Tuesday, January 29, 2008

January 2008 Newsletter

It's a brand new year and already 2 exciting things have happened!!

One is that everything has fallen into place for me to become the YWAM Pacific Communications Coordinator! In two weeks I will lead a small communications team touring nine countries in the region. We will meet the missionaries, develop their communications, and end in Samoa where my team will leave me to pioneer a little communications outpost. The second ridiculously exciting thing is that I am finally learning to play the drums! Ever since 4rd grade Derek Fekkes has inspired me -I have always wanted to play the drums. Being a rather cheap missionary I could never justify spending money on lessons, so I just kept pounding away on stuff with chopsticks and pencils.
Then one day last month an old friend of mine said “Jen, I want to support you in missions on one condition: don’t spend it on missions or airfare, I want you to get a life! Go do something fun and get into the real world. Ever since you were little you’ve been talking about how Jesus is coming back! You work too much and you need to go have some fun like normal people your age.”
Point taken. Henceforth I shall take more breaks from pounding on my keyboard and praying for the lost, and start pounding on some drums and mastering syncopated rhythms. Let me tell you, drumming is a blast! You can take comfort in knowing that if all the lost do get saved, and I’m out of a job, at least I can join a rock band.
Truthfully, I want you to know that I love being a missionary though. I love partnering with you, to go into the world, preach the gospel, and make disciples….I am not doing it out of some heavy sense of obligation or even the warm fuzzy feelings. I truly love sharing the good news with people. I love publishing the stories I hear about God working in the world. The Pacific people have been calling to my heart for a while now, and I am thrilled to get back out there and encourage hundreds of missionaries in that region.
They are a bit behind in media and communication, yet God is working powerfully among them - so I can't wait to help them herald the good news!
My theme verse for this new mission is "But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong...so that no one may stand before Him." 1 Corinthians 1:27 + 29
Also verse 29b from the JAV (Jennifer's Abridged Version) "He gives big titles and responsibility to little girls with nothing but ridiculous ideas and big faith, knowing that God will show up working wonders."
Friends, I am young and green, and my feet are way to small for the shoes I'm putting on. But I trust that God can work in spite of me, and help my feet to grow into them.
Thank you for walking this road with me.
Love,
Jennifer
p.s. my new website is www.ywamconnect.com/sites/jennifergray