On the move once again....

God is so good to us. I am blown away once again at his provision for our family.

On April 18th we will once again be moving. God continues to pour out his blessings over us in ways we have never even asked for. He ALWAYS knows what we need, and when we need it.

We have been living in a TINY apartment, and when I say TINY I mean like an apartment cut out for a single person. Not exactly an apartment made for a married couple and surely not for a married couple with a CRAZY three year old. Although it's been a tight squeeze we have managed just fine. The location has been amazing, and the view is pretty awesome too. You learn to take the good with the bad.

Yesterday out of nowhere the Principal of our school who's name is Grace (also a christian) asked us if we would be interested in moving into a larger and very nice apartment near the school. We told her we had just moved into the apartment we are living in now, paid a large deposit and we wouldn't be moving until this lease was up. She insisted that we come take a look at it, that she thought it would be great for our family.

We decided we would at least take a look at it. This apartment is in a beautiful community next door to school, has much more space and even newer furniture. We loved it when we walked through, but once again we didn't think we could get out of our current lease.

We told her we would go home and think about it, and she insisted we call our landlord right away to ask if he would let us move out with a one month notice. We gave our landlord a call, and his response was this: "Of course you can move out with a 30 day notice, and of course you can have your full deposit back."

Seriously?? This is not exactly the answer we were expecting!!!

So next month we will be moving to a MUCH nicer and bigger apartment right next door to the school. It's a beautiful neighborhood with TONS of sweet Chinese children, most of which are OUR students in the school we teach at.

We are very excited to say the least, and blown away at how God continues to see and meet our needs, all in his time.

I believe with ALL of my heart that he wants to have a place bigger so we can be hospitable to those in our community by inviting them into our own home.

I believe he is giving us MORE so that we can GIVE MORE.

I am mostly excited about the awesome opportunities to have these families in OUR home every week, to share LIFE with them. We adore our students, and would absolutely LOVE to have their parents over and really know them too.

This next week we are starting a brand new bible study in our apartment. We felt God tugging at our hearts to do this but we were discouraged at how it would be possible in our shoebox apartment. About a week ago we decided we would begin the bible study and start inviting our friends regardless of how small our apartment was.

I believe that because we said YES to what he has asked of us, he is blessing us with the space we need to host these sweet friends.

I pray that our new home will be a place where our friends feel embraced, safe, loved, and encouraged. I pray that while they are in our home the seed of Christ will be planted, watered, and nutured to grow.

Thank You God for you never ending love, grace and provision for family.

You are marvelous God .... And knowing You is everything.

Love this too much to not pass it along :)

A Better Life

"I want a better life." That has become the slogan of our society today. Everywhere we look there are a thousand suggestions on how to live a better life. There are pills, exercises, and diet books to help us lose weight so we can live a better life. There are lotions, treatments, and surgeries to help us look better so we can live a better life. There are cell phones, computers, and televisions to keep us connected and entertained so we can live a better life. There are cars, clothes, and fancy homes to keep us feeling wealthy so we can live a better life. There are schools, classes, and colleges to get our kids ready to live an even better life than we do. There are also jobs, cash, and credit cards to keep us spending for all of these things so that we can one day, hopefully, have that better life we dream about. I want a better life too, but I don’t think that any of these things will help me to get it. I have tried a lot of them over the years and while they may make you feel better for a moment they don’t bring you the lasting happiness you want. I have found for myself that the only way to have a better life is to live a better life, and only way to give your children a better life is to show them how to live a better life as well. How do you live a better life? You start by living more for your soul and less for your wallet. You spend more time hugging and less time buying. You turn off the television and take a walk with your children. You smile more and worry less. You spend more time with your loved ones and less time at the office. You laugh longer and more often. You look in your heart more and in the mirror less. You make your first job spreading joy rather than earning money. You realize just how much God loves you and you spend your days sharing that love with everyone you meet. And you always remember that your life is a gift from God and how you live it is your gift back.

Joseph J. Mazzella

Completely addicted to this season of my life...

First I want to say that in an effort to shine a light on some of the harsh realities of living in China, I have not done the best job of sharing all that is beautiful and extremely heart warming about this country, the people and their culture.

I am honestly surprised at how much I LOVE it here. I knew that this was the right thing to do in this season of our lives, but I expected the transition period to be much more of a struggle than it has been. I know that without letting God be in total control this would not be such a peaceful transition. He has us right where he wants us, and I could not feel more peaceful about our life right now. I have never once felt intimidated, afraid or unsafe here in China. If anything, I feel like the people here are protective of us because we are Americans, and they are always looking for an opportunity to help our family. I feel this way when we are in the grocery stores, the subways, bus stops, etc. There is just something about the love and kindness we feel from the people here that is refreshing to my soul.

Now that we have settled in we are really embracing all that is different around us; food, culture, language, sights, sounds, smells, adorable chinese kids, sweet chinese people that want to know you and want you to share the TRUTH with them.

Every few days Jon and I take a turn going into the city alone while the other stays with Grace. It is so refreshing and just a time to reflect on what is happening around and within us. Right now the weather is gorgeous and it is so freeing to walk through Shenzhen with the sun shining and the wind blowing. Such an awesome time to open our hearts to God and to absorb these special people. I just love the feeling I get when I walk out of my apartment into this chaotic city. It's as if we are taking another plunge into the world with our arms wide open.

We absolutely LOVE the school we work for. All of the Chinese staff that we work with are Christians. Most days I really can't believe we ended up at this school. God's provision never ceases to amaze me.

I have never had a job that has felt so rewarding. Everyday I see the fruit of my labor as these precious Chinese kids pour out what I taught them the day before. I know that what we are teaching them will empower them to be the brighter future of this nation.

The MAJORITY of the friends and families we meet here want the same things out of life that we want. They want to know TRUTH, they want the BEST for their children, they want their kids to have an education, and they want to enjoy the simple things in life.

We are so grateful for the prayers, encouragement, and contributions that our friends and family have made for us. We know that each one of you has made a sacrifice of your time, your money, and of yourselves. And that is so beautiful.

To EVERYONE who has supported us to bring us to this point ... THANK YOU for taking a risk for the sake of another, thank you for giving without expecting something in return ... and Thank you for letting others see God through you.

I know that this is just a season of our lives. It may not always be us that God chooses to send, so while we are here we will soak up everything because we may not have the opportunity to ever come back. When it is our turn to come home we will passionately support friends and family who choose to step over the line of their comfort zones, and further HIS kingdom.

I pray that this blog will not only give you a look into my heart, but will also shine a light on what is so beautiful about the people of China and the HOPE that I feel for this nation.

Love,

Jessica

Happy 6 year Anniversary to My Sweet Husband

Happy 6 year Anniversary to My Sweet Husband

I will never take for granted the privilege God has given me in being your wife. We have both grown in so many ways. I am so thankful we figured out along the way what really matters- Him at the center of our lives.

When I feel your love for me, Grace, and most importantly for God

I fall in love with you all over again.

What I LOVE the most about you is not just the way you love me,

but the way you show GODS love to others.

I love you more than you'll EVER know.

Love Always,

Jess

BLUE LIKE JAZZ

Okay, let's start off by saying Blue Like Jazz is one of the coolest books I've ever read. Don Miller is such an interesting writer and talks to you as if he's sitting next to you at the dinner table. He talks about faith, church, community, money, worship, love and so much more. Now I will warn you that he is the polar opposite of every right wing conservative, but he speaks from the heart and tells it like he sees it.

He says the most astonishing things. I find myself having to stop and reread things because it sounds like he's speaking directly to my heart. It's awesome. Read it!

I read this book a few years ago and brought it to China so that Jon could read it... We LOVE reading books like this and talking about our thoughts on it and what we each got from it.

I decided to read it again and just wanted to share one of my favorite chapters in this book which is about loving others. The most amazing part of the chapter came at the very end. He pointed out that there are always two conversations going on when we talk to someone: one of words and one between hearts. And to genuinely love others, we have to feel something in our hearts for them, something deep and pure. The last words of the chapter are:

"When I go to meet somebody, I pray that God will help me feel His love for them. I ask God to make it so both conversations, the one from the mouth and the one from the heart, are true."

This is my new prayer as I make new friends in China. I pray that the words that come from my mouth match the actions from my heart.

Jessica

Life is Good :)

Just wanted to share a few pictures of my students that I took today..... They are so stinkin' precious, I can barely stand it! Today I was thinking, wow these kids are so awesome .. .. How will I ever say goodbye to them one day???

Today my classes of 3 year olds were learning about people ... Doctor, Fireman, Mother, Father, Grandpa, Etc.... When I was preparing my props for class I slipped in a picture of Jesus. When I held it up ALL of the kids screamed out JESUS at the top of their lungs, before I could even tell them who it was!

How awesome is that???

I could have no greater joy than to hear that my children live in the truth. 3 John 1:4

This little girls name is Angel.... and that she is. I ADORE this child. She has a wonderful family too!

"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14