Felice's Baptism

Praying with Felice at her baptism

   Last weekend I had the most incredible opportunity to take part in a dear friend's baptism. I teared up so many times while she was sharing her testimony with the church because her story has been one that I always look at and think, "I can know God is real because the transformation in her life could not be just by human efforts".

One of our first pictures together. :)

    Felice and I met when she was a freshman and I was a senior. We were in the same Chinese class together. She was so cute and bubbly, but I was a definitely intimidated by her.  A few weeks into class she found out Alex and I were dating (he was in class too). I told her we used to be just friends, but now he had been my boyfriend for 2 months. Her first question was, "Woah, isn't it totally weird to make out with your best guy friend!?"  I loved how real she was, and still is, with me. I shared with her that Alex and I had actually never even kissed and we weren't going to until we got married. I remember the look on her face. She was shocked! She asked why we would do something like that, and I got to share how our relationship with Christ made us want to keep our relationship pure and honoring to God. After being scolded by our Chinese teacher for talking in English a few times we decided to meet up for lunch to talk more.

     What followed was a deep and vulnerable friendship. Felice had grown up in a non-religious home and had experienced a lot of hurt in her life. She had never really been to a church and wasn't really sure who Jesus was. Over a year's worth of lunches and coffee dates we got to talk in depth about the Good News of Christ and how he wanted to have a relationship with her regardless of anything she had ever done!! I could see her heart wrestling with what the Bible said every time we got together.

   Almost a year after Felice and I first started talking about Jesus, we got lunch together at Potbelly's and she told me that she had accepted Christ into her life. As she describes it, she really felt like God put his arm around her and was with her as she prayed to Him. I will never forget that day and the joy and tears in her eyes and she finally believed God loved her and would never leave her.

   Felice has grown in her faith so much since that day at Potbelly's.  She is vulnerable, teachable, and desires to have every part of her life aligned with God. It has been an incredible privilege to be her friend through these years and watch God transform her into a woman that is genuine, humble, loving, and others focused.  She really is one of those sisters I know I will have for life.

   After sharing Felice's story in my words, she gave me permission to share with you her profession of faith that she read before her baptism. It brings me to tears every time I read it. The power of God is undeniable.

Baptism is an incredible symbol of dieing to ourselves and becoming alive in Christ and an outward expression of our relationship with God.

Felice's Profession of Faith

"My understanding of the Gospel is that it is the greatest love story ever. Where God created humans to experience a personal relationship of joy and love with him. But because of the original sin of Adam and Eve, the world became cursed and the rest of humankind were born in sin. As a result, we were separated from God and were captive to our sin which only brought us death. This is because God is a righteous judge, therefore the wages of sin must be death. However, because God so loved the world, he gave his only Son to take on flesh and live a perfect life that we couldn’t live. And out of perfect love and obedience, Jesus took on physical and spiritual suffering in crucifixion and by pouring the righteous wrath of God that was meant for us in payment for our sin on himself. In doing so, he died only to be raised on the 3rd day, for the grave could not hold him. And by conquering death, Jesus paid for our sins so that those that would repent, believe, and receive him would have Jesus’ righteousness placed upon them and be completely forgiven for their iniquities. But most of all, those who receive the free gift would have eternal life and a perfect relationship with God.

This is the good news, that enables me to confidently proclaim that Jesus is my Lord and Savior. And it was through my emptiness and brokeness that God graciously revealed himself to me. After all the loneliness I felt as a child, to the coming and going of friendships, to short satisfaction in partying, drinking, and drugs, to a boyfriend saying he loved me then abusing me verbally and physically, my heart became so hardened that I had no hope that I would ever be truly desired, loved, and completely satisfied in life. However, through God’s people, especially Jess and Matt, and God’s word, God softened my heart and opened my eyes to the life I was living and the hope that was in Jesus. It was during my Sophomore year, while in the shower, I decided to pray to God. I said to him, “God, I’ve had so many people come into my life that have told me they cared or loved me, only to leave me in the end. If I place my faith in you, would you always love me and never leave?” And it was right after that I felt God’s presence and what felt like hand pressing on my shoulders, and I was completely overcome with a warmth that filled me with a peace and overwhelming joy. God’s response to my question was so definite and firm, that I knew he was telling me I will never stop loving you and never abandon you. I immediately fell to my knees and cried and couldn’t stop; because for the first time, I felt completely loved and every fear and pain I had was wiped away.

Since then, God has continued to show me grace through my shortfalls. Before, I was the type of person that swore almost every sentence, tried to pick a fight with a lot of people, was super competitive, partied a lot, dressed provocatively, and I didn’t have the desire to help those that were in need. But God did a good work in me. He softened my tongue, convicted me from causing strife and tempting men to feel desirable, helped me graciously accept my losses, revealed the emptiness of partying, and gave me a heart to love others outside my inner circle. Most of all, by God’s grace, the walls and bitterness that I had built from the pain I have experienced were taken from me and placed on Jesus. He taught me how to forgive those that have hurt me, because he has forgiven me for the sins that I have committed against him.

It has been two years since that day that I received Jesus as savior and Lord of my life, and I can honestly say that God is truly worth it. He is worthy of all my love and suffering. He has paid for my sins, so that I could be free and experience the blessing of a relationship with him in heaven. I desire to pick up my cross and follow Jesus daily, and that means to die to myself and be born again to the living hope of Jesus’ resurrection. That is why I am here today, so that you all can bear witness to my declaration that Jesus is my personal Lord and Savior."

She was wet and I was sleepy from driving at 4am to get there, but what a happy, happy day!

I was MADE for this!

You know when you are doing something that you absolutely love to do, and your heart is beating fast, your energy is flowing, and you feel confident and alive.  This was EXACTLY how I felt last night.

I had the privilege of sitting down with 10 high school girls from Metamora and discussing how Jesus changes everything.  I had met a few of their moms recently, and they asked me if I could lead their daughters' Bible study.  These girls have been meeting together since 4th grade to learn from God's word!

To be honest, I was nervous all day thinking about leading this study. I am used to hanging out with 18-22 year olds, talking about sorority life, tough professors, and changing majors for the 3rd time. I can barely remember what it was like to go to Senior Prom, so I wasn't sure if I would know how to relate to 14 year olds. 

As the girls started gathering in the basement I prayed for confidence, reminded myself that I have been approved and accepted through the blood of Jesus, and that His Word would go forth to these girls. 

Over gummy bears and candy corn, they chatted about tennis practice, yearbook committees, and tough german tests. The conversation swirled with laughter and inside jokes just like when I am sitting with my sorority girls at U of I.  Many years and life experiences sit in between these 14 year olds and my sorority Bible Study, but the beautiful thing about women is that we never grow old of laughing, sharing stories, and valuing girlfriends.

As we opened up the Word and began discussing John 4, the adulterous woman Jesus sweetly approaches at the well, that feeling overwhelmed me.  I felt alive, full of joy, energy, and passion. There was no where else I would have rather been than in that moment, dialoguing with women about the love and grace of our Savior and Friend.  As they shared their hearts, and we related over how our flesh thirsts for acceptance and security in so many other places rather than Christ, I thought, "I was made for this". I was made to connect with women, to go deep about our Lord, to look at His Word and discuss what it means for today.

There are many things God did not wire me for: keeping a clean closet, anything with numbers, sitting still, and camping to name a few, but connecting with women over Jesus is one thick wire that runs from my head to my toes. 

As I look forward to my future career in ministry, I cannot help but joyfully praise God for leading me to a place where I experience His power in my giftings. By His grace, I will still be sitting around with women, gray haired and wrinkled, years in the future, conversing about the Life we have in Jesus Christ.

"What is Cru" Video

Sometimes I feel like I have so much stuff to share about our lives, but then when I sit down to write it all slips my mind. Here are a few things:

-We hit 50% of our monthly goals last week!!!! Alex and I did a little 50% dance that looked a lot like us making 5's and 0's with our limbs while jumping around. We know the next 50% might take a little longer since we have so much new support to raise, but we are still trusting God with December 1st to be finished.


-I have really been missing my Greek girls and other sweet friends down at U of I!  My sister and I made a quick stop down there last week and I was able to see a few of them, and today I had a long phone date with one that I haven't seen for months!  As much as we are enjoying this support raising process and the time the Lord is giving us here, I wish so badly I could sit down for coffee with each of those girls and get to hear what God has been doing in their lives this Fall!  I suppose Facebook, phones, and emails will have to satisfy me for now.

-Alex and I have been meaning to share this video that they showed at the first Cru Large Group meeting this year. We really feel it gives a great picture of U of I Cru.  Enjoy!

Dwelling in the Land

This weekend we went to Champaign, and as we sat with our future teammates and some students, I realized that as much as I can't wait to be in that world, doing ministry amongst those people, I really am quite happy in the world we are in! It reminded me of a verse that Alex and I often reflected on during engagement:

  "Trust in the LORD, and do good;
    dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness." - Psalm 37:3

I normally struggle with wanting whatever stage in life is next, thinking it will undoubtedly be better than the stage I am in. The Holy Spirit constantly brings this verse to mind, reminding me to "live in the land I am in and to cultivate faithfulness while I am in it".

However, in this first month of support raising, by God's grace alone, I really feel as if I have been dwelling! God has provided so many blessings that it has been easy to dwell here and befriend his faithfulness.

In no particular order, here are 10 reasons why I love the land we are in:


1. Living minutes from my family- especially my adorable nephews! Out of everything, I miss my family the most when I am living in Champaign.

2. Living with one of my best friends , and getting to hear fun medical stories at 8am when she is getting off from working the night shift as a labor and delivery nurse.

3. Lou's Rootbeer, Mike's Italian Feast, Avanti's bread, Emo's Ice Cream, and Cyd's Sangria- Peoria favorites that you can't find anywhere else!

4. Being the "Fun Aunt" to 2 new dogs. We basically get all the fun of 2 labs without the work!

5. Cooking dinner half the time, but double the food!  Its such a treat when Morgan cooks, and feeding 4 people is way more fun than just cooking for 2.  I look forward to our dinner convos every night.

6. My workout class at Kaufman's gym. M,W, F we do cardio/sculpting to upbeat worship music!  The women have welcomed me in and I have so much fun with them!

7. Spending an incredible amount of time with my husband!!! I love our relaxed mornings, productive afternoons, and evenings spent with supporters hearing him talk about his passions!

8. Having unlimited amount of time to spend reading my Bible and spending time with God. I cozy up with a blanket, the dogs, and don't have to rush to get anywhere!

9. Spending time with our ministry partners and experiencing Gods grace and faithfulness through them!  I love getting to know people so this part of the job is so refreshing!

10. Living 15 minutes from another best friend who also worked with U of I Cru the last 2 years and is now also transitioning to the Peoria area.

  Of course, we are still praying that God would raise our support quickly and we could get back to the students and ministry we love as soon as possible, but it is so sweet of Him to provide an abundant amount of blessings in this season.   

Grace-
Jess

"Well, We're on the Support Trail"

This is a quote Alex says after every single support appointment. His repetition and statement of the obvious cracks me up every time, but its true! We really are making headway on the trail!! Many people are wondering how we are doing and I would love to fill you in:

-Family Reunion: The last 3 weeks have been so encouraging! We are amazed at how God is providing and how generous people are!  We have been mostly meeting with current supporters and its been so fun for Alex to meet supporters from my area and I have loved getting to know his supporters from Aledo.  It feels like we are reconnecting with family every night.

-Group Project: I did not expect how fun and growing support raising would be for our marriage. I love listening to Alex share his passion and watching his eyes light up as he talks about equipping men to walk with Christ for a lifetime. We spend so many hours together working on this one goal that I feel like we are working on a college group project. We are learning how to critique each other in loving ways, affirm each other in areas where we are doing well, and delegate tasks depending on our specific strengths. I have been so thankful for Alex's unique giftings everyday because he is just good at things I am not good at!  He is the better writer, organizer, administrator, and finance manager!  The best part of this "group project" is that I got to pick my partner...

-Driving our Stake into the Ground:  Last night we sat on the quad at U of I and were amazed at how surreal it felt to be there. We have been talking about this place, these students, for close to 50 hours with people over the last 3 weeks!  Support raising is tough and definitely a sacrifice, but the Lord is really using it to deepen our passion to do campus ministry. Sitting there last night, praying for the U of I students, I realized I have never wanted anything more in my life.

 As you can see, a lot has been happening! We know things will get harder as the weeks and months go on, but for now I couldn't help but share how much we are loving this "Support Trail" so far.

A Home within a Home

   It feels so good to be back in the town I grew up in and starting such a faith-growing stage of life. We have seen God provide abundantly already, which only adds to my excitement for this new chapter. One of the coolest provisions is our home within a home. One of my best friends and roommates from college, and her husband, have opened their home to share with us while we are living in Metamora.

Our super relaxing bedroom. Anything is better than a dorm room!

Alex's Office- we can't live anywhere without our favorite books.

1 of our 2 new friends that follow us everywhere. Meet Kobe.

It is such a calm and stress free environment and we love having Morgan and Mike around to hang out with! Last night, we went through hundreds of old pictures from college and just laughed and laughed at some of the hilarious things we would do to put off homework for a few hours. We will be spending the next __?___ amount of months reconnecting with our ministry partners, meeting new ones, and sharing our long term vision for working with Cru at U of I.
  I have some creative ideas brewing for this blog, so stay tuned for some new types of entries.
Grace,
Jess

We Have A New Name!

   You may not have known, but for the last 2 years Campus Crusade for Christ has been doing an incredible amount of research and brainstorming to come up with a name that has less barriers to people hearing about Jesus. The name has served for 60 years, but even in the 80's Bill Bright discussed the need for a new name that had less negative connotations.

   So last night, in front of over 5000 staff members they unveiled the new name and logo:

The humility, prayer, and thoughtfulness that went behind this change is incredible.  You may have lots of questions about the new name and I would direct you to this FAQ website.

In the meantime, here are a few of my thoughts:
-I love it!  U of I has been using this name for the ministry for years!

-Many people are confused since this seems like just a shortened word for "crusade".  However, only people who previously knew our organization as Campus Crusade for Christ will associate the words.  For new people we meet, "cru" is a word that currently has no meaning. The organization will give it meaning as we strive to be a community of people who live and follow Jesus and proclaim his name boldly.  An example of this type of branding is "google" or "starbucks"; two words that once were nothing, but now have significant meaning to the world.

-Another concern is that "Christ" has been taken out of the name. Over and over again at this conference, we have been reassured that our mission and our passion have not changed. We still exist so that every person has a chance to hear about Jesus. A name was chosen that can best take the Gospel to the world and invite people into spiritual conversations with as few barriers as possible. I am excited to engage with people about "cru" and be able to freely converse about Jesus instead of just simply saying it in the name.

So now, seriously, continue reading more in the FAQ website because someone has spent many hours into answering all of our questions into this change!

Also, feel free to email us with any other questions!

Grace,
Jess

Welcome to the Blogging World!

This is my first try at this whole "blogosphere". I am a little apprehensive since I am not witty nor insightful, but as my friends keep moving further away, and I make more and more from out of state, it will be worth it to stay in touch.  Give me grace for the construction around here while I figure everything out!

A little update on New Staff Training in Colorado:
-We are exhausted! I am emotionally drained from the workload and Alex is recovering from his Harry Potter Hangover. (He went to the midnight premiere last night and fell asleep at 8pm!)
-We spent all day, every day this week learning how to develop a team of ministry partners that share our vision for reaching the world with the message of Christ.
-We even have to go in tomorrow morning to learn more!  (No sleeping in on our beloved Saturday!)

-Next week there is a lot to look forward to though:
    -National Staff Conference brings in 8,000 Cru staff from around the US including many of our friends from U of I!!!
    -We will get to hear talks from Francis Chan, David Platt, Josh McDowell, Tim Hawkins, and rock out to The David Crowder Band!  (However, if you know how I feel about concerts and rock music you know the exclamation point is in there for Alex's sake.)
 
Love to you all! See you back in Illinois soon!