Jessica Gourley - Serving The Kingdom

Almost Home

Wed, 6 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Well, the time has come.... These past four days my family and I have spent our time together in St. Lucia, SA debriefing. We had our final days of ministry last week, its still weird to think about. Since Cherish was through I spent the better part of my week helping out with a woman's retreat that Children's Cup put on. All of the ladies that work at the care points around Manzini- Mbabane came out for three days of praising God. We were able to hand out a pair of Nike's to all of the bo makes (moms) and bo gogos (grandmas) that were there. The husbands came and also got a pair of Nike's and a meal. We had a "store" where they went through and got to pick out 20 items, all free of charge. Jill, Alene, Sarah K, and I got to do games with them on Wednesday afternoon. This is defiantly one of my favorite memories from this trip .... We played musical chairs and did the limo with them. You'd be surprised how crazy bo gogos get trying to get a chair when the music turns off. It was amazing seeing these ladies who look like they can barely walk push the younger girls off of chairs.

Friday, our family ministry day was spent painting our friend Julie's house. I really enjoyed getting to paint and being able to bless one of our friends while spending time with my family. It was a great way to finish out the year.... Which isn't quite over yet..... When we get back from debrief, tomorrow, we'll have four days before we leave for home. I'll have to go to the care point where I've become close to an11 year old girl, named Ianda and say good-bye. We'll also have to say good-bye to the people like Phumlie, Swazie, amd Gugu- the ones that we've become the closest to over the past 4 months.

And then still, on the 15th we'll have to say good-bye and part ways with this family of ours. Thinking about that day makes me cry... We've already started planning out when we're going to visit each other. This is going to be the hardest good-bye I've ever had to do. Please keep us in your prayers as we head back home to North America. Our plane flies out on the 13th and we land around 6:30 AM on the 14th in DC. I personally will be flying in to DFW at 11:30 AM on the 15th. ( We have a one day debrief with all of the FYM teams in Georgia on the 14th.) So this is it, my last blog before I get back to the states...

I'd like to thank you all again for all of your love, prayers, and support. God has truly blessed me through all of you. I know that with out all of your prayers I never would have made it through this semester as I did. Christ worked amazingly in my life and has changed me forever. I thank all of you for continually lifting my family (team) and I up these past couple months. After all we've been through God has shown Himself faithful and just. We truly serve an awesome God. Let us never forget the death and resurrection, the blood that was shed for each one of us. Let us never take Him for granted again. The Lord has given us so much, we have so much to be thankful for, take a moment now and look at your life. Thank Him for everything you see, because I guarantee its 100 times more than what over half the world outside of North America has and truly look at your life and the world around you with open eyes.

oikogneia

Sat, 18 Apr 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Oikogeneia is the Greek word for family, it means, "household unit of related people, possibly extending to a clan or tribe." (Definition from the Tyndale Life Application Study Bible.) The bible tells us that families are something we have to cherish. They play a crucial part in our spiritual and emotional growth and maturity. God has blessed with an amazing family, who I have had the joy of loving for the past 3 months. Christ has changed me an immense amount through these seven-teen people . I'd like to tell you a little about this amazing family (tribe) of mine.

I wasn't going to write about each of the 17 of my family members, because I thought it would be a bit too much for you to read, but I ended up doing so. We'll go through the picture that I've placed at the bottom. (We're gonna go left to right with this.) On the far left is Ryan, Ryan has become like a little brother to me. He's an awesome man of God, and has become very over protective of us girls. (Any guy looking to date one us should be warned, hes tough!) Tyler, well, he's one of the coolest people ever (he's from Oregon!). He's passionate about everything he gets involved with, and has a growing love and passion for Christ that is evident daily. Next is Blair, he's the grandpa of the group, and not just because he's the eldest of the students. Blair has knowledge and wisdom that is unmistakably a gift from God. On the other side of the picture is Davie, if you wanna laugh or hear a good story, call this guy. His joy abounds constantly, and that smile rarely leaves his face. He has the faith of a child and shows the love that Jesus commands us to, to everyone he comes in contact with. The man with the glasses is Matt, our male leader and head of the house hold. I have learned more from his quirky ways of teaching than I have from most pastors. He has the Jesus glow like no other. He's also the absolute funniest person I have ever met. Ever.

Alyssa (left in the blue tank top) is one of my ministry partners and role models. She has constantly kept an awesome, Christ like attitude throughout the semester and all of the problems associated with our ministry. She challenges me daily in my walk with Christ. Sarah K (also from Oregon) is one of the most tenderhearted people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. She has a way of making everyone feel loved, and reflects Christ in all she does. Isabel (one of our leaders) is next, this Texas born and raised beauty brings spice to our life. She's always smiling and laughing, her laugh is contagious. She loves unconditionally always, no matter what (Jesus shine!!). Next to Isabel is Mary. Mary is one of my favorite people, ever. She, like Isabel has an amazing, contagious laugh. Her joy fills the house and her insight fills my mind. Mary has a way of making everyone look at things a little differently. Sarah T-- oh my, this girl is crazy! Crazy about Jesus! She brings joy to my life all day long. When I was scared in the eye of the storm of spiritual attacks she let me sleep in her bed and comforted me. ( Made me feel like a child running to her mommy to check for monsters under the bed.) Layne Carson, she is my confidant. This girl has been my bunk mate and one of my best friends this entire trip. She's the one I can tell a problem to and she'll laugh, tell me she loves me, and speak truth in to my life. God has truly blessed me with this Christ centered friendship that will last a lifetime.

My discipler, Melissa, starts off the next row. She came in to this group when we got to Swazi this semester and has fit in perfectly. She always has a hug and encouragement for all of us. She is a joy in my life and also has that Jesus glow. (oh-- and I should add that she is hilarious and is always up to no good, in a good way.) Gail, well, Gail is one of those friends.... She's constantly (even when she doesn't know it) encouraging and challenging me. She's one of those who, when she speaks, everyone in the room listens. Her insight and love for Christ and His people have changed lives, especially mine. Jillian is next, this little thing has more energy and spunk that most children. Which is probably why she is as amazing with kids as she is. She never seizes to amaze me with her wisdom and insight. I'm next, and let me tell you, this group of people around me.... THEY ROCK!!! (I'm doing really well, and can't wait to tell ya'll in person how God has changed me through them.) Sweet Caroline (final of our four leaders), she's got this passion for people that can only come from God. Her love for all of us astounds me, and her laugh screams Jesus shine! Alene is my other ministry partner and close friend. She's amazing with the girls that we teach at Cherish, always eager to teach and dig deep. She's an excellent roll model for young girls. (And it doesn't hurt that she loves baking and we love eating. ) Loretta is last but certainly not least. This girl is the Gogo (grandma) of the group (not because of age, but because of maturity) . She keeps us all in check, especially when we goof off ( bouncing coins off the tile and accidentally hitting Sarah T in the face). She clearly loves Christ with all her heart and shows that to everyone, always.

This is the most amazing, random, beautiful, crazy, just straight weird group of people I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. Our family is a little dysfunctional but I wouldn't have it any other way. Coming in to this, if you would have told me my life would be wrecked beyond belief, changed drastically, and thrown back together beautifully-- I never would have believed you. During worship and communion on Sunday night I realized how much I truly love this family of mine, and how hard its going to be to leave them in just a few short weeks. Davie's friend once told him that there are people who come into your life and leave. And there are people who come in to your life and leave an impression. Melissa likes to call this process "foot prints on your heart". These insane people left foot prints on my heart that will never be washed away.

Three steps forward....

Tue, 24 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A lot has happened in the past week and a half since my last blog.... First of all, the king-- we weren't able to meet him, since he was at one of the other palaces the day we were hoping to meet him. We were able to go in and meet the young men in one of the regiments, and the elder men in the kings regiment. We spent a couple of hours talking and learning a bit about their culture. It was really interesting, and cool being able to meet the man that the king goes to when something needs to be done. Now that we have met those men we have more of an in to be able to actually meet with and talk to the king. Please keep praying that we'll get that chance to meet him.

This past week we had our spring break, which was a nice time to relax, unwind, and spend some good God time. The first couple days I finished Francis Chan's book- Crazy Love. I honestly took a week break from reading, and don't really remember the first 7 chapters. But, the end of this book hit me really hard. This book challenged me to take a closer look at my relationship with God. One question he asks and talks about is: Are you really obsessed with Jesus? I realized, after reading and praying, that I am not nearly as obsessed with Him as I should be. I'm in love with Him, but not obsessed. I'm still searching God on how that looks in my life.

I was also challenged in my mind set, I've realized that I HAVE to live life with a heavenly mind-set.
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ." Philippians 3:20
If I'm living for Him and not showing His love to everyone I encounter then I'm not living like I should. I desire to be one of those He talks about in Revelation 3:4-5. One of the people from my generation who are an example worth following. These two things are helping to shape me into a new creation, and I'm so excited to see how God uses what I've learned this past week to His glory.

A lot of other things happened this week, some great and some pretty terrible. I'd like to ask you all to pray against spiritual attacks in Swaziland. This country that we're in is the biggest of the African countries on witch craft. People come from all over Africa to receive "powers" from the devil. As we all know, Christ has dominion over all of this. My team has been attacked pretty heavily in the past couple of days, and spiritual warfare has gone from just talk to constant prayers. This country is being weighed down and we believe that its time for a change. This is a huge change that we've been given to make, and the devil is doing all he can to keep it from happening. Please, if you're going to pray for anything for us here in Swaziland, pray for this; safety, faith, strength, and for the Lord to stomp the devil out of this beautiful country. As I sit here in my room writing this, I shake with a love for Christ and a passion for this country to be won over completely.

I love you all and pray that God will show Himself to you today. God bless!!

Thanking God

Wed, 11 Mar 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Oh my!! I can't believe that its already March! Time is flying by faster than I expected, where did it go?? Since my last blog God has continued to rock my socks off, seriously, lets just take a moment to thank Him for all He's done. "Lord, I just want to start off by thanking you for everything that you're doing here in Swaziland and back home in America. Thank you for all the girls who got saved last week at Cherish. Thank you for continually working through us, for opening the hearts of the young ladies that we're working with. Father, I thank you for all of my friends and family back home, for using them in my life on a daily basis. I lift them up and ask that you'd bless them greatly. I thank you for bringing in all of the support that AIM needs me to raise. Lord I ask that you'd bring in a bit more, so that Mom and Dad can be reimbursed for all the money they so graciously gave to my expenses while I've been here. Father, I pray that you'd be blessed by us today, that we would praise you in all we do. Amen."

The Lord is working here, in Swaziland, in amazing ways! Some of my friends go to Hope House a couple times a week and my friend Tyler goes especially to visit Margaret. Since the first day we visited and God performed His miracle of making her walk again, He has continually strengthened her legs. Tyler tells me that now she's able to walk around the Hope House property. Praise God for His everlasting healing powers.

About a month ago we took a visit to the hospital in Mbabane where I met a 2 year old, Bongiwae who had hydrocephalus, and her mother. They needed 10,000 Rand for her to be taken to South Africa and get operated on. Most of this money had to be given by the government because 69% of all Swazis are below the datum line. Of that 69%, 37% of the population is in extreme poverty. The government here isn't very big on helping out those in need. So to be honest, the situation looked a little hopeless. A couple of us prayed over her, that God would bring in the money so that the beautiful little girl in our arms would be able to survive. I left sad, asking God to take care of her. We went back to the hospital just a couple of weeks ago and Bongiwae was gone. A lady that was still there said that she had been taken to South Africa, had the surgery, and was now back home getting better. SERIOUSLY!! PRAISE THE LORD!!

He is continuing to rock my world daily, weather it be small things like a hug from one of my beautiful sisters, or revealing His grace through our Cherish lesson. Our Lord and Savior is truly inspiring me, more and more, day by day I desire His heart. Please pray for my team, that we would continue to grow closer to Him as a whole. Some of us are going to Mozambique the first week-end in April with our church, to a conference at the mother church. Please pray for safety, health, and that God would shine His light through us to those of the church we're going to visit. Please also keep my health in your prayers, I've been healthy so far, and have started taking my vitamins, but have a terrible immune system...

OH!! And tomorrow (Thursday, March 12) my ministry partners and I will be meeting the king!! Today at school we met a man named Mufuso, who owns 5 schools around Swaziland. He is in the kings regiment, and is friends with him. After talking for a bit we asked if we could meet the king and he said yes!! Please pray for us, that God will give us the words to speak to king Mafutsu, for boldness, and an open heart for the king. This is something that we've been praying for, so we're very excited that God has finally opened this door.

Thank you all again so much for all of your love, prayers, and support!! Praise the Lord for bringing in all the money that I need to pay to AIM!!! I love you all and pray that you will be blessed.

Kuthula na nathando sihlobo sami. (Peace and love relative of mine.)

Finally Getting Started!!

Sat, 21 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

On February 4th we finally were able to go to our first schools with Cherish!! The first school that we went to, Victorious, the girls were very quiet and didn't seam to want to respond. I told a little about my past, so that they would understand that Cherish is a safe place. A couple of them talked after that, but they still weren't wanting to talk much. My teaching partner, Swazi, talked to them in Siswati and made them laugh. (She's good at making the girls feel comfortable.) We go to Victorious at 8 o'clock in the morning, so I think some of them might not quite be awake when we get there.
      At 2 o'clock that same afternoon we went to Moyani. The girls at Moyani were very open and excited to talk and get to know us better. They asked questions, and laughed a lot. I did the majority of the talking at this school, and they seamed to respond very well. Such a blessing, since Victorious didn't go as well as hoped.
      On February 10th, we went to a school called Phumelele, the sister school to Victorious. At Phumelele the girls seamed excited to start the program, and were worried that not everyone would get the chance to go through Cherish. Our (Swazi and my) girls were very talkative, and excited to hear about what we'll be going over for the next eight weeks. One question, just for an example, was; Is it a sin to have a boyfriend? Swazi went to the girl next to her and touched her shoulder, "Its not a sin to have a boyfriend. But when it goes from this to touchy, touchy-- kissy, kissing-- touch some more.... Ect. It goes too far and that is a sin." They giggled, and the point was clear. Talking about sex before marriage the girls looked at their friends, giggling. Most of them are not abstaining, but being in a culture that's literally being wiped off the planet by AIDs, I'm not surprised.
        So far we have five schools, and should be starting a sixth one on March 2nd. Our girls are starting to step up and want to take a school on Fridays. Fridays are our family ministry days, so Alyssa, Alene, and I cannot work on Cherish those days. The opportunity for the three of us to start stepping back, and the other girls to start stepping up has arisen, finally. I'm excited seeing Swazie and Phumilile step up and take ownership of this program.God is truly working in these girls and I'm already starting to see a change.
        I'm very excited to see all of these girls grow in Christ and realize their worth in Him. They are all such sweet sprits, and I can see that God is just waiting for them to lay their lives down for Him. He will use them in such a mighty way. I pray that all of these beautiful girls will leave this program following after Christ and His will for their lives.
     Some things that you can pray for are; Swazi, Gugu, and Phumilile-- that they would put all of their faith in Christ and trust Him that everything will work out. For guidance for them as they figure out how to step up to their full capacity, and truly allow the Spirit to move. Also, there are a few small problems that we're working through at the moment. For all of the girls that we're working with-- that they would take this seriously, for open hearts, and pure actions. That this program would truly touch their lives and create change. For Alene, Alyssa, and myself-- that we would know when to step up, speak out, and back down. That God would give us the words to speak to our teaching partners/ disciplees as we start doing our one-on-one bible studies.
     Thank you for all of your prayers, it means more than you know, and I wouldn't be able to be here serving our Lord and Savior without them. God bless you!!

Margaret

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

One afternoon we went to the Hope House, a place for terminally ill patients. My teammates Mel, Alyssa, and I went to talk to a lady, but she didn't know any English at all. We stayed for about a half hour, prayed over her, and left. As we were walking, we saw someone at the clothes washing sinks. So we went over to meet her, and she introduced herself as Naomi. We talked with her for a couple minutes and then she took us to Margaret, one of the ladies she was taking care of. Margaret was amazing!! She was so sweet and full of Christ's light and love. She hadn't walked in weeks because her "illness" was so bad that she couldn't stand. After talking and laughing for a while we asked if we could pray for her. She smiled this beautiful smile and said yes. When we finished praying over her, we asked if she'd like to try standing up. She wasn't too sure... she had faith, but I think it was hard for her to truly believe that she'd be able to stand. She agreed, a little reluctantly, and so we started. She sat up and we helped her swing her legs over the edge of the bed. Still a little scared she grabbed on to our arms, as God lifted her to her feet. We literally barely helped her stand.... She had a huge smile on her face, it was the first time in weeks that she had felt the ground on her feet. We asked if she'd like to step, since she was already standing. So she did. She took two steps forward, and then back again when she started getting tired. This was the first miracle I've ever seen, and it was amazing!! God has been surprising me almost daily since we've been here. And still, as I sit her, is marveling me over all He's done in this short time period that we've been here for. I can't wait to see the mountains that He moves through my team these coming months. Its gonna be amazing!!

(Oh, that is not Margaret's hand.)

Jesus Shine

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

One evening my friend Alene and I decided that we wanted to treat some friends by making cookies for them. It was raining out, and we needed chocolate, so we grabbed our leader Matt, and headed to Spar (the local supermarket). Expecting only to pick up some groceries and be back home quickly. We drove up in our kombi and as we were running in heard a man's voice say, "Adventures in Missions". Shocked we stopped and walked back to a little old man standing outside of the store. With wonder in our eyes we told him we were with AIM, and he lit up. This little man introduced himself as Yule. Yule had been at Hope House about four years ago. An AIM team had come and visited him on a regular basis, and had apparently had a huge impact on his life. He told us that he had lost his wife about 3 years ago and had three boys at home that he needed to feed. Yule is on ARV, an AIDS treatment, and said that he hadn't eaten all day, and the meds were tearing up his stomach. He was outside of the store begging for food to feed his kids, and hoping to get enough to feed himself. After talking for a while we offered to buy him some food, whatever he needed. He said a few stables; milk, cereal, and eggs... He wouldn't come in with us, so we were able to get the extras (cheese, a hot dinner, juice, candy, rice, flour) for him also. It was getting late and dark and was still lightly raining, so we offered to take him home, turns out he doesn't live far from our home. On the way Yule explained that he had worked with Jumbo, the head of AIM Swaziland, a couple years ago around Christmas time. He rattled off about 15-20 names of people who had come to Swaziland with AIM in the past 4 years. He informed us that he knew we were with AIM because we had the "Jesus glow". It was explained to us as a shine that only Jesus can provide, and that AIMers are the ones he recognizes with it. So when he saw our "Jesus glow" he knew that the love of Christ was there and we were sent to help him. When we got to his road (which our kombi couldn't make it down) Matt asked if we could pray for him. Of course he said yes, and after amen came a huge smile and a his sweet grandpa voice saying, " now that's the best food of all". AMEN!! This guy had it right!! We asked if we could help him to his house, but because we're white and it's a dangerous area he refused to allow us to help. He almost cried when he saw the food, and reminded us that God will always provide. I saw the Jesus shine in Yule that night, and truly believe that I encountered Christ on that rainy night in Manzini. I trust that I'll see Mkhulu [ Mm- Koo- Loo] ( grandpa) Yule again, and if I don't on this earth, I will in heaven. Its crazy how I thought we were just going to get chocolate that night. And even crazier thinking that we were going to bless Yule, because he blessed the three of us more than I could have ever fathomed.

Cherish

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

WOW!! The past week has been amazing!! I went in to the week thinking that I'd check out this program called Cherish, and then go to the hospital and care point for the rest of the semester. But God had different plans...Let me tell you a little about Cherish. This is an 8 week program similar to Beat the Drum, but longer, more intense, and designed for girls. There are 3-4 schools involved, and each school has about 30 students that participate. A day per school, in their classrooms from 2-4, Monday- thursday afternoons. Cherish focuses on Purity and our worth in Christ. It's a safe place for young high school girls to come together and talk about pressing issues, such as; sex, STD's, and AIDS. It is a Christ centered place of girls encouraging girls. This program is designed to raise up strong female leaders in the community.

Okay, so now that you know a little about Cherish, this is the program I'll be working at throughout this semester. After the 8 weeks, we'll take some of the students from each school and do a leadership class/ program. I'm not exactly sure what that entails quite yet, but will fill you in when I find out. It will end in local girls teaching local girls the Cherish program next term. That first day, when I thought I was just visiting, I met three of the most wonderful girls, Swazie (24), Gugu (18), and Phumlile (22), who are the Swaziland natives that are running Cherish. AIM employs them as the leaders, which is great because right now its almost impossible to find a job in this beautiful country.

This past week my teammates; Alene (19), Alyssa (23) and myself (24) have gone to the AIM office everyday and met with the girls. This semester we each have to disciple a local girl, and God placed us perfectly at Cherish. The six of us will be doing a bible study over the ladies of the bible, every Monday and Wednesday morning. This will be an awesome opportunity for each of us to disciple the girls and create lasting friendships. These girls are all so much fun to be around, they're very loving and accepting, and have the "Jesus shine". I'm so excited to see how God works in and through us these coming weeks.

I'd like to ask that you keep the six of us in your prayers, that God would truly be the center of our ministry. We're uniting in an awesome way that only God could orchestrate. Pray that that unity only gets stronger, and that Christ would stay at the center. Also for open, softened hearts of the girls that we'll be working with for the coming months.

Thank you all for your prayers, I think of you (all of you) often. Back home at Calvary Chapel Fort Worth in the missions meetings there's a saying that often goes around. I dont quite remember our wording, but its something like this. "Some are meant to go out and love in other places, some are meant to stay behind as prayer support, but both, after Christ, are the most important for a missions trip to be successful." I maybe the one over here, experiencing Swaziland and its amazing people, but without your prayers and support I wouldn't be able to be here to spread the gospel. So thank you for being one of the most important parts of my ministry,
I pray that God will richly bless you for all you have helped do in Swaziland.

Swazi!!!

Sat, 17 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

We're here!! Finally in Swaziland, as of January 7th. The first couple days we hung out, and adjusted to the time change, and checked out the town. We're living just outside of Manzini, in a home that AIM owns.This past week we started checking out ministry sites, and I fell in love with the kids at the first care point we went to. Its a Childrens Cup care point, and is about a fifteen minute walk from our house. We spent a couple days there, loving on the kids and doing a small bible lesson on Wednesday and Friday. I'm hoping to work there this semester, as well as at the hospital. Swaziland is absolutely amazing, and the country is just as beautiful as the people are. I'm excited to get started with ministry this coming week, and see how God uses my small team in this broken city. Please continue praying for my team, as this is quite the dangerous place. God is keeping us safe, and healthy for the most part so far. I'll write when I can, but internet access is very slow, and our blog pages are hard to access here.

Here is my mailing address, for those of who whom would like to write.

Julie Anderson

Care of Jessica Gourley

PO Box 5526

Mbabane, Swaziland

AFRICA (<< Must be in all capital letters.)

If you have skype feel free to call, if you feel led (or bored and want to talk)

6815475

Thank you all for your prayers. God bless you!!!

Where did time go?

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Wow! I can't believe how fast the past three months went! It's crazy thinking that a week ago I was in Africa saying good-bye to the children that became like my own. Since I last wrote about 7^th Heaven a lot has happened...
We received four new girls mid-November, they were taken from their mother because she had a terrible alcohol addiction. The eldest, at 13 years old, was taking care of her siblings, ages 8 months, 2 years, and 8 years old. They were beautiful girls, but such a handful, so they ended up taking a lot of our time. Thankfully their Grandma took them to her house towards the end of November.

After they left Victoria and I were able to start painting the playroom as we had planned from the beginning. It took about three days, off and on to finish painting. The kids, especially the oldest, Linda, really got in to it. She and I had a couple of paint fights, which was tons of fun!

The day that the four girls left a couple of Nelly's friends threw her a baby shower/ Christmas party. Santa (played by a friend of ours from YWAM) came and gave out toys to the kids, given by church friends. Nelly was given a DVD player, which was very exciting for her since they had no way of watching movies.

God did so much in/through us this past semester, its insane. His love shines through our kids, but especially Nelly. Nelly is the most selfless person I have ever known and God truly blessed us through her on a daily basis. So now, I'm home resting, reflecting, and spending time with my friends and family. I miss my kids, teammates, and the simplicity of Africa but am so excited to see what God does next semester in Swaziland.

THANK YOU!!!

Fri, 19 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I just wanted to thank all of you for your love, prayers, and support. These past three months wouldn't have been possible without all of you allowing Christ to use you. He has blessed me through you and your prayers in a huge way. I'm excited to see as many of you as possible and share more of what God has done. I love you all and am so excited to share the next five months of my life with you. You're in my thoughts and prayers as we head in to the wonderful Christmas season. Remember the reason for the season, its not about money, or the little things that we want but don't need. Its about the birth of Jesus, the savior that would soon after die for your sins. The amazing people that I came in contact with in Africa are very poor, but some of the happiest people I've ever met. Only Jesus can bring that joy. So, God bless you and your families during this wonderful season.

With Love,

Jessica

A new way of thinking

Sat, 6 Dec 2008 00:00:00 GMT

My views have changed

They're not the same.

This program I'm in has taken my mind,

And flipped it upside-down.

God used to be the man I prayed to,

Prayed to when I wanted something,

Needed something to happen.

Dear God is how it started,

Never thanking Him, just getting to the point.

Give me this, I need that, I'll do this if I get what I want.

Amen.

A twisted view, a bad way of thinking, I know.

But now? You ask, God is my father, He's the one I run to.

When I cried out about my friends suicide,

When all I needed was for my daddy to hold me tight,

To be by my side,

He was there.

My God, my Father, He held me in His arms.

I thank Him, I honor Him, I love Him for all that He has done.

Then theres this Jesus guy.

He died so that I may live.

Who else can you honestly say would die for you?

I never really believed it, I didn't understand.

Its so cool to think,

That this man gave His life for me.

But what?? He wants to be my friend.

My friend till the end.

We talk all day long, for with Him, I'll never be alone.

Hold up, just for a minute.

I could never get a grasp on this thing,

This Holy Spirit they talk about.

It didnt make sence.

A spirit? A ghost?

Who really believes that stuff anyways?

Holy Spirit come, I finally understand!!

Its like the rushing wind in the heart of winter.

He takes me over,

When I ask him to come.

Holy Spirit lead me,

He fills me, I can feel Him in my soul.

The Spirit moves through the room,

He leaves me breathless and I breath in peace.

Holy Spirit move me.

A rude awakening

Sun, 2 Nov 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Children being beaten, molested, and given a life taking disease are things I expected to hear stories of while in Africa. I knew it happened, but didn't expect to come in such close contact with it.... This past week my discipler, Holly, challenged me to learn the stories of our two oldest girls. The opportunity arose this past Tuesday when I sat down to check out some coloring books with Nelly. She told me stories about the children, and I found out that Tessa and Renaldo are siblings, and Linda and Cornelius are also siblings. What she told me about their lives thus far breaks my heart, my ministry partners and I have had a hard time dealing with what we found out. These were stories of; two of them watching their mother getting beaten to death, getting drunk at very young ages, taking care a large family at the age of 7, the other mother getting stabbed to death because she had HIV. I love these children with all my heart, and wish I could take them home with me. I thank God daily for sparing their lives, without him I'm certain none of them would be here today. They also praise God for their new lives. Even through the pain and suffering they've felt, they are full of joy (for the most part) and enjoy life to the fullest.

Please pray for my team, we're fasting for the next week, from communication completely, and 25 hour food fast. I won't be able to do the food fast because of medical problems, but will be fasting from my credit card, and sugar/ junk food. Thank you all for your prayers, love, and support!!

Beat the Drum

Sun, 26 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Once upon a time in a land far far away from Jeffrey's Bay, called Somerset East, a group of 120 missionaries came together to beat the drum against AIDS.... For nine days last week my team and I helped out with an AIDS awareness/ abstinence program called Beat the Drum. The community that it was being held in opened their hearts and their doors to us, including; 6 primary and high schools, farms, prisons, churches, police stations and numerous homes (for us to live in). I was placed in a home living with a very sweet couple, Paul and Louise, who acted as parents to my three teammates and me. Their hospitality puts that of americans to shame, they were more than we could have ever asked for.

Upon arrival we were split in to school/ community teams, where I was placed in a group of about 20 people. My team was assigned to a high school called Cookhouse about a twenty minute drive from our base church.

Our first three days, Friday through Sunday, were reserved for learning about AIDS, planning our lessons, and getting to know our school teams. Over the week-end we started uniting as a team, and could tell that God was going to use us in a mighty way.

We arrived at Cookhouse on Monday morning excited to show the movie, Beat the Drum, to all of our kids. As windows of the town hall were being blacked out, some of my teammates and I prayer walked the building. Finally around noon the students started trickling in, only about 1/3 of our students showed up. Still very excited for our first day with these kids we started the movie, about 20 minutes before the end the dvd stopped working... Technical difficulties are never fun, but as discouraged as we were, we pressed on. Praise the Lord!! The next day, we were given permission to show the movie to the entire school, grades 8-12, in their classrooms.

On Wednesday, instead of going to my 10^th grade class, I helped out with an 8^th grade class. I had planned on sitting back, and allowing for Abongale to do what she had planned. God had His own plans, which I was not so ready for. Abs is fluent in Xhosa (Kh o sa), and knows very little English. She told me that I was talking, and she was translating but would in put as needed. The kids were hard to get through to and I had to speak very slowly because of my crazy American accent. God swerved the conversation between facts and myths about AIDS and His word. I shared my testimony and about a friend of mine currently struggling with the disease. They all seamed into what I was saying, as God through me, explained Jesus and why He died on the cross. Praise the Lord for those words!! 25 out of 27 of those kids accepted Christ that day!!

On Friday, everyone that we ministered to through-out the week were invited to join us at the Youth Center to get tested for HIV/AIDS. Only about half of my 10^th graders showed up, it was a little heart breaking that they weren't taking it very seriously. Fortunately though, almost all of the 8^th graders that had received Christ came to get tested. As far as I know, none of them came out positive, Praise God!!! I feel I should tell you a little fact about Cookhouse.... This small community of about 1000 has the highest AIDS rate in South Africa, and the highest in the world. 1 out of 4 these beautiful people are already infected, and if it doesn't end soon the entire community will no longer exist.

Please keep Cookhouse in your prayers, as many of the kids accepted Christ and chose abstinence while we were there. Its going to be a long and hard road for these kids, but I trust that the Lord has set them free and will keep them safe.

7th Heaven

Sat, 4 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

My ministry partners, Amanda and Victoria, and I have been spending time at 7th Heaven Orphanage for about a week now. All of us have absolutely fallen in love with the children; Linda, Tessa, Renaldo, and Cornelious, and their mother Nelly. I'd like to tell you a little about Nelly, and the amazing woman of God that she is.

Nelly gets up early every morning to get the children ready for the day, Linda, Tessa, and Renaldo all go to school until one in the afternoon. After she sends them off, she gets started with her daily work, which consists of; cleaning, laundry, lots of phone calls, random visitors, picking up medicine, grocery shopping, and taking care of Cornelious. She doesn't have a paying job, and doesn't recieve much money from the government. Nelly relys soley on God to provide for all of the needs of the children and herself.

We'd really like to do something special for her while we're here. She works so hard to raise these kids, never knowing when another chilld will land on her doorstep. If anyone deserves a break, this selfless woman is it. What we're looking at doing is getting her a hotel room on the ocean for a night, a gift certificate to a local resturant, and hopefully a pedicure. The three of us, along with a leader or two, will stay with the kids for the night. We will get there early so can take the entire day to relax and enjoy God. Nelly has the faith that can move mountians, a love that could turn evil to good.

Africa at last!

Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

We're here! We're finally in Jeffreys Bay, SA and it feels amazing! But allow me to go back a couple of weeks, to training camp. On September 8th I met all of my teammates in Georgia, where we spent an amazing week getting to know each other. It was an absolute blessing being able to spend time with all 40 of the other students, and the 10 leaders. During camp we had sessions on listening prayer and learning about the African culture, and doing team building activities. You'd be surprised how well 41 people who don't know each other work together. The entire week was a wonderful learning experience. You could definatly see Gods hand in all that went on.

We left Georgia on Sept. 15th and arrived in SA on the 16th, it was a long, tough trip but it was worth it. Thank God I had no problems getting in to the country, because as many of you know, I can't get a year visa. Unfortunately though, our cook, Melissa lost her passport and was deported back to Canada. I would like to ask for you to pray for her, as she's faithfully relying on God for what she should do.

Yesterday we received our ministry assignments, after much prayer all of us were placed. The ministry that I have been blessed with is 7th Heaven Orphanage. Its about a ten minute walk from where we're staying, and is absolutely wonderful. This orphanage is still new, and very small, only six children at the moment. Ranging from age 2- 12, we're getting another girl on Friday who is 12 years old. I'm very excited to be part of this ministry for the next three months.

He said Go...

Mon, 8 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

He said go, and so go is what I'll do. Serving in Africa is something that has always been on my heart, ever since pastor Guitu came from Kenya and spoke at Calvary Chapel Sonora. I was in junior high school, and

hearing about the need for missionaries in Africa touched me deeper than I ever imagined. Through-out high school

and college, when my faith was strong and when I was denying God, the desire has always been in my heart. My heart beats faster thinking about everything that God is going to do in and through my team these next 9 months. I can't wait to see all the wonders of God that are in store for us and those around us. I just have one problem...

About a year ago while going trial to trial I asked God (with no faith in Him at all) to bring good people in to my life. In my unbelieve I saw the Lord working in my life when I met the people I now call my best friends, my family. This small group of amazing people have seen me through everything. I will miss you all like crazy, and love you more than you know.

But He said go, be fishers of men. So here I am, heading out on my first fishing trip, with God as my guide. This will be the most amazing experience of my life, and I trust that God will have me in his care through it all. So thank you to all of my family,friends, prayer warriors, and supporters. I love you all! God bless you, for you have all blessed me in such an amazing way.

Rediscovering Faith

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT

My entire life faithfulness has been a struggle for me. Even now, just seven weeks from leaving for Africa, my faith seams so weak. I think of how faithful God has been to me, all my life, but especially in the past few months. I've always dreamed of going to Africa to serve my Lord God, even in the times when I was denying God outright. It feels as if as soon as I came back to Him this trip was set before me. How do I say thank you? By letting stress in... Yeah, I know, thats horrible, right? Well, God knows. I tend to stress out easily, while doing so my focus is so strong on whatever it is that I don't need to be worrying about. I can feel God standing there, wrapping His arms around me, allowing me to cry in His arms. Sadly, I don't always acknowledge this. Tonight though, in a moment when I felt fine, He held me. Doing everything I could to keep my mind off of tomorrows stress I recieved a video from Beth, one of my lovely teammates. I had my t.v on to CMT watching a movie, as soon as I saw the video she sent me I started crying. I'd like to share that video with you.

This video opened my eyes. The things that I stress over are a lot of whats in the past, or things that I cannot change. Why? My faith needed a kick start, and tonight I recieved it. God met me in my livingroom, and gave me exactly what I didn't know I needed. I rediscovered my faith tonight. I pray that if your faith is lacking at all, that Jesus Christ will meet you where ever you're at. That the Great Almighty God will restore you, that you will have the faith of a child, and cry in His arms. God bless!!

I Believe

Sun, 1 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT

I believe that Jesus died on that cross with my name, Jessica Ann Gourley, on His lips. I believe that He died for us to gain new life. I know it sounds a little generic, something that we've all been taught, its a "sunday school lesson". I feel that we, as adults, tent to loose sight of that at times. We all know that He loves us, but do we really think on it, and understand it like we should? In a book that I'm reading by Nancy Ortberg; Looking for God, an unexpected journey through tattoos, tofu, and pronouns, she explains how God revealed that true love to her. Its a long story, so I won't quote her. But it comes back to the cross, think with me for a second. Think of the love you have for your children, husbands/ wives, parents, siblings, and friends. Think of the joy and pride you feel when they accomplish something big. I'm thinking of the overwheming joy and excitement I felt when my three year old neice, Natalie, asked if I loved Jesus. When I said yes she got this big, silly smile on her face and grabbed my neck, pulled me in for hugs and kisses and replyed, "Good Exsica, me too!! I love heem sooo much!!". It brought me to tears. That joy, pride, excitement, and love I had (still have for all my neices) is only a fraction of how God feels for us. I believe that on that cross hung a picture of the perfect love. Jesus wipped me clean of all of my pain, anger, rebellion, and all that came with it, when he hung there. I believe that Jesus died so that I would be forgiven.