dearest brothers & sisters,

although i never say it on my tumblr, i am really grateful to have you all and rejoice in the fact that we can share our common interests and journeys through life here. i don’t like the clutter up my page with too many of my own words since i feel like the images and quotes i put up speak my heart far better than i can express it, but feel free to message me and talk to me on the back end.

i am writing to all of you today to let you know that i will be traveling to new mexico for a mission trip this summer with my church. though it’s not my first mission trip, it is the first one i will be going on with my church and the first since 2008. i am really excited to go on this trip because God has really timed this so perfectly.

last year, i struggled a lot with a lot of insecurities as i applied to medical school and was eventually rejected by each one. God revealed a lot of things to me during the process and has allowed me to fully surrender myself to Him and experience the power that comes in His name and the forgiveness and grace that He so freely offers. i feel a renewed sense of hope and purpose as i reapply to medical school again this year and would really like to take this year to serve His people and turn my eyes away from myself.

this past year, i also helped out with our church’s new youth group and it’s been an amazing journey to see each of our students grow so much just within this past year. a good number of them will be going on the trip with us and i’m so, so happy that they are. i can’t wait to see how God is going to show them who He is through all that they experience so that He won’t be someone that they just learned about at church but will become their best friend.

in new mexico, our team will be doing construction work, vacation bible study, feeding the homeless, and evangelizing to the Navajo people. the point is not to convert these people to Christianity but rather to be a blessing to them through God’s love. the Navajo people are very broken in spirit as their community struggles with a lot of alcoholism, broken families, and poverty. our team hopes to bring God’s hope into this community and to fill it with His love for them.

in order to go, i need to have both prayer and financial partners. so much prayer is needed for this trip because without God, our efforts are useless. so if you could all lift me and my team up in your prayers, i would be forever grateful. here are some prayer requests for right now. i will keep you guys updated as our trip nears.

• team unity: that as we get to know one another through our team meetings, Bible studies, and prayers that the Spirit would bind our hearts together as one and use each of our unique gifts for God’s glory.
• hearts for the Navajo people.
• spiritual protection.
• youth group students: a special prayer that their hearts would be ready for this trip and that they would be open to experiencing all that God has to offer them.

I also need to raise $900 to pay for the cost of this trip within the next 3 or 4 weeks. i would like to humbly ask for your donations from anyone who is able and willing to support me. if you would like to support me prayerfully and/or financially, please message me and i will give you more information as to how to do that.

thank you all again for being a part of my tumblr and i hope to get to know you all better soon.

blessings,
jena

mostly what God does is love you. keep company with him and learn a life of love. observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. he didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. love like that.
ephesians 5:1-2 (the message)