Let us not forget that Christ is alive!
This past week found me in Vegas. I was excited to go, a little vacation to play, spend time with mom and visit my grandmother who was in the hospital recovering from cardiac/respiratory arrest. Upon arriving to the hospital it was clear this was not going to be a pleasure trip. Grammy was worse then either my mom or I could have imagined. It was time for her to "go home". After talking with the doctors we learned that she had been without oxygen for 30 minutes and that in the past week she had deteriorated. Though her eyes were open, she was not aware, her body was on autopilot. We made the decision to take her off life support on Wednesday (the day we were scheduled to leave Vegas) and on Saturday with my mom and her husband, Jim, by her side she peacefully left.
Death was a new experience for me. It made the fact that this world is not our home so much more real. That there is so much more to life to breathing. It was comforting to know that even though grammy's body was frail and failing, she was not suffering. She was home with her Father.
Let us praise God!
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Spring time
Winter/Spring Update
Heading into spring, I'm excited to leave winter behind. 2010, and now 2011, have been full of unexpected events for the Edwards family. Spring is bringing a freshness as we look toward the horizon for new possibilities and experiences.
I know my dad is most looking forward to June. That is the scheduled day for his "external fixator" to be removed. If you aren't aware of what that is or what it does.... here's a summary/recap:
In May last year, just 3 weeks after my brother was hit by a car while on his motorcycle and recovering from a fractured ankle and broken back, my father fell off our 5' retaining wall. The fall resulted in a compound fracture of his ankle. (That means the bone was sticking out... it actually made a divot in the yard). Since May he has had several operations and been on IV antibiotics to fight infections. In October it looked like we had reached the last option, amputation. The infection was not clearing up and 2 inches of bone had died. Literally in the 9th hour a new doctor entered the scene and said he could save Dad's leg. They removed 3 inches of bone and he has grown back those 3 inches with the help of the external fixator.
In June he will have the metal frame removed and move into a walking boot so he can start physical therapy.
I think my mom is looking forward to not playing nurse any longer to my dad and grandmothers.
My brother is looking forward to a new job. Just after getting the OK from his doctors to return to work, he was found a job with a local electrical company near his home. And he and his wife are expecting a new Edwards' in October! I'll be an aunt!
And what else am I looking forward to? More time to spend with my family while I'm home. It has been a blessing to both me and my family (especially my mom) as I can help with some of the care-giving and support my father and grandparents need. I also will continue working for the school district for as long as they need my help.
Prayer & Praise
Pray for:
Dad's health and positive attitude
My grandmother in Nevada who miraculously survived cardiac & respiratory failure a month ago. She is still recovering and the long term effects are still a unknown.
My grandmother in Alpine who is recovering from her third scare with cancer.
I'll need a new job as summer approaches and kids don't have school.
Praise:
I have nothing but praise for my Heavenly Father. He has given so much to my family this year. Through all the troubles and tough times, we have been blessed to feel his provision and love stronger then ever. It has also been an encouragement to see my mom still joyful, even on days when she has to swing from doctor appointments with one grandma, a hospital visit with Dad and a phone call regarding an uncertain future for her own mother. I personally give the Lord praise for my job, my church and my dear friends here and around the world.
Future Mission:
OM Sweden is still on the horizon with a join date of August 1st. I feel I have a huge task in front of me, raising my monthly support. To raise $2000/mo looks like a big amount in this economy, but with Christ as my leader, the task will be completed and I feel Christ's hand on peace on the situation. I can't help but wonder who will join me to be a part of my sending team. If you feel called to be part of this team, email me at jessica.edwards619@gmail.com and I can send you more information about what I'll be doing and how you can support God's work in Sweden.
Heading into spring, I'm excited to leave winter behind. 2010, and now 2011, have been full of unexpected events for the Edwards family. Spring is bringing a freshness as we look toward the horizon for new possibilities and experiences.
I know my dad is most looking forward to June. That is the scheduled day for his "external fixator" to be removed. If you aren't aware of what that is or what it does.... here's a summary/recap:
In May last year, just 3 weeks after my brother was hit by a car while on his motorcycle and recovering from a fractured ankle and broken back, my father fell off our 5' retaining wall. The fall resulted in a compound fracture of his ankle. (That means the bone was sticking out... it actually made a divot in the yard). Since May he has had several operations and been on IV antibiotics to fight infections. In October it looked like we had reached the last option, amputation. The infection was not clearing up and 2 inches of bone had died. Literally in the 9th hour a new doctor entered the scene and said he could save Dad's leg. They removed 3 inches of bone and he has grown back those 3 inches with the help of the external fixator.
In June he will have the metal frame removed and move into a walking boot so he can start physical therapy.
I think my mom is looking forward to not playing nurse any longer to my dad and grandmothers.
My brother is looking forward to a new job. Just after getting the OK from his doctors to return to work, he was found a job with a local electrical company near his home. And he and his wife are expecting a new Edwards' in October! I'll be an aunt!
And what else am I looking forward to? More time to spend with my family while I'm home. It has been a blessing to both me and my family (especially my mom) as I can help with some of the care-giving and support my father and grandparents need. I also will continue working for the school district for as long as they need my help.
Prayer & Praise
Pray for:
Dad's health and positive attitude
My grandmother in Nevada who miraculously survived cardiac & respiratory failure a month ago. She is still recovering and the long term effects are still a unknown.
My grandmother in Alpine who is recovering from her third scare with cancer.
I'll need a new job as summer approaches and kids don't have school.
Praise:
I have nothing but praise for my Heavenly Father. He has given so much to my family this year. Through all the troubles and tough times, we have been blessed to feel his provision and love stronger then ever. It has also been an encouragement to see my mom still joyful, even on days when she has to swing from doctor appointments with one grandma, a hospital visit with Dad and a phone call regarding an uncertain future for her own mother. I personally give the Lord praise for my job, my church and my dear friends here and around the world.
Future Mission:
OM Sweden is still on the horizon with a join date of August 1st. I feel I have a huge task in front of me, raising my monthly support. To raise $2000/mo looks like a big amount in this economy, but with Christ as my leader, the task will be completed and I feel Christ's hand on peace on the situation. I can't help but wonder who will join me to be a part of my sending team. If you feel called to be part of this team, email me at jessica.edwards619@gmail.com and I can send you more information about what I'll be doing and how you can support God's work in Sweden.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Home and then....
Time just runs away from you when you are focusing on packing. It's been a while since I updated the blog, well.... more then a while. Sorry.
I left the ship in September, after 3 months in West Africa. Sierra Leone, Ghana & Liberia where all a blur, with lots & lots & lots of visitors to the ship. I was able to handover my responsibilities as the Volunteer Coordinator and start to think about the next step in life.
Can I just say.... "God is Awesome". Within three weeks of being home, on land, God provided all my needs for me! I have a place to live (with my parents), my sister-in-law is lending me her car, and I got a job. I've been very blessed.
And now I look toward the future: Sweden! God has arranged it all and I look forward to seeing how God will work and provide for this new step with Him. I'm home now raising support with the plan to move in August.
My role will be working with the Ministry Division with OM Sweden, helping with organizing, planning events and hosting. The team's goal is to reach the local youth.
I'm really excited!
I also have a new email address... (p.s. I HATE hackers):
jessica.edwards619@gmail.com
I hope to be more faithful in updating the blog. Feel free to email anytime.
I left the ship in September, after 3 months in West Africa. Sierra Leone, Ghana & Liberia where all a blur, with lots & lots & lots of visitors to the ship. I was able to handover my responsibilities as the Volunteer Coordinator and start to think about the next step in life.
Can I just say.... "God is Awesome". Within three weeks of being home, on land, God provided all my needs for me! I have a place to live (with my parents), my sister-in-law is lending me her car, and I got a job. I've been very blessed.
And now I look toward the future: Sweden! God has arranged it all and I look forward to seeing how God will work and provide for this new step with Him. I'm home now raising support with the plan to move in August.
My role will be working with the Ministry Division with OM Sweden, helping with organizing, planning events and hosting. The team's goal is to reach the local youth.
I'm really excited!
I also have a new email address... (p.s. I HATE hackers):
jessica.edwards619@gmail.com
I hope to be more faithful in updating the blog. Feel free to email anytime.
Friday, May 28, 2010
End of the Caribbean
In 3 days we are saying farewell to the Caribbean and crossing the Atlantic Ocean toward Africa. It will take 2 weeks of sailing before we hit land in Sierra Leone. It's an exciting time of not only looking forward to what God has prepared for us in Africa, but also to look back at everything that God has done in the Caribbean.
Our first port of call was St. Vincent, we arrived in July of 2009. 15 ports later, our last country visited was Dominica. In a feat of amazement, I actually stayed in one department for the entire tour! WAs an awesome job I've had! I've been the volunteer coordinator getting to work and train the local believers in each of our ports who have volunteered their own time to serve on the ship. The job has not been void of struggles and disappointments, but all of those have been outweighed by the blessings and joy of the people.
In the last 11 months I've welcomed 449 local believers into our DEEP program (D- discipleship, E- exposure to missions, E- expression of love, P- practical work). My busiest port was Kingston, Jamaica with 52 volunteers, my smallest was Hamilton Bermuda with 7. Our volunteers ranged in age from 17-79. They worked in the book fair, book hold, galley, and accommodations departments. in our first DEEP, in St. Vincent, we had volunteers representing 22 different churches on the island. They continued to meet regularly after the ship left, for prayer. Besides working on board the volunteers also get special training sessions each afternoon. We would have guest speakers talk on a series called "GROW, SHOW, & GO". I've had countless conversations volunteers eager to take a step into missions. In september we will welcome back on of our Volunteers from Jamaica who will join the LH for 2 years!
There is so much God has accomplished in the Caribbean. This is only a small sliver. Now I prepare for West Africa and beyond. We will visited 3 countries, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Liberia. In each port we are accepting 50 volunteers, we've already had over 100 applications from each of the ports!! It's going to be exciting moving into a new culture, but I'm eager to meet more of God's people.
Please pray for me as the task is too much for me alone. Pray for the leadership on board to fulfill my request for extra help. I'll only be on board for 3 more months. My commitment will end in September where I will leave the ship from the Canery Islands. Please pray for my future and what my next steps will be.
Our first port of call was St. Vincent, we arrived in July of 2009. 15 ports later, our last country visited was Dominica. In a feat of amazement, I actually stayed in one department for the entire tour! WAs an awesome job I've had! I've been the volunteer coordinator getting to work and train the local believers in each of our ports who have volunteered their own time to serve on the ship. The job has not been void of struggles and disappointments, but all of those have been outweighed by the blessings and joy of the people.
In the last 11 months I've welcomed 449 local believers into our DEEP program (D- discipleship, E- exposure to missions, E- expression of love, P- practical work). My busiest port was Kingston, Jamaica with 52 volunteers, my smallest was Hamilton Bermuda with 7. Our volunteers ranged in age from 17-79. They worked in the book fair, book hold, galley, and accommodations departments. in our first DEEP, in St. Vincent, we had volunteers representing 22 different churches on the island. They continued to meet regularly after the ship left, for prayer. Besides working on board the volunteers also get special training sessions each afternoon. We would have guest speakers talk on a series called "GROW, SHOW, & GO". I've had countless conversations volunteers eager to take a step into missions. In september we will welcome back on of our Volunteers from Jamaica who will join the LH for 2 years!
There is so much God has accomplished in the Caribbean. This is only a small sliver. Now I prepare for West Africa and beyond. We will visited 3 countries, Sierra Leone, Ghana, and Liberia. In each port we are accepting 50 volunteers, we've already had over 100 applications from each of the ports!! It's going to be exciting moving into a new culture, but I'm eager to meet more of God's people.
Please pray for me as the task is too much for me alone. Pray for the leadership on board to fulfill my request for extra help. I'll only be on board for 3 more months. My commitment will end in September where I will leave the ship from the Canery Islands. Please pray for my future and what my next steps will be.
Friday, April 9, 2010
Haiti 20 March - 1 April
I was chosen to lead a special Challenge Team to Haiti for a 10 day trip of teaching mentoring and playing. God was present through the entire trip, from putting the team together, to our daily orphanage visits, to a workshop with youth leaders and finally to our flights back to the ship.
Below are our updates sent while we were in Port-au-Prince:
HAITI UPDATE #1
Hello All,
Greetings from Haiti. These past three days have been filled with kids, kids, more kids and truck rides.
Our team has grown in size. Adding to the three of us are 4 locals who join us each day. All four of them work with youth at their church or orphanages and are eager to gain new ideas and strategies about childcare.
It's been a blessing to have them join our team as we get to invest personally in their lives and they can teach us first hand about the culture and the kids.
We have visited 2 orphanages and today ran a day program at a church-ran community center. The kids are adorable and just happy to have attention.
We heard that you prayed for us and Haiti as you sailed by the other day...Thank you. We feel them everyday. God is busy at work here and we are thankful that we can do a small part for the Haitian children.
The Haiti Team,
Jessica, Lucie, Judith
HAITI UPDATE #2
Greetings All,
It's hard to believe we left a week ago. We've seen so much in these past seven days and are constantly reminded how blessed we are to have food, shelter and our heavenly Father. One of the young girls we met at a church was not only orphaned in the quake, but she herself was rescued from the rubble.
On Friday we went on a fieldtrip with a church we've been working with. This church has been acting as a school for the neighborhood kids five days a week. We were excited to join all 80 kids as they "walked to a nearby field" for a day of free play. Our "walk" turned into a "hike up the mountain side" and an hour later we had reached a shaded area near a football field. What a great day to see kids playing, laughing and having fun in an open space free of earthquake reminders.
On Saturday we visited a church plant from an ex-L2, Pastor Marc. We drove to a rural village about 20 km outside the city... and it only took 3 hours to get there! We arrived to a one room hut make of plam mats and over 100 children eager to meet us. We shared the gospel with all of them and some parents, too. Pastor Marc made sure that everyone in attendance got a meal of rice, beans and chicken.
Two more orphanage visits are planned this week, along with a leader's workshop on Wednesday. We have lots to prepare for. We appreciate your prayers and trust God is blessing you in the Bahamas.
The Haiti Team,
Jessica, Lucie, Judith
BACK ON BOARD
Though we left the ship from Jamaica, we returned to the ship in Nassau, Bahamas. All three of us came back to battle a bit of exhaustion. After a few days to recover we were able to share our experience to ship's company and lead them in prayer for Haiti and work that God is doing there.
For the final day in Haiti we led a workshop for almost 40 adults who we had worked with at the visited churches and orphanages. It was a really blessed time to pass on practical kid advice, as well as resources for organizing Bible Clubs once schools start up again.
Pictures and videos to come. Thank you for your prayers. All the glory to God.
Below are our updates sent while we were in Port-au-Prince:
HAITI UPDATE #1
Hello All,
Greetings from Haiti. These past three days have been filled with kids, kids, more kids and truck rides.
Our team has grown in size. Adding to the three of us are 4 locals who join us each day. All four of them work with youth at their church or orphanages and are eager to gain new ideas and strategies about childcare.
It's been a blessing to have them join our team as we get to invest personally in their lives and they can teach us first hand about the culture and the kids.
We have visited 2 orphanages and today ran a day program at a church-ran community center. The kids are adorable and just happy to have attention.
We heard that you prayed for us and Haiti as you sailed by the other day...Thank you. We feel them everyday. God is busy at work here and we are thankful that we can do a small part for the Haitian children.
The Haiti Team,
Jessica, Lucie, Judith
HAITI UPDATE #2
Greetings All,
It's hard to believe we left a week ago. We've seen so much in these past seven days and are constantly reminded how blessed we are to have food, shelter and our heavenly Father. One of the young girls we met at a church was not only orphaned in the quake, but she herself was rescued from the rubble.
On Friday we went on a fieldtrip with a church we've been working with. This church has been acting as a school for the neighborhood kids five days a week. We were excited to join all 80 kids as they "walked to a nearby field" for a day of free play. Our "walk" turned into a "hike up the mountain side" and an hour later we had reached a shaded area near a football field. What a great day to see kids playing, laughing and having fun in an open space free of earthquake reminders.
On Saturday we visited a church plant from an ex-L2, Pastor Marc. We drove to a rural village about 20 km outside the city... and it only took 3 hours to get there! We arrived to a one room hut make of plam mats and over 100 children eager to meet us. We shared the gospel with all of them and some parents, too. Pastor Marc made sure that everyone in attendance got a meal of rice, beans and chicken.
Two more orphanage visits are planned this week, along with a leader's workshop on Wednesday. We have lots to prepare for. We appreciate your prayers and trust God is blessing you in the Bahamas.
The Haiti Team,
Jessica, Lucie, Judith
BACK ON BOARD
Though we left the ship from Jamaica, we returned to the ship in Nassau, Bahamas. All three of us came back to battle a bit of exhaustion. After a few days to recover we were able to share our experience to ship's company and lead them in prayer for Haiti and work that God is doing there.
For the final day in Haiti we led a workshop for almost 40 adults who we had worked with at the visited churches and orphanages. It was a really blessed time to pass on practical kid advice, as well as resources for organizing Bible Clubs once schools start up again.
Pictures and videos to come. Thank you for your prayers. All the glory to God.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Dad's visit
What an awesome God surprise! Turns out Dad got a lot of free time for an undefined amount of time.... and since work was always his excuse for not being able to visit me it made perfect sense for him to take some of his new free time to come and visit me! Mom found him a plane ticket and Dad was able to visit me in Kingston, Jamaica for 10 days.
It was a blessing and answer to prayer that I could show my world to Dad. I think we spent more time together in those 10 days, then we have in the last 10 years. I was able to introduce him to my friends, my co-workers and some of the local volunteers that I work with.
Dad had a good time relaxing, in the VIP cabin. He spent some time sight-seeing, after being in Kingston for 2 days he had seen more then I had in 2 weeks! And of course Dad did lots of fishing! As he said "lots of fishing, not so much catching". A hightlight for was fish tacos on one of his last nights with me and my friends. He caught a 11# King fish and we grilled it on the back deck!
I dont' know what the future holds for him, but God does. I'm just thankful we had this time to spend together.
It was a blessing and answer to prayer that I could show my world to Dad. I think we spent more time together in those 10 days, then we have in the last 10 years. I was able to introduce him to my friends, my co-workers and some of the local volunteers that I work with.
Dad had a good time relaxing, in the VIP cabin. He spent some time sight-seeing, after being in Kingston for 2 days he had seen more then I had in 2 weeks! And of course Dad did lots of fishing! As he said "lots of fishing, not so much catching". A hightlight for was fish tacos on one of his last nights with me and my friends. He caught a 11# King fish and we grilled it on the back deck!
I dont' know what the future holds for him, but God does. I'm just thankful we had this time to spend together.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
updating
It appears that I've gone two months without updating my blog. Sorry. Let's catch-up!
December brought me back to the ship after a very restful furlough with friends, family and Thanksgiving. I joined the ship midway through it's stay in Guyana. It was a help port so most of ship's company had been sent into the countryside to help with projects like building churches, youth centers and water tanks. I spent the time falling back into my role as the Volunteer Coordinator and made some wonderful friendships with the women volunteers. They invited me and some other girls over for dinner one night, appetizers were Chicken Feet!
For Christmas and New Years we were blessed to spend the holidays in Curacao. It was an absolutely beautiful port with crystal blue water and swimming from the dock! And after Guyana, it was nice to have a slower port with less visitors.
January we sailed to Aruba. I was able to go on an overnight team to a local church. Along with 3 other girls we moved a pile of sand (A BIG PILE) and organized a large hall that had daycare equipment and toys. I really appreciated our host who showed some of the island and kept feeding us... (no chicken feet).
Aruba and Curacao were pretty quite ports for the ship, which God knew we would need because now we are in Jamaica!! Today we had over 3,000 school kids visit the ship in just 3 hours! The ship will be in Jamaica for a total of 9 weeks, 4 weeks in Montego Bay and 5 weeks in Kingston. In this first port I've been working with 34 volunteers. It's been a cultural adjustment for us all, as I've had to learn about relaxing and going with the flow, and the volunteers learning about "being on time" and showing up for their work shifts! In the next port I'll have about 60 volunteers!
Besides all the school kids, regular visitors and the volunteers, Jamaica also brought major changes to our community life... Since January we've been saying I said good-bye to friends who have been living with for the past 2 years, about 50 people in total. Including all the Indians on board, some I considered very close friends and look forward to taking them up on their offer to visit India! And I said farewell to my bestest roommate Mel, who has gone back home to work as a Trainer with a ministry called Caleb in Australia. But the change doesn't stop there, on Wednesday we welcomed 60 new recruits from around the globe.
That should catch you up from my lack of blogs. Keep praying for our ministry as we share Jesus with each of the people that come to the ship. Pray also for the volunteers that they can experience missions in a whole new way and learn to share their faith with the fellow countrymen. And lastly pray for our community as it is growing and changing.
December brought me back to the ship after a very restful furlough with friends, family and Thanksgiving. I joined the ship midway through it's stay in Guyana. It was a help port so most of ship's company had been sent into the countryside to help with projects like building churches, youth centers and water tanks. I spent the time falling back into my role as the Volunteer Coordinator and made some wonderful friendships with the women volunteers. They invited me and some other girls over for dinner one night, appetizers were Chicken Feet!
For Christmas and New Years we were blessed to spend the holidays in Curacao. It was an absolutely beautiful port with crystal blue water and swimming from the dock! And after Guyana, it was nice to have a slower port with less visitors.
January we sailed to Aruba. I was able to go on an overnight team to a local church. Along with 3 other girls we moved a pile of sand (A BIG PILE) and organized a large hall that had daycare equipment and toys. I really appreciated our host who showed some of the island and kept feeding us... (no chicken feet).
Aruba and Curacao were pretty quite ports for the ship, which God knew we would need because now we are in Jamaica!! Today we had over 3,000 school kids visit the ship in just 3 hours! The ship will be in Jamaica for a total of 9 weeks, 4 weeks in Montego Bay and 5 weeks in Kingston. In this first port I've been working with 34 volunteers. It's been a cultural adjustment for us all, as I've had to learn about relaxing and going with the flow, and the volunteers learning about "being on time" and showing up for their work shifts! In the next port I'll have about 60 volunteers!
Besides all the school kids, regular visitors and the volunteers, Jamaica also brought major changes to our community life... Since January we've been saying I said good-bye to friends who have been living with for the past 2 years, about 50 people in total. Including all the Indians on board, some I considered very close friends and look forward to taking them up on their offer to visit India! And I said farewell to my bestest roommate Mel, who has gone back home to work as a Trainer with a ministry called Caleb in Australia. But the change doesn't stop there, on Wednesday we welcomed 60 new recruits from around the globe.
That should catch you up from my lack of blogs. Keep praying for our ministry as we share Jesus with each of the people that come to the ship. Pray also for the volunteers that they can experience missions in a whole new way and learn to share their faith with the fellow countrymen. And lastly pray for our community as it is growing and changing.
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