Jason in Northern Ireland

Brilliant Summer

2010-08-25T08:36:00.003-05:00

Well its amazing to think that another summer has come and gone! I can honestly say though that this summer has been brilliant!

The Kittys Road Festival week went really well. We had another team of Americans join us for two weeks as we had our usual craic and activities down in Kittys Road. Many new relationships were built and many old ones were strengthened. One of the highlights for me was this year we had an overnighter at a local retreat centre. It was a great time to hang out, do some activities, and even look to the Bible and why it's so amazing that Jesus came and died for us! It was a really good nite.
Overall it is amazing to see all that God is doing and the ways at which he is at work.

As the summer winds down, and we look forward to the start of a new school year, we are getting back into the routine of things. Coffee mornings are taking place on Friday mornings, which are always full of great conversation and friendly banter :). On Mondays the women have started a Fit for Life program where they are doing aerobics....I hear its pretty tough lol. And once school gets underway the Friday Bible Club will start up again and hopefully there are a few other ideas that we have that we are hoping to do as well. So even though its sad that the summer is drawing to a close quite rapidly, I know I am very excited for the school year to start because of all the exciting things that will be on.

At the moment I'm back in the States taking a bit of time to visit family and friends and to connect with a local missions agency that will hopefully be partnering with me as I look to staying in Kilkeel more longer term, which is very exciting. Within the next month or two I am hoping to start publishing a monthly update. If you are at all interested in receiving one, please send me an email so that I can add you to my email list.

Thanks for your continued support and partnership as I'm serving in Kilkeel. May we continue to keep our eyes on Jesus!

Yearning for Him,
Jason

Summer Begins

2010-06-30T08:05:00.002-05:00

SCHOOL'S OUT!!!

Today was the final day of school, thus marking the beginning of summer - Freedom for two months. The last couple of weeks have been filled with revision, exams, and spontaneous hanging about :-). It's been a great opportunity to come alongside of many of the young people and offer help with revision or even offer a way for them to have a study break by playing Call of Duty or watching a DVD...so it has been very enjoyable!

We are now working on the final details for Kittys Road Festival Week 2010!! The American Team from Bethlehem arrives on the 16th and will be staying for just about two weeks. During that time we will be having a blast with our friends down at Kittys Road....doing things like Treasure Hunter Bible Club in the morning for the younger ones, coffee morning for the women to come and have a cuppa tea, Youth evenings with games and teaching, and much much more that we are very excited about. We are evening doing an overnite stay together with the community, so that is something we are looking forward to as well. Overall, we are very excited for another opportunity to investigate who Jesus is with our friends down in Kittys Road. So please be praying for great friendships to develop and for good craic as we look through the theme of "There is No One Like You" :-)

Also to update you on my situation.... it looks like God has been opening up the door for me to partner with Newcastle Baptist Church just up the road in Newcastle. We are still working on details and odds and ends, but the hope is to start with them somewhere around the end of September. There are a couple things you can be praying for in regards to this transition:

Visa - I will be making a trip back to the States in the near future. During that time I will be working on many things, but probably one of the MOST important is applying for a new Visa. Since I am now going to be partnering with a different church who will become my sponsor, I need to apply for a new Visa. Please be praying that this will be a straightforward process and that things will go smoothly (and not like last time ;-) ) !

Missions Agency - Part of me looking towards to the future is thinking long term. And that means I am looking to connect with an agency that is willing not only to partner, encourage, and challenge me in my ministry, but also to help with the logistical side of things back Stateside. So be praying that I would find the right fit with an agency.

Ministry - Be praying for my new ministry in Newcastle. The great thing is that there will be much overlap because I will still be connected with Kilkeel High School and mentoring young men on a regular basis through Scripture Union. But also be praying for my ministry at the church. It is a younger, growing church and there are many exciting things that are happening and many more exciting ideas that we have. Our hopes is to become a community church that comes together, regardless of the background, to focus on Jesus.

I just want to thank you for your continued prayers and support. I will keep you posted on when I will be coming back to the States...it would be great to see you and update you further on all that God has been doing over here since I've been here. Until then, may we continue to keep our eyes on Jesus!!

Jason

Long Overdue!

2010-05-14T05:21:00.002-05:00

Finally an update to my blog after an extended period of silence!!

To say the least, things have been busy and brilliant all at the same time. At the high school, many of the students are about to begin their highly anticipated exams, which will last from now until June. So there will be much revision and studying going on for the next few weeks. We are also looking forward to Sports Day (or Track and Field day as we call it back in America), that will be next Thursday.

Apart from school, there is other exciting things happening as well. The last couple of days there has been the Balmoral Show up in Belfast (the best way to describe it is that is is pretty much like a state fair....but not nearly as much food lol). I went to it yesterday and it was great craic and a very good cultural experience :). In terms of Youth Fellowship and that sorta of thing, we continue to plod on. Its an awkward time of year because many of the students are studying for their exams. So we try to keep things laid back so that we can provide encouragement as well as a nice study break.

It's also exciting as the school year begins to wind down because that means that plans for the summer begin to pick up. We are excited to have another team from Bethlehem coming over during the last two weeks of July to help us as we join Kittys Road again for their fun week. We have many great ideas and are really looking forward to what God has in store for us this summer. As we finalize plans and what we will be doing, I will make sure to keep you up to date so you know what all is happening :-).

The other big thing that is going on in my life is that God seems to have answered a huge prayer and that is opening up an opportunity to make my ministry here become more long term. There have been two local churches that have shown interest in pursuing me as their potential youth pastor. This is very exciting and very humbling all at the same time. So I have been talking and praying with many people as I think through the different options. At the end of the day I want to be where I can best use my gifts to bring Glory to God. So we'll see what happens. I will have to decide pretty soon, but would appreciate your prayers as I discern which direction. Also be praying for the logistical side of things and that all the visa stuff not only would work out, but that it wouldn't be like last time.

Well its good to get a another post up finally. Once you get out of the rhythm of doing something its hard to get started again. But now hopefully this will get the ball rolling again :-). I want to thank you all for your continued prayers and support....it definitely doesn't go unnoticed ;-).

May we continue to keep our eyes on Jesus!!
Jason

Blue Skies

2010-02-20T05:26:00.002-06:00

The past week has been really good!...Along with the weather. We've had many beautiful days in a row with lots of sunshine and little to no rain, which for Kilkeel is quite a blessing :-).

Monday and Tuesday of this past week we had half term break at the high school. So all of the students had those days off of school. I got together with one of my mentor groups on Monday. We hung out, I made some Chicago style deep dish pizaa (which they absolutely love!), played some xbox, and watched a dvd. It was a great opportunity to connect, hang out, and continue to build relationships with some of the young men that I work with. It's exciting encouraging them and watching them grow in their relationship with God.

The meeting that we had for E.T.C. went really well. There seemed to be a lot of positive feedback and discussion about it. There are still a couple other meetings that will need to be had within the next week or to before we are able to pilot it. So please continue to pray for us as we try to fine tune this curriculum so that we can use it amongst our young people to encourage and equip them to live Pure lifestyles.

Tonight we have have a Youth Fellowship outing to go Bowling and Laser Tagging. It's our first YF outing in awhile, so there is much anticipation and excitement for it :-). I think we have about 30 students going, so it should be good craic!

This coming week is a pretty normal week with mentor groups and SU. I will be speaking this week in SU about relationships and purity within them. So pray that God would direct and guide me as I prepare for that. Also we have our Senior SU Weekend coming up the first weekend of March. We are starting to get things ready for that. So you can be praying for that as it comes up as well :-)

Thanks for your continued prayers and support. It is always very encouraging to hear of friends that are keeping up to date on my life and all that God is doing...so thanks!! Also, if you could, I found out this past week that my dad had pneumonia. Could you please pray for him that he gets better and gets back to full strength. Thanks again and may we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!

Yearning for Him,
Jason

Busy Busy Busy....

2010-02-08T11:19:00.002-06:00

Things have been in fully swing lately (well, I suppose things are always in full swing!), but the last couple weeks have seemed to be more packed than usual. Let me give you the highlights of what has been going on in the life of Jason Kemper ;-).

This past weekend I had the great opportunity to be the speaker for our Junior Scripture Union Overnight. We took a group of 70 students (age 11-14) up to Lisburn Friday and Saturday. I spoke from Romans 12:1-2 and talked about living a lifestyle of worship for God, which involves every moment of every day and not just when we sing or when we go to church. Many of the students really seemed encouraged and challenged as they thought of ways to apply it to their own lives. So praise God that we had a great weekend. Apart from the speaking, we took them swimming and went to the cinema...so it was a great craic and everyone seemed to enjoy the weekend.

I've also had the chance to speak at Sunday morning Bible class yesterday and Youth Fellowship. Both of those went really well. In youth fellowship, we are in the middle of the series where we are talking about Jesus' second coming and the anticipation and Hope that we have when He comes back to redeem us and the rest of creation to the way that He intended it to be. Many of the students have really been enjoying it.

Along with that, I've also been continuing with the mentor groups. I have three groups that meet on a weekly basis, and it has been great to come along these groups of young men to encourage and challenge them to live out their lives for God. God is really working through the groups and it has been great getting to know some of the young people a wee bit more.

Let's see, what else is new. OH!! I just received my Provisional Drivers License in the Post. That means I will shortly be taking the written test and then the behind the wheel test....then shortly there after will have a Northern Irish Drivers license and be able to upgrade the scooter and get a car :-). So that is really exciting :-)!!!

Some highlights that are coming up this week, is that tomorrow Samuel and I have a meeting to discuss our E.T.C. Curriculum (Every Though Captive). It is a meeting with some of the local church leadership to allow them to ask any questions and hopefully continue to move forward with it. Our hope is that by the end of February, we will be ready to launch a pilot of our program and see how it goes. Pray that God would continue to guide and direct us in that while giving us wisdom and discernment as we continue to fine tune it and write the lessons.

Also, this coming weekend is mid term break at the high school. So everyone has Friday through to next Tuesday off. So it will be a great opportunity to connect with some of the young people outside of school and just enjoy a bit of craic and carry on....so I'm really looking forward to that.

I just want to thank everyone out there that keeps up to date on my blog :-). I appreciate your continued prayers and support (and occasionally patience when I forget to update it ;) ). God has been and is continuing to do some really cool things over here. It's also been exciting to see some potential doors that He might be opening up for the future....but we'll wait a wee while to see what happens..so watch this space :-). May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!!

Yearning for Him
Jason

Settling Back in...

2010-01-19T03:30:00.002-06:00

Well its crazy to think that I've already been back in Kilkeel for over two weeks now!! It has been a busy busy two weeks that has just flown by.

The final installment of Samuel and Sarah's wedding was brilliant! It was a great day to celebrate with family and friends. There were many that came for the variety concert that we held for Sarah on the evening of their wedding blessing. She really seemed to enjoy it and it was a great welcome into the community to her! So once again, I just want to say Congrats to Samuel and Sarah!!

It's also been busy helping them out to move into their new house. They have a nice wee house smack in the middle of Kilkeel, just walking distance from the high school. So I've been around trying to help them unpack and unwrap all the gifts...while at the same time trying to give them their space as they begin their new life together.

Also, this past weekend we had the opportunity to have another youth service at Mourne Presbyterian Church. It was a great evening!! I had the opportunity to preach again...so I spoke on Phil 3:1-11 going off of our theme that we used for Cafe one80 this year, which was "Live for what lasts!" If you would like to listen to the service, it should be posted here at some point in the near future. If not, I will try and post it within the next week or so, so watch this space!

Apart from all that, everything is slowing getting back to the norm. At the moment, exams are on at school, so that seems to be consuming much of what is going on with all the students revising (well should be revising!!). So by next week, we should be back into full swing of things and back to normal.

It was great to have the opportunity to be back in the States to visit and see family and friends. If I didn't get a chance to see you, sorry about that!!, but hopefully I will catch you next time :-). I continue to be very grateful for all your prayers and support. May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!!

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

2009-12-28T14:54:00.002-06:00

Well on the 16th of December I flew back to the States to spend time with family and friends. I can honestly say that since I touch down on the ground I have been on the go non stop seeing and visiting people. It has been a brilliant time.

Last week I had the pleasure of being in Samuel and Sarah's Wedding. It was a great time and a very beautiful ceremony! Just want to say congrats to them and hope they enjoy their honeymoon down in the Caribbean :-D.

At the moment I am back in Chicago spending time with family. It has been good to catch up and just relax and spend time with them. It has felt a wee bit surreal being back, but it has been very good. I must say however, that I miss many friends back in Northern Ireland. It's been amazing to see how God has given me such a desire and heart for the people back over there. God is good and I've really enjoyed being a part of what He is doing. I look forward to getting back and catching up with everyone and jumping back into the routine of everything.

I hope you enjoy your Christmas/New Year's holidays and continue to keep your eyes on Christ!!

Jason

Hairspray

2009-12-07T05:24:00.002-06:00

The weekend to London was really good. There were about 170 people, and we all stayed in the Oak Hall Manor in Otford, which is just Southeast of London. It was a great time to connect and meet people and be encouraged from the Word. I ended up having the last talk, which seemed to go really really well.

As soon as I got back to good ol Kilkeel, it was hittin the ground running. Last week was crunch week for the musical. As usual, everything came together for the dress rehearsal. Now all this week there will be performances in the evenings.....it will be great fun. That will be keeping me busy this week along with the usual mentor groups.

The crazy thing is that a week from Wednesday (Dec 16th) I will be heading back to the states for a couple of weeks for the holidays and Samuel and Sarah's wedding. So hopefully I will get a chance to catch up with many of you and share in further detail all that God has been doing since I've been over here in Kilkeel.

May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!
Jason

Thanksgiving

2009-11-25T16:53:00.002-06:00

Happy Thanksgiving (well a few hours early for yous)!! It's funny how many people ask me what Thanksgiving is since they don't have it over here. I tell them that it is a big meal that we have where we take the time to remind ourselves of all the things that we are thankful. Haha, but as soon as I mention Turkey, everyone wants to celebrate it :-). See, over here for Christmas Dinner, everyone always has turkey and ham...and lots of it. So they look for any excuse to enjoy the goodness of it! This year I will be spending Thanksgiving again with some of the other Americans that I know that live here in Kilkeel....and yes, Samuel will be joining us as well (since he will be marrying an American soon enough!)

Apart from that, things have been going really well but has been super busy lately! My mentor groups are going really well and it has been a great opportunity to encourage many of the young men in their day to day walk with Christ. We will be having our Christmas mentor groups partys in the next couple of weeks, so that will be fun as we get out of the after school setting and go to one of their houses and have a bit of craic and carry on together.

Kittys Road has been going well too. It's been great connecting with them and hanging out with them. I had a chance to go down there last week and hang out with a family for the evening...it was brilliant just being treated as part of the family. So God continues to do amazing things :-).

Things down at the high school have been going really well too. I continue to help out with PE in the afternoons...I even had the chance to teach one of the classes how to play American football. They picked it up a wee bit, but more times than not reverted back to rugby....but its a step in the right direction. Also, all the practices are in full swing for this years musical performance of Hairspray. It should be really good....I will be helping out a wee bit with sound and video stuff. The performances are the beginning of Decemeber sometime.

A prayer request for you. This weekend I am off to London....for specifically to the Oak Hall Manor in Otford. I have been asked to be a guest speaker for a training weekend for all the people that help out and speak on the Oak Hall Expeditions....which is the organization that I went to France with back in August. So I look forward to this opportunity. Pray that it goes well and that God will use me to encourage the others that will be there. Also pray for traveling, especially as I maneuver myself around London - hopefully I won't get lost :-).

Anywho, I will keep you posted on how things go :-). Thanks for praying and for your encouragements!! Lets continue to keep our eyes on Christ!!

Yearning for Him,
Jason

Rome and Hallowe'en :-)

2009-11-03T07:12:00.002-06:00

The last couple weeks have flown by!! To think that it has already been a week ago since I got back from Rome. It was a great trip! We saw many many places in and around Rome and even had the opportunity to go down to Mount Vesuvius and then stay a night in Sorrento, Italy. Check out my PICTURES to get a small glimpse of all that we saw.

After we got back from our trip to Rome, we had a week off of school for half term holidays. So it was a nice relaxing week that gave the opportunity to hang out and connect with many of the young people outside of the usual context. I even had the chance to get together with a couple of my mentor groups and hang out and have a wee bit of homemade, Chicago style pizza ;-), so it was brilliant.

Also, as you know, this past weekend was Hallowe'en. I had the lovely opportunity to join many of my friends down Kittys Road for the day. Let me tell you...never in my life have I experienced a Hallowe'en as this one!! It actually felt a wee bit more like the Fourth of July. The reason I say that is because they had a huge bonfire that we lit in the evening....and when I say huge, I mean HUGE. Then all the young people were shooting off fireworks and bangers and all sorts of stuff. So in my mind, what is typically costumes and trick or treating, was much more like fireworks and bonfires. But it was a great time to hang out and enjoy a few laughs.....and to duck and run every now and then when someone would try and shoot a firework your direction.

Finally today everyone is back to school for the last push til Christmas. Now that Hallowe'en is over the excitement and anticipation is building for Christmas. Even as I walked through the town this morning, all the shops were setting up their Christmas displays with lights and trees and everything else. So the next few weeks will be exciting....not only for that reason, but with everything else that will be going on with Mentor groups, Kittys Road get togethers, and anything else that pops up :-). So I encourage you to continue to pray....God is at work and doing some amazing things! Thank you for your continued support and encouragement as well :-)!!

Yearning for Christ
Jason

American Football and ....the Colosseum!!?

2009-10-17T08:51:00.002-05:00

We've been having brilliant weather lately, which has provided with many opportunities to enjoy God's beautiful creation. In fact, I had the opportunity to do a very first this past week - teach a group of high schoolers (and their PE teacher) how to play American Football. It was great craic. I explained the very basics of the game and started playing two-hand touch with them. They seemed to really enjoy it. To be honest, it ended up being a mix between American football and rugby...but it was brilliant nonetheless. It was funny to watch because most of them were clueless and even after played for half an hour were still lost as to what the sport was all about. But ah well, its a step in the right direction ;-)!

Another highlight has been going out to Kittys Road for Friday coffee mornings. It's a great time to relax, have a cuppa tea and scone and talk and laugh with some of the wonderful people down in Kittys Road :-).

A really exciting thing coming up is this Wednesday, I will be going on a 5 day trip to Rome with a group of 30 high schoolers for an RE (Religious Education) Expedition to learn about the church history in Rome and see all the sites. It will be a VERY packed 5 days.....and we hit the ground running by leaving at 3am on Weds!! Everyone is really looking forward to it and seeing all the different places in Rome...and to spending 5 days together. It should be really good - and the Italin Gelato (ice cream) should be really good as well :-). You can be sure to look forward to seeing some pictures up after the trip too!

Well thanks for continuing to follow all that God is doing over here! May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!

Yearning for Him,
Jason

Encouraged!

2009-10-06T17:38:00.002-05:00

I had the great opportunity to preach for the evening service this past Sunday at Mourne Presbyterian Church. It was a youth service, so we had the praise band and other youth involved in the service....it was a great evening. We have been going through a Family Life series, and in doing so, looking at the different roles and responsibilities of each of the members within a family. So my talk was geared towards children, and the responsibility of honoring and obeying parents. In doing so, I looked at Phil 4:8-9 and how Paul encourages us to live a lifestyle that is all about Jesus. So if we live this lifestyle, in return, we then best honor and obey our parents.

Overall it was very encouraging and many people came up afterwards saying that they were encouraged.....so praise God!!! If you would like to listen to the service, feel free to click HERE.

Along with that, other things have been going well too. Samuel and I continue to work on E.T.C. (the curriculum to encourage and equip our young poeple to live pure lives and embrace Biblical Manhood and Womanhood). We have given an overview to the local churches who will be discussing it and giving feedback about it over the next couple of weeks, so I do ask for you to be praying for this. Pray that God will direct and guide us as we seek the best way to present and communicate these sensitive, yet very important issues with our young people.

Onto other things...I got a haircut today :-)....AND decided to shave off the gotee :-o....which is the first time in about a year and a half (the first time ever in Northern Ireland without it), so many people have been looking twice, which has been funny. So we'll see how it goes, maybe I will miss it and start growing it agian, but I figured why not give it a go without it for awhile (especially since there was a growing interest of people wondering what I looked like without one lol).

Apart from that, it is starting to feel like October as well. We have been having a nice stretch of beautiful weather with some lovely sunshine, but today the rain came back a wee bit and I must admit, the coolness has come with it as well. So we look forward to the autumn season and the many exciting things that will be coming up in YF, SU, Kittys Road, and everywhere else. So I will keep you posted on all the craic that's happening ;-).

Thank you for your continued prayers and support.....and for all of you who take the time to read these updates....it is very encouraging!! May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ.

Yearning for Him,
Jason

Birthday thoughts...

2009-09-30T15:40:00.002-05:00

Well two days ago was my birthday....thanks for all of the birthday wishes!! To answer the main question - birthdays are celebrated in much the same way over here as they are in the states - so unfortunately for many, no Irish Jigs :-). It was a good day...nothing too out of the ordinary. The Chestnutts made a lovely meal and desert for me and another great family, the Dodd's made a Birthday cake for me as well....so I was well looked after. I am grateful for all the family and friends that God has blessed me with!!

Another thought that I had on my birthday, was that it was the morning of my birthday 1 year ago that I received a phone call from Samuel giving me the official invitation to come over and partner with him in investing in the lives of the young people here in Kilkeel.....wow to see what all God has done since then!!!

In terms of what's been happening, Youth Fellowship had its official start this past Sunday, it was brilliant. We had pizza, played a game, and just had great craic and carry on....and many showed up as well, so it was very encouraging.

The big thing coming up that I am looking forward to is this coming Sunday evening I will be preaching at Mourne Presbyterian Church :-). I am really looking forward to it. We have been going through a Family Life series and talking about the different roles and responsibilities that each person has within a family. So my talk will be geared towards the young adults and encouraging them to not only obey and honor their parents, but to live their lives in such a way that they are proclaiming who Jesus is. I will be teaching from Philippians 4:8-9....so if you remember, be praying for me as I prep and preach on Sunday evening :-).

Thanks again for all of you who wished me a happy birthday...it was great to hear from everyone! May we continue to yearn after Christ and keep our eyes fixed on Him :-).

Jason

48 Hours of Prayer

2009-09-15T17:35:00.002-05:00

We began our 48 hours of prayer for Scripture Union today. Many of the students have signed up and are very excited to seek the Lord as we prepare and plan for the year in SU. The 48 hours will end on Thursday as we kick off our first official Scripture Union meeting after school.

I want to encourage you, if you have the chance, to pray along with us over the next two days. Pray that God would work in the lives of the students at the high school, that through SU they would be encouraged to live their faith out Loud, and that God would awaken a passion for His glory among the upcoming generation. We are looking forward, with eager expectation, to see what He has in store for the upcoming year.

Thanks for praying!!

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

Scripture Union

2009-09-10T16:22:00.002-05:00

Its been really great getting back into the school and helping out with PE in the afternoons. As typical, now that everyone is back to school, we have BEAUTIFUL weather!! It's almost like we are finally having the summer that we didn't get (since it rained sooo much!!). Anyway, it has been nice to have the sun shining and the opportunity to go outside and enjoy God's creation.

This past weekend I had the opportunity to go up to Belfast with 6 fellow youth Fellowship leaders that will be helping out this year. We attended a conference called Training Trevor, which had some great workshops to help and encourage the local youth workers. It was not only a great day to be encouraged, but it was also a great time to get to know some of the other adults that we will be working alongside of this year.....it was a great day!!

Now that school is underway, we are eagerly looking forward to Scripture Union to start up again. SU is a place where students can come along with their friends to be encouraged in the Word and to share in a time of praise and fellowship as well. Within SU, we also have mentor groups and a weekly prayer meeting. It is a great ministry within the high school. We are hoping to officially start next Thursday. As part of that, we are have a 48 Hour prayer time starting on Tuesday, September 15 at 3pm and will last until 3pm on Thursday at which point we will hold our first SU meeting immediately following.

I want to encourage each of you, as you are praying and supporting me....to take a half hour, or hour during that time period and pray for our SU. Pray that God would give us direction and guidance on what to discuss and cover for the year. Pray that students would be encouraged and equipped to live their faith out loud within school and look for opportunities to share about the Truth of Jesus. We are eagerly looking forward to what God will do this year through SU. So please join with us in praying that God will show up and show off in a great and glorious way!!

Thanks again for your continued encouragement and support :-). I love hearing from you, so don't be afraid to leave a comment and say hi :-). Until next time, may we all continue to keep our gaze on Christ, yearning for more of Him in our lives!!

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

End of Summer...

2009-08-31T14:39:00.002-05:00

Well this week officially marks the end of summer in the minds of many of the young adults. Why, you may ask......back to school. By this Thursday, everyone will be back to school and back into the routine of life. It actually is exciting for many, not that summer is over, but that a new year lies ahead with many things to anticipate in school, Youth fellowship, Scripture Union, mentor groups, and everything else in between.

The last two weeks have been really good. I have been working with Samuel as we pray, plan, and cast vision for the upcoming year in Youth Fellowship and Scripture Union. We are very excited about where the Lord is leading us and are eagerly anticipating the great things that He will do in and through us and the young adults. It's also been great to have a little time to just kick back, relax and hang out with some young people before everyone gets ready to go back to school.

Another highlight over the past couple of weeks has been our weekly get togethers down and Kittys Road. Every Friday for the past couple of weeks, we've continued to go down to Kittys Road to hang out and have a bit a craic with everyone, as well has having Bible discussions. It has been a really great time being able to open the Bible and see the Truths that Jesus teaches us and share that with our friends :-)

I've also been able to break in my new ride :-). I've been driving this for about a month now. It has been quite handy to get me around places and even give me more freedom to go and connect with young people. So I thank God for providing me with the means to have transportation!

As I look ahead to the next week, I ask that you would continue to pray for Samuel and myself as we finalize the plans for YF this year. We are very excited and are hoping and praying that God will do immensely more than we can ask or imagine. I continue to thank you for all your prayers and support...it doesn't go unnoticed...I am very grateful!! May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ.

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

Back from France :-)

2009-08-19T07:46:00.002-05:00

Well my trip to France was brilliant!! I had a great time teaching through the book of Philippians and everyone on the trip seemed to be encouraged and challenged by it, so praise God for using me to make much of Him!! We did quite a bit of cycling in and around the town of Avignon and the surrounding area. All together, we cycled about 185 miles!! If you want to see some of the pictures from my trip feel free to check them out at Provence Pictures.... I hope you enjoy them :-)

So now I am back into Kilkeel. The summer holidays are nearing an end. Yet it is still quite busy! Samuel and I are fast at work preparing, planning, and praying for the upcoming year in Youth Fellowship, Scripture Union, and Kitty's Road. So please be in prayer for us as we spend time planning and preparing over these next couple of days. We are eagerly anticipating and excited about what God will do this year. Our hope is that He will do even far greater things than we can plan or imagine!!

Thanks for your continued prayers and support :-)!! May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ.

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

Off to France for 9 days!

2009-08-07T16:50:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I leave for Provence, France for 9 days. I have been blessed with the opportunity to be the speaker for a group of 85 people that are on holidays in France. I will be giving six talks throughout the course of the trip. My hope is to teach through the book of Philippians and point to how we should look to Christ as our Treasure. The trip is a cycling trip, so we will be doing day trips bicycling around sights in France...so it should be great craic!!

A few prayer requests while I am away...

1. Pray that I would be able to connect and get to know the people that will be in the group. I only have a short amount of time to build relationships and learn names (which I'm horrible at). But God is good and my prayer is that He will provide me with the ability to do that.

2. Pray that God would use me as His tool to speak His Trust and His Wisdom from the book of Philippians.

3. Pray that I would have traveling mercies as I fly over to London and then get on a coach bus with the rest of the group and travel down to France.

4. Pray that those coming on the trip will see the need to Treasure Jesus above all other things!!

Thanks for your continued prayers and support. May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

Take a Look!

2009-08-06T05:19:00.002-05:00

Well, the American Team has come and gone, and so has Kittys Road Festival week. However, there is much to look forward to! God is a great God and is doing tremendous. Rather than write it all out I figured I would give you a wee taster of what God has done and continues to do in a small, but special place called Kitty's Road :-)

Kittys Road

2009-07-24T03:11:00.002-05:00

This week we have been down at Kittys Road and it has been absolutely brilliant!! We've had the opportunity to continue old relationships that were begun last summer and even begin some new ones as many of the American Team this year was their first time. It has been great sharing the craic (fun) with everyone out there. We have been doing things from playing activities on the football pitch, having coffee mornings for the women in the community, going to the cinema, having a jazz band and rapper perform, having meals together, and even having the opportunity to open up the Bible and talk about Jesus. It has been really good and everyone has been enjoying it.

Today we are getting ready for another day full of Treasure hunters Bible club in the morning with the wee ones, a mountain hike in the afternoon with everyone, and then a camp out on the pitch tonight with all the high schoolers. It will be loads of fun and hopefully very encouraging.

I continue to thank you for your prayers and encouragement...it has been great. May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!! :-) ..... and don't forget to check out the team blog too!!

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

The Americans are Here

2009-07-15T16:19:00.002-05:00

Well the team from Bethlehem has arrived safely to the Kingdom of Mourne. We picked them up from the airport about about 9:30 this morning. After a fun-filled day of getting them acquainted with everyone, they are finally able to sleep and catch up on some much needed rest.

We are very excited about the next couple of weeks. Things kick off this weekend with a Youth Retreat here at Mourne Presbyterian Church with a bunch of youth from the church...it should be great craic. Then next week we jump into the Kittys Road fun week, where we will be returning to continue to build upon the relationships that were started last year. Then the week after we will be down to Annalong to connect with some of the high schoolers down there and encourage them in there faith.

I encourage you to be praying for all of these different things over the next couple of weeks. There will be many opportunities to share from the Word, and we are very excited to see what the Lord does. The team from Bethlehem has set up a blog that they will be updating while they are here, so feel free to check that out as well over the next couple of weeks. The address is http://northernireland09.wordpress.com/ so check it out!!

Thanks again for your prayers and support.......The earth is the Lord's and everything in it!!! Continue to keep your eyes on Christ,

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

Americans Around the corner

2009-07-06T11:47:00.002-05:00

Well the past week or so has been full of preparations for the American team that is coming next week from Bethlehem Baptist Church. Everyone is eagerly anticipating there arrival. We will be doing many things with them, including going back down to hang out with our wonderful friends on Kittys Road for their fun week.

Apart from sorting those details out, there has been much tennis playing :-). The recent Wimbledon has perked the interest of many of the young people to want to play tennis. So with the beautiful weather, I've had loads of opportunities to get a few matches in with many of the lads that I've been connecting with....its been great craic.

Also, there has been another very exciting addition to the team....a SCOOTER!! Yep, that's right! I got a scooter (moped) last week. I will have pictures shortly of it. I will mainly be using it to get around the town to visit family's houses and such...anything much further and I would probably choose to take other means of transportation. The down side is that I have to get it registered first, so it will be another couple of weeks before I will be able to hit the roads with it. However, it has been good craic driving it around the church car park :-).

I hope everyone had a great fourth of July. Obviously things here were much quieter. May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ...thanks for your prayers and support!

Yearning for Christ
Jason

Sermon on the Mount....ok, not really :-)

2009-06-23T16:28:00.002-05:00

Things have been going quite well over the past several days. It has been great getting back into the swing of things and investing into the youth of Kilkeel again. It has been a wee bit crazy since the school year is coming to a close this week, but it also has provided great opportunities to hang out at the school more with the youth since they aren't doing much.

Sunday was our last YF for the year. So we walked up Knockree (part of the Mourne Mountains) and I had the opportunity to give an end of the year encouragement. It was quite brilliant!! It was absolutely gorgeous and being able to teach on the side of a hill was an incredible experence.

This week I am just down at the school hanging out as things are wrapping up. Along with that, I am helping with events and activities that we will be having this summer. And also, helping develop E.T.C which stands for Every Though Captive. It is a 12 week seminar that Samuel and I are working on developing that is geared towards young men and women to equip them with the wisdom and skills to approach relationships and sex in a healthy, God-glorifying way. And to do that, our overall encouragement is to "Take every thought Captive to Him." So please be in prayer as we are working on this. Our hope is to have it ready to launch a test run of it in the autumn.

Thanks for your continued prayers and support. Feel free to say hi...I would love to hear from you :-).

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

Settling Back In :-)

2009-06-18T17:10:00.003-05:00

Well after a long wait and much anticipation, I am finally getting settled back in my flat in Kilkeel. The past day and a half has been in once sense, very surreal. It's been great seeing people again. Often times it feels like I was just here yesterday. But then when I look around and realize that the school year is pretty much over and that summer is right around the corner, then I see that much has gone by.

God is good and it is very exciting to be back in the swing of things as we plan for the future. The biggest thing that we have coming up is about 4 weeks from now when a team of 15 people will be coming out to join us for a couple of weeks. They will be helping us out in many areas, but most significantly out on Kittys Road. We (and they) are very much looking forward for their arrival and to continue the relationships that were begun last summer. So as you think of it, please be in prayer for them as they get ready for the trip and travel here.

Otherwise, for the next week or so I will just be hanging about the school going on various trips with students. Tomorrow I get to go with the Year 11's up to Lisborn for the day, so that will be great craic (I'm pickin up the lingo again quite quickly ;-) ).

One other thing that I would ask your prayers for is for the families of the poeple who were involved in a local plane crash last week. The funerals will be tomorrow and it will be a very sad day through Kilkeel and Annalong. This tragedy has been devastating to the local community, so please be in prayer for the families and friends as they mourn. The tremendous blessing in the situation is that all three who died were believers!

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

Answer to Prayer!!!

2009-06-12T12:50:00.003-05:00

Well after a long wait and much prayer, God showed up and showed off His Greatness by allowing me to finally get my Visa!!! I am sooooo excited. I just want to thank everyone for your prayers and support over the past couple of months....it has been very encouraging!!

I will be leaving Tuesday evening to fly back to Dublin. I will arrive at 8:30am and within a couple of hours be back in the lovely town of Kilkeel! I am very excited to get back over there and jump back into things. I ask that you continue to pray for my ministry over there with the youth in the community. There are many exciting things that we are looking forward to, so make sure you check back regularly for updates on what's happening.

As of now, I am packing things up and spending the last few days in the states with family. Again I want to thank you for your prayers and support....God is Great!!! Psalm 24:1 "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it!"

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

Nearly there....please PRAY :-)

2009-06-07T18:42:00.002-05:00

Well I can finally send in my Visa application again. So I ask that you would pray that God would grant me favor in the eyes of the British Consulate. The goal is to have my Visa by the end of the week so that I will be able to head back to Northern Ireland on Tuesday, June 16th. I am really excited that things are moving again. So please be in prayer with me as I wait to hear back about my Visa.

Thank you so much for your prayers and support. May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ. I will keep you posted on my Visa!!

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

Continue to Pray :-)

2009-05-22T09:28:00.002-05:00

"The earth is the Lord's and everything in it" Ps 24:1

I am absolutely amazed at God's grace!! These past four month, though frustrating at times, have been very fruitful especially as I look at my own relationship with the Lord and my now greater understanding of His incredible Grace that sustains me each and every day.

I want to give you a quick update on what is happening with my life. Unfortunately I still don't have a concrete date to give you in terms of when I will be heading back to Northern Ireland. However, our goal is still to be heading back in that direction by mid-June, which is very EXCITING!!

Right now, Mourne Presbyterian Church has applied to become a certified sponsor. We are waiting for that to go through. Once they have been approved, then they will submit an application for me to become one of their sponsoree's. The home office will look over the application and Lord willing, approve me to come over. When they do, they will issue a reference number, which Mourne will forward onto me. It is then that I will be able to reapply for my VISA, and hopefully shortly after be issued it :-).

So I continue to ask for your prayers through this process. I am really excited about finally making some progress, and I continue to hope and pray that God would open the door for me to return. Pray for favor in the eyes of the British Government and for expedience so that I will be able to return soon.

May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ, especially as we enjoy the beautiful creation around us as we see plants and flowers blooming in full beauty.

Jason

A light at the end of the Tunnel!!

2009-05-03T15:08:00.002-05:00

Well there is definite progress in getting back to Northern Ireland, and as each day goes by, I get more and more excited!! I just found out that the Elders at Mourne Presbyterian Church were able to meet and they officially gave me the thumbs up and have invited me to come back and partner with them for next year!! God is good and I continue to be in awe of how awesome He is!

Now the next step is for them to become an official sponsor. Once they have done this, then I will be able to reapply for my VISA and LORD WILLING, will be able to return sometime around the beginning of June. The hope and prayer is that I will be able to get a VISA that will enable me to stay 12 months, which is the max amount of time you are allowed with the VISA. Therefore, the plan is to be there from June 2009 to May 2010.

So I urge you to continue to pray over this process...and especially for me getting the VISA. It seems like this is the final stretch. I must say though, that I am very thankful that I have had this time at home to take a step back to be able to think and evaluate different things. It has been tremendously refreshing and insightful....especially as I look as I look to how I can best use the gifts that God has given me for His glory.

Also, within the next couple of weeks, I will be sending out an update via snail mail, so that you will know my latest updates and prayer points as I look to return to Northern Ireland soon. I again want to thank you for your continued prayers and support....it has been tremendously encouraging.

Until next time....may we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!!

Yearning for Christ and Longing to return to Northern Ireland,
Jason

An update!...

2009-04-14T13:02:00.002-05:00

About a week ago I finally received a phone call from the Consulate. The lady I was talking to was very helpful and informative. She pretty much told me that the problem with my Visa application was that I applied for the correct Visa but the incorrect sub type of the Visa. As a result, they were unable to issue me a Visa here in Chicago. She informed me that I could continue the appeals process, but they would have to send it back over to the UK and that could take quite some time. However, she advised me that the quicker option would just to be to reapply altogether under the correct Visa. So, that is what I am doing.

However, rather than just reapplying right away just to rush back so that I can be there until August, I am talking with Mourne Presbyterian Church and the elders are meeting to discuss the possibility of me staying through next year since this year had a little hiccup. With the new visa that I will be applying for, it will enable me to stay up to 12 months. So the hope is to wait until June to go back and then stay through May 2010. So God is good and works through all things.

Looking back on my time here in the States, I am very thankful for it because God has been teaching and me and showing me many different things that I might not have learned otherwise. I ask that you continue to pray for the situation as the Elders at Mourne talk as well as when I will end up reapplying for my Visa. Thank you so much for your continued prayers and support. May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ!

Yearning for Him and Longing to return to Northern Ireland,
Jason

♫ Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord ♫

2009-04-02T19:06:00.002-05:00

The song "Everlasting God" has gone through my head many times during the last 9 weeks. The wait continues as I continue to wait and trust in God's perfect timing. Unfortunately, there still hasn't been any news or updates even in light of the letter that I wrote at the beginning of last week to the Consulate.

I continue to take each day as it comes, one at a time...continuing to keep my hope and trust in my Sovereign God knowing that He has a reason and a purpose behind everything that He does. I am grateful for the time I've had at home. I've had some great opportunities to connect with some of my old youth group guys from nearly six years ago, help out some old friends, as well as get a little more acquainted with the college ministry 631 which prior to this, haven't had much exposure to. So there definitely is good behind all things.

I encourage you to continue to pray for me and for my situation. I can honestly say that my heart for those in Northern Ireland hasn't fainted at all...in fact, it's probably gotten stronger. I miss them tremendously and cannot wait to return and continue to encourage them in their faith. So pray that God would enable me to go back soon by granting me a VISA from the British Government. May we continue to keep our eyes on Christ, putting our hope in the Grace that He shows us each and every day!

Yearning for Christ and Longing to return to Northern Ireland,

Jason

Hmmmmm.....wow

2009-03-22T19:32:00.002-05:00

First of All I want to thank all of you for your continued prayers and support during this crazy period of my life!!

Unfortunately I am still in the states. Who would have thought that I would be around an extra 7 and a half weeks now (and counting). I think that this past weekend might have been the hardest period of my wait thus far. Why??...well this weekend was the SU Retreat, where the Senior SU went away for a weekend retreat. The downside is that I was supposed to be the speaker for it. So it was a bummer to face the reality that I didn't make it back for that.

However, I still continue to keep hope. Nearly every day I remind myself of the verse that is starting to become my life verse - well for this period of my life at least! Psalm 24:1 "The Earth is the Lord's and EVERYTHING in it...!" Sometimes things just don't make sense, but that's because we are not God and we cannot fully grasp the infinitely awesome plan that He has for each of our lives. It's usually after the fact that situations begin to make sense. That's probably what is happening right now with me. I have no clue why He doesn't want me over in N. Ireland at the moment, but I know that it's for a reason and a purpose. So I just need to continue to trust and put my hope in the reality that my God is sovereign and knows what's best for me!!

So, in light of that, I continue to wait. I just wrote a letter to the British Consulate here in Chicago asking for a status update on what is going on and when I should expect to hear something. I ask that you would continue to pray about my situation and especially for this letter...that God would grant me favor in the eyes of the British Government and that they would be willing to grant me the VISA so that I can get back over to Northern Ireland. Also, pray that I would continue to trust in God's timing....it definitely has gotten frustrating at times, but I need to continue to trust in God and truly rely on His Grace.

May we all continue to keep our eyes on Christ!

Yearning for Christ and Longing to return to Northern Ireland!
Jason

6 Weeks!

2009-03-10T12:44:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow marks 6 weeks - it was 6 weeks ago that I was originally supposed to be heading back to Northern Ireland. I am continuing to wait and trust in my Sovereign God, who I know has a perfect plan and purpose behind me being here. I am tremendously grateful for His Word, which continues to encourage me and give me hope to trust in Him - I don't think a day has gone by where I haven't reminded myself of Psalm 24:1 and the reality that "The earth is the Lord's and EVERYTHING in it!." I am also thankful for worship songs. One in particular that has really been encouraging is Everlasting God by Christ Tomlin. It opens up by saying "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord." How true is that!!! He truly is the Everlasting God!!

I changed the main picture (above) today. It is a picture of the Ebenezer that we built this past summer on the shores of the Irish Sea in Annalong, Northern Ireland. We built it because an Ebenezer is a symbol of God's help and faithfulness. God showed up and showed off while we were in Ireland and we wanted to thank him for that just like Samuel did in 1 Samuel 7:12.

I recently read a book called The Prodigal God by Tim Keller...it reminded me that I live for a a Great God! Every now and then as I sit around waiting to go back to Ireland, I sometimes think that somehow I deserve to go back because everything was going so well and God was using me to further the Gospel and to encourage the youth there. However, the reality is that I never deserve anything!...well except one thing....hell. It is by God's Grace that I am able to do what I do. He is the one who puts me in situations and places where I can bring Him glory. He is the one that rescued me and sustains me. I've come to realize how great God's grace is and it is great! So even though I am not back in Ireland yet, I am thankful that I have the one thing that is more than enough for me...and that's Jesus!

I want to thank all of you for your encouragements during this period of waiting...its been great! I urge you to continue to pray that I would get my VISA soon and be able to return to Kilkeel. God has a plan and a purpose! May you continue to keep your eyes on Christ!

Yearning for Christ and Longing to return to N. Ireland!
Jason

Still Hoping

2009-03-02T10:47:00.003-06:00

Well its the start of a new week, and there is no new news yet. I am still hoping and praying that I will find out something soon. In the mean time I have just been chilling at home hanging out with family and friends around the Chicagoland area. I have had a couple opportunities to go up to Minnesota to visit friends as well and that has been really good.

I continue to ask you to pray for God's mercy and grace upon the situation, that way we can get things figured out. May we continue to keep our eyes fixed on Christ knowing that He is indeed sovereign over everything!

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

4 Weeks...........

2009-02-25T13:51:00.002-06:00

Well, 4 weeks ago today I was originally planning on being back in Northern Ireland. I would have never thought it was going to take this long to get the VISA. Every day I wake up hoping and praying that it will be the day that my VISA comes in the mail. The hardest part about waiting and being patient is that I have no clue what's going on with it. I just continue to hope that it will come, and come soon!

I continue to ask for your prayers. Pray that God would not only grant me favor in the eyes of the British Consulate, but also that He would expedite the process so that I will be able to return to Northern Ireland soon and continue the ministry that He has tremendously blessed me with.

Yearning for Christ and Longing to return to Northern Ireland,
Jason

Hope...

2009-02-22T12:38:00.004-06:00

"Nevertheless, I am continually with you;
you hold my right hand.
You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will receive me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And there is nothing on earth that I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever...

...But for me it is good to be near God;
I have made the Lord GOD my refuge,
that I may tell of all your works."

Psalm 73:23-26,28

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

Nothing yet.....

2009-02-20T19:54:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to give you a quick update and let you know that I am still awaiting word from the British Consulate pertaining to my VISA. It has been about a week and a half since I sent in my appeals information, so hopefully they will be coming to a decision soon. I am hoping that I will hear something towards the beginning of next week. I ask that you would continue to pray. Pray that I would find favor in the eyes of the Consulate and that they will issue a VISA...soon :-)! Also pray that I would continue to have patience to trust in God's timing. It has now been a little over 3 weeks since I was originially supposed to go back...so if I wasn't antsy before, I definitely getting to that point now. I thank you for your continued prayers and support!!!

Yearning for Christ and to return to the ministry He has blessed me with in Northern Ireland,

Jason

Still Waiting....Still Trusting

2009-02-13T17:40:00.002-06:00

Well earlier this week I finally was able to send in my appeal application along with further supporting documents from both Mourne and Bethlehem. So now I am waiting again for a response from the British Consulate in Chicago. I am hoping and praying that they will look at the new evidence and decide to overturn their decision and thus issue me a VISA.

So as I continue to wait, I ask that you would continue to pray for the situation. It has now been two weeks since I was supposed to go back over to Kilkeel. In it all, I continue to trust in my King knowing that it will be in His timing that I will go back. Thank you all for your prayers and support during this craziness! As soon as I find out anything I will let you know.

Yearning for Christ,
Jason

Continue to Pray....

2009-02-07T12:45:00.002-06:00

My trip down to the British Consulate wasn't tremendously helpful. As I somewhat expected, there was no way getting past the security officer. The security guys said that pretty much no one is allowed to make visits to the consulate without having an appointment and being accompanied by a US Marshall....and he said the last time that happened was in 07.

This means that I will have to go through the appeals process and mail everything back to them. So what I am doing is getting TONS of supporting documents to show what I am doing over there and to convince them that my goal isn't to go over there to make money. My hope is to mail in everything at the beginning of this coming business week and then hope and pray they overturn their decision based on the supporting documents. Once they take a look at it again, there is two things that can happen. The first is the best thing.....that is that they look at the new evidence and feel that they can overturn their decision, Thus issuing me a VISA. The second option (which would be not good) is that they look at the evidence and feel that they made the correct decision. At this point, they then mail my appeal back to mainland UK for an official appeal, which can take up to 3 months!!! So if the first case happens, I could have a VISA within a couple weeks, but if the second happens........oh dear!

So I ask that you would be praying over this situation. Especially pray that I would find favor in the eyes of those looking at my application. Also pray that I would be patient and content knowing that "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it!" I thank you for your continued prayers and support.....I continue to be tremendously grateful!!

Yearning for Christ and Trusting in His Sovereignty,

Jason

The Unexpected....please PRAY

2009-02-05T23:50:00.003-06:00

There is never a dull moment when living for the King of Kings. Today I finally heard back about my VISA....the crazy thing is that I was totally caught off guard. I opened up the envelop that was from the British Consulate all to find out that I was denied a VISA. This is something I didn't see coming at all. It definitely was a complete bummer and has added to the frustration that has been the past couple of days.

I would ask for your prayers! Tomorrow morning I am going to take a trip down to the British Consulate to see what steps I need to take in order to appeal the decision. Pray that I would have favor in thier eyes and that they would be willing to talk and guide me in the right direction. Pray that it would be a quick process. Pray that I would have the patience and the ability to Trust in God knowing that "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it..." And finally, pray that I would GET the VISA.

I will keep you posted as I find information out. Thanks in advance for your prayers in this crazy and confusing situation.

Yearning to continue to Serve Christ in Northern Ireland,
Jason

Groundhog Day......the irony...

2009-02-02T13:37:00.002-06:00

Last night as I was eagerly looking forward to today, hoping that I would hear news on getting my VISA, I was flipping through the channels on TV and came across the movie Groundhogs Day. It's an older film with Bill Murray who wakes up every morning with it still being Groundhogs Day - no matter what he does, he still wakes up to it being Groundhog's Day.

As I was lying in bed last night thinking and asking God to give me the patience to wait on His timing, I began to think about that movie and how my current situation is somewhat like that. Rather than waking up and be faced with the challenge of the same day, I wake up every morning hoping that it will be the day that I will get my VISA and go back to Northern Ireland. The more that I am away, the more that my heart aches to go back. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the extra opportunity to spend time with family and friends here in the states, but you always get to that point in your vacation where you just want to get back to normal and back into the regular flow of life. I must say, I am eagerly looking forward to jumping back into ministry in Northern Ireland...I definitely miss it and miss all the guys that I am working with and I CANNOT WAIT to get my VISA and head back over there :-)!

So as I continue to wait for my VISA to come, I continue to seek the Lord and ask Him for patience and understanding. The reality and truth is that "The earth is the Lord's and EVERYTHING in it..." and I need to trust in my Sovereign God who will, in His timing, allow me to go back and continue the ministry that He has blessed me with in Kilkeel. But until then, I need to trust in Him and be content where He has me right now....and that is chillin in Brookfield, Illinois. So please be praying that my VISA will come and that I will have the patience and understanding to be content in my Sovereign God.

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

A Slight delay....

2009-01-30T12:56:00.002-06:00

Well...I've been back in the States for two weeks now. It has been really good to spend time with my family and go on a holiday with them, and it was also good to have the opportunity to go up to Minnesota to visit all my friends there. While I was up there I even had the chance to teach the high school Sunday school....that was a wee bit weird, it almost felt as if I had never left (except that I had a different accent this time!) It is amazing how fast a trip can go by, but I was glad that I had a chance to see people....and I apologize for those that I didn't have a chance to see too :-).

I was supposed to head back to Northern Ireland this past Wednesday, but as you can tell, I am not back there yet. Since the next part of my stay over there will be longer than 6 months, I had to apply for a VISA. I was hoping to have this ready to go by the time my flight was to leave on Wednesday, but that didn't happen. So instead, I am hanging out in Chicago with my family until my VISA comes back (which should be any day) At the moment, I have reschuduled my flight for Monday night, hoping that I will have my VISA by then. Pray that it comes, that way I don't have to change it again.

Even though I miss being in Northern Ireland tremendously and CANNOT WAIT to go back....I know that God has a purpose and a plan behind everything. So I am reminded of the verse a couple months ago that I clinged to then, and continue to cling to now....Psalm 24:1 "The earth is the Lord's and EVERYTHING in it....!" ...... including VISA's and when they come ;-).

I continue to thank all of you for your continued prayers and support....as each day goes by, I am more and more grateful for the ways that God is using you to further the ministry that He has put me in. Well, continue to keep your eyes on Christ! I will let you know as soon as I know :-)

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

Holiday in the States

2009-01-14T17:29:00.003-06:00

Well tomorrow (Thursday) I am heading back to the States for a two-week holiday. It will be good fun seeing family and friends and sharing all that God has been doing thus far while I have been in Northern Ireland. Hopefully no one will get sick of my newly found accent ;-). Pray that God would grant me traveling mercies as I fly home and then as I travel about seeing people. Also, I will be applying for my VISA to come back for the second part of my trip. Please pray that that process will go smoothly and that there would be no complications.

Maybe I will see you....if not, continue to keep your eyes on Christ!

Yearning for Him,

Jason

Congrats!!....and great Cafe one80!!!

2009-01-13T18:45:00.003-06:00

Well, first and foremost, I want to congratulate Samuel and Sarah on their engagement....it was absolutely brilliant. I am so excited for the you two and pray that God would continue to work through both of your lives to further his kingdom. If you haven't heard "the 5 surprise engagement" you should talk to Sarah and I'm sure she would love to tell you how Samuel "whoo-ed" her!!!

Moving on to other things, Cafe one80 was brilliant!! We finished up our last weekend and we had a tremendous turnout! Each night we had a different band that came and played music. It created a great atmosphere to sit back, relax and just have some good craic (fun). Not only that, but we had some great dramas as well as speakers who shared from their own experience how much Christ has impacted their lives. Besides all that, I've heard many stories of young people who made a commitment to follow Christ....so praise God for that!!! So I just want to thank everyone everywhere who was praying for Cafe one80....God definitely showed up and showed off, and it was really encouraging.

There was also a challenge that was put out the last night of One80. Samuel challenged Andrew (my roommate) that he could have the mini that we did up for Cafe One80 (which currently has no engine) up and running by February 15 otherwise Samuel will do Andrew's laundry for a month, was his car for a month, and make him an evening meal once a week for a month. So this has become the talk of the town, and it will be interesting to see what happens. Clearly I have an inside scoop on the situation, but I will not indulge so as to leave the suspense there!! :-)

Thanks again for your prayers and support. God continues to show His faithfulness and sovereignty, and it really has been encouraging! I urge you to continue to keep your eyes on Christ!

Yearning for Him,

Jason

Brilliant!

2009-01-06T18:48:00.002-06:00

Well the first weekend of Cafe one80 has come and gone. Let me just say that it was absolutely Brilliant!! We had a great turnout....nearly every night over the weekend the hall was full. There has been a encouraging buzz amongst the young people - they have really been enjoying it. We've even had some people come that we've never seen before, which has been really encouraging.

We are preparing for this coming weekend, which we have three more nights. We are excited because the word is spreading about it and we are hoping to get even a greater turn out. Pray that God would work through Cafe one80 to encourage those that are questioning what Christianity is all about. Pray that opportunities would come about to share about Jesus with some of the young people. Also, Saturday afternoon we have a program for some of the younger kids. This program is called FBIJ (Federal Bureau Investigating Jesus) and I am speaking at it. So pray that God would use me as His tool to speak truth to these young men and young women :-).

I am continully thankful for all of you that follow my blog and are praying for me. It means quite a lot, so I thank you!! Continue to keep your eyes on Christ!!

Yearning for Him,

Jason

Cafe one80

2009-01-02T18:47:00.004-06:00

Today we started our youth outreach called Cafe one80. It is going on this weekend and next weekend and it is open to high school age and upwards. For the first night, i twas a great turn out! The nights consist of dramas, testimonies, bands, and guest speakers.....and a cool mini ;-).

It is a great opportunity for young adults to invite their friends into an environment that is laid back so that they can enjoy a bit of craic. Tonight went really well and we continue to be excited for the several nights to come. Pray that God would use these opportunity to bring young men and young men in so that through the dramas, the speakers, and just the conversations, they may hear the Gospel.

The mini was a wee project that we took on because we figured people would love it. Unfortunately, it is just the shell of the mini - it has no engine!! But it is absolutely brilliant! We re-did the interior and put in carpet and did up the back seat. We then put a video camera in it so that people can get into it and have "mini" moments. I'm then taking the little clips that people share on the camera, and turning it into a video that we will then show at one of the other Cafe one80 nights. It definitely is a lot of fun, and the young people love it! (oh and a special thanks to Beau from back home for designing the logo...it turned out great!!)

In terms of prayer requests, pray for Cafe one80. Also on both Saturday afternoons, we are doing a smaller version of it for younger kids (about junior high age), so pray that that goes well too!...especially for next Saturday in regards to that because I will be the speaker for that. Pray that God will use Cafe one80 as a opportunity to reach the young men and women of this community!

I thank you for your continued prayers and support. It is evident that God is working in mighty ways and all of you have played a huge part in that, so I praise God! I encourage you to continue to keep your eyes on Christ! Talk to you soon :-)

Yearning for Him,

Jason

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

2008-12-25T11:29:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. I am spending Christmas at the Chestnutt's...it has been great fun. We had a lovely Christmas dinner complete with Turkey and Ham. Shortly after that we went for a nice walk along the beach and just got back a wee while ago.

Thanks for your prayers for the SU Christmas Dinner....it went really well and many of the students that attended were encouraged :-).

I have some nice Christmas pictures, so as soon as I get a free moment (with a little more time) I will post them up for you to look at. But until then, have a Merry Christmas!!!

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

Merry Christmas!!....nearly ;-)

2008-12-13T11:50:00.002-06:00

I just wanted to wish Merry Christmas to my family back home!! :-). Today is the day that worked out for all my family to get together and celebrate Christmas. So I hope that they have a fun time together, and I just wanted to let them know that I love them and am thinking about them. So MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Love lots,

Jason

The Pirates of Penzance!!

2008-12-11T17:22:00.002-06:00

Well the last week has proven to be quite busy. A week ago I started helping out with the sound for the high school's musical performance of the Pirates of Penzance. This entire week they have been performing in the evenings for people in the community. It's been good craic!!! Not only that, but it has been a great opportunity to hang out with many of the students and get to know them more, so for that I have been very grateful to help out in such a small way ;-). Tomorrow is the final performance and I'm sure it will go well because each time they get better and better.

Well believe it or not, Christmas is right around the corner. And with that comes the busyness of the holidays. This weekend we have our Sunday school Christmas parties, which will be good craic. And even next week, there are a few Christmas parties and the school for the different year groups.

However, there is one particular event that I want to draw your attention to. This coming Monday we are having the Scripture Union Christmas Dinner. We have invited any and all that want to come. Right now we have about 110 seniors (that is those in year 11 and up, which is about age 14-18) signed up, and there may be more still. So we are very excited. The reason I draw your attention to it is because I will be doing a short talk at it. There will be non Christians at the dinner, so I ask that you would pray that God would use this dinner for His glory....we are really excited! :-)

Next week is also the last week of school before Christmas Break. So that means this week will be the final week for mentor groups until after the new year. Pray that over the holidays I would have the opportunity to continue to connect and possibly hang out and have a bit of craic with those who are in my mentor groups.

Finally, next Thursday we are hoping to have a big movie night with the high schoolers out on Kittys Road, so pray that it will go well and that kids would want to come :-).

I again thank you for your prayers and support :-). I also love to hear from you, even if its just to say hi, so feel free to leave a comment or shoot me an email. Continue to keep your eyes on Christ!!

Yearning for Him,

Jason

Busy Busy Busy... :-)

2008-12-02T17:50:00.002-06:00

Well with Christmas right around the corner, things are getting quite busy around Kilkeel!...a good busy that is ;-). Last week I had a great opportunity to have Thanksgiving Dinner with a couple other Americans that I know in the town. It was quite lovely....we had turkey, stuffing, and nearly all the fixins ;-), so it was a very nice meal!

This past Friday, Samuel and I also had the opportunity to begin connecting with some of the high schoolers on Kittys Road. It was great craic!!! We pretty much just walked around to different houses and rounded up some of the kids and ended up muckin about for a couple hours (having fun that is). It was a cold night, the the "thing" to do was to water down one of the streets that had a slight hill to it so that it would freeze in order to allow the kids to slide down on it. I can honestly say that I've never had quite as much fun with a road as I did with them that night. So all in all, it was a good connecting point and opportunity to spread the word about the youth club that we want to get started. Hopefully within the next couple of weeks we are planning on having a game night or a movie night to get the word out more and get kids excited about coming. So continue to pray for those connections :-).

Things at the school have been quite busy. Next week is the school musical, which is really exciting. The musicals are an event that is always looked forward too. However, this year they are a wee bit behind, so right now the atmosphere is a wee bit tense around the school because many of the students are trying to get it all set for the end of the week dress rehearsals. I'm sure it will turn out good.

I also started helping out a wee bit with the PE classes and helping facilitate the sports and games that they play during those periods. This has been quite fun and provides another great opportunity to connect with many of the young men that I see at Youth Fellowship or in mentor groups and those sorts of things.

I'm still trying to figure out the car situation. It's not so much as finding a car, but it's more about finding the most inexpensive insurance. A car would help quite a bit in connecting with many of the young men that I am working with and would make things easier, cause I would have more freedom and not have to depend on other means. So we are looking into those options, but pray that God would provide an opportunity and a way for that to happen....I know He will (The earth is the Lords and everything in it!!! ps 24:1!!)

Well I continue to thank you for your prayers and support. God is doing a great work over here, and you have been a part of it through the support you have given me, so I thank you!! Continue to keep your eyes on Christ :-).

Yearning for Him,

Jason

God is Good!

2008-11-24T06:08:00.002-06:00

Well the Junior SU overnight went really well!! Thank you so much for your prayers for that. There were about 65 students that attended and many of them were encouraged and challenged in their faith....especially when it comes to facing some of the sin or struggles that they have that has been hindering their walk with Christ.

Along with the talks and sharing times, we were able to go out and have a bit of craic as well. In terms of activities, the highlight was probably going to the Leisureplex in Lisburn. This was a place that was pretty much like an indoor waterpark. There were several slides to go down and a lazy river to enjoy as well. It was might craic swimming and muckin about with the kids!

Right now I am off to the high school for the Monday prayer meeting that the students have during lunch. Then I have a mentor group after school. It should be good fun. Hope things are well! Continue to keep your eyes on Christ...talk to you soon.

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

Junior Scripture Union Overnight :-)

2008-11-21T06:22:00.002-06:00

Hey there. This past week has been pretty normal and nothing out of the ordinary. Things have been really good with SU at school as well as mentor groups - pray that God would continue to help me deepen and strengthen those relationships, especially with the guys in my three mentor groups.

Tonight we have an overnight in Lisborn with the Junior SU from school. There are about 70, 11-3 year olds signed up to go. I am really excited about it. I have been given the opportunity to teach the two sessions that we will be having. I am focusing on Colossians 3:1-17 for both of the talks and talking about not only what it means to be 'in Christ' but also the importance of putting off the old self and replacing with the new. So tonight the main thing will be talking about sin and the hindrances it causes in our relationship to Christ. So if you could be praying for me that God would use me as His tool to speak truth and wisdom, that would be awesome. Also, pray for the students going. Most of them would consider themselves Christians, but that doesn't mean that they are....so pray for open hearts and open minds for God to work.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support....I will let you know how the overnight goes :-)! Continue to keep your eyes on the King of Kings!

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

Update on Ministry

2008-11-12T10:37:00.002-06:00

Well things are in full swing! It has been really great getting everything underway and connecting with many of the young men that I will be working with this year. Currently I am involved in 3 mentor groups through the high school. Each of the groups has about 4 guys in it and we meet once a week after school. Last week and this week were the first times that we were able to meet. It is really good getting to know them more encouraging them in their walk for Christ. I am really excited about the opportunities to come alongside of them and encourage them in their faith and as well as helping them to see the importance of becoming young men that fight for sexual purity amidst of very sexual world. So pray that God would help me to build strong relationships with each of my guys and that they would be encouraged and have the opportunity to grow this year.

Along with mentor groups, I have been doing much stuff with the youth fellowships at Mourne and at Kilkeel. It has been good having opportunities to teach and to share about my self. Not only that, it provides great opportunities to further connect with some of the youth that I see at the school throughout the week.

Overall, things have been going really good. Like I said in an earlier post, God has really opened up some doors to connect with a couple of young men already, and I am really excited about God creating more opportunities with some of the other guys that I am working with.

It's hard to think that I have been here for nearly a month now!!...time has just flown by. Not only that, but everyone has been so warm and welcoming to me that it has seemed like home. I thank all of you who have been supporting me both through prayer and financially. I just received an update yesterday concerning my funds. I am at about 63% of the goal that I have to raise. This means that I still need just over $5000 to reach my goal. I am very grateful for those that have supported me already and I know that "the earth is the Lord's and everything in it.." (ps 24:1) and will provide the rest that I need when I need it!

I ask that you would continue to pray for: 1. my mentor groups and the connections with those young men that I am getting to know 2. For wisdom and direction with one of my mentor groups in which I am hoping to talk about purity 3. Teaching - as I teach that I would remain faithful to God's Word and effectively study and prepare for that 4. For my own walk, that I would continue to rely on Christ for all my needs! Thank you so much for your support!..it has been really encouraging.

OH...and one more things. Tomorrow we are having a meeting in Kittys Road to talk about starting something for the high schoolers in the neighborhood....so pray that we will be able to finally get something going. :-). Continue to trust in Christ!

Yearning for Him,

Jason

I drove :-)

2008-11-07T19:03:00.000-06:00

Well I finally got a chance to get behind the wheel. After hanging out in Annalong for a wee bit tonight, it came time for Samuel and I to head home for the night. So I figured I would ask him if I could drive...and he let me. It was quite fun....definitely weird at first, but it was a lot of fun. Just figured I would share that with you....now time for bed :-)

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

What's the craic!

2008-11-05T15:25:00.002-06:00

Things have been going really well over here in Kilkeel. It's hard to believe that I've been here for nearly three weeks!...in ways it seems like I've been here for much longer, and yet it somehow feels like I just got here yesterday. Regardless, God is Good and is doing great things over here.

Surprising this current week has been my first "normal" week since I've been here (if there's such a thing as normal :P ). Last week everyone had off of school, so it was a very laid back week. I had the chance to hang out with a couple guys that I've gotten to know, and it has been really good...there names are Zak and Peter.

This week I am back in the school helping out with Scripture Union and trying to learn names. I'm starting to recognize and remember more and more people, which is exciting. Now that I have a fairly consistent schedule, its been easier to start building relationships and getting to know more of the guys....especially in the mentor groups that I have. All in all, things are going really great and it is really exciting seeing the opportunities that God is providing in terms of getting to know some of the young men over here. I thank you for all of your prayers and support and I would love to hear from you, so leave comments :-). Continue to trust in Christ!!

Yearning for Him,

Jason

Check out where I live....

2008-10-29T13:47:00.003-05:00

Here's where I live :-). I realized afterward that I didn't use my newly found Northern Ireland accent.....so you will probably get that next time ;-).

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

Settled In!!

2008-10-26T17:40:00.002-05:00

Well its been awhile since I posted anything...my apologies. The last couple of days I didn't have any internet because we had to figure out the wifi stuff, but now its all good.

Everything is fantastic. I moved into the flat with Andrew on Thursday and it is quite lovely. It is very spacious and nice and definitely more then I could ask for...so I continue to thank God for the way in which He provides. The last few days have been full with all sorts of things. I had the opportunity to share a wee bit at the Senior Scripture Union (SU) after school on Thursday, and that went really well. I've also had many opportunities to start connecting and building relationships with several of the youth, so that has been grand!

Friday I had the had the opportunity to go out to Kittys Road for the Good News Bible club with the young ones. That was class. I was able to see a bunch of the younger kids from the summer...many of them were really confused when they saw me. And then they pretty much all followed it with the same comment ..."Why didn't any of the other Americans come back?" So to those to you who were here over the summer, you are still missed and they all say hello! I haven't had a chance to connect with any of the older ones yet, but hopefully this coming week I will have a chance to connect with some of them.

Other than that it has just been connecting and getting things all settled. Its hard to believe that I've already been here for over a week. Time is just flying. This coming week most of kids have off of school for Harvest season (and halloween) so I am looking forward to being able to connect and hang out with many of them.

Continue to pray that I would be able to continue to build and even start relationships with the young adults that I am working with. Also, continue to pray for the ability to learn names. You don't realise how bad you are at names until you have literally a thousand thrown at you...so pray that God would help me to remember names and faces.

Anywho, tomorrow I hope to take some pictures or video and post it, so hopefully within the next couple of days I will have something for you to look at. Until then, I continue to thank you for your support, and as always - Continue to keep your eyes on Christ!

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

Starting to get Settled...

2008-10-21T05:31:00.002-05:00

The past few days have been quite busy with meeting people and starting to get my feet wet with what I will be doing over the next several months. On Sunday I had the opportunity of being introduced to the congregation at Mourne. Andrew interviewed me, and he had several questions from some of the youth, which made it more lively. The big question is which football team I will be supporting....so I'll have to see who that ends up being. At the moment, I have been saying that I will probably be a Manchester United fan (since I will be living with Andrew and he is a Man United Fan)...however, the Liverpool fans weren't too happy with that decision...so we'll see.

I've had the chance to go to the Youth Fellowship at Mourne and meet more of the young adults that I will be working with. I am really excited and looking forward to all that the Lord has planned during my time here. I also have had the opportunity to start helping out with the Scripture Union at the school. This has been loads of criac because it gives me an opportunity to be around the high school and see and interact with many of the teenagers in the community. I will be around the school nearly everyday to help out with Scripture Union prayer meetings and such as well as lead three mentor groups that have been assigned to me...so its just brilliant!!

Other than that, I have just been working on settling in. Today I am heading down to Newry after school with Samuel to get a mobile, and then I think tomorrow or the next day I will be moving into the flat with Andrew...so that will be lovely to finally get unpacked and fully settled in.

It has been fantastic to hear from some of you! Keep in touch and even leave some comments...its always lovely to hear from yous!! Right now the biggest thing for me is trying to learn and remember names - there are many. Other than that, I continue to thank you for your prayers and support and I hope that all is well!!

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

Back Again

2008-10-18T18:30:00.002-05:00

Well I am back in Northern Ireland!! :-) It seems as if the last two days have gone by in a blink of an eye. I've had the pleasure of reuniting with many friends and having loads of craic (fun) with them as well.

After being picked up at the airport by Samuel, we went back to his school where I was able to sit in on a couple of his classes, while being able to meet many of his students (and see many faces that I recognized ;-)!). It was loads of fun. Then we went back to Samuel's house to relax a wee bit and have some dinner and eventually out to Annalong to visit friends there as well. All that to say that I arrived in Dublin at 7:15am having gotten only 2 hours of sleep on the plane and then didn't go to bed until 12:30am the next day....great fun!!! (which actually helped me get over the jet lag quite fast).

Today was a wee bit more laid back. We had a lie in til bout half ten (slept in til 10:30ish). Then in the afternoon had the opportunity to go visit some other friends in a special place called Kittys Road!! I haven't seen all of them yet, but I did have a chance to see Teresa and Kellie (and I said hello to them for those of you who know them). That was really good to see them.

After all of that I came over to Pastor Williams house (where I will be staying the next couple of days) to have dinner and then go to a charity concert and sketch night. It was quite fun. So I just got back from that about an hour ago, had a wee bit of supper (snack in the evening) and now I am here talking to you.

I want to thank yous for praying for me. Already God is at work answering prayer. Today I found out that my housing situation has just gotten cheaper....way cheaper...in fact FREE!! Rather then living in an apartment by myself, the Associate Pastor at Mourne Pres. Church (Andrew Mullen) offered for me to live with him....so I am really excited about that opportunity to live with him. (He's a younger fellow that is single who I had the chance to get to know a wee bit over the summer, so it will be really good). So praise the Lord for that provision.

Well.....it is getting late over here, and I need to get some rest. So I will be going. I thank the Lord for His faithfulness and I urge you to continue to keep your eyes on Christ!

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

Today is the Day!!!

2008-10-16T09:12:00.002-05:00

Well...after being home for two months from Kilkeel, I am going back!!! I am tremendously excited :-). The reality of me actually leaving to go back today hasn't quite fully hit me yet. I probably won't realize it until I am on the plane tonight heading there. Regardless, I can't wait to see friends and to jump into what God has laid out for me to do there.

I am so grateful for God's goodness and faithfulness. It was two months ago that I began the journey and process to try to go back and help out with the community in Kilkeel. Throughout those two months, God was gracious to give me patience, understanding, and even the ability to trust and know that He is always in control!! There hasn't been a day in the last two months where I haven't quoted Psalm 24:1....."The earth is the Lord's and EVERYTHING in it...!" I continue to cling to that promise because He is the one that owns everything so that He can prepare the way for the return of the King of Kings :-).

My plane leaves Chicago tonight at 6:50pm central time and I arrive in Dublin tomorrow morning at 8:15am Ireland time, which is six hours ahead. As I get ready to go, I ask that you would be praying for travel safety as I fly over there and then get picked up at the airport by Samuel.

Once again I thank you for all of your support. Now is the time where the rubber meets the road and I am praying that God will use me to serve and help out the community of Kilkeel so that He may be exalted!! Talk to you when I get there!!!

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

Bittersweet.

2008-10-13T16:16:00.003-05:00

Well...I am approaching my last few days in the States. The last two weeks of my have been super crazy, but at the same time, they have been two really awesome weeks. It's hard to think that just over a week ago I bid all my friends in Minnesota farewell....I can honestly say that I will miss seeing them (actually already do ;) ). Before I left Minnesota, I had the opportunity to go up to the Fall Retreat and say good bye to the youth group. This was a very bittersweet moment for me. I am totally excited about going to Northern Ireland, however, this is the first time in four years that I am leaving the people that I have come to know so well. To my small group...you will be missed, but know that I am praying for you. The same goes for my family away from home....the Kempstons - I love you guys and will miss you greatly. To all my friends up in Minnesota, I encourage you to continue to keep your eyes on Christ.

This past week I have been at home in Chicago visiting friends and family and even getting the opportunity to share my plans with my church that I grew up at....Emmanuel Bible Church. It has been really great being able to spend some time with my family before I head out :) .... and even seeing some old friends!!

I want to thank those of you that have committed to supporting me financially and/or by prayer. It has been a blessing to see so many people willing to support. Currently I am at about 16% of my $15,000 goal that I need for my time in Northern Ireland....my prayer is that God would continue to supply me with everything that I need.

Thanks again for all your prayers and support. I leave this coming Thursday at 6:50pm and arrive in Dublin Friday morning. Continue to keep your eyes on Christ!!

Yearning for Him,

Jason

Answered Prayer!!

2008-09-30T00:18:00.000-05:00

What a great birthday present and even better answer to prayer - finding out that everything is finally approved to go to Ireland. I am tremendously grateful for God's faithfulness and promise to strengthen those that wait upon Him.

So now the date is set. I will be heading back to Chicago this coming weekend to spend some time with my family before I leave. Then Thursday, October 16, I leave for Northern Ireland. I am totally excited and cannot wait to go!!

As I make final preparations to head over to reunite with my friends in Northern Ireland, there are some prayer requests that I would love to share with you......

1. Fundraising. Now that I have the green light to go, I am trusting that the Lord will use many of you to provide me with the funds that I need in order to live in Northern Ireland. Pray that I would trust in God's provision and that everything will be provided to make this happen.

2. Dependence. Pray that I would be dependent upon the Lord as I go. The first couple weeks will be great fun as I reunite with people. As time goes, however, I will need to continue to rely on God as I adapt to the culture and flow of Northern Ireland.

3. Friends. As I leave to go to Northern Ireland to reunite with friends that I made over the same, I will also be leaving behind many friends at Bethlehem Baptist Church...especially all the high schoolers that I have built relationships with over the past 4 years. Pray that God would continue to make His presence known in each of their lives. I love them so much, and pray that God will continue to great things within each of their lives.

I thank you in advance for your prayers and support. God is using each of you to help make this trip happen, and I am very thankful. May we continue to remember that "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it!!"

Yearning for Christ,

Jason

A Month!...wow

2008-09-24T15:20:00.000-05:00

I can honestly say that the last month of my life has been one of the most interesting ones in my entire life. It has been quite unique waking up every morning wondering if that would be "the day" that I find out. As you could guess, that's still how things are.

Looking back over the past month, I can honestly say that I have learned a lot....even though I haven't really done anything. I always knew that God loves to teach us patience, but little did I know that its not just patience, but trust.

It wasn't until recently that I began to grasp the true weight of Proverbs 3:5-6 which says "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths." It is verse 5 that blows me away. We are called to trust in the Lord with all of our hearts. Not only that, but we are also told not to lean on our own understanding. I have recited this verse over and over at different points in my life where I knew I needed to trust in God, but it wasn't until now that I fully realized the part about not leaning on our own understanding.

I know in my life, there have been many times where I have said that I was trusting in the Lord with all my heart and not leaning on my own understanding...but come to think of it, I don't know if I was. We all have the tendency to come up with a plan B if something doesn't work out so that we can at least know something won't completely fail. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, but when we make back up plans, are we trusting in God in those plans as well??

The reason I say this is because this is the first time I have never had a back up plan. As I share my desire to go back to Northern Ireland to minister to the youth there, many people ask me the question "So if this all doesn't work out, what are you going to do?" I honestly respond, I have no clue! And that's the truth. This is when I began to realize that I finally wasn't trying to rely on my own understanding (especially because I usually like to have everything figured out).

Right now I am completely dependent on God because God has His own way and own timing on how He likes to do things, and this past month I learned more about that. It would have been way easier to get all the details figured out and turn right around to go back to Ireland, but that's not how God wanted it to happen. He wanted me to wait......He didn't want me to trust in my own understanding......He simply wanted me to trust in Him!!

That is a small glimpse of what God has been teaching me over the past month. I thank all of you for your prayers and support. I eagerly look forward to the day that I will be able to tell you I will be going back (which will hopefully be within the next week). But until then, and even then, I will be trusting in God BECAUSE "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it."!!!!!!!

A word of Encouragement....

2008-09-02T19:56:00.000-05:00

As I sit at home many afternoons thinking and praying, seeking and waiting to see what the Lord would have me do in the next many months, there was a song that came to my mind. It goes like this....

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord

Our God, You reign forever
Our hope, our Strong Deliverer

You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint
You won't grow weary
You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles

There's a reason God teaches us patience....it's so that we are constantly reminded that we can do nothing apart from Him....we need to be completely dependent upon Him!!

Just like in Psalm 24, everything is the Lords in order to prepare the way for the King of Glory, the King of Kings! Even though I wake up every morning hoping that that day will be the day I find out if I go to Ireland, I now am reminded and encouraged to know that God is using this time that I am waiting to make sure that I am trusting and depending in Him! (especially since I have all my eggs in one basket trusting in His leading!)

Anywho, I wanted to share these bits of Grace that God has given me. I do thank you for your prayers... may we continue to remember that "The earth is the Lord's and everything in it"....so that He can prepare the way for the King of Glory to return.

(song is Everlasting God by Chris Tomlin)

Psalm 24:1

2008-08-21T11:43:00.000-05:00

As I look to the Lord to see where and what I am supposed to be doing with my life, I am constantly reminded of a verse that He continues to show me. Psalm 24:1 says "The earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein." It is a great reminder knowing that God is in control of all things because He is the one that owns everything. The beauty of that verse can't be fully seen without reading the entire Psalm because of what the author says at the end. Verse 9 says "Lift up your heads, O gates! And lift them up, O ancient doors, that that the King of glory may come in." The reason the earth is the Lord's and everything in it is because God is preparing the way for the King of Kings, the King of Glory.....Jesus Christ!!