Sometimes I can do nothing but sit in awe...

Hmmm... Just feel the need to share some things with you that have been making me feel a renewed sense of joy this week... Some things that make me stand in awe of my Creator and the amazing things He allows this heart to experience...

Habakkuk 1:5 "Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told." OH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!

At the beginning of this week, Galen asked me to prepare some reports for him, so I did... What I discovered caused a new stirring and excitement in my heart... I'll try to sum it up below... There were other things on the report, but these two figures reminded me of WHY I'm here... It's sweet.

From 2007:
No. of New Fellowships/Bible Studies/Churches
283
No. of New Believers (not just raising their hands, but INVOLVED in church life)
9576

And all this based on programs I am privileged enough to work with. It's so cool, it makes me want to sing His praises. These figures represent about half of the programs we work with as some don't record this info and some were still on outreach when we were collecting reports. It amazes me that today, I get to SERVE a group of such amazing people... Such amazing ministers... Such amazing servants of God... It humbles me really...

This past week I was able to begin a new study by Joyce Meyers called, "Battlefield of the Mind" with some girls from the last study I did and some new ones. There's not a whole lot sweeter in life than fellowship and growth with old friends and new ones. I'm excited to just BE with these women and learn about them and love on them! Nate began a 25 week study on "Quest for authentic manhood" (or something like that...) and I feel God calling me to pray for him while he's there. The challenge is that my study is Tuesday nights and his study is EARLY Wednesday morning, but I think God will give me grace when my heart is to pray for my husband!?!? Yeah!

I feel like God is challenging me a lot lately and perhaps some of my friends, too about marriage/family... The challenge to me personally is this: why are we so much nicer to people we don't know well or have much contact with? Why is it so easy to be unkind to those we love the most? I can think back to childhood (okay, today, too) and how I treated my family, how I treat my husband and I wonder why... Even in the smallest ways... The frustration in my mind so easily transfers into the tone of my voice (my mom is probably nodding her head so hard it might just fall off :)) My questions come from my prideful heart (thinking I KNOW so much more, so the question is coming from pride, not from wanting to know...) So the challenge I feel from God, especially as it relates to my family and especially my marriage is this: be kinder to them than anyone else. Don't settle for the world's standard of love... Aim for His. Yep. That's a big challenge, but I think a good one, when I think of the state of marriages in our world. This is such a vastly used section of Scripture, but it's really the basis of this challenge for me...

1 Corinthians 13:4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. 8Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away. 9For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10but when perfection comes, the imperfect disappears. 11When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put childish ways behind me. 12Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known. 13And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

I could write a book about this... Maybe I'll spare you for now... But my heart is stirring!

Nate and I have been experiencing a lot of joy in our marriage and I'm so grateful for that! It astounds me really that life could have gotten this much sweeter with marriage. But that's part of God's plan, right!?!?! It's so much fun to learn and grow together and experience God together. I am continually reminded of what a blessing it is to be with such a strong, kind, loving man. It's rare to experience this, I know... And I don't take it for granted!

I went shopping the other day and am so grateful we have enough money to eat, and to eat well. I thought these delicious nectarines looked beautiful on our cool tray we got for our wedding... I thank God for His provision for us... I miss my mom and sister so much and it's hard being so far away from them. My sister decided to stay on for at least two more years in Switzerland and I'm excited for her life there (as she really seems to enjoy it!), but do wish she'd come home sometimes, too! It's just hard sometimes. But I'm glad that the holidays are coming up and I can see them soon! YIPPEEEE!

It's fun to get to know Nate's family a bit better. I look forward to more time with them, becoming family as well.

I'm so grateful for my friends... I have such a great crew of people around me here, across the US, around the world. They are inspiring and amazing and challenging.

Last night, Nate and I had the privilege to have dinner with his former coworker, her husband and their cute kiddos. I didn't know them really at all, Nate didn't know the husband, but it turned out to be a great night and as we got to know them, I was amazed at how much variation in our lives God creates. It's so cool to find similiarities and differences and unique way we are shaped. I enjoyed myself so much and I look forward to more interaction with them!

Okay, so I know this became quite long, but I just had to share my appreciation. God is so good. I can't even count sometimes how often I'm simply in AWE... As I look at WHAT and WHEN and HOW and WHY God has directed my steps, I am amazed and SO GRATEFUL.

Three months marriage, one year dating... Money Rocks, PA

Praise God!

http://natejenny.blogspot.com/

What a wonderful...

Weekend!
We got to babysit three wonderful kiddos this weekend while their parents who are wedding photographers were out doing their thing :) These kids are far from ordinary. They are articulate, smart, well-behaved, and so funny. Gabriel is the best big brother, taking care of his siblings and he's so sweet, he didn't even try to take advantage of the fact we didn't know anything :) He was so helpful all day! Noah cracked us up all day saying things like, "that plane is SUPER fast", and when Nate dove off the diving board, we were informed that it was "SO huge". Ha ha. Little Lilliana is all girl and needed a couple hugs and kisses throughout the day to get over her "grumpy" mood. When she was pouty, I would ask her to tell me what was wrong and to use her words. If she wouldn't say, then I'd ask her, "do you just need a hug?" and she'd say, "yes" and so there we were, hugging. That seemed to fix everything :) Gabriel, who I remember holding YEARS ago (well, six to be exact) in Colorado shortly after his birth. I love him even more now and feel SO, SUPER blessed that this awesome family lives so close now! I'm including lots of pics for mom and dad below :)

We ate our mac and cheese, grapes, and red peppers. Yeah, these kids like red peppers. Very healthy :)

Then we put the kids down for naps, well, Lilly napped, Gabriel sat quitly downstairs reading, and Noah explored in his room :) I don't think he likes to slow down...

We got the kids ready, put sunscreen on their faces, buckled them into their car seats, and off we went for our "surprise" adventure! The suprise was a missions aviation fest and when we pulled into the airport, a parachute landed just near us! What a fun start! Then we went and looked at the planes, went through the tent, got balloons, watched planes and helicopters take off and land, and watched some demos of how misson planes drop supplies into remote areas (ie Jungles and stuff). Then we were off to collect our balloons :) orange ones for the boys and a blue one for Lilly :) Then we went to the little ride where Noah, looking dapper in his sunglasses, rode for a bit I don't know what this ride is called. It was HOT outside, and the kids did great, barely fussing at all about the heat...

Lilliana, Jenny, Noah, Gabriel and cool plane :)






So we took them to the Creamery in Strasburg, where they politely sat eating their vanilla, chocolate, and fudge swirl ice creams. Seriously, these kids are so well behaved...

Then we went home and swam for a bit in the pool, then ate dinner of pizza, apples, and more red bell peppers. Noah, who can't really sit still, was standing, sort of shuffle-dancing, looking up at the sky, and suddenly said, "look, Gabriel, a rainbow". And sure enough, there in the middle of a cloud was a rainbow. So cool. Then Noah said, "how does that happen?" so we explained the way the sun hits the moisture in the clouds, etc... and he said, "cool, a sunny day rainbow!". Then they swam some more and let me tell you, they can swim so well and jump off the pool and do flips. Crazy kids. They LOVE Nate and took to calling him uncle Nate, which is so cute.

After such a busy day, we went inside and read three books and played with the "I SPY" book for a bit. That was hard!!! Then we said brushed teeth, said our prayers (Kim: Gabriel prayed for you and John :) and he actually prayed!). Then we made up a story about the three kids riding on a parachute (you're right, it's hard to make up stories and mine was definitely not two minutes :)).

DAY!

Today marks three months of being married to this handsome, wonderful man! Thank you so much, Nate, for showing me so much of God's heart. You are more than I could have dreamed of... I have had so much fun with you, and time has flown by! You are, after my relationship with God, the best thing that's ever happened to me... You're such an awesome friend, leader, provider, and husband. I couldn't ask for anything more!

Today also marks one year from the time we got home from our trip to Mississippi re-building houses from the hurricane and Nate telling me he would like to talk to me about "us". So, today is the day before one year of being officially a couple :) What a wonderful year and wonderful life I've had with you!!! I look forward to growing more and more with you!

August Fun!

http://natejenny.blogspot.com/

Cheerful

My husband returns today from his first out of town work trip since we got married. We survived :) I'm excited to see him. He sent me a little cheer yesterday to my office. It was so sweet to receive flowers. Gerbera daisies are one of my all-time favorite flowers. They just seem so bright and cheerful! I know, I'm spoiled... I like it, though.

I went to the doctor yesterday, to find out, that I'm in fact... Stressed. He gave me an assignment to journal and try to figure out better balance and to allow myself to decompress. So I will. He said other stuff, too. But that's the main part. That through praying and journaling, and allowing myself to process instead of "survive" I should be able to help my body not take the brunt of the stress. I'm sure going to try it. Beats taking medicine! He also told me I need to learn to relax, turn my brain off a bit... Easier said than done sometimes.

Thank you for continuing to pray for me. There are so many changes and big things happening in my life with marriage, ministry, etc. that if I don't rely completely on God, I'm going to be in trouble. I'm on such a learning curve. Trying to remember my identity is in God alone...

Love you,

Jenny

A little fun and stress-relief - Dr.'s Orders :)

I went to the chiropractor last week, feeling all sorts out of whack. He finished his adjustment, then stood me up, looked me in the eye, and quoted the Scripture over me, "do not be anxious for anything..." and told me that I need to release whatever is stressing me out and go have some fun. He then told Nate and I that we need to get away. So we did. We went on an impromptu 2 month-aversary trip to the Poconos. Friday, upon arriving home from work, we packed up the car in under an hour and were on our way. We made it to our retreat, campsite number 360something, built a fire, made some dinner, and started our quest for relaxation.

We only stayed for the night, and into the next day, but from the looks of things, I was pretty relaxed. Hammocks are awesome. So are hubands who agree to be spontaneous and go camping on a moment's notice :) Love it.

We saw a large boulder field. Literally a field of boulders. Odd.

Oh, I also figured out why I'm stressed. Besides lots of big changes in my life (marriage being a big one, even though it's completely amazing, it's still a transition). Work has been crazy. Not like running around crazy, but a sustained for over a year sort of crazy... I had a great time of talking with my boss this past week, and it was good to discuss things. I feel better now, and I am so glad I'm here! It's a joy (if I remember to let it be) to work at such a rapidly growing pace. It's hard sometimes, though, so we are praying for an assistant. We need one desperately. I am once again in awe that God allows me to join Him in this work. What a blessing!

One of my favorite things about my job is that we pray together. Not every once in a while, but EVERY DAY! Today during our lunch as a staff, Linda shared the verse out of Corinthians that talks about having our faces unveiled. She shared that it's not a one time thing, but that we continually need to be unveiled for God's glory. It was a good reminder. She then sent us off for 1/2 hour to get alone with God and to ask for His revelation to anything that might be keeping us from total freedom. Pretty sweet.

I have been dealing with a lot of fatigue and recently some really intense headaches since my trip in the winter to Eth./India. So I will return to the doctor tomorrow to see if there are any repercussions from the nasty parasite issue. My system is noticeably konked out. I have not been sharing this widely, as I've been trying to remain positive and trying to learn to trust God for complete healing. But Nate and Galen both feel I need to get some blood work done and some extra tests, so I will do that.

Last week, our boss shared the following verses with us out of Psalm 62: One thing God has spoken, two things have I heard: that you, O God, are strong, and that you, O Lord, are loving.

AMEN! I thank God today for His strength and for His love. He is awesome in every way.

Biking in the rain (downpour)

We had so much fun this weekend playing with my new bike and looking through out wedding photos to pick which ones we liked and will have edited :) They are great and I'd say, Daniel did a fantastic job!

For our 8 week-a-versary yesterday, we took off to Mt. Gretna where we rode the rail to trail for 2.5 miles into the cute little town of Mt. Gretna. Nate had the camera, and I forgot to steal it from him... until our drive home... My new bike (which is such a blessing and was a great deal!!!) did great and was SO COMFORTABLE and fun to ride! We got a great deal on it from a great bike shop called Shirk's in East Earl. (for those of you who live near here, a little secret is that the bikes upstairs, are brand new, but last year's models and can be up to 15% off...)

We had some ice cream at this fun place called the Jigger Shop and I have to say, it was packed for a Sunday early evening. We decided we'll have to return sometime soon! Nate braved it and got the Jigger (which was a big sundae!)

On our way home, it started raining, but we decided to ride back anyway. Little did we know, it would be a downpour of sorts and we'd be pretty much soaked to the core when we got back to the car. The return 2.5 miles went by much more quickly! (even though we couldn't see through the rain very well...)

I hooped and hollered in the rain. How often since we were little, have we taken the time to delight in a great, cold, wet rain-soaked bike ride? Not often enough for me :)

And last week, we were blessed to hang out with the crew from (mostly) Colorado who all live here now. It was a great time celebrating with the Sandersons, Weavers, and the Hess'. What a joy to be connected to so many wonderful friends! We saw a very sad sight on our way out... I don't know this poor lawn mowers story, but it appears to have died... It's been mowed around, though... SO maybe it's really dead... It was sad, but it gave us the giggles... Maybe we will have to help them fix it...

Just needed to share my thanksgiving...

So I am not even half way through the day, and I just have to share how blessed I feel. Why? You ask... Well...

• I got to wake up this morning and see my handsome husband! What a great guy God has blessed me with!
• Said handsome husband has taken it upon himself to bless me each morning with coffee, so the first thing he did was to go downstairs to make me some of my favorite coffee! Seriously, for someone who didn't really know how to just a month point five ago... he's really good! Mmmm...
• I got to work today to be blessed by a sad email (?!?!?!) That's weird, right? No. The email was sad, because the little boy I helped name in My-nmar is sick and in the hospital for at least a month, but his parents, God-loving and trusting, are not anxious, even though he might die. I named him Joshua Nathan -God's messenger and God's gift. I believe there's a call on his life!
• I got paid today :). What does that mean? God's favor and grace on my life is amazing. People (many people) sacrifice so I can do this amazing work God has called me to!
• I went to the Post Office today. Now, here's something not everyone in the country can be thankful for... We have the NICEST people working at our post office. The last TWO TIMES I've gone, I've prayed for my favorite lady and I've gotten to go to her window. Awesome!

All this to say, God is in the big things and the little things, constantly reminding us of His great love for us.

JOY in my journey...

I was recently challenged as a man came to share his life and journey with us as a staff... You see, it was a staff equipping day, but it turned out to be a "life giving" day for me... He was sharing how we have to be listeners, learners, then share the truth in love.

I was listening to this man teach how to relate to people of other religions when I asked him how to relate to those in my life of different religions. They will see the JOY and LOVE. As soon as he told me that they would see my JOY, I was impacted by this and broke down crying during our prayer time.

While I didn't share this with anyone until later that night when I shared it with my husband, I had to repent to God. I repented for believing the lie that to be spiritually mature, I had to be quiet, reserved, serious. I let go of the JOY God gave to me for the lie of being distinguished... I believed that I had to listen to those who think being quiet and reserved is the right way... So many times in my life I've been told I'm too joyful, too happy...

Well, yes. I have survived much. I need to have JOY. God gave it to me. It is His precious gift to me... After years and years of trials, and struggles, I could be bitter and angry, but He gave me the gift of JOY and I almost threw it away for the world. Some would say they don't see me as having little joy, but it's not the abundant JOY of my heart... It's the watered down, simplified joy. The kind that comes from feeling I need to muffle it...

So on Wednesday, I committed to God and myself that I will return to the JOY God has given to me.... I will return to being the person HE wants me to be, not what my "world" tells me I should be. Yes, I will listen to wisdom and counsel, but I will unleash the long-locked away JOY that is inside me desperate to rise up and show the world His love...

Annual ??? Fourth of July Camping/Beach Trip

Well, we did it again. Bradley Beach for the Fourth of July with some of our very favorite people! And my very first camping trip as a married woman - woop!

We headed out Thursday after work to set up camp, get ready for the weekend, and just enjoy nature! Nate worked hard to cut down a tree for our firewood (oak, we think, so it was HARD). I worked at setting up camp and cooking. I do love to cook, even in the wilderness :)

Our friends (Luke, Janine, Josh, Rosemary) arrived by 9:00 and we enjoyed some burgers and dogs. Thankfully we ate most of the brownies before the rascally racoon snuck off with the rest in the middle of the night :)

We woke up Friday and lounged around the campsite before heading to Bradley Beach! We do love this beach so much! The ocean! The sand between your toes! Friends! Cheese! Watermelon! It was awesome. Oh, except, like last year, the water was SUPER COLD! So we didn't brave it too much, except our fish friend Luke, who is crazy... Sometimes... We got to catch up with the Landis' and Brennan's, too, which is always a treat! Such dear people!

After an evening of S'mores, food (very little bread and buns, thanks to aforementioned rascally racoon who CHEWED OPEN our very hefty camping box - you know the ones, the rubbermaid ones... yeah... R.A.S.C.A.L.!!!!), and talking by the fire, we retired for the night, only to be awakened by a big rain storm! So Nate and I ran to the guys/girls tents and slept in there for the night.

We were going to go to the beach again, but laziness or intelligence, made us decide to head home early, which I'm glad we did. Putting stuff away always takes a long time! Oh, but it's SO WORTH IT!

God is so good, His creation is awesome and His love is unending. I'm enjoying being challenged daily by His life and by His love. I don't know why He chooses to allow me to experience this life, but I do love it so much. I am challenged today to live a life more grateful. Even for the things that bug me. So I will try. On His strength....