Stir it up in our hearts, Lord

First week of the Impact UK DTS. Success! 

Though we are still missing a few of the accepted trainees, most everyone has arrived safe and sound and are bonding through the shared experience of the awkward DTS introduction. I can already see friendships forming and God working in their lives. Needless to say, I am so pumped to see more happen!

Currently, we are having a time of praise and worship and prayer. The trainees have been asked to write themselves a letter about what they want to get out of this DTS, which they will then seal and read at the end of DTS. I think many people, myself included, come thinking they will simply learn about God and that's it. But God is so much bigger than that! He doesn't want us to just know Him; He wants a genuine relationship with us, each of us! Someone used this quote during my DTS and it really stuck with me,

"God loves us enough to meet us where we're at, but too much to keep us where we're at".

And I think this quote is so true. We were not made to dwell in the muck and grime of sin, but to be pulled out of that and cleaned by the grace of God.

So, though it's only the first week of DTS, I know that God has big plans for all of us, staff included, to pull us out of the dirt and into His Kingdom. Blessed be the name of the Lord! Somebody give me an "AMEN"! 

And so it begins...

This is it; the final mad dash before the beginning of the DTS. Though I dislike the word stressed, it seems to be the only word to describe my anxious unrest and bloodshot eyes. Don't get me wrong; I am so thrilled to start this school off and meet all the trainees coming in from around the world. But I think my body is subconsciously preparing to be stressed by pre-stressing itself out (it's weird and makes no sense, I know). 

Other than a being in a constant state of jitteriness, things have been good. Who knew that once you acquired the title "STAFF", God could still talk to you and challenge you? All I can say is, thank God that He does! It's been wonderful to get back into the swing of "being" with God again. It's something He's really challenged me about; putting Him before my own needs and wants. Painful at times, but so worth it in the end!

The trainees arrive on Saturday. Please pray for safe flights and travels for the students and that we, as staff, will be able to welcome them into a warm and organized environment.

This post will be brief as I am about to enjoy some quality girl time before the school starts. God knows I'll be grateful in three months time! Much love to all of you and, hopefully, you'll hear from me soon!

Wake Up Anew

Twenty Twelve. It has begun.


I recently read something that struck me as, well, obvious and silly; "Every beginning is new". My initial reaction was to scoff at the pages of the book and say, "Well, no duh, pal!". However, that urge was soon thwarted when it hit me how true those words really are. There are no "new beginnings", just beginnings. And every beginning is an end of sorts; it signifies the start of something, thus imposing an end onto something else. This becomes a giant loop that goes on and on and so forth...
What I'm trying to say is this; right now, this very moment, is a beginning if we so choose it to be.


I'm in the process of reading a book by John Ortberg called The Me I Want to Be. In the first chapter, he writes about how God wants us to flourish so we can become the person He has created us to be. I will always be "Jade" no matter what, but God has an intended purpose for my life and, therefore, striving for it will only make me more "Jade". Granted, Mr. Ortberg does a far better job of explaining this than I can, so I highly recommend his book. 


Basically, this is a time of beginnings. We need to make the most of these opportunities, take advantage of the fact that we don't have to be stuck in a life without beginnings. We can wake up each morning and see a fresh start, a "new beginning", if you will. We can grow and flourish everyday so we can become more like the person we want to be, the person God wants us to be.
So I wish you all a very Happy New Year and that you'll find your own beginnings, whatever they may be.

Lost in the Excitement

Funny, I traveled across the globe, left my family and friends, surrendered my meager income for one thing, Him. Him, of course, being God (not to be confused with the possibility of a foreign beau). As I first stepped into the parking lot of Heathrow Airport, I distinctly remember thinking to myself, "And now to live the ever-exciting, always-holy life of a missionary; spreading the love for J-E-S-U-S!", though, perhaps not in those exact terms.
I am officially twenty-four days in England now and, honestly, I don't feel I've lived up to my part of that statement. Sure, life's been exciting and busy since arrival day, but I've since pushed aside the "holy" bit of that phrase. Not that I expected to be surrounded by hosts of angels and casting out demons right off the bat, but I think I got caught up in the "doing" aspect of life. 
There is no one to blame but myself for this, not even a hectic schedule. I've recently realized that I got caught up in living that I forgot that the reason I'm here is to BE with God. Obviously, I won't be lazing around in a meditative state all the time, but I have not taken time out of my day to just hear His voice. Hence the title of this blog, "Lost in the Excitement".
There is a delicate balance to living in the world whilst still reserving time for The Creator; I simply have not tried to find a balance. It's not a physics equation, nor is it able to be calculated in any way. I just need to learn to BE with God. It's a work in progress, I'll admit, but think of it as a dating relationship; if you don't make time for one another, the relationship falls apart. I genuinely want to be with Him; so it's time to close the laptop, put away my mp3, tune out the voices...
and. just. BE.

Christmas time is Here

That time of year has arrived again. You know, the season of joy, giving, and binge eating. And, for the first time in my life, I'm faced with the dreaded concept of Christmas without my family. Scratch that, previously-dreaded concept. Now that I'm in this position, I realize it really isn't as bad as I thought it'd be. After all, I'm surrounded by friends here on this side of the globe that love me, cherish me, and genuinely want to be with me. Isn't that the basis of a family? People who, whether biologically related or not, surround you with love and a sense that you are, indeed, home.
Other than being away from my (biological) family this holiday season, things around here are uneventful. The cafeteria is closed until January 11th, meaning those of us living in a flat without a kitchen have to fend for ourselves. It's not so bad though; me and my flatmate, Kellie, enjoyed a lovely dish of cous-cous and courgettes, accompanied by fried plantains that a fellow YWAMer donated to our quaint meal. Looking forward to cooking our Christmas feast soon!
That's all for now folks; just a brief update before I phase out over the Christmas BANG! Much love and a very Merry Christmas to all, and to all, a Good Night!

Dreams of Paradise...

"When she was just a girl  

She expected the world 

But it flew away from her reach...

Life goes on, it gets so heavy...

In the night the stormy night she'll close her eyes  

In the night the stormy night away she'd fly

And dream of Paradise..."      
Coldplay - "Paradise" lyrics


Too true to life, I'm afraid. Too many times have people felt life drain from their eyes as the tears stain the floor where they lay. Too many times have we left those in pain to cope in the stormy night, only to fly away to Paradise before their time. This post is not meant to pull down, though; in fact, I write this to bring joy, odd though it may seem. It hit me last night that after the storm comes the dawn; Paradise is beyond the bend. We can never know the turmoil others go through, neither can we blame ourselves for every outworking and outcome of peoples' lives. We can, however, hold tight to the fact (not query, possibility, or maybe) that there is a Paradise beyond this world, and better yet, there is a God who is bigger than any storm we ever have and ever will face. It's not easy to let go, and memories last a lifetime. But through the mist and fog, there is a SON, beaming love and majesty over His Paradise. Much love to those who grieve and are grieved over. Remember, there is Hope!

"And so lying underneath those stormy skies 

She'd say, "I know the sun must set to rise"

Baby, it's FREEZING outside!

I type my first blog in the UK cozied up in front of the heater, "Let It Snow" faintly playing in the background, and two of my flatmates discussing what our Christmas Dinner should encompass. Perhaps it's too early to be thinking about Christmas, but to those Christmas haters out there I say, "Bah Humbug!". Tis the season to be jolly and occasionally cheesy, and I am perfectly fine with that. I enjoy the way the chintzy tinsel, hanging off the boughs of a sparse, artificial tree, glistens in an array of colorful twinkles of light. Maybe it's the fact that I'm away from home for the first time ever over Christmas, but this up-coming celebration with my "new" family has become a source of great excitement for me. I'm so excited to create new traditions and new memories with the people I'll be sharing my life with for the next couple of years. 
Speaking of new family, the Youth With A Mission program I'll be working with, a Discipleship Training School, will be beginning in the new year. This upcoming week is going to be an orientation/introduction to the school for us newer staff members. This school with be mostly focused on impacting the UK throughout the year of 2012. Right now we have sixteen students and twenty staff, so we're praying for more students. I'm so excited to get to know these students and become part of their lives while they're here in the UK. This next year is such a crucial year for the UK, and we get to be a part of it; how freakin' exciting is that?!?
Impact UK DTS Video
So, the next time you hear from me, I'll most likely be decorating a tree or baking gingerbread. Until next time!