“The master in the art of living makes little distinction between his work and his play, his labor and his leisure, his mind and his body, his information and his recreation,  his life and his religion.  He hardly knows which is which.  He simply pursues his vision of excellence at whatever he does, leaving others to decide whether he is working or playing.  To him, he’s always doing both.”

Paul’s statement in Galatians 2:20 gives us the means by which we can “master the art of living”.

20 “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”.

It has been said, “life is what you make it.”

What about, “life is what Jesus made it……………Good………..It’s all good.”

Until Everyone Has Heard,

JR

I just wanted to start with this Bible verse because I really feel like God has been working in my life this year and really calling me to live out His purpose for my life, which really belongs to Him. As a result, I have been getting more and more involved with church! One which you all know about is the recent Haiti Mission trip from April 30th through May 5th of this year. I know in my heart that God had definetly called me to go to Haiti on this specific mission trip! And now my life is forever changed by what I saw and experienced in Haiti with my other team members. Many of you may have seen the pictures I posted on facebook. The people in Haiti have little to no clean water; I saw thousands of Haitians on the streets & I never once saw a clean bottle of water. My fridge is full of bottled water. I realized when I was on the flight returning home just how much I had to be thankful for. I realized how many things I have that I really do not need. The people in Haiti don’t even have a house; most of them live in tents. My question to God is “Why God do I deserve all these things & why do the people: women, children, elderly, & men in Haiti have to suffer in hunger, thirst, and no where to live but maybe a tent?” The second thing I say to God is “Thank you for blessing my life with so many wonderful things because I know that you, God, are responsible for every single thing”. It’s truly amazing how seeing devastation with your own eyes will change your life…before I went to Haiti , and I would hear about people dying of hunger or dying of not having clean water. I can honestly say I did not truly believe it, and now I do. My first reaction was shock; then I wanted to help all that I could, and then I realized there is no possible way I could ever do enough to change the devastation. Only God can help the people in Haiti , sure He may use me or even you as His helpers…but only God will be able to help the entire nation of Haiti! I say this because I challenge you to add Haiti to your prayer list. If you do not pray, I think now is a great time to start because we have a God that is listening and there are thousands or probably more than that of people who need your prayers today!

Something else that I have been thinking since I returned from Haiti is how the American government and school system is taking God out of our accepted culture in every way they find possible. I have to tell you this really scares me, and I’m sure if you are a Christian it scares you to. If you have time, I hope that you will say a prayer for our beautiful and blessed nation. God has blessed our country, and He really loves us. If we turn our backs on God as a nation, He will turn His back on us. This makes me very sad.

Soooo I don’t feel like I am being very encouraging, and I can honestly say since I have been home I have not felt very encouraged by my surroundings. I am truly having a hard time with the wasteful and plentiful lifestyle I have and people around me have, and I don’t know what to do to change it. I feel like my fear that I had is coming true, and that fear is that I might forget about the Haitians who need my help! There are so many people in great need, and I want to go back to Haiti as soon as God will send me! In the meantime, I am doing my best to stay focused on God and listen to Him each day through prayer, through reading the Bible, and going to church. I am trying to get back to my old self, then I stop and realize that’s exactly where I don’t want to be…so I guess I am trying to figure out where to go from here…So if you are confused, I guess that could be because I am confused. Not to worry, there is one thing that I am absolutely sure of in my life now & it is that my life belongs to God!

“We are ambassadors for Christ; certain that God is appealing through us, we plead on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God” 2 Corinthians 5:20

Lastly, I want each of you to know that I thank God everyday for having you in my life. I know that I am so blessed to have such a wonderful group family and friends who support me! I pray that each of you know how much I appreciate your support and prayers. God was listening to your prayers, & He kept me safe in Haiti and got me home safe!

I love you!

I would like to close with his from 1 Peter:

“…Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen 1 Peter 4:7-11

In Jesus Christ’s Love,

Jen!