to whom it may interest...

You can get a tour of the base where I am staying, if the pictures aren't satisfying enough. Just go to www.ywamsalem.org and clike About Us, then Base Tour. Enjoy! : D

His dreams come true

the team!!!

this is a nutria. it looks like part beaver, part rat.

another nutria; they're so cute! : )

for ropes course team building, we had to jump into this little pond- but right before we jumped in our team would pull us up by a rope we were attatched to, rocketing us 50 feet in the air. Very fun! : D

we had to use these three boards to get our team across to the other side, using only the stumps. easier said then done!

This week has been exhausting! Waking at 6:45 each morning, going, going, going, then lights out at midnight, repeat times five- it can really take it out of you!

This week was really...convicting. I've never felt called to do this thing called "missions"; never felt bold enough, strong enough, or able. I always thought to myself,"Oh, somene else can do it. Someone who's good at doing that kind of stuff." But God is showing me that He calls each one of us. We are all a part of His body; we are His hands and feet. And if He's trying to direct His hands and feet to move and do something and they aren't responding- how frustrating that can be! And when there's a world out there, hurting, and Christ is right there-calling us to come and rescue people- and we don't come to answer the call, how heart breaking that must be for Him!

A question people often ask is,"Where is God in this broken and messed up world?" But the question should be "Where are we?" God has called and we need to be the ones who answer. Healthy people don't need a doctor- the sick do.

And getting back to the point of me not being able. Haha. Our speaker this week was saying how God created us specifically and exactly for what He planned for us to do. That really encouraged me- knowing that God designed me in such a way to do what He created me for! So simple, yet so mind-boggling.

Another point our speaker had was that when we go out into the world and bring His love to people who are in desparate need of it and hurting, we make God's dreams come true. That just made smile. : )

Oh my goodness! I forget to tell you all some very exciting news! For my outreach, we will be going to Columbia!!! We will actually be splitting up into two groups- Myanmar/Thialand and Columbia. I will be on the Columbia team and am SUPER excited! I honestly don't know too much about the country. I was just told that there is alot of kidnapping/child trafficking and the main religion there is Catholicism, so they are in deep need of truth and love. I will keep you posted as I learn more details about our trip and the Colmbian culture.

We went to Walmart and Burger King last night!!!! All of us students are here at the base alllllll the time, so any chance to get out is very exciting. We got a burger, fries, and shake at Burger King- SO GOOD!!!! Don't worry; they feed us good here. I got some essential needs at Walmart. The dryers here don't work so well, so all of our clothes comes out damp. Me and my roomie bought a rope and hung it around our room so we could hang the clothes up. It looks like we live in a circus tent now; or maybe Spiderman's lair, if he were to have one. Haha. Oh, the adventures. I enjoy every crazy minute of it all. : )

I'm pretty much finished with homework, so I'm gonna try and find a few minutes to play the piano and relax. : )

That's pretty much it for this week. I just wanted to thank you all again (I CAN'T THANK YOU ENOUGH!) for ALL of your finicial support. I still have quite alot of money to raise, but God has been faithful in bringing bit by bit in.

* Pray for:

-Me. I need new energy for this week. : )

-Finicial Support.

Thank you!

welcome to the base

I've discovered it takes a loooong time to post pictures on here, so I'll just be posting them some at a time. : )

These few pictures are of the entrance to the base and the surronding land the base owns. It was a sunny day so the trees looked gorgeous.

soaring over Oregon

Ok, I promised to post some pictures, but I figured I should probably do it chronologically. So these are some pics I took while on the airplane. Beautiful, huh? I remember just staring out the window looking at all the snow below me, amazed! And then once I got near to Portland, there was a thick blanket of cloud and I couldn't see a thing. Haha. : )

Salem...

Greetings from Jerusalem!








Ok, ok, just kidding! I'm not in Jerusalem! I'm still in Salem. But did you notice? Jerusalem has the word "salem" in it, which means "peace." And the prefix Jeru (Yeru- Hebrew) means city. So the city of peace, or the city of "Salem," so I guess it's almost the same thing. Haha. I know; I'm weird. But I just never noticed it before and I thought it was cool. : )

Tomorrow, when I'm done with my homework, I will try and post some pictures. I took some on the flight over here, and then I took a whole bunch all around the base today, to show you all where I am and what I do; so be watching for those. : )

*Side note: Ok, my room mate introduced me to a new song. It's called "Claire de Lune" by Debussy. It is such a beautiful (piano, of course!) song! If you go to projectplaylist.com and type in Claire de Lune, you can listen to the track. Sit back and enjoy. : )

from weak to warrior

Hey all!

I am sick. : ( Must be this blasted cold weather that has my immune system messed up. Haha. Who knows. But it's really hard being sick, and even harder to be sick while away from home. Yesterday was a real test for me. I was starting to feel really sorry for myself, when I realized this is exactly what Satan is trying to do; he doesn't want me here and will do anything it takes to bring me down and discourage me. It's in these moments of weakness when I am most vulnerable and suseptable to giving in and giving up. But I will NOT let Satan get in the way of what God is trying to do in me. I will fight and not lose hope! God is making a warrior out of me yet!



Please be praying that God will cover me with His armor and His angels, that I may be able to withstand the traps the devil tries to set for me. I know God is faithful. I know he has me here for a very significant purpose and He will be the one to uphold me. : )

P.S. PRAISE REPORT! I got more support money come in today! God is so good! He is so faithful to provide, even when it seems impossible! We serve the most incredible God, you guys! I wonder at Him! So, I just wanted to say thank you, yet again, for all of your support and love. Keep it coming. : )

jumping off

At the get together we had tonight, one of leaders talked about how we may and probably will be faced with many challenges during our DTS. But we shouldn't be afraid. We should embrace them and prepare ourselves for everything God has planned for us- even if it is unknown; and that can be a scary thing.

After that, all of us YWAMers were lead through the dark to a zip line tree. The tree was about 40 feet high and quite a climb. Then we jumped off the small ledge into the darkness, travelling through the trees, and landing in the grass field. It was so much fun, and I'm glad I did it. It was supposed to symbolize how we will face those challenges that may come. Will be be scared and run away? Or will we embrace it, and trust God? It reminded me alot of a song a friend recently told me about.

'By Your Side', by Tenth Avenue North:
Why are you striving these days
Why are you trying to earn grace
Why are you crying
Let me lift up your face
Just don't turn away
Why are you looking for love
Why are you still searching as if I'm not enough
To where will you go child
Tell me where will you run
To where will you run

And I'll be by your side
Wherever you fall
In the dead of night
Whenever you call
And please don't fight
These hands that are holding you
My hands are holding you

Look at these hands and my side
They swallowed the grave on that night
When I drank the world's sin
So I could carry you in
And give you life
I want to give you life

Cause I, I love you
I want you to know
That I, I love you
I'll never let you go

...Very beautiful and very true lyrics.

Tomorrow, we start regular lecture sessions. From reading the YWAM syllabus, we are going to be pretty busy! But I will try and keep you all as updated as possible on what's going on here.

Thanks for reading, Jess : )

P.S. Please pray that I won't get too stressed with all the reading, lectures, and studying I'll be doing. I know I can do all things through Christ! : )

I'm here!

I've finally arrived in Salem! It seems like this day would never come, but it has, and I'm here!

It's cloudy and cold (no surprise there), but very beautiful. Once I get out to take pictures I will definitely post some for you guys.

Thank you so much for all your prayers! I will write again soon! : )

Less than a week...

As most of you know, I will be leaving for Salem on Saturday, less than one week away. I am so eager to see what God has in store for me- the many friends, brothers and sisters in Christ, I will be meeting and sharing lifelong friendships with; the challenges I'll face and the transformation I'll undergo; and the incredible things God is going to do through me, through my humble willingness to be of service to my Lord and Savior.

For those of you who want to know, I asked my YWAM leader, Megan, which country we will be going to and she says that the group normally prays about it for a few weeks after the school has begun, and then decides. So we are still unsure where we are going, but I know God has His hand in everything, even the things we can't yet see.

So anyways, I just wanted to update everybody with that, though it's not much of an update. : )

*Pray for:

-Me, as I prepare to leave my family and friends, as well as everything else that offers comfort and familiarity, for a long time.

-The YWAM staff and students, as we pray over which country the Lord is going to lead us to.

-Finances; even though I know God will provide all my needs in His timing and I don't have a thing to worry about! : )

Thank you ALL!