It's a desert out there

Listening to: Brenda Fassie, "Vul'indela"

























One of the men i met told me God brought a verse to his mind a year ago, when he approached a border and the customs officer searches his stuff and found copies of the New Testament.





To his shock, all the officers wanted a copy to read.






























The verse is in Amos 8: "The days are coming," declares the Sovereign LORD, "when I will send a famine through the land— not a famine of food or a thirst for water, but a famine of hearing the words of the LORD. Men will stagger from sea to sea and wander from north to east, searching for the word of the LORD, but they will not find it. "





















Man. The Word of God is life. Whether we are in a dry and weary land, or in a place of abundance.
























I was mostly amazed at how God pursues people, all over the world where it is not so easy to hear the message of Christ. It makes me love Him that much more...

The art of being awkward on a press interview

This week I gave two interviews to press about two different issues in Africa.

A disclaimer: These are the first two interviews i have ever given to the press. I didn't enjoy it at all. I could hear myself talking and I am thinking to myself "Jen, you sound ridiculous. Jen why did they hand you the phone. Jen!!! Why aren't you still on the otherside of the ocean with your north african peeps?" I think i was repeating myself alot, because I was nervous. In the second interview the guy asked me a question about oil in sudan that was an incredibly complicated question that was difficult to lay out an "A B C" answer. So you know what i said? Yeah, "well, that is an incredibly complicated question, with no easy answer." But i did answer his question to the best of my knowledge and ridiculously limited experience. If someone has tips on how to give a poised interview please let me know.

I knew this would be apart of my job, but i feel a heightened sense of self consciousness about my words. When i gave this interview today, it was like putting on a pair of jeans that are too tight. You try to zip them up, and you are like, "Not a chance man, this is uber uncomfortable."

As the last few months have unfolded, I have to say that being in D.C. is exciting and i have enjoyed the ride so far, but my real passion is still connecting and building relationships with people from other nations. that is what i am really good at. i enjoy it and feel incredibly fulfilled by it.

interviews to the press may be the cup of tea for some, but if it was up to me, i would much rather be talking to the girl who is struggling with telling her Muslim family she just became a believer. I feel at home talking to her.

Hassan II Mosque

One of the more interesting days of my trip: Visiting the Hassan II Mosque

The Hassan II Mosque was designed by the French architect Michel Pinceau and is the second largest in the world (after the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca). It is sited on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic, which can be seen through a gigantic glass floor with room for 25,000 worshippers. A further 80,000 can be accommodated in the mosque's courtyard. Its minaret is also the world's tallest at 210 meters.

The day we went to the mosque it was Friday, and we arrived just in time for mid day prayer.

I like the idea of coming together to pray in the middle of the day, with friends and family.


I'm thinking of getting my own prayer rug.

In light of my latest pilgrimage

These words make me happy. We live in a great nation.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Jen's excellent adventure

So i am still in N. Africa, Egypt to be exact. Can't say much about specifics yet about the trip thus far, but here are six interesting highlights:

1. At JFK airport, my team was sitting waiting for our flight, and the former President of Iran came blazing through with alot of bodyguards and police. It was like witnessing a celebrity citing. I kind of freaked out.

2. On the flight to Casablanca, i found three seats that were empty and was excited because of the thought of getting a chance to sleep. The guy on the otherside of the aisle however decided to interrupt my plans and sit next to me for dinner. He said he was a "homeboy" from Morocco and there was something about my eyes. I told him thank you for the company but i really needed to rest. He went to the back of the airplane to buy me a gift. I came away with a french manicure set.

3. In Morocco, i learned more french than Arabic. I like how people say my name in french. it's different, definitely not the same old jennifer in america. it has inspired me to learn french.

4. I went into the largest mosque in the world outside of Mecca. For real man. It was amazing. the mosque is estimated to cost around 3 billion dollars and is just outside casablanca. it is built on the water, based on the islamic scripture that says the throne of Allah resides on the water. We went on a friday, when everyone went to pray. I wanted to take more pictures but the police got a little irritated with me (he was afraid of someone getting really upset with me, even though i was far away). I could write a book on this experience but will save to later.

5. There is a shortage of women of my faith in morocco and egypt. this has led to many interesting encounters here. definitely more later on this.

6. The call to prayer here wakes me up early, early in the morning. some people have told me that it gives them chills. for me, something inside just cries out for truth in this land. That this land would hunger and thirst for truth.

Destination North Africa

I leave for North Africa today.

If any of you are the praying type, remember me.

The older you get

I just got off the phone with my mom.

The older I get, the more I see how important family is to me. The older I get I see how much my mom means to me.

Sandra Joanne. Lover of her children, her husband. Teacher of all ages, trivia extradoinare, future Jeopardy grand prize winner! History enthusiast. Athelete. Competetive! Capable of anything. If she had ten more lives she could be professor, archeologist, astronaut. model.

Knock out on the outside, but especially on those insides. She's a keeper.

Beauty from ashes

One of my dearest friends, Deborah sent my church family this email five years ago on September 11.

I am on-call at the hospital tonight--but wanted to share something with all of you. LAST TUESDAY, the Lord put the following prayer on my heart--The image was strange to me at the time--but, thankfully, I wrote it down in my journal and have been praying it over and over today in light of all of the tragedy... I am praying that this would be the testimony of all of those involved in this terrible thing... Confident in the God that brings beauty from ashes,
Deborah

O Lord, how you come rescue us!
Digging us our from the things that have collapsed upon us-
The things that we lie buried in--
and that threaten to suffocate us
O Lord, you dig us out from the rubble--
From the ruins of the building that we once thought strong
When we are trapped and helpless--
Smothered-
You save us
You run to us
And dig passionately and furiously
To free us from the things
that threaten to deprive us our very breath
Praise you Jesus
I am free
I can breathe
The rubble which laid so heavy upon my chest has been lifted.
O Lord, my Deliverer.

Early mornings

Listening to: "You are the one" - Keith Green, remixed by J. Upton

I love the mornings sometimes, especially when i can be still and listen. The theme of this year for me is Back to Basics. I am learning a gratefulness for the cross and the resurrection in a way that i had never experienced before. It is changing my life.

This morning I read out of my d. bonhoeffer devo, "A Morning Blessing"

But early on Easter morning Christ emerged victorious from the grave. "Ere yet the dawn has filled the skies/Behold my Savior Christ arise,/He chases from us sin and night,/And brings us joy and life and light. Halleluia."

So sang the church of the Reformation. Christ is the "Sun of Righteousness," who has risen upon the expectant congregation (Mal 4:2) and they who love him will be like the sun when it rises in its strength (Judges 5:31). The early morning belongs to the church of the risen Christ. At the break of light it remembers the morning on which death, the devil, and sin were brought low in defeat, and new life and salvation were given to human beings.

Amen and Amen

Some just call it Houston...I like to call it home

This weekend was perfect. Beautiful weather and spending time with my family in Houston...

There were long walks in my old neighborhood.

I got to hang out with ciani, a little girl from my church who i love like she was my own:

Ciani shows off her room

There was coffee with old friends

And I ran into friends with really cute babies...

And friends who make me laugh!!!

I spent nearly seven years in Houston Texas. I moved six times, and I lived with five different people. I even had a garage apt. to myself once which i really miss sometimes.

Oh yeah - don't let this sappy talk of mine mislead you. I hated it at first. I mean HATED with a passion, HATED Houston. I wanted to run away from this place, not to mention all the junk that was slowly being rooted out of my life. Now i feel like it's the only home I have in this world, even though i'm not living there anymore. And because I stayed, I made friends with some of the truest people i have ever had the privelage of knowing.

So here's to H Town..... it is way over it's quota for amazing people.

I'm in Houston!!!!

I'm lovin' it!!!

More to come...