LeenaFranscisco.blogspot.com

Wasssuuuup guys! So the other day I discovered a really cool blogger. Her name is Taimi Taaya. You guys should check her out, she’s amazing. Anyway, she did a “Get to know me tag” which I thought was interesting and important as it allows me to engage with my readers. I present to you the GET TO KNOW ME TAG. Q: What is my name and what does it mean? A: My name is Leena Franscisco. I wasn’t really sure about the meaning of Leena so I had to look it up and I found that it means a ‘divine illumination’. How cool is that? My middle name is Pombili, which is in my native language-Oshiwambo, and it can be translated as ‘being at peace’. I used to hate the name Pombili though because I have a male cousin with the exact same name and I just felt like it was a name for boys, lol.   Q: Where am I from? A: I was born and raised in Tsumeb, Namibia. Tsumeb is such a beautiful town. If you have never been there please make time to come check it out.   Q: What are...

I woke one morning and was dismayed by what greeted me; ungratefulness. Shoot! I am late for my class, AGAIN! I set the alarm though, what happened? If I shower for 2 minutes then I just might make it, I thought. Then I remembered we do not have hot water and its winter. It is not exactly the season to shower with cold water this early in the morning. Okay now I was frustrated. I was frustrated at how late I was and even the mere thought of knowing I might not get a good seat in a class that does not have enough room to swing a cat. Man was I frustrated. And if that wasn’t enough, there was a possibility of a surprise quiz so there was no way I could miss class. All this time, I did not say one word to God. I didn’t thank Him for this day He has blessed me with or better yet, ask for His peace. Why haven’t I? At that moment, I am of the mindset that I have the right to this day and that it is not a gift. In fact, I felt like I was the victim. I felt like nothing was going my way a...

A Letter to Scarlet Scarlet was a bright girl. To some, it seemed as though she had it altogether. Her smile looked like it cure diseases. Her presence was so vibrant that people wondered how she did it. 'Where is she from?', they would ask. Little did they know all that was behind her smile. Behind the beautiful smile, lay hidden brokenness, heartaches and parts of her she was not sure how to express or to whom. She wasn't perfect but she made herself out to be. Yep, she done played herself. She would go home at night and cry herself to sleep. She wasn't happy but she played the part so well, so well that she began believing it. Yes, she was a nice person, but that's all she had going for her. Then one day, she heard about a God who can heal. She doubted it because her entire lifetime, everyone who said would heal her never could. Heck, she didn't even know what she needed healing from. Oh Scarlet. So lost. So broken. Never really knowing, or bette...

I looked at myself in the mirror one last time. After trying on about five outfits, I still was not satisfied. I still did not feel pretty. What will they think? Do I look okay? Am I showing too much skin or is it just enough? Man, maybe I need a wardrobe change. What type of shoes will go with this? Then I heard my dad call, "Let's go! We will be late". My heart was kind of heavy but I left the room anyway. I grew up in a Christian household and we were always encouraged to dress 'modestly' but I just never understood why. Okay yes, I needed to look presentable. That is all I knew but it is actually deeper than that. I know I am probably stepping on some toes with this one but I just had to share. When you get up in the morning and are getting ready, what goes through your mind when you are picking out your clothes? Personally, I used to think "I hope someone notices me". This statement came from both a sexual and popularity point. I wanted the boys...

I remember that day very clearly. Surrounded by so many people and yet, felt so alone. I knew there was so much noise as my friends were engaging in conversations in an attempt to cheer me up but somehow, I could not hear a thing. I laughed here and there but at most instances, had no idea what the joke was about. I was deep in my thoughts. Now that I think about it, I cannot even believe how consumed I was in my own thoughts. I felt suffocated. Now imagine feeling alone and suffocated. AT THE SAME TIME! As I sat there, with mixed emotions (so much joy from the presence of my loving, 'funny' friends together with the pain of just having lost a loved one) and in my own thoughts. I remember feeling completely numb and as though I am sleeping when infact, I was wide awake. I was so appalled by what suddenly came out of my mouth. It was not loud enough for everyone to hear, but I heard it. I asked God, 'Okay, what now? What am I supposed to do with myself now? What were YOU th...

If you are like me, then you probably believe in true love stories and the idea that there is someone who was created specifically for you. I love everything that has to do with rose petals and bright smiles and colours and happy endings! In this world we live in, however, people don’t believe that love exists. The sad truth though is that people are getting into relationships, not because of love, but because of lust. Also, I feel that sometimes they don’t open their hearts because everybody is afraid of being hurt. With all these reasons, no one is then willing to wait on true love.  We have become so impatient to wait for our God ordained partners. “Waiting is such a drag!” or “YOLO”, they say. While it is true that you only have this one chance on earth, I feel that this phrase is used recklessly. You need to be careful about what you do today because today’s choices affects tomorrow’s outcome, just so you know. Teach yourself not to settle for less than what you deser...

This concept is not 'news' to me. It is something I had trouble with and if I am to be honest, it is something that I deal with on a daily basis. I think its a state of mind, if you ask me. I will tell you this because since I changed my thoughts about myself and how I view myself, I have become a different person. I am not about to give you a list on how to overcome insecurities, no way. Mainly because I do not really know the step by step process on how one can overcome it and quite frankly, that is a whole scenario that seems way too boring for me to write about. I just want to tell you about YOUR WORTH. Have you heard...you are beautiful. Just a quick question, on a scale of 1-10 how much do you think you are worth? In a world we live in, it is so easy to lose sight of our worth and compare our behind-the-scenes with somebody else's filtered to perfection appearance. That is not okay. We live in a society that prives on outward appearance, the number of followers you...