Randomness

A few random things to share with you:

1. I thought I was going to be a little bummed about everyone having Spring Break the week after me, but in actuality, it ended up making my Spring Break seem like it was two weeks long, which was wonderful. I spent some time at the beach, hung out with my family, and spent a lot of time with friends. It was absolutely fabulous.

2. I have been driving my sister's car the last couple of days while mine has been in the shop. I hope that every car I drive in the future has a sun roof, there is something incredible about opening a sun roof on a warm night and playing the music a little too loud.

3. I have received a bunch of checks this week for Uganda. I have now successfully paid for my plane ticket and my room and board in full. I'm about 2,000 short of my goal.

4. Very soon, I would like to have a day where all I do is sleep. I am oh so very busy trying to make my last 2 months at school memorable. It is exhausting.

5. Lastly, I feel like I may be having a mid-life crisis. Well, not really a mid-life crisis. If we assume that the average person lives to 80ish, then I would be at a quarter life crisis. That's besides the point. The point is, I realized my time left in the college lifestyle is down to about 2 months. My time before the real world is down to 1 year, 2 months and 3 days, but, who's counting? I want to accomplish a lot before this moment arrives, so in my usual list fashion, here is a list of things I would like to complete before graduation:

1. Take an oil painting class
2. Learn how to use a sewing machine and make some of my own clothes
3. Visit the Grand Canyon
4. Go on a roadtrip with the sunroof open
5. Wait tables
6. Take a photograph that is pretty enough to be framed and called art
7. Go to Vegas
8. Apply to be on a reality TV show.

I tried to round it out with an even 10, but that's all I have for now. Let me know if you want to help me overcome my quarter life crisis.

Living life,
Jenna

Update

My soccer team lost bad last weekend. Really bad. But the best part is? After the game, all the girls could do was talk about how much fun they had. They loved it and they have improved a lot, even during the game. That's what's important to me. I'm having a blast coaching them. In fact, practice is probably my favorite part of the week, and coaching their game was more fun than I've had in a while!

In the area of Uganda, I've bought my plane ticket, sorted out all my fiances, and applied for my visa. If you ever need to apply for a visa to Uganda, just know, they don't play around. I felt like I was applying for a new identity. There were so many different forms required I had to use one of those big Post Office envelopes to send it all. Anyways, cross your fingers that I get approved!

Speaking of fiances, I have been greatly blessed in the Africa department. For about a week after I mailed out my letters, I received a few donations a day, all totaling about 600 dollars. I was so relieved! Thank you so much to everyone who has donated!

Then, I started getting other letters back, not letters with money in them, but letters returned to me because the addresses weren't correct. In fact, for 3 days in a row, I only got these types of letters. And even though God had been blessing me a few days before, I immediately started to doubt Him again.

Why do I do this? I really need to figure that out.

Anyways, I think God constantly likes to remind me that he knows better than me, because here's what happened yesterday:

I got two envelopes in the mail from the same person, which I thought was a little weird. I opened one, and it was a 500 dollar donation from a woman my mom used to teach with. She has always had a very kind and generous heart, so expected a donation, but not one that substantial.

Then, I opened the other one. Not only did this woman write her own personal check, she told a friend down the street about me, and that woman made a 300 dollar donation. Note: I have never, ever met, spoken to, or laid eyes on this woman. I couldn't even come close to picking her out of a line up, and she still made such a substantial donation to my trip. I was floored.

Later that night, my Papa called and said that he would cover all the expenses of my trip that I don't get in donations.

I was moved to tears by the donations of family, friends, and complete strangers. My trip to Uganda is completely paid for no matter what happens. God has blessed me so much by putting people in my life that care enough about me to support what God has called me to do.

Odds are, if you're reading this, you are probably one of those people, so just know that everyday I thank God for you!

Counting my Blessings,
Jenna

Back Up Plans

Can I be completely honest with you? Sometimes, I tend to have completely unrealistic expectations of life.

For example, I sent my sponsorship letters for Uganda on Thursday, and a got some calls and texts from people who had received my letters on Friday. Logically, doing the time in my head, I figured that if people got my letters on Friday, and were just as excited about Africa as I am, they would have immediately written a check and mailed it back, meaning that today, my mail box should have been flooded with letters.

I had my thank you notes ready, and I even put a letter in the mailbox and put the flag up so I would know when the mailman had come.

So today, when I got home from school, and the fateful mailman had indeed come, I raced outside, opened my mailbox waiting for so many letters that they would, indeed, spill out, only to discover.....

Some ads.

I know it was ridiculous to think that letters would actually come. But like I said, I have ridiculous expectations from life.

So then, obviously I had a little freak out session. What if no one wants to sponsor my trip? What if people don't think a trip to Africa is a good idea and therefore don't want to support it? What if no money is coming? How am I going to pay for this trip all on my own?

I then do what I always do next. I created a back up plan. I do this constantly. If I don't meet the man I'm going to marry? I'm adopting a kid at 30. If I don't think I can pass a class I'm in? I start looking at other career path options in case I really do end up failing. Everything in my life has a back up path.

It's annoying. It's one of the reason I'm going to Africa. I depend too much on my back up plans and not enough on God, and its pretty hard to set up back up plans in a place like Uganda.

Anyways, I immediately rushed inside and looked up the credit line on my credit card and discovered that if I can save up just $500 from working, then I can charge the rest to my credit card, just in case no money comes in.

What a relief!

Until I was reminded of a passage that I read in Francis Chan's book Crazy Love. The quote that's really been sticking with me says "We try to set our lives up so everything will be fine even if God doesn’t come through." Chan talks about how truth faith is putting ourselves in situations that can only be successful with God.

Why do I always think that God is going to fail me? Why do I always believe that God, who loves me more than everyone else in the world combined, would not have my best interest at heart? Would not be looking out for me and His plan for me?

No more stressing out for me. It's all yours now God.

Giving Up Back Up Plans,
Jenna

An Update

Nothing much has been going on in my life lately. Its really just been school and work and wasting time (in a good way) with my friends and roommates. There are a few things going on I would like to share with you:

1. My friend Maxine and I have started coaching a U12 girls soccer team. We started having practices last week. I had a few kinks with one of the parents, but so far, other than that, its been a great experience. Most of the girls have never played, so its going to be quite a challenge, but the girls are really sweet and they try very hard, so I think this season is going to be blast!

2. I finally got all of my finance stuff ironed out for my trip to Uganda. I set up an account with First Baptist Church of Georgetown. I mailed out my sponsor letters today, and I am praying that I actually get some response back. I need to raise about $5000, so be praying that the people who receive letters will have open hearts to support me with money and prayer.

Excited my letters are on their way,
Jenna

Things to Do Before I Die-Feb.

Good news. I was able to complete several things for my list in January:

1. I got my yellow fever and hep A shots for Uganda. The lady that gave them to me was terrible. She gave me huge bruises on both arms. She was in training, so I don't hold it against her. The lady that was training her talked to me the whole time, and even massaged my shoulders. My breathing increased a little, but there were absolutely no tears. Yes, "Get A Shot Without Crying" was actually on my list of things to do before I die. I am a huge baby. I know.

2. I finally got a web cam thing with a gift card I had from Best Buy. This covered "Video Chat with Someone".

3. I also had auburn hair this month, which covered, "Dye My Hair a Color Other Than Brown". I know it wasn't that far away from brown, I'm not as adventurous as Kelsey.

I have also already crossed two things off my list for February.

1. This past weekend one of the girls in my group accepted Christ during our one on one time. It was awesome, to say the least, but it also covered "Pray with Someone As They Accept Christ."

2. Also, I am going to start coaching an U12 girls soccer team next week which covers "Coach a Soccer Team."

But even though I have already crossed some things off the list, here are a few more things I'm looking to cross off this month:

1. Ride in a hot air balloon
2. Play a round of golf
3. Sword fight someone
4. Ride a horse
5. Go skinny dipping
6. Ride on a train
7. Go to a rap concert and be the only white people there
8. Eat caviar
9. Sing karaoke by myself

Let me know if your interested!

Experiencing Life,
Jenna

I'm Already Crying

I don't know if this counts toward the pretend pool that never really started or not, but I already cried my first tears over Uganda. I got to talk to the volunteer coordinator on Monday and afterward, we became Facebook friends, mostly so I could look at her pictures from Africa. I got so stinking excited looking at the pictures of the children I could possibly minister too and the people I could possibly be serving with. Then, I found these two videos on her site. It talks about sponsoring a child in Uganda. One video is really just a longer version of the other.





I watched these videos like four times and I cried tears of happiness about how cool this summer is going to be and how much I am going to love love love loving on these children. Then, I watched this video on Zak White's (pastor of The Connection Church in Kyle, Texas) blog:



Obviously, I sobbed like a baby. Then, I noticed at the end of the video that Sam and Esther live in Uganda.

Even cooler? The hospital they end up at at the end of the video for physical therapy is one of the best children's hospitals in Africa. I'm going to be doing some volunteering and maybe even some occupational therapy at that very hospital this summer.

Just wanted to share that with you. I promise note every blog between now and June 1st will be about Uganda.

Such a crybaby,
Jenna

Uganda

So its officially official, I'm going to be spending June 1st-July 31st in Uganda this summer! I am beyond excited about going. I am also beyond nervous. I did, however, read a Twitter from Perry Noble that said if you aren't nervous about what you're about do to then it probably isn't from God, so I suppose my nervousness is a good sign. Obviously, I would really appreciate it if you would start praying for me and my trip now.

I figured a good way to start out talking about Uganda is explaining why I want to go. There are multiple reasons.

1. I spent a lot of time praying about this with God and I really feel like it is something He wants me to do.

2. I have always wanted to do a longer term mission at some point in my life.

3. I think something like this is the perfect close of the college chapter of my life and the beginning of the adult world portion of my life.

4. I feel like I need to get away from everyone and every thing in my life so that I can learn to fully rely on God and only God. Not God and my friends, God and my family, God and my comfort zone, etc.

5. I want a new perspective on life. I want to learn to really appreciate all the things that I have that I take for granted. I want to wake up in the morning and know first hand that the things I have in my life are not things granted to everyone. I want to know what its like to really live uncomfortably. I want to wake up and praise God for sheets, and cereal, and iPods, and AC and couches and really mean it.

I've already heard from many people, and I'm sure I will hear from many more that this trip is going to be hard. That its going to dangerous. That its going to be uncomfortable. Some people have even told me I won't be able to handle it.

Secretly, I like it. I hope its all those things and more. I hope its so hard that I cry and I get on my knees and I tell God I can't get through it without Him.

And then I hope He gets me through it.

So before you feel like telling me, just know:

I know this trip will be one of the most difficult things I ever do. I know its dangerous. I know its going to be hard. I know I'll be uncomfortable. I am even considering starting a pool for how many hours into the trip I cry. Let me know if you want in.

I also know this trip is going to change my life in a way that only God can. And that's why I'm going to Uganda.

Looking for Life Change,
Jenna