My class

So proud of my kids at school.  We began raising money for an organization called Smile Train, which does celft surgeries for children all around the world.  Each surgery cost $250.  The goal was for my class to raise $25 to help go for the surgery.  Well after discussing and encouraging my students they showed up the next day with $50!!  They wanted to continue raising the bar on themselves and by the end as a class we had raised $250, which was enough for one whole surgery!!!  Wow!!  I was so inspired and amazed at my kids!!  When I told my mom, she and my dad were so impressed they wanted to help sponsor a party for my students.  We celebrated at school today with In N Out burgers, fries and cake that one of the students' brought in!
How awesome it was to see 12 year olds excited to raise money to give back to others.  What a great example of giving everything you have to help someone else.

back to the blogging world!

It has been a long time! I am missing blogging, although I didn't blog very often. I think I would like to try again! I spent some time customizing our page and changing pictures and settings around. The picture I chose for our main picture is of us in India. My heart misses India and the people we met there. God is doing such an amazing work there, it was so awesome to see His kingdom being built!

On a side note, I am incredibly thankful this school year is coming to an end. Ever since India Nick and I have not had a moments rest! We have been so busy with family stuff, our masters, teaching, buying a house, adjusting to a new city to live in, finding a home church. It feels like the list goes on and on! Needless to say we are very excited that summer break is just around the corner, only 2 weeks for nick, and about 5 for me. We have family camping trips, friend camping trips and a wedding (yea lindsay and randy) this summer, not to mention catching up on some much needed rest!

I am going to throw in a picture of Nick and I from our recent masters graduation! Praise the Lord we are finished (well almost, nick will be done in a few weeks). We are so thankful to have that extra schooling, and so ready to be done with it!

Lastly, I changed the description of our blog to simply Love. When I think about who God is and what he asks of His people, love comes to mind. "

The greatest commandment is to Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, and the second is to love your brother." Mark 22:37-40

When I think about that word, and the struggles and circumstances I go through on a daily basis, I can often times narrow it down to how am I doing at loving God and loving those around me? Am I love my husband by the way I treat him, and support him? Am I loving my students by being patient and caring? Am I loving my God and Savior and starting my day with Him, my Beloved?

HOMEOWNERS!!

That's right! Nick and I are officially homeowners! We bought a 3 bedroom 2 bath house in Valencia behind Granery Square! We are super excited, and only one street away from our cousins and great friends, Kurt, Kellie and baby weston!! We can't believe how blessed we are, and how much God has provided with giving us this house. We are in awe of his goodness!!! We painted this weekend, and moved everything in thanks to the help of our wonderful family on Nicks and my side! They are all so wonderful, and we are so thankful for them!! Our home is beautiful, and I will try to put some pictures up when it is all finished. Looking forward to settling in, and hopefully getting a dog soon!!!!!

India

Nick and I felt like as soon as we landed in California on August 3rd, that we hit the ground running. I can't believe how crazy life has been for this past month. There is so much going on, that requires alot of processing and adjusting that it has been so tough to process through India and all of our experiences over there and what God has and is teaching us from that.

WOW, I can't believe we spent 6 weeks in India this summer! Time came and went, and here we are back in America in a somewhat normal routine.

What an experience India was. It was beautiful, difficult challenging and fun all at the same time. I feel like there are so many stories and experiences that I can't even begin to put them into words. So many people left an imprint on my heart and now I feel like I am worlds away from them because I don't see them everyday, and I really am on the other side of the world.

So many faces are a blur across my mind as I think of them and wonder how they are doing; praying for them and thinking about their lives. So many beautiful faces, some that truly know and love the Lord and some that are lost in the darkness of a polytheistic religion.

The Lord is doing an amazing work in India and Nick and I were blessed to witness all that He is doing over there. There are so many different hands and feet that are working as part of the body to reach those who are have not seen the Light.

I try to ponder and process what exactly did God teach me over there. So often John 15: 8-13 was on my heart about what it means to Love one Another. How do we do that on a daily basis? How do we put others needs above ourselves?

God showed Nick and I how much of a practical dependence our Indian friends had on the Lord. THe joy of the Lord flowed out of them and was written all over their faces, because they were always dependent on Him. Wow, do I have the same dependence on the Lord. Is the joy of the Lord written all over my face? What do people see when they see me? What am I a reflection of?

We went to a land filled with people who did not have very much, and yet they did not live in need. They used what they were given, and got by just fine. Now we have returned to a culture that is me focused and material centered. How do we take what we have seen in India and what we see here in America and figure out how to live? It is difficult. I find that it is incredibly easy to fall into the lifestyle of focusing on things, because we are constantly surrounded and bombarded by it...everywhere we look. I don't want to live in such a way that I am so similar to the world and the culture that I live in. Can someone look at me and see that something is different? Do I reflect something different, or do I reflect myself...a focus on this life, on myself and on the things I can have in this life.

One of my biggest prayers and thoughts while being in India was that I did not want to come back and be complacent in my faith. I want God to be involved so directly and intimately in my life that talking about Him flows easily from my lips. That He is truly my primary focus, not just because I say it is so, but because it is how I live my life, to serve and glorify His name above all else.

Wow....looks like I have much to process through still!

We're back!

Hey everyone! It's been a loong while since I have updated our blog. We have been in India the past six weeks, and it was difficult to get time to sit down and think about what I would want to blog about our experience. Let me tell you that it was a challenging, amazing, and blessing of an experience. God stretched us and challenged us. The schools are amazing, the children are amazing, and the people are amazing! The food, and the climate...not so much. The joy of the Lord is shown all over the faces of the people you meet there. It makes me wonder what people see when they see me. Do they see a reflection of Christ? It makes me think about what I am living for. Coming back has been wonderful to see our family and friends whom we missed so very much while gone. The transition back to our culture will be somewhat difficult. America tends to be such a materialistic culture, and now that we have been somewhere else in the world that just does not focus so much on possessions, it is difficult to come back and figure out how we want to live in our culture. There is so much to process through right now, in the midst of going through jet lag.

In the midst of coming home, there is a lot going on. We are living with Nick's family right now as we begin the process of looking for a house! Very exciting, and already feeling a little stressful at times. Nick is starting a new job at Golden Valley High School. It is strange to be home, but not really home anymore. Our apartment in Pasadena is gone, and all of our things are in storage. It is strange to have picked up and now live in a completely different city. Most of Nick's family lives here which is awesome, and it will be good to spend some more time with many of them.

I will try to keep our blog updated more with all the things going on in life right now. Hope everyone is well!

Today's the day!!!

Hey everyone,

Today's the big day!! We are officially moving out of our apartment this morning, and this afternoon we fly to India for the next six weeks!! God is doing some big things in our lives right now, and we are so excited!!! Please pray for us with all that is going on! Pray for us physically, mentally and spiritually!! Pray that we would be culturally sensitive and servant hearted. We love you all very much, and we look forward to sharing stories with you when we come home!

Until then,

Nick and Jenny

Sweet Scripture

"That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God. Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen"

Ephesians 3:16-21