March 1st 2011 - Happy Birthday Grace!

To our sweet Grace Olivia -

EVERY day we have with you in our lives is a gift.

Through every smile, every laugh, every tear, and every hug - we experience the blessing of YOU.

You have brought us more happiness than we could have ever imagined, and have taught us more about life and loving than we ever thought possible.

Loving you has taught us more about the love of God than ANY other thing in our lives.

You are a true GIFT to this world, and we know that God has an awesome plan to use you for HIS kingdom.

Sweet girl, We are humbled that God allowed us the privilege of being your parents and loving you, and we are so excited to see you grow and learn in this next year of your life!

Happy 3rd Birthday Sweet Grace, We treasure you.

Mommy and Daddy

and THIS is why blogging is pretty cool....

A few days ago I saw a comment on my blog which was referring to my last post about "Seeing the Face of Jesus"... ...

Hello!

Beautiful post!

My sweet friend Brooklyn sent me to your blog. And it couldn't have been more timely! Seriously. I'll be posting sometime on Thursday about it - if you want to know what I mean! So cool. I've been seeking (and seeing!) "Jesus' face" lately... and this post has totally pointed me in the right direction :) I'll be back to read more soon! May you be blessed!

Have a wonderful day :)

- Kate

Today I had the chance to check her blog to see exactly what she was talking about. This is an excerpt from her blog post:

While I was proofreading this post - I received an email from my precious friend Brooklyn. In it, she said that she was praying God would reveal Himself to me this week - and she also sent me a link to a blog she thought I would be interested in. When I checked out the blog - I almost fell out of my chair again. Click here. You just might fall out of yours, too.

Friends, right in the middle of writing a blog post on seeing Jesus' face - I get sent to this cool chick's blog post about seeing Jesus' face. And not only that - her post brought the whole thing full circle. You want to see Jesus' face? Look into the faces of the needy. The lost. The lonely. The desperate. The despaired. The orphaned. The widowed. The hungry. The homeless. Look into their eyes. You have something they need. Give it. You know Someone they may not. Introduce them. To Him. It's what we're called to, really.



Wow, Pretty awesome that God can use a our open heart on our blog to speak to other people about the same things we are wrestling with.

I know that one day we will ALL stand before God... and whether you believe in Him or not- and He will ask you what you did with the things He blessed you with - your time, your talents, your finances, your life.

The Bible tells us that when Jesus comes back, He is going to separate the sheep from the goats. He says He will put the sheep on His right and He will say to them "Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me."

There are so many lonely, hungry, hurting people around us all. Look for them. That is where you will find Jesus.

You don't have to go far.

Love,

Jessica

*** by the way you can check out the rest of her amazing blog @ http://jottinmama.blogspot.com/2011/02/whirlwind-of-whispers.html ***

We need to open our eyes and start looking Jesus in the face ....

Look around you- do you see Jesus?

Each week when we feed our homeless friends I feel God speaking to us about doing more. I can't help but think that if Jesus were amongst these people he would not only bring them dinner, but would sit down and hear their story. I believe he would show them that he is not ashamed to love on them in front of others who may not agree.

It's really easy to play the good samaritan role. We deliver our left overs or sandiwches to these people and then carry on with our evening, heading to the ice cream shop across the street. How easy is it to swallow our pride and sit down with these people and show them love and community. Hear their story, and show them that we are not ashamed to be associated with them.

God loves these people with a love so much greater than what we could ever show them. We are not better than these homeless friends. God doesn't have favorites.

I believe Jesus is in the face of the homeless man living under the bridge … in the neighbor who is going through a divorce … and in the face of the little boy in the foster care system who is HIV+. Do you see him?

Jesus is in the face of the little girl that stands outside of MY high rise apartment ALONE; while the other kids her age are in school, she is begging for money while her mother sits up in her apartment waiting for her to return with today's income.

As I am writing this blog, it just struck me that Jesus was BORN homeless. He did not start life at home or in a hospital. He was born in a stable and his crib was an eating trough for animals. That’s how his life began, as a homeless baby. Really, all the way to the end he was homeless. He did not die at home or in a hospital, being supported by the kind of care that we all expect. I can't think of anything more homeless than being nailed to a cross.

Mercy Me has a song called Blink of an Eye. When I hear the words ..“How can I further your kingdom when I’m so wrapped up in mine?” I am so convicted...

I believe God wants us to take a step further and look deeper into the eyes of those we serve… and I can guarantee you, you will find Jesus there.

When I think of a true servant - Mother Theresa is probably one of the first individuals who come to mind. I believe that is because she took serving to the next level. Mother Theresa said that in each face of the dying, the diseased, the destitute she served- she saw the face of Christ.

Be Blessed,

Jessica

When life is a mountain that I cannot climb, you carry me.... Jesus carry me.

I am going to be brutally honest in this post.

Some days I wake up just feeling defeated.

So many days I am not a perfect mother, wife, friend, or daughter.

I know there are days when I hurt the people I love, lose my temper and disappoint the people who care about me the most.

I wish I could be perfect and never say something I regret.

Some days I have short temper, and my heart is just ugly.

I want to make others lives better - and be there for them at any given moment.

I want to do it all. I wish I could give to every cause I believe in, but I know it's just not possible.

I am learning that failure is a big part of life, and I am so glad I serve a perfect God.

I am so thankful that God's love is there in every moment- giving grace to my brokenness.

I believe that God's love is big, extravagant and unconditional. Thank you Lord for your love that was given freely, so that we may give it freely to others.


Tonight I am grateful for a God that is consistent when I am not.

Jessica

A New Favorite Book: Tuesday's with Morrie

Tuesday's with Morrie has been around for a while now, but I recently saw it at the bookstore and decided to read through a few pages to see what it was about. Three hours later I was still sitting in the comfy chair at Books A Million finishing up this great story!

This book is about Mitch Albom and his favorite college professor, Morrie Schwartz. Over the years Mitch and Morrie lose touch until Mitch see's Morrie on TV and discovers that his favorite professor is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease. Mitch decides to visit Morrie to say goodbye, not knowing that this goodbye will turn into weekly visits that change his life forever.

That goodbye leads Mitch to take one more class from Morrie. The lesson is The Meaning of Life.

They have class on Tuesdays where they talk about marriage, emotion, money, forgiveness, and death. Most importantly they discuss the true meaning of life.

Morrie who is dying of ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease) is humble and human, but lacking in pity for himself.

This book will have you laughing, crying and thinking about life, death and your purpose in the world today. Reading this book has reminded me to appreciate the simple, little things in life. It's a reminder that when we are dead, the things we have accumulated and the things we have done will disappear. What will remain is the ways that you've affected or touched other people.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from this book:

"So many people walk around with a meaningless life. They seem half-asleep, even when they're busy doing things they think are important. This is because they're chasing the wrong things. The way you get meaning into your life is to devote yourself to loving others, devote yourself to your community around you, and devote yourself to creating something that gives you purpose and meaning." - Mitch Albom

"Love is how you stay alive, even after you are gone."

"The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and to let it come in."

I think everyone will enjoy this book. It's a true story, a short read, and really makes you step back and think of what's important in life.

Jess

Just in case things weren't going your way .. this may put things into perspective!

* 800 million people will not eat today.
* 300 million of those people are children.
* Every 2 seconds someone dies of starvation.
* 1 billion people live on less than 1 dollar a day.
* It would cost 20 billion dollars to provide health care for the entire world.
* Americans spend 20 billion dollars a year on ice cream alone.
* 6% of the world's population is American.
* Americans consume 40% of the world's natural resources.
* Only 8% of the world's population owns a car.
* The 92% that don't, think the 8% that do, are exceedingly rich.
* 1 billion people NEVER have the clean water that we wash our cars with.

- From World Vision

Who took your place?

I read this on a friends blog and asked her if I could repost it... not sure who the author is but thought it was worth sharing.

Who took your place?
One day, a man went to visit a church.. He got there early, parked his car, and got out. Another car pulled up and the driver got out and said,"I always park there! You took my place!"
The visitor went inside for Sunday School, found an empty seat and sat down. A young lady from the church Approached him and stated, "That's my seat! You took my place!"
The visitor was somewhat distressed by this rude welcome, but said nothing. After Sunday School, the visitor went into the sanctuary and sat down. Another member walked up to him and said, "That's where I always sit! You took my place!"
The visitor was even more troubled by this treatment, but still He said nothing. Later as the congregation was praying for Christ to dwell among them, the visitor stood up, and his appearance began to change. Horrible scars became visible on His hands and on his sandaled feet.
Someone from the congregation noticed him and called out, "What happened to you?" The visitor replied, as his hat became a crown of thorns, and a tear fell from his eye, "I took your place."

Lord, thank you for taking my place...

My Savior he can move the mountains....

So as you all know we came to China officially to teach English, however with a bigger goal in mind.

When we arrived to teach for the school IBABY that you have seen in the photos, the owners quickly started changing things from the original agreement. They immediately began changing our schedules making it so that Jon and I would never have a day off together, leaving NO time at all for any ministry work.

Originally they hired us to work the same days, also being able to bring Grace to school with us. This would leave our off days open to reach out to the community etc.

After talking with them, they decided that they would not be able to stick with the previous agreement. This left us with no choice, but to look for new jobs, and a new place to live!

Wow, so much has happened in ONE month....

God moved mountains today.

Today we interviewed with a Kindergarten school. The interview consisted of me, Jon, Grace an American teacher named Luke who was our translator, and the Chinese Principal who's name is also Grace. Everything we talked about during the interview lined up perfectly with what we were looking for as far as income, working hours, job duties, and being able to bring Grace to school too.

This is where it gets really cool.

The interview was a very casual setting, we talked as the Chinese Principal Grace gave our Grace candies and peanuts and tried to get her to say different words in Mandarin. During our talk The American teacher Luke stopped and said " I am not sure how to ask this but, the principal wants to know if you have any religious affiliations or anything like that." Not really sure where this conversation was headed we both answered yes we are Christians. I sort of felt like it could cost us getting the job which would not surprise me here in China. Luke translated to the Principal Grace that we were Christians, and the biggest smile came across her face as well as his. He looked back at us and said "We are too". He said have you ever seen the movie inception? ... that is kind of what we do here, we are all really here to subconsciously plant a seed of Jesus Christ in these kindergartners hearts. He said all of us here are Christians. He went on to say that they have been praying for an American Christian family to come along to work for their school.

We felt so at home today. Not only did they meet the pay that the last school was paying us, but we are going to be working a third of the hours we would have been working. We are making the same amount of money, in less time, which leaves so much more time available to make friendships and reach out. They also have the goal in mind unlike the first school we were working for.

God always comes through.

As of this Thursday Grace will officially be in Kindergarten! They start at age 2 here, and so she will be in a real class on her own with her very own teacher, not mommy! Jon and I will have our own classes, and be right down the hall from her. This is so exciting, because it will give her a chance to really branch out and learn with the rest of the kids. All of the kids in her class speak Mandarin, so it will be really cool to see what she learns from them!

Isn't it so awesome when you know something was 100% without a doubt orchestrated by God alone. Since we have been here everything has happened for a reason, and in God's timing. If we didn't leave the IBABY school when we did, we would not have been offered this position. God has a way of working things out and sometimes you just gotta roll with the punches. I was never worried when things didn't pan out with the first school, I knew that God had us covered.

Oh and we now have a very tiny, but AWESOME apartment in the heart of Shenzhen which is like NYC with a Chinese twist! We LOVE it here. There are SO many foreigners like us here making it very easy to make friends, and get help when needed. We have made friends from The United States, Europe, South Africa and South America already. A lot of the Americans call Shenzhen "China Light"... It is full of Chinese culture, but so modern and a lot like NYC. Shenzhen is now the fastest growing city, and is competing with Hong Kong economically. What an amazing opportunity God has handed us.

I hope this encourages all of you, God sees your needs as well.

Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you” (Matthew 17:20).

The best three letter word :

This morning I was reading Philippians. This was written by Paul while in jail and the common theme is his joy. How could Paul speak of joy while in prison and when didn't know what was next for him? Paul didn't know if he would get out and continue his ministry or if this would end in death. Either way, he was filled with joy because he was serving, and just happy to be used by God. What an amazing example for us, especially right now.

I speak for myself when I say that many times I look for joy by trying to improve my current circumstances. I think we can find happiness in our circumstances, but true Joy is only from the Lord. It can't be taken from you.

I am learning daily that real joy comes from deepening my relationship with Jesus Christ, and pursuing him with all that is within me. Pursuing him also means pursuing others, by serving, loving and empowering. When we try to seek happiness by trying to improve our current circumstances we limit God. His plans are greater than ours. His plan involves US picking up our cross that sometimes won't look like JOY, but in the end will fill us with a joy unspeakable. Your cross may be going on a mission trip, fostering children, volunteering at a homeless shelter, adopting. Whatever it is .. Stop limiting God. Drop your plans. Lose yourself for Him. In the end you will probably find that when you do, you may truly discover who you really are.

We don't know what God has planned for our family and this certainly hasn't been an easy journey so far, but like Paul, we have joy in serving Him and are thankful that we get to be part of anything that brings Him glory.

Whoever seeks to save his life loses it, but whoever loses his life preserves it. -Luke 17:33

So Where exactly in China do we live???

Many of you may be wondering just where in China we are actually living? I thought it would be fun to show you a few pictures and post a little information about this incredible city that we currently call home!

We live in Shenzhen, which lies just across the border from Hong Kong. Shenzhen is one of the largest and most modern cities in China. What once was a small fishing port twenty years ago has now become China's first special economic zone, home to the world's largest manufacturing centers and approximately 12 million people.
Many American and European companies have transferred their production to Shenzhen. The iPod to name one example is "designed in California" and made in Shenzhen. Shenzhen is filled with migrant works, so we enjoy authentic foods from all the different corners of China, as well as an abundance of international foods such as Papa Johns, McDonalds, and Subway to name a few. Starbucks has even taken over China. All of the drinks are Western prices, which hurts, but it is nice to go sit, have a coffee and read a good book. It makes this place feel a little more like home.

This is what you call CHINGLISH. There are so many signs around the city that are written in English... however I'm not always sure what they are asking of me. I wasn't planning on getting on the dog, but okay I'll keep off. We see this sign everyday, and I laugh everytime. And Last but not least ...
The Chinese LOVE to practice their English. We were standing in line at McDonalds when the girl behind us said loudly "I wan't a BIG MAC and I want a Strawberry Milkshake" ... Jon turned around because he thought she was talking to him. She looked at him and stated "Oh no I don't want that, I am just practicing my English."

The word maybe starts most sentences - when Chinese speak English and they ask you to do something they always add maybe to the sentence and make it a statement rather than question. "Maybe you go to dinner with us" "Maybe you teach five more classes."

We get stared at by about 95% percent of the people we walk by. It is not rude to stare in China so people will watch you till you pass by and then even turn around on their bikes and motorcycles to continue to watch until the last moment. They LOVE American Children. Especially blonde ones!!!
Here are a few pictures of some of the friends we have made...

I feel so privileged to know these people, they are strong and beautiful souls and I am daily inspired by what they bring to my life.

We are here to serve, we are going to love and we are going to TELL people about the one who we live for. The God of second chances, the God who saves, the God who heals and restores- the one true God.

God Bless,

Jessica, Jon and Grace

Warning, Do Not read if you are easily Offended.

I apologize in advance, I read this a few days ago and it's so true I have to post it...

“I have three things I’d like to say today. First, while you were sleeping last night, 30,000 kids died of starvation or diseases related to malnutrition. Second, most of you don’t give a shit. What’s worse is that you’re more upset with the fact that I said shit than the fact that 30,000 kids died last night.”
- Rev. Tony Campolo

Happy Friday!

Doing lots of thinking and reading today. I keep reading this scripture over and over and over. Trying to see if God is really saying to me what I think He is. Yikes! What does He say to you when you read it?

Proverbs 24:12 paraphrased--Once our eyes are opened we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know and holds us responsible to act.

There are so many wonderful stories out there of people that God is working in and through once He opens their eyes and moves them to act. Here are a couple that speak to me and keep me humbled and convicted....


http://youcomeliketherain.blogspot.com/

http://www.caseyandsarahafrica.blogspot.com/

http://mycupoverfloweth.blogspot.com/

ENJOY!

Jessica

Worth the Risk

To laugh is to risk ... appearing a fool.
To weep is to risk ... appearing sentimental.
To reach out for another is to risk ... involvement.
To expose feelings is to risk ... rejection.
To place your dreams before the crowd is to risk ... ridicule.
To love is to risk ... being loved in return.
To go forward in the face of overwhelming odds is to risk ... failure.

But, risks must be taken, because the greatest risk of all is to risk nothing. Those who risk nothing ... do nothing, have nothing, are nothing. They may temporarily avoid suffering and sorrow, but they cannot feel, learn, change, grow, live, or love. Chained by their certitudes, they become slaves Forfeiting their freedom. Only the person who risks is free.

-Chuck Swindoll

A little love .. a little kindness, it will be what makes the difference.

We have made a few homeless friends in our neighborhood and give them our left over dinner every night. The majority of them are woman. For me as a female there is something overwhelmingly sad about another female who is homeless. That is not to say it is not heartbreaking to see homeless men, because it is .. but for some reason it really strikes me hard when I see a woman begging for food or money. What happened in her life to bring her to this point?

Grace is starting to catch on. This afternoon after she ate her peanut butter and Jelly sandwich she said to me "momma I wanna give this to the lady to make her feel better, like Jesus"... I couldn't believe it! Such a big heart already. So we made a stack of peanut butter sandwiches and she handed them out to our homeless friends this evening. Grace smiled as she handed them out, the ladies smiled as they filled their hungry stomachs, and I have good feeling God smiled too as he watched her big heart shine.


Grace is very proud of her peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and ready to go hand them out!

"A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor." Proverbs 22:9



Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little. ~ Edmund Burke

Jessica

Going through the motions

How much different would our lives look like if today we decided to give it all to Him instead of just "going through the motions"?

I wrestle with this myself, I challenge you to trust him completely.





God Bless,

Jessica

I remembered this quote as I walked through this incredible city ...

People see God everyday, they just don't recognize him.
~ Pearl Bailey

Not to us, but to your name be the Glory

I write this through tears. Tonight was a night that absolutely rocked our world. This week as we have been putting things away in our apartment we have realized we brought an abundance of things with us. It took us hours to unpack what was crammed into 6 suitcases. Some of those things we hardly wear, so why would we even bring these things all the way to China? It hit me that it was no mistake to haul these things all the way here. God pressed on my heart to go through everything from clothing to household items and set aside things to give away. Jon and I both did this. We weren't sure how we would give them away as there is no Goodwill or Salvation Army around here. It can be difficult at times to determine who is in the most need here. The majority of the people dress professionally, but many go home to the slums. We also wanted to be careful not to just go and offer our things to someone that we thought might need them. They are very hard workers here, and very proud. We would not want to hurt anyone's feelings.

We loaded up a suitcase full of clothing, shoes and a few household things. We weren't sure what the response would be, and were not really sure how to go about it. I knew that the Chinese locals would probably think we wanted money for the things, so we made a sign that said "Mian Fei" which means FREE in Chinese. It seemed a little odd but we emptied our things out onto a sidewalk and sat there as people gathered around the three of us just staring. We were not prepared for the reactions that came from some of them.


Many of them seemed nervous, and scared of what we were doing. They did not believe the things were free so they would just stand there staring at us, but refuse to take anything. I could tell that they were setting their eyes on different things but they were not convinced that we wanted nothing in return. For a good 25 minutes no one would take anything, the crowd got bigger and bigger and they all started talking amongst each other.

I noticed a gentleman standing behind us for a while watching what we were doing. After about 10 more minutes he finally walked up introduced himself as Dave and said Are these things really free .. Why would you just give things away there's gotta be more to this??? We told him we had plenty and wanted to share with anyone that needed anything. Then he said well where are you all from .. I mean I've never in my life seen anything like this happen in my country, I'm sorry but I don't understand.
He told us he had been watching us and the crowd and wanted us to know these people were scared of what we were doing. When he was convinced that we wanted nothing in return he then told the crowd that the items were indeed free, and that they could take anything they wanted or needed.

We continued talking to Dave as the people looked through our things. He continued asking questions and at one point he said, this is the kind of thing that makes the rest of the world think the Americans are backwards. He said the people here have never seen anyone just offer them something without wanting something in return, you are so kind. He then turned to us and said can I ask you something... Are you all Christians?? We replied yes, and before we could ask him the same question He said I am too with a huge smile on his face.

We both said wow, that's awesome .. How did you become a Christian? He said someone gave him a Bible years ago, and he began reading it on his own. He felt the holy spirit working in his heart and has been reading his bible and living for Christ ever since. With tears in his eyes and shaking hands he said now this all makes sense. The only people who do things like this are Christians. He then explained to the crowd that we were Christians and once again assured them the things were free and we wanted nothing in return. By the time we said goodbye to Dave all of the things were gone. The people started to say goodbye with big smiles on their face one by one. I could see them talking to their friends as they walked off and showing off their "new" things. I had no idea I would feel so happy, yet so broken after it was all said and done. It's just hard for me to wrap my mind around the fact that these people were truly scared of what we were doing because they had never seen anyone do that before.

It was truly a divine moment. The only person that could speak English in that whole crowd other than us was Dave. I believe it was a moment orchestrated only by God. Dave was able to explain to the people that we were Christians, and why we would do something like this. I believe seed was planted in some of their hearts. God planted Dave on that street corner just as we sat down to help us shine a light to these people. I'm sure the people may have thought we were very nice, and a little crazy but they would not have heard the name Jesus in that moment without Dave standing there all along.

Even when there is a language barrier you can share Christ with others through the way you act, and through the way that you love. I believe that God makes Himself known and all we have to do is show them the reality of His love. I want them to see the fruits of a God who has captivated my heart and soul.

My prayer for you is that in 2011 you give all that you are and all that you have to God and see what He does with your life. I think He has called us all to a place where we get our hands dirty and our lives messy in meeting the needs of hurting people.

There are a few pictures below of Dave, the crowd, and one little girl who was ecstatic to get one of Grace's old dresses I made a while back.

Enjoy!

*** PS LESLIE AND ASHLEY *** One lady in the picture is holding a MEKO birdie sling bag. I LOVED that bag, but I loved giving it to her even more. She was so excited, she couldn't stop smiling.

Jon and our new friend Dave




This picture taken once the crowd died down, these ladies started calling their friends to come check it all out.



This Little girl was so happy to get a "new" dress, she started dancing around once she realized she really could keep the dress.