We love featuring new faces around here and some of those features include young ladies that have caught our eye because of their art – in this case, photography being the hobby of the day! Without further adieu, let’s meet Avaughna Baumeister from Sacramento, California.
Hello Avaughna, thank you again for agreeing to be featured and interviewed for She’s Intentional! We obviously want to know about your photography and other hobbies, but first could you share a little more about yourself with us? How old are you? Where are you from? What are your hobbies and interests and what keeps you busy throughout the day?
I am 18 years old and I live in Sacramento, California. Currently some of my hobbies include photography, decorating, and sight-seeing. I also love coffee and learning new things.
We’ve noticed briefly from your Instagram that you have interests in both photography and baking – could you tell us a little more about how your interest in these areas was inspired?
Photography has been a passion of mine for about five years now. I was introduced to it in the eighth grade when I took on a photography course at school. Although I do not use any of the things I learned from that class, taking it definitely helped to spark my interest because I realized that I could take an average photo and transform it into something beautiful.
My love for baking stems from my grandmother who is a fabulous cook. Everything she makes is from scratch. A few years ago, she invited my sister and I to help her bake for Christmas, and that was when I realized how much I enjoyed it.
Since you mentioned you enjoy baking, do you have a favorite recipe you could share with us?
The recipe I am sharing with you is my great grandmother’s recipe for hazelnut cookies. She owned a bakery in Germany, as well as Los Angeles, and this was one of the recipes she passed down to the grandchildren. We have named them Mama Lena’s cookies.
Mama Lena’s Cookies
Ingredients:
½ cup butter
2/3 cup sugar
1 cup ground hazelnuts
¾ cup flour
¼ teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Heat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar very well. Add the vanilla and mix thoroughly. Fold in the flour and nuts. Place 1-inch sized balls of dough onto a cookie sheet and gently press your thumb into the middle of the dough to create an indent. This is for the icing.
To make the icing:
1 large egg
1 cup powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
Mix all of the ingredients together. Pour a small amount of icing into the middle of the cookie just until the indent is filled. Place the cookies in the oven for about 10 mins. The icing should be a little brown.
These cookies sound amazing, thank you so much for sharing!
In terms of your day-to-day life, what does it look like? Are you involved in your local church or outside missions? How do you live a life of intention with respect to shining the light of God in your world?
I am currently involved in choir and the bus ministry at my church, which we call Project 4:18. I was also involved in Hope Corps this year, which was an incredible experience. At the end of the course, we went on a missions trip to Roatan, Honduras and that trip forever altered my life. Being involved in Project 4:18 and traveling to Roatan has helped me to discover one of my greatest passions, and that lies in helping children.
Our mission in these interviews is to feature Apostolic young ladies who are active not only in their families, but also in their churches and maintain a strong Christian walk themselves. What would you say is the best advice that has been given to you from someone influential in your life?
One piece of advice that has helped me in my journey of living for God came from one of the most influential people in my life—my dad. From the time we were young, my dad has instilled into me and my siblings, the importance of prayer. It is said that your day is pretty much formed by how you spend your first hour. My dad has always said that “prayer is the best way to start your day because it will help give you strength and a peace of mind through the challenges you may face.” I remember as a little girl, I would wake up very early in the morning to the sound of my dad downstairs, deep in prayer. Sometimes I would walk downstairs and just sit on the steps to listen to him. Occasionally, he would catch me sitting there and would open his arms in signal for me to come pray with him. Those are some of my most treasured memories. By his example, I have watched and learned how prayer will get you through everything in life. It is what has sustained me through many trying times in my own life, and is something I hope to instill into my own children in the future.
On a more personal note, do you have a scripture that is especially meaningful to you? What is it and how has it inspired hope and encouragement in your life?
One scripture that is especially meaningful to me is Romans 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for the good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” Last year, my grandmother came to stay with me while my parents were out of town. She asked me to go on a walk with her and that was when she shared this scripture with me. She told me “whenever you are going through a rough time, you remember this scripture, Avaughna. If you ever find that things aren’t working out or going the way you want them to, remember Romans 8:28. Keep loving The Lord and He will turn your trials into blessings.” It has stayed with me ever since.