Where Can You Find Me?

In addition to writing on my blog - http://beautyinthestorm.com you can find me writing at a few other places on the web.

StartMarriageRight.com

Believe.Com

EmbracingGrace.net

and

EverydayChristian.com

Make sure you let me know you stopped by!


:) ~ Dionna

New Links

I have two new links where you can follow me.

I have a web profile page for instagram. You can like photos or sign up to follow me there - http://www.instagram.com/dionnasanchez

The other is just a page where you can see my tweets from twitter more nicely laid out in groupings based on subject. It's at http://www.twylah.com/dionnasanchez

Facebook Page

I now have a facebook page that I'd love to connect with you on! It is at:
http://www.facebook.com/DionnaSanchezWriter

You can comment on my articles there or leave any kind of comment or question for me.

If you are on facebook, please do "like" my page so I can get to know you!

Thanks so much.


~ Dionna

Releasing My Grip

Sometimes we hold on tightly to things in our life. We do it because we value and hold those things (or people) so dearly to us. But there comes a time when God might ask us to let go of those things. He will either ask us to trust Him with them, or maybe to give them up altogether. That time has come for me.

It is with a very tender heart that I want to let you know that I am stepping down from my Emphasis On Moms Ministry. It has been such a blessing in my life. I have loved it dearly. I have loved my subscribers dearly. But as greatly as I have loved Emphasis On Moms, I love my Lord more. And with my whole heart, I feel that He is asking me to release my grip on that ministry.

Life is about change. Nothing stays the same. There is a time and a season for everything. I’m actually very excited about this season of change in my writing. I will be focusing more on my blog here at Beauty in the Storm and on my freelance writing. I hope to be given a platform at some point to reach many, many more moms and women with the hope and love of God.

I also am excited personally – because I can relax a little bit more as I throw myself into my two girls’ increasing social calendar. After all, I’ve always said that family comes first! And as I see my children growing up, I want to soak in every moment I can with them.

I remember the first day I mailed out my Emphasis On Moms Newsletter. I sent it through the mail at that time before it went online. And I remember as I put those newsletters in the mailbox, I prayed. I asked God to bless this ministry and to be in charge of it. Ultimately, it was HIS ministry – not mine. I tried so hard not to forget that along the way. What a thrill for me to be allowed to have it for as long as I did. Do you know that I started Emphasis On Moms in October of 1997?? That’s 14 years! What a blessing. What a part of my life it has become.

Now. Now I guess God is calling me to move on a little bit. To shift gears slightly.And I’m positive, hopeful, and excited. Mostly – just excited.

I will still be around. I will still be writing my blog and like I said - hopefully expand to more freelance opportunities. The Emphasis On Moms website and ministry will always be a part of my heart. And hopefully it will still live on – just a little differently.

To those of you who have been with me on this journey, thank you. I have treasured every moment of it.

Please continue to pray for me as I open myself up to new opportunities and make myself available for new ways God might see fit to use me in ministry for Him.

Bio

Dionna Sanchez was born in Coos Bay, Oregon and grew up in Medford. She was blessed to grow up in a tight-knit Christian family, and developed a heart to encourage others early on in her life. From volunteering in nursing homes, to joining any kind of club that helped people - Dionna always wanted to impact lives for her Lord.

After high school Dionna moved to Las Vegas for two years where God strengthened and solidified her faith through her experiences and time there. She then moved to Salem, Oregon where she met her husband, Eliseo. They got married in 1994 and at the age of 23, she became a full-time custodial stepmom to her "son" Garrett. God taught her many things through those challenging years and grew in her heart a desire to encourage other moms; which resulted in the birth of the Emphasis On Moms newsletter.

In 1996 a daughter, Kamica, joined the family and about a year and a half after her birth, their family moved to Idaho for career reasons. Dionna's youngest daughter, Kayla Shaye, then joined her family in 1999. During this busy time as a mom, Dionna saw her newsletter grow and add on a website.

After a missions trip to Belgium with her husband in the summer of 2005, God began working on Dionna's heart in a new way by changing her focus and ambition with her writing. Dionna felt God call her to use her gift of writing more as a ministry and she started blogging. She only felt this calling of ministry grow after attending a Beth Moore conference in the Fall of 2006.

Dionna's deepest desire is to inspire women to embrace who God has created them to be as wives, mothers, and individual women. She wants women to let go of the world's expectations and just learn to love and see themselves as God does. She is passionate about sharing her faith and helping others grow through her writing and feels blessed that she can be used to make a difference and impact on others in this way.

Today, Dionna attends and is actively involved with her local church. She has been married for 18 years and along with raising her two daughters, she saw her stepson get married in 2006 and is now a proud mother-in-law, and grandma.

Dionna loves writing - enjoys volleyball, photography, shopping, travel with her family, blaring and belting out her favorite music, socializing with friends, and just laughing and loving on her family.  She loves encouraging others and desires to live in a warm climate someday.