My Song

So any of you that know me know that Relienk K is my favorite band in the whole world. I have almost all of their cd's and I listen to them just about every day. Just a few days after we left for Mexico, Relient K was having a concert in Salem and I was totally bummed that I couldn't go. I decided that since I couldn't be with all my friends at the concert, I would listen to all of my Relient K cd's on my ipod that evening. I was listening to Relient K's first cd and I had just got it recently so I hadn't got all of the songs memorized yet. A song came on towards the end of the album and I really liked the lyrics. The lyrics say " It smells so sweet outside today. The sun smiles down, I'm in the shade. I sit and think about all my friends and how good they are. But when today is yesterday, I know that things won't stay the same. But I know that the memories won't go too far. Round and round the world will turn. Lessons taught and lessons learned. Jesus gets through the good and bad times. And lets us know that everything will be just fine. A year's passed since I wrote this song. A lot's gone right and a lot's gone wrong. But I know that Jesus has been there right by my side. And I see the sun still shines. It shines outside and in my life, and I know that everything is gonna be just fine."
This song fits in perfectly with where I am at in my life right now. I love Relient K and I love this song!
This is my song.

Hola From Mexico!

Hey Everyone!
Wow, so much has happened since we have left I don't know where to start...
We arrived in Guadalajara last Wed. November 5th. (Jensen...that is where I live in Mexico, Guadalajara.....just in case you wanted to know) We stayed at some peoples house that go to the language school for a few nights while we looked for a house to rent. The family that we stayed with has two kids, Zane who is 15 and Vanessa who is 13. It was really cool for Brent and I to get to know them, and it was really cool for me to just be able to hang out and get to know kids my age. After like three days we found a house. We live in an Oregon Ducks mansion! The outside of the house is painted bright green and yellow. I have my very own bedroom with it's own bathroom; I haven't had my own room since I was like four years old so I am very excited about it. A lot of the walls are painted bright mexican colors, orange, yellow etc. We have unpacked a lot of our boxes already and it is beginning to feel like home.
We took a trip to Autlan yesterday and we will stay here for about a week. (Jensen...Autlan is where I will live after we go to language school in about nine months....just in case you wanted to know) We are staying at the training center and having a great time. Today is my sister Morgan's 7th birthday so we are having a little party for her this afternoon.
I love Guadalajara, I am already sad for when we are going to have to leave there. There is a lot of kids that live on our street and they are always wanting to play futbol with us. There is a really big, nice park around the corner to our house that has a volleyball court and all sorts of stuff so I will be able to go and play volleyball anytime I want!
Last night we got to go to La Roca, which is a coffee shop that some of the other missionaries in Autlan run. Not only do they serve coffee at this shop, but they also teach free english classes to the mexicans using the Bible. Last night when we were there we got to sit in on two of the classes and it was very fun. La Roca will be one of my main ministries once we move here to Autlan. My dad and I will actually be teaching the level one english class as soon as we move here. I am really excited to be able to get involved with that.
I watched the movie that crosswalk made me the other day; thank you VERY much! It meant so much to me...I laughed, I cried and I loved seeing all of your faces again. Thank you so much!
Even though I get to drink Manzana Lift just about every day, enjoy the great taste of traditional mexican tacos, move into a super cool house, adapt to a new culture and meet new people, I have to say that it has not been easy. I feel alone a lot and I miss my friends a lot. Feeling sad the other day, I was looking through my summer of go notebook remembering all of the fun times I had on the missions trips this summer. While I was looking through it I came across something that really encouraged me. I came across my lesson outline that we had to make on the salem missions trip for the movie Miracle. I started reading and my main passage that I was talking about in my lesson was Romans 12; being a living sacrifice. I read through the first part of the chapter and I just love the first two verses. Those verses say: " Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of Gods mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God-this is your sprirtual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will." Even though times are tough as I adjust to life in a different country, I know that God will always be at my side. He will be the eagle flying over me as I am in the shadow of His wings.

Jessica

Hey, Jessica here, I hope that you will enjoy keeping up to date with what I am up to in Mexico by checking out my blog every so often. I will be posting pictures and prayer requests, as well as letting you know about other stuff that is going on with our missionary work in Mexico....and of course some other random stuff just for fun. Have a good time looking around!