Global Project

If you look above you'll see a link to a second page/blog, Global Project Europe 2010. During my trip, and before and after, I will be posting there. That is also part of the reason I joined Twitter, so everyone can keep up with me and the team as we trek across 3 countries in 10 days! It's exciting...and it's coming up fast!

I have been finding myself with little interest in blogging about anything else besides the upcoming trip, except when it comes to the MN Twins...I can blog about them any time! :-]

God has been providing and it's so cool to see. Just when I don't expect anything more...there you go. Something else happens and I keep getting affirmation that I really am supposed to go on this trip, whether I feel it or not. After all, God has a plan and that's all that matters. I wonder, will Europe meet my expectations? Will it surpass them? How is God going to surprise me? I love going along with what God has...it's always best!

 From http://www.panoramio.com/photo/23701984

Twitter

Look to the right side of the page, and there you'll see...the infamous Twitter button. Click on it and see my profile. Follow me if you dare. Yes, I did it. I actually, really, truly did it - as in I'm not lying, and no, I'm not dead. I did join Twitter as of 25 minutes ago. Just keeping my updating options open for my upcoming trip to Europe, plus thought it's about time and a great way to keep up with my favorite peeps. Oh dear. Does this mean I have to start using the Twitter language, too?

Check out this video

I think it's hilarious! Sharing it from Stuff Christians Like... :).

Funny.

Posted using ShareThis

1 month to go!

And the countdown begins...officially 1 month from now I will be on a plane to Europe! Ah the excitement, the nervousness, the anticipation...my first trip to Europe and I get to do it as a Global Project (for those of you who don't know, that is what my church calls mission trips)!

How do I describe the feeling? I am so thrilled to be a part of this trip…to be chosen to be a part of it. I know God has great plans. It is hard to feel worthy or qualified. I have had my parents and many of my friends reiterate over and over to me that I am the perfect person for this mission, that they can see God at work and that they are excited to see how God shows up…in fact they keep telling me how much He will! And I know He will. These feelings of inadequacy overwhelm me at times…and I have to keep reminding myself it isn’t me anyway…it’s ALL God. He’s going to work through me and use me the way He wants to. I can’t do it on my own. He knows that. And He’s still willing to use me. Aahhh. Overwhelming, what can I say?

Every day on my way to work I pass by a church’s sign with this message: “God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called.” This was posted at the beginning of January, right when I started going WHOA…what am I getting into? Is this a coincidence? I think not! It's a constant reminder that God knows better than I do and that yes, I can trust Him to come through, trust Him to provide, trust Him to guide my every step.

The thing is…I am passionate about this. I am excited about this. This sort of thing is EXACTLY what I want to be doing. I can see this going somewhere. Turning into something bigger with extreme potential. That’s how things work when we are used by God. Wow. It’s this daily struggle between feeling totally unqualified and unsure, while also knowing this is right where I need to be and exactly what I need to be doing.

For me so far, this upcoming trip has been:

• Opportunity for God to work
• Stretching me daily
• Growing my faith
• Building my trust in God
• Teaching me to listen
• Collaboration with others in the same field of work
• Potential for so much MORE to come

Pray that our team will grow close and work well together, that God will lead each of us and teach us humility and give us each a servant's heart and a desire to reach those around us with His love. Pray for finances - it's not easy to raise money, but at the same time, it is extremely encouraging and exciting to see family and friends make the decision to support me and partner with me in this trip. The cool thing is whenever you donate to a friend's mission trip, a cause, etc...you essentially become a part of it. I truly am blessed to have so much support!

Is there something God has laid upon your heart recently that is taking some time for Him to work into you?

Quiet Moments

The quiet moments when God speaks are truly amazing. When I get to just sit here and listen to Him speak His love for me and remind me how He died for me so I can live with Him forever in Heaven. And how He wants that for every person on this earth. This morning was one such quiet moment that I desperately needed. It's like nothing in this world could compare to the peace I feel just knowing I am loved by God. Just knowing He lives in me and is with me and is teaching me and leading me. Just wow.

It also reminds me of those moments when I'm out in nature, and that overwhelming sense of God's goodness and peace just envelops me. Have you ever felt this way? It's so hard to describe and put into words. But it is truly amazing and I love these moments. Unforgettable.

Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God..."

Oh so boring...

I feel boring today. Have you ever had days like this?

I feel this desperate need to come up with something clever, but everything I write seems to stay in the "boring zone." Hmmm...case of Minnesota snow fever? Could it be this cold has gotten the best of me? Please don't let it be so...

There are so many topics I could blog about - and my mind is empty - it feels as if there are a million ideas rushing around in my head and it can't keep up with any of them, so my brain is full of whirling thoughts and no concrete ideas. Oh dear. I guess I really do need help today.

Oh Vancouver

Canada, I give you props for your graphically-brilliant Olympics Opening Ceremony performance. That part of the ceremony was very well done and spectacular. Yet...with poetry and intros and speeches and a casserole of dances and musical performances, I found myself confused...bored, almost. Kind of fascinating to find out Canada was so diverse. I guess I don't picture its aborigine background or consider Irish dancing a part of its culture. But, that's just me. What did you think of the ceremony?

No limits

Luke 17:3-4 "...If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him."

Wow. I had to write about this because it so blatantly tells me that we cannot afford to be limited when it comes to forgiveness. We cannot choose to forgive once but never again. For as many times as God has forgiven me for doing the things I wish I didn't, the least I can do for others is to forgive the way He does. We also need to be that way. Endless forgiveness.

Ok, so how would you feel if your brother or friend or someone you know sins against you? You're probably at this point mad, frustrated, hurt, etc., right? So, you choose to forgive them and move on. But they do it again. And the second time it's harder to forgive, but you think they've learned their lesson, so you make the conscious effort to forgive. Then they do it again. And again, and again, and again, and...well, you get the picture. The first time is hard, but is it just me or would it keep getting harder to forgive each time you are wronged, especially when it's done continually yet they always come back asking for forgiveness?

As a human, I would be done after the 3rd time. Three strikes and you're out, buddy. Sorry, this girl can't take it anymore. My forgiveness meter is empty. I poured out my last drop on you...I can't give you more. That's me. But with God, I see Him keeping my meter full. Like He'll drop a quarter in the slot every couple hours to make sure I don't run out.

We can't afford to run dry on forgiveness and love, because then we can't show God's forgiveness and love to those around us. Everyone knows their limits. I have a feeling the person asking your forgiveness for the ??th time knows that they're past their limit, too, but they're hoping anyway. I think at that point they'd start to realize that there is a God. And He's bigger. Way bigger than what any of us are going through right now. And that's a powerful testimony. So much bigger than anything we can do on our own. Which is why it's so necessary to let God work in us so He can work through us to do His will and shine His light to those around us who may not deserve, in fact, no one deserves it, but then again, we were in the same place once, too.

Victory through tragedy

Just read this story and had to share it. It shows you that life can go on and God comes through regardless of what has happened. It shows that God is God and He is good and brings victory through tragedy. He works everything for the good of those who love Him (Romans 8:28). So cool!

Best Superbowl Commercials

The only few commercials that really stood out for me are:

1. The little boy Doritos commercial
2. Denny's screaming chickens
3. And of course, the upcoming movie Robin Hood with Russell Crowe looks pretty good.

But seriously, this year's Superbowl ad lineup was quite the letdown.

Hands down, birds win. Remember the "Waz up" toucans of years past? Denny's did a good job this year. Doritos...you only won me over with 1 of your 4 commercials. There were definitely some clunkers that I really shouldn't even mention. Do I dare even discuss Alice in Wonderland? Looks terribly creepy. And don't get me started on GoDaddy.com...they don't deserve to be on TV.

Tim Tebow's ad wasn't what I expected it would be, but was well done, in my opinion.

But otherwise, really? You pay 2 million dollars + for each ad...and this is what we get? Could've definitely been better.

Here's to hoping Brett Favre comes back for one more shot at a Superbowl with the Vikings. Our guys deserve one more shot. We could've won this Superbowl easy. Props to the Saints, they won the game fair and square. Coach Payton's onside kick call to start the 2nd half was one heck of a call. I think they went a bit far saying that winning the Superbowl is what has given the city hope, though. I'm hoping God has a little more to do with it than a football team...

Drew Brees' son is pretty darn cute, though :).

What 1 hour can do

Last night 7 of us from my small group/Bible study and other members of our church went to Feed My Starving Children. In the matter of 1 hour we packed 20+ boxes with thousands of meals, enough food to feed 44 children in Haiti for 1 entire year. That is amazing. Seriously, we need to do this more often. It only took 1 hour. How many lives could we help/change/benefit by simply giving up 1 hour or two of our time?

Here's a picture of us with the boxes. I love doing things like this. Always eye-opening. Always totally worth every minute. SO glad we could help in this small way.

Time's up, Haiti

You may be going, whoa...what a title. But seriously, have you read the news lately? I went to Drudge Report this morning and there was not one link to the Haitian earthquake crisis. Sad. So sad.

I have to commend Samaritan's Purse. They are daily updating their relief profile on Facebook and I'm sure they won't stop until all needs are met, which will be years.
Check out their updates here. Below are a few pictures from their site. Heartbreaking. Inspiring. The crisis is not over, despite lack of coverage now from news media moved on to other things. The crisis will not be over for a long time to come, and we have to stand with the Haiti people, because if we don't, who else will? We are America. Nations rely on us...it's interesting when you look at how we differ from other countries because we have our foundation fully founded on God. What a difference that makes!

Time Lapse

I'm terrible, I know. I haven't posted for a few days. Royal failure. But I've been caught up in life. Relaxing. Trying to remove myself from work and normal everyday stuff and focus on God and find His plan for me. You know, that kind of stuff. So, sorry for the time lapse. I would love it if I got a million comments asking me to keep blogging and asking me where I've been for the past few days....no such luck. Oh well, then you're just going to get stuck with my ramblings, because I figure with my 5 friends as my followers and those of you who occasionally stop by for a quick "scroll-through," people aren't dying to hear what I have to say. If you are, let me know, that'd be a major ego-booster, let me tell ya. On a more serious note, it's okay. I have aspiring visions of being a blogger and possibly envision writing a book someday, maybe a book about my blog, maybe a book about my travels, who knows? My grandpa has always been asking me when I'm going to write the next great novel. Never thought too much about it until now. Am I supposed to write a book? Better yet, what am I supposed to do with my life besides work (I also envision people being curious about what I do...not exceptionally glamorous, but hey, if you're curious, I'll tell you) and just living a normal, everyday life.

God has great things in store. That much He's told me this past weekend. He told me He's got me covered. He holds my entire family in His hands...and has a pretty good plan for us, too. The struggles we go through are only temporary and faith-building. There's a time lapse between the major stepping stones of our life. We get impatient because we're always wondering what our next step is. We fail to realize there's a huge time lapse in the Bible, too, oftentimes years go by between chapters and we read them like they happened the next day. That realization was a wake-up call for me, at least.

So, Jess, what's the next chapter in your life? Well...thanks for asking. Europe. I am going to Europe. My 5th mission trip. Definitely not where I saw myself going this year, but that's another story in itself. Which brings me to another question. Have you ever been on a mission trip? And if so, where?