OCTOBER 28

SO IT’S OFFICIAL YALL. I’M GOING TO GERMANY AND THE CZECH REPUBLIC FOR 7 WEEKS ON OUTREACH! wooohooooo!!! SO STOKED. seriously couldn’t be happier with my team/location. ITS SO PERFECT. God placed every single person in the right place. No doubt about it. For example there are 6 people in my team, which is perfect for traveling in Europe..however, 14 people were called to go to India. I would absolutely hate having a team that big, but everyone that on the India team LOVES the large size! Just little things like that proves his guidance here.

So this week we just learned about a lot of foundational things. Such as devotionals, mediation, and what it means to be a disciple. Did you know that being saved and being a disciple are two totally different things? God calls us all to be disciples but it’s amazing how few Christians actually go do that. To be a disciple we must walk in the footsteps of Jesus, we must enhance the earth. To be fully devoted to Him is to basically “hate” yourself. This is because the true commitment to God is so strong that our own pride absolutely ruins what God calls us to do. The only thing worse than dying is a wasted life. To be a disciple is to be disciplined. Salvation costs you nothing, but discipleship costs you everything.

Anyways, this week absolutely flew by. On Friday night we had a graduation for the school of digital filmmaking here. After it was over, some friends and I went into the city and just walked around and got coffee. On the way back to the train, these two guys were asking people walking by if anyone had a lighter. I had one, so I stopped and let them use it. As I said “you’re welcome.” They noticed I was American. Then came the inquisition of where I’m from and what I’m doing. As I explained I was from Texas, they kept going on about how “f-----d up” they were. I just listened as they went on and we started talking about music and what not (they love steve aoki too! :D). Then we realized we were taking the same train home so we sat next to each other and talked some more. We actually had a lot in common, so they were really easy to talk to. I was able to just love on them like Jesus would, and eventually the subject of YWAM came up. I got to share my testimony and tell them what being a Christian really is and how God has been working in my life. THEY ACTUALLY LISTENED AND ASKED QUESTIONS! It was so awesome! One said “Dude Jesus like washed peoples feet and stuff? THATS SO COOL.” hahahaha. I added one of them on facebook and I’m gonna try and keep in touch. I freaking LOVE opportunities like this. I’ve only been here a month and God is already giving me chances to make a difference! Well, I really have a lot of homework to do. So I must be off to get all that done. HOWEVER, being called to Germany is a VERY pricey outreach, so if you feel led, PLEASE donate. It’s really hard to be a missionary if the funds aren’t provided. So even if you can’t give anything, if you could just pray for me and that God will provide, that would be awesome! Cheerio!

<<<<<<< TEAM GERMANY!!! :D

OCTOBER 20

So this week we learned about hearing God’s voice. We had this amazing speaker, Jason Solari. It honestly didn’t even feel like we were in class because he just told stories that applied for all the lectures. He really made me think about how selfish I really am. This week I think I’ve probably changed the most. God gave me TWO visions this week! HOW CRAZY IS THAT!? Also, we found out our possible outreach locations: Peru, Germany/Czech Republic, Malaysia/Indonesia, Russia, or India. I’m not allowed to say yet where I have decided on....but I know God is definitely going to use me in this place!

I’ve grown SOOOO much closer to all the girl’s I’m living with.. It’s amazing how real and deep we can all be with eachother. Like I’ve really never had such close friends, and I have about 15 of them! They are already like sisters to me! Our friendship’s aren’t fake or superficial either. We’re all really there for eachother and encourage one-another. I’ve never had friends like these before.

On Friday night, we had a birthday party celebrating all the September and October birthdays. We all dressed up as “when we were little, what we wanted to be when we grew up.” It was hilarious seeing all the different costumes. I wanted to be a pop-star, so naturally i dressed up as a (modest) Britney Spears. It was fun to just be goofy and dance around with my new family <3.

ANYWAYS CAN I SAY I AM SO EXCITED TO GO TO MY OUTREACH LOCATION! I wish I was allowed to share it, but no one here knows where anyone else is going yet, so I can’t. :/ But we are all sooooo antsy to find out our outreach groups and where everyone is going!

RANDOM PARAGRAPH SOWEY. I really miss my cats....so if you want to mail me a cat, you should do it. It’s getting realllly hot here also, so that is getting annoying. I spent a lot of money of food this week since I’m getting tired of chicken and rice everyday lol. Bought some yogurt, cream cheese, oatmeal and brown sugar, some apple-mango juice, some cheesecake, chips&salsa, and some coca-cola. Well, I have heaps of homework to do and I also have to finish this book we’re supposed to read, so I’ll write when we’re allowed to release our outreach locations!

P.S. could really just some donations :/ (link is at the bottom of this page)

OH AND ANOTHER PHOTOGRAPHY ASSIGNMENT BASED ON PROMISES! (this one is God's promise of forgiveness!)

OCTOBER 14

THIS WEEK WAS SO AMAZING.

We had this speaker, Michelle Skorski come in and speak to us all week. She is from Florida, and is on a Christian radio station there. She was sooooo insightful. Seriously this woman has an amazing relationship with God and his love was definitely shown through her this week. She spoke on the “Father heart of God.” We learned a lot about forgiveness and just the attributes and lovingkindness God has.

This week was actually a little rough though. Almost all my friends from home are guys, so it’s pretty difficult living in a room with 11 other girls. Especially since we all have such different personalities, it gets a little frustrating when I just want to be alone or with all my “bros.” I miss my friends from home a lot, but it’s fine. It’s really good to learn to adapt to all different sorts of personalities.

Got to talk to a couple friends from home this week for a few hours each! Was great to share how my life is changing with them, and how accepting and open they were to listen to me. I am so blessed with such amazing people in my life :)

This week I’ve really just been working a lot on letting go of all anger and bitterness, and focusing on humility and selflessness.

Friday night the whole YWAM base here went into the city of Brisbane to evangelize. Some pretty traumatic things happened, and quite a few of us witnessed a tragic death, so if you could all pray for that man’s family, and those of us that were affected by what happened, that would be great!

Saturday I went into the city again with a couple of friends to go to this man-made beach and pool. It was SUCHHHH a beautiful day! It was also nice to just lay out in the sun and just relax after a long week of lectures. We also went and saw the movie “Taken 2.” It was really fun! There was about 20 of us, all speaking in different accents so we got quite a bit of funny looks from those around us at the cinema.

Alsooooo, since there are so many musicians here, I am learning how to play guitar! It hurts a looooot because I don't have calluses on my fingers yet, but I'm getting there! It's really something I've wanted to learn for a long long time so I'm glad I finally get to! Maybe eventually I will buy my own guitar (if the finances are provided!) Because it's something I'm realllly enjoying and I know I can use it in so many good ways! :)

Anyways, it was a great week and I am very thankful for just being here in Australia! Oh and some of the food was a lot better this week, (lots of mexican food!) the main cook here is from Arizona so he likes to make a lot of mexican food. This week was his birthday and I wrote on his birthday card thanking him for bringing some home food to australia, and the next day he gave me a jar of his home-made salsa! WHAT A GEM :)

OCTOBER 9!

DANG. this week has been crazy. we had our first week of lectures which was about God’s character and nature. I’m learning sooooooooo much, it’s insane. Every lecture is so eye-opening. It’s not like sitting in a bible class at school, or like a boring church service. The way they do things here is so different...so perfect. In my photography class, we have a project running about God’s promises to me. I haven’t picked up my camera in SOOOO long, it felt so great to start taking pictures again, and to be reminded of the talent God gave me! I am becoming so close to so many people here! It seriously is the only place I have felt truly cared about. I’ve never met so many people that genuinely care about me.

The food still sucks, but that’s ok. I made queso and chips for everyone here, it was gross though, yet everyone liked it but me...? I guess that’s because i actually know what good queso is supposed to taste like! I also bought some easy-mac :D.

OH AND THE COCA-COLA HERE IS MADE WITH PURE CANE SUGAR HECK YES! so gooood.

Some girls and I went to the Gold Coast this weekend! The beach was beautiful and it felt so awesome to spend a whole day with girls I absolutely adore! Seriously it’s like if I went through a crowd of people and interviewed them all, the girls I live with are the one’s i would have picked to be my best friends!

I’m truly happy here, and am learning SOOOOO much! I feel like I’m finally back on the right track!

Here is my photography project, and also some pictures from the beach! :D

this first project is about God's promises and what he has promised to me, through my name meaning. Jaeci means "God is my salvation," and salvation means "to protect from harm/risk." So these three are about the way God has rescued/protected and saved me. interpret how you wish ♥ PSALM 28!

annnnnnnnd surfer's paradise, gold coast!

september 30!

beautiful.incredible.amazing. australia. ah, i literally just got goosebumps typing that word. i’m in love with this place. it is absolutely amazing. i got to the ywam base about 6 days ago, and have had an awesome week. i have the most incredible girls that i’m living with. everyone has such different talents, it’s so cool. we have so many musicians in our room, so everyone is always singing and playing the guitar. we are all so artistic, but share the same heart and love for Jesus. it’s crazy because i hardly ever get along with girls. i usually cannot stand them. but these girl’s that i’m living with are amazing. each and every one of them is so beautiful in so many different ways. i can already call them my sisters. anyways, here on the base everyone is so friendly. when i got here, i had to tell literally 70 different people (usually at different times) my name, where i’m from, and what track i’m taking here (photography). oh goodness, did i mention how much public speaking i have already had to do? in front of the whole school, (about 100 people) i had to introduce myself on a MICROPHONE. if you know me at all, you know public speaking is something i absolutely cannot do. also, everyone in my class (music, art, and dance) all sat in a circle and over two days we all shared our testimonies. it was awesome to see the different lives/backgrounds of everyone. it’s crazy to see how many people have struggled in the same ways i have. i honestly came into this program thinking i wouldn’t be able to admit to my past and that everyone would be goody-goody’s. how wrong was i! it’s so incredible to know that each and every one of us have such different backgrounds and different experiences we have dealt with, yet God has called us all to do the same thing for him. for example, the girl i’ve become closest with here is from switzerland. we have so much in common, yet we have lived on opposite sides of the world our entire lives. carrying on…the food here at the base kinddddaaa sucks. haha, not gonna lie. but it’s fine because they give us the freedom to walk down the street and we have a bunch of options just like 4 blocks away. there’s even a mall about 7 blocks down the road with a target, cotton on, grocery store, the store called “city beach” which is like pac-sun, and SO MUCH MORE. seriously in the mall it feels just like america haha. okay…so the city of brisbane…. BREATHTAKING. i’m in love with it. there’s a river that runs through the city, and when i say river i DO NOT MEAN LIKE SAN ANTONIO RIVERWALK. this river is HUGE, and sooooo beautiful. in the city at night, i went and saw a light show that they did above the water, and it was amazing. also, the city is SO ME. like, there are a bunch of clothing stores, and they are ALLLL my style! it’s crazy! and every store i went into was playing dubstep/electronic music. it’s like i belong here haha. anyways, it’s just amazing how much i can see God working in my life here and everyone’s lives around me. seriously i have never met a group of such faithful, loving, and accepting individuals. i am SO EXCITED to get to know my family here even better. i know i’m going to change so much, and i honestly cannot wait for it. although there are deadly spiders, and disgusting bugs, and did i mention lizards living in our dorm…i think i’ll get used to it. this place is amazing, and i can feel the presence of God here, every second of every day. i love and miss each and every one of you, and i will try to blog whenever i get the chance!

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