If you know you're loved by the king, sing sing sing

What a week of blessings, and it is only Tuesday! So many things I have to be thankful for. My week started Sunday- I was tired and rundown. As soon as I layed my head down to go to sleep Saturday night (I was so tired!) my mind decided to go into full spinning mode & I couldn't go to sleep until after 1am. I had to be at setup at 7:30am, so needless to say, I was in need of a serious pick-me-up. I was scheduled to work in Children's Ministry in the Toddler/ preschool area and as it turns out we had more than enough leaders in the t/p area as well as the elementary, so I got to go to service and worship Jesus with the adults!!! This is huge, since the majority of 2006 I spent in the back hallways teaching kids- which I absolutely love- but it is nice to fellowship with the adults too!

That was blessing #1! That night I decided to go to South Hills Church and it was a message for me. Bret spoke about New Found Life and the thing that spoke to me the most was how he was talking about sin. Through the power of Jesus Christ & the Holy Spirit which lives inside of us- we don't have to sin anymore. We still fall prey to sin, and so often I hear this phrase "we're just a bunch of sinners," but the truth is we don't have to sin anymore.

If you know you're loved by the King, sing sing sing. If you know you're loved by the King, then live for him, live for him.

These were the words to a Matt Redman song, which brings me to blessing #3... My mom & stepdad suprised me with a ticket they bought me to the "How Great is Our God" tour with Matt Redman, Chris Tomlin, and speaker Louie Giglio. I couldn't believe it! I had been to the Indescribable Tour last year in Vegas, and had gone to Passion 05 in TN. Being at the Passion Conference changed my life and was only a step in God's calling on my life as a Missionary, so it was so great to be worshipping with some of the most annointed worship leaders and speakers once again. As Chris began his worship set, I had a hard time focusing on God. It seemed there were so many other distractions and hinderances, not to mention I could barely move! I felt oppressed and began to pray. Louie began his message and spoke first about how BIG our God is. He spouted out #'s in relation to the stars that God simply breathed into existence. He told a story about the Whirlpool Galaxy and how it is 31 million light years away. The Hubble Telescope was able to capture a picture of the heart of the galaxy.

The Whirlpool Galaxy, 31 million light years away.

At the center of the galaxy, as if it were a stamp of God's workmanship, right there in for the whole world to see was a giant cross- one of those black bars is apprx. 1 light year wide! Interestingly enough, this pics. were transmitted by Nasa! Science, in all of it's advance technology, and theories about creation, sent this back to the world to see.

Core of the Whirlpool Galaxy

Do you see it? A giant Cross at the core of the whirlpool galaxy. WOW. I am speachless and nothing I could say would do justice or bring the glory to the LORD that he so deserves. So, I will move on to say Louie continued to preach, but instead switched gears to us, and how fearfully and wonderfully made we are. Not just in the Universe can we see the cross is at the center, but we can look at our own bodies. There is a cell adhesion in our bodies called Laminin. Laminin takes the shape of a cross in our bodies. Millions of crosses in our body- holding our cells, holding our flesh, holding us together!
I was moved. And I truly entered into worship with the King.

If you know you're loved by the King, sing, sing, sing. If you know you're loved by the King, then live for him, live for him. Forgiven and Free, how could I not sing? If you know you're loved by the King, sing, sing, sing. If you know you're loved by the King, live for Him, live for Him.

How about 1 more blessing? I had to print up more brochures for my mission to give to supporters. Our printer at the office is not printing right now, and I needed them by morning. I took them to Office Depot, and after waiting for 30 minutes (there were many problems) and realizing they were .89 cents a side, double sided & full color meant I could not get the 30 I wanted. I settled on 15 knowing it was going to cost me $30 (an amount I could not afford, but what could I do? I was in a bind) I said a quick prayer. Because there were many printing problems the lady helping me was reading my brochure and began to ask me about the work I would be doing. She decided she was going to charge half price, so I got the 15 brochures for $15.

God is sooooooooooo good! I came home tonight and as I was folding my clothes and putting away sweaters I praise Jesus for providing for my every need as he sees it necessary. I am so thankful I don't have to be in charge of my life anymore.

Colossians 1:15-17 "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together"

Lord Jesus, thank you for holding me together, thank you for creating me to worship you, to love you, to sing for you, to live for you. Thank you for calling me. Thank you for loving me. Jesus Christ I pray for peace and guidance. For your divine wisdom. Jesus, lead me. I surrender to you. I abandon my ways, I abandon myself, I choose you Jesus.
I choose you.

Keeping me on my toes

I think God likes to keep us on our toes. We have a perpensity to get comfortable in our situations- which I am not always sure God likes. Comfortability brings it's friends self-reliance and pride.

I had gotten comfortable with the idea of working at Soulstice until May, maybe going to KY a little early, taking a slower approach to fundraising... But, I think it times likes these, actually in life in general, God is calling us to a life dependant upon Him.

So, I found out 3 days ago, that I am needed in the office in KY March 1st! I kind of freaked out silently, and argued with God in my head about how I was going to make all this happen, and by "all this" I mean train 5 people to do my job, so it can be volunteer ran, raise an additional $2,800 a month, continue trying to get back in shape, spend time with friends and family, coordinate our church's garage sale... the list goes on & on. And then it hit me... Had I fall prey to self-reliance?

2 Corinthians 1:8-10 says:

"We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God, who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us"

It is God who will accomplish all of these things I had once relied upon myself for. I trust in him, my hope is in him!

So, my encouragement as I pray for all of these tasks and urgent things that must be accomplished comes from Matthew 6:33-34:

"But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

For His Glory,

Jackie

The Nobodies

I picked up this great book about 7 months ago called Pathologies of Power: Health, Human Rights, and the New War on the Poor. It is written by Dr. Paul Farmer, who is a Professor of Medical Anthropology at Havard. He has worked in Haiti for over 20 years providing medical care at a hospital in a remote area of the Central Plateau located in Cange, Haiti. It is a 35 mile drive from Port-au-Prince, but is known to take almost three hours to get there. Dr. Farmer spends most of the year working at his clinic called Zamni Lasante, which means Partners in Health in Creole. The book I am reading focuses on several of the most impoverished places in the world: Cange Haiti, Chiapas Mexico, Lima Peru, and one of the prisons in Kemerovo Russia.

He argues, that the real problem is not neccesarily the illness, but they are a bi-product of their poverty. They not only treat patients for their diseases, but they provided food, money, and much much more.

I admit, it is hard to read. It is difficult to understand. But moreover, it is hard to read, because each page turned breaks my heart. I am profoundly disturbed by how the Haitians are treated. It is as if the world has forgotten all about this country. It's people are not humans, but faceless nobodies.

This poem below is the introduction to the book. I have spent a total of about a day in Haiti, but reading this not only confirmed my love for the "nobodies," but impresses on my mind the importance of the spreading the Gospel to this country. The importance of loving another person. The importance of reaching out, to the needy, to the homeless, to the prisoners, to the sick children, to the people we won't let come near our kids, to those who don't share our language... to the world. May we have compassion for the nobodies in the world... Compassion is not pity... It is love in action.

The Nobodies, by Eduardo Galeano

The Nobodies:
Fleas dream of buying themselves a dog, and nobodies dream
of escaping poverty; that one magical day good luck will
will suddenly rain down on them- will rain down in buckets.
But good luck doesn't rain down yesterday, today, or tomorrow, or ever.
Good luck doesn't even fall in a fine drizzle, no matter
how hard the nobodies summon it, even if their left hand is
tickling, or if they start the new year with a change of brooms.
The nobodies: nobody's children, owners of nothing.
The nobodies: the no ones, the nobodied, running like rabbits,
dying through life, screwed every which way.
Who are not, but could be.
Who don't speak languages, but dialects.
Who don't have religions, but superstitions.
Who don't create art, but folklore.
Who are not human beings, but human resources.
Who do not have faces, but arms.
Who do not have names, but numbers.
Who do not appear in the history of the world, but in the police blotter of the local paper.
The nobodies, who are not worth the bullet that kills them.

Down Sizing

So after much deliberation, I have decided to sell my car! This will be a good thing since I still owe on it and won't be able to carry the insurance or payment once I am on the field... so anyone want to buy an izusu rodeo? Goooood condition! 2000 Roman Bronze Rodeo, 82,000 miles! I am going to sell it for what I owe- leave me a comment if you are interested!
Peace-
J

Guilty Pleasure... I admit it!!!

OK- What am I going to do in the Dominican Republic and Haiti on Monday nights without the TV Show 24?? AHHHHHHH! It is soooooo good! Although the premier is somewhat violent... much more than past seasons- I can't get enough! Someone will surely tape them and send them to me... **hint hint (Courtney, Laura, Heather!!)**
Seriously, I don't watch a lot of TV, but Mondays and Thursdays, 24 & Grey's Anatomy? How can you not?

I suppose I will just have to settle for having the amazing privledge of watching and growing the kingdom in the DR- Seeing people radically changed for Christ- LOL!

Life is good. Even without a TV.
-Jackie

"Every work of God can be traced to some kneeling form"
D.L. Moody

Oh the woes of creating a budget...

Ok- so I have fielded many questions about my budget recently. I do not mind this at all. I actually think it is great because 1.) People are reading what I sent out and 2.) People care what there money goes. I do too!!
So, I thought I would do a little clearing of the air with this blog, in hopes to dispel some fears you might have.
My budget is broken into several categories. It is my responsibility to fill in the blanks with the numbers. G.O. does NOT tell me how much I need to raise for each category, however they provide input, insight, and so on.
I have 3 budgets, my dream budget, middle road budget, and bare bones budget. All three are approved simultaneously. This is a great thing because as I am raising support and it increases it just green lights whichever budget I am closest to. Brilliant! So, let's say I receive too little or too much than I have budgeted for- I do not have to go back and re-figure numbers. They already are set from the beginning.
I like this because the ministry is not set on the dollar amount I am raising (which it would be if I created a budget around what I am raising.) The money would be the focus. But it is not, God is the focus. So with much prayer and thought I have plugged in the numbers I felt God was leading me to, based upon the ministry I think he has in mind for me.
So, enough of the background, let's get to the numbers. My monthly total right now for my middle road budget is $4,300 MONTHLY! I know! I know! This is a big amount, for you or me, but for God, nothing is to big!
Here are the four major categories- personal, field, ministry, sponsorship.
Personal and field expenses are the everday living: rent, health insurance, medical savings, housing, travel expenses (I fly to the states approx. 2-3 times a year!), language training- I will be going to Spanish class everyday.
Ministry: this is what is used to make ministry happen. There are so many things this can be used for from Christmas presents for the kids I work with to correspondence with supporters in the states.
Sponsorship: This is the biggest category and one that I feel strongest about. We must raise money to support the G.O. Kids Child Sponsorship, National & Pastor Sponsorship, and the Buildings. To sponsor a child it costs $30 a month- so I could just put $30 a month in there, but I think God wants us to do something big. Not just one new kid, but in my budget 10 new kids. The money that give will not just keep me surviving but will keep Pastors, Nationals, and kids surviving. I think that is so cool.
It's not just about supporting me and it should never be. There is so much good that the money you donate will support. I am open to talking more about this with anyone who is interested!
So, I asked myself, when creating my budget: Do you want this ministry to survive or flourish? Do you want to get by or make differences? I choose the latter, every time I choose the latter. I have tried to go into my budget and change those ministry #'s and I can't do it... and I have tried several times. Each time I feel uneasy, anxious, distrusting... and I can't do it. I would rather remove my food budget (at $100 a month) than take $100 away from kids in the DR.
So, I hope this clears up any questions, and if not, let's talk more. Leave me a comment and let me know what you think!!

"Dreams rise out of humility not humanity."

Some of my favorite pictures I have taken of kids in the DR & in Haiti. It humbles me beyond anything I can describe to be on this journey. To return to a place that, to me, is home. I often feel like I am being changed and touched more than I could ever change or touch one life in the DR & Haiti. It is special. And magical. And I am humbled to be a part of this. In my heart of hearts I know true peace here. Thanks for your support and prayers.

"Oh for you, I sing and dance. I rejoice in this divine romance. Lift my heart and my hands to show my love, to show my love" Phil Wickham.