The Far East..

Ni Hao! (That's hello in "C-ese"!) :)

First of all, I have to apologize for the lack of updates I provided for this last outreach. It was partially due to security reasons since this is a closed nation, but also it is partially due to my personal neglect to maintain this blog, which I am so embarrassed about -- I am so sorry!!!

However, my excitement has not worn off even after being home from "C" for over 2 months now! This nation has absolutely captured my entire heart and it still grips it so strongly that it brings me to the point of tears in longing to be back there.

I was blessed with the opportunity to lead a team of 7 students with my Co-leader Andi through this amazing adventure. The Lord doubly blessed me by allowing me to not only see lives in a foreign country be touched, but I also was able to journey alongside 7 young adults as their lives got radically transformed by the power of Jesus Christ! If you would have asked me a few years ago if I could see myself fit to do this, you would have heard a firm "No, never." - without hesistation. However, the Lord has poured His grace to the point of overflowing in my life these past few years and has allowed me to find my identity in Him, finding that I am capable of anything that He calls me to do, by His strength, --through Him! :) This has been such an incredible growing experience for me as well as I sought total dependance on the Lord daily under the realization that I am responsible for leading 7 young adults through an intense spiritual battle in a nation so highly oppressed. -- Not to mention, neither my co-leader or I have ever been in this country before.. However, the Lord saw it fit and had the confidence in us to handle the task placed in front of us!

I want to take you all back through the indescribably amazing 3 month adventure the Lord took my team and I through back in April. We began our journey spending a week in Hong Kong, going through culture orientation which allowed our team to get adjusted a little better before heading out into the countryside. My goodness.. I wish I could describe our next venture well enough to make you feel like you were actually there with me. Unfortunately, I know I will fall short at that... I think most of you could just about fall over laughing if you could see some of the things I experienced -- (knowing how I was before, you could almost be in total disbelief that this is the same girl you knew just years previous.) haha Moving on.. Our team traveled by a rickety, smelly, packed out local village bus for about 6 hours into the middle of nowhere "C". So let me explain a little shift in culture here -- the "C-ese" have no regard for personal space...at all. Haha. Needless to say, our team had to adjust rather quickly as we had dirty, wrinkly (but oh so cute) old "C-ese" farmers practically sitting on our laps, shamelessly staring us down. :) Once we arrived at the village bus stop, we had to hike up and over mountains for 3 hours to get to our first location. My goodness, was I not physically prepared for this trek...but by the grace of God I made it! Haha. Let me tell you, this temporary pain was more than worth it as my eyes gazed over the beauty of this village. I cannot express the joy in my heart as I witnessed the most precious kids running out into the streets to greet and welcome us as we made our entrance into their village. During our 3 week stay, we taught at a middle and grade school. We were called here to love on the children whose parents are forced to leave them in order to find work in the cities. Most of the children are left with their grandparents who are generally very old and feeble. Needless to say, these children lacked the love and attention that they deserve. Our ministry restricted us from sharing the Gospel as we needed to protect our contacts and future ministry in this village. There are no believers in this village currently, but I'm optimistic that this is sure to change very soon! We were blessed with the opportunity to spend time with the teachers here and you could evidently see the curiousity burning inside of them. Though the Lord is not outwardly receiving all the glory and praise He is due in this place, the Holy Spirit is actively stirring in the hearts of these people! We actually had a teacher make the comment - "I don't think it is by accident that of all the people in the world, I am here and you are here at the same time. It must be, (pointing upward) ...God. Hallelujah!!! :) Praise God for this awareness and acknowledgement of His sovereign power! Our team was so encouraged by this! We prepped the team ahead of time that our ministry has the potential to cause discouragement if you lose perspective... eternal perspective! It was vital for our team to trust that more was going on under the surface that we can see. Thank the Lord that He works in ways we cannot see and operates in depths we cannot fathom! We just need to trust!!!

We then hiked to and stayed at a very primitive village en route to our next location which was the most physically challenging for our team. There was no shower and our squatty toilet was simply two boards we had to balance on... next to a pig sty! I personally enjoyed this place so much and I was able to have some pretty amazing experiences here. I woke up early one morning and went out on a walk to have a quiet time with Jesus. Along a path I was walking down, I ran into a feeble old woman who smiled and started speaking to me in "C-ese" without a care that I didn't understand a word she was saying. :) She grabbed my hand and walked with me and she eventually led me to her humble little home where she introduced me to her grandchildren. She had me sit down and asked me if I had eaten yet (I could actually understand that... haha) I saw what she was intending to feed me as she pointed at dead snakes hanging up to dry and I quickly informed her that I had already eaten breakfast! I really enjoyed just sitting in their company conversing to each other in totally different languages, not understanding a word, but loving it! On my way back from this visit, I came across an old woman whose eyes were full of tears of pain. She pointed to her back where there was a massive tumor and she took my hand and laid it upon it, and folded her hands together. I took advantage of this opportunity to pray healing over her back and asked the Holy Spirit to bring revelation to this woman. I only hope that I can travel back to this place someday and find that the Lord has completely healed this woman!

We travelled to village number 3 where we spent 3 more weeks teaching at a school and forming friendships. After this, we left the villages and faced culture shock as we headed into the big city. Our ministry switched up a bit as we were able to be a bit more open with friendship evangelism. We held English corners, Bible studies, Cultural Exchange nights and we attended the underground churches, which was absolutely heartbreaking. Our team was able to see much breakthrough as we established awesome friendships in just 4 short weeks. Several young "C-ese" lives were introduced to the love of Jesus Christ and we trust that He will finish the good work that has begun in these lives!

I could go on and on.. I know this is incredibly long already and I have tried to sum it up as much as possible! haha. Thank you dedicated readers for sticking with me thus far! I hope you feel encouraged as you read about the countless ways that the Lord is moving in the Far East. Please keep this nation in your prayers as the number of conversions here are at a record high!!! Praise God!!!! :)

Where did all the time go???

Hello Again!

It is so hard to believe that this journey of mine is nearing a close. I have a little over 2 weeks until I am on a plane heading back to Maui for a week of debriefing. I am definitely still keeping my focus here where it needs to be -- but I can't help but feel a pang of anticipation, especially because my sweet parents are coming out to celebrate my graduation with me, along with spending a week in Maui!!! YAYYY!
Since the last update, I have been in Pattaya, Thailand since January 23rd. My team and I have been teaching in an english class to prostitutes and bar girls. We have also been going out 3 nights a week into the bars to talk to the girls, to tell them why we are in Pattaya, to offer them the hope found in Jesus and to invite them to our english classes (Which are staffed by Christians). The girls are so sweet, they definitely do not belong in these bars. Some of them are just terribly desperate for money and they have families dependant upon their provision - at any cost. Many of the girls come from North Thailand - from villages where there are no jobs or money. Some of them are instructed by their very own parents to go to Pattaya to get an "easy" job in the bars to provide for the rest of the family. I have heard so many heartbreaking stories, some so unheard of that my mind just can't even wrap itself around the very words they tell me. All I can do is show them that I care, love them with the love that Christ has shown me and lead them in the direction of the Tamar Center - a Christian outlet that could provide them with a job in which they can finally rediscover their value, dignity and worth. (Things that are stripped away when they are taken by these men as nothing more than objects of sick, selfish pleasure. -- Leaving these women full of hope when they make false promises.. This is what makes me the most upset -- hearing some of the stories in which the men promise the women that they will come back and take care of them or intentionally making promises they know they will not keep. There have been so many girls that I could see the pain and the fear in their eyes, and in the eyes of other girls, they were just numb and empty. Another sad thing was that several that girls that I talked with were my age and younger.. many have just started working and I could see they were on the verge of tears when I asked them if they liked their job or if they were ever afraid. My heart absolutely breaks for these grils and I talk God with all that is within me that He chose to spare me from being born into this kind of life. It is truly only by His grace that I was born in a Christian family in America and not in the position of these girls in Thailand. It puts it into such a better perspective for me - to challenge me even more to put my all into this, to pour my heart into these girls and try to show them that there is a way out - Jesus is the way!! The Lord has been so good to me, I wish I could do so much more -- but the Lord is sooo full of grace and mercy.. His Holy Spirit is the one who will draw people to Him and extend salvation!!!
My hope is in Him that He will work in the hearts of thes women and reveal himself to them! It's hard not being able to see the fruit of my labor... but I've found peace and encouragement in the Lord. He is so compassionate and merciful and he constantly reminds me that though my heart breaks wanting to see these women come to know Him, His feelings are sooo much deeper and stronger! However, I have been encouraged this past week at church -- 2 women that have been coming to the Tamar Center received the Lord's salvation!!! :)
Switching gears now -- As part of the Maui DTS program - during the outreach portion, the team leader(s) leave for an undisclosed amount of time, providing the team with only an 8 hour notice that they are leaving. They do this in order for us to capitalize on our time here on outreach, making it truly our own. This allows us not to depend on our leader to motivate us or push us along. My leader Sarah met with me and another girl Ashlee (Texas) on the 30th and informed us that she was leaving in the morning and that we were the ones she chose to lead the team while she was gone! Sarah was gone for 6 days and leading was a positive experience overall.. The Lord has taught me so much through it. that I do have leadership skills and that He wants me to walk out in confidence, speaking truth into the lives of others. He has shown me the importance of depending on Him, seeking Him in every situation/decision, staying in constant communication with Him daily! I definitely respect my leader a lot more for the responsibilities that she has. It is so hard to fill everyone with passion and excitement...although it really should be up to the individuals to make the most of it themselves!
We are leaving Pattaya late Tuesday night (Feb. 12th) to take a van for 15 hours down to the very South of Thailand. We will be working with a new church down there, doing a lot of children's ministry. We will be leaving there on the 18th to make a Visa run to.. CAMBODIA!!! (they expire on the 19th!) That will be another VERY long day of traveling, but I'm excited to say that I got to visit this country! haha. Then, that same day, we will be traveling back to Bangkok for a few days of debriefing before we fly out on the 23rd to Maui!!
So... wow. That is the rundown of my life currently - in a nutshell. I can't believe I will be seeing all of your beautiful faces so soon! God Bless (Pra Jow way pon) haha. and take care!!!

Love,
Jessica

Back from M!!!

I just got back from M this afternoon.. the past 16 days have flew by in a blur. I had an amazing time in this country. It definitely was challenging - having to stay undercover and also because we were not allowed to share our faith or talk about God at all, except in specific 'safe areas'. It was really good for me though because now I realize how much I have taken for granted the freedom I have in America to my religion and to openly worship my God, my Creator! It was really sad to see the deception in this country.. pretty much everything they do is controlled by the government, there is no individuality and this place is ruled by fear. I'm not sure if anyone heard since they keep most of the news hush hush for the sake of their image. During our time there, there were 3 bombings in 3 separate cities. One of them took place in the city where we were staying, at a train station. There has not been any definite explanation to any of these events, but there has been rumor that they may have been purposely caused by the government to put fear into the citizens to keep them in line. They may have done this because there was another rumor that there was going to be another uprising with the monks, protesting against the government.. But we may never know because of the secrecy this country in under. Despite knowing everything that has happened in this country, what did happen AND what could have happened, the Lord was so faithful to me and He filled me with a peace that was unexplainable. There was not a moment when I had any fear... except maybe in the crazy taxi/truck rides.. the drivers here are unreal - you would have to see it to understand... haha. But anyhow - Yes, the Lord is so faithful to provide, when you put your total dependance in Him!!!
For the past few weeks, I have taught more English classes, and our group had the privilege of teaching Office/Administration Skills for a week. It was a little spontaneous, but we really pulled it together and were able to minister to our students. I went through a stage where I was feeling discouraged again because I still have yet to see salvations or supernatural crazy things.. But I really felt as if God was affirming me by showing me that He has called me here to Asia for a purpose. Although I may not be seeing any fruit from my labor does not mean that nothing is being accomplished. If He only called me M to for this time to create friendship with the students and to encourage and provide relief for the full time Christian instructors--if I was obedient with what He has given me to accomplish, then He is very pleased with me! Also I feel He has revealed to me that in order for change to come about in this country, it is going to take time and perserverance. Just because I came for 2 weeks does not mean that I am going to see instant fruit! Looking back now, that makes perfect sense..it is so natural for me in my western culture mindset to want to see things instantaneously..I got over that quickly! haha. I established many great friendships and contacts with people in this country. I admire the Christians here so much, they are so courageous and willing to do what the Lord instructs them to do. The local people are very sweet.. we again were like movie stars and we got stared at more than ever... it is so crazy. I have so many memories and stories about the people and this culture.. It just makes me laugh thinking back.. let me just tell you that everyone in this country wears a skirt to the ankles... men included. hehe.
Well I have so much more to say.. but due to limited time, I need to wrap it up. Plus - I want to save stuff to tell all of you when I get back!
I am in Bangkok for 2 days (I spend my 22nd Birthday here!!! I would have never in my life guessed I would have spent my birthday in another country -- a day ahead! So actually I guess in all reality I am actually celebrating a little early, but we won't get technical!) We leave here on the 23rd to head down to Pattaya for a month to begin our ministry to the bar girls and prostitutes. I will need a little extra prayer during this month, as this will probably be one of my biggest challenges thus far. I cannot stand seeing these white men walking around here with the young Thai girls.. it is sickening. However, the Lord loves these individuals just as much as He loves me - I need to maintain this perspective. They are lost and are in great need of the Lord and our prayers!!
You are all in my prayers!!!

How I'm feeling... [Honestly.]

Well, I just got done spending over 3 weeks in 3 different villages here in Thailand and my emotions are definitely going through a whirlwind right now. It's bittersweet because we are leaving the dirty and rough living conditions, but from now on we will be in cities... being from Guys Mills -- my preference would definitely be the village country living. It was so terribly hard to leave the people of the 3 villages. They were the sweetest and the most hospitable people ever. I really cherished the times that I was able to spend with these people and their children. The kids were amazing and their smiles put so much joy in my heart. I could sense a difference in myself when it was time to leave, part of my heart would harden up because I was silently bitter and angry deep inside because I don't understand what good it is doing to come and stay for a week and pour ourselves into these people just to turn and leave when they really begin to soften and open their hearts up to us. There is no doubt in my mind that God used us in big ways while being in these villages... it just breaks my heart to leave, knowing that we could have done so much more, given the chance that we would have had more time to share our lives, stories and knowledge with these people. On the bright side -- after leaving, I found out that these people were unreached people groups in Thailand and that we were the first group to come in and share the name of Jesus and His Word with these people! I pray that the hunger and the curiousity that I saw spark in the lives of these people continues to grow and that there will be ample resources for them to learn more about our Lord!

Merry Christmas!!! or in Thai --(สุขสันต์วันคริสต์มาสและปีใหม่)!!

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas from the blazing hot and sunny country of Thailand... I think it would be safe to say that the weather most of you are experiencing is quite the opposite! It doesn't seem like Christmas at all.. Not just because of the weather, but also because this is such a Buddhist country, they don't celebrate it at all -- except for the few people who got sucked into American traditions and don't know why they do what they are doing... But most of all, it doesn't seem like it because I don't have all of my loved ones around to share it with... I don't regret coming here at all, but I admit it is super hard to think about everyone back home and everything that I am missing out on. But.. I am keeping in mind that God has called me to this place and that my sacrifice of giving up a half a year of my life away from my loved ones will never even compare to the sacrifice he has made for all of us... Keeping God's perspective is key for keeping my attitude positive.. if not, I would not have the strength to endure all that I am experiencing here in Thailand.
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I wanted to add a quick little update of what I have been doing for the past couple weeks... I don't have enough time to go into details, but I have been keeping a daily journal and I will elaborate more at a later date or I will just save my stories for when I return home!! Anyhow.. We have spent the past weeks in a few different villages... Now when I say villages... it is probably similar to what you are thinking... I can't wait to show all of you these pictures.. They are rather primitive...they aren't straw huts, but we are sleeping on the floor in mosquito nets, surrounded by tons and tons of ants..everywhere. It's crazy, I never thought that I would become accustomed to the feeling of having things crawling on me and not be bothered by it. I'm really not complaining though, I think of everything as being an experience, a memory, and a purposeful reason to sacrifice my physical comfort for a higher purpose. I mean things could definitely be worse, but we are roughing it for sure. I have just finally mastered the art of cold bucket showers and "squattie potties" (the Asian toilets which are just pretty much a porcelain hole in the ground that you have to flush with buckets of water). These things are not the most pleasant to use, but God has a way of humbling all of us, and I am willing to do whatever it takes to fulfill what He has called me to do!
We have been ministering to the schools in the local villages by teaching them English.. There were about 400 kids at each school and we split them into 4 groups... This was my first experience at teaching, but I really enjoyed it!!! There were a lot of kids in my class, but they behaved and listened really well - I was really impressed with their teachability and their disciplined behavior. It is sooo funny .. we get treated like celebrities here in Thailand.. everyone mobs you for pictures, autographs, and they want to touch our white skin and blonde hair.. and they get really shy when you talk to them, but they love it! It kind of bothers me though, because they treat us as if we are of higher worth than they are and that is definitely not true.. I got really attached to the kids in my group and it was really hard to say goodbye.. I loved them and they really showed me love in return.. They would love to just be around me or have me talk to them (even though they couldn't understand what I was telling them) I received a lot of gifts from these kids, which really melted my heart because they don't have much to begin with - yet they are so quick to give.. They really love saying my name - they draw it out like "Jess-a-kaaaaaaaa".. haha. It was so apparent that God has been opening doors for us this entire time. The headmasters of the school were so open to us coming in and not only teaching English, but sharing the gospel message to the kids and they thanked us for it, truly an act of God opening up the minds of these leaders!
We have also been able to minister to local people in the villages. In the first village, everyone was able to freely come and listen and participate -- we had a wonderful turnout and a lot of people who requested prayers and wanted to know more about Jesus!! The second village was a little more disappointing - The headmaster of the village would not allow for us to have a program for the people of the village and said that the people were not allowed to join us. A few brave souls showed up anyhow.. a man came and asked for prayer to heal his shoulder and we prayed and prayed until he could take his shoulder and move in in complete circles, he said that the pain was gone! The next evening, many more people showed up to listen. A few of the Thai women gave their testimonies and I also volunteered to share mine. The Holy Spirit must have been speaking through me because there were some young girls there who were in tears as I was telling my story and they wanted prayer afterwards... We took time to pray for everyone who was courageous and came, regardless of what the headmaster said. It was sad though, because at one point while we were praying, a mother from the village (obviously upset) came up and demanded that her daughters should leave right away. The heaviness of the Buddhist religion is so strong here, but I think God is definitely doing amazing things and he is breaking the soil for big things to come! I am so hopeful and expectant of this! He is so capable and powerful... I will never cease to be amazed by Him!
Well I better end this now, my internet time is about up..
Again.. I hope you all enjoy your Christmas and New Years!!! May God bless each and every one of you and may you be filled with the peace and joy that only He can give to you!

Love,
Jessica

Sawatdee Kaa!!! Thailand At Last!!!

Sawatdee Kaa (Hello)!!!

I just wanted to write a short blog for now to let everyone know that after all of the mishaps and a few more minor ones, I have arrived safe and sound in Bangkok, Thailand. I am quite tired at the moment, experiencing a bit of jet lag (a 17 hour time difference from Maui) but the excitement that is building up inside of me more than makes up for the tiredness!!!

I have to sign off for now.. I will add more later on!
Love,
Jessica

Thailand...Not quite yet. haha.

This morning we got up at 3 a.m. to get all of our stuff together to leave the base at 4 a.m. Our flight was scheduled to leave at 6:10 a.m. from Kahului, Maui. During the previous night and the early morning hours the wind was so strong and loud that it kept me from getting the sleep that I needed. Everything was going pretty smoothly and all of our groups arrived at our gate and we were waiting for the call to board and suddenly the sky got super dark and it started raining harder than I have ever seen before in my life and the wind was out of control! The flight before us had to turn around and come back because the Honolulu Airport was shutting down due to the extreme weather. It was already past our boarding time when a man came over the loud speaker and informed us that at that point they were still waiting to hear back from someone at the Honolulu Airport to inform us what our flight status was or if we could find another flight over. He also told us that there was a very intense and large storm between Honolulu and the island of Molokai and it was heading toward Maui. To make a long story short, all of us ended up camping out in the Maui Airport for over 6 hours, watching the hurricane-like conditions outside. We were told that our connecting flight in Honolulu on China Airlines had to leave without us and there would not be another one flying out that day. We had to get ahold of people back at the base to come pick us up and we had to go claim our baggage which somehow ended up getting soaked!!! It was such a long trip home, it usually only takes 1/2 hour to get back to the base, but it took over an hour! The vans we are transported around in aren't luxurious by any means.. the ceilings leak when it rains too hard -- and somehow I ended up picking the "lucky seat" in the van where there was a constant trickle and sometimes a flow of water streaming onto me!! It was raining so hard that we could hardly see in front of us, the roads were flooded out and the whole towns were shut down because the weather was so horrible and there was no power. However, we got home safe and sound AND soaked.--(atleast me) haha. We didn't have electric at the base for a while so since we were all exhausted from the early morning, most of us decided to go into our sad and empty room to nap in our beds one last time. I was so strange because when we left that morning I thought that I would never be back in that room again!
Sooo.. all that being sad -- what is going on now you might be thinking?
Well, we are tentatively planning on leaving tomorrow morning at 9:45 a.m. to head BACK to the airport to catch our flight at 12:45 to Honolulu. We will have a 16 hour layover there, so I have been told that we will be staying at the YWAM base for a bit so we can attempt to get some rest before we head off to Tokyo, Japan. After that we will fly to Taipei, Taiwan where we will have a 4-6 hour layover before heading to Bangkok, Thailand which is the final destination for the first stage of our outreach. *** Like I said, this is only tentative because the brunt of the storm has not even reached Maui yet, so we are expecting it to arrive here early in the morning or sometime tomorrow. I was told that it is a big tropical depression that could possibly turn into something more as time goes out... I'm not sure how things are going to pan out, but one thing that I'm sure of is that we are in God's hands and He is taking care of us! However, I'm not opposed to any extra prayers you may have for our safe travels!!!
Sorry for the long, rambling story - but I just wanted to share with all of you the first interesting experience i've had as a missionary. I'm sure there will be many, MANY more to come! Our group handled it great, very maturely and responsibly! :) So as of now, we are going to attempt this all again tomorrow morning! Thank you for your prayers!

I love you all!!! Have a wonderful day!