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.
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.
11 comments:
Hey Jess! Its so great to hear from you again! I have been missing you tons already. Just the other night I had a dream about you. at youth group last night, melody started wondering where you were...then she remembered. lol. but i am so glad to hear you are doing good. i know it must be tough but im happy that you can feel God right next to you. Ive been praying for you and we are all thinking about you lots! so are u able to email and everything now? let me know! big hug!
oh, by the way jess...you should look at my blog again. i put pix on it and its really exciting! www.underdog4jc.blogspot.com. love you!
Hey Buddy!!! It's so good to hear from you again! Your new house sounds awesome! I'm glad things are going well. Haha, does the coffee taste as good over there? The coffee shop in Autlan sounds great. And hooray for a volleyball court! Do the other kids play volleyball at all? It snowed Sunday, but not enough to stick or anything. So when do you get a phone up? Let us all know! We love you so much Jess! Can't wait to hear from you again!
Hey Jess. Es Levi. Just out of curiosity, are you usa a Mac or PC to access los internet? If a mac, then tú can do accented letters by typing option e and then the letter. It would look like ´ at first, but then after you press the letter, it would looks like é or á. So you can write futbol as futból. Pero, you are probably no en una Mac, so this advice is probably useless. lol
(If you can't understand this, after language school, come back and read it again)
Tú can also to tildes (˜) like on ñ by typing option n and then the letter to tildetize. lol
Hi Jessica,
Grandpa and I are trying to figure out how to blog. So this is a test run. We loved your blog. Talked to your dad yesterday, sounds like you are all doing well and already making new friends. We love you. Grandma Dix
D:
that sounds better than salem....
Jess,
One question, How do you think aout so much to write. My messages are short and boring if you havn't noticed. I will keep praying for you and your family and I'm glad you guys are adapting well. I love you,
Koryn
Hello!!!!!!!I am soooo exctied for your new blogspot!!! YAY! Lol.
I am so happy to hear mostly everything is going well for you in Mexico. I am also very happy to hear that our prayers seem to be answered in a way that is pleasing to us and not just God in that you can be away from pretty much everything you have ever known and still feel God right next to you. I am very excited to hear about your house and neighborhood. You are putting up pics of them, right??? And please let all of us know as soon as you can when you will be able to email, AIM, and call. I love you so much. Can't wait to read your next entry!!!!!
XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO, Kelsea :)
P.S.
Please wish Morgan a late happy birthday for me and tell your family hi for my dad and I.
Love you.
O, I for got to add that my dad and I have set up our own website with blogs, pics, etc. So it is not ready yet but check back in a few days(i will update when it is done) and check it out. And if anybody else is reading this comment please also check it out (remember- it won't be ready for a couple of days). The website is seanbanksfamily.com
hi jess. I figured this wissahicken out... aren't you proud of me? I'm feeling lots of pressure to conform now - you got a blog and hannah got a blog. Now, I want to get a blog!!! I really enjoyed reading your post. I'm glad you found a house and that you get to have your own room. What fun that must be! Stink - I wish I could just talk to you face to face. I want to ask you so many questions and tell you so many things. I just want to talk and laugh and not be sad. Oh well. I saw the picutre of your house in the bullitan today - it looks awesome! I really want to go on the Autlan trip, and I'm praying that God will provide the money. But either way, His will is perfect. Here's some verses for you from Psalm 20. They communicate my (and all of our) prayer for you: "May He geve you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed. We will shout for joy when you are victorious and will lift up our banners in the name of our God." I love you, Jess. I'm trying not to be selfish by wishing you were here or I was there. You're where God wants you, and I'm where He wants me. BIG HUG!
p.s. did you open my present? Hope you weren't too disappointed after all that anticipation.
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