Community

I am sure I have said this before, but I think Thanksgiving has become one of my favorite holidays. I know that we should always live in gratitude and thankfulness, but as I have gotten older, I love being able to reflect upon the past year and see where my Abba Father's hand was in the beauty and the chaos of things...

When I returned to California in June, I was not in a good place. It may have looked like I was "put together from the outside," but on the inside, I was like a tornado spinning out of control. Those who genuinely know me knew that something was off. I knew it too, but I didn't know how to make it right---to make me Jessica again. Through debriefing, being asked some tough questions---that I didn't want to process but knew I had to---and going to Intercessory Prayer, I have found my healing. I feel whole again, but I am still cautious in some areas.

On Father's Day Sunday, I shared at my home church. At the end of the second service, a lady, whom I did not know at the time, came up to me and told me, "Jessica, you need to know you have a community around you. It might not seem like a normal community, but you are surrounded by community." As the words came out of her mouth, I started to cry. Deep down, that was something I had been wrestling with. I just wasn't brave enough to voice it. After encountering or witnessing some of the things I have and then returning to your passport country, you sometimes feel like a fish out of water, wondering if there is someone that you can relate to or vice versa.

I have found that even though having that one person to relate to is essential and vital for your "survival," it is your community—the people that shower you with their unwavering love and endless support---that is necessary. This year I am thankful for the community that surrounds me. Although many of them do not live in my vicinity, I can feel their love.

My community encompasses the globe. We have chatted on FaceTime together. They have written me e-mails and have sent me prayers and verses to declare out loud. They have offered me their couch to sleep on or a spare room to stay in. They have sat with me in the silence and have probably seen me at my worst, and hopefully, at my best. They have been there in the highs and lows, through the laughs and times of doubt. We have shared coffee, and they have let me use their kitchen for baking to my little heart's desire. They have never wavered in the decision I made almost four years ago, to leave "my dream job" and answer the call that the Father put on my heart when I was fifteen. Some have expressed their concern, but they have still stood by me. Others have come alongside me while I have been in mid-journey. I could not be more grateful for them because they are the ones who probably met me when I "truly" wasn't Jessica, but they still saw the light deep down that I thought I had lost. They have hugged me and let me sob into their shoulders, knowing that I had no words to say, but what I was saying was released through my tears. I have vented to them and have expressed some of my fears to them. They have prayed over me and have helped me in my healing process. Even now, they are cheering me on and rejoicing with my Abba Father.

YOU are a part of my community. I could not be more grateful for you and the role that you play in my life. There will never be words to express my gratefulness for you all. It is humbling and overwhelming to see (and feel) the love, prayers, and support. Without your backing, I would not be able to do what I am now doing---living out the calling of my life. So, from the bottom of my heart, thank you!

PRAYER REQUESTS:

• I am leaving for the Philippines the day after Thanksgiving! Please pray for my travels and the time I spend on the ground. We will be busy at our Christmas parties as we shower almost 1,000 children, from our partner projects, with the love of Christ. Please pray for these precious children. Please hold our staff up as well. This is a busy time for them with putting the finishing touches on party plans :)

• ​I will stay back an additional week to see our partner projects and have some more time to visit our staff.

• We currently have a team in South Africa. Our Ecuador team will also be leaving shortly. Please hold them up in prayer as they journey to and from sites. They will also be showering several hundred kids with the love of Christ!

• I have an opportunity to have funds matched until the end of the year! Whether you currently give or have just decided to partner with me monthly, your donation will be matched. (Current partners must give above their regular giving to have their donation matched.) To donate, click on the "Donate" tab at the top of the page. Please designate your gift to my account: 401.511

"O give thanks to the Lord, for He is good;

For His compassion and lovingkindness endure forever!"

~Psalm 107:1~