Belgium Update Jan '08

Dear Friends and Family,

It's 2008!! Oh my, can you believe it? I can’t! I never thought I would make it through high school then through college. Here I am out of college, out of corporate America, living in Wavre, Belgium. Who woulda thunk?! J

Once again, thank you for a wonderful year of support! I am incredibly blessed to know you. While in the States last month, I became incredibly discouraged as the month home to fundraise went nothing as planned. Nevertheless, our faithful God is providing as you continue to support me in this mission!

A rocky month it was….my month began with death and ended with life! It’s amazing how God sees us through our trials, struggles, difficulties, sorrow, and happiness. The other day I was reading Hebrews and was struck by the first verse in chapter 11, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” It is very neat to be on the frontlines seeing the lives of Belgian teenagers change. I hope you see how you are impacting our future!

When I get discouraged, I need to remind myself that I’m right where I’m supposed to be. How do I know that?! Because God continues to provide! He wouldn’t just throw me out to the wolves now would He? No! He is a caring God. Hebrews 10:36 says, “You need to preserve so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised.” He has everything all planned out. We just need to follow His guidance and have faith. If it were only that easy all the time, huh?

May you be encouraged to persevere, do His will, follow His guidance, and have faith!

Hugs and love,

Jessica

Current happenings and requests:

Ski camp 2008: This Friday, February 1^st to Saturday, February 9^th. Pray for snow, for changed lives, for good relationships, for the speakers, for safety on the slopes, for fun times, and a safe travels to and from.

JV Interclub: February 16^th. All clubs come together and have one club. It is a lot of fun for everyone as the kids get to be with their friends that they seldom see. Pray for Nat Winston, the speaker.

Wavre Club: Through June. Pray for deeper relationships, for the desire to know more about Jesus, pray for fun times, good weather, and unity within the group.

Young Life Training: February 27^th -29^th. Pray that I will get all my assignments done! Pray that this time together with others will be productive and encouraging.

JV Day: April 5^th. A day trip to the beach with all the kids. Road trip!!! Food, club, and fun! They love it!

Study Camp: May 9^th-12^th. Pray for a good group, for new kids, for the kids who need to be in this type of environment to come.

New Young Life branding: Very soon!

READ THE NEXT BLOG!!!!

things to consider...

1. Be on my prayer team: a few prayer requests sent out once a week or once every two weeks.
2. Be a fundraiser: just as if you would fundraise for anything else. We've all done it. Tell people what Young Life Belgium is all about. Meet the need.
3. Be a donor: donate to YL Belgium at giving.younglife.org. I must raise another $1,1,00/month. Don't ever think any amount is too little. $10 & $20/month adds up!
4. Do you know anyone... that has French experience?: we need some help! If you know anyone that has a heart for kids, missions, or Europe, please have them contact me.
5. Did you get the e-update?: If you'd like to get the e-update (which is above) and you have not, please email me at IHEARTYLjpereira@europe.younglife.org. (remove IHEARTYL).
6. Pray over the general list on the e-update.

I've loaded two short videos of hanging out at our Pirate themed Fall Camp in October.

dreams

its late, but i felt like blogging....

i havent dreamt in a long time and recently i have been dreaming every night. weird dreams. nothing really scary. Thank God! do you think they mean anything? why am i dreaming so much and what do my dreams mean? the night before last i woke up to hear a male voice say "Jess!" what does that mean? it was 5AM, no one was here. i can't hear anything up in my room from downstairs anyway. anyone have answers?

tonight had dinner with adriana, ray, susan, claudia, ioana, gerald, and his mom. then went to visit with marissa and liesl at the phipps house. it was a good time of reflecting on this month. get a little pep talk...

tomorrow is our big assemble generale. im supposed to say a little something. dont really know what to expect but i hope it goes well. ill probablly start in french and then just switch to english. if i talk the whole time in french everyone will think im so dumb. i dont like how people label/categorize you by the way you speak in their own language. no! im not dumb, i just can express myself in your language...thank you very much!

ok goodnight to all. and thank you for reading my blog. fo shizzle ;)

we got some S-U-N wahoo!

someone must have been praying for some sun here in belgium!! it was sunny all day today! THANK GOD :)

some prayer requests:
-BIGGIE.... pray that the kids will get over the fact that we are restricting cell phones and limiting ipod usage. this is huge! in the US it is normal to give it up for a week, but this will be the first time. the kids are gonna have a COW!!!
-pray for an office for Jeunesse et Vie (Young Life Belgium)
-pray for all the kids going to ski camp (we don't know a lot of them!)
-pray for kids to understand the messages, to begin a relationship with Jesus Christ.


***photo of Roselie and I at the Young Life All Staff Conference in Florida.***

je déteste la pluie

rain rain go away DON'T COME BACK ANOTHER DAY! blahhhhhh

pray for snow while we are at ski camp. 2 Feb-9 Feb 2008.

REUNITED!

my dad got away from florida for a hot second!! woohoo!! he came to say goodbye to me the day before i left to come back to belgium. AND to see he FIRST grandchild, Veronica. im SOOOOO glad you came dad! Thanks.
below is a family picture of us ALL! usually we do a family picture, make it in to a Christmas card and send it out. so many normal things just got put to the side after this month. i wish things would have just been the same...but then again that wouldn't be a "normal" life now would it?


So, yes, i'm back in belgium! the conference was FANTASTICO! lol it was a hoot. i'm so thankful i was able to go. before the conference i was able to spend time with my aunt and uncle in tampa. thank you very much for having me! i wish i could have spent more time with rod and kim, but anytime is enough.

we had club on friday! went to church this morning. and now im studying for a huge french exam on tuesday. this may be the first time i fail something!! ahhh. ive missed so much. and even the other students say they arent prepared.
pray that i can learn this stuff. not to just pass, but to really learn it. i mean, that is the whole reason im taking classes, duh! lol maybe ill take this section over again next year.

Ski camp is coming up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! kids are pumped. they get a whole week off :) we leave on the 2nd at 1AM (that is really the night of the 1st)
a la prochaine!

Lord Help!

Bringin' back old memories! Well, this December...has been royally CRAPPY. I don't want to even get in to it because that would keep you here for more than 5 min and the point of this is to be short and to the point.

I've included the photo to remind me of spending time with my family ALL TOGETHER. This was our silly Christmas picture from last year.

Wish my dad was here this year. Elizabeth is about to pop any day! My neck is killing me..for the past 3 days. I haven't done much fundraising because a MILLION family issues. I'm stressed. I'm sad. I'm upset. I'm happy. I'm lonely. I'm frustrated. I want to go back to Belgium. I think I've wept more this month than the past 7 months living in a new country by myself.

How do I raise more funds when I have to be with my family through all these struggles? What do I do when I go back? I'm scared. I'm trusting, but afraid. Lord HELPPPPPPPP!

thanks everyone!

hi everyone. i know since i just sent out my newsletter everyone will be checking my blog.

its already the 18th of december and i leave in just a few weeks. today was the day that EVERYTHING hit me. i came here to fundraise. yes, to raise funds to share Christ with kids in Belgium. it has been absolutely crazy with getting together with people and hard times with the family.

thanks for checking my blog. if you want to stay up-to-date you can put this on your RSS feed.

glad to be home, but excited about going back and do what ive been called to do!!!

Thank you for your prayer and financial support!

(pic of my grandparents....i was able to see them again!)

VIDEO WORKED!

since blogger video worked, im posting this video from when we girls were able to be together in august. it was a WONDERFUL time. i was browsing through the radio and this came on! ive never been so proud :) enjoy

things are busy as i am now beginning to meet up with people to visit and give an update.

im home now. its been really different than i had expected.

here is what has been going on. actually it was an email to laure (my temporary roommate) with some edits

________
yeah everything is crazy here. duane, elizabeth's brother (my sister-in-law) passed away on friday night. today is the viewing (there are two) and wednesday is the funeral.

my grandfather is out of ICU but still in the hospital. we think he might get transferred to this rehab/old folks place really soon.

my grandmother is getting worse daily. she has Alzheimer's and my dad is still in florida taking care of her by himself. it is so sad because she is like a little kid. so he has been down there for over a week now watching after her. who knows what is going to happen now. he cant leave them alone.

my grandfather in brasil is better. he was not in the hospital for long. thank god! my mom is still here.

as for me...its weird being back. i got really emotional at church. it was neat to see familiar faces. but malia and rachel were so right when they said that life goes on without you. and that is so hard when your heart is burdened with wanting to help all these lost souls and everyone here is just going on with their day to day lives. WAKE UP PEOPLE!! thats what i want to say. WE NEED TO CHANGE THIS WORLD!

im still having mixed feelings about being in both places. but now they are different. if i had stayed in belgium i would not be living this craziness which is good. if i had not come i would not be experience this part of life. this "difficultness", time supporting family, time being with family when everything seems to be falling apart.

on another note. it is FREEZINGGGGGG here. a lot of very cold wind. yes, i think it is colder than belgium.

i have so much to do and its already the 4th!! oh my goodness! today is gonna be a long day. im gonna go to the viewing and then watch all the kids in the family while the parents are at the second viewing.

my french is going to be horrible. but i knew i wanted to write a lot and get it out so i wrote in english. this is not confidential information so if you feel inclined to share more details, you may.

i am soooo fat. i weighed myself after 4 or 5 months. yeah..i gained 8 pounds. THAT IS A LOT!! i wont be going to the gym here so i dont know what ill do to lose the weight. blahhhhhhhhhhh!

i know the power of prayer and am blessed to have people petitioning God for me. there is so much to pray for, so i wont be specific.

today was great!!

once again it is really late here.

today was an AWESOME DAY!!! wow :) for the past week ive wanted to write about how much i like it here. besides the cold weather, which i know is just as bad in VA, everything is great. ive been able to make some really cool friends.

life has been up and down. i guess without that it wouldnt be such an adventure. as much as i think about the things that have recently occurred i continue to think about my purpose here in belgium. i thank god every day for what He has done for me. He has put me here and everything is happening because of Him. i dont know what the future holds for me and that is very scary...especially for those of you who know me well...i like to have a plan, a schedule, a vision. not for just the week, but the month, the year and so on. anyhooo im still learning to put my faith in Him because if he takes care of the birds how can He not take care of us? PLUS He has plans to makes us prosperous and successful.

so...the valley sucks, but you cant be on the mountain till youve passed through the valley.

pic worked!!!! wahhooo...its of some girls at the fall camp :) love it!!!!!!!

hugs and kisses

march for Sadia

this is a link to a page that was made in memory of Sadia whom I lived with at the Murrus for 2 weeks and who was killed by her brother on October 24th, 2007.

It's in French. There is an organized march planned for tomorrow in Charleroi.

http://sadia12.skyrock.com/

frontline internet campus

man! fronline internet campus IS SOOOOOOOO COOL!

i am so thankful for it. belgium is great and all, but i wish people would really take advantage and realize how precious worship and church is in the US. we are very lucky there and often dont realize it. it is VERY dead here.

it was amazing to feel like i was there! and all along ive been telling my friends how much i miss worship, hearing a good sermon, the fellowship. i definitely felt i had it last night. i REALLY felt connected.

its neat to be a part of the internet campus, but the coolest part is that it makes me more passionate for the people here in belgium. oh they are missing so much. the only way they can get it is if we bring it to them! ITS INCREDIBLE!! i dont know how to explain it. i am excited about going to frontline in person on the 2nd of december!..you dont even know!!! :) :) :)
..............................
today i didnt have my meeting with malia :( but she was able to spend time with the boys.

so i went to school. then had a supplemental french time with some women in my french class. then came home and rested. now doing bills and working on some stuff.

will be going to the gym soon. things are a little less stressful for the moment, but i still have to memorize my verses, finish reading my books, and respond to what i have read.

picture upload thing not working. ..OF COURSE.
BELGIUM REPRESENT!!!

today

club was fun last night
we had 15 kids for dinner at 6:30 and then we had club at 7:30. we played games, sang, then talked about being pro-active. one of the 7 highly effective habits for teens.

today i went to Mezi's house. i am going to spend an hour a week speaking, playing, and teaching her son english. he is really cute. after that i came home and just loafed around. i loved it. man did i need a day to do nothing! now im on the computer chatting with some kids.

tomorrow i plan on going to church, coming home to have lunch, then cleaning after the bazarre from Friday, and reading. im sure ill do my french homework late in the evening.

i had a great talk on msn with emilie! her dad doesnt want her to come to JV because we arent catholic and he thinks she needs to do the catholic stuff. she said she doesnt go to church because her parents dont go...they dont believe.. and the catholic church is boring. (anyhoo it was a good talk)

20 more days until i go home!

thanks for msgs

thanks everyone...
for your emails and messages. it means a lot to me to receive your thoughts, concerns, and encouragement.

i was washing the dishes on tuesday night at the murrus and thought of when sadia and i would do the dishes together...things are still weird, but definitely getting better. her body was being sent to pakistan for burial. (the spookiest part is: they sent her body in the wedding dress that had been bought for her to wear)

also still feeling weird about katelynn and duane. please pray for a MIRACLE! we serve a BIG God. he can do BIG things.

only two ppl :(

its really late here. today was such a productive day! i love when i REALLY get things done and can check them off. yes i had a good day because i worked hard, got a lot done, and best of all love my job.

i think when you absolutely enjoy what you are doing and know that youre truly making an impact that is just right where you need to be. woot woot!

HOWEVER!!! im a little discouraged. seems like on 2 people are going to be on my prayer team :(

end of oct. beginning of nov.

well this week is all saints week and the kids have off of school. i was hoping to get back on track with all the work that has been piling up. since my parents were here and i didnt have internet things have been on hold. now everything is back on track except when my computer decided to croak again! grrrr. Dennis i need you ;)

for now i can deal with it, but i hope that everything can be fixed while im at home. what do you think dennis? will you spare a couple hours to give my computer a check up?

last weekend was camp and it was GREAT! however there were many people who were sick. yup, so i got sick too. this week hasnt been so bad...just lots of tissues everywhere, lots of tea, cough drops, etc. you know how it goes.

lee corder also came last thursday with rick beckwith. it was a good time of sharing about the ministry and some visions for the future.

ill be studying today, tomorrow, and sunday for my BIG french exam on monday. it will be 3.5 hrs of what we have learned since september. doesnt sound like a long time but when you learn like 2 or 3 things a day it is A L O T!

Priscillas birthday is on Sunday so ill be going to the murrus house for her birthday lunch. she will be 14!! she is getting so old :) the lunch will be a sit-down lunch with both roselie's family and sergio's family. that means like 40 some people!

fall camp TODAY! prayer requests

going to fall camp today
pray that it will go smoothly. For the leaders, the clubs, the activities, the traveling to and from, the cooks, the preparations, for changed lives, for kids to see Christ.

Other prayer needs:

• For peace, forgiveness, wisdom, and comfort for our team after the death of Sadia.
• For Duane, Elizabeth's brother whom we recently has cancer.
• For the Moore family. As well as Uncle Paul, Aunt Robin, Sarah, and Kellie as they deal with Katelynn's death on Wednesday. She is also part of my extended family.
• The small study that we are having on Thursdays: "arpijei" (we are keeping it small to get things going)- The girls are very excited! I think we have established good ground work and trust. They have expressed to me how comfortable they are with sharing with one another. Pray that this time is a time of really digging into the Word and learning how to seek after the Lord.
• Clubs- that it is animated, fun, interesting, and that it is about God and not about numbers or putting on a show. Pray that the kids feel welcome and will invite their friends. Also, that they will be encouraged by what Sergio will be presenting.
  

news on sadia

recent news...posting what i sent out to you all.

was going to send a normal update. this is more important. thanks for your prayers.

somber and still awake,

jessica

________

Dearest friends and family,

Oh, how precious is a life. Today has been a day of mixed emotions. I received news of the death of a friend of the Murrus. She was a 20 year old Muslim girl that went to high school with Sarah, the Murrus oldest daughter. She had some family problems as she resisted her arranged marriage. She wanted to live her life as she wished. Sadia was striving to work in the law field. To escape from her family she was staying at a women’s shelter in Brussels and commuting to Charleroi where she took classes.

This June Sadia lived with the Murrus for 2 weeks where I spent quite a bit of time with her. We had some good discussions on the difference between being Christian and being Muslim. During this time both she and I were studying. She was studying for her exams and I was preparing my YL papers. Sadia was very energetic, fun, caring, and full of life. We would message each other on MSN to arrange a time to go downstairs and have lunch together. For our breaks from our work we would arrange to play JungleSpeed with Priscilla and Anthony. Sadia was very proactive. After finishing her exams she talked about finding a job and finding a place to live. It was most imperative she stay away from her family who were searching for her.

For two weeks, Sadia would wake up; put on a ball cap and a long jacket to disguise herself, and Sergio would drive her to school to take her exam. Often they saw her brother outside of her school. Luckily, as far as we know, he never saw her. After her exams, Sadia returned to the women’s shelter where she could only stay for a few more weeks. That time seemed to be good for her as she found a new school and a different city to be in. We talked over MSN a couple times. The last time we talked she wanted to invite the Murrus and I over for dinner at her new place.

Sadia really cared for the Murrus and definitely recognized everything they had done for her. She told me several times how thankful she was for them. They helped her a lot, and not just this time.

When we were talking about moving I had thought about her being my roommate. I know we would get along so well, however I was afraid of her family situation and how that would affect me. I never brought it up, but I did think it would be cool.

On Monday, Sadia was shot at two times by her own brother. She was in critical condition in intensive care. Early afternoon today she passed away. It is my understanding that they would rather see her dead than to dishonor the family.

I share this with you because this is REAL! I lived with Sadia. Sergio was like the father she was lacking. She knew exactly what the Murrus do as their career. She cared for them and they cared for her. I didn’t think this would affect me as much as it has. So often we don’t realize how precious our lives are. We MUST share The Truth! The time is NOW!

Please pray for healing, forgiveness, wisdom, and peace.
Love from a broken hearted team,

Jessica
(photograph of Sadia and Sarah at Priscilla's voice recital)

whats up..move, RPJ, club, family

i FINALLY moved! yup thats right. i have my own place! all though my stuff is there, im not sleeping there yet. it still feels like just a building. i feel alone there. pray that i can make it my home soon!

mom is coming on saturday...hopefully dad too!!! pray that they have a good trip here. also that it stops raining.

for my house...things are ok so far, but it is hard to fit everything that i need in my budget. i need to buy things for the house but will have to wait for another several months. the stuff that i have now i have managed to get second hand from an xpats site here. thats basically an online yardsale. all great deals.

tomorrow ill be getting together with the girls of "aRPiJei." that is what they decided to call it. pretty cool. anyway, we are going to start our actual study. will keep you posted. please pray for rebecca and perrine. that they will grow from our time together, from what we are studying, and from their application of what we learn.

club is on friday at my place!! pray that it goes well and that the kids will see Christ in us and what we are doing. pray that the night is only about the Lord and not anything else.

THANK YOU FOR READING THIS AND PRAYING!