La'u uo lelei

This is Atapana Tualagi my best Samoan friend- he and I have been dating since August 2006 where we were both doing YWAM missions in Singapore. I am so thankful for the way his family has accepted and loved me as their own, and he has taken very good care of me just like he promised my Daddy that he would. Even though it's been hard being friends during the DTS because we are hardly aloud to speak to eachother ( staff and students are not aloud to have relationships). But we still pray for eachother and he still does a good job of looking out for me. Malo lava ma fa'afetai tele lava Pana!
La'u uo o le tama lele!

The Lecture Phase of DTS

Here's a picture of me.......studying.

A typical YWAM Discipleship Training Session is divided into 3 months of lecture phase and 2 months of missions outreach. I didn't expect to learn very much from my DTS lecture phase because it's all basic Christian discipleship messages that I've heard a hundred times growing up in a Christian home, church, Bible school, then the missions feild.....My prideful little self seemed well grounded in the fundamentals of Christian life.
Boy was I wrong.
The 3 months of lectures challenged my heart and mind as we dove into The Word together. We studied the nature and character of God, forgiveness, and evangelism....I think I cried every other day in class as God tilled up the soil of my soul and planted new seeds of discipleship into my life.
Praise God for His endless patience in teaching Bible-prideful people like me =)
Here I am next to our fale (Samoan house) with a few of my fellow students: Ameto Vinepa, and Alissa.
We really love eachother.

My Samoan friends and family

My new Grandma =)

This is me and my new Samoan Grandma =) Isn't she beautiful? She is so precious and I adore her =)

Fundraising!

My Discipleship Training School in Samoa has been alot of fun but also alot of work =) Besides our usual studies, ministry, and programs we do alot of fundraising for our school fees. Usually this involves waking up at 4 a.m. a couple of mornings a week to roll rhoti curry, or husk coconuts and make vasallo (a coconut soup /pudding to sell to our neighboring villages).

My Samoan friends/Family!

Friends in Samoa!

This is one of my fellow students Ameto who is absolutely hilarious.
I told him I would make him famous by putting his photo online =)

Hacking through the Jungle part 2!

Talofa Lava Friends and Family!Yesterday I found myself hauling coconuts and hacking through the jungle with a machete – working like this from 9-5 for 2.50 tala per hour (almost equivalent to $1 U.S.)
There are several ironies in this scenario, one of them being I had just explained the word “femininity” to a local guy and my desire to be effeminate. The second being I have earned a college degree to make 50 times that much working in America. But no matter, it was a team fundraiser and I’m fia fia (happy) to be working with my missions team. As we toiled we prayed, fervently, that this job and many prayers will fly us to Hong Kong next month for our outreach. (This is a picture of my team of DTS students and staff)

These past 3 months in Samoa have not exactly been a holiday at the sea – paradise loses some of its appeal when you have no toilet paper, or running water, or money for food. But in this situation I have two options: get sick and depressed and complain all the time like some people are, or suck it up buttercup and learn the lessons God wants to teach us! This buttercup’s choosing the latter option.
I believe God has so many good things He wants to teach us in the valleys. He gave me this verse today from Hebrews 12:28-29 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’”.

What is more challenging than our physical circumstances is that there is a lot of spiritual attack happening in our camp right now.

Please pray for that.Mysteriously I’m the only one out of 10 girl students and staff who isn’t sick or depressed. I feel blessed that God has placed a shield around me.They say it’s because I’m in love with this boy here but it’s not entirely true.
I really believe God in His mercy is giving me strength, and there are so many of you praying for me back at home. I remain humbled by His grace and thankful for your prayers.May God bless you much as He is blessing me right now (only with an extra measure of T.P.) – and I encourage you to stand in awe of Him for He is a consuming fire, and worthy of our continual praise.Fa’a manuia le Atua! ♥ Kiengy (my Samoan name)

I love Samoa! - part 2

Talofa Lava dear friends and family!
I am still living in Samoa helping the missionaries with office communications and at the same time doing my Discipleship Training School.
Life in our little YWAM village is gorgeous and simple. The land is green and warm, and the people are so beautiful.
I can feel God’s presence in this place.
Sometimes at 6:00 in the morning when I’m having my quite hour with God. I sit outside watching the sun and steam rise over the palm trees. The fragrance of His presence also rises. The birds are chirping in the jungle and children in red and blue school uniforms are laughing and singing as they walk to their bus. Men and women walk past carrying baskets of taro and bananas on their shoulders.
I call out to them “Malo!” (hi) and they laugh “Malo foe!” ”O a mai oe?” (how are you?) I ask. “Manuia fa’a fetai. - Yeah, fa!” “Fa!” I reply, manuia le aso!” (have a happy day).
The YWAM Missions base is nestled in 5 acres of land, surrounded by jungle and plantations. We live in 7 fales which are basically open huts with no walls and brown thatched roofs. There is a cute little village next door, but we can’t see the people through the thick patch of banana trees between us.
I love to hear their church bells at 6p.m. calling people to stop their work and go home for family devotions. Sometimes I catch children laughing climbing the coconut trees, while their cows munch the jungle fluff outside our gate.
Last week I caught a couple of our Big Samoan guys gazing longingly at the cows and laughing. "O laya layna?” I asked.
“Oh, we were just laughing because palagi’s (white people) look at the cow and think of many different ways to prepare the meat. But Samoans just think, kill, cook, eat until we’re full. Haha
We eat a lot here in Samoa.
There is an abundance of rice, bananas, coconuts, taro, greens, papaya’s, and some meat and fish….I feel like I should be getting fatter but I don’t think I am. Strangely.
Maybe it’s because after our morning classes we work hard farming our plantation, then play volleyball and rugby, then our evening praise and worship time gets pretty fun and energetic at night.
Oh I love Samoa.
Thank you so much for continuing to pray for me on my missionary journey. God is teaching me so much about His beauty, strength, and laughter here.
Friends, the most beautiful and fulfilling thing in the world is being in love with Jesus.
In Jeremiah 9:23-24 “This is what the Lord says: ‘Let not the wise man boast of his wisdom, or the strong man boast of His strength, or the rich man boast of his riches, but let him who boasts boast about this: that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who exercises kindness, justice, and righteousness on the earth, for in these I delight,’ declares the Lord.”I am so thankful that we can all know the Lord.
I pray I can understand Him better while I am here, and you can understand Him better wherever you are.

Talofa Lava!

What if?

What if the Hokey Pokey is what it's all about?

High Strung

(Insert obligatory apology for taking ages to write)
It was wonderful to be home for Christmas with my family!
And New Years, and Martin Luther King Day, and.…well I’m still here =)
Didn’t plan on staying in Stanwood for this long, but God always laughs when I tell Him my plans.
I have continued working on various communication projects for YWAM Missionaries: writing their stories, creating and editing websites, designing brochures, and newsletters... Everyday is a fun challenge as I’m learning more about communications and encouraging fellow missionaries.
Praise God for the great things He’s doing in the world!
When I’m not working on these projects I’ve been feeding experimental Thai food dinners to my missions supporters.
But one of the joys of this season has been working at Warm Beach Camp putting up and taking down The Lights of Christmas.
I am so thankful that the camp always welcomes me back to work there, whenever I’m in town. I’ve decided working The Lights of Christmas adds an interesting element to my resume:
Skills?? Well, I can coil Christmas lights with the best of them – in the pouring rain, snow, hail, and hurricane force winds we’ve had this season.
I can create a fake lake with swans on it.
And bodyguard for Bruce the Spruce (the talking Christmas tree)
Every day is a new adventure!
Thanks so much for your love and prayers my friend! Please don’t hesitate to call me if we haven’t gotten together yet. I would love to have you over for dinner so I can experiment on you with some Thai food recipes! =)

John the Baptist?!

While prayer walking around Brussels I ducked into a French Bookshop and met this jolly celebrity and his...helper(?)
In Belgium and the Netherlands Santa Claus comes on December 16th to put candy in the children's shoes....
I like that.
Santa comes and blesses the kids, then gets out of the way to make room for the real reason for the season. =) I was raised in a home that hated Santa Claus, believing he steals Baby Jesus' thunder.
When I was little my mission was to tell all my little friends "the truth" about Santa. Sure, they cried their eyes out and hated me for a time, but they got over it so I thought they were better off =)

But you know, as I was reading the Christmas story again, I realized that Santa is alot like John the Baptist!
- stay with me here - especially the one in Brussels. He came to help prepare the way, get people excited about Jesus coming, then said "He must become greater and I must become less".
He loved on people, pointed them to the truth, and then got out of the way for Jesus.
Would that we were all like that Santa.....maybe we should put out locusts and wild honey next Christmas Eve =)

God save the Queen!

I LOVE LONDON!
O.k. This may sound a little weird but when I arrived in the London Heathrow Airport I made a bee-line for the bathroom and joyously exclaimed “Yes! They have real western flushing toilets!” My joy was doubled after discovering a sink – with warm water! and soap! And – hark – paper towels! “Oh it's just too much, I am so thankful for this!” I cried to the lady washing her hands next to me. "I bet I can actually drink this water too without fear of strange uncurable diseases right?” “Sure, she replied, edgeing her way to the exit.”

After traveling hither and yon it is nice to be in a familiar culture again. Our mother country England is so charming. I love the people and culture, as well as the amenities of modern civilization....I felt guilty for feeling this way at first. But you know, it's o.k. to be thankful for comfortable things like paper towels!
We're supposed to learn the secret of being content wherever we are right?

The YWAM ministry in London is completely different from YWAM India, because the needs of the people are different. I will post another story about that later, but I just want to say it is beautiful when the body of Christ reaches out to their community in creative ways using their own cultural giftings.

Wouldn't it be boring if we all followed the same model for missions and evangelism? If we all worshipped and fellowshipped the same way? That would be so boring.
I praise God He has allowed us all to live and serve Him in beautiful and unique capacities.

And I praise him for paper towels!
p.s. No, Emily, I have not met Prince William and convinced him that I'm the princess of his dreams....yet.
p.p.s. Here I am sitting next to Buckingham palace.

Back in Mumbai with my girls

After traveling hither and yon across the Indian landscape I have returned to Mumbai, eagerly returning to storytime at the girls home.
Every night from 7-10 I get to take a break from writing, and give the "home mom's" a break. Then "Moma Jen" takes over reading story's, praying, and singing lullaby's with the little girls.

Afterwards I go upstairs for time with the big girls, only we do a little more serious teenage girl "girl talk".
Oh, I love it! It is so fun to get together with girls no matter what culture we're in! We girls just have this unspoken bond - it is so fun to be a girl.

I love being a mentor too. If you have a chance to mentor/disciple young people in your life please do. It's a rich investment neither of you will regret.
Here is a snapshot with a couple of the little girls.

Hide it Under a Bushel? No!

It's Wednesday night and the sky is darkening as I squeeze into a small Ram Tekdi slum house with countless other children. They have come for the weekly Bible Club led by Missionaries from the YWAM Pune base. There are thousands of slums just like this in India, filled with thousands of slum children eager to hear Bible stories.

After some rowdy fun worship songs the leaders settle the kids down to learn a new Bible verse: Mathew 5: 14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

”What a perfect lesson for them to learn!” I was thinking as the leaders explained what Jesus meant in this parable.
You see, during my time in Pune I have interviewed several Missionaries and pastors who talk about the “secret Christians”. Many people know God and believe in Jesus, but they are not willing to confess Him to their family or community.

Understandably it would be difficult to proclaim Christ in a Hindu/Muslim country. Many Indian States have anti-conversion laws, and Christian missionaries and pastors undergo tremendous persecution, even death every day.
But if the Christians do not stand up for Christ, how will they be a light to their community? How will they be a city on a hill that points to the Truth?

I pray that this generation of children sitting around me, listening to the Bible story, will be bold and stand up for Jesus. Perhaps when they bring their coloring papers home with the Matthew 5:14-16 verse written on it their parents will be convicted to stand up for Jesus too.

Isaiah 49:15

Do you ever have days where there is so much to do, but everything simple becomes more complicated?
Today was one of those patience testers for me =)
I kept saying "God, I could use a little help here. Where are you? Have you forgotten that I'm doing Your work down here?"

and this is what He told me
"See! I will not forget you....I have you carved on the palm of my hand."
peace
Friend if you want to know perfect peace, His hands are very big.
There is room for your name too.

Beautiful Children of the Slums

Today I helped teach a nutrition class to mothers in a slum area.
I can't believe how little they know about basic health and nutrition. They learned for the first time today why it is important to wash their hands after going to the bathroom and then hand feeding their babies.
And that their babies are probably sick because they crawl all over the slum "streets" which are narrow squeeze spaces between each shanty. Throughout the streets children wander along with AIDS infected animals and raw sewage from thousands of people.....it is so heartbreaking.
There are amazing tender-hearted missionaries here who have started a free medical clinic and health classes...but they feel overwhelmed with the surplus of needs.
The other side of the world is so different from home.
We are so blessed.
I know the Missionaries are going to need continued help and supplies. So today I am writing/designing a brochure for their ministry so we can send it out and raise awareness of what they are doing and how people can help...
If you are interested in learning more please e-mail me and I will gladly send you a brochure and information.
For now will you at least please pray for these beautiful children? That as the Missionaries reach out to their physical needs, they will be allowed to feed their spiritual needs as well?

Namaste!

Namaste! Greetings from India!
I apologize for taking over a week to write. I have been so busy here in Mumbai and Goa setting up interviews with Missionaries, writing stories, taking pictures, helping with the street kids ministry, slums, prostitutes, Bible clubs, hospital visits, orphan homes.....there is always some way to share the wonderful love of Jesus here. Last night I finally went to bed after 40 hours straight of ministry without sleep.
It's been fun though. God is good and is teaching me the mighty greatness of His grace, strength, and joy in my weakness =)
Praise Him!
India is a very sad place. Every city I have seen is dirty, diseased, hot, crowded, and crumbling. I was shocked when told that 40% of Indian people living in cities, stay in slums.
It is heartbreaking. There is such division between the people in castes. Such division between the few very rich, and everyone else who is poor.

Many people have no concept of how miserable their conditions are.
I freaked out yesterday at breakfast when a mouse ran over my feet. But then I went to the market and saw a huge fat rat ambling along in the middle of a restaurant and people noticed but ignored it!
So it’s a little different from Stanwood, but God is doing great things through His people here. He is bringing hope and healing. Everyday when I see people with Siva's ashes rubbed on their foreheads it reminds me of my Father's longing to bring beauty from the ashes of this country.
Thank you for praying for the missionaries here and the people of India.
In this picture some of the local missionaries are teaching me how to eat with my hands - the true Indian way. Then there is another picture of me, Sony, Divya, and Lydia in an auto-rickshaw going to church.

Bring it!

But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved!
Hebrews 10:39

Shameless Little Advertisement

Hear ye! Hear ye! Anyone interested in serving in missions I have good tidings of great joy!
With a multiplicity of YWAM ministry locations the world over, there is surely a perfect place for you!
Right here in this photo I am joined by Ellen from Australia who came with a team from her church to do outreach in Chang Mai. Look at how happy she is serving the Lord while painting the kitchen walls of the Home of Joy!
You too can experience such joy serving anywhere the Lord calls you to – it could be in your own city, or it could be on the other side of the world. Pray about it today and ask God how you can use your special talents or learn new ones, to refresh others!
YWAM needs you!
p.s. I get lonely sometimes moving around every week - little vagabond that I am. Soooo if anyone is interested in photo journalism I would love a partner!
(Said partner must be willing to love everyone; move every week; travel daily on dangerous forms of transportation when you usually do not speak the language or know exactly where you are going; sleep anywhere; eat anything; cannot be afraid of cockroaches the size of hotdogs, spiders that will bite you in your sleep, rats that will scurry accrossed your floor, or rabid looking animals in the street. You can take showers sometimes, which are guaranteed to be cold, but that is o.k. because you are guaranteed to be hot and dirty all the time anyways so it's actually a benefit =)
Other benefits include: living by faith everyday, watching God do miracles, meeting amazing people in amazing cultures, and having alot of fun =)

Birthday Elephants and Humility

I had a fabulous 22nd birthday! I signed up for an all-day Elephant ride through the jungle with a tour group of 8 other people.
One couple was from Canada, another was from Malaysia, 3 were from Spain, 1 from Japan, and myself. We all got on splendidly learning about each other’s countries and swapping travel stories. I quickly became known as the “extremely religious bubbly birthday girl Jen from America!” haha. We had fun.
I’m not sure how I feel about the “extremely religious label”. That conjures up pictures of Pharisees – I sure hope I wasn’t giving them the impression that I was more pious just 'cause I’m a missionary working at an orphan home.
I am reminded everyday that the fact God is using little ‘ol me for anything is a testimony to His grace, sense of humor, and that He likes to use small unimportant things and people to shame the “wise” and shine His glory! Yeah God!
Sometimes I set up interviews with people over the phone, and when I meet them in person they’re shocked saying (either verbally or non-verbally) “What?! I thought I was meeting with a highly experienced reporter!
How old are you? Do you know the hierarchy of YWAM leadership and the 7 steps to our visionary strategy with the 4k network….?” and I say sheepishly “Er…well no. But God’s funny with who He calls for His work isn’t He? I mean he used David to slay Goliath, and a teenager to birth the son of God, so surely He can use anyone, right?” =)
Soooo I hope I am quick to give Him every bit of glory if do anything well.
But back to the elephants =)
We sat 2 people in a saddle while a Thai professional elephant rider man led us over a mammoth mountain, through banana trees and dense jungle foliage.
Since it was my birthday and all, the elephant driver let me out of the saddle to ride the elephant’s shoulder!!
He jumped off to smoke cigarettes and beat the elephants butt with a bamboo stick. I do not believe animal cruelty is edifying for anyone so I petted my elephant, rubbed his ears, and told him nice things. I think he responded much better to the positive encouragement, than the stick.
See how happy he looks in the picture?
We ambled down into a valley which was so green and lush, and spent the day there. It was paradise!
But it wasn't over yet....that night at the Home of Joy the children and staff surprised me with a sweet celebration. Here is a picture of some of them looking all cute and covered in cake.
Thankyou!!!!

Bed Bugs and Birthdays

Two very exciting things have happened to me recently!
Last night I learned how to kill bedbugs – Baby powder!
It’s incredible! I have been dousing the kids with it every night when they jump out of the bath, and last night the Thai staff were singing the benefit’s of the stuff – they say it keeps the baby’s dry, wards off malarial mosquitoes, and also kills bed bugs!
So I also powdered myself liberally, plus the mattress, sheets, clothes, headboard (just in case) and awoke bright and cheery this morning bed-bug free!
Ah, it’s the little blessings in life, you know?
The second wonderful thing is that tomorrow is my Birthday, and I am going to ride an Elephant into the Jungle! Ahhh! It will cut into my budget a bit, but I just won’t eat for 2 days or something, and it’ll be worth it.
I’m so excited!
Thank you so much friends for your love and prayers from home!
The Thai military is still staging the coup throughout the country. We see armed soldiers everywhere, but life seems to be peaceful nevertheless, Praise God.
I miss you all, and hope you are well!
Please let me know how I can pray for you - I feel your prayers everyday.
love and later!
-Jen

Home of Joy!

Living in the Home of Joy (YWAM's home for orphans in Chiang Mai)has been such a...well a joy!
The children are precious, and the workers inspire me by their dedication and love.
I am so thankful my missions role is not limited to merely writing about ministry. I can actually participate! They let me help feed and clean and read and play with the children from 5:45 in the morning when they all wake up - until...oh around 11p.m. when the adults go to sleep. And sometimes through the night.
It's not always easy, they seem to be louder, wilder, and needier than most children I know. Group mayhem is often the rule of the day, when one toddler starts screaming they all do. Nevertheless, we all get through it, and enjoy several bright spots throughout the day as well!
Here are some pic's of these darlings.

Nakhon Sawan, the Coup, and Chiang Mai

So yesterday in Nakhon Sawan, I met my Compassion Sponsor Child, Keng and his family! It was glorious! Oh he is so darling! His family is huge and extremely poor, but hard working, and love the Lord, and generally happy and healthy. Praise God for them. We all loved on eachother so much, it was great to meet eachother after writing for 3 years.

I left them last night and took the "sleeper" bus to Chiang Mai, and was wondering why we kept getting stopped by soldiers along the way (sometimes it is tough not to know what anyone is saying or what is going on =).
I arrived at the bus station at 3a.m. in the morning, and waited there until 10a.m. when my sweet YWAM Missionary friend, Kathleen (who is head of the orphanage here) came for me.
She said that the Thai military just took over the country last night, threw out the Prime minister, and the constitution, and.....some other stuff.
Thailand is such a peaceful country, and has not had disruption like this in hundreds of years. The news says the invasion and everything was peaceful, but we don't really know what is going to happen.
Soooooo I spent the day getting to know all the orphan children I will be living with for the next 8 days. The coup is happening all over the country, so we are just as safe here as we would be in Bangkok. Maybe safer.
So we'll trust God and watch the news and see what happens. It will be great living here with the kids. We will probably be spending alot of time playing and reading, and feeding and changing and cleaning.....and hopefully I'll get some writing done too =)
then I leave on Sept. 30th to India, Lord willing.
So, busy busy, but "God is in His high heaven and all is right in the world" as they say.
Thankyou so much for praying peace over this country, and safety for us here.

Joshua 1:9

God has been encouraging me with this verse lately. I hope it encourages you as well.
He says "Do not be afraid or discouraged, for I, the Lord your God, am with you wherever you go."
Joshua 1:9

Adventuring

For our day off Stuart, Larissa, some local friends, and I hopped on their motorcycles and for an adventure in the back-country of Cambodia!
This is the most georgeous country!
We visited some ancient temples, and joined 100 local children climbing the crumbling ruins.
Then we visited some of the horrible killing feilds where Pol Pot murdered 4 million people during the Kmer Rouge regime of the 1970's.
When a warm cambodian downpour started we sought shelter under a hut with some monks and local people.
After the rain stopped we headed home, after buying coconut rice grilled in a Bamboo stalk. It's a local favorite, and here is a picture of us enjoying it together.

My Little Princess

It is amazing how God knows the things our heart is missing, without us saying it.
God has been ministering to my heart this week through children. I could give several examples - but today in Cambodia (oh yes, I am in Cambodia now by the way =) I was invited to cross the border and stay with YWAMérs in Battambang for a week, to write a story about the sweet new things God is doing here).
Today they let me go to the orphanage nearby to play with the children! Our first stop was in the baby room, where I held the most beautiful baby girl. The house mother doesn't know her name or how old she is, and says she doesn't like her because she won't stay quiet in her crib.
She didn't cry though when I held her close to me and started talking to her. She reached up to touch my eyes and nose and cheeks - then she held me face in her sticky little hands and searched my eyes with her bewhildered little brown ones. I wanted to keep her so much.
I told her softly "Don't worry Princess. Jesus has a name for you. He knows how old you are. He knows everything about you, and He loves you so much."
I feel like God has been telling me that same thing about my identity. "Don't worry princess, I know you're a stranger in a foreign land where no one really knows you. But I know you. everything about you. and I love you so much.
I asked the house Mother's permission to carry the baby with me for the rest of the day as we visited other children.
She held my fingers and my heart so tight.
They wouldn't let me take her home, but I can visit again tommorow.
Praise God for that precious little one. =) Please pray that she will grow up knowing how much she is loved.
Here is a picture of her and a few other sweet kids we were playing with

Visiting the Monks

My friend Stuart visits the Buddhist monks in different pagoda's every morning. The monks are mostly young men in their 20's who are very friendly and eager to practice their English. Stuart has been making friends with them, and they always talk about the differences between Buddhism and Christianity. We are hoping and praying that they will start to "be enlightened" to the One True God.
Stuart let me tag along today and we all had wonderful conversations!

Day 3 in Cambodia

Yesterday I went with Katie (one of the girls on staff) to visit the sick at a local military hospital where many sick soldiers live and die.
Katie is praying for opportunities to organize more Christian volunteers to visit the hospital. The patients desperately need friends to love them, share the gospel with them, and serve them.
The hospital is filthy. Most of the patients have AIDS and lie on their deathbeds but have no one to help them with their most basic needs. There are no nurses to help them go to the bathroom or walk the half-mile away to the cafeteria, so many of the patients die of starvation. Sometimes people are lucky enough to have their family live with them, to help them, but many do not. Many are at the mercy of any tenderhearted person who will care.
Here are some pictures of the patients, and children who live there.

Please Pray

I have been in Bangkok for 10 days now. It is nothing like I expected.
God has been faithful to keep me busy gathering several good story's/testimony's from the YWAM missionary's here....but I really really need advice and prayer right now.
These past 2 weeks in Bangkok have been the valley of the shadow of death it is so spiritually oppressive here.
When I lived in the ghetto for a year in Chester they taught us spiritual warfare, so I have been putting on my armor and doing battle all day, but I still feel like all the life is getting sucked out of me - or I am swimming in a rip tide. I don't know what's happening. Normally I'm a really upbeat person with tons of energy and humor, but I am so weak and irritated here, I hate it.
I don't think it's just because it's a bug-infested, dusty, sweltering city; and hardly anyone speaks English; and I have no one to hug...I think its spiritual.
So please pray for me friends!
Thankyou,
love, Jen

The Muffin Man

Oh! One more thing about Singapore - I need to tell you a story =)
I go running in the mornings here about 5 days a week - which is wonderful because my YWAM office doesn't open until 10a.m. leaving me plenty of early morning time alone with God.
I like to run along the river and watch the senior citizens doing Tai Chi aerobics...they usually smile and wave at me even though it messes up their zen state. They are so cute.
Every time I leave in the morning or return at night to the YWAM house I say "hello" to a sweet elderly chinese man who sells orange chinese muffins and durian fruit outside our door.
Well, he is so sweet, I sometimes buy a muffin from him in the morning. But then I found out the muffins are for idol sacrifices to the hungry/angry ghost the Chinese are celebrating this month. So I have been debating whether I should act like Paul in 1 Cor. 8:4-9 where he says food offered to idols is still just food to Christians, there's nothing defiled about it. I debated this for a few days...Until one day I caught the sweet Chinese man clipping his toenails before serving the next customer! And I figuired, "well God, I think this is a sign. If idols don't defile the muffin toe jam certainly could."
So from now on I think I'll just smile and wave.

Prophecy

I am leaving Singapore and flying to Bangkok, Thailand in 6 hours.
This has been an amazing month. I am so grateful for all the wonderful friends God led acrossed my path this month, and all the ways I saw His glory through the ministry here.
The first week I came here I visited a church acrossed town.
No one knew me, who I was or why I was there, except for the friend who invited me. But after the service a man approached me saying that God gave him a prophetic word for me:
God had told him "I am a writer/journalist and God was going to use my writing to reach the nations and influence people for God's glory.
God wants me to know that He gave me a very creative heart which is very close to His heart, as The Creator. He told me not to despise my youth because I will always be working with people who are older and wiser than me, but God uses the small child-like things to reveal Himself and display His glory...."
He said some other things too, things that only God and I would know. All I could do was cry, I couldn't respond. I was so amazed and broken and humbled and truly believe God sent that man, like an angel, to encourage and confirm what God has been speaking to me.

God is indeed doing a mighty work in Asia. Ezekial 43 says that in the end times the East will be radiant with God's glory. I want the world to see that, and I feel so priveleged to write about it.
So thank you my dear friends for your faithful prayers from home, they are not without effect. I love you and pray that God will reveal His plans and purposes for your life as well, and that your life will be radiant with His glory.

Holy Ground

"Earth's crammed with Heaven, and every common bush afire with God;
but only those who see take off their shoes."
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Let's go barefoot today and look for God everywhere k?

Sharon - I love you!

I've finally found another missionary as quirky and spastic as me! yeah God!
My roomate Sharon and I get along splendidly (even though I secretly hate durian fruit but lie to her about it because I don't want to hurt her feelings).
j.k. of course missionary's can't lie =)
I love you Sharon!

Ode to the Samoans

I have been able to spend alot of time this month with a YWAM missions team from Samoa. They are the happiest people on earth, and I am so thankful they let me hang out with them, learning Samoan dances, cooking, and exuberant joy for God.
Talofah Lava - Fasoifua!
I will miss you all!
love, your little palangi Jen.

The past 3 weeks in Singapore (for lack of a better title)

The past 3 weeks in Singapore have been lovely - interviewing Missionary's and writing story's by day and exploring the city with friends by night.
(This is actually a picture of us at the YWAM Singapore staff retreat in Indonesia. They asked me to come along and report on the weekend, and help write a story and video for their base. This weekend's theme is YWAM Singapore's past, present, and future. I am awe-inspired listening to the original base leaders' story's about God's faithfulness when they were pioneering this mission, years ago.
Most of the people said they had no idea what they were doing. They just really loved God, and stepped out in faith and obedience everyday - now, many years later, the fruit of their faith has been incredible .
That is encouraging, because many times in this new mission of mine, I have no idea what I'm doing (what country am I in again? =) or why in the world God would choose little ol' me for such a huge job, but we walk by faith not by sight.
Soooo I'll just keep walking =) doing my best, and enjoying the ride.
I pray that you are feeling the same way with whatever God has called you to do right now friend.

Perfect Timing

Singapore is so-so. The people are great, but the YWAM base where I am living is in the red light district, so it's very shady and dirty, nothing like the beautiful antiseptic city that most people associate with Singapore. 
It's the perfect place for a missions base.
In addition to this - I have realized the past 2 weeks that God has destined me to be here at exactly this time. 
When I met with the YWAM Singapore director, Joseph Chean, he explained this is an epic moment in YWAM Singapore's history; it is perfect that God sent me to witness and document the great miracles happening here. 
See, YWAM Singapore just launched Go Fest Asia, a conference involving YWAM missionary's from all over the world. They were trained in Asian missions, prayer mapped outreaches, then went out for 2-4 week missions trips to Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, China, Myanmar, or 20 other Asian nations.
The conference was a huge success, and all those missionary's are just now returning to Singapore.  Guess who's going to be here to track them down and share their story's with the world??

You geography buffs probably know that Singapore is the gateway to Asia, all merchants and travellers from around the world have always stopped in Singapore before travelling to China, Thailand, India, Malaysia, Indonesia ect. People stop here first to rest, refresh, resupply, then go out.
God is using Singapore for that same purpose spiritually to be a gateway to the East.  Singapore is experiencing revival along with all of Asia, and the YWAM base is preparing to be a platform to train, equip, and send the whole world into Asian missions.  
sooooo the Director said he needs me to be the voice of  Singapore, and the voice of Asia to the rest of the YWAM world.  He gave me the verse Ezekial 43:1-2
and commissioned me with a new name/title/theme for this month "Till Asia is filled with Gods glory, promote the love of God for Asia."
So I am quite nervous and shaking with this holy fear and responsibility.  God has a very definite purpose for having me here this month, with the Go Fest Asia happening, and the rebirth of YWAM Singapore....I am so humbled by this task and will be writing every word from my knees.
Please pray that I will be a faithful scribe for the story's God wants told - pray that I will walk very closely to Him during this journey.
Thank you! Praise Him!

Fragrance of Christ

Here's a picture of my students and I at the Chang Zhi school.
It is traditional for foreign teachers to give their Chinese students English names. So I named all of my students the first day of class. Strong, attractive names like Brunhilda, Boris, and Gertrude. j.k.
I did entertain the idea of naming them Biblical names but most of those are multi-syllable and difficult to pronounce. I thought it would be funny to imitate some large home-school family's I know and give all 25 students names that started with "J" or "L". Ah, but roll call is not a good time for tongue twisters.
Lucy! Linda! Leanoard!
So in the end I just named them after all of you, my family and friends. =)
It's shocking how they have taken on your personality traits in my mind. (power of suggestion?) Some of them wanted to change their names - much to my chagrin - to Rain or White Lilly. I told them they could call me "Mother Moon Child" and we could all wear tye dye and celebrate woodstock. But they didn't get it.

They did give me a lovely Chinese name though, which I am very thankful for. It is Xiao Fong, which means sweet lovely small fragrant flower. I like it.
I pray God will help me live up to it and be a sweet fragrance to the people here. It reminds me of the verse 2 Corinthians 2:14 "But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ, and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of Him." That is my challenge for all of us today: friends, let us be the fragrance of Christ to everyone we encounter.

Charades

I have become very good at pantomime since moving to this country.
The language barrier isn't so much a problem as it is an opportunity to practice exuberant gestures and facial expressions!
I had one such opportunity this week when a mouse jumped out of my bag and ran acrossed the floor. I screamed, like the little girl I am, and then also ran acrossed the floor to get help from the Chinese hall moniter.
The woman in uniform could not speak a word of English so I began frantically showing her "BIG TEETH!" "WHISKERS!" "TAIL!" and did my best scurrying mouse impression.
I thought I was doing a pretty good job, but she just laughed and laughed.
"BIG TEETH?!" I tried again sticking out my teeth.
"Whiskers?!" No good.
"LONG TAIL?!" She laughed even harder.
"SCURRY??!"
I'm pretty sure the only thing she heard from that conversation was "crazy American" =)
Oh well. It was a good reminder to me that actions speak louder than words. This is obviously applicable to our witness - people want us to show them Christ, show them the love, the peace, the security, and purpose we have as Christians. Without that we're just a clanging Gong or crashing cymbal or meaningless talker.
As a completely unrelated aside - here is Confucious and I

Laudi Mountain, Sally, and Famous Noodles

This weekend was strange and wonderful. The school officials took us to Laudi Mountain on Saturday where we met confucious, then hiked and explore the ancient gardens there. It was glorious to be up in the fresh air and green trees - away from the smog and noise of the city.
I took several pictures and made several friends; one of whom is a girl named Sally. She is a Senior at Chang Zhi University, studying to be an English/Chinese interpreter. A very bright and charming girl. She wanted to practice her English so we talked and talked all day.
Praise the Lord I was able to share the gospel with her, my testimony, and why I am a Missionary...She wanted to know all about Jesus, so He gave me the right words to say! She wanted to come with me to church the next day =) which she did and acted as my interpreter for the whole 4 hour service. I don't know if that would hinder or help a person decide to go to church - but God works in mysterious ways =)
The pastor shared the gospel again and 100 people were baptized! Incredible.
Sally has not made any decisions that I am aware of, but I don't want to be pushy or anything because I know recieveing Christ is a very important and personal decision, especially in China. She needs some time to think about it, I pray that the Holy Spirit will speak to her heart and reveal her need for Him.
After church Sally and I left the other Americans at KFC and ventured out to a street vendor selling green bean noodles and sauce.
Chang Zhi is famous for noodles, most local people eat them at every meal.
They can be made out of wheat, rice, or bean flour...and cooked a variety of different ways.
At a traditional Chinese meal the host will serve several small dishes of meat, fish, fruits, and vegetables...then after the guests are finished snacking they are served a heaping bowl of noodles and sauce.
This is opposite of how many Americans eat; we like to fill up at the beginning of the meal, then snack a little afterwards. The Chinese save the bulk of the meal for the end as the climax - sort of keeping the best for last?
It has taken our team some time to adapt to this - we're such a quick-fix instant everything culture - when we feel a need we must satisfy it. now! When we're hungry we fill up. The Chinese are more patient.
I'm not sure how I feel about this dynamic. It is a good lesson in self-control, but people are grumpy when they're hungry. So I would think the dinner conversation would be more pleasant if you satisfied people first, then talked over some light snacks. But it doesn't really matter in my case because I have been appointed the taste-tester in the group. I'm the only one who eats anything - or everything so everyone always whispers "Jen...this looks kind of weird...you taste it and tells us what it is". So by the time the noodles come around I'm not hungry anymore =)
Wise Confucious say "He who is the taste tester, will never hungry be". =)
The Chinese culture is very old and wise though, so they must have some reason for their dinner traditions. I think I had better ask them.
(p.s. please keep praying for Sally).

Preserved?

Every Friday I teach a lesson on an American Holiday. Tommorow I am teaching on Thanksgiving. So to prepare for that I let my students browse through some American grocery ads I brought from home (yes, I had intented to use these for lessons not simply because I enjoy reading them for fun). My students also loved reading them and planning their feast for tommorow!
I gave them a budget of $60.00 to spend - with which they must purchase 2 types of meat, 1 seafood, 3 vegetables, 2 fruits, 2 breads/grains, 2 dairy products, 2 drinks, and 2 desserts. =) Enough food for their whole family of three people.
So they got busy clipping cupons, and I taught them the word "Thrifty" =) I hardly had to explain what it meant because it seems to naturally to them. They contemplated each purchase down to the penny!
They had so much fun planning their meal too, I can't wait to see what they bring for out Thanksgiving feast tommorow.
Yesterday I taught them about the American F.D.A. and the Food Guide Pyramid. Then we had a long lesson/discussion on each of the food groups and all about nutrition.
I had brought several magazine pictures of American meals with me which I had them discuss in English. They had to break down each meal into food groups and explain it's nutritional value...
They can see why Americans are so much larger than they are =) We eat so much more fat and sugar... I joked with them saying that Americans eat so many preservatives that when we die, our bodies are preserved forever.
They gaped at me in shock - until I started laughing, then they laughed too.
I just love them, we have too much fun together. The Chinese people love to laugh, which is another reason why I love them so much.
So I wish you some very hearty laughs today my friend! Keep well!
-Jen

Exerpt from my journal - July 10th

First, I want to tell everyone at home that it is fine and appropriate for me to use e-mails and this website to speak freely about my faith and write about the Chinese church.
We have been given permission by the government officials...things are very different in China than we have been told in the U.S. The chinese church of Chang Zhi has the blessing of the government and believers can worship God and witness to eachother ect. What is illegal is for foreign Missionary's from America or anywhere else to come in and prostheletize their faith on the Chinese people.
Which I agree with and respect.
The Chinese people should be allowed to make their own decisions about their faith and practice. From what I've seen and heard they are doing a much better job of practicing and sharing their faith than foreign missionary's have done in years past, before the Chinese cultural revolution.
I can explain more later, but for now I just want to say the Chinese Christian church here is incredible. I have learned so much from them already and wanted to share with you an exerpt from my journal.

"The church we attended on Sunday was amazing Lord!
I was so encouraged, humbled, and blessed by the whole service.
The church has about 200 members and they meet in an old, smelly, dirty, building. This is located behind a cluster of old, smelly, dirty shacks. Everyone sits on hard stools with fly's buzzing around in 100 degree weather and 100% humidity for hours - enjoying every minute of it.
The worship, communal prayers, and teaching were so passionate and spirit-filled.
I don't think I have ever felt Your presence as intensely as I felt it there.
After singing a few (chinese) worship songs together the pastor prayed, then the whole church prayed together - each one praying to You in their own way. With all the people surrounding me, pouring out their hearts to You in prayer and praise, it sounded like a roar of rushing waters.
It was the closest I have ever been to Pentacost or Revelation when all the saints are worshipping around the throne in heaven. I was in awe of Your presence Father. All I could do was cry, with my eyes closed, and stand in awe of You.
Thank you Father for what you are doing in the churches of Chang Zhi. I know You love these beautiful sweet people so much. Please protect them and help them to spread the good news all over China and the world."

Chinese Television and things less hilarious

Chinese television is hilarious!
I rarely ever watch TV at home or anywhere, I think it's a huge waste of time and I get too fidgety. But I flippped on the TV here in my room a few times while preparing my lesson plans for school and have been fabulously entertained!
The first show I saw was Chinese Teen American Idol with a Chinese dark skinned man doing his best to imitate Mike Tyson. Flexing every major muscle group, let me tell ya. I was rolling of the bed laughing. Thankfully he didn't bite the reporters ear off when he lost. =)
After that I saw a rousing ping-pong tournament videotaped in a stadium as large as the Tacoma Dome. There must have been 5,000 fans cheering on two ping-pongers! That was almost as entertaining as the noodle-eating contest. (Which was appropriately followed by a creative heart burn commercial.)
If that doesn't get you excited there's always the Chinese soap operah: two pretty Chinese girls vying for the attention of one handsome soldier (it's hard to resist a man in uniform). They spend alot of time playing coy, flirting with their fans and such, then one of them just happens to meet him in a bamboo field. They declare their passionate love for eachother, but he chokes on the noodles she brought him for dinner!
So she runs home to get her Daddy who has been arguing all day with a merchant over the price of rice. Oy Vey!
and that is when I changed the channel. The commercials with children in them are adorable. Half the commercials use children to sell something, which I think is effective because they are too sweet. Chinese people hold children very dear because they are only allowed to have one child.
Walking around the city in Chang Zhi or Beijing I do not see many children. It feels strange to see no little people, no "tiny's" as Kym or Cerra would say =)
Out of the thousands of people that walk by everyday, I only see one or two toddlers. I understand why they have to limit their population, but I miss seeing children and wonder what it will be like in a few years when there is an entire generation of people who were once "the only child".
They might turn out spoiled and demanding like Americans =) j.k.
Ah, our American'ness comes out so strongly here: the good, the bad, and the pitiful.
I LOVE America, I am very proud to be an American, but we can be so demanding.
I get embarrassed and secretly angry when I watch these sweet Chinese people bending over backwards to accommodate us (my American teaching team) and we have the gall to complain about minor inconveniences.
Please pray for me because I believe that if we bear Christ's name we ought to be the humble servants doing and saying everying in love.
But not everyone on my team feels that way. I'm not sure what to do about it, besides pray.
If you have any advice I would love to hear it! =)
Until then keep well and beware the Chinese Mike Tyson!

Ni Hao!

I have been in China for a week now and am absolutey loving it!
The 2 day plane ride went well, all things considered.
I was so worried about getting blood clots from sitting so long, as my doctor warned, so I was up every hour doing aerobic stretches with the foreigners and the flight attendants in the back of the plane. They didn't speak English but they knew alot of the same stretches (?) so we had great fun!
Praise the Lord I was seated next to a team of college students from UCLA who were also going to China to teach a summer English program! So we were able to swap lesson plans and ideas the whole time! While waiting in the airport I was also able to witness to a Chinese Morman family from Canada. That was cool. They weren't converted just then, but we had a great spirit-led discussion, so please continue praying for them.
If all is a loss in this whole missionary journey around the world, at least God let me witness to some Canadian Mormans =)
But I digress, China has been spectacular! Our team spent 2 days in Beijing touring the Great Hall of the People, Tinnemens Square, The Forbidden City, the silk market, and of course the Great Wall of China!
After Beijing we took a sleeper bus to Chang Zhi (sounds like chon jur) where we will be spending the remainder of the month teaching English and American culture at the #1 Middle School of Chang Zhi. (Which is really a highschool)
Teaching has been a strange and wonderful challenge. I have rediscovered that I love teaching, although there is a world of difference between teaching Chinese students and teaching inner city American students.
The first hour or two of class was rough because I didn't know what to expect.
I have learned it is best to have no premonitions here because everytime I think I have something figuired out it gets changed on me. I was pretty nervous.
After introducing myself and my expectations for the class I began to ask them questions and was blown away by how advanced they are.
These are some sharp cookies, 16 going on 60.
They already speak and comprehend English very well. Their sentences, grammar, and punctuation are excellent. They have a broad vocabulary and good pronunciation.
So I'm standing their thinking/praying "o.k. Lord, there go my lesson plans for today and the next 3 weeks. What do I do?!"
Thinking "I must not look confused, must not look inept, must look professional and prepared and all those nice things my leader said about me in front of all the students and communist officials this morning. Please help me Lord!
Then the bell rang and it was time for my next class. I cried to God in my desperation and He heard my prayer! He always does. His power is made perfect in my weakness.
So after that brief morning of panic and prayer I returned to the hotel for lunch and spent the whole time on my knees. Giving everything to God again.
When I returned to class for the afternoon session He let the ideas flow. One topic led to another teaching them new words and concepts from American culture, and facilitating small group discussions...
He gave me several new ideas for my class to learn and practice their English. Before I knew it the time was gone, and we all learned something. Praise the Lord!
Thank you so much all of my faithful prayer warriors at home! God is in His high heaven and all is right in Chang Zhi =)

livin' up the last day of work!

I don't want to sound conceited or anything, but I am definitely the hottest girl on Recreation Staff at Warm Beach Camp.

last minute things

As precious time at home draws to an end, my ducks are in a row for the next 6 months, so I am trying to spend as much quality time as possible with my family and friends.
Here are some fun pictures of you guys. I will miss you all so much, and will be praying for you when I'm gone. Please pray for me too and stay in touch!
I love ya!
-Jen
Above is a picture of me, Anne, Egor, Denae, Anna, Derek, and Caleb. We're hiking to Bridal Falls.
Then there is a picture of my amazing family - again, we are hiking =)

In the future!

I plan to use this blog as a way for friends, family, and prayer/support partners to keep in touch.
For the next 6 months I will be traveling through Asia, India, the U.K. and then Germany staying with YWAM Missionary's and reporting on all that God is doing through their ministry.
Because I will be so mobile, I won't be bringing a computer/printer or really much of anything with me (I am committed to simplicity). So I will not be able to send out monthly paper prayer letters to you all. I will to my best to send out monthly prayer e-mails, and paper letters when I am home in December, Lord willing.
Soooo I will do my very best to keep you updated through this weblog every week with story's, pictures, prayer requests, and random bits of information =)
I am so excited about this adventure and am thankful that in a way you're coming along with me! I really need your continued prayers and would love to hear any feedback or advice you have while I'm out on the field!
-Jen

17 days 'till China!

I can't believe I only have 17 days until I leave!
The past 2 months have been crazy trying to work full-time, raise full missions support for life, and plan all the details of a 6 month transcontinental trip.
God has been so amazing multiplying my efforts, and making everything work together in His way and His timing. I was driving home last night talking to Him about it, and just crying. I am so grateful. See all of my perfectly laid plans for raising funds have failed. But the minute I really truly gave it all up to God and admitted that "apart from You I can do nothing" - bam, He provided everything I needed in one weekend.
Amazing. May this encourage you my friend that yes, God helps those who help themseleves, but ultimately our striving alone accomplishes nothing - I think He helps us most when we have the most faith.
Thanks for your ongoing prayers and encouragement!
love,
Jen

I now have my dream job!!

Praise the Lord!!!
I am personal witness to the fact that it is possible to have a career where all of my passions come together for God's ultimate glory and my ultimate joy!
I am still in a bit of shock =)
God just laid out for me what I am supposed to do with my life!
I am going to be a Traveling Missionary Journalist with Youth With A Mission!! Ahhhh!

For the past few months I have been exploring different opportunities to use my B.A. in English, my calling to missions, and my weird sense of adventure to serve God.
So on my road trip I stayed in Colorado for two days meeting with the Director of the YWAM International Communications Headquarters. We have been in touch for months now, but were finally able to meet and discuss my vision for missions. YWAM is a evangelical missions organization with a multiplicity of missionary's, churches, and Bible schools all over the world. God is working mightily through their organization, and the world is rife with story's to be written for YWAM books, magazines, and websites.
Sooooo although they have never had an official YWAM traveling journalist before, he caught the vision and let me have the job!
Praise God I am so excited! I cannot say enough about how good God is and how elated I am to dive into this new life!

My very first cross-country roadtrip!

Trekking from Georgia back my lovely home in Washington state taught me a flock of fabulous facts about several midwestern states and truckstops.
Here are a few things I learned:

1. Tennessee is green and georgeouss in the spring, and Nashville is famous for crazyily talented drummers at Belmont University =)

2. Kentucky is apparently the quilting capital of the world. I just happened to be driving through during the quilting festival of the year, where I witnessed swarms of zealous quilters running around toting fabric swatches and selling applique. I was completely enamored.
I even bought a cute little Kentucky quilted apron, because cooking is so much more fun when one is wearing a cute little colorful apron.

3. Never trust a trucker who says there are Jackalopes in Wyoming - it's a lie.

But they truly do have very fine authentic cowboys who open doors for you and tip their hats =)

4. Right now Nebraska has a Rabid Skunk epedemic. Not even joking. =) My friend's dog was bitten by one. It's all over the news, causing Nebraskans everywhere to be on full-alert at a whiff of danger.

5. Missouri truly is the most miserable of all states - this is especially true if you happen to get caught in a 4 hour downpour in the middle of the night, hydroplaning amongst semi-trucks. They say it's the "show-me" state but I couldn't see much through the rain.

6. Colorado - has a great team of YWAM Missionary's at the Youth With A Mission International Communications Network in Colorado Springs where I hope to work someday soon.....

Back in Georgia once again!

Grandma, Norman and I back at our beloved Union Baptist Church on Easter Sunday! Ah, it makes me want to bust out the hymn "precious memories" - I love you!