Home Sweet Home

Jenna Dear is back in America!

After long long flights and exhausting 33 hours of flying i landed in Pasco, Washington to this =]

I love my friends! I got the chance to go to Portland to see Amanda and Natalie (from dts). Amanda put on an art show for a trip shes planning back to Indonesia! Seriously 3 hour drive and time to think was definantly what i needed! I dont think i've ever spent so much time alone and home! Can you blame me?? I've gone 6 months with NOOO alone time! Ha Well its good i'm gettin use to just studying or spending time with Jesus! Hes been showing me lots and helping me adjust to this awkward-ness! The awkwarness of large groups, old friends, and random "americans". I think that has been some of the biggest shocks for me. I knew americans western countries were selfish, but OH my Gosh!! Not everyone obviously but a majority..its incredible i've been shocked many times by reactions of people or the way people are soo involved in there own lifes and wont even look at you and smile. I was so excited when i was waiting in line for coffee and someone else smiled at me and made a random comment..for once it wasnt me! =] Made my day!!

So i've been home 3 weeks now. Ive had sooo much alone time its ridiculous..i think my parents thought i was locking myself in my room hah! Just spending time with God! But i'm pretty sure its time i step out now. I'm hoping to get more involved in youth group and hopefully get to pour out my heart to young women. And Evangelize. Going from evangelizing 24/7 to being alone in your room...very different!! So ya Gods teaching me to love this city and have a heart for the people here! This next season looks like its gonna be a ride =]

Oh and i'd like to have a night with photos from my trip and possibly indonesian food and well just a hang out...if your interested let me know your more than welcome to come!!

Ohh What a bitter sweet week this will be.....

Saying goodbye to my home...and these beautiful people i've become soo in love with!! And my team(my second family)..well i still have a week in perth with them...but ahh!

Part of me is soo excited to go home..and the other half is so incredibly sad to leave this season of my life behind.

Its something that has shaped and reformed me into who i was created to be...I'm so in love with God and honestly NOTHING can change that..i've gone to far..i know too much truth! Its not this "because i grew up with it" anymore..i've experienced it i've seen it...and i've seen incredible things take place in others lifes..healings and much much more!

But i'll be home soon...and i cant wait to see my Family!!!!!! I miss them more than i ever thought was possible!! And i especially miss Emily, Julie, Israel, Dayton and a few others!!!! And so many opportunities are opening up..job wise and wow i'm soo excited to step into a old familiar place with a whole new perspective!! Maybe just maybe i can have a love for the tricities again..I know nothing has changed..still heaps of drama and old friends will be there that i dont quite want to see...But Its different..because going back..its not about me! Its that simple...its not about me anymore! At all!!

Ya some of you were afraid i would change on this trip...and i have! Thank God i have! I just wish you could have changed with me. But I'm so ready...

So ready for this week
So ready for Perth (report back/party party party week)
So ready for Home
So so so so ready to be myself at home!

I'm holding nothing back anymore...
this is me..an open book...a fire ball for Jesus...and learning more and more each day that my life is no longer mine! My life is becoming less and less of me!

So i go home..to bring this love and passion i have back..to show you i've changed, to show you His love. And to SEEK. after Him with everything thats in me...to see where i'm to go Next! Do i stay..do i go...i honestly I will do anything for him....whatever he says...i'll go...





As I look into the stars
Pondering how far away they are
How You hold them in Your hands
And still You know this man
You know my inner most being, oh
Even better than I know, than I know myself
What a beautiful God
What a beautiful God
And what am I, that I might be called Your child

What am I, what am I
That You might know me, my King
What am I, what am I, what am I

As I look off into the distance
Watching the sun roll on by
Beautiful colors all around me, oh
Painted all over the sky
The same hands that created all of this
They created you and I
What a beautiful God
What a beautiful God

And what am I, that I might be called Your child
What am I, what am I
That You might know me, my King
What am I, what am I
That You might die, that I might live
What am I, what am I, what am I, what am I

What am I
What am I
What am I
What am I
What am I

its pouring rain..right now

yes this is me..almost crying after walking out of Step Up 2 Movie..for a second i thought i was back home..until i walked out of the theater..then i fell to the ground..laughing/crying. Hilarious moment...that just happened to be captured!



David Graf Left friday..

we've had two team-mates join us during our 3 months here..akrum and ari (both only staying no more than 3 weeks) But David has been with us the whole time..from perth till now. He had to go to university. We got to encourage him and pray for him before he left. Everyone cried including the boys! We honestly were loosing a team member and we will probably never see David again..Hes from Switzerland and has this hilarious monatone swiss-german accent taht we all mock...in a loving way! Not to mention him singing "fix you" with Ben....i will never forget that. David and I also have left a legend we always sing "appoligize" together at the top of our lungs =]


So david leaving hit all of us girls like a ton of bricks..that we only have 3 weeks left together..and then we may never see eachother again...
Clearly this is us after we cried (horrid picture haha..but priceless)

I'm going to miss these girls especially Tiffany and Sarah..they are seriously my best friends! We talk about EVERYTHING! We have soo many jokes and wow i cant believe i may never see them again! But i'm ready to come home...

So for girls night (cell group) we talked about Humility..My lovely madagascar lover (tiffany) lead most of it. Anyways our talks with them was really really good! And then we washed their feet and gave them pedicures!




Amazing week...missing home..dont want to leave..BAHHHH

heres random photos you'll like!


At steak 21..we love this place and the people are AMAZING! =]

Me and my big butt calling for a taxi..hah

Yes there it is..the pigs head..and dog!!! =]


wow right! (oddly...i'm getting use to this..crazy hey?)

(the call)


ENJOY..more to come soon..Possibly in person..with me next to you??!?!? crazy huh!!
Blessings!!!!!!!!

these days changed my life..

The past week has literally been the slowest and quickest week in my entire life!!! I was really really sick thursday and friday..like running for the toilet sick..not so fun. I must have ate something bad..i dont know. Still kinda dealing with it here and there all day?! ahha it sucks. But whatever right!! (new saying..whatever) hah Its my way of saying "NOTHIN IS WHAT YOU EXPECT..in jcity!!!!" or "THIS is me adjusting and learning not to care...remeber we laid down our rights..to EVERYTHING?" haha

One of the biggest things i've learned is to have a good attitude even in the most fustrating situations...such as..everything taking sooo long!! But if you keep silent or posative..things always end up amazing and God does some incredible things!!

A few days that have once again..touched my heart through and through!!

Lets start with Wednesday...
It was one of those days where everthing takes soo dang long!! No indonesian can be ontime i swear!! haha Anyways we were taking out this youth group to my favorite slum. As soon as we get there they lead us to this ladies house.

This lady has always had heart problems and has a beautiful baby boy! Soo precious. Anyways i guess last time they went to her house as well and prayed for her. So we asked if we could pray for her again and if there was anything specific. She asked us if we could pray for her and her husbands relationship then began to tear up. She explained that since shes gotten sicker her husband has been more distant, but she cant say anything because he hasnt done anything specific just by his actions she doesnt feel that theres a whole lot of love there. So we all pray for her. But a few of us...(including myself) that cried while she was crying all while praying for her. It was incredible..i felt like i truly felt her pain! I mean i could relate a little with past relationships but nothing compared to what she was feeling. we ended up gettin to share that God is perfect love and that we are created to be fufilled by that perfect love and no one on this earth can possibly fufill that hole. Even with the most amazing husband. She really recieved it..i cant wait to talk with her next week.

Sunday...
ohhh sunday was a day i know i will never forget for the rest of my life!! So Sunday was Independence Day!! We were invited to a community to celibrate..they asked us if 5 could dress up in traditional wear. I was still feeling sick so i got out of it. So we met at this community at 8am...waited for the 5 to get ready and Ohh suprise...we are in a PARADE!! haha Yes a 2 hour walk in the blazing sun!! here let me just show you pictures =] haha

yep we were in a parade..i wasnt feeling good so i luckily didnt have to dress up!! hahahah but i walked with little girls that were dressed up.

Shaun, Tiffany, Autumn, some lady, Sarah, David!
I'm so proud of them..it was soo hott!! And we all laughed soo hard at them!!!

Akrum (he was with us for only a month..amazing guy from egypt), David, Ben


Monday...
So mondays are usually our days off, but this monday was The Call! It started at 9am and was to go to 9pm! Little did we know...it wasnt translated..ha So the day was quite boring we got to leave for a long lunch break and dinner break..but at the end around 9ish. they finally started to play English worship songs..so i convinced my friend becca to go down and dance/worship. It ended up only being four of us that went down there...soo much fun. We met some really amazing indonesians that taught us traditional dances all while worshiping God is was SOO Much fun!!!!

Friday...
This one is short but i like this story..so today =] I got this word for a guy who was sorting out this pile of black stuff trying to find metal to recycle for money. (its his job..to go through garbage and make money off recyling) crazy hey! Anyways he was probably 19 years old. And i knew that God wanted to remind him to hold on to his dreams. And to remember that what he dreamt of as a little boy can come true and to not loose hope. Soo im like easy enough..get a translator go talk to him. I grabbed one of the girls that was with me..she went down to the water where he was with me and as soon as she said hello he turned and walked away. Ignoring us. soo We tried to approach him again he walked away. And i knew i HAD to give him this word. So i ask the youth group leader who did a dts at perth to help me out. So he tries the guy kinda ignores him. Anyways the youth group leader ends up grabbin him later and talks to him for atleast 15 min then motions me over. I walk over the guy is crying and Tommy (youth group leader) is like i told him what God told you and is there anything else you want to say? I was like WHOA?!? haha so we chated for alittle while i guess this Guy hated that he still lived in this recycling dump and he wants a good job and has big dreams and i ended the conversation with God sent us today to tell him to not loose hope and tears again...precious guy! Heri was his name...you can pray for him! I'm sure i'll see him next week though.



what a week. So this blog took me like three days to write hhaha many things have already changed. I'm soo excited about the seeds God is allowing us to plant (thanks lynn) Seriously we may not be reaping..but i KNOW peoples hearts are getting touched..including mine! I love these people...but four weeks...I'm SO excited to go home!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AHH!! haha

I mean i love it here but i know that this is only a season and this lifestyle is not reality. I'm excited to make this evangelism thing (that i now understand) a lifestyle..No worries no bible beating..i still hate that!! haha But i actually have a heart for people who dont know God now! I understand his love, him dying for us.....I get the great commission! I get it...

So watch out tricities...I've learned its not about me and i'm done holding back =]

what touches my heart...

I seriously fell in love with this little boy!! What a crazy couple of days it has been.

Tuesday was PWT(passionworldtour). Headed up with Chris Tomlin. Soo amazing over 7000 youth of indonsia worshiping God like crazy! It reminded me of home a lot (huge confrences like the gathering, but much larger and more passionate). I seriously cried a couple times. Seeing 7000 kids worshiping and realized for the past 3 months you have been crying out for this, then its right in front of you...crazy!!
The city at its best.


i'm actually in this one..wearing a black vest..middle right edge..can you see me? haha

Incredible!





You’re the God of this city, You’re the King of these people
You’re the Lord of this nation, You are
You’re the Light in this darkness, You’re the Hope to the hopeless
You’re the Peace to the restless, You areThere is no one like our God, there is no one like our GodFor greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city
Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done in this city

Greater things have yet to come, and greater things are still to be done here
(amazing song we sang on tuesday night as a city and nation)








The recycle slum..aka garbage dump.

LOOK at these happy faces!!!
and these are there homes!
Saying goodbye to us girls =]
listening to miss Jenna


And finally a mural that took too many days and that silly horse that i spent almost 2 hours on. It was good though i got to lead for the whole "paiting" Basically i went around and tried to show everyone how to blend and tell them what color where. =] Lots of fun though!!

Sharing the love...

Okay so the past couple of weeks have been quite dry. Worship and intercession have been amazing, but we haven't been seeing a whole lot of things happen. Whether it be plans changing or translators not showing up...either way things have been slow. So we fasted on Tuesday and really sought after what God was saying. I mean we very well could be "planters" and we all understand that, but we had specifically gotten words from God before we left that we were to see fruits. So we spent a lot of our day praying, worshiping, and waiting on God. In the afternoon like every tuesday and thursday we take out youth to slums with us. Well after all our time of seeking God i feel like tuesday was a major breakthrough. The girls in my group were actually understanding that i wasn't going to do everything that it was about God using them as well. We ended up praying for a boy with hearing problems and met his mom and talked with her for a couple of hours. Nothing major happened but the atmosphere was just different.
But right before we took the youth out we also bought our food for the day and handed it out to people we felt led to give it to. My group ended up meeting this man that speaks Arabic and English. We had our new guy with us Akrum who's from egypt (hes only with us for a little while). We met him right out side of a mosk. He didn't really need the food but it defiantly blessed him. Akrum shared with him in Arabic to ask God to reveal himself to him in ways he never thought possible, the guy was taking it all in. (I had no idea what they were talking about, since it was in another language) I ended up asking him if i could pray for him. It was a blessing to see him receive it all so much. We exchanged numbers and hope to meet up and talk more with him.
Anyways good encounters. Wednesday (today) we started painting a mural. (defiantly making it up as we go along!! haha. But it was fun everyone kinda got to see me in a whole new way. after the base colors were on i went back after people and threw random colors on there for highlights and shadow...lets say i had to assign someone to open paint cans and close them, paint was flying it was fun/stress full/stretching. Teaching people how to paint for the first time..and i hardly knew what i was doing.
Okay last STORY! Tonight we had team time..Both teams that live together we had a dessert off! we were split in groups to prepare dessert for everyone to see what was the best. here's the results...
Presentation: Thai rice thing (MY GROUP..sticky rice cooked with coconut milk, strawberry or mango on top and a sugar glace over it. served on banana leafs)
Texture: Truffle (it was like layered pudding goodness with chocolate strawberries and cake)
Wow Factor: Chocolate Shots (Chocolate crumbs, fudge, more chocolate, chocolate whip cream)
Creativity: Fried bananas (with ice cream and strawberries)
Flavor: Truffle

It was a fun and we all ate wayyy to much =]

here's two photos from My day off in Mannga Dua (means two mango's)

Did i mention i learned to bargain like crazy here..my advice for bargaining!!!
1. Start with half of what they offer.
2. Slowly work your way up to what you want to pay.
3. Once you reach that they usually will say noooo this is my final offer.
4. You say...ohh Wellll maybe i'll come back..start to turn around (slowly) and take a few steps..(sometimes you don't even have to start walking) They will GIVE IN!

Works every time!! =]

here's a picture of Amanda and I in the taxi!

as i wait for you..

Amazing calm week of intercession and prayer walking. Dont worry though, things are about to explode, its all about Gods timing. I've thinking quite a bit lately about God continually giving me a heart for these people. But also my future, i'm trying not to worry but its something thats been on my heart for a long time. I dont quite know what God wants me to do! But heres something that oddly has calmed my thinking....


There are many things that will carch my eye, but there are only a few that will catch my heart, it is those that I consider to pursue!

If only i can figure out those things that catch my heart =]. Another thing thats been pretty hard is dealing with past relationships, yes still! Who knew forgiving someong could take so long...probably cause i supress my feelings so much, but i'm slowly learning to deal with it now, so 5 years from now those feelings wont haunt me! ha I'm soo gratefull for a patient loving God!! Otherwise..it would be bad news bears for me!! =]

OKAY so i know everyone just wants pictures soooo here ya go =]
Night time fountain!


Prettty smogg!


A prettier view of the city, but gross sewer river!


Up close of river


A piece of home!


These girls fallowed me all day!


He really wanted a picture taken =]


Gates leading out of my home.


Slums....




Hope you enjoyed my verbal processing and a few random photos!!

love where is your fire

i dropped off my friend pablo yesterday at the air port..sadly he only got to stay with us for a week =[ But we had a blast!

He taugh me and beccs the REAL way to shave your face..it was one of the funniest things i've ever seen! Not to mention he was bleeding like crazy from the new blade hahaha.

And our random conversations that went from men with hairy chest, to drulling while you sleep, massive amounts of music swapage (natty..hes amazing artist).

I've been sick since about wednesday and it sucks..with a bad cough and soar throat, but i had a chill day sunday and a free day today.

Gosh the kids are amazing here..i cant even tell you. I dont even like children that much...but when literally 30 of them are chasing you saying MISS JENNA!! HALLLOO!! (thats there way of sayin hello...obviously) haha Its so fun making trains and running around yelling. I swear no one has ever played with these kids its soo incredibly sad!! saturday night was so funny we had a nice american dinner =] steak since it was pablos last night or atleast we'd like to think thats why we had a nice dinner. Anyways when we went to this slum and this family invited us over and they had SOOO much food. It was sooo insane. I've never tried soo many weird things haha one of the foods was a gooey goober looking thing filled with coconut and then wrapped in a bananna leaf. It was soo random! And i was very full.


Things are going really well, missing home quite a bit..there are no comforts here haha. But you live and its much easier when you realize that everything isnt about you. And i've definantly realized that my time here in Indonesia is all about serving and blessing people.

Loving and missing a lot of people! I just wish a lot of people could see what i'm seeing and realize how much this time we have in this world isnt about "come what may"(something i use to believe) but really stepping out and doing something about it all. Well its definantly a life changing experience that everyone should go through. Anyways...i'll be home september 22nd. I'm soo excited and not all at the same time!!

Hope everyone is enjoying there summer!
love,
Jenna dear

who knew...

WOW soo busy its been so intense!

I'm not here in Jcity! Its an incredible city SO MANY people yelling "Bule, BULE" or "BULE GILA" bule= foreigner or white person where gila means crazy! haha We just got done puttin on a confrence with more than 1000 young people. It was incredible!!

Tomorrow is the offical start of our outreach phase! Even though we have been here two weeks! I've met some really awesome people and i'm loving it here! The people are soo friendly!
I wish i could tell stories but i actually am not allowed to yet because of security reasons. But when i come home!! OH MAN!

I love you all and i'm missing home a lot! I miss fresh air SOO bad! I miss not being sweaty all the time =/ But i do love it here and i love what God is doing for this city! Its AMAZING!!

cherry blossoms and sun glasses

HELLO
GAHH! 2 weeks left until i leave for My adventure!! OH my gosh i'm sooo excited!! I cant even begin to tell everyone how much has been going on here. We have had endless hours of praying for finaces and seeing amazing things happen!

I can thank all of you that have sent money to me! You truly have blessed me in so many ways that i can't even express in words!!! Thankyou all for you prayers and support. God is going to do amazing things!! Even just this week our group had time of unity! Basically our leader felt that we were in a line (army line) but some of us were behind the line and some of us were ahead of the line. And we need to pray about where we were at in the line. For me personally i felt like God was saying i was in line and he had me where he wanted me, but that wasnt what was important. That i wasn't looking to my left or right. That i was withdrawing the gifts God has giving me. And it was holding back from the group. So we got in a big circle and everyone explained out loud where they were at to everyone. It was really powerful, somepeople were crying and others were repenting. It brought so much unity as a group and i honestly believe some major breakthrough happened!

At the same time this week God has also been revealing to me how important my sensativity is. And how i've tried over the years to ignore and push my feelings away, when God created me to sensative. For example some drunk guy jumped onto the train tracks last sunday night and these two cops tackled him and were being really rough and not soo nice. I honestly started to cry, just wondering what this guy was going through and in a nut shell i'm begining to feel Gods heart for people and learning to not only be sensative to his voice but to step out and speak outloud what he has to say!

Gods doing wonders in my life and everyone else here. Its amazing.
Here are some fun photos of last saturday night. We had a 50's night! Enjoy!


the set up...done by my class

Some of the boys

Some of the ladies

ME =]

Michelle and I