to finish), to songs & poems. I like to write some comedies as well as romance, and on occasion, action and adventure stories. You will find that I am not that public about my writing since it is not that good, but boy do I enjoy it! :)