4:19

Hi :)

It has been a long time since I have posted, but everyday has been crazy!

I worked 45 hours last week as a member of the True Blue Crew at Culver's! Now I got to say, that having food service experience before getting here, I was not looking forward to working in it again. However, I just have to say how truly blessed I am to be there. The people I work with are great, and fun to be around and to work with, my boss is smart and cares about his employees and is hilarious, and it is fun to interact with so many people each day. Now don't get me wrong but there are some very stressful times, it is a business and things need to be done right and in a timely manner, but largely I love it.

Upon arrival here in the Dells it was easy to look at things in a negative light. The place I was living was a small shack with two tiny rooms, and a shower that filled up and spilled over if you were in it longer than three minutes (and it took 2 minutes to warm up to not freezing), and I was working in food service...again.

It is amazing though the way God provides. The place I live truthfully is very small and if I wanted to be picky I could complain, but compared to some of the other places people live I am truly blessed. We have a working kitchen at our complex, the owners have been helpful if we need something fixed (our shower now drains), and we are within walking distance of a lot of cool places. Seeing where some of my friends live just helps me realize just how blessed I am. As much as I love my roommate, I'm glad I don't have to sleep with him like half of the guys on project do with their roommates because there is only one bed.

And when it comes to Culver's. I have seen some of the people who came to project without jobs hunting and looking for places to work while I was immediately thrown into the fast paced world of ButterBurgers and FrozenCustard. I knew where I was going to work a month before classes ended, and that in and of itself is a blessing. I get a good amount of hours so I can come back with some money this year, and that is another blessing God has poured out on me.

Also, I don't have to worry about fundraising while I am here. It is such a blessing to be able to focus on what I'm doing while I'm here and not having to worry about paying for it. I have been so blessed by the people who supported me that they would desire to send me to a place to Know Christ and Make Him Known among the nations. I hit a roadblock in thank you's when the database with their addresses in it went down, but they are coming I promise! I love all the people here on project so much, and I hope and pray that they too will be able to experience the sheer joy and humility that donors bring.

God's blessings have been tremendous, and each day I am seeing them more clearly and experiencing new ones. It reminds me of Philippians 4:19:

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." ESV

Our God is a god who cares and loves us more than we can know. The great thing is that it isn't performance based. We don't need to do better or great to receive the love He has for us. He told his own son that he loved him and was well pleased with him, before he really did anything ministry wise. (Mark 1:11) In the same way, we don't need to worry about Him blessing us and loving us, it will happen. It becomes more evident to me each day I am here that His love is.


It is a blessing to serve here, and I encourage you my brothers and sisters to open your eyes and see His love around you, because it is there. So today, will you fret, doubt, and worry...or will you trust, celebrate, and obey. I pray that you have the faith to do the latter :D

'til next time

l,
j

Strangelism in Madison

Greetings from Madison, WI!

So we all carpooled to Madison today to do some evangelism around town. We all split into groups of two and went around town to chat with people and share the Gospel!

My partner Keeley and I ended up talking to a 21 year old guy named Casey. Whereas many people talked to 4 or 5 people in their 2 hours or so, we talked to...Casey. Casey was a friendly fellow and seemed like a pretty chill guy. We asked him some general questions about spirituality. It was great to chat with someone for so long, and he really challenged my faith with his beliefs of everything being one and one being everything. It was tough to share things about how Jesus called us to choose to be with him or against while I shared about how I thought the Holy Spirit was in each Chrisitan. He took that as all things are one.

It is always encouragin to share and evangelize because it strengthens my faith and my beliefs. God is moving in Wisconsin and everywhere around me. Tonight some of my fellow STPers are going to a get together at one of my manager's at culvers house to hang out and just spend time with one another. As many international students as there are that need to hear the gospel, I'm surrounded with Americans that I work with and also live with who need to hear about Jesus just as much.

Pray that God prepares the hearts of those we live and work with that we would be open to what we would have to say. Pray also that we prepare ourselves and equip ourselves to minister to those around us, and that we would be able to show God's love to those around us and communicate the need for a compassionate Savior but also be able to speak the truth of sin.

Thanks for your prayers and support!

l,
j

Working 8:30-4

I'm working from 8:30-4 today at Culver's but after I shall update all 3 of you on what's going on in the Dells! Consider this a pre-post!

Day 2

Hola mis amigos!

Day 2 was a complete success. It started at about 6 with a team quiet time, followed by a bit of a nap, followed by my first real day working at Culver's.

It was a blast working there for the most part and I'm looking forward to the summer there...tho I am slightly anxious about the craziness the middle of the summer will bring.

After work, my team and I watched the movie "Salt" and actually relaxed a bit...then we had a group dinner with our sister team and went to the first NavNight of the summer. We met a local family that really had a heart to see the people of the 53965 (Wisconsin Dells, WI) and everyone in it reached for the Lord. We also met a couple cool girls that are from a nearby town and got to chat it up with them for a bit. One is an Ed major...and yes, we high fived.

After we got done hanging out for a bit we walked with a big group back to their hotel and hung out and met some international students they live near. I got to have a good talk with a Ukrainian student named Alex and for the first time with a international student explained what I was in the Dells for! It was good to just hang with a bunch of people that I didn't know because as much as I love my SDSU friends, there are a ton here so it was cool to be around mainly people I didn't know very well.

So yea, it was a great day, and I wanna leave you with what was on my heart today:

John 15:2

"He cuts off every branch of mine that does not produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do not bear fruit so that they will prodcue even more"

I am in the Dells to serve and preach the gospel, but also to be refined into more of the man God calls me to be. I am producing fruit and it feels good to know I am honoring God and serving Him, but I am not perfect. All of us need to be pruned and refined, and sometimes it hurts...but it is done so that we can produce as much fruit as possible.

So what has been running thru my mind today is how pruning and refining is necessary, because I don't just want to produce some fruit, I want to produce as much and as good of fruit as I can.

Blessing and talent!

l,
j

Day 1

Now don't get too excited all 10 of you that will read this post, but I will not be blogging everyday. However, I wanted to let you know how my first full day Dwellin' @ the Dells was!

Well it started out very cold. 36 degrees was the low last night, and I had not much more than a sheet to keep me warm in bed. But all is well..we hav snagged some space heaters and "the cave" as we so humbly refer to our little cabin as is quite toasty. :D

I also had orientation at Culver's today and it was a blast. Everyone there seemed like great people and fun to work with. The owner is energetic and real personable. I know it will be challenging and tough being busy and hectic, but it really looks like it will be a blast.

On another note I love my team. There are four of us and all but one are great guys (I am just average) and I have much enjoyed getting to know them. I really just can't wait to see how we grow this summer. Keep Keeley, Tyler, Brian and I in your prayers as we're still getting work stuff figured out and getting ready to really get in the swing of things.

I hate to cut things short, but I need to be up at 6 to do quiet time with the men. Also I'm using my phone as internet is as spotty as something really spotty...like a mountain lion or a biting goat. But seriously...it is really undependable so I am bloggin from my phone and I can feel carpal tunnel setting in. So until I blog again, thanks for checking in and pray that God really works in and through the 50 of us here in the Dells this summer. Thanks a lot

Blessing and talent,
JPM

Also it should be noted here and anytime in the future that all comments involving Culver's are strictly my own.

Almost Time!

Greetings friends!

As we speak I am getting ready to leave for the Wisconsin Dells tomorrow! For those of you who don't know I am spending the summer (May 24th-August 14th) in Wisconsin Dells, WI doing a summer training program through Navigators Christian Fellowship. 4000 international students work in the Dells each summer, and as well  as doing Bible Study and working a full time job, we will be doing evangelism with the international students we work and live alongside.

I am honestly very anxious for the Dells, but mainly just because I have had months of anticipation, and I just want it to start!

I will be posting updates here so my supporters and friends can check out what's going on with my group. Stay tuned as I will try to be posting about two times a week. Thanks for everything!

l,
j