some thoughts pondered as i'm about to leave the land downunder...

Wednesday is almost over now here in Australia. In less than 24 hours I will be off on a new adventure. Even as I type these words i feel the anticipation in my belly. I feel it in my heart. I serve a wild, untamable God. At night i lie awake and ponder what lies in wait for me in the days ahead. Adventure. Excitement. Tears. Life. Death. Joy. Pain. Love. Heartbreak. Color. Darkness. Light. Time will tell all that this journey beholds. We go forth as the bride of Christ, advocates of life. The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; Jesus came that people could have life, and have it abundantly. all throughout history the enemy has attacked life. i can see so clearly how he sits pleased as we lose whole generations to genocide and abortion and disease. we have been warned that as we go forth to usher in life, we will not go unresisted. there will be a battle. Paul urged the church in ephesus to put on the whole armor of God so that they could resist the schemes of the devil. so that's what we'll do. we will go forth with the trusty sword of truth in hand and our shields of faith raised to "extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one." as i write this, it all sounds so dramatic...really, i'm just going to learn how to "catch" babies in a couple of foreign countries, right? yes. but most of my life i have either been unaware of the battle or maybe chose not to see it. might i find most of the church in the same boat? i'm convinced though, that our ignorance of the battle does not make it nonexistent...it's more like we're off chasing butterflies in a spiritual warzone. Jesus was zealous for truth, He fought for life, and He gave His own life for love. Paul told the ephesians that our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. therefore, take up the full armor of God...that's heavy stuff, haha.
these are things i continue to ponder...what does it mean to be a warrior? how do we love as Christ did day in and day out? how do we see into all things spiritual? i am convinced they are things that you just begin to walk in...and grow into...maybe for a lifetime...and day by day. well, off we go to celebrate life and to welcome in new creations with joy and thanksgiving!!

...the Way of Holiness...

hello friends!
treasures from Isaiah 35...
Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear, your God will come, He will come with vengeance; with divine retribution He will come to save you."
Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow. And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness.
The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it.
No lion will be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found there, and the ransomed of the Lord will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

We are all walking a path, paths that we choose. Dorothy followed the yellow brick road. I want to walk on the Way of Holiness. What does that look like? That's a question i often ask myself and I challenge you to do the same. Probing, questioning, pondering, seeking...the unshakable Kingdom, the Way of Holiness, the radical Cross. Each morning we choose to walk on the path of righteousness or destruction. Will others watch our lives and choose the same path we walk? While the path that leads to destruction seems easy and quite inviting, the Way of Holiness is steep and narrow yet truly beautiful. It is full of healing and redemption and joy and hope and singing! Walk it and invite others to taste and see...

unshakable

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire." Hebrews 12:28-29
I'm not sure i can get my head around this unshakable kingdom stuff...but i'm trying. I am figuring out that this should radically affect my life. I am living in and building on a kingdom that cannot be moved. therefore, i will not be moved. i will not be shaken. i will not look to the right or to the left, but i will keep my eyes on the Author and Perfector of my faith so that i can complete this amazing task ahead of me. Jesus is so worthy. He is worthy of my life, my love, my all. and i He knows i would give it...

this week we've been on the topic of labor and delivery. there is so much to be learnt, most days i find it impossible to remember everything i've taken in...all the stages of labor, how to take care of mom and baby in a million different situations, because birth can be so unpredictable. i mean i had NO IDEA that after you deliver the baby, you have to deliver the placenta!!! but seriously, it is AMAZING learning how the baby starts from a single cell and slowly but surely glows into a beautiful miracle of a baby. life is a miracle, and i'm so honored that God has brought me to a place to experience it.
This past weekend the Birth Attendant School found out where we would be spending our 8 months of outreach. We will leave the busy city of perth and travel to chang mai, thailand for the month of september. there we will finish up our last month of lecture phase in preparation for outreach. from thailand we will travel east to hyderabad, india for 3 months to begin working in hospitals assisting with deliveries. from india we will travel farther east to sudan, africa for another 3 months. our final 2 months of outreach will be spent in jakarta, indonesia. sooooo....to say the least, i am thrilled! i never would have dreamed up this journey for myself, but i serve a creative and amazing God. i wanted to see new places and new cultures and hear new languages...so the desires of my heart were more than answered. so now i pray that God would equip me, refine me, prepare me and use me to do my part to see His unshakable kingdom come.
love love lots of love
jill

well, here i am in australia...

I delight greatly in the Lord;
my soul rejoices in my God.
For He has clothed me
with garments of salvation
and arrayed me
in a robe of righteousness,



as a bridegroom adorns his
head like a priest,
and as a bride adorns herself
with her jewels.
For as the soil makes
the sprout come up
and a garden causes seeds to grow,
so the Sovereign Lord will make
righteousness and praise
spring up before all nations.
Isaiah 61:10-11

So, here I am a world away from home. there is more than 14 hours time difference between me and most of you. you're all enjoying the summer sun, while we're finishing up winter here. it's wierd. it feels like i've been here so long, but it's been less than 2 weeks. i arrived saturday, june 30 (a day late because i vacationed in the LA airport for an extra day due to delays and missed flights) to find most of the Birth Attendant School students already moved in. There are 11 of us girls in all, number 11 just arrived 2 days ago. Our team consists of new zealanders, germans, and americans from all different walks of life. we are a beautiful team if i might say so myself, and i'm anxious to see how God uses us. We have begun to dig into the textbooks studying the human anatomy at the moment. we are also learning to check vital signs (blood pressure, respirations, temperature, pulse.) it is a flood of information, not counting the spiritual side of it all. God has been challenging me...i sit here wondering how to put that into words. the challenge is quite large...seeming impossible, but day by day slowly attainable. "With all i am i will live to see Your Kingdom come..." during worship a few days ago, these words hit the core of my being. is it true of me? am i willing to spend my life for the Kingdom? anyways, i'm being challenged more each day to be kingdom minded...it's not always easy when the kingdom of Jill is calling for my attention....
on a lighter note we visited an incredible park here in Perth as a group. i took a million pictures of trees...the trees and plants are so different here, it's beautiful! trees teach me...they all have a lesson, a story, a character.





i love you all
blessings
jill

trees & things

How blessed is the man

who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stand in the path of sinners,

nor sit in the seat of scoffers!

But his delight is in the law of the Lord,

and in His law he meditates day and night.

He will be like a tree firmly planted by

streams of water,

which yields its fruit in its season

and its leaf does not wither;

and in whatever he does, he prospers.

Psalm 1:1-3

I love trees. I am fascinated by their beauty, strength, resilience, usefulness, and life. Most of all I think my fascination comes from the parallels I see in scripture between trees planted by streams of water and steadfast faith. I desire a steadfast faith with roots deeply grounded in the Truth. This tree was particularly fascinating to me for some reason. I found it in Oaxaca last week as I was touring Monte Alban (old zapotec ruins) with some friends. It's leaves were such a rich green and it was covered with bright yellow berries. Its thick foliage created an almost perfect circle of shade; it was shelter. It seemed inviting, protective, and steadfast. I just stood and stared in childlike wonder. Could I become like that tree? Steadfast, immovable, solid...yet beautiful and fruitful. Anyways, I love trees...

So I had a lovely time in Oaxaca. I thoroughly enjoyed seeing old friends and visiting the markets. Haley Holik came along with me to make the trip even more enjoyable. We ate the food, practiced spanish, and rode the buses. It was a bittersweet trip for me though. I bonded and grew to love so many of the people there during my year and a half stay. It was hard to leave knowing that I may never see some of them again...I also missed the Thiessen family. They were incredibly generous enough to let us stay in their house since they were visiting in the states. Well tomorrow afternoon I set off on my next adventure! I will spend the next 11 months in Australia, North Africa, and India sharing the love and hope of Jesus Christ and learning to be a midwife!! haha! I am so excited for this opportunity to learn new skills, to see new places, and to learn about the muslim religion. I will try my best to post blogs weekly to keep you all up to date on my travels and adventures on the other side of the world!

I love you all!

in Christ

jill