Well how do I explain how crappy feel right now! Hmm I guess the first sentence takes care of that!!!
Welp, today, not soo good! I mean I was a good day in the way that I am breathing, and that the sun came out (well enough to make it look like dusk!). I woke up to a rainy day, yet again. Which is fine because I was warned about this time of year and the weather. But me being me, I wore a pare of shoes that any sane human being would know that would not work for such cold wet weather, yet I didn’t give it a thought! Hmmm, and as I sit here and type this, my feet are now thawing, and unwrinkling from being soaked all day! Sweet!
On to my day at “work”.
Today’s task:
find apartments to go look at!
My thoughts:
exciting! No problem. Just looks some up, give um a call, go check it out. If I like what I see, MOVE IN!!!
Reality:
sat on my butt all day, looked…oooh too expensive! Looked some more… oooh definitely not livable!!! Looked some more…oooh this one is perrrrfect…sorry already taken!
Yup and we did that for the whole workday! Neat!
Funny thing is, I got “home” to Scott’s house and I was taking to him, and he asked me what I wanted to do, and in my most amazingly sweet demeanor I said without the least bit of sarcasm, “ hmmmm, what would I like to do? I would like to go on the Internet, find an apartment, rent the apartment and then MOVE IN!” but you know what Scott? I would actually be happy just taking the list of things I had to do today other that look for an apartment and get in my car and go complete the tasks and come back feeling like I accomplished something! But instead I come home without one thing accomplished and about 10 other things to do on top of that!! I guess that what I would like to do!”
His reply was so encouraging! He just looked at me with the utmost compassion and said, “it gonna be hard for you here!”
Oh yay!
Pray for me! (and my atittude!)
About Me
- Jaycee Leigh Jensen
- Riga, Latvia
- what to say... I love Latvia, I love people, and I love Jesus!!! Serving as a "lover of people" in Latvia with Josiah Venture.
Tuesday, October 31, 2006
Happy Halloween!
On Sunday night we celebrated Halloween with the kids! It was awesome. They all dressed up and I guess I did too ;)
We carved pumpkins, played games, the kids put on a concert, and then I ran to Paul house and stood at the back door while he was at the front and let the kids trick or treat!
Latvia does not really celebrate Halloween so it was the best we could do! Yet I think I was better than most Halloweens I had as a kid! The Runzo kids are blessed by very amazing parents!
We carved pumpkins, played games, the kids put on a concert, and then I ran to Paul house and stood at the back door while he was at the front and let the kids trick or treat!
Latvia does not really celebrate Halloween so it was the best we could do! Yet I think I was better than most Halloweens I had as a kid! The Runzo kids are blessed by very amazing parents!
Check out the pictures! You will love them!
Sleepover!
Well Friday night the Runzo’s left for the weekend, and I stayed and looked after the house and Blue, their horse…I mean dog!
So 3 of the girls from the orphanage came over for the weekend and we had a sleep over! Whoo hoo! Nothing like jumping right in!
It was a really good time of just spending time and hanging out! As you can see!
Check it out!!! They decided to have a little photo shoot!
(click on picture for more!
)
So 3 of the girls from the orphanage came over for the weekend and we had a sleep over! Whoo hoo! Nothing like jumping right in!
It was a really good time of just spending time and hanging out! As you can see!
Check it out!!! They decided to have a little photo shoot!
(click on picture for more!
)Wednesday, October 25, 2006
I made it!!!
I have landed in Riga Latvia!!! My emotions are still very mixed due to the very difficult part of letting go of people I hold so dear to my heart, yet holding in my hugging arms the one here in Latvia I have longed to be with!!!
The flight was none eventful (EXCEPT the beginning! See the below posting for that story!) Very LONG though. While writing this I realize that I have been up and moving since Monday morning (with a short nap between last minute packing at 2am to 3am on Monday night!) now it is Wednesday afternoon…hmmm I should rest! (it is Wednesday at 12pm here!)
When I arrived at the airport my whole Josiah Venture team was there! Scott, Paul, Edmunds, Liva, and Lelde! And then I had 5 other welcomer's too… my orphanage girls!!!! So sweet!
So the team took my stuff left me there and I spent the rest of the day and evening with my girls. We went to coffee, then to a movie, then to dinner. It was just what I needed to “re-engage” my heart to what God is doing here! So praises to our Jesus for meeting me there (and for giving me the energy to do it!)
Then Scott came and picked me up and brought me to his house, where I will be staying until I find an apartment. I got more welcomes and hugs there as I saw Lisa and the kids! Spent the rest of tonight talking with Scott and Lisa about so many things. All I can say is that I am overwhelmed at the blessing I have in their guidance and wisdom, and especially their love for me! I feel at home! And I need that right now!
Thank you to everyone who has prayed me here thus far and for your continued prayers! You ready?...
Let the journey begin!!!!
The flight was none eventful (EXCEPT the beginning! See the below posting for that story!) Very LONG though. While writing this I realize that I have been up and moving since Monday morning (with a short nap between last minute packing at 2am to 3am on Monday night!) now it is Wednesday afternoon…hmmm I should rest! (it is Wednesday at 12pm here!)
When I arrived at the airport my whole Josiah Venture team was there! Scott, Paul, Edmunds, Liva, and Lelde! And then I had 5 other welcomer's too… my orphanage girls!!!! So sweet!
So the team took my stuff left me there and I spent the rest of the day and evening with my girls. We went to coffee, then to a movie, then to dinner. It was just what I needed to “re-engage” my heart to what God is doing here! So praises to our Jesus for meeting me there (and for giving me the energy to do it!)
Then Scott came and picked me up and brought me to his house, where I will be staying until I find an apartment. I got more welcomes and hugs there as I saw Lisa and the kids! Spent the rest of tonight talking with Scott and Lisa about so many things. All I can say is that I am overwhelmed at the blessing I have in their guidance and wisdom, and especially their love for me! I feel at home! And I need that right now!
Thank you to everyone who has prayed me here thus far and for your continued prayers! You ready?...
Let the journey begin!!!!
Only the beginning
So I get to the airport with a fully loaded cart of 6 bags, get up to the desk and start to check in.
The lady asks me when I will be returning, and with joy in my reply I said, “I am not, I am moving there for full time mission work!”
I was expecting a different response than the one that was given. She said, as she looked through my passport, “you cannot leave with out a visa or proof of residency in that country”
Now I thought, come on this is not true! Nobody told me about having to have a return ticket!!! There has got to be a way around this. There wasn’t! She was dead serious! And as I sat there trying to figure out what the heck to do, I sensed a blow to my joy from Satan, right then and there!
Well a lot of talking later and a purchase of a $3300 one-way ticket back to the states (which was promised to be refundable, hmmmm…. I will be praying hard about that!) And thanks to my amazing parents and a wonderful thing called a credit card! All seems to be ok! Of course we have not tried to refund the ticket just yet (since I am still sitting in Washington DC, awaiting the LONG flight to Germany, and then on to Riga.)
I had an amazing group of loved ones at the airport to send me off, and I will just quote some of their comments that helped me realize and awaken me to the reality that this will be a battle! This is only the beginning of the work God has planned through us!
If you ever have a chance please remind me of this truth! It is a necessity to the heart of making others glad in God!
So as I sat and wallowed in my self-pity, my unbelief of the provision of my Jesus, this is what my dearest friends and family were saying (not to me, yet spoke truth to my heart):
“Someone doesn’t want her to go”
“ It is so obvious that she is right where she is suppose to be!”
“This is only the beginning of complete reliance on Jesus, it will only get worse…. and by ‘worse’ I mean better!”
“Oh man! How exciting it is to be a follower of Christ!”
All I have to say is I am ready, but I will need many days of training! This was a good start!
The lady asks me when I will be returning, and with joy in my reply I said, “I am not, I am moving there for full time mission work!”
I was expecting a different response than the one that was given. She said, as she looked through my passport, “you cannot leave with out a visa or proof of residency in that country”
Now I thought, come on this is not true! Nobody told me about having to have a return ticket!!! There has got to be a way around this. There wasn’t! She was dead serious! And as I sat there trying to figure out what the heck to do, I sensed a blow to my joy from Satan, right then and there!
Well a lot of talking later and a purchase of a $3300 one-way ticket back to the states (which was promised to be refundable, hmmmm…. I will be praying hard about that!) And thanks to my amazing parents and a wonderful thing called a credit card! All seems to be ok! Of course we have not tried to refund the ticket just yet (since I am still sitting in Washington DC, awaiting the LONG flight to Germany, and then on to Riga.)
I had an amazing group of loved ones at the airport to send me off, and I will just quote some of their comments that helped me realize and awaken me to the reality that this will be a battle! This is only the beginning of the work God has planned through us!
If you ever have a chance please remind me of this truth! It is a necessity to the heart of making others glad in God!
So as I sat and wallowed in my self-pity, my unbelief of the provision of my Jesus, this is what my dearest friends and family were saying (not to me, yet spoke truth to my heart):
“Someone doesn’t want her to go”
“ It is so obvious that she is right where she is suppose to be!”
“This is only the beginning of complete reliance on Jesus, it will only get worse…. and by ‘worse’ I mean better!”
“Oh man! How exciting it is to be a follower of Christ!”
All I have to say is I am ready, but I will need many days of training! This was a good start!
Tuesday, October 17, 2006
7 days and counting!
Packing until all hours of the night…
...up at 5:30am…
...can’t sleep...
...mind is full of thoughts of saying goodbye, saying hello, leaving the beauty of Arizona, entering the cold and dark of Latvia, thoughts of what my apartment will look like, thoughts of freezing to death, thoughts of failing, of disappointing, of falling short of expectations, of packing too much, of packing to little, of not having enough warm clothes, playing in the snow, meeting the youth where they are at, sharing the joy of Christ, wanting to go, not wanting to leave...JAYCEE!…why are you still laying in bed?… ok I think I will get up!
Get ready, head out the door, get a letter notarized for residency, go to the capital to get paper work apostilled for residency, go get passport pictures for International drivers license, go get an international drivers license, cancel my phone, cancel my gym membership, home for a minute, go to starbucks meet with a friend for the last time, say goodbye, go home grab a bite to eat, pack some more, need to buy a bigger bag! Go to the store to return bag, buy different one, to another friends house for a visit. Go home pack some more.
(Now when I say pack, I mean move things from my closet to the floor, then the floor to the bed, then from the bed back to the closet and then do it again!)
How do you pack your life up?
Any helpful hints?
I am down for any suggestions at this point!
...up at 5:30am…
...can’t sleep...
...mind is full of thoughts of saying goodbye, saying hello, leaving the beauty of Arizona, entering the cold and dark of Latvia, thoughts of what my apartment will look like, thoughts of freezing to death, thoughts of failing, of disappointing, of falling short of expectations, of packing too much, of packing to little, of not having enough warm clothes, playing in the snow, meeting the youth where they are at, sharing the joy of Christ, wanting to go, not wanting to leave...JAYCEE!…why are you still laying in bed?… ok I think I will get up!
Get ready, head out the door, get a letter notarized for residency, go to the capital to get paper work apostilled for residency, go get passport pictures for International drivers license, go get an international drivers license, cancel my phone, cancel my gym membership, home for a minute, go to starbucks meet with a friend for the last time, say goodbye, go home grab a bite to eat, pack some more, need to buy a bigger bag! Go to the store to return bag, buy different one, to another friends house for a visit. Go home pack some more.
(Now when I say pack, I mean move things from my closet to the floor, then the floor to the bed, then from the bed back to the closet and then do it again!)
How do you pack your life up?
Any helpful hints?
I am down for any suggestions at this point!
Saturday, October 14, 2006
I'm Leaving...on a jet plane!!!!
I am Going!!!!! I finally have reached full support!
10 days!!! And I will be on an airplane to Latvia! (October 24th to be exact) This is so surreal to me. My stomach has never felt so weird. My emotions are so erratic and strange. I have a felling of utter joy, and the next deep sorrow. I start to think about the future with expectation, yet the next minute feel a huge sense of loss when thinking about the life I am leaving here. I then feel stuck with fear of the unknown, and then a sense that I am in my Jesus’ tight grip.
For the full update go to this link: http://jayceeleighjensen.com/index_1.html?XTIME=1160819648
I am in Canada right now and have been for about 3 weeks. I have visited many friends and seen many beautiful things. This trip was nothing sort that a huge blessing from God that I did not deserve but enjoyed more than words could ever say. Thanks to all my friends for loving me here in Canada! Especially the two who made it possible, Susan and Danielle!
To see the people and the indescribable beauty of Canada go to this link: http://inotherthanwords.blogspot.com/
10 days!!! And I will be on an airplane to Latvia! (October 24th to be exact) This is so surreal to me. My stomach has never felt so weird. My emotions are so erratic and strange. I have a felling of utter joy, and the next deep sorrow. I start to think about the future with expectation, yet the next minute feel a huge sense of loss when thinking about the life I am leaving here. I then feel stuck with fear of the unknown, and then a sense that I am in my Jesus’ tight grip.
For the full update go to this link: http://jayceeleighjensen.com/index_1.html?XTIME=1160819648
I am in Canada right now and have been for about 3 weeks. I have visited many friends and seen many beautiful things. This trip was nothing sort that a huge blessing from God that I did not deserve but enjoyed more than words could ever say. Thanks to all my friends for loving me here in Canada! Especially the two who made it possible, Susan and Danielle!
To see the people and the indescribable beauty of Canada go to this link: http://inotherthanwords.blogspot.com/
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Making the "rounds"
Well if anyone was interested in reading my updates probably is not any more! Thank you for checking in even though it has been over a month since my last entry into my blog. My biggest apologies!
Right now I am sitting in Minneapolis International Airport. I just flew out of Winnipeg Canada, and now I am waiting to get back to Arizona, just to leave in a day for Canada again!
The Lord has been so amazingly gracious to me during this transition to Latvia. I have been waiting to see how finances would work out, and in the midst of the waiting the Lord just gave me probably one of he best gifts I could ask for at this time! I was offered a trip to Canada to visit many many dear friends before I leave for Latvia! What?! Oh man, I cannot even tell you how this has blessed me!
So I will be in Vancouver Canada for the next two weeks! And I just returned from the most amazing time with my dearest friend Raelynn Bailey in Winnipeg Canada. My heart has been aching deeply to see her and all of my dear friends from Canada that I came to know so intimately during my time in Sweden over a year and a half ago. I will have the opportunity now to go visit the other side of Canada and even get to attend one of my dearest roommates wedding!!! Is God amazing or what?!
On to what is happening with Latvia… I think it looks like I have finally arrived at full support! It looks like it may be pretty possible for me to leave home to start this journey by the end of October! This is looking really good! Praise God!
I know you are probably thinking the same as I am… it was April, then July, then mid-September, and now we are looking at the end of October! Trust me as much as I have hoped for each of these dates, I feel the confusion and frustration, and even disappointment in not coming to pass as soon as I would have thought!
Yet, sitting where I am at right now, I can see how much my Jesus has already stretched me, taught me, and molded me. And all of this would not have been as beneficial if I would have been granted my desire to leave when I wanted to! His ways are not the same as mine! That is for sure. But His ways are definitely what I want, no matter the confusion, frustration, or disappointment. I am content in his arms even though I am a little bit squirmy these days!
I feel like a little girl in her daddy’s lap! She wants nothing more to be in his arms, yet there is so much anticipation of life, that the father has to tell her over and over, my child if you want to sit in my lap, you will have to sit still! BUT IT IS SO HARD!!!!
An update letter will be out soon I promise! If you do not know if you are on my list please take a minute to sign up! (on the right hand column of this blog, just enter in your e-mail address and it will take you through the quick painless process) so you can get the monthly updates! They should be pretty enjoyable ;)
Right now I am sitting in Minneapolis International Airport. I just flew out of Winnipeg Canada, and now I am waiting to get back to Arizona, just to leave in a day for Canada again!
The Lord has been so amazingly gracious to me during this transition to Latvia. I have been waiting to see how finances would work out, and in the midst of the waiting the Lord just gave me probably one of he best gifts I could ask for at this time! I was offered a trip to Canada to visit many many dear friends before I leave for Latvia! What?! Oh man, I cannot even tell you how this has blessed me!
So I will be in Vancouver Canada for the next two weeks! And I just returned from the most amazing time with my dearest friend Raelynn Bailey in Winnipeg Canada. My heart has been aching deeply to see her and all of my dear friends from Canada that I came to know so intimately during my time in Sweden over a year and a half ago. I will have the opportunity now to go visit the other side of Canada and even get to attend one of my dearest roommates wedding!!! Is God amazing or what?!
On to what is happening with Latvia… I think it looks like I have finally arrived at full support! It looks like it may be pretty possible for me to leave home to start this journey by the end of October! This is looking really good! Praise God!
I know you are probably thinking the same as I am… it was April, then July, then mid-September, and now we are looking at the end of October! Trust me as much as I have hoped for each of these dates, I feel the confusion and frustration, and even disappointment in not coming to pass as soon as I would have thought!
Yet, sitting where I am at right now, I can see how much my Jesus has already stretched me, taught me, and molded me. And all of this would not have been as beneficial if I would have been granted my desire to leave when I wanted to! His ways are not the same as mine! That is for sure. But His ways are definitely what I want, no matter the confusion, frustration, or disappointment. I am content in his arms even though I am a little bit squirmy these days!
I feel like a little girl in her daddy’s lap! She wants nothing more to be in his arms, yet there is so much anticipation of life, that the father has to tell her over and over, my child if you want to sit in my lap, you will have to sit still! BUT IT IS SO HARD!!!!
An update letter will be out soon I promise! If you do not know if you are on my list please take a minute to sign up! (on the right hand column of this blog, just enter in your e-mail address and it will take you through the quick painless process) so you can get the monthly updates! They should be pretty enjoyable ;)
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