Banana, Band-Aides, and Beber

In 3 days, I went from Manchester England to Manchester Nicaragua - a barrio within the capital city Managua - the difference between the two was more than the Atlantic Ocean to say the least.

In Nicaragua, the Canadian team and I ran soccer clinics in an open campo right off of Lake Managua. Well, really the team did all the soccer - I can't play to save my life - so I stood by the side-lines cheering, passing out water, and occasionally being the field's medic. While I stood by the side-lines I had a little friend who kept me company. After numerous attempts of asking her name with no response/mumbled response, I named her my Chiquita Banana.

Chiquita Banana is an inquisitive 2 or 3 year old Nicaraguan that I met my first day on the soccer field. As I stood there with my mochila and a big black cow-boy hat, she came up to me holding the shirt she was suppose to be wearing in hand. She tugged on my shirt grabbing my attention and lifted her shirt up to me as if to tell me that she needed help putting it on. After that, I couldn't get rid of her :) She found my wristwatch and for an afternoon she stood there pushing every button imaginable over and over again. She'd wear sunglasses upside-down on her face and would walk right up to me with this big smile on her face - it didn't help that I wear glasses and she wanted mine in addition to the ones on her face. She also found the orange stackable cones and would sit right next to me stacking and unstacking them. She was my buddy, she was my pal...and the more I saw her, the more I called her Chiquita Banana to which she'd given me the UBERST of UBER smiles.

While I wasn't distracted by my Chiquita Banana, other little chicos were brought to me with cuts and scraps from playing too hard. The field - while an open field - had rocks, boulders, horse poo, broken glass, mud puddles, and creepy furry circular yellow centipedes (which I found crawling up my leg...GROSS!). Even with all these obstacles, it didn't stop these kids from playing at full speed and in their sandals or bare-foot nonetheless. Needless to say, all my band-aides were used and I was grateful I took First-Aid. And while I sat there with kids sitting on my lap covering up their cuts and scraps, 2 thoughts came to mind: Jesus saying, "Let the children come to me," and Jesus washing His disciples' feet. If putting band-aides on cuts and scraps demonstrated the love of God to these kids, then I'd go back - sweaty and all - and do it again in a heart-beat.

Field medic wasn't my primary responsibility though...I was the Aguadora (water lady)!!! Being honest, my first day as the Aguadora wasn't my proudest moment as a missionary. One of my pet-peeves is whinny kids...and being the one who holds the keys to the water, I got a lot of kids whining thrown at me. It didn't help that I could understand every word these kids were saying in Spanish. I couldn't be ignorant in thinking that these kids were just coming up to me to say hi or comment on my cow-boy hat, NO I had to sit there and hear the little water-monsters whine at me!!! Moving past my own issue, once there was more order, no pushing, or cutting in line being the Aguadora wasn't so bad...I actually liked my responsibility.

The week of soccer ministry was nicely packaged wrapped in the end with hosting a soccer tournament on an actual soccer field for 40 of the kids we worked with, sharing with the community the story of Jesus, and passing out 90 Book of Hope to the kids and their parents. It was a successful week to say the least...with Banana, Band-Aides, and Beber (drinks - like water).

Reminders

Often times, I get so focused on the here and now that I neglect to acknowledge the blessings of the past and the promises of the future. I don’t want to sound pessimistic about the present, most of the times being in the present is where I need to be. It’s in the present that I’m able to seize the day [carpe diem] make the most out of every opportunity that God presents to me; however, when it’s not balanced with the right perspective it becomes overbearing…overbearing and what may feel like at times a “dryness.”

When I feel, hear, or think about “dryness” I’m reminded of a leadership meeting back home in Chicago. Our youth pastor’s wife just got back from maternity leave, and she gave a word of encouragement/challenge to us, “like Elijah spoke life into the dry bones…so should you speak life over the dry areas of your life. If you don’t, who will?” For some – like me – this first went over my head, but as it soaked in and as time and circumstances came up over and over God began to demonstrate to me what that meant.

For me, it meant that God’s purpose for Elijah in that moment wasn’t to raise an army to fight, neither was it for God to show off his mad miracle skills…it was personal expression of love towards Elijah. Elijah, even as a prophet, was in a dry period in his life – which should tell you that it can happen to anyone, doesn’t matter your position or spiritualness. God knew that he – like most of us, including myself – needed a visual representation to remind him of who He was, is, and will be in his life. When Elijah spoke to the physical dry bones, he was also speaking to the dryness in his life. And as life was restored to the bones so was his spiritual life restored, refreshed, and renewed.

I want to be like Elijah in having the faith, confidence, or whatever he did have to speak life to the dry areas in myself by remembering who God is in my life. I want to have the right perspective – God’s perspective - in the here and now in order to be all that I can be for Him. I don’t want to get bogged down with circumstances or uncertainties in life that I neglect to acknowledge the awesomeness of God in my life, the blessings He’s provided for me in the past and the promises He’s given me for the future.

It’s time to start speaking life, to remind myself of the blessing and the promises yet to come. God hasn’t let me down yet. Out of all the obstacles that came my way in being a missionary, God removed ALL in His timing and in His way. If He was able to do that, I should have no doubt that not only He has the best in store for me but He’ll continue to make a way where there seems to be no way.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Your thoughts aren't my thoughts, neither are your ways my ways

Isaiah 55:8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the Lord.

As the summer begins to pick up speed, I didn’t want to miss a chance to share progress on the projects I’ve been working with and where I am going this summer.

For a while now, I’ve been talking about a Displaced Community project. I have been a part of developing a new Book of Hope for Children and Youth who’ve gone through traumatic change because of a natural disaster or war. I’m so excited to tell you that the books are almost completed! The first week of June, I sat in creative design meetings to put the finishing touches on the books. They are in their final stages before the templates go to the Design department here at OneHope. It’s an amazing feeling when a project long in the making will be completed soon – hopefully this summer ☺

Since being at OneHope, I’ve also had the pleasure of developing surveys to assess the effectiveness of the Soccer Clinics that are being conducted in South Africa. The Soccer Clinics will not only share with students the love of Jesus, but also the 9 Fruits of the Spirit illustrated through Bible Stories, games, and discussion. The surveys allow OneHope to gauge how well the students retained what they learned as well as how likely they are to apply what they learned to their lives.

One of the last projects that I’ve been a part of during my training here in FL is with the Cultivate initiative in a local community. OneHope is partnering with local churches to help transform this community that has a high crime rate, with the love of God. Currently Cultivate is running 3 programs in the community: an After School Matters program, ESL for adults, and Adopt-a-Block. I’ve done observations for the After School Matters program and ESL for adults as well as developed a survey for their After School Matters to see if the program is meeting the goals of OneHope to address the Emotional, Spiritual, and Physical needs of the child.

This summer, I am scheduled to travel to 3 different countries on short-term assignments leading teams to work on my training with OneHope.

England: Late June – Mid July
Nicaragua: 1 week in July
Dominican Republic: 1st week in August

Please be praying for each person going on these trips as well as the missionaries in each country.

Also, please continue to pray that God opens up the right door for me this fall, whether that means going to South Africa or somewhere else in the world. Pray that God places me where I can best be used because His ways are not my ways and His thoughts are higher than mine. I want to follow Him wholeheartedly.

God's Faithfulness

Transition:Projects:Travel

I picked out this scripture passage and rewrote it for the new Book of Hope I’m developing with a team of other missionaries and staff here at OneHope. We are creating it for a new program for children and youth affected by natural disasters and wars. Knowing that this book will be used in places like Haiti and other places in distress around the world, I didn’t want to just choose scripture verses that were popular. I wanted the Biblical text to be applicable to these children and be able to give them hope in the midst of their situations. It just so happens that God has recently made this verse come to life for me as well.

I’m amazed at how God provides for my every need. Granted, it may not be in the way I think that need should be met, but He has been faithful to provide for me. It’s the simple things that I see God’s provision: like building friendships, getting rides to and from the grocery store or church, hanging out with other missionaries. I’m learning over and over how God’s way is not my way BUT it’s certainly the BEST way!

As far as the missionary life transition goes, I moved down to Pompano Beach, FL in early April. My weeks of adjusting to the OneHope office have been eventful to say the least. In addition to working on the Book of Hope project I mentioned before, I’ve met with community partners in a nearby area part of OneHope’s Cultivate team. Cultivate is a new initiative of OneHope that uses the Word of God to bring about effective changes in a community through research, design, measuring effective outcomes, and partnering with local churches. So far, I’ve been using the statistic and survey skills from school to measure results and help make the programs as impactful as possible.

I will start traveling around the world beginning this summer. I’ll be leading a couple short-term trips, about 1 to 3 weeks long. So far, the plan is for me to go to South Africa with the fall intern team…but I’m taking it a day at a time. Like it says above, “Do not worry about tomorrow.”

Thanks for your continued prayers and support! It’s encouraging for me to have such a solid support network back home to make all of this possible J ~ Jessie

Start of Something New

I don’t like to think that the start of something new means the end of something else; it’s more like a changed continuation. Since last Thursday, I’ve started saying my good-byes – or as I prefer to call it my “see you later” - starting first with my Excel Students, then Friday’s Small Group Field Day, Saturday night with good/close friends, Sunday Morning Belmont A/G, and then Monday with family and my amazing friends for a girls night out filled with dinner and games (Boricua…Mmmm Jibarito).

It’s been a week filled with tears of joy and sadness as life is changing, BUT today – my first full day in Florida – as I began my morning devos and time of prayer, God gave me the understanding that there is no distance too great that prayer can’t fill! I began praying for my family, my friends, my students, my church, my leaders, my missions’ supporters…and God began to fill me to overflowing :)

I will always carry the memories that I made in Chicago and more importantly the people that have made and continue to make an impact on my life, but I look forward to what God has planned for me today and what He has for me in the future. I have a solid foundation to start off from, and God has instrumentally used everyone in my life to build that foundation! I don’t go out in this alone.

I look to this week with great hopes and anticipation of what God will do through me and through those back in Chicago. God is my Jehovah Jireh.

~ Praying daily ~

The last 10%

I apologize for not updating sooner. This New Year has been a whirlwind experience so far.

In the beginning of January, I flew down to OneHope for meetings on research projects and Field Status updates. Since my last newsletter, my budget was at 44-47% and miraculous God has taken it and increased it beyond my wildest imaginations. Currently, I’m at 90%!!!!! God get’s all props for that. He’s the one who has used people like you to be instrumental in my life by coming alongside and partner with me. Thank you for responding to God’s prompting, I am truly blessed and humbled by the responses I’ve received.

With my budget being so close to completion, as I talked with my director at OneHope the projected date for joining OneHope is the 1st week of March. So between now and then, I need to raise 10% (roughly $200 more in monthly support) which I am confident that with God it is possible ☺

Because of my involvement in the Displaced Communities project, formatting a NEW Book of Hope targeting children/youth affected by natural disaster and wars that are currently relocated, it’s possible that I’ll be going to Haiti for a short while. If I do go to Haiti, I’ll be leading U.S. teams distributing the new Books of Hope and partnering with local churches and hosting a VBS (vacation Bible School) type based curriculum we are currently developing. Ultimately though, for this year OneHope will be stationing me in South Africa to assist in the research projects that the Cultivate Team in S. Africa are currently working on. I get to go back to South Africa, I’m so happy!!!!

Back here in Chicago, I’ve had amazing opportunities to speak at other churches. Mid-January I went out to Freeport Illinois Crossroads Community Church where my old youth pastor TJ Roberts was at. I took along Angie, a student from my home church Belmont A/G who has a heart for missions as well, and spoke to over 130 students in their youth ministry. I talked about puzzle pieces and allowing God to put the pieces of your life together and in His timing. Nearly every student there responded at the end to the message. This past Sunday, I had the pleasure of attending Maranatha Chapel with Pastor Doug and Lamond Banks and was able to share my story and the call of God to missions.

God is continuing to open up doors for me! I’m seeing the promise of Philippians 1:6 come to pass, and I stand in humble amazement of the God we serve. If you already haven’t and would like to partner with me and the last $200 needed to get on the mission field, I’d ask that you prayerfully consider pledging $5 or $10 a month. That’s all it will take! As much as 1 specialty cup of coffee a month.

You can donate online at www.onehope.net > Donate Now > Support a OneHope Team Member, or fill out a pledge form and mail it to 600 SW 3rd Street, Pompano Beach FL 33060



Prayer Requests:
- Insurance request gets approved by OneHope
- Transition from Chicago to OneHope
- Last 10% would come together in the month of February
- Continual good health and transitioning during this time for family
- Favor with churches I call and go to speak at
- Belmont A/G – Excel Student Center - new Pastors ☺

Praise Reports:
- 90% of budget is altogether!!!!
- New Opportunities to speak at churches are continuing in February
- Parents are transitioning well with me and missions
- Excel Student Center continues to grow and seeing young people get saved
- Displaced Community project going well – great progress!
- My nephew, Elijah, who’s 1 years old is walking all by himself ☺ and gaining weight!

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