It's not over until it's completed

Philippians 1: 6 “being confident in this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Jesus Christ.”

Never before have I felt like I had a support network quite like the one I have right now. Over the past month, I’ve received so much encouragement and support from both churches and from individuals that I honestly didn’t know what other doors God could possibly open for me….but He has!

On the OneHope side, I’m currently working and assisting in the development of a new Book of Hope targeting Displaced Communities. While doing what research I can here in Chicago, God is AMAZINGLY opening opportunities for me to reach out to Middle Eastern refugee students. To hear their stories, to hear their needs, and to be able to share with them the hope they can have in Jesus all while researching; however, there are some churches within this refugee community who are not open to missionaries working alongside of them. Please pray that God would open up venues for me to reach out to these students and that God would give me His wisdom, understanding, and discernment through it all. That I wouldn’t get discouraged but continue to be faithful in what He has given me.

A few days ago, I received a massive package in the mail from OneHope. In it were survey forms that they’ve collected from people within the communities nearby their stateside headquarters. As I looked at the surveys, some were ones that I help format numerically, and now I have the privilege of seeing what results will come out of them. I know I may sound like a nerd at times, but I love working through and seeing how it will all fit together…it’s like a giant puzzle.

As you can read, OneHope is in the midst of numerous research projects…which brings me to some exciting news. Mid-November, I got a call from my missions’ director sharing with me that they’re needing to move up my timetable for me to become an active missionary. They need my training and capabilities in research in these projects and more…the ones I’m currently working on now are the ones I could manage stateside.

After talking with him more, the targeted time is February/March 2010, which will honestly take a miracle to get all the funding together to accomplish this. As I’ve been praying about all the changes, excitement, and nervousness, throughout it all God keeps reminding me of Philippians 1:6 “being confident in this that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” God hasn’t brought me this far to let it all fall through.

Currently, my budget is at 47% and growing, Praise the Lord! And as daunting as a task it might seem to raise 53% of a monthly budget within 2-3 months time, I know God will provide and will open up doors and opportunities. He has and will continue speak into lives, and He’ll continue to give me the confidence in Him to connect with others who will catch onto the vision OneHope has to reach God’s Word to Every Child. God is faithful, and I can trust in that ☺

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Praise Report:
- Speaking @ Churches
- Research opportunities
- 47% of my monthly budget is together, and it’s still growing!!!
- Work in Chicago
- Blessing and support from family, friends, and churches.

Prayer Requests:
- The woman I’m subbing for is VERY sick, pray for God’s healing.
- That God would bless and meet the needs in the churches I’m connecting with.
- Humbleness of heart and continual trust in Him
- The other 53% of the budget would come together when OneHope needs it
- More new Opportunities!!!


Donate online: www.onehope.net click on - Donate Now: Support a OneHope Team Member

He Love Us, Oh How

Being the youngest of three, I’ve lived most of my life learning from my brother and sister’s failures and successes in hopes that I’d make fewer failures and more successes; but with that it’s been a constant comparison, on my end anyways, between my life and theirs that I didn’t think was affecting my life…but it has. The greatest comparison that I’ve been making (and that others keep pointing out) has been relationships.

It’s no secret that I’m 21, closing in at 22, and at this point in both of my siblings lives they were either dating closing in on engagement or “knew” who they were going to marry and in a relationship leading towards marriage…and at this age I am nowhere near that. More times than I’d like to admit, I’d get frustrated at myself but more so at the situation that realistically I had no control over. I’d mull over the dumb things like “If only that guy acted differently or would change in this certain way…then maybe.” Or think to myself, “Could this guy like me? Or what about that guy?”

I’d pray about it, but usually the prayers would be more whining than actual prayers that went something like:

God I want someone NOW! To be in a relationship NOW! Why has anything changed in this area of my life since like 7^th grade!?!?!?! Do I have a ‘Do NOT Disturb’ sign on my forehead? I’d settle for a guy to just asking me out right now…like seriously! ANYTHING PLEASE!!! I don’t want to get married when I’m like 30+.

My prayers was never, “God, I know you got my back in this and that you say that you’re my provider…so I trust you with providing for this need in my life. However that looks, I trust and I know that it’ll be the best for me.”

This weekend at convention during the last session in worship while we were singing “He love us, oh how. He loves us, oh how. He loves us, oh how He loves,” God began to reassure me of His love and the fact that He hasn’t forgotten about me in this area of my life or any other area of my life. He reminded me that His love is sufficient and that with Him I don’t need to be searching for a love from a guy...but that He’ll fill that void in my life. But not only that, that He’ll provide for my emotional needs by giving me friendships and relationships that will sustain me and carry me through every season of my life. I stood there in worship and balled my eyes out…like crocodile tears rolling down my face, shoulders convulsing with my sniffles, the whole shebang!

It’s amazing to me how in the midst of 3,000+ people craving for God’s attention that He was so specific and intimate with me. I know that I’ll have better days with this than others, but as I shared with my students yesterday there’s power in speaking and sharing with others what God is doing in your life, I know that He’s going to take care of me. It means so much to me to have this assurance right now in my life with going on the mission field and the transitions that come with it.

Q: "What do you want to do with your life?" A: "I want to make a difference in the world around me"

Since I got back from Southern Africa, my entire focus has been to be used by God to impact those around me and to get on the mission field ASAP. I took a ridiculous amount of classes for 2 years so I could graduate a year early, I was that determined :). Through it all, God was faithful. Each semester, my grades didn’t drop nor did I get so overwhelmed that I felt like giving up. Now that Missions is actually coming together, I’m continually seeing God’s faithfulness each step of the way.

After graduation, I worked as a Case Manager for homeless and runaways in Chicago. While everyday I faced difficulties and challenges; I knew God walked alongside of me and gave me the confidence, grace, and strength that I needed to get through that day. I also knew that either God would continue to provide what I needed everyday on the job, or He’d provide me a new job. Well, God provided a new job :).

I now work part-time as a free-lance researcher for OneHope from home. I’m currently working on 2 Micro Nation country profiles as well as assisting in the research and development of a new Book of Hope targeting Displaced Communities (Refugees and by Natural Disasters). God is allowing me to be impactful even in the fundraising process!

Not going to lie, it’s been an adjustment working from home, but I’ve been enjoying being able to spend more time with family (like my baby nephew Elijah), helping at the youth center with the church, and on the side substituting at a local high school.

In a good way, this time has really been stretching my faith. Trusting and seeing God provide in the little things and in the big things. It’s funny how you can read it over and over in the Bible or hear it from other people’s experiences that God provided for their needs and have that understanding mentally, but when it happens to you it’s like a whole new WOW and realization that God cares that much about your needs personally…and I sit in awe of Him.

The First Step is always the hardest

I finally got my missions letter all together. For some of you, you'll be receiving this in the mail...and for others it'll be your first time reading this. If you'd like to receive actual mail updates from me and this missions process please forward me your mailing address to the email address below. I'm excited to see what God is going to do throughout all of this. Hope you enjoy

Ever since junior high, I have felt God placing missions on my heart. I knew that I shouldn’t wait until I was a ‘grown-up’ to be a missionary, but that I should follow what the Bible says in Acts 1:8; “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all of Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” I needed to start in my neighborhood, city, state, and then go to the other parts of the world. So I began to do just that.

In junior high, I organized and lead See You At the Pole from 6^th grade through 8^th grade. In high school, I became an Illinois Campus Missionary where I got involved at the Christian club at school, and actually led the club in my last 2 years. Continuing to see if God’s call of missions was real in my life, I pursued overseas missions with Book of Hope International (now OneHope) and went to Guatemala in the summer of ’05 and to Southern Africa for their internship program in the summer of ’07. Now that I’m done with college, it’s time to completely go after the calling God’s has for me as a full-time overseas missionary with OneHope.

OneHope’s main goal is to reach every child with God’s Word using innovative techniques to present the Gospel to youth and children around the world. OneHope is NOT about numbers, it’s about seeing young people have personal encounters with Jesus and seeing their lives change because of Him. I will be involved with developing ministry plans that identify sustainable ways to reach out to young people and give them the resources they need to grow in their relationship with Christ. For example, if I were to go back to South Africa, I’d meet with leaders in the community, both political and church/religious leaders, to get a better understanding of the issues that their young people face. From there, I’d conduct research in the community at large in order to develop and implement a tailored ministry plan of action for that location to effectively reach out to the specific need of South African young people. The skills and training that I’ve received through my college education, majoring in Applied Psychology and minoring in Spanish, have equipped me with the tools to assist OneHope in this key area. In addition to this, I’ll also be leading US teams around the world on short-term assignments.

Right now, in order for me to go onto the mission field full-time, I need 100 people who’d be willing to partner with me for my 2 years commitment at $30 a month. I’m answering the call of God to give Him all my talents and abilities, and I’m asking you to listen and respond to this letter by partnering with me financially and through prayer support. Enclosed in this letter is a financial pledge form which you can fill out for whatever amount God’s placed upon your heart.

Please feel free to contact me if you want to discuss this further or have any questions about how I will be serving with OneHope.

Sincerely,

Jessie Drachenberg

jessiedrachenberg@onehope.net