Hey all! It has been a while since I have updated because, as usual, life gets busy! Regardless of how busy I may or may not be, I can assure you that I am living the dream right now! When I took the plunge on this crazy journey last November, I could not have ever imagined all of the amazing things God is doing in front of my very eyes! It is earth shatteringly beautiful!

This past Sunday, Easter, I was blessed by the opportunity to aide in baptisms. Two of my youth students got baptized, as well as a dear friend of mine who I’ll refer to as T. (I will be telling the story of T and I later on this week, so be on the lookout! It’s crazy good!) The father of one of my youth students ended up following after his daughter and getting baptized as well! God is moving through the ministries of our little church in ways that could never be orchestrated by human hands, and He is accomplishing feats only possible through divine intervention. The stories are numerous and lengthy, but include severed relationships becoming whole, people on suicide watch getting saved and finding joy, teens learning about forgiveness and compassion regardless of the patterns at home, etc. Its beyond humbling to witness so many honest to goodness miracles happening all because I serve a God who loves His creation with a manner of unconditionality unmatched by anything we’ve yet to come up with. I am living the life that dreams are made of! I am keeping track of these stories in a private manner and will begin to post them, pending permission of the people involved, in the coming weeks. I believe God will change lives through these stories!

Switching gears, I have a very exciting update to announce: NewDay Community Church is sending me to Africa! You read that right: Africa! My father, who does missions work with in the church I grew up in, is going over to Africa the first two weeks of April to do pastoral care for missionaries who live there full time. I am blessed to say that NewDay jumped at the idea of sending me with him! My role will be to scout out future missions opportunities for our church, as well as get a feel for how our small (in numbers) church can make a global difference. The Christian Missionary Alliance, the denomination we are part of, is extremely missions-focussed, and this is the perfect opportunity for our church to establish itself as a member of the global community. I will also use this experience as a way of bringing a piece of the world back to my children’s and youth ministries to give both perspective and drive here at home.

While my traveling expenses will be so graciously covered by the church, there are a few more expenses I will need to cover. These include: 1. a traveling visa. 2. immunizations. 3. room and board (roughly $15 per day) through the CMA. I am reaching out to my social networks to raise $1,000 so that this trip may be possible. I truly believe God will bless it and use it for His will, because that has been my reality during this season. When God orders something, He fulfills it. More importantly than money, however, is prayer. From safety concerns, to health, to the people we will be reaching, I am asking for prayer for this trip. Prayer is the primary work of God’s people, and I stand firm that through prayer, lives change. If you feel led to donate to this trip, please visit my Go Fund Me page here: gofundme.com/r9r4hk

Any prayers you can say, or dollars you can give will be truly appreciated with a grateful heart.

Thank you for your time, and be on the lookout for amazing stories of God’s redeeming love later on this week.

Love,

Jacob