New Year: New Goals

Take more risks.

Trust God more.

Love God.

Love Others.

Be a better wife.

Our Year in a Nutshell

Jan: We moved to Fayetteville, AR.

We started our first youth ministry in Stilwell, OK.

I started my student teaching!

The ice storm hit and we had no power for 7 days!

Feb:

March: Trip to Walt Disney World!

April:

May: Jacob and I graduated college!!!!!

June: Moved to Stilwell, OK

Went to my first CIY. (Loved it!)

July: Went to FL with Jacob

Jacob turned 24.

August: Started my new job as a Literacy Lab Assistant.

3 year Anniversary!

Sept: Turned 24.

Oct: Went and saw Texas demolish OSU. :(

Nov: Shopping trip with my mom and sister at Lake of the Ozarks!

Dec: Christmas with the families!

That sums it up. It was a pretty big year as far as change goes. I think I handled it pretty well.

Happy New Year!

Jennifer

Christmas Break....

OK, I admit it. I am a busy body. I like to be busy. I like coming home after a long days work and feeling like I accomplished something. It makes that time at night so much more enjoyable. It's like you deserve it more.

I can't relax over Christmas break. I feel like a sloth. I have been staying busy doing things like house cleaning. Seriously, I cleaned the oven today. Yeah, I'm that bored. I have been going up to the church and doing some deep cleaning in the nursery. I don't think that place has been deep cleaned in..... never mind. Back to cleaning... I know God has a plan for everyone's life and today a little more of my plan made sense for me.

Daycare. I worked at a daycare for 5 looooooong months, In the 1 year old room. By myself. With 5 1 year olds. For 5 hours a day.

Yeah, I wasn't sure why I took the job or what purpose it would have in my life, but today part of that came full circle. I actually used the knowledge I gained in the daycare. Things about baby safety, cleaning, disinfecting, diaper changing, ect all became useful today. Then I realized, hey this will be useful when I have babies.

Random ramblings. Part of my life just made sense for me OK. It was part of that time I spent in Stillwater, my life changing year as I like to call it. Maybe I'll elaborate more on that later. Stay tuned.

Thanks for reading.

-jennifer

Christmas Time!

So I'm not really feeling in the writing mood, but I know I haven't posted in awhile so here goes...

School is out! Yay! I love my job, but man a break is soooo nice.

Christmas shopping is done. Enough said about that spectacular event...

We are having our youth group Christmas party tonight. I hope it is fun. You just never know how those dirty Santa games are going to go. Are we going to have the "nice" people who don't want to steal anything (boring) or are we going to have the rebels who like to spice things up a bit. I prefer the later myself. It's just more exciting that way.

Logan, my nephew, is coming in 4 days!

I am in a positive mood about church in this moment. Let's hope it stays this way. Wednesday night was very discouraging, but for some reason (God) I feel more upbeat today. :)

The church plant (in Japan) I mentioned before in a post (mustard seed global fellowship) www.msgf.com had their first service yesterday! I am so excited for them and somewhat envious. It must be so invigorating to do something like that. You know, doing something that will only succeed if God has His hand in it. Be praying for the new church and the missionaries.

Merry Christmas!

Jenn

Editor's Note

Ok, so I'm not sure if you noticed, but I did. In my last post I said I had reading strategies oozing out of my pours. Really?! Jennifer! :) O well, my bad!

I meant pores not pours. That is a homophone in case you didn't know. I can tell you all about them. They are one of the strategies oozing out of my PORES! :)

2 More Weeks

of school that is...

That is one reason why I love my job! I still get to experience all those breaks, and now I'm actually getting paid during them! Yay!

School has been going good and it was nice to get back in the routine of things again. My reading groups got shifted around due to one of my lovely co workers moving to Texas. I miss my old students, but I have some really great new ones too. I think I have reading strategies oozing out of my pours... nice visual huh? :)

Christmas will break will be really nice. I hope it snows!

On another note... today at the church we went around with the youth group to houses and passed out fliers for service projects. It was really cold, but we had a good number of students show up which was great! Jacob and I are definitely in need of some encouragement, and this day helped a little. I'm really praying some service projects come out of this so that we can stop talking and start doing! Loving others through our actions! We shall see. I will keep you posted.

A new thing going on right now for Jacob and I is missions. This summer we have decided that we are going to take a mission trip. We are not sure where to yet, but hopefully God will reveal it to us. I have been thinking about doing this for a long time and I know this is something that we need to do before we have kids to tie us down. The only places I have been are Dallas inner city and Mexico. Jacob has been to New York. I want to do something overseas. I have been looking into mostly Asia. I think we have got it narrowed down to either Japan or Thailand. I know a group of people from my home church are going to Thailand so we will definitely be looking into that one. This summer is going to be packed, and we are not sure how we will afford it, but I know my God is BIG and if He is calling us to do this He will provide!

I hope you all are having a fabulous time getting ready for Christmas! May you give lots, laugh much, and hug everyone!

Merry Christmas!

Jennifer

Hello everyone! Sorry it has been so long.

I'm on Thanksgiving break right now, and loving it! This morning I got to sit on the couch, drink coffee, and think about what God has been trying to teach me over the past few months. It was fabulous! Normally my mornings are spent rushing around getting ready for school.

So a lot of things have been going through my mind lately. One specific thing is joy. I am a naturally pessimistic person, who worries about everything. So, needless to say choosing joy does not come easy for me. I'm working on it though. The main thing I have been reminded of is that having/being joyful is a choice. Choose joy.

In every circumstance.... CHOOSE JOY! Easier said then done. Like I said, I'm working on it.

Another thing I have been thinking about is money and what it means to give sacrificially.

I would like to give extra money here and there and pat myself on the back, but is that really giving sacrificially? No. I've been pondering Matthew 6:19-21 "Treasures in Heaven" and the following versus 25-34 about worrying. They all deal with money and material possessions.

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¹⁹"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

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²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

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Do I really live and give like I believe what Jesus had to say in these versus? The answer is no.

Wow! If you can't trust Jesus, who can you trust!

Finally just a reminder to all who read this...

Matthew 9

³⁵Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. ³⁶When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. ³⁷Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. ³⁸Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."

Missions has been on my heart a lot lately. Check this team out if you haven't. I went to school with a lot of them. They are getting ready to launch a church in Japan. I love that. God is so cool!

www.msgf.com