Tag: Brazil

Destination: Brazil.

On By jenniferstoltzfus1 Comment

We wandered the dusty streets of the market, weaving in and out of booths separated by cloth. Kiosks, tables, and men on the street each committed to selling their goods to the visitors. Our team of over fifty American teenagers must have been impossible to miss, but if there were disapproving glares from the natives, I was oblivious.

My pesos were burning a hole in my pocket & I had just discovered the wondrous concept of haggling. I could dispute the price of an item? I could offer to pay what I thought it was worth & walk away if you don’t lower the price enough? It became my favorite game & I won the prize of souvenirs for the ones I love back home.

In the summer of 2007, Jesus absolutely & utterly wrecked my heart for any semblance of the ordinary life I thought I might live. In the midst of feeling an urge to commit my life to full-time vocational ministry, yet having no idea what that would look like, I left North America for the first time. As I wandered the streets of Santo Domingo, meeting children, blowing bubbles, dancing, and laying the first stretches of a concrete sidewalk this community had ever seen, something in me changed. I knew in those moments that a life in suburbia would simply never do it for me.

It would never be enough.

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In the seven years since my maiden voyage into missions, the Lord has graciously allowed me to travel to six different countries on six incredibly different trips. Learning a new culture, interacting with new people, worshipping with the beautiful souls that Yahweh has sprinkled across the globe is undoubtedly my favorite thing. Learning to articulate the promise of hope through Jesus Christ is a challenging & exciting task for me, and I am endlessly grateful for the grace He has shown to enable me to communicate His heart, despite my shortcomings.

Though a marriage & family is among my hopes & dreams, the season of singleness in my life has opened opportunities that I wouldn’t otherwise have! One of my favorite of those opportunities has been working at WinShape Camps in Rome, Georgia. Last summer I had the privilege of serving as the Worship Speaker for one of their girl’s camps. This gave me the wonderful responsibility of speaking every morning to nearly 100 elementary school girls. It was an absolute dream come true & I loved teaching God’s word to those darling little junior campers!

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In addition to the summer camps that WinShape has in the states, the foundation also fosters a community of believers in Brasilia, Brasil. Each year, teams of camp staff travel to Brasilia to continue the ministry established years ago. By providing equipment & resources, the Christian community in Brasilia is enabled to expand their reach within the community. I have been invited to join one of the two spring teams & I am absolutely THRILLED.

As I am currently living and working with a youth ministry organization in Dallas, I see the Lord’s sweet hand in providing an opportunity for me to serve Him overseas. I am desperately committed to seeing young women walk in the freedom that Jesus has won for us on the cross, and my heart is forever torn between serving the women in my native country and the women in the countries that have won my heart.

I am grateful & humbled by another opportunity to go, and asking for your support to send me. I wish it didn’t seem cliché and insincere to say that I desperately desire your prayer above all else.

Your commitment to carry me through this journey by asking the Spirit to infiltrate my team & the community we will serve is my greatest need.

I know that Jesus has called me, and I know that Jesus will provide! Please hear my heart in this request – I need your prayer!! As with all things in life, it also takes finances to go. The WinShape Foundation makes it incredibly realistic for their staffers to partner on these trips! I will need to raise roughly $800 to join my fellow camp staffers on this journey. I’m excited to see how Jesus will provide as I work & raise support. If you are interested in partnering with me financially, you can do so here: Destination: Brazil.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me with questions or thoughts!! It would be my deepest delight to share more!

on earth as it is in Heaven,

Jenn

When Yahweh Makes Me Coffee

On By jenniferstoltzfusLeave a comment

One of the unrivaled joys of my life is the way that Yahweh makes me coffee.

You see, my Maker has crafted me to simply love a hot cup of joe. My addiction to the bean first started while serving on mission in Brazil. I can still smell the rich blend and see the liquid, black as the starless night, pouring from the pot to fill my mug in the morning. I didn’t drink coffee before that… it’s a life I try not to remember. 😊

Since that trip in 2009, I have grown to deeply love the way that coffee brings people together. Over coffee I have reconciled friendships, grown giddy with unexpected affection, written papers, read theology, watched movies, talked about Jesus, and shared stories. With laughter and tears, with new friends and old, in the morning, afternoon, and evening.

While in Malta last year, on one of my hardest days to date, my students invited me to her room at the refugee camp. She made me coffee and we talked about Jesus. It was a sweet way that Yahweh unexpectedly gave me that which I love most. {You can read more about that day here!}

Now in Fiji, I was struggling again, as I did in Vanuatu, with the way some of the methods we were teaching were playing out in the community. I confessed my frustration to my King, and my longing to see methods played out appropriately and effectively – something I had yet to see.

My prayers were expressed in conversation with Adina, my beautiful fellow intern from Romania. As we set out in the afternoon for our intentional gospel sharing time, we told each other of our struggles thus far. I said how much I wanted to see a relationship built with a family. She said how badly she wanted to see someone respond emotionally- not for the sake of tears, but because Jesus genuinely moved in their heart. We wanted to meet someone whose day would legitimately be better because we talked with them. Not an inconvenient nuisance, or burdened interruption, but a true blessing. Unimportantly, I mentioned that I was hungry. And off we went.

Totally by God’s leading, we ended up on a street and at the first home we passed, we saw a boy in the driveway. We told him we were helping with a church down the road and wanted to get to know some people in the area. He eagerly invited us inside where we met his brothers and grandmother, Kalo. We learned that Sam’s family had just returned to Fiji after living in the States for two years (which explains his incredible English!). We quickly discovered that Kalo is a strong believer, and she shared her beautiful testimony with us. We learned about her life and family, and she told us specific things that she needed prayer for.

When we finished praying, we opened our eyes to see Kalo weeping. She was so moved by our time together and so encouraged by our faith in Yahweh. She wiped her eyes and asked if we would stay for afternoon tea. She sliced bread and brought out butter and peanut butter.

We built a relationship. We saw true emotion and gratefulness… even in tears! She fed us. Every longing in our hearts was met in a stunning way.

Adina and I sat smiling across the table. It was easy to see Yahweh’s hand at work and hear His gentle whisper. Though it was tea instead of coffee, it was my King. Knowing what I love, seeing what I need, and stirring them together like the milk and sugar in my mug.

xoxo