Preach It!

Today was definitely a spiritual high for me. We had a man from the IMB come to video record the things God is doing here and what ministries are being used. He was able to come see one of the ministries called Down Under. Down Under is a place where there is a Bible study, but it's open and people can ask questions and discuss topics. It's also great because they can play games and eat snacks and socialize. For the Bible study, we are going through the book Radical by David Platt which calls us to live our Christian lives out radically for Christ. Here in Canada, what we have come to find is that the gospel is watered down. The emphasis is on how God loves us, and the whole part about us being sinners which is what separates us from God is not as much discussed. Tonight however, the speaker focused on the entirety of the Gospel. The part about Him being a God of Love and also a God of wrath, and that while He is both, He is completely just. I felt like for the first time since we've been here, God was powerfully moving in the room. It was so refreshing!
I am praying that God will continue to move in these Canadian's lives and show them the truth about who He is. In the upcoming weeks both Bill and I will teaching chapters from this book. Please be praying for us. Pray that God would move ahead of us and prepare hearts to hear the truth of God's Word. Also, pray that we would be obedient in teaching what He is calling us to teach.
In the last week, my team and I have all been suffering from the flu, but we are on the mend so praise God! Please pray that we would continue to be well so that we can better share Christ with the people here.
With love,
Jenna

Skiing Day!!

This is a picture after a tired day of skiing. It was a lot of fun and I took only 3 falls, although i should probably add they were 3 pretty spectacular falls. Haha. This was my first real time skiing since i was much younger, and i was brave enough to try and make a small jump(more of a hop...). Anyway, my Canadian friend Christine finally decided she would watch me, and so of coarse that was the time i messed up. I was about to take the little jump and one of my skis fell off. .  causing me to faceplant into the snow. I must admit that was a good laugh to be had.
I have only been in this place for two weeks, and yet i already love it so much. I know without a doubt this is the place I am supposed to be. I'm being able to build relationships with people here and that is the whole idea of what we are doing here. The Canadians are not looking for another "religion", and we are here to show them that Christ is not about rules but rather it's about a relationship with our savior. Making relationships with people here allows us to open up doors and show them what kind of people Christians really are and who God really is. We are tearing down the walls of misconception piece by piece. We have a long way to go, but i am positive God is going to do some amazing things here.
Please pray for me as i think i am starting to get sick. That is no good if i want to stay active and keep on keepin on :)
Love you all

Strength for Today

This post is more on my prayer needs than what's going on here in Canada. Please be praying for me and my team that we would be able to stand up for the Gospel. Pray that even when we are frustrated, we would have strength in God. Pray for the people here in Lennoxville. That God would go ahead of us and prepare people's hearts so that they would hear His Word. Pray that we would be brave and stand firm on God's Word even when others don't want to hear.
There is a giant battle over hearts for Christ here in Quebec. We need all of you prayer warriors to be in constant prayer for this place, my team, and the Christians here.

Bishop University

 Fun night in my apartment.

"Redneck" bowling night. My roommate Ashlee and I.

Gathering

Today was a very encouraging day for me. My team got up this morning to help come Christians bake for a bake sale that was later tonight. It was great to just have a relaxed yet fun morning. This evening Bill and I went to the Bishop University Basketball game. The people we helped bake for were at the event and happened to be just outside the door that everyone entered through. They were trying to raise money to support an orphaned girl in Niger, Africa. It was through World Changers, and it only cost about $420 to support this girl for an entire year. The girls were expecting to maybe get 100 dollars from this bake sale, but God had other plans for them. They were completely blown away to find out they raised $380. Now all they have left to raise is 40 dollars.
The basketball game was fun, and we decided that we would invite the Christians that we had met this week, along with other people, to come back to our apartment after the game to have a game night. We ended up having about 15 people crammed into our little living room, and it was a BLAST. We ended up not playing any games at all, but we were able to just relax and laugh ALOT. I am praying that this is just the start of being able to invite people to our apartment. I am in the hopes of one day leading bible studies here. God has so much at work here. I am very excited to be apart of His plans. I am praying that he will use my team to make an impact. I pray that we would be unselfish and giving. It's so easy to try and rationalize that we are doing "enough", but that's not what i want to say when it is time for me to leave here. I want to give of myself 110% for God while I am in this place. I want to lose sleep because I was able to have people stay late at my apartment and learn more about you. I want to be able to say that when i leave this place, that I am leaving with nothing left to give. This sounds tiring, and if I was doing it on my own account, it would be without a doubt. BUT, I am working for the Creator of the universe and He gives me strength. I am blessed.
Please pray for me that I would not become discouraged when things don't seem to be going in the way I think they should. Pray that I would stay focused, and that God would use me for big things.

Canadian Birthday

Today was my 20th Birthday. Mostly it' was a normal day, just like any other. As I prayed today, I prayed that I wouldn't be glorified today because it's "my" special day, but instead that He would be glorified. Being in this place is already such a learning experience.  It's a challenge to get out of my comfort zone and talk to people, but Im enjoying that challenge. It's growing me as a follower of Christ.
Please continue to pray for me that i would be obedient to the things God is calling me to do. It's not always easy, but in the end it pays off. His kingdom will be glorified in the end, whether i am apart of it or not. It's up to me to decide if i want to be apart of bringing glory to Him. Also, pray for my team and I, that we would not become homesick, so that we can focus on the task in front of us, and not be distracted.
Love you guys

Jan 10

The last few days have been mostly our team trying to learn about culture and understanding how things work here. It's been a positive experience. We went to Robert's church yesterday. It was spoken in French, so we couldn't understand, but the people are really great. It's not what American churches are like. They meet in a daycare building. We went early so that we could set up. Church consisted of about 20 people in fold out chairs facing the pastor in a semi-circle. The Christian Canadians that we have met so far are passionate about making a difference in their country. It's inspiring. I feel as if American churches really got on fire for God and had a passion maybe we would get outside our comfort zone and impact more people. I feel as if in America we have no consequences for being a Christian. Just about everywhere else in the world, Christians are persecuted. I think because America acts as such a melting pot of religions, that we've become passive of telling people of Christ. We are allowing them to believe what they want because it's not "affecting" us, but in the end we are condemning them to Hell.
I think maybe reading the book Radical has been showing me new viewpoints on how we live our faith. I just feel as if we aren't doing enough. This semester in Canada, I really feel as if God is calling me to be radical in my faith. To get out of my comfort zone. To share Christ.
There are many opportunities to serve here because there are so many unsaved people. Please pray for me, that I would serve in ways that would be most beneficial to the kingdom of God.
On a lighter note, we got to go sledding on Saturday. So it was a good time to act like a kid and play in the snow. :) Last night, we got together with a small group of Canadians and had a chick-flick movie night. Tonight, we might be playing laser tag. Although it sounds as if its all work and no fun; Rather, our objective is to build relationships and be able to disciple people.
Much Love,
Jenna

Its a bit choppy from the video and my voice. The next blogs will be better.

Cannot upload video on here. View Facebook Instead

Departure

Today marks my final day in the United States. God has completely blessed me with this trip. All of my financial support support was covered and I have a vast majority of people in prayer for me. I cannot wait to find out what God has in store for me starting tomorrow.
I will be flying out of Orlando to Detroit. I get to meet the rest of my team mates there and together we will fly to Montreal. Please be praying for safe travels for myself and my team.