What's Up?

Hi All

The weather is actually slightly cooler in St. Kitts! Yay! Maybe it's the hurricanes :) Things are going well. Jason's schedule is better now that he has all the lectures finished. Eli and I are doing great. We have decided to keep him out of preschool/daycare this semester. So far, so good. We are both enjoying it. We meet with a parent's group at a pool once a week and usually make it to the beach a couple of times a week - tough life I know!

Jason seems to be settling in well at the university. We are attending a 2K/5K for the children's home later today and Jason will start sailing lessons next week. We are still snorkeling on the weekends. Maybe we'll get a sitter so we can scuba dive soon. The picture above is from a hike we did. Elijah had so much fun. So life is good. There are plenty of outdoor activities to keep us busy. We have also been able to keep up with Auburn football via ESPN. It's not as exciting as tailgating in Auburn but we are thankful to be able to watch the Tigers.

Bible studies are going well. We are always encouraged by them. There are several students interested in the Sudan trip in April so that is exciting also. I promised Jason to give Africa another chance, so here we go.

There are days in St. Kitts when I miss so many of my friends and wish I just had someone to talk to that knew me well. Sometimes I want the conveniences of home. This week there were bugs in the flour, bugs in the grits, bugs in the rice, mold on the melon, and a gecko in the sink. ARRRHHHH! That said we know God has placed us here and find peace in that. We are excited about seeing family in December though!!!

We try to live each day seeking God's direction here in St. Kitts but sometimes find ourselves daydreaming about other places. Of course with Jason, it's always Africa. For now God has placed us here and we pray that we will be guided by what God has planned for us here instead of always looking to what's next.

I am considering starting a master's degree online. You can pray that we would have wisdom in that. We certainly need to weigh the cost vs benefit but I feel like God keeps putting it in front of me. I will keep you posted.

War Eagle!

St.Kitts June 2010

OK, so I am finally posting an update. Sorry it took so long.

First, we aren't in the South anymore. I know, I know we are further south, but Southern hospitality and friendliness are not as prevalent here! We are adjusting well. Eli has a great preschool that he attends 3-4 hours most days. Jason's job keeps him busy. I of course stay busy with Eli, groceries, housework, etc. with a little swimming, snorkeling and friend time thrown in too.

We have met some awesome people here and are very encouraged by the student Caribbean Christian Fellowship. It is a great group of students with a heart for God. Those that know Jason very well know he is trying to get them all involved in missions. Many of them were active already. So to say the least the students have been a blessing to all 3 of us. We also attend "church" with the students and a few faculty. We watch pod casts from a pastor in Texas. For right now our main ministry focus has been the students which is where our heart is and where God has placed us.

Jason's heart for Africa hasn't changed. He just returned as excited as ever from a trip to Sudan. He and the team members provided some herd care and education as well as shared the gospel and planted churches. I agreed to give Africa another try and tentatively plan on returning to Uganda next year. I will keep you posted on how God changes and develops my heart.

We know that where we are is God's plan and that this is His mission field for us, but we can't deny that he has placed in us a desire to minister to, live with and grow with the poorer and unreached peoples of this world. The paralysis comes in when we consider where and when. So for now we will take it one day at a time, try not to forsake what is around us and wait for God's timing and guidance. We plan to continue short term trips to Africa and hopefully South American. Of course we want to involve the students and pray that God opens all of our eyes to where He is working and how we can us our talents and time for Him.

St. Kitts is a paradise. We have all that we need. Food is expensive. Gas is expensive. EVERYTHING is expensive. It is hot. Sometimes the mosquitoes are unbearable. We have no clothes dryer. We don't need one. The sun works just fine. Except when it rains... Our ice maker is broken, our dish washer barely works and the roof leaks in about 5 places. Other than that though things are great:) We live better than some, worse than others. But we live with the peace that we are where God wants us for now. People often comment that this is a baby step to less developed places. Maybe? Maybe God will keep us here for 10 years. Only He knows. Pray with us for the peace and prosperity of St. Kitts, that the students here would grow closer to Christ, that our lives would be a witness to bring glory to our holy, mighty and loving God.

For His glory,

Jennifer

St.Kitts it is!

OK, so first we prayed to get the job at Colorado State. Skiing, fun times right?? Denied. Door slammed. OK God.

Next. Ross University has an opening. We just so happen to meet another professor teaching there at Christian Veterinary Mission's Short Course. She encouraged us to apply, so we did. Then we got an interview. Open door. OK, but we really don't want to live there. We think about it for a couple of weeks -paralysis of analysis again :) I have been praying for God to open and close doors and for eyes that see and ears that hear concerning our next step in life for 6 months now. Since this door was open we decided to go. What did we have to lose?

The interview was great. The school was more than impressive. The views were breathtaking. The faculty was welcoming and interesting. The administration was accommodating. Very nice. Too bad we still didn't really want to go.

So, we started praying for Birmingham. Close to family, close to other ministry opportunities, close to friends, fun to be had by all. Jason go a couple of interviews in Birmingham just before Christmas. We were so excited. We just knew this was it. Wrong! One interview just didn't work out. The other interview went TERRIBLE. For those of you who know my husband, you know he doesn't have terrible interviews. To say the least we were broken, crushed.

So, more praying was in order. We were sad and upset and confused. By the way, at this point we have a great offer from Ross and they are waiting on an answer. We were very open and honest about our opportunities in Birmingham, but they were ready to get things going or move to the next candidate.

Jason and I prayed for a while that day after the bomb of an interview. This is what God said to me. Ezekiel 12:2-3 (paraphrased) ...you live among rebels who have eyes but refuse to see. They have ears but refuse to hear. Pretend you are being sent into exile. Pack the few items an exile would carry and leave your home to go somewhere else. WOW. OK, thanks God. Seriously. Don't we wish He would be that clear all the time? Or is He? I had been the rebel with closed eyes and ears. And while we aren't going into "exile" Jason and I were viewing it almost that way.

What now? I waited for Jason to pray and listen. God gave him Jeremiah 29:10-11 - you will be in exile then I will bring you home again. For I know the plans I have for you. We prayed together and felt that God has been guiding us to St.Kitts all along. Our desires sometimes get in the way of God's. Sure we say not my will but Yours, but this was an eye opener for us. We may say it but we certainly didn't mean it. What we meant was God give us what we want, when and how we want it otherwise we'll be upset. His timing is perfect, but the waiting is hard. For Jason and I our reasoning and over analysis always gets in the way. God just says listen to Me. We make it really hard though sometimes.

We know we'll face struggles, but we rejoice in obedience. We know that God is good all the time and the best place we can be is His will (not ours!). So we're sorting and running here and there and everywhere to get it all done. The tentative date to leave is Feb. 3. Our last day in Auburn will be Jan 14 or 15. We know it is time to move on, but we will miss all of our friends and our church. Feel free to visit anytime! I can't wait to share more about island life - good and bad.