DOTK Interview - God's Daughter

Hiya there blogger lovelies! First off, may I just say that I was very excited to be able to interview a dear blogger friend of mine recently. Today you will get a sneak peek into the life of dear Miss Raquel, who just so happens to be the lovely authoress of two very fab blogs (if I do say so myself): God's Daughter (is her main blog) and The Modestus Filia (is her fashion blog.)  I quite enjoyed reading through Raquel's answers to my interview questions and getting to know her better through this interview you are about to read. So here goes the first ever "DOTK Interview!"  

*I must admit that I am not a big fan of part 1 and part 2 interviews, so I decided to just post the whole interview all at once. So I'm sorry if this one is a bit long for you all to read through...hopefully you'll read through it all anyway!* =)

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(DOTK) Hi Raquel. Thank you so much for being willing to let me interview you on my blog! I am sure my blog readers will love getting to know you, because I know that I myself have loved getting to know you through your blog (God's Daughter) and facebook. So to start this interview off could you please tell all of us a little bit about yourself and your family?

(Miss Raquel)  It is my pleasure!  I am honored to be featured on your blog.  And you’re so sweet. :)  It’s been great getting to know you too!

So…I am the second oldest of a family of 7 children.  One older brother, 4 younger sisters, and then another little brother. :)  My Dad is a letter carrier for the USPS and works just about 40 minutes away (in the next town over).  My Mama is a stay-at-home, working-all-day-long, beautiful Mother…one of my best friends and mentors.  I don’t know what my life would be like without her.  My older brother and I are very close…only 18 months apart.  It was just us two for four years, before Lydia came along.  He and I do a lot together – including, going to art school. :)  (He is FAR more talented than me, by the way!)  (I’m going to keep my sisters’ and little brother’s names private, so I’ll be using different names for them. :)  Rosie (11) is the clown of the family…always making us laugh. :) Tanya (9) is the encourager…always wants to make everyone feel good, and always compliments. :)  Anna (6) is the little mischievous stinker, but hilarious, little bean. :)  Natalie (2) is the doll of the family…always makes us laugh too, and is very talkative for such a little person. :)  And little Michael (5 months), whom we had been waiting for, for 17 years, finally made his appearance in July.  :)  He is the handsomest little boy baby EVER…the end. :)  (notice all the smiley faces after describing each of my siblings :)

We live on a farm just outside of a small town in Northwest Oregon, and love our little home.  We have, mostly, registered Nubian goats, but also chickens, and a big guard Doberman. :)  Oh, and a fish and two frogs in an aquarium. ;)
I am homeschooled, and a junior this year, but am actually going to try squishing junior and senior year together, so that’s a challenge, but I’d be super happy to finish school next spring. :)

I am also going to an art school with my brother.  I am going Thursday and Friday and am taking 8 classes, teaching 1 and assisting in another.  They are: (taking) – Violin, Portrait 101, Drawing 201, Photography, Painting 101, Computer Art 101, Dance (hip-hop and lyrical), and Novel Writing 102.  Teaching – English Country Dancing.  And assisting – Drama.  The school has been such a blessing, because it is based on a Christian foundation and the environment is just so amazing to be around and a part of!

(DOTK) As a fellow Daughter of the King can you tell us what personally helps drive you further and deeper into your relationship with God and His Son every day? Is there a certain biblical passage that speaks to you...perhaps one you'd like to share with us right now?


(Miss Raquel)  God teaches me things DAILY – as He does with all of us.  But one thing that He’s been showing me lately is just to stop and take time for Him.  So many times, we can push our Bible reading and prayer time to the back of our schedule and say that we’ll get to it later…and we usually don’t.  God has been telling me to make HIM a priority, even amidst my busy schedule.  He knows how busy I am, and the things that take up the majority of my day…but He also knows that I need HIM to get me through each day. :)  A favorite Bible verse…and one that the LORD brings to my attention CONSTANTLY…is Psalm 37:4-6: ‘Delight yourself in the LORD and He shall give you the desires of your heart.  Trust also in Him and He shall do this.  He shall make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.’  It is such a beautiful passage, and reminds me to stop and delight myself in Him!  Also, Jeremiah 29:11: “ ‘For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the LORD.  ‘Plans to prosper you and not to harm you.  Plans to give you hope and a future’.”  It is so comforting and amazing to know that our Creator has us in the PALM OF HIS HAND and is concerned with every single little detail in our lives…and He plans every step we take.  What a comfort!

(DOTK) Reading your lovely blog brightens my day and makes my heart leap for joy, Raquel, it truly does! Just knowing that in this day and age that there are indeed Godly young women, such as yourself, who put the Lord and their family first before themselves, before others and instead of this world we live in really gives me hope. I sincerely pray that others who will stumble upon your blog will be inspired to seek God wholeheartedly, because that is what I see within you and your blog posts: a young woman who delights in the Lord and seeks Him wholeheartedly! With all of that said, could you please tell us a little about your blog? When and why did you start it? What do you hope to speak out to others about with it?

(Miss Raquel)  Oh, you are too kind!!  Thank you so much for telling me that!  It is SOO encouraging to know that my blog is such a blessing!  Oh, and I know EXACTLY what you mean about how it gives you hope to know of other Godly young ladies…through the blogger world, I have been able to meet and make such DEAR friends via fellow bloggers…it has been truly amazing and God is so good!!  Oh and I pray that too…that more people will stumble upon my blog!  But I only pray that so that it will be an encouragement to them.  I feel amazed to know that God has spoken through me to people that my blog has touched.  It’s truly amazing to hear such wonderful feedback from readers! 

Well…I had always wanted somewhere public to write about my thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and be able to encourage fellow sisters in the LORD…so I felt led to start a blog.  I really did not know what to call it at first!  I had come up with so many different fun names, but finally decided on something simple/practical.  Something easy to remember.  So, I settled on ‘God’s Daughter’.  I’ve had this sweet blog for over two years now...almost three.  I had actually begun it with the late Sampa.com site (but they closed about a year ago).  So I moved to Blogger.  On Sampa, I had my blog private…but since moving to Blogger, I felt that I should make it public, in order for it to reach more people and be the blessing and encouragement that I had begun it for in the first place. 

My hope with God’s Daughter is to let others know that right HERE, there stands a girl on fire for her LORD and Savior.  That right HERE, stands a girl who is not afraid to speak about her God…the One true and living Maker of the universe.  That right HERE, stands a girl who only cares about where she stands in His eyes.  And that here stands a girl that wants YOU to know how much she loves her LORD…and she hopes that you enjoy her blog and is blessed and encouraged by it. :)



(DOTK) I've really enjoyed reading through your "Posts of Note" on your blog. Can you tell us a little about why Courtship, Purity and Modesty, among other things, are so very important to you?

(Miss Raquel)  Those topics are very important to me because of what the LORD has laid on my heart, and the convictions that I have come to, through studying His Word, hearing insights from different people, and just seeing how the world views these subjects as well.  As a true believer, my goal is to stand out and be a light in this dark world.  When I see fellow girls my age, dressing immodestly, showing cleavage, and not carrying about their appearance…my reaction should be, as a Christian, to WANT to be the opposite of that.  The same with purity…and courtship.  MOST of the couples that I know who have dated, either didn’t end up together or did, and their marriages are a mess now.  I’m not saying that dating ‘doesn’t work’…notice the ‘MOST’ at the beginning of that previous sentence. My own dear parents dated…BUT after only six months of marriage, they were pondering divorce.  But God showed them the plan He had in mind for marriage…when He designed that sacred covenant.  And I have seen so many relationships go sour, because of the couple dating, and I certainly to not want to be dragged through the mud and left wet and dirty, and unloved.  And here also comes purity…remaining pure is something that every girl struggles with.  Not so much physically as mentally.  Some people say that keeping such high standards regarding purity makes you hard to get…and that is just my aim. ;)  I will know a man is serious about pursuing a relationship with me, when he doesn’t falter and RESPECTS my boundaries.

Anyway, sorry if that was a little long… :) 

(DOTK) Besides writing, can you share with us some of your favorite pastimes?


(Miss Raquel)  Ooh!  A hard, but fun question :)  Let’s see…I enjoy reading, singing, dancing, playing piano and violin, crocheting, knitting, listening to music, organizing, taking long walks, cooking, baking, riding horses…the list can go on and on.  :)

(DOTK) I am a piano teacher, and so naturally I'm very much so in love with music. I love to discover new music artists for my listening pleasure; and I love to sing my heart out too! Do you play any musical instruments...or sing? Could you tell us what music artists speak to you; are there any particular songs that you just LOVE?

(Miss Raquel)  Yes!  As mentioned above, two of my favorite hobbies are playing piano and violin.  And yes, I LOVE to sing!!!  Oh goodness!  Ask ANYBODY who is a friend of mine and they will tell you, 9 out of 10, that they usually find me reading, writing, singing or dancing. :)  And oh goodness, I have so many favorite artists/songs that speak to me!  I will actually be doing a series of 7 such artists/songs that have touched my life the most this year.  But I guess I could give you a special sneak peek. ;)  Sarah Reeves (Sweet, Sweet Sound and My Savior), Caleb and Sol (Dedication and Be Still), Sixteen Cities (Sing Along and Someone’s Work of Art), The Afters (Light Up the Sky and Never Going Back to OK), Chris and Conrad (You Are the One and Lead Me to the Cross), and Jason Castro (You Are and Let’s Just Fall in Love Again).  I only named two songs from each of those artists but there are so many more; I could go on and on!! :)  (okay, a couple more…Britt Nicole, Bethany Dillon, Jaci Velasquez, and Owl City)  And most of the songs that I mentioned along with those artists are the ones that I ‘just LOVE’. ;)


(DOTK) Looking to the future, what are some things that you can see yourself doing...or that you hope to do, if God would allow it?

(Miss Raquel)  In a few years, I hope and pray that the LORD will have blessed me with a husband.  If not, I plan to be making my single years useful (as I pray that I am already doing!), and perhaps work at a Pregnancy Resource Center – which, actually, God has been opening doors for me to do so, at a Christian children’s orphanage, or maybe even go out of the country with World Vision and help at one of their missions.  I am willing to go wherever the LORD sends!

(DOTK) And in closing, could you share with us if there was ONE thing that you could share with each and every blog reader out there to impact their life in some small (or HUGE) way, what would you say to them?


(Miss Raquel)  To fellow believers…you are lights, shining in this dark world.  What you do now, will impact you and people around you for the rest of your life.  Shine for Him!  Stay strong in His Word!  Guard against the evil one!  You are a testimony of His goodness and salvation…never deny Him, never turn away from Him…always be ready to give an answer for the hope that is within you.

To anyone reading this who has not received the LORD as their Savior…I pray that you will soon come to the knowledge of Him who saves.  Know that He will not turn you away.  No matter how great or small a sin you have committed, He is ‘faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’.  Ask for forgiveness…and He will gladly give it you.  You will be washed with the blood of His Son and be as white as snow.  It will be the best thing that ever happened to you!

Thank you, Sarah, SO much for this opportunity!!  I truly enjoyed this interview and am so blessed to know you and call you ‘friend’. You are a treasure to know.  *HUGS*, dear! 

(DOTK) You're very welcome, Raquel! It's always so very exciting for me (and I hope for you too fellow blogger lovelies) to learn about the life of a young woman who is completely sold out for Christ, her family and her friends. I am very encouraged and blessed by you and your bog. Thanks so much for letting us take a glimpse into your life, Raquel! I consider myself blessed to call you friend, and a fellow Daughter of the King.

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If you would like to get to know this fellow Daughter of the King better you can find Miss Raquel on her lovely main blog God's Daughter weekly. Please be sure to stop by and visit her, and leave her a sweet comment or two! 

Thanks for reading the interview...any thoughts? 

3 comments:

  1. I'm so glad you decided to do these interviews, Sarah! This was such a joy to read :) And thank you Raquel for getting involved!

    God bless you both.

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  2. Loved getting to meet Raquel! She is such a beautiful young woman with a lovely spirit. Thanks for sharing to the both of you :)

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  3. How fun! Enojyed reading through the interview! I love your pictures, Raquel!

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