He has a plan and purpose for ME!

This post has been stiring in my heart for a while now. I have been thinking and reflecting on where I am and what God is doing in my life right now. Moving is not something I enjoy and meeting new people is very scary for me however I know and believe that God has so much in store for not only me but also for this ministry.

My first Sunday as the Children's Pastor at The Rock Church was Father's Day. As that day approached my heart was beating so fast and questions kept running through my head....

Can I do this??

Am I equipped to run a ministry??

Will the kids like me??

Will the parents trust me with their kids and their spiritual growth??
Will the volunteers that already serve be open to me??
Will other people want to server along side me??
Will I be able to speak into the lives of all these kids??
Would my daddy be proud of me??
Did I make the right decision??

As I was sitting in one of the Sunday School classrooms Tami (the pastor's wife) walked in and asked me to come out of the classroom. As we walked out and into my office tears started rolling down my face. Tami prayed over me and as she was praying God softly spoke into my ear. "Jinny you being here on Father's Day was not on accident. I wanted to show you that what your daddy spoke over you so many years ago is coming true today." Then he spoke the sweetest words I could hear that day "Your daddy is proud of you Jinny and he loves you so much. We are rejoicing together and waiting to see what all you are going to do in the lives of the children at The Rock Church."

Those words touch my heart so deep that it is hard to even put the emotions that I felt into words. I truly wanted my dad to be here on my first Sunday and how cool is it that it wasn't only on Father's Day Sunday but that God spoke those sweet words into my ear that day.

I know that being a children's pastor is not always going to be fun or easy but I am in this for the race not the sprint. And I am so excited and honored to see what all God has in store for the future.

Sometimes.....

But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me so that the message might be preached fully through me and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His kingdom. To Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen! 2 Timothy 4:17-18

Over the last few weeks I have been feeling homesick. I know that I am called here to Scottsbluff, NE and I am falling in love with all the kids in this ministry. My heart is to see them know the love of Jesus and for them to want to tell all their friends about Him.

It has been over a month since I have been here and the honeymoon stage is over. It no longer feels like a vacation and it is beginning to settle in that I am here for good. I know that I know that I know that God has big things in store not only for the future of this ministry but also for my future. However there are times where I feel so lonely and like I am not equipped or prepared to be a Children's Pastor. I love kids and I love teaching them about Jesus but there are some days where I don't feel like I am worthy of even standing in front of them.

2 Timothy 4:17-18 is a verse that I am standing on in this chapter of my journey. I know that I am where I am suppose to be and I love it here however it is hard to think about what is going on back in Durango. I miss all my kids and my friends, sometimes here I don't feel like I am not good enough to make any new friends, like I am not someone people would like to be around. I know that this is not true but it is still hard to deal with. I know that all of this is a lie from satan but I needed to get my feelings out and allow myself to feel the way I am feeling so that I don't continue to shove it down and then one day it will exploded.

I continue to stand on the fact that God is with me and will never leave me. Thank you for letting me in a since throw up on you and tell you what has been going through my mind lately.

God Know's My Heart

Ever since I was a little girl I have always had a heart for handicapped children, and I have prayed that I would have the honor to minister to children with handicaps weather it be mental, physical, or even children who can't hear. (sign language has always been on my heart and something that I think is so beautiful) Okay that was totally a side note so on with my post.... :)

When I got to Scottsbluff I was welcomed with open arms by the whole church body and it was truly amazing to see how excited they all where that I was here.

Over the last couple weeks I have been working on memorizing all the kids names and making sure that I meet all of them. As I was meeting all the kids I got so giddy because two of the kids in the ministry have handy caps. So as I have been praying over the ministry and all the children I am ministering to, God has been impressing on my heart that He is the one who has put the desire in my heart to minister to handy capped children and that He has a big plan and purpose for putting the desire in my heart.

So let me introduce you to the first two precious ones.....

Benny is a 5 year old little boy who was hit by a car a little over a year ago and was seriously hurt. He is now mentally handicapped and has trouble walking. Let me just tell you that the first week this little boy had my heart. He is so smart and is such a fun loving little boy. I am so excited to watch and see what God has in store for this little warriors life.

Zaydee is a 3 year old little girl who has down syndrome. She is so precious and just lights up every room she walks into. She has the cutest smile and is always happy to be at church. I know that God has big things in store for her sweet life and she is going to do amazing things for Him.

Tears are filling my eyes as I think about these sweet little ones. My hearts cry is to see them know the love of our Savior in a very real way. I am so honored that God has called me to show them His love.

Thank you Jesus for this amazing opportunity.

Life in Nebraska!!!

So it has been a while since I have written anything so I thought that I would write a post before I go and get my chubbies kicked in work out class! :)

On Friday it will be a month since I have moved! Man how time has just flown by! I am a little home sick and miss all my family of choice back in Durango however this is starting to fill like home which is a good thing.

Since I have moved here I have......

1. Started to reorganize children's ministry

2. Started teaching children's church

3. Gone to Jam Camp (which is a whole other post .... coming soon!)

4. Made new friendships

5. Finally figured out how to get around town :)

6. Met and starting relationships with the people who already serve in Children's Ministry

7. Started building relationships and recruting new people for the ministry.

8. Got an intern that is AMAZING!

9. Spoke in front of the church twice.

And I am sure there is much more to come! :)

It has been a lot of fun getting to know people and meeting the kids. I am truly enjoying teaching the kids in children's church and watching them get it. We have been working on Romans 10:9 for the last few weeks and on Sunday all the kids could say the whole thing by them selves. It is so awesome to see kids hide God's word in their hearts.

I am really enjoying being here and I can't wait to see what all God has for me and this ministry!

If you would like to pray with me.... There is a house available that is really cute and perfect for me. It has two bedrooms, one bath, a full kitchen and living room. I would be able to move in August 1st and the price is really good. Please pray that God would continue to open the door on this house and that everything will go smoothly. The Land Lords are even Christians which is something I have been praying for.

Here I am Lord use me!!!

For if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Romans 10:9

Jam Camp 2010

A couple weeks ago I had the privilege of going to jam camp with 5 of the kids in my ministry! I have never been to jam camp before and always wanted to go! :)

Cynthia the camp director did an AMAZING job and it was an adventure to say the least! :)

I had 7 girls in my group, from 4 different churches, of which two of the girls where with me. On Monday when as the girls arrived we played games and painted nails in our cabin until all of our girls arrived. Once they arrived we designed our flag and headed out to explore the campus. It was all the girls but ones first time at camp. We had a great time getting know each other and a great first night at camp. After circle the wagons (story time) I tucked all the girls into bed and prayed over them, got myself ready for bed and was heading to hit the cootie cage (bed) but none of the 36 girls in the cabin where ready to sleep so we spent about 2 hours trying to get them all to go to sleep. Once I finally hit the cootie cage it wasn't long when all of the sudden one of my girls sat up in her bed and threw up all over the floor. From there we where up till 2 in the morning as she threw up 8 times. My mommy skills kicked in as I held back this little girls hair so she could throw up in the toilet as I tried not to throw up myself! :) We made it through the night and with lots of coffee the next morning we headed out to conquer Tuesday.

We had a great day and great nights sleep, thankfully no throwing up that night well so I thought. After being in my cootie cage for about 30 minutes and almost asleep one of the other GL's came over and said that one of her little girls had just thrown up in the bathroom. This sweet GL does worse with throw up then I do so I went in and once again held back another little girls hair while she threw up. I think God was giving me a little taste of what it feels like to be a mom 24/7 :) hehehe! However I can still say through it all that I still can't wait to be a mom no sleep and all! :)

The week went well and I truly enjoyed getting to know all of my girls. We had devotions every morning which where amazing and it was so awesome to hear what was on all the girls hearts.

On Wednesday night the speaker had all the kids write on a piece of paper something hard they have done through in their lives. They she took the pieces of paper and made a beautiful picture with them. She explained to the kids that even through we go through hard things in life God see's the big picture and that everything works together for His beautiful plan and purpose. After she was done talking she asked the kids to come up and be prayed over by an adult. One little girl was sobbing as I prayed with her because her grandpa had just died and she was really close to him. As I prayed over this sweet little girl I began to cry with her, my heart broke for her and we sat as I held her in my arms for a long time.

The next day during our GL meeting we prayed over that picture and I was shocked at some of the things that where written on the pieces of paper. One of them said that his/her dad was going to jail for killing someone. Another one said that his/her mom and dad fight and hit each other. Many talked about a family member or friend who had died.

It broke my heart as I read these and I cried out to God asking Him to mend their hearts and to bring someone into their lives to minister to them when they went home.

Thursday night the kids where asked if they wanted to receive their prayer language and those who did came forward and got prayed over. I prayed with one little girl who told me that her mom prayed in her prayer language all around the house and she wanted to be able to talk to Jesus like that. As I looked into her eyes and talked to her I knew that I knew her mom. She was a little girl from Bayfield church and sure enough I knew her mom. When I said are you April's daughter her eyes got super big and she said yes how do you know her. It was so awesome that God pick this little girl for me to pray with. :)

The week just flew by and although I had a very homesick little girl in my group I had a great time. God truly did amazing things not only in the lives of the kids but also in the lives of each staff member at camp. Lives where changed and in-packed big time.

This is something that I will do every year with the kids at The Rock church.