Leaving on a jet plane
Hey guys.. after a wonderful breakfast for me and nathans’ girlfriend cooked by nathan.. I am getting ready to leave. I thought you might enjoy the above pictures. The top one is hilarious.. it’s the cat climbing up the screen door at my house and literally ripping down the sign that says welcome to nepal Jenn. I guess he doesn’t want to welcome me anymore. The second one is of me at the sortof coffe shop hear with one of my close friends. I wanted michelle my dear sis to know that i was drinking a peanut butter bannana latte. And I must admit, it was almost enough to make me not like bananas either ! 🙂
So for prayer request:
Physical health and protection as I am in India and Thailand
Spiritual health and protection
While I am in calcutta that i can bring encouragement to my friends Joy and Stephanie, and we will have many oppertunities to minister
For me as I help with the ladies conference in bangalore– that God will give me specific words to say and move in mighty ways
Safety and protection as i travel
That God will use me, refresh me and move in me.
Thanks so much.
I am not sure how often i will get to post, but I will try!
Jenn,
I’m sorry I haven’t written in a few days. I’ve been fighting the fight of faith here in Chattanooga and haven’t had time to check out your blogs.
I don’t know if TJ has told you, but the executive director of the organization I work for decided to remove the live Nativity scene from the Grand Illumination (an event we put on the day after Thanksgiving.) A few people (very few, but very influential people) complained about it last year and said that the event was too Christian and it excluded people of other faiths.
The story made the front page of the morning paper, and every television station ran a piece about it. By the time we got to work, the phones were ringing off the hook, emails were burning up the internet, and reporters were appearing at our doorstep demanding an interview. I was thrilled that Christians spoke out so strongly against this decision, but I was very saddened by the fact that people thought that I agreed with the removal of the Nativity scene (which I’ve always fought hard to keep as a part of the event.)
I was also very sad that so many Christians who called or emailed me and others in the office did not act in a Christ-like manner. I responded to every email I received and handled a lot of the phone calls. As lovingly as I could, I reminded people that we represent Jesus in everything we do and that condemning us to hell or calling us atheists only reinforced my coworkers’ opinion that Christians are just a bunch of fanatical hypocrites. One gentleman that had sent me a very ugly email reponded to my email and said that he was very sorry, thanked me for my Christian testimony and for the reminder that we need to speak the truth in love. He even asked me to pray for him as he tries to repair his Christian reputation. God works in mysterious and awesome ways, doesn’t He?
The good news is, the Nativity scene has been reinstated. The public outcry against the decision was too loud to be ignored. Praise God for people who are bold enough to take a stand for the Lord!
The bad news is, our parent company quickly brought in a public relations “guru” who was supposed to save our reputation and put a positive spin on the decision our organization made. He was going to ensure that we didn’t take the blame and, as he put it, “fall on our sword” by apologizing.
I just kept saying, “We need to tell the truth and say the decision was a mistake, and now we are correcting it.” I have quiet a few dents in my armor from the battle, but God always causes us to triumph. More good news again – the final version of the press release contained an apology and expressed regret for the decision to remove the live display of Christ’s birth.
It reminded me that we as Christians sometimes do just what the “spin doctor” was suggesting. We try to put a positive spin on why we sinned against a holy God instead of just confessing it as an egregious act and receiving forgiveness. We don’t even have to “fall on our sword” because Jesus took the sword for our sins! Praise His holy name!
I know God is going to turn this whole thing around for good. I believe that a record-breaking number of Christians will attend the event this year and will gather around that beautiful Nativity scene and give testimony to the fact that Jesus’ birth is the reason for the celebration.
I’m sorry this is so long, but I wanted you to know how God is working in our city. I will certainly be praying for you as you travel. I know God is going to use you in ways you can’t comprehend and won’t know until you get to Heaven.
Love you bunches,
Sandra
P.S. I’m happy to hear that you received the card I sent and that it encouraged you. Praise God! I’m also glad to hear that your friends at the post office get excited about giving you mail. Maybe I should put cute little stickers on the envelopes so they’ll have something fun to look at. Just tell them that the stickers are for their enjoyment and to “make them come alive.” Be careful though, you might say something really strange in Napalee when you’re trying to tell them that! He, he, he.
Sarah and I will be praying for you! Be careful in India and enjoy Thailand. Ramro Jannus
Jennifer Lynn Hand….I am not afraid to come down there and get you. I can’t believe you would ruin a coffee with adding bannanna. That has to be on the list of breaking the ten commandments. I am not ok with that……….I may have to go drink a pumpkin spice latte just to get my mind off of it. But I guess I should show grace. I love you anyway! I’m praying for you !