Blog Time

I guess that whole "updating my blog weekly" thing didn't work out so great. haha...oops.
Life here in Autlan has really picked up the past few months. I am now teaching four of my own English classes each week at Jazz Gym, the dance studio I attend. I am teaching some of the girls in my dance class, as well as my dance teacher and two of her daughters. I am praying that I can teach them more than just English, but also about the love of Christ. I'm still teaching level one at La Roca with my dad, as well.
I have dance class three times a week, and even though I'm still not that good at it yet, I am really enjoying it. I have become good friends with a lot of the girls in my class, and we have lots of fun together.
I help out at La Roca on Wednesdays and Saturdays in the kitchen, waiting on tables, helping make the coffee's etc. I really enjoy hanging out there. It's a great place to hang out and have fun, as well as get to know the community. I'm always meeting new people when I go in there, and constantly seeing familiar faces as well.
Please continue to pray for our ministry here in Autlan. For our unsaved friends that we are trying to share the love of Christ with, and the youth group at our church.
Seriously, life goes by so fast here. My life is pretty busy, between school, dance, La Roca, and everything else, I keep myself occupied. lol. I can't believe we moved here six months ago. I love Mexico. :)
Dios les bendiga, Jess

Jazz

Shortly after we moved to Autlan in August, my sister Morgan joined a ballet class at a dance studio here. I saw that there was classes offered for my age, so in October I thought I would give one a try and see how I liked it. I went into the class for the first time not really knowing what to expect, but I had no idea what I was getting myself into. It was totally hip-hop, high school musical type dancing. When my mom picked me up and asked me how it was, I told her what it was like, she just laughed. Everyone else I told about it that knows me really well laughed too. It is totally not something I would normally do, but for some reason I still really enjoyed it. I decided I would try it out for a month, and if I didn't like it I would be done after that. Even though I wasn't very good at it, I still enjoyed it for the most part.
I soon heard that we would be having a performance in December, and didn't know what to do. A performance? Are you kidding me? I didn't want to just quit, so I decided to do it even though I was pretty sure I was going to do mess everything up, just by doing the one song I knew.
On December 6th, was the first performance. I decided I was going to have fun even if I did mess up. I did almost all of the songs in the routine, and only messed up one time, well that was really noticeable anyway... :)That night was the funnest night I have had so far in Autlan. Even if I wasn't the best one in our group, it didn't matter. I got to know the girls on my dance team much better that night, and we laughed and had lots of fun together. It wasn't awkward to hang out with them, it all seemed so natural. It reminded me of all the fun times I had with my friends back in Salem.I am excited to develop a better friendship with the girls in my dance class. I hope that I can share the love of Christ with them and make a difference in their lives.
We have another performance on December 18th on the stage downtown, I'm excited. :)
Enjoy the pictures. I will post more after our performance on the 18th.

Thankful for the Stars

Almost every night I find myself staring up at the never ending beautiful sky above me. Being captivated more and more every time I take a minute to look up at the stars.
We have a big open courtyard at our house, at night it seems like you can see every star in the entire sky by standing out there. It continually reminds me how small I am compared to God. Each star is a gift, to show both how powerful the creator of the universe is, and how much he loves me. I think I as well as most other people in the world, forget to look at the small things God blesses us with each day.
The other day I was doing my Bible study on my bed. I keep a list in my devotional book of people and things I want to remember to pray for. When it became time for me to spend some time in prayer with God, I realized that almost every single one of the things on my list was asking God for something. I pray for those things every day, and I didn't even realize that there were barely any things on that list I could thank God for until then. That doesn't make them bad things to pray for, but I was forgetting to thank God for the things he already has done for me also.
When you are in a big city, if you look up into the sky, the stars are much harder to see. Why? Because of all the city lights. However, if you are out in the country and you look up at the stars, it is like looking up at a completely different sky. There isn't all the city lights, all the distractions, blocking the view of what is really out there. We get so caught up in life asking God to give us more and more that we forget to thank him for all the things, big and small, that he gives us every day. Don't let the city lights block your view of the beautiful gifts God blesses you with. Next time you look up into the sky, thank God for the things he has given you and be reminded how powerful our Heavenly Father is.

Packages Wanted

Hello all my dear friends! Just thought I would let you know, my grandma just sent my mom a birthday present and it only cost $3.00 to mail here to Mexico. Hint, hint....we would love to receive a package from you! :) Our address here is:
Monte Alban 107
Colinas Del Sur
Autlan, Jalisco 48900
MEXICO

Twilight

I am sure you have heard the buzz going around about the book series "Twilight". Pretty much all teenage girls are reading them, and that is all their conversations seem to be about anymore. I have to confess, I am addicted to these books too. I just finished the second book, and I am super excited to get the third and fourth ones. I can't buy them in English in Mexico, so I am a bit behind, but they should be arriving in the mail soon.:D When I first heard about the books, and then heard what they were about, I thought all my friends were going crazy. I mean, come on, vampires?! But after I started reading them, I couldn't stop! After a while they become more than just a story you read when you are bored. Stephenie Meyer has done an outstanding job writing these novels. They aren't like most books you would find on the shelves at Barnes and Noble these days. They are different, unique. I think people really enjoy them for that.
A movie is coming out on November 21st based off of the first book. I can't wait to see it!
If you haven't read the Twilight series yet, you need to read them! They are amazing. Especially if you are a teenage girl, you will love them. :)