It's Official!

IT IS OFFICIAL!!!!  I'm Going to Serve, with Wycliffe Associates, at Oaxaca Christian School, in Mexico, for 7 Weeks!!! 

I wanted to share all the details I know with each of you!  But, since I am leaving in just two weeks, there's no way I can speak with each of you. 
So, I created a Partnership Letter, filled with details.  You can read it (and print it) by clicking HERE.

I also created a Prayer Card, with the trip dates and specific prayer requests about this trip.  My intention for this Prayer Card is that you would have it hanging on your fridge, or in your office, or put it in your Bible ~ somewhere that you will see it daily and remember to pray for me. Prayer is SO powerful & is really needed when on a missions trip!!  You can view it (and print it) by clicking HERE. 

Lastly, there's a Partnership Response Card, provided by Wycliffe Associates.  This is for anyone who is able to financially contribute to this trip AND who wants to receive a receipt, for tax purposes.  To print this Partnership Response Card, click HERE.   

I have been told that I will have access to high-speed internet while I am in Mexico.  So, it is my intention to regularly update this blog with stories and pictures from the trip. 
STAY TUNED!!!  Feel free to comment on this blog and feel free to share it with others.  :)

Also, feel free to email me while I am away...I cannot explain how wonderful it is to hear "from home" ~ share whatever you like = words of encouragement, prayer requests, updates on your life... 


THANK YOU for ALL you are doing, to partner with me as I minister in Oaxaca, Mexico!  Thank you for your prayers!  Thank you for your financial donations!  Thank you for sharing the news with others!  “You are the world’s light…You glow in the night for all to see! Don’t hide your light! Let it shine!  Let your good works shine so others will see them and praise your Heavenly Father.” Matthew 5:14-16

If God Could Use A Donkey...

I want to encourage my brothers and sisters in Christ by reminding you that no matter where we’ve come from, no matter what we’ve done, and no matter what we’re struggling with right now, God can still mightily use us if we are available and listening for His direction!

Sometimes, we allow our enemy Satan to plant seeds of doubt in our minds. We think we are not good enough for God to use, or think we don’t have enough victory in our lives to testify, or even think that we don’t have an impressive enough testimony.
Personally, I have felt all those things at different points in my life.
Often, I just feel too sinful and full of weakness for God to use me, to bring others to Christ, or to work through me, to encourage others.  But, remember ~ Satan is a LIAR!

During those times that I do not feel useful for God, I remind myself of the Bible story from Numbers 22.  It is an interesting story about the prophet Balaam.  What ended up happening, is that to get Balaam’s attention, God actually spoke through the donkey!
YES, ~ the donkey talked!
Maybe even more amazing, is that Balaam did not hesitate to talk BACK to the donkey!
Seriously though, I figure, if God can work through a donkey, then He can certainly speak through me!

Many years ago, I wrote a poem about this, and I want to share it with you.  It's about men and women from the Bible who COULD have thought they were not useful to God.  HOWEVER, God did a mighty work in and through their lives anyway!

Use Me, Lord!
I was busy thinking…
“Can You use me Lord?
Lord, can you use ME?
What would You possibly use me for?
Sometimes I feel rotten to the core.
What good could I do for You?”
But then, God reminded me of some important Bible characters:
And NOW I say,
If You could use a “Divided David,” You can use me;
He was a murderer and adulterer, yet he was “after God’s own heart!”
If You could use “Teetering Thomas the Twin,” You can use me;
He doubted God, hence the blessing for those of us who believe without seeing!
If You could use “Persecutor Paul,” You can use me;
He once mocked God and persecuted His people, then wrote half the New Testament!
If You could use “Rehabilitated Rahab,” You can use me;
She was a prostitute, yet helped Israelite spies, and was an ancestor of Christ!
If You could use “Ancient Abraham,” You can use me;
He was way past his prime, yet God blessed his seed as the sands of the earth!
If You could use “Jittery Jonah,” You can use me;
He ran from God’s calling and will, yet with one sermon saved a whole city!
If You could use “Redeemed and Royal Ruth,” You can use me;
A foreigner who came from poverty, yet she became an ancestor of our Messiah!
Yes, thank You God for these reminders!
Thank you that no matter what I have done, You can still use me!
Please God, save me from the distractions of life, that I may better serve You!
Written by God and Jennifer Noll, September 22, 1998

I hope this will encourage each of you to daily resist those seeds of doubt; then, instead to recognize that God has a plan for your life.  It is a good plan!  It is a plan that includes working through you to bring others to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

You can begin just by sharing with someone else what God has done for you lately! Can you share of what He has taught you? Can you share what He has brought you through? Can you share how you have seen His hand of protection over you? Can you testify of His faithfulness in your life?  The answers should be: Yes! Yes! Yes…and Amen!

Remember, if God could use a donkey, He can use you too! 
So, don’t hesitate, start sharing the Good News!  Then, trust Him to bring about results!

Click HERE to read that interesting story of the talking donkey!

10 More Reasons to Get More Involved:

My first post challenged every born again believer to get more involved in missions.  But, I DO understand why many would hesitate to "sign up".  

It is true, not every single person is called to be a career missionary on a foreign mission field.  But, every one of us IS still called to be involved in missions.  Are you saying, "What does that mean?"  Well, I am glad you asked!    

We can choose to PRAY ~ for missionaries, for mission organizations, for people groups... 
We can choose to GIVE ~ of our finances, some needed supplies, words of encouragement to those serving, our time to volunteer help from home... 
We can choose to TELL ~ share God's heart for the nations with others, bring visiting missionaries into our churches, pass along specific missionaries' updates or missions magazines... 
We can choose to GO ~ use a week's vacation to go with your family, go on a 10 day trip with a church group, volunteer short-term for a few weeks to a few months, commit to 1 or 2 years, or become a full-time missionary.


Whatever way you choose to be involved in missions, you will be blessed and those you are serving will be blessed too!  Just choose to obey, it is SO worth it!  

Here are 10 more verses that are 10 More Reasons to Get More Involved in how God is working around the world:

1. So that the hundreds of people groups who do not yet have the Bible in their language would be reached.
Acts 2:5-11 “And there were living in Jerusalem Jews, devout men, from every nation under heaven. Every one of them heard the Spirit speak through the disciples in their own language/tongue the wonderful works of God…Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each in our own language in which we were born? …We hear them speaking in our own tongues the wonderful works of God.”

2. So that you will be fulfilling God's purpose for your life & enabling others to fulfill their purpose too.
Acts 20:24 “But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work given to me by the Lord Jesus. He has given me the work of telling others the good news about God’s kindness and love”

3. So that the thousands who have never heard the Good News of salvation may hear and understand.
Romans 10:13-15 “Scripture says, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’ (Joel 2:32) How can they call on him unless they believe in him? How can they believe in him unless they hear about him? How can they hear about him unless someone preaches to them? And how can anyone preach without being sent? It is written, ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’ (Isaiah 52:7)”

4. So that those who are serving will be encouraged in their walk with Christ and that others will see they can make a difference for eternity too.
Philippians 1:20-24 “I hope that I will always be ready to speak boldly for Christ…As long as I live, I can bring people to Christ.”

5. So that the name of Jesus will be praised in all the nations of the earth!
I Chronicles 16:23-31 “All you people of the earth, sing to the Lord. Day after day tell about how he saves us. Tell the nations about his glory. Tell all people about the wonderful things he has done…Praise the Lord, all you nations…All you people of the earth, tremble when you are with him…Let the earth be glad...Let them say among the nations, ‘The Lord rules!’”

6. So that all will have the opportunity to hear the message of salvation and choose life.
II Peter 3:9, 15 “God is waiting because He does not want anyone to perish…He is giving us time to get His message of salvation to others.”

7. So that people will be blessed as they are used of God to help the ministry of missionaries.
I Timothy 4:16 “Stay true to what is right. Then God will bless you and use you to help others.”

8. So that even young people will come to realize they can make a difference in the world, by teaching God's Word, and that the older generations would be inspired by the passion the younger ones have to reach others for Christ!
I Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Set an example for the believers in what you say and in how you live…Until I come back, spend your time teaching God’s Word.”

9. So that the prophecies will be fulfilled.
Revelations 5:9 = “And they sang a new song, saying: ‘You are worthy…for You were slain, and have redeemed us by Your blood out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation…’”

10. So that we can be assured that we did all that we could, and we will look forward with hopeful expectation to this view in Heaven:
Revelations 7:9 = “After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, with palm branches in their hands…”

Because He Said So!

As children many of us questioned “WHY” to things our parents said. Do you remember what was so frequently their answer? It was, “Because I said so!” That was that! There was no more discussion on the matter. They were in charge and if they said those words, “Because I said so” – you knew you had to choose to obey, or face the consequences. Even if you still didn’t understand their reasoning, their words were the final say.

You might be questioning, “Why would Jenn Noll be challenging ME to get involved in missions?” Or, you might be asking yourself, “Why should I even care about missions?”

The answer to that is Because He Said So!

People who have believed on Jesus Christ as their personal Lord & Savior believe the Bible to be the truth, the final say. A read through these 10 Bible verses will make it clear we all have a responsibility to help share the Good News with others, Because He Said So!

The Great Commission given by Jesus to “GO into all the world and share the Gospel” has not ceased! It was not just to go then, but to continue going for all generations & to all peoples. It is for some to go, for some to enable them to go, and for others to uplift their ministry in prayer!

You can choose to be involved in missions by Praying, by Giving, by Telling, & by Going….

I am challenging you to take the time to read these verses ~ then, decide if you could be more involved with missions.  Will you Pray?  Will you Give Finances?  Will you Tell Others?  Will you volunteer to Go?   

Psalm 67:2-4 “That Your way may be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations…Let all the peoples praise You. Oh, let the nations be glad and sing for joy!”


Jeremiah 1:9 & 10 “The Lord spoke to me. He said, ‘Today I am appointing you to speak to the nations and the kingdoms…I want you to build them up and plant them.’”


Jeremiah 22:16 “’He defended the cause of the poor and needy, and so all went well. Is that not what it means to know me?’ declares the Lord.”


Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the world’s light…You glow in the night for all to see! Don’t hide your light! Let it shine! Let your good works shine so others will see them and praise your Heavenly Father.”


Matthew 9:37-38 “The harvest is so big. But there are only a few workers. So ask the Lord of the harvest to send workers out into His harvest field.”


Matthew 24:14 “And this Gospel of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.”


Matt 28:18-20 “Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.’”


Mark 11:17 Jesus quotes from Jeremiah 7:11 and says that the temple was to be a house of prayer for all nations = “Then He taught, saying to them, ‘Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations’.”


Luke 10:1-3 “After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out…’”


Acts 1:8 “…You will receive power and will tell people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”