Some wisdom from Ben Stein

I found this on Facebook, but I think it is worthy of sharing...

"Apparently the White House referred to Christmas Trees as Holiday Trees for the first time this year, which prompted CBS presenter, Ben Stein, to present this piece which I would like to share with you.

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:
I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejewelled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, 'Merry Christmas' to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a nativity scene, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her 'How could God let something like this happen?' (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said, 'I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives.And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?'

In light of recent events... terrorist attacks, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbor as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell.
Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says.

Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing.

Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But, if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what a bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein"

If you had two weeks...

At my school we have chapel service in the mornings on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday every week. We get to hear from great preachers and missionaries from all over the nation and world. I never know what to expect or how God might show up when I walk into chapel.

Yesterday, when I was at chapel, we talked a lot about how you want to be remembered after you die. It was a great message, but I think God had something slightly different in mind for me to learn. Somehow, my brain got to thinking about death and the end times. The question I asked myself was this: "If there were only two weeks until Christ's return, and you knew it, what would you be doing with your time?"

I expected to answer with things like spending time with family or being with the youth at my church more, but all I could think about was missions. If I knew there were only two weeks until Christ's return, that would mean that there were only two weeks to tell everyone on the planet about Jesus! The only problem is that there are SO many areas that have never had a chance to hear His gospel!

There are people who die every day who have never heard of the saving mercy and grace of Jesus Christ. Can you live with that knowledge? I can't.

God got me really fired up about missions again. There is an end coming; am I living like it?

That makes the Great Commission a little weightier to me. We MUST share this message with all peoples!

"Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you." Matthew 28:19-20a

Go therefore...

My good friend, Misty, had me guest post on her blog about missions. Check it out!

Madagascar

So, before I begin I need to apologize for a couple of things. First, sorry I haven't posted in forever! School started and I have been pretty behind on life. Second, sorry I'm kind of changing the subject from Uganda for a while; I promise I'll come back to it and finish off the trip! The best days are yet to come, still! Hang in there!

I just started school at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary (but everyone calls it SWBTS...pronounced 'swibits'). I am doing the BA Humanities program with a missions concentration to prepare me for a life overseas sharing God's good news. This school is seriously so amazing! I love almost everything about it -- hey, everywhere has its downfalls, right?

Anyways, the reason I picked this school is because of how mission-minded they are. They believe that all people should hear the gospel, whether they are in Fort Worth, or America, or a small tribe in an African island! And right now, the Antandroy are just that tribe!

My school is sending missionaries to Madagascar right now to reach out to a people of about 800,000 who have never heard the name of Jesus before! They live in the southern region of Madagascar, which is an island off the eastern coast of Africa. But, they are just one of many people groups in Madagascar who have never heard the good news that Jesus has for them! There are 19 major tribes in Madagascar and the many of them are unreached; in fact, there are only around 13 missionary families on the whole island of Madagascar (by the way, the island is roughly the size of Texas)!

The Antandroy are the dark blue region on the bottom of this map.

I am seriously considering going to this island, as I have to go on a mission trip in order to graduate (rough, I know), and this people group just wont leave my heart. So, I went to a meeting to learn more about them on Friday and I wanted to share some of the nation's prayer requests with you so you could join me in prayer for them.

1. Pray for the political crisis in Madagascar. They haven't had a stable government in many years, and their current corrupt government has been in power for the past four years. They are trying to have an election soon, so pray that God's hand will be on it.

2. Pray for the shallow Christianity that does exist on the island. Catholicism is the main Christian branch on the island and unfortunately it has morphed with the local ancestor-worshiping customs into a religion that is not even close to God honoring. Pray that God would start a cultural and spiritual revival to bring people to know who He truly is and the kind of worship which He truly desires.

3. Offer thanks for the receptivity that is happening. Christianity is a hard fit for the culture of Madagascar, because it goes in such stark contrast with the practices of the people there. Praise God for the people who are coming to know the Lord and letting Him transform every dimension of their lives!

4. Offer thanks and prayers for religious freedom. The religious freedom in Madagascar is such a blessing, but it is also allowing for Christians to become lazy. Pray that God would move in the hearts of the Christians in Madagascar to move out of complacency and apathy.

5. Pray for the other religions that are proliferating on the island because of the same religious freedom. Muslims, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, etc. are growing at alarming rates. Pray that the people on the island would come to know the one, true God!

6. Pray for support and encouragement for the 13 missionary families who are serving in Madagascar. It is a lonely place to be a missionary.

7. Pray for revival for Christians!

Narrow Roads

Have you driven through North Texas recently? If you have, you know that every single highway we have up here is under construction! It is nuts! I spend a lot of time in my truck, so this construction is getting me a little edgy. I try and spend most of my drives with the radio off and in conversation with the Lord. The stuff He tells me when I am stuck in traffic is really cool! That's why today, I'm taking a break from Uganda blogs to share a cool analogy I got from highway driving with my Dad this week.

So, on Tuesday, I was driving through construction like always; however, I was especially stressed out then because they had once again changed which exit went where. As I was white-knuckling the steering wheel, the highway narrowed to one lane, with no shoulders and concrete barriers on either side. If I got lazy in my driving or shifted slightly to the left or to the right I would hit the walls. It lasted for about a half mile, and when it opened back up to a two lane highway, the Lord reminded me of Matthew 7:14.

For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.

Just like on the road, in my life, if I get off track just a little bit it has huge consequences. Sometimes I am tempted to get lazy in my walk with the Lord and I take a break from being daily in the Word. Other times, I am tempted to believe the lies that if I just do some small sin or tell some little lie that it wont affect anything too much. It's not true, for the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life. I have to stay on the straight and narrow path, not veering to the right or to the left, but walking where the Lord has made a way for me to go.

Also like in driving, when you go off road in your life and you get wrecked up, or things seem to be falling to pieces, or you just feel yourself getting farther away from the Lord, the damage isn't necessarily permanent. If I wreck my truck, I have to take it in to the repair shop to get it fixed. When I wreck my life, I have to go to the Lord for healing and direction. He is the only worker skilled enough to fix the messes we make in our lives.

So, when your life starts looking like the one lane highway with no shoulders and concrete barriers on either side, remember to stay focused on the Lord to guide you through it. Never take your eyes off of Him and make sure not to drift to the right or the left. And remember, the construction doesn't go on forever, in another half a mile you'll be out of it again, and probably a more skilled driver to boot!

In dependence, or independence?

First off, I'm sorry I haven't written anything on here in so long! Life has been getting too fast for me lately. I will try and be more disciplined in getting the rest of these posts up!

As I was looking for inspiration for today's blog, I was reading my prayer journal from Day 4 and 5 of the trip. My question that I was pondering those days was, "God, what am I learning about you today?" Then, I stumbled upon a prayer from later that day:

"Keep us in situations where we have to rely on You, so we can learn your character and see Your power."

All throughout my life, I have been raised to be independent. I have been taught to take care of myself, by myself. I think this is an American thing; we want to be self sufficient, independent. "I don't need anyone to take care of me." I proclaim reliance on God, but I have been guilty of living an independent life.

The people of Uganda showed me how to live in dependence on God, instead of independent of Him. God was huge to them there, because they needed Him to be. They trusted Him for everything, and He showed up because of it.

Someone said something to me a few months ago that really stuck with me, and it was basically this: If I trust in myself, then I am limited to Jenn sized solutions and outcomes; however, if I trust in God, I am unlimited! So, I just want to leave you with this question: Do you live in dependence of God, or independently of Him? How big is your God? How big do you let Him be? If you haven't seen God show up lately, maybe it is because You haven't asked him to. Ask Him.

Day 4

Day 4 started off with our first morning devotional during breakfast, and I figured I'd start off this post in the same way, just without the breakfast. ;-)

First read these verses:

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Matthew 13:44-46

Matthew 13:1-23 (The Parable of the Sower)

David led us in an incredible devotional; it was both thought provoking and encouraging. He spoke a lot about the Kingdom of Heaven and how it affects our role here and now on earth. It basically boiled down to the fact that we are citizens of Heaven, and earth is not our home; rather we are here serving God, all the time, everywhere we go. God allows us to choose to be obedient to what He has called us to do, so that when we are obedient, it is out of love. Because of this, our choices matter very much to God! Every time we obey Him and serve Him, we show our love for Him!

It was a really beautiful lesson, and it applies so much to life in Uganda and in America. We can go on mission trips overseas to serve God, but we are always on mission for God. I hope this challenges you, like it does me! How are you on mission for God in your town?

Now, on to the rest of the day!

We drove all the way from Kampala to Lira, which is a 6 hour drive. Usually, I don't like to travel very much; however, I felt very different about this trip, because we got to see so much of the country! Uganda is the most beautiful place I have ever been! Here are some pictures I took on the road (with my disposable camera, pardon the poor quality of the pictures)!

This picture shows a lot! You can see mango trees, which it seems like communities are built around in Uganda! You can see several huts, which were one of the main housing forms that we saw. You can see a boda-boda, which is basically a motorcycle taxi, those things are everywhere!

Here are some more beautiful mango trees. The mangoes in Uganda are just about the most delicious fruit I have ever tasted!! The people sitting under the tree sell mangoes to the people who drive past on the road. Side note, if you stop next to people who are selling things by the road, they all flock to your car to try and get you to buy stuff! It is a little intimidating! We once had about twenty people trying to sell us their mangoes! The rectangular building you see is a shop, and you can see some more huts in the background.

This is a lady with something crazy balanced on her head. I swear, they can carry anything on their heads!! We saw them carrying things that are strange shapes and things that way as much as 50lbs! It is amazing to watch, but unfortunately back problems are common because of it.

Here is another roadside mango shop. I think we bought mangoes here to feed the monkeys! There were tons of kids here, and when they saw us they all shouted, "Mzungu!" Which basically means, "White people!" I thought at first it must be an insult, like they were laughing at us for being different or foreign or something, but it is really just because that is what we are and they are excited to see us. Almost every kid, and even a few adults, shouted it at our vans as we drove past! Which reminds me of another thing I loved about Uganda, everyone greets everyone (even people who drive past in their vans)! It is incredible to me how much these people value relationship!

The beautiful, amazing, powerful Nile river! I have never seen water that strong before! It sounded incredible and it was very wide.

More of the Nile.

There were monkeys and baboons all along the roads, especially in the more forested parts of the roads. We fed these guys (and several other primate friends) mangoes from our vans.

We arrived at our hotel and it was very nice! We had guards at our gate with AK-47s, so we all felt very safe! The food was pretty typical for what we usually ate while in Uganda, chicken and potatoes and fruit. It was all good, except I noticed that Ugandans like their food dryer than we usually eat food in America; this was true of chicken and cakes, that I noticed. Despite the dryness, I was very grateful for chicken and not beef, because we saw beef that was for sale on the side of the road just hanging out in the open. I would much rather eat the chicken that I know got killed in the back of the hotel somewhere than the beef that has been hanging outside for who knows how long!

At dinner, we met Jane. She is one of the most incredible, God-fearing women I have ever met. At twenty, she decided she needed to do something about the damage done by the LRA, and now at 32 she has an organization, Children of Peace Uganda, which provides education to children affected by the war and empowers women affected to provide for themselves. I will explain much more about CoPU in later posts, don't worry!

We wrapped up the day with some more mafia before bed time. This was a great day; I felt like a lot of community developed within my team on the trip and I really began to acknowledge the ways that everyone was so beautifully unique and perfectly chosen and placed by God to be on this trip, and the next day revealed this to me even more clearly!

God with us.

All of my posts are things that are continuing to change my life, now that I am back in America, but this story really stands out in my memory of this trip. It is such a demonstration of reliance on the Lord and just the real, life-changing power of God. I know I am going to butcher this story to pieces, but I'll do my best!

Meet Emmanuel.

(Photo credit: Allison)

Emmanuel was a victim of the war in Uganda; the L.R.A. cut off parts of his nose and upper lip when he was younger. Despite this traumatizing event, Emmanuel chose to dedicate his life to the Lord. He was blessed to receive plastic surgery to mend his face and allow him to speak normally again, and he has used this gift in huge ways! He has learned all 38 Ugandan languages, English and is currently learning French. Why? So that he can counsel other children and victims of the war and share the love of Jesus Christ with them.

We visited with Emmanuel in his father's house and heard his story. He didn't seem like a victim, but a conqueror. He had been faced with adversity, but chose to work hard to overcome it; when we asked him how he did it, he answered simply, through prayer and relying on God's strength. He told us that the Lord had given him all of the languages, he could just understand when people spoke to him in foreign tongues, and he used that gift to give back to God.

I told you that his name is Emmanuel, this means "God is with us," and it suits him perfectly. His life is a perfect example of what can happen when we allow God to be with us and we do life with Him. When we trust God and cast our burdens on Him, we open ourselves up to God-sized lives, instead of just human-sized lives. In John 10:10, Jesus tells us that life with Him is the fullest most abundant life there is. I can see that in Emmanuel; he has an absolutely abundant life full of amazing blessing because of the complete reliance that he has on God.

This idea isn't unique to Emmanuel; everywhere we went, we met people who had been faced with adversity and overcame it through the strength of Jesus. We met women who'd had their children killed. When we asked them how they coped with this, their answer was always the same: Prayer -- and trusting that God actually is big enough to solve their problems and get them through their lives.

I want to challenge you with these stories. When you are faced with adversity, do you trust the Lord to be your strength? Trust Him to get you through? Trust Him to be big enough? He is, I promise. I have experienced it in my life, both in America and overseas.

The Lord is able to heal the brokenness in your life, and the beauty of it is, He wants to. You have a choice to make: Will you be defeated by adversity in your life and allow it to bring you down, or will you let God strengthen you and love you and help you overcome hardships? He wants to help you, will you let Him?

Psalm 28:7-9
"The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him. The Lord is the strength of his people; he is the saving refuge of his anointed. Oh, save your people and bless your heritage! Be their shepherd and carry them forever."

Day 3

This day was our first full day on the ground in Uganda, and also our first full day of service! We woke up at 8a to be at breakfast by 9a, so we could adjust a little easier to the time change. We had scrambled eggs, toast, potatoes, and this mango juice (super delicious, by the way) at our hotel.

This is also the first real time I had to get to know my team. My team is a lot younger than I expected. When I went to Cambodia, everyone was older than me by at least one decade; however, on this trip, I was about the middle of the pack. Also, my team was mostly girls, which was another change from Cambodia. I'm not going to lie, I had a hard time feeling like I could fit in anywhere that first day or two!

At 10a, we loaded up onto our buses and drove for about an hour to a village west of Kampala, called Wakiso. This drive was way better than our drive in from the airport because it was during the daytime so we could actually see the stuff surrounding us! The landscape reminded me of a cross between Austin, TX and Cambodia (my two favorite places); there are so many beautiful hills and vegetation. Mango trees, banana trees, flowers, and so much more cover every inch of ground! Everything was green and luscious! The weather was very pleasant; it was in the mid-eighties every day with medium humidity. The driving really caught me offguard! I forgot that people in different countries drive on the other side of the road. I also forgot that in those countries, the drivers sit on the right side of the car. I tried to get in the wrong side all the time. There is tons of traffic as well. There are very few traffic lights, but tons of roundabouts. There are also all different types of taxis; there are vans and boda-bodas, or motorcycles.

When we got to Wakiso, we met Pastor Patrick and saw his church. The actual church building is just a pole frame with a sheet metal roof. We worshiped with the body of believers there and it was awesome; those people have some serious rhythm! As a random side note, I really love the Ugandan style of singing in groups...One person sings something, and everyone else repeats it (with plenty of clapping, stomping, and dancing tossed into the mix as well).

Next, we walked to the water source of the people in that village. It was at least a half mile trek up and down steep hills along a narrow path. I am amazed that women and children can do it several times a day with a jerrycan on their head (an average jerrycan weighs 40lbs with water in it)! When we got to the source, I was amazed! The water was shared between people, fish and animals. It was very brown and murky; even after boiling, the water is still brown with solids in it.

We hiked back to the church, and began to distribute filters to the people. Our filters don't eliminate the need to go and get water from the source, but they do allow families to have clear, clean, safe water to drink without boiling! This is a huge thing for a few reasons. Boiling water takes a huge amount of time; this is time that the people could spend working to earn money, going to school, or doing other chores around the house. Boiling water is dangerous; we saw several children with burns from accidents with boiling water. Lastly, boiling water is expensive; it either requires coal or wood, and both are resources that cost money which could be used for school, food or medicine. So, these are a few reasons why clean, safe water is such a big deal here!

We distributed filters to over twenty families while we were there. We also got to meet a few of the families personally and go into their homes. They are so hospitable! Everyone greets you with a smile, a hello, and a long handshake.

When we got back to the hotel we played mafia for about an hour, which was an answered prayer for me because it really encouraged bonding with my team! Although, it was very exhausting to go from loving and serving people all day, back to your hotel to spend more time having to be intentional about building relationships. It was very emotionally exhausting for me.

Vulnerability time...I was also struggling at this point in the trip with my purpose for going on the trip in the first place. Things that the Lord has really been opening my eyes to before this trip even came up, is that the Lord doesn't need me to do his work. His work would be done whether I was a part of it or not. So, I was struggling to figure out why God had so clearly called me to go on this trip. God doesn't waste stuff, and I know He wouldn't just waste the $3500 it took to get me to Uganda, but I didn't see why He had called me to go on this trip yet. I knew that there had to be a bigger reason than being white and bringing water filters to people; but, more on that later!

We ended the day with a group debrief and worship time. Everyone said why they came and what they wanted to get out of the trip. I said I had been called by God, even though I never desired or planned on going to Africa, and I just wanted to glorify Him through my trip, whatever that looks like. That really was true; I had no expectations for what was going to come out of this trip, besides that!

Daniel, an employee of TivaWater, and his wife led us in worship for about an hour. It was easily my favorite part of the day. We sang modern American songs, Swahili songs, and old hymns. It was a beautiful time, and it was exactly  what I needed at that moment!

We wrapped up our day, with some more mafia before everyone got too tired and went to bed. Thus concluded our third day of the trip!

Now you are African, too.

I have a challenge for you today. It'll make a little more sense when I get around to telling you all about Day 4, but I want to go ahead and get the idea going in your head. What if we actually loved others as ourselves?

Jesus challenged us in Mark 12:31 to "love your neighbor as yourself,” but how often do we actually follow through on that? How often do we "love our neighbor as much as our neighbor loves us?" How do we treat strangers? How do we treat people who we disagree with? Enemies? People we do not even know?

When I was in Uganda, I was loved unconditionally by the people I met. No one knew me; few people could speak to me. But everyone loved me, and this was not because of anything I had done or because of who I was, but just because I was there and I was with them.

On Day 4, I was dancing with some children while a filter was being installed (more on this later). A few adults joined in and ended up teaching me how to dance. By the end of it, we were all laughing so hard that tears were streaming down our cheeks while we danced together. Before it was time to leave, one of the women I was with told me something I will remember forever: "Now you are African, too."

This is easily the biggest and best compliment I have ever, and probably will ever, received. She had told me that I was one of them. Love had united us. I spoke a different language, came from a different country, had a different color skin and different style clothes; yet, despite all of this, they had loved me. Just because.

This got me thinking, how often do I love people just because, and how often do I love people because of what they have done for me?

How about you?

I know one thing for sure, the love they showed me is the same love that Jesus had for all of us when he died on the cross. We didn't do anything to deserve his love, but he gave it to us, just because. We don't deserve to have our sins forgiven. Every last one of us is a sinner, an enemy of God, and the wages of sin is death, or eternal separation from God. Yet despite all of that, God loved us, His creations, so much that He sent his one and only son to trade places with us. We got Christ's righteousness, and he paid our debt.

"But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

That is real, unconditional, perfect love.

Strive for that. Love your neighbor, whomever that may be.

Day 1 - 2

Now I will tell you about my actual trip! The first two days were all traveling, so I'm sorry if you find this post boring!

We were on planes for a long, LONG time! For those of you who are interested, we flew from DFW to Chicago to Brussels, Belgium to Rwanda to Entebbe, Uganda. I met my team for the first time when we were in Chicago, so that was nice!

On my flight from Chicago to Brussels, I sat next to a man from Cameroon. It was really fascinating to sit by him! He had been living in America for twenty years, during which time he attended college, got his MBA, became a successful businessman, and started two of his own companies! It was interested to talk to him about what life was like coming into America for the first time and a few other random philosophies.

When we arrived in Brussels, we had one goal: Eat a Belgian waffle. Unfortunately, on our side of security there were no fresh waffles. We had to settle for a prepackaged 'Belgian' waffle; it was actually very tasty! Brussels was not my favorite stop... We couldn't find the bathrooms and once we got on the plane, we had to stay on the ground for an hour waiting for them to straighten out our luggage. Also while we were in Belgium, we found out that they combined us with another flight so we ended up having to fly all the way to Rwanda (which is south of Uganda) before we could get off in Entebbe! Crazy!

When we got off the plane in Entebbe, at long last, we were greeted with an hour long bus ride to Kampala, the capital. If there was ever a time that I didn't want to sit down, it was then! Yet despite my discomfort, I was very much captivated by what I could see of Uganda in the evening light. It was beautiful, but more on that later!

We finally arrived at Adonai Guest House at about 11PM Uganda time (Our journey began the day before at 1PM America time. That is about 26 hours of traveling). We all got a roommate and I ended up with Allison, who turned out to be a good friend to me on this trip! More on that later...



This is my team at Adonai Guest House.

The Great Exchange

So, I'm really nervous to write this blog for a couple of reasons: 1. I just got home from Uganda, so I am still very tired and it is pretty hard to organize my thoughts about this trip in a way that is coherent to other people. 2. I don't know what people are going to think about this particular post anyways. I just want to start off by saying I love America and Uganda! ;-) Here goes...

So, what is the first thing you think of when you think of Uganda, or any part of Africa for that matter? If you're anything like I was before this trip, the first thing you think of is some kind of poverty; I would think of a skinny child with a swollen stomach sitting alone with flies on his face, or some small mud huts, or people drinking dirty water. These were all things that were prevalent in Africa during my time there, but these things are not what define Africa to me now.

In America, there is a very individualistic and materialistic culture. We think that happiness is having this thing or accomplishing this task (I am using 'we' as a general stereotype; I realize that not all Americans fall into this category); so often, we only allow ourselves to be happy when we are perceived as successful by those around us. But, how many wealthy Americans do you see that are really, truly happy? That are really, truly satisfied with what they have? I don't think it is very common. There is always more to be obtained and achieved; new goals are being made just as fast as old ones are met, so there is always another level to reach before we are satisfied with where we are.

In Uganda, I found a more community based, relational culture. The people will stop what they are doing to have a conversation; in fact, it is rude not to! They don't have much at all, but they so appreciate what they do have; for example, we saw several mud huts with dirt floors that were swept clean every day. The compliments that they gave each other were deep, instead of just surface level. "Your house is very clean." "You look very smart today." The people were so joyful and contented just to be with each other and with us. It was so beautiful.

So, confession time: I am having a really hard time writing this blog. I think I'm just going to stop here; I just know that no matter how many times I reword what I have written, I will never capture the essence of these people or of what I am trying to say. I hope you understand! I am just trying to emphasize that these people get their joy from love, and that they are the happiest and most accepting people I have ever met.

Earlier, I asked you what you thought of when you thought of Africa. Well, I hope something else comes into your mind first now. I have a few more posts where I will try and get this message across, because it was my number one take away from this trip, so just bear with me!

Africa

I can't believe I am going to be on my way to Africa in less than 24 hours. God's provision for this trip already has blown my mind! I can't wait to get back and share what God does while I'm there! I'm planning on blogging the days like I did for Cambodia. Please be praying for me while I am gone (May 29th-June 7th). Pray for energy, safety and health for me. Pray for effectiveness, sensitivity and flexibility for my team. Pray for the people of Uganda to come to know Christ on a new level because of the way that we tell them about Him through our words and actions.

And now, on a less serious note, I am going to copy what my best friend did when she went to Africa for the first time and leave you with this:

Abundant life

The thing I have been learning for the past week, is that when Jesus promised me abundant life (John 10:10), He meant it!

Last weekend I got to see my "sisters" from high school in San Antonio and Austin, Texas. It was a weekend full of coffee, music, and encouragement. We caught up, laughed til we cried, jammed til we were too tired, and encouraged one another. It was the best! I love them more than anything! Anyways, we went to an amazing worship service in Austin at The Stone. The sermon was on prayer, and if you read my last blog, God definitely planned it that I would hear that message.

(You can listen to the sermon HERE!)

After I heard that sermon, I was very challenged and inspired. Monday morning started off with some intense prayer with my best friend Taylor. I came back to the room, and checked my phone. I had tons of messages of people who had donated to my trip. That week, I went from being $1,130 away from my goal to being fully funded. God is faithful! When He calls, He also provides!

So, now that you are caught up and I am officially going to Uganda, I have another call to prayer and action for you from one of my friends, Steven.

He writes:

Dealing with Doubts (Numbers 13-14):

God did some pretty amazing things to bring his chosen people to the Promised Land (so called because, well, He promised them that He'd give it to them). He used the horrific betrayal of Joseph at the hands of his brothers to eventually save all of Israel and a hefty portion of Egypt. When his people were enslaved, he not only set them free but humbled one of the most powerful empires in the ancient world in the process. He then led those people through some of the harshest terrain on Earth, providing for their needs with water from rocks and bread that appeared in the dew. And yet...

Moses and the tribes of Israel stopped outside of the Promised Land and sent a contingent of spies to scope it out. After over a month, the spies returned and told everyone how incredible their inheritance was. And that there was no way they could obtain it. The people are too big and too many, there's no way we can have what was promised to us by the All Powerful Creator of the Universe.

What?

I've been afraid to admit this until recently, but I did the same thing. China is my Promised Land and God wants to send me, but I didn't think there was any way $4,000 was going to happen in a month. That number is too big!

We have a saying in Royal Servants: "Faith is believing that God is able to do what He said He would do." When you think about it, that shouldn't be hard at all. No more indecisive diction: I'm going to China. The only people who saw the Promised Land and were allowed to enter after Israel's complete lack of faith were the two spies who said "God told us this would be ours and I believe Him."

I'm going to China. Will you help me?

Steven is returning to China this summer to do some work that the Lord has so obviously called Him to do! He will be teaching English and sharing about Jesus over there! Please consider donating to His trip! Be a part of what God is doing in China.

More info HERE!

Donate HERE! (Just select Steven Jones in the drop down box)

Trust falls

Have you ever done a trust fall before? Because they make me feel about the same way that fundraising for missions does... You know the person standing behind you is going to catch you. They are waiting for you to fall so that they can catch you. Yet, somehow, it still takes a surge of willpower to overcome the fear of falling back blindly into their arms.

Today, I found out I have $1,130 to go on my fundraising for Uganda, and while that number is smaller than the $3,500 that I originally set out to raise, so is the number of days left to raise it. 13 short days. That is less than two weeks.

So, here I am arms crossed, falling back; I have to trust God to catch me on this one. Who new this trip would be such a faith building exercise even before I got on the plane...

HERE! is my blog about what I will be doing in Uganda.

If you feel led to contribute and be a part of what God is doing in Uganda, please send a check addressed to World Water Project with my name in the memo line to:

World Water Project
107 Westfield Drive
Knoxville, TN 37919

OR donate online (3% processing fee) HERE! but please put my name in the dedication box so it goes towards my trip. Thanks for being a part! Look for updates and more info HERE!

But more than anything, please continue to pray for this trip!

HOW we go (or stay, for that matter)

So, I don't normally just write a sentence or two and then post a hyperlink to another blog that I think is awesome, but I am today. This guy puts it way better than I ever could. I encourage you to read this blog posting:

HERE.

As a bonus, there is a really awesome beard in this blog. (Sorry, I'm a dork!)

West, Texas

Today at 7:50PM a fertilizer plant in West, Texas exploded.

A dozen people are dead.
Hundreds of people are seriously injured.
At least 5 first responder volunteer fire fighters are dead.
One first responder police officer is dead.
More than 40 homes were flattened.

This is just the beginning of the statistics that I am seeing on the news right now.

My heart is broken.

I was in West, Texas last night. I ate dinner there.

Stuff like this really makes you appreciate today. We are not promised tomorrow. Life is short, you never know when your last day is gonna be. Makes you ask the hard questions...

How are you using the time that you have? If today was your last day, would you be ready?

Pray for West, Texas.

The greatest calling

The Rolling Stones really knew what they were talking about when they said, "I can't get no satisfaction, 'Cause I try and I try and I try and I try..." I feel like in America, that is the definition of life. We are never, EVER satisfied in life! We always need the next big thing, whether it be some cool technological advancement, job promotion, or relationship -- we never have enough where we are. Lately this has been my life.

But I'll get back to that in a minute.

I am not in school right now. I don't have a career, or even a full time job. I have no idea what I am doing next semester. I feel like my life has no direction and like I am disappointing my family; I have been given so many opportunities and I am not producing the expected results with my life. All of this has given me a lot of shame to carry around lately. I have been feeling stuck. It's not that I'm not trying, I'm applying to every school and hospital in DFW, just without success.

God, why aren't You helping me move forward? Are You holding me back? Why are you making me wait? What doors have I forgotten to knock on? What even is the point of my life?

So I started grasping, trying to fix myself. Maybe if I just quit my life and go be a missionary... Maybe if I join the Air Force... Maybe if I...

So much self reliance. So little direction. So much uncertainty. So little trust. So much impatience. So little hope. So much worry.

What is worry? Well, I had that answered for me very well last night by Chelsea Seaton at a Pink Impact conference at Gateway church -- I'm so glad I took notes! So here are her thoughts on worry:

1. Worry is not fear. Fear is something that will happen, worry is something that might happen. Worry is full of "What if..."

2. Worry is deceptive. Worry makes us feel like we are in control, or like we are the ones who have to fix it. We need to trust the Lord and give Him our worries!

3. Worry is worship. When you spend all of your time worrying "What if...," that is ascribing greater worth to the thing you are worrying about than you give to God.

Matthew 6:24-33

‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.'

Worry is saying God will not provide. Worry is saying, God whatever You have for me isn't good enough; whatever You have for me is not satisfying.

So, while I was at this conference, there was a ton of worship. I love worship. Music is totally my heart language. But, I just couldn't get into it last night. The band was great. The setting was beautiful. The lights were flashy. I sat down during the worship set and just prayed for the Lord to help me worship Him and just focus on Him. I started thinking about my worship experiences in Cambodia, easily the best of my life. The band wasn't always perfectly on key. There wasn't any fancy lighting or technology. There was nothing to attract you to it. Nothing, except Jesus.

(I promise I am going to get back to my original story! Stick with me!)

It got me thinking, the American church just isn't as easily satisfied. We want Jesus, plus flashy lights and great sound. (Disclaimer: I'm not trying to hate on having a great band, and I think that those are great tools to draw new people into a worship setting. I am just noting that having a great band isn't what allows us to worship Jesus.) How many of the people at the conference would have had their hands raised in worship at the worship service I experienced in Cambodia? Are we really satisfied with just Jesus, or do we need Jesus plus something else?

In the middle of that thought process, the Lord spoke to me: Jenn, that is what your life is saying to Me. You are spending so much time worrying about what direction your life is going in, or what giant calling you are going to get to live out, that you are missing the greatest calling. I made you to glorify Me; that is your purpose. 

It makes me think of Anna, who is a New Testament prophetess that most people probably either haven't heard of or don't remember. You can find her in Luke 2:36-38.

"And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with her husband seven years from when she was a virgin, and then as a widow until she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she began to give thanks to God and to speak of him to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem."

For the vast majority of her life, Anna fasted and prayed night and day in the temple. That was her life. That was her calling. She spent her life, not in the mission field turning millions of people to the Lord nor working at some important job. She spent her life glorifying God, and she was satisfied in that. She had, like all believers now have, the greatest calling of all -- giving glory to God.

The Lord spoke to me: Your life is not about being a missionary, or having a great job or college degree (although those are all good things); your life is about Me and My glory.

Am I satisfied in that? Am I satisfied to have Jesus and nothing else? I heard a quote on the radio last summer, "To have God and everything is no more than to have God an nothing." Do I believe that? I have spent so much time reflecting on Christ's promise of abundant and full life in John 10:10. Do I really believe that the life He has to offer me is more satisfying than what I have to offer myself?

Do you?

Uganda

So, if you know me, you most likely know that I am going to Uganda in a little over a month. I know that I started this blog for my Cambodia trip, but I want to just share how I was called to go on this trip and the whole process up to this point.

Basically, since I got back from Cambodia in November, God started putting a burden on my heart for Uganda. Now, I had heard about Kony, but that is literally all I know about this country at this point in my life. I didn't know anyone in Uganda. I didn't know any organizations serving Uganda. I seriously knew nothing about this country. Yet, for some reason, several times when I was praying or alone in my truck I could almost audibly hear the word "Uganda!" being spoken to me. I knew it was the Lord!

"God, what does that mean? What do you want me to do? God bless Uganda, I guess?" These are some of the things I said to God for about two months whenever this would happen. In January, I talked to a friend who reminded me of another friend, Emily, that had gone to Uganda the summer before.

Later that day, I Facebook messaged Emily asking for some specific things to pray about for Uganda. Two days later, she emailed me back inviting me to go on a trip she is leading!

The trip is with an amazing company called TivaWater. TivaWater is a water filter company that is partially for profit, partially nonprofit and fully for Jesus Christ! In Uganda, people die every day because of parasites and bacteria from drinking unsafe water; they developed an incredible filter that purifies any water into water that is pure and safe for people to drink. If that isn't amazing enough, the filters last up to ten years with little to no maintenance. They sell them to big cities, like Kampala, that can afford them and they donate them to small villages that cannot afford them. Seriously incredible. I love this organization. They do a lot of other stuff with the community, like schools for example, and look for any opportunity to share the love of Christ with the people of Uganda.

MORE INFO ON TIVAWATER HERE

So needless to say, I got pretty darn excited when I got Emily's email and I scheduled a dinner meeting with her a couple days later to learn more about the trip. On this trip, we will be doing a lot of different things, but the primary thing we will do is to distribute the water filters and meet the people of Uganda. We will use the water filters, or meeting one of their legitimate physical needs, in order to build relationships with the people so that we can tell them about the Living Water. I think about John 4:14; Jesus promises:

"But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life."

That is the water that I want to give them! Having pure drinking water is definitely important, and God has called us to take care of the poor, but even more important is the Living Water that we are going to share with them!

So, that is why I am going in a very tiny nutshell. If you want anymore information, I am posting updates on my Facebook group page: HERE. If you would like to give, you can do so online: HERE (just put my name in the dedication box), or you can send a check to World Water Project (107 Westfield Drive, Knoxville, TN 37919) made out to World Water Project with my name in the memo line. I have to raise a total of $3500 by May 13th and I am already more than halfway there! I just have $1500 to go now. Please pray about this chance to get involved in bringing water (both physical and spiritual) to the people of Uganda with me! Also, please pray for my trip in general! We will be gone May 28th-June 9th!

In Christ Alone

At worship rehearsal we practiced "In Christ Alone" to play next week. This verse really hit me:

"In Christ alone my hope is found;
He is my light, my strength, my song.This Cornerstone, this solid ground,Firm through the fiercest drought and storm."


Here's the whole song:

So, I listen to a song like this and God reminds me of the need for all nations to hear His name. I go through hard times all of the time, but I am blessed to have the Lord to guide me through them. So many people don't know His name. They don't know this Cornerstone. They don't know this Strength. They don't know this Hope. My heart breaks for these people.

I love this song because for so many reasons. It starts off by reminding you that your life is only possible through the Lord. Then, it reminds you why: The Gospel. We are all sinners and the wages of that sin is death. But God loved the world so much that He gave His one and only Son, Jesus, to die so that we don't have to. We are washed clean of our sin by the blood of Jesus and are free to live now because of what He did, and nothing could ever take us away from that forgiveness! No matter how bleak today becomes, I have hope that the Lord will provide a better tomorrow, either on this earth or in Heaven.

What strength and joy we have, knowing this! My heart is broken for the billions of people who don't know this today -- the people who go through life daily on their own, with no hope. That's why we go. We go to bring hope.

The greatest commandment

So, I'm thinking this blog will turn into a "Why do we go, Part 2." I am preparing for more mission trips that are coming up, both soon and hopefully for the rest of my life, so this is definitely something that has been weighing heavily on my heart for a while now!

I am reading a book about a missionary to Uganda right now, because I am going to Uganda in about 3 months; it is called Kisses from Katie. I'm pretty tempted to just write down a couple paragraphs out of this book that smacked me in the face... I'll try and paraphrase.

In Luke 14:26, Jesus says to His followers, "If anyone comes to me and does not hate his father and mother, his wife and children, his brothers and sisters -- yes, even his own life -- he cannot be my disciple."

Hold up. So, doesn't this verse seem to contradict what Jesus told us was the second greatest commandment, to love your neighbor as yourself? Well, no! If you want to understand what Jesus said in the verse from Luke, you have to remember the greatest commandment, too. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. Jesus is telling us in Luke that we need to love God so much, that all other loves look like hatred!

In the book, Katie was torn between to halves of herself, obeying her parents wishes and going to college or staying in Uganda permanently and being with the children God had placed graciously into her life. Both of these choices were good, but one was best. One was God's plan.

She was so torn because she loves her parents and she wants to honor her father and mother, like the Bible tells us to do; however, God gave her a heart and a home in Uganda.

She read Luke 14:26 and realized that her love for the Lord and His will in her life was worth more than her love for any other worldly thing, so she stayed in Uganda. Her love for the Lord was so strong, she could choose to follow Him despite the consequences here.

So, why do we go? Because we love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength and we love our neighbors as ourselves. God gave all of us these commands and He has also commanded us to go and spread His name. You might not be called to sell all of your possessions and move to Africa, but if you are a child of God, you are called to make God's name great wherever you are!

So, my challenge to you is this: Do you love the Lord so much that you would share His name, no matter the cost on this earth? Do you value Him over everything else that this world has to offer?

When I am weak...

So, I have been really thinking about my trip to Cambodia the past couple of days. Today I decided to read all of my prayers that I journaled over the 12 day adventure. One verse jumped out at me, "For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthian 12:10 Almost every single day I prayed something about that verse. So, I thought I would write about it for a little bit...

First things first, I love to put verses into context. (I have a confession, I am cheating by using my amazing ESV Study Bible for most of this info!) Get the easy part done: This is Paul's second letter to the church in Corinth. He wrote this letter about a year after 1 Corinthians and about a year before Romans. The central theme, I think, is the relevance of Paul's suffering for his ministry. Chapter twelve particularly, is about how Paul's weaknesses have led him to boast in the Lord and not in himself. He is glad for his weaknesses.

"Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with my weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong." 2 Corinthians 9b-10

This was how I got through Cambodia, and this is how I get through life every day. I have seen that I am weak, and as I try and live for God and accomplish His will for my life, I have come to realize that I am just not strong enough to accomplish God sized feats. But there is hope in that! God promises to do it with me!

It's like what it says in Philippians 4, I really, truly know that I can do all things through Him who gives me strength!

When I was in Cambodia, a big one for me was aerobics. (I already wrote a blog on this that I encourage you to read.) A. I am not at all qualified to teach aerobics. B. I got completely exhausted almost immediately. I know I could not have done that without God.

Another one was not anything to do with me, but one of my teammates. Chris (big) had some pretty severe edema in both of his feet that made walking a challenge and also caused extreme pain. Yet somehow, through the true strength and power of our great God, he was able to do everything he needed to do for those twelve days.

I think about the disciples, who everyday give themselves as slaves to the work of God. They are able to do it so fully and so well and so tirelessly because of the Strength and the Rest and the Power and the Love that is our God!

I just think this verse is such a good one to carry around with you every day. It helps remind me of who I am in the grand scheme of things. It helps remind me that all of the seemingly huge things that God has for me are completely possible. It helps remind me that the same God who created the entire universe (Hebrew: Elohim) is the God who walks with me every day now (Hebrew: Yahweh)!

There is so much comfort in having someone to walk with on this journey of life, especially someone as big and amazing as my great God! It reminds me of a poem: