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!

Who Is In Control?

Having grown up just an hour from the ocean, I have many vivid memories of childhood trips to the Jersey Shore.

That was back in the day when you could just enjoy a day on the beach, instead of being consumed with today’s concerns. There was no such thing as sunblock. I had no fear of sharks or jellyfish or pollution. I didn’t care what others thought of how I looked in my swimsuit.
We just enjoyed ourselves in the sun, with the Coleman cooler of food, and fun in the ocean!
I remember:
* the excitement during our drive there, when we began to see sand along the sides of the roads.
* the slightly fishy smell as we stepped out of the pickup truck.
* hearing the sound of the waves, before actually seeing them crash against the shore.
* the feel of the hot sand between my toes.
* the taste of drying saltwater on my lips.
* sun so bright, I needed to squint to see anything, but no matter how hard I focused, I couldn’t see where the ocean met the sky.
* being amazed by how powerful the ocean was, when I would be knocked off my blow-up raft, get sucked under the water, and fight against the waves until my smiling face once again touched the sunshine.

I know that I am SUPER blessed to have had parents who took us to the shore, so we could have those experiences growing up!
Now, as an adult, I still love the ocean!

Because my sister & her husband live in Florida, this past year I was blessed to spend 2 weeks in Florida, on the ocean! The first week was with my teenage niece, Alexis. The second week was with my Mommy. I had a TON of fun, enjoying the ocean with them!

I still stand on the sand, amazed by the power and beauty of the waves!

I am still someone who goes to the beach to actually get in the water, because I still love bobbing around to the rhythm of those rocking waves!

I still drive away with a smile on my face, remembering a fun-filled day!

BUT, I also view a day at the shore much differently than when I was younger!
~ like getting a headache from the glaringly bright sun,
~ the grating sand inside your swimsuit that gets transferred to your car, your clothes, and your tub,
~ the inevitably burned skin and chapped lips,
~ the unintentional gulps of germy saltwater,
~ your bottle of ice water that too quickly turns the unappealing temperature of bath water,
~ the annoying birds that want to steal your sandwich…

All these memories (good and bad) came pouring into my mind today when I read Job 38:8-11. It says: God said, “Who created the ocean? Who caused it to be born? I put the clouds over it as though they were its clothes…I fixed limits for it…I said, ‘You can come this far. But you can’t come any farther. Here is where your proud waves have to stop.’”

Besides all my memories of the ocean ~ these verses also remind me that God is in control! Just like the ocean gave me both positive memories and not-so-positive memories, God being in control brings both wonderfully comforting thoughts and not-so-easy to accept facts.
     God is in control means He is at work in each of our lives!
     God is in control means He has a design for each of our lives!
     God is in control means He has given us everything we have!
Job 1:21 says, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I will depart. The Lord gave me everything I have. It was His to take away. Blessed be the name of the Lord!”
And, Job 2:9-10 reminds us, “…Shall we take only good things from the hand of God? Shall we never take any bad things?…We accept good things from God. So we should also accept trouble when He sends it.”
     God is in control means He doesn’t always give us what we want when we want it.
     God is in control means He allows things (or people) to be taken from our lives.
     God is in control means we don’t get to know what tomorrow might bring.
BUT ~ even in the midst of all this, He is still working in our lives and He is still in control.
These are lessons that He wants each of us to obediently accept, even before we understand.
So, because He knows best, we need to first CHOOSE to allow Him to have control! If we’re trying to run things, then we are living in disobedience.
As I reminded a class of middle schoolers this week ~ EVERY TIME we disobey, there IS a consequence! Every time…
Job 5:17-18 says, “Blessed is the man whom God corrects; so do not despise the discipline of the Almighty. For He wounds, but He also binds up; He injures, but His hands also heal.”
If we are living a life yielded to the Savior, we can look forward to blessings to come as He reveals His will for our lives! Blessed be the name of the Lord!

To my Brothers and Sisters in Christ ~ PLEASE keep me in your prayers!  Yes, I am still planning on going to the international mission field for another short-term trip.  Yes, I have been accepted by 2 missions organizations.  Yes, one of them has offered me placement.  BUT ~ I am still prayerfully seeking direction on which way I should turn... I am expecting a phone call this coming week with more details about another placement.  I am hoping that call will bring much awaited answers.  Meanwhile, I am still substitute teaching, trying to walk obediently, trying to daily surrender, and trying to accept that peace that passes all understanding!  So, please pray with me! 

“Marco!”…. “Polo!”

Lessons in Vision, Part Three

With my eyes tightly closed, I stood perfectly still and shouted, “Marco!”

Their response came immediately, “Polo!”

“Marco!!” I repeated.
“Polo!” THEY repeated.
I slowly walked forward, through the waist deep water, with my arms held straight out in front of me. From different directions around me I heard: giggles, whispers, and small splashes of the pool water… Where were they?

When playing that pool game, I'd say that it's MORE fun to be the ones “Marco” is trying to find than to be blindly searching for the others. Wouldn't you agree?


I am SO glad that we do not need to blindly search for God, like in that Marco Polo game! There are so many promises in the Bible that God is with us always, that He will never leave us, and that He will be found by us when we seek Him.
Those promises are always a huge comfort to read and remember!

Recently though, I was reminded of the story from Luke 24:13-35. It is about two followers of Jesus, who are walking along the road to Emmaus, just a couple days after Jesus was crucified on the cross. Verses 15 and 16 say that when they were talking about the events of the past couple days, “Jesus Himself came up and walked along with them. But God kept them from recognizing Him.”


So, sometimes, we do not recognize Jesus, even though He is right there with us!
To be completely honest with you, this is something I am recently walking through, in my desire to be more involved in world missions ~ my head KNOWS that God is still working in my life. But, I seem to be in a holding pattern, and find myself wishing God would just tell me which path He wants to walk along with me. It FEELS like I am playing “Marco Polo” with God ~ but, feelings lie!!!


What about you? Are you searching for God in the midst of it all? Have you been struggling through something? Are you calling to Him while wondering, “God, where are you?”
Two questions we need to ask are:
1. How often is Jesus in the midst of it all, in my life, and yet I do not recognize Him?
2. Am I looking FOR Him and TO Him in the midst of it all?


He is not seen in a downwards vision!
We will not see Christ if we are looking down in discouragement! Every day, we need to decide to look UP! This means we need to focus on our blessings and depend fully on His help! He is asking, “Are you going to quit, or are you going to trust me?” It is our responsibility to make the CHOICE to look up!
He is not seen in a backwards vision!
Some of us get stuck by the “good old days” or stuck by regrets from the past. Instead, only look backwards to see where He has brought us from and how faithful He has been. Then, He will help us become unstuck and be able to look forward to where He is taking us.
Jesus is seen in the attentive gaze!
We need to recognize and live connected to the fact that we serve a risen Savior! Every day, we need to make the choice to keep our eyes focused on Jesus and the truth of His Word. We cannot let distracting debris get in our way. He can give us victory over the spiritual attacks of the enemy! Whether we feel like it or not, out of obedience, our vision needs to be focused on Christ alone!
REMEMBER Hebrews 12:1-2 "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. We do this by keeping our eyes only on Jesus, the champion who began our faith and makes it perfect. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor at the right side of God’s throne."


So, I want to encourage you to LOOK FOR Jesus and LOOK TO Jesus in your daily life. What has He blessed you with? What has He protected you from? What doors has He opened for you? Who has he brought into your day that you can share Him with?


Ask yourself ~ Are you daily depending on His strength and His guidance?
Or, are you trying to do it on your own, finding your own way…blindly playing Marco Polo?

Where Is Your Focus?

Lessons in Vision, Part One

Have you heard this while driving? “Keep your eyes on the road!!!!” On the other hand, maybe you have shouted it at someone while you were a passenger?

I want to invite you to take a road trip with me for a minute here as you read…Ok, hop in! 

Now, if you picture what your eyes see while you are driving, there are three basic views:
1. Straight ahead of you is where you will soon be.
2. Out the side window is what you are currently passing by.
3. In the rearview mirror is where you have come from.


A safe driver is completely aware of what is happening all around them, while they stay focused on the road straight ahead.
Of course, it is also important to use those other views too. Rearview and side mirrors help you get ready to pass someone and help you to reverse into a parking spot. And, you look out the side windows before you make a turn.
But, IF a driver focuses on any one of those views for too long, they quickly become an unsafe driver!
Are you still with me?


Okay, so once upon a time, I had an inspiring poster that said:
My name is “I am” ~ Don’t look for me in the past, I am not called “I was” ~ Don’t look for me in the future, for I am not called “what will be” ~ My name is “I am”.
That poster was probably based on Exodus 3:13-15: God said to Moses, "I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.' …This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.”


For me, personally, this translates into:
1. It is not healthy to focus mainly on the past. There is nothing I can do now to change my past. There is no use regretting my past because it made me who I am today.
2. It is not healthy to focus mainly on the future. There is no sense in being worried about what is next, because we do not know what tomorrow holds. There is no way I can know God’s plans for every step of my future.
3. It IS healthy to focus mainly on today. I need to live one day at a time. I need to use these 24 hours to the best of my ability.


Hebrews 13:8 is the promise that “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.”
  * This means that the God who was faithful to keep Noah’s family safe on that ark will still be faithful to you and me!
  * This means that the God who forgave Peter, who had denied Him 3 times, will still forgive you and me!
  * This means that the God who lovingly chastened Jonah and gave him a second chance, will still act lovingly with you and me!
  * This means that the God who met the needs of the 5,000 with 5 little loaves and 2 fish will still miraculously provide for you and me!

I want to encourage you to check your vision!
Recognize, that although it is good to remember God’s faithfulness to us in the past and to be hopeful about His plans for our future, it is best for our focus to be on just walking in-step with Him today!
I know that no matter what challenging circumstances I might face today, it is my goal to keep focused on the promise that He is the same faithful, forgiving, loving God who provides for all our needs yesterday, today, and tomorrow!

PLEASE ~ continue to keep my ministry in your prayers!  I am still substitute teaching a day or two a week.  This week, I am scheduled for 3 days.  I am trying to be a Godly blessing to the kids and to the teachers.  That requires a LOT of dependence on God.  Thankfully, when we are weak, He is strong!  :)     

True Love From Above

For those in a relationship, Valentine’s Day is a special occasion that celebrates the love you have for your significant other. 

But, if you are single like me, Valentine’s Day can become a nasty, nagging reminder that you are all alone.  I heard a line in a movie today that said, “If we are all alone, then we are all together in that too.”

I've heard it said, "There's a God-shaped hole in each of us that no one else can fill."  God's Word reminds us that God IS love ~ and He created us to love and to be loved.  I Peter 4:8 says, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other. Love makes up for many of your faults.”

To keep all of us focused on True Love From Above, I am posting a poem that I wrote in 1999, followed by a few verses about love.  So, whether you are in a loving, committed relationship, or whether you are single and wishing they would just take Valentine’s Day off the calendar, I hope this poem and the verses are an encouragement to you!

True Love From Above

This year, to celebrate Valentine’s Day,

I want to take a moment now and say…

You, yes YOU, are a very special person!

No one else is just like you, no not one!

I genuinely care about what happens to you;

And I want to reunite with you one day in Heaven too!

So, during this special commemoration of love,

I’ll remind you how God sent down His Son from above.

“So that none would be lost, but would have eternal life.”

Jesus died, after much pain for you, He gave up His own life.

I hope you have chosen to accept this persona gift from Him.

There’s no better feeling that having your wrongs forgiven!

This here is simply one day our society has set aside;

Though we should daily tell others what we feel inside!

We are told to “encourage and lift up each other”

Whether stranger, parent, friend, enemy, brother…

God loves each of us the same no matter what we do;

He won’t love you any more or less, this is true.

Love is not merely a feeling, it is a choice!

Let’s express our love through actions, not just our voice.

The Bible tells us that “God IS love!”

So, let us show each other this true love from above!

Written by our Loving Creator & Jennifer Noll, February 9, 1999

*  Titus 2:7 You must be an example of good deeds of every kind. Let all you do reflect your love of the truth. Show that you are serious about it.
*  II Corinthians 3:18 We Christians have no veil over our faces, we reflect the wonderful things of the Lord. As God works in us, we become more like Him.
*  Luke 6:37 Never criticize or condemn. If you do, it will all come back to you. Go easy on others, then they will do the same for you.
*  Ephesians 4:29-32 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Say only what will help to build others up and meet their needs, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them…Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander. Stop all fighting and lying. Put away every form of hatred. Instead, be kind and tender to one another. Forgive each other, just as God forgave you.
*  I Corinthians 13:4-7 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.

PLEASE ~ put me on your prayer list, as I am still in the process of becoming a short-term missionary! 
I've been offered positions in 2 different countries from one mission organization.  I'm waiting to hear back from another mission organization.  And, I'm waiting to hear back from my missionary contacts in Guatemala, where I volunteered a few summers ago.  Please pray for wisdom, as I make some tough decisions.

The High School Yearbook

Lessons in Patience, Part Three

     Once upon a time, as a senior in high school, we were asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” We had to fill out this paper for the school yearbook with our future plans, the college we would attend, the career we would have…
     Last weekend, I got together for a game night with a few friends from high school. Just for laughs, I took along the yearbook from our last year of school together. We all glanced through it, giggling at the makeup, the hairstyles, the memories…
     One thing that really stood out to me, as I read through our “future plans” for our lives, is that most of us are NOT where we thought we would be! Like me, some went to different colleges than what we had planned for ourselves. Also, like me, some ended up in totally different careers than what we had planned. And some who didn’t plan to get married or have families, did – while, some who did plan to, actually didn’t.


My point is that clearly, life doesn’t always turn out the way we thought it would. Sometimes, that is a wonderful thing. Other times, it can be a challenge that requires us to be patient and to put our full trust in God.


     I think that for the rest of my earthly life, I will be learning lessons in patience. I also think I am ok with that, because it reminds me that I need to be dependent on God!
God said, “My grace is all you need. My power works best in weakness.” So now I am glad to boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ can work through me. That’s why I take pleasure in my weaknesses…For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10
     It is EASY to become impatient, as we look ahead to our future hopes and dreams! One thing I DO know for sure is that God has designed a plan and a purpose for each of our lives!
“For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the LORD.” Jeremiah 29:11-14
     Another thing I DO know for sure is that it is ok if things don’t happen the way we thought they would, or if things aren’t happening as quickly as we had hoped.
“My thoughts are not like your thoughts,” says the LORD. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts. Isaiah 55:8-9
     The truth of the matter is that God is faithful! Even if He seems silent, He is still working in our lives! Even if we are in a waiting period right now, He has not forgotten us! I believe every one of God’s promises! Do you?
“Understand, therefore, that the LORD your God is indeed God. He is the faithful God who keeps his covenant for a thousand generations and lavishes his unfailing love on those who love him and obey his commands.” Deuteronomy 7:9


SO, my friends, no matter what your high school yearbook said, no matter what your 5-year plan was, or is, just be still and KNOW that God promised to make all things work together for the good of those who love Him. (Romans 8:28)


I hope this was an encouragement to you ~ to trust and to be patient!


PLEASE ~ put me on your prayer list! I really need to walk in patience, as so many details of this next missions trip are up in the air right now. I need to be patient! I need to stay yielded, surrendered, and just trust that all things WILL work together for my good.