Speak for Me

I have waited long enough to start to share my time in Ethiopia with all of you. Some of you have patiently waited and I am truly sorry for keeping you waiting. I am finding it much harder to share my experiences with others than I had anticipated. I have plenty to talk about, but it's hard to find a beginning and an end to the experience because it doesn't have one. It has impacted my life, it is currently impacting my life, and it will continue to impact my life. I also find it hard to talk about because this experience is so much bigger than me...than all of us, really. I find it difficult to find the words to describe how I felt and what I saw.

I continue to think about lyrics to a song by Jaci Velazquez because it is exactly how I feel:

What have I to offer
To a world in need
Yet for some unknown reason
You have chosen me

Lord you have set my journey
You've prepared the way
Still, I'm desperate for the words to say

All I am is willing
All I have is in your hands

Every brief encounter
that you send my way
Is it just to show the love You gave me?
I see their troubled faces
A hunger deep inside
Lord, I depend on You to touch their lives

Light what burns within me
Let Your truth shine through my life

Speak for me
This my plea
Say the words I can't express
Sing for me
A heavenly melody
That the people will be blessed
Speak for me


I feel this way about telling my story to all of you...I have no words that make a coherent sentence...I don't have the words to express how I feel...I'm quiet about my experience because I want no pat on the back, I don't want someone to tell me "good job", I don't want someone to say, "what did you do there? Just try to not get aids?" (Yes, folks, I heard that one.) I don't want any glory because I did nothing while I was there. Nothing impactful for those people. I mean, I went there, spent a few weeks with them, came home and went on with my life and they went on with theirs. The people impacted me more than I will ever impact them.
I really don't have my own story to tell. My story is their story. The people I met in Ethiopia invited me into their lives and were so generous. I was completely refreshed by them and it was great to connect with people for who they are as a person...nothing more and nothing less...

So, with that, I will share "their story" which they have let become "my story". I will let them speak for me and let their truth shine through my life!

Much love,
Jen

You, you, you! Photo!

While in Ethiopia, my group and I heard children shout at us to take their pictures. They would point at us and come running when we would whip out our cameras. They would shout, "you, you, you...photo!" They were all natural models and they posed so perfect, without even realizing it. Please take a look at the pictures and enjoy. I still have yet to share my experiences with you, but for now I will let the pictures tell my story.

Yes!

I can't resist to post it on my blog, but I am engaged! I am engaged to "my man" of 2+ years. We got engaged the end of June, but with all the craziness of him leaving for Afghanistan (please keep him in your prayers) and me leaving for Africa, I kept it on the back burner. It has really hit me in the past few days, though, that I really am engaged...please don't ask me a date...I don't know :/
Anyways, I gotta keep it real, though...it's about Africa you want to hear about!:) Don't let your panties get in a bunch, I'll write about my time in Ethiopia! Ha!

Much love,
Jen E...one day I will be "Jen K."

In the States

I rolled back into town late at night on Tuesday. I took Wednesday off and hung out with my dog and watched the back of my eyelids for most of the day. I went back to work yesterday. I want to write about my experiences from my journal I kept while I was there in order for it to be a more coherent blog. However, I can't do it right now. I just wanted to let everyone know that I am back and I had a great time...that seems like such an understatement. Well, you will just have to stay tuned to find out why I think it's an understatement. :)
Once again, thank you for your prayers and your support. This trip was made possible by all of you and for that I am truly grateful. Please continue to pray for God to open my eyes to what I am to take out of this experience and to have the wisdom to discern what it is that He wants me to take away from it vs. what I think I need to take away from it.
Stay tuned for more...

Much love,
Jen

5...4...3...2...1...Blast off!

It's 12:30am...I am leaving in 6 hours to go to the Tucson airport. From there I will fly into Dallas. I meet my team in Dallas and as a team we then go to a hotel and have our first meeting and discuss the next few weeks, especially the next few days.

My team and I will leave Dallas on Wednesday morning and we fly into London, England. We spend the night in London and then arrive on Thursday into Addis Ababa, Ethiopia...yes!

At first, I was disappointed to be staying in London. I just wanted to get to Africa as fast as possible and I felt that it may take away from my experience. Well, now I am humming a different tune, because I am going to love having these next few days to think about the next two weeks. I have been so rushed these past few weeks with Matt leaving for Afghanistan, being newly engaged (1 week), me leaving for Africa, moving out of my apartment, and finding out that I will be leaving my current store to start another position at another store, I haven't had much time to think about the next few weeks.

I was rushing around a few days ago and I kept thinking about everything I had to do, and I remember thinking, "Lord, help me", but before I knew it, it changed to, "Lord, I trust you..." Folks, that is what is called the "Holy Spirit". I was so reassured by the simple, yet very significant, way of rephrasing my "needs"....

I do that so often in my life..."Lord, help me!"

"Lord, help that person."

"Lord, heal that person."

"Lord, I need you to do this, and this, and this, and this, and this, and this..."

Funny, but true.

I have been repeating that over and over again these past few days..."Lord, I trust you." It has done me wonders because I honestly don't know what to pray for...My mind is going too fast and I admit it that I have not spent enough time in prayer for the past week, but God knows our lives, He will find a way to reach us...not us reaching Him.

Don't you ever get tired of holding the reigns? You can't ask for help if you don't let go...

My faith is constantly tested, but yesterday, today and tomorrow I will trust Him. Do you?

Africa, here I come...hopefully I didn't forget to pack toothpaste...Oh well, "Lord, I trust you that I have packed my toothbrush!" :)