Hey everyone!  I just want to write a quick update to inform you on the journey.  Things are going amazingly well!  We are at Iglesia Illuminado Naciones in Lo de coy, Mixco, Guatemala.  The church has been so good to us in providing transportation from panajachel, feeding us, and giving us a place to sleep.  We are so blessed!  

Our time in Pana was incredible.  We spent 12 days in Panajachel, Guatemala, but it seems like it just flew by so quickly.  Our schedule was basically this:  wake up around 6 am, breakfast at 7, departure for worksite at 8, arrival around 9 am.  we piled in the back of pickup trucks and drove about an through the mountains past Solala to a small village where we built a sewing room for this community.  It is how this people will make their living.  So lots of mixing cement, carrying concrete blocks, laying foundation, building walls, etc (I will be able to build my own house when I get back now!).  the family who lived there had 6 children.  I got to spend a lot of time playing with these kids…that was one of my highlights of the entire time in pana. I love this family so much.  One of the days I was so sick I could hardly stand, but right before we left that morning I received enough strength to climb the stairs, get my stuff together and climb in the truck.  I wasn’t able to help with the work at all that day, but I was able to sit and play with the children and give things I brought along with me as gifts to them.  It was my favorite day of the entire week.  We could barely communicate with each other, but it didn’t really matter.  (even though my Spanish has been improving very well!)  back to the daily schedule… we would leave the worksite around 3 pm, get back to the home we were staying at around 4 and have until 6 to rest or get cleaned up, then dinner at 6, then teachings with Ben, the pastor at the church we were working with until anywhere between 12 am and 2 am.  It was so cool!  Though some nights I could barely keep my eyes open.  We had some really good team bonding during this time, lots of good bible studies and discussions.  That is just a incredibly brief summary of our 12 days in pana.  Then someone from the church here outside of Guatemala city came and gave us a free lift to where we are staying here.  That was such a blessing from God.  We stayed just one night We were sent off for our Luke 10 journey from here this past Monday January 16^th.  We spent a lot of time in prayer leading up to this and on Sunday night we drew lots to see how God would split up the teams.  The first team was a team of 3 guys.  That was a shocker!  But we knew God had a plan.  The next team was 3 of our girls.  The team after that was 2 girls and 1 guy.  The fourth team it was me and one other girl, Leandra.  My name was actually the last to be drawn… it had actually gone missing.  We were also shocked that God would put a team of just 2 girls together to be sent out into Guatemala city.  It was definitely not the safest thing… and just how unsafe it was we didn´t realize until later, But we were sure that he had a plan for that.  And He most definitely did!!  The team all felt led to pray for us that first day of our journey, and God really did lead and protect in amazing ways. I will have to leave it at that for now.  Because I don´t have time to go into full detail and I don’t want to just summarize it because it is too special of a story.  But we were sent with a message and we were welcomed and received with much generosity and peace.  We shared the gospel and it was like something I had never experienced before.  God is in control.  Surrender to him, trust him, and let him lead.  It is amazing the doors he opens for those who carry his message. 

We made it back safely yesterday afternoon at 4:30, and the reunion with our teammates was so so sweet.  I couldn´t believe how much I missed them.  It is going to be incredibly difficult to say goodbye.  They have become family! There is so much love and unity between us.  It blows my mind.  It was also so perfect how God put each team together.  It was exactly his will that things happened the way that they did. 

We take a bus tomorrow morning at 4 am, we arrive in Tapochula, Mexico at 10 am and then spend 12 hours in the bus station before our 12 hour bus ride to mexico city.  We then fly to Portugal.  Lots of travel is ahead of us.  The end of 80 days is fast approaching.  Its hard to believe! 

Thank you so much for all your prayers for me and the team.  God has been so faithful and good to us.  Pray for more revelation about my future for me.  More clarity about what is next.  I really believe that this is just the beginning for me.  

I cant wait to share with you all in more detail all that the Lord is doing around the world and what he is busy doing in me.  I am still processing much of this. 

I love you all so much! 

In Christ,

Jessica

Today we debriefed our time in Bali. I want to inform you of some of the spiritual needs of Bali, ways you can pray, and just give you a general idea of the feel for the people and part of the country. This is by no means exhaustive. And for the sake of time, it is not edited. Take it for what it is, but I hope you will get a small taste for the spiritual needs of Bali.

Here are some words that summarize our experience in Bali: ‘Planting seeds of light’ ‘contrast: light/dark, beauty/flith’ ‘eye opener of spiritual darkness’ ‘opportunity, openness, coffee shop ministry’ ‘interesting, immoral, irritating, intercession, entertainment’ ‘Idolatry’

The idolatry of Bali is blatant. The first thing we see as we walk off the plane at the airport is a statue of a Hindu god over the doorway. Everywhere you go you see these statues. In front of every store, every home you find woven baskets filled with flowers, incense, rice and meat. they put these out every evening as offerings for the gods.

The second thing we noticed as soon as we got out of our taxi that dropped us near our hotel were night clubs full of drunkenness, girls dancing on tables, drugs, and prostitutes. We were all feeling heaviness our first night in Bali.

But the next morning we saw the beauty of the island, and the beauty of the church, and the opportunity for great ministry. We visited Kuta International Church a number of times during our stay in Bali. We were able to be an encouragement to them, and they were an encouragement to us. They are a lively group of people, who love to worship the True God, who love gathering together many times during the week for feasting, fasting and prayer, and are a bright light on the island. That evening we met them on the beach and sat in a large circle singing worship songs and getting to know each other, as we watched the sun set over the ocean. It was beautiful. Then they took all of us on their motorbikes to a restaurant where they fed us dinner. We spent time praying for the church and for the city after we filled our bellies. During the course of the week we met with them for prayer, bible study, and worship on the roof of their new church building throughout the week. We were the third Global Challenge team to visit the church.

About the opportunities in Bali - Bali is bursting with tourism. There is a great need for tourist evangelism. People come to Bali looking for a spiritual encounter. May they find Jesus, the One True God!

- The Balinese people, in Kuta specifically, are very outgoing and love striking up a conversation. They are open to any spiritual and religious ideas because they are used to worshiping many gods. So there are many opportunities to share the gospel and your own testimony.

- The Hindus and Muslims in the Kuta area get along well with Christians; there is not conflict.

- my picture for Kuta, Bali - a coffee shop, right in the middle of all the shops, and restaurants and bars, that is owned and run by Christians, free wifi, a place where people can camp out and drink good coffee, read, write, work, strike up conversations, etc. there will be good Christian music playing, quotes, art, books, etc, that all point to Christ. Live music at night. Worship on the beach/sunset ministry. Bible studies. Hosting different types of events. Geared toward reaching tourists and locals. It will be a bright light in a dark place. Open till late in the night maybe. I imagine this could be a very effective type of ministry because of the environment and atmosphere of the Kuta area and the tourists and local people. I believe we need more Christians to just be present in the area daily, being intentional with meeting people and starting conversations. Spending time getting to know people and listening to their stories and planting seeds of faith. There is just SO MUCH opportunity in Bali (I am speaking about the city, not so much the countryside. The countryside would require a different approach. Most people do not understand English and they are not as receptive toward Christianity. Many people who become Christians are rejected by their families).

There is also much to say about the great need for prison ministry in Bali. So many foreigners end up in prison because they get caught importing illegal drugs. Importing drugs in punishable by death in Bali, and they take this very seriously. While we were in Bali, Francois, one of Global Challenges leaders, heard of a South African woman who was arrested for bringing drugs into the country. She is a Christian. He went and visited her one day and they held a bible study and worship. The story of Christabell is a heartbreaking one. I don’t know how to share it in only a few words. To summarize, she got caught up in transporting drugs to help pay for her children’s education. She didn’t know what she was getting herself in to. She knows she did wrong and has repented of her sin before God. Her husband has refused to speak with her during the months that she has been there. She was very encouraged by Francois’ visit, to be with other believers, and people from her home country. The team put together a packet of items for her to have in jail. If prisoners need anything in jail they must buy it. Christabell had to shave her head because she didn’t have anything to bathe with. Francois visited her a second time before leaving to pray with her and deliver our package. Just this past Monday she received her death sentence. Words cannot describe our thoughts and feelings. The government of SA tried to intervene, but the government of Bali wanted to make an example of this women. Some good news from the situation is that her children will be cared for by SA. Pray for her family. Pray that good will come from this. That it will help put a stop to importing of illegal drugs, and people will recognize the seriousness of it.

My prayer for Bali is that when people go to Bali in search of some spiritual experience, or to get lost in themselves, that they will leave having found Jesus Christ, the One True God.

Wow, where to begin…  Japan is amazing.  Its hard to believe that our time here is done.  I love the people.  I love the country.  I love the food.  I love the language.  And I even love the weather.  I don’t want to leave, not yet.  It kind of feels like a tease.  Sometimes its hard to believe that I am actually here in Japan.  But what an amazing time we had. I am not ready to leave.

It was a great time of team bonding and seeing the dynamics of our team and growing closer to one another, and also seeing the spiritual dynamic of the team and how God has brought us together very intentionally.  Over the last 15 days we all had the opportunity to share our stories with one another and pray over each other.  There are many similarities between us all and how the Lord has been leading each one of us up until this point.  Already many significant friendships are being made.  Its been so cool to see how the Holy Spirit has been working in each of us. 

We started out in South Africa for our welcoming weekend.  I was picked up from the airport by 4 very enthusiastic teammates who I did not know at the time.  They found me sitting in the middle of the airport on my huge backpack waiting.  I was not quite ready for their Afrikaans accents.  It took me some time to figure out what they were saying at first, but its been a lot of fun imitating their accent and learning their language
(I am catching on pretty well… this trip has an additional facet - Afrikaans in 80 days!).  Anyway, I cant blog detail by detail like this or no one will ever read my blogs, so Ill give the highlights, and then go into details occasionally. 

To sum up the welcoming weekend - bond of unity.  Romans 15:5,6 - May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Tokyo - cold, clean, green, rigid lines (buildings and people), efficiency, facemasks, fashion, heated toilet seats, hot drink vending machines, bicycles, joggers, nobody talks to each other, iphones/ipods/ear phones in, beautiful people, friendly when approached but don’t initiate. 

We stayed at a church for a couple nights in Tokyo.  It was very small.  And very cold.  There was an earthquake one night that woke me up.  Felt the whole building shake and sway.  I didn’t realize what was happening until the morning.   It was very small, not everyone on the team felt it. 

Minami sanriku - stayed at a church about an hour away 4 nights, held our first takadasha (served food and handed out clothes/stuff), probably the highlight of my trip so far took place here.  Ill go into some detail -
I met a woman by the name of Urika.  She carried her grand daughter of about 10 months on her back, her name is Sola.  Sola means sky in Japanese.  While everyone was waiting for food to be served, I approached this group of women standing together and began to practice my Japanese (I LOVED practicing my Japanese).  The women found it humorous.  I had learned how to say ‘what is your name’ and ‘my name is’ so I started conversing as best I could.  One lady was holding a cup of popcorn in her hand and the cup had the map of the world on it.  So I showed her where I was from and mapped out our 80 day journey.  We communicated with each other as best we could and then she got a marker and started writing out something.  It was her name and the names of the other ladies with her.  She also wrote out her name and address for me.  She really enjoyed talking with me, and I really enjoyed talking to her, despite the language barrier.  Later on when I had a translator with me, I realized that she was inviting me and Michelle to come have tea with her at her house afterward.  I was so excited about this opportunity!  Michelle and I went to her house with a translator with us.  She was living in one of the temporary houses because her house was washed away by the tsunami.  We went into her house and she had prepared more than just tea for us.  We sat down on the floor at a table that was low to the ground, covered in blankets.  When you lift the blankets you put your legs under the table and there is a heater there that warms you up so nicely (it was sooo cold outside that day, it even snowed a little bit).  She served us fruit and pickled radishes, and then brought out a lot of sushi rice.  She was so generous!  She told us she felt like we were her own daughters (and even mentioned her son was single).  We found out that her family lost everything, but everyone managed to survive.  Little Sola was only 2 months old when the Tsunami came.  When it was time for us to leave we took pictures and she even cried.  She was just so thankful for us to be there and wanted to be so generous to show us her gratitude.  This was definitely the highlight of japan for me.  It was such an amazing day… words cant express. 

More to come later, that only scratches the surface of the amazing things we encountered in Japan.  Annd we are off again! 

^last FL sunrise

Its finally here!  I can hardly believe it.  I am on my way to South Africa as I am writing this, nearing the coast of Guinea, we have almost finished crossing the Atlantic! We have traveled around 4319 miles from NY.  We are flying at an altitude of 11282 ft.  Our ETA is 7:45 am, SA time.  And we have 3725 miles to go. 

I know that this is where I am supposed to be, without a shadow of a doubt.  I feel such confidence and assurance of it.  I have never done anything this big or even flown alone before, yet I have felt such peace the entire time.  I was able to navigate the JFK airport well enough (though I didn’t  have a clue where I was going and people kept giving me terrible directions).  But while I was riding the air train, I noticed this girl about my age.  I had no idea which terminal to get off at but I noticed that she had a South African passport so I asked her if she was flying South African airways, and she said yes!  We ended up wandering around the airport together, confused and not finding anyone who knew where SA airway was at.  It wasn’t stressful at all though.  We had some good time to chat and found out that she was from SA returning home.  My first South African friend!  I bought myself a cappuccino and got her a latte with some money Kristen gave me specifically for coffee and we shared life stories as we waited to board the plane.  It was so cool!  And she is a pretty awesome chick.  She works on yachts and has sailed across the Atlantic ocean twice, one time on a small sail boat with just 2 other guys!  It took them 1 month!  We also exchanged stories of how God has blessed and provided for us and how we both have received overwhelming generosity.  I was hoping to sit next to her on the plane but our seats were far apart.  Her name is Lourentia.  My first South African friend.  It was such a blessing meeting her!

Instead, I am sitting next to Daniel from Dublin.  He is a fine seatmate.  We have had some good conversation and he is a friendly chap.  Though he did accidentally slap me in the face, and fling his bread all over me.  But he also gave up his window seat for me because he didn’t want me to miss out on seeing anything since this is my first trip over seas.  I also managed to get in the emergency exit row, which is SO nice.  Lots of leg room and don’t have to worry about bothering the seatmate every time I want to get up. 
Ah! Got to go! More later…. Much love to you all!!

so i realized that i haven’t updated ya’ll on any of my trip details lately.  well here is our official trip itinerary!

Here is the 80 Days Truth Team 2011/2012: 

1.Johannes Wagner - Team Leader (South Africa)

2.Petro Wagner - Team Leader (South Africa)

3.Gideon Loots (South Africa)

4.Johannes Roodt (South Africa)

5.Paal Marco Ras (South Africa)

6.Reinhardt Foley (South Africa)

7.Clarissa Pretorius (South Africa)

8.Hanneli Hugo (South Africa)

9.Jessica Lup (USA)

10.Leandra Knoetze (South Africa)

11.Megan Pearson (South Africa)

12.Michelle Gray (London, UK)

13.Michelle Van Zyl (South Africa)

14.Petru-Marti Kriel (South Africa)

there you have it!  pretty exciting, huh?  i think so:)

the last few weeks have been BUSY as i have been getting everything together for my trip.  i have been shopping, packing, getting vaccination after vaccination, studying, praying, learning about visas and travelers insurance, spending time with loved ones, dreaming about my upcoming adventures, preparing physically, mentally, and spiritually.  there has been so much to do and think about!  a couple times i have caught myself getting lost in all the preparations and i’ve reminded myself that i need to just be still and zero in on what the Lord is doing. there is a quote from The Karate Kid that i thought of tonight. it goes,

“Being still and doing nothing are two very different things…” 

so in the business of it all, i am trying to learn to just be still and to continue to tune in to His voice.  i’m so glad He is in control of all these things and its not all on my shoulders!

tonight was a great opportunity to have some time to be still.  west orange christian church did a prayer send off for me.  what a blessing it was to be surrounded by all their prayers!  i am so thankful for all of you who have been praying for me and who have committed to pray for me throughout the duration of my mission trip.  it is SO encouraging to know i am being lifted up to the Father. so thank you all, so much. 

i am constantly being reminded that there is no safer place to be than in the will of God.  sometimes i think about what we may come up against throughout our journey, i’m sure we may face some pretty scary situations at times… but knowing this gives me comfort and confidence. 

God has continued to provide financially for me.  i haven’t had to worry one bit about whether or not the funds would be there.  “if its the Lord’s will, its the Lord’s bill”.  He will make a way. i believe this.  and He has!  this morning in church Ross preached about the “unsearchable riches” of Christ that the Apostle Paul spoke about in Ephesians.  the gift may be measurable, but the affects are unmeasurable/unsearchable.  so thank you for your measurable gifts, bc through them Christ is “able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work in us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.”

every day i am just amazed at the Lord in His goodness and how He is providing.  i am speechless and struggle to comprehend the ways in which He works.  He is so Good!  and His Goodness flows through His people.  i am being showered in it, and i don’t understand it…    except that i am beginning to realize that it’s not for ME.  it is for HIS will to be accomplished - prov 19:21 says, “many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.” 

i am confident that what i am doing right now is the Lord’s will for me, and i count that such a blessing.  i am confident because i almost didn’t apply for this trip because i thought it was too last minute and too expensive.  i imagined that i would be struggling to make the payments each month.  it was my first big step of faith, trusting God with the fundraising.  and He has blown my mind.  how foolish i was to doubt. 

God is not bound by time or money! - this was His reminder to me at the very beginning when i was struggling through my doubt.  He has made this abundantly clear to me. prov 21:30 - “there is no wisdom, no insight, no plan that can succeed against the Lord.” 

i don’t know what He has in store for the 80 days that i will be on this journey, but i can’t wait to find out.  and with all that, i feel a great responsibility (first to the Lord, and second to all of you who have sacrificed and are being used by Him to send me) to continue to be fully surrendered to Him so that i may be fully used by Him for His purposes. 

there has been a theme taking form the last few weeks…  God has been reminding me to stay FOCUSED.  prov 4:25 - “let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you.”  hebrews 12 as been key for me lately.  i believe it is the answer for how to stay focused… “let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles…”  — these words have not left my mind.  in these remaining weeks, i need to rid myself of any distractions, repent of sin, everything that might be holding me back or keeping me from being fully used by the Lord… whatever is slowing me down or keeping me from running with perseverance this race marked out for me.  its time to get serious. to get focused. to be disciplined… vs 4 challenges me - “in your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood…”  wow - how hard do i struggle to avoid sinning against my Lord?  not nearly to the point of shedding my own blood.  yet He shed his blood for me because of that sin, which i give in to so easily. this is my prayer. 

what do i fix my eyes on? Jesus - the author and perfecter of our faith, for who the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God! 

so, i have less than 57 days of training left to strengthen my feeble arms and weak knees…to make level paths for my feet so that the lame may be not be disabled, but rather healed!  may the plan of the Lord prevail. 

Come out for Spirit Night at the South Chase Chick-fil-a September 16th to help support my trip!

10% of all proceeds will be donated toward my trip, so come on out and eat some good food that night (save your coupons for another night) and help me raise some money for my trip!

Bring one of my flyers with you when you make your purchase OR if you don’t have one, mention my name and your purchase will go toward my fund.  Spirit Night is from 5 pm - 8 pm, but if you go any time that day there will be a jar on the counter for receipts.  Be sure to put your receipt in the jar and at the end of the day they will add up the percentage and donate it toward my trip. And be sure to mention my name again and put your receipt in the jar if you go back for dessert!  Everyone loves chick-fil-a dessert:) this night would be the perfect night to splurge! 

It will also be a great way to learn more about my trip and the countries I will be visiting.  I hope to see you there!! 

so my fundraising goal was to have raised $1,500 by august 31st.  i remember as i was filling out the 80 day application over a month ago how i almost didn’t go through with it because i didn’t think it would be possible to raise so much money in such a short amount of time. well, august 31st has come and gone… and i have more than double what my goal was!  i don’t even know how to process this.  i have been feeling so overwhelmed with how good and faithful the Lord is and how good and faithful his people are.  i am just so thankful.  thank you, thank you, thank you.  for all your prayers and you financial contributions. 

Psalm 146:1 - “Praise the Lord.  Praise the Lord, O my soul.”