"We may never leave our native land or travel by air or sea; but, if we love and serve God, our lives will be a great adventure. He'll never take you anywhere He has not already perpared for your arrival. Keep trusting Him."
~Beth Moore
One of my favorite things about God is that He sees the big picture and he cares about every little detail that he sees. Even before my arrival in Mexico he was preparing me and leading me down this path. When I think back on each detail that fit together to allow me to come, I am astounded by how brillant God is! And I am eternally grateful that he continues to work on the big picture, even when I get too caught up in the troubles of one day. It inspires me to know that even as I write this, God is at work in the hearts and lives of people all over the world and leading us to the work that he has prepared in advance for us to do!
Ephesians 2:10 says, "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do."
Have you ever really thought about everything that goes into "preparing" for your arrival at a certain task that God has lead you to? I am so excited to get to Heaven one day and hear all about the countless times that God prepared the way for me or made details fall into place in my life so that I can be where I am today and wherever I will be next!
God is in control, he sees the big picture and I don't have to worry about the future because he has it covered! Praise the Lord for caring so much about our stories! Life is such a wonderful adventure and such a grand story. It is freeing to know that my life is not about me. That we are all living in a story that is so much bigger than we are.
It is the story that began in the Garden of Eden,
the story of Eve eating the fruit,
the story of Abraham,
the story of Isaac,
the story of Jacob,
the stories of Joseph and the birth of the Nation of Israel,
the story of Jesus Christ,
the story of the First Church.
It is your story,
it is my story.
It is all the stories that are yet to be lived.
It is not a story about great men or women, but about the constant faithfulness, goodness and provision of our Heavenly Father!
How blessed we are to be a part of the story! And that God cares enough about our roles that he prepares them in advance!
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
23
On the 12th I celebrated my 23rd birthday! I could not have asked for a better or more encouraging day! From the moment I woke up to the moment I went to sleep I felt overwhelmingly loved! I missed being close to my family and friends from home, but God was so faithful! The outpouring of emails and messages was appreciated more than I can say!
In the morning we had a party with the kids at school, and I thought the rest of the day would be pretty low-key. Well, I sure was wrong! When I went home for my lunch hour, the kids had put together a surprise party for me! I really do have the best students in the world! :)
Later that evening I went out to dinner with the staff women.
After the meal, the waiter brought out flan! This was my first experience with authentic flan and I have to say that it was delicious!
I feel so humbeled by the ways that God showered his blessings out on me!
Neighborhood Outreach
The last week of school before Christmas break, we decided to take the kids on an outreach in our neigborhood. We thought it would be a fun way to allow the kids to serve in their own community! We printed off the story of the candy cane and tied it to about 100 candy canes to hang on door knobs and hand to people that we passed. The kids had such a fun time preparing the candy canes and then seeing the joy on people's faces as the candy canes were handed out. 
The SMCA kids preparing the candy canes! Good Teamwork!
Ready to head out!
That smile was the highlight of my week! She was absolutely delighted by the candy canes!
Mexico is truely a land of contrasts. Here is the home of one of our neighbors. It is surrounded by the large Quintas (weekend homes) of the wealthy.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
New Year News!
Hello friends!
It has been so long since I have posted an update, and there is so much to say! At the start of this New Year I am energized by the new works that I see the Lord doing here in Mexico and in believers all around the world! My time spent at my Michigan home was blessed with encouraging conversations with friends and family and it brought joy to my heart to know that although God gives each of us to very different tasks, the calling on our lives is the same. Our calling is to seek, trust and surrender to the One True Living God with all that we have and give glory to His name in all that we do. This year I have been blessed with the task of being a missionary teacher with Back2Back. Throughout my life I know that my task will change, my location will change and my school will change, but my calling will never waver. The calling is more important than the task. I am called to live with full adandonment, surrendering total control of my life to Jesus Christ.
As I have begun seeking the Lord about what task he has for me next, I have come to a big decision. I am thrilled to say that I have committed to another year teaching at the Sierra Madre Christian Academy! Just typing it fills me with excitement!! We are still working out all the details about what the school will look like next year, but I do know that I will have grades 4-8 (without 6th graders) and I will be taking over Social Studies and Science (which were taught by Hope this year), as well as contining with the other subjects that I currently teach. It will be a bigger load than I currently have, but I am confiedent that with God's strength and creativity, your prayers, and alot of grace, I will be able to take on the challenge!
Something else that I have been praying about is spending some time in Nigeria this summer. My heart feels pulled in that direction and I believe that I just need to go and see what the Lord will do in my heart while I am there. I will be able to check out a school, experience what it would be like to live there, and serve in a village that Back2Back works in. I am hoping to be there for the month of July. Please pray that I can find a good deal on a flight, and that all the details for the trip will come together smoothly. Getting the shots and visa that I need is more difficult than I expected since I have to do it all from Mexico. But praise God that he is more powerful than these little obstacles!
I am so thankful for your continued prayers and support in 2010! God is using your partnership in mighty ways and my heart is forever grateful!
With Joy,
Jessica
It has been so long since I have posted an update, and there is so much to say! At the start of this New Year I am energized by the new works that I see the Lord doing here in Mexico and in believers all around the world! My time spent at my Michigan home was blessed with encouraging conversations with friends and family and it brought joy to my heart to know that although God gives each of us to very different tasks, the calling on our lives is the same. Our calling is to seek, trust and surrender to the One True Living God with all that we have and give glory to His name in all that we do. This year I have been blessed with the task of being a missionary teacher with Back2Back. Throughout my life I know that my task will change, my location will change and my school will change, but my calling will never waver. The calling is more important than the task. I am called to live with full adandonment, surrendering total control of my life to Jesus Christ.
As I have begun seeking the Lord about what task he has for me next, I have come to a big decision. I am thrilled to say that I have committed to another year teaching at the Sierra Madre Christian Academy! Just typing it fills me with excitement!! We are still working out all the details about what the school will look like next year, but I do know that I will have grades 4-8 (without 6th graders) and I will be taking over Social Studies and Science (which were taught by Hope this year), as well as contining with the other subjects that I currently teach. It will be a bigger load than I currently have, but I am confiedent that with God's strength and creativity, your prayers, and alot of grace, I will be able to take on the challenge!
Something else that I have been praying about is spending some time in Nigeria this summer. My heart feels pulled in that direction and I believe that I just need to go and see what the Lord will do in my heart while I am there. I will be able to check out a school, experience what it would be like to live there, and serve in a village that Back2Back works in. I am hoping to be there for the month of July. Please pray that I can find a good deal on a flight, and that all the details for the trip will come together smoothly. Getting the shots and visa that I need is more difficult than I expected since I have to do it all from Mexico. But praise God that he is more powerful than these little obstacles!
I am so thankful for your continued prayers and support in 2010! God is using your partnership in mighty ways and my heart is forever grateful!
With Joy,
Jessica
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