new beginnings

This whole blog thing is new and weird. Although I suppose at this point, I should be used to that by now.

My name is Jenna (though if you're reading this you probably already know that), and this is the beginning of the incredible journey I am about to take, across the world, through my own self, my faith, and towards who I am becoming.

This June, I am going to Zimbabwe with Lover's Lane United Methodist in Dallas, TX. There, we will be working with an orphanage, doing construction as well as good ol' fellowship. We will host a soccer clinic and a vacation bible school for the children there, in what is sure to be an amazing trip. It is my first time going overseas, and is meant to be a stepping stone for my long term work this fall. In August I will be heading to Nashville, TN to start an internship with an organization called G.O.D. International. I will learn photography, film, and journalism skills in the context of mission work, as well as taking a bible class, and working with local elementary children in after-school programs. Once December arrives, I will fly to New Delhi, India to work with GOD Int'l for about five months with sustainable agriculture programs that they have established there. Though it still doesn't seem real, I cannot contain my excitement. Here is the story behind how I got here:

16 months ago, February 2016

I visited my first college. I didn't know that that short weekend trip to Kansas City would cause my guinea pig's (my best friend's) health to decline to the point of no return, commencing a whirl-wind of hardships that spring. Losing friends, funerals, hospital visits, struggling in school, our family had a taste of it all. There were so many good moments, but I learned what the bittersweetness of life was really like.

10 months ago, August 2016

I started my final year of high school, completely unknowing of how immensely my life was going to change in the next few months. Though I thought I was well into my college search/plan for the fall of 2017, I had barely begun. I started the year with a dream of going to the Savannah College of Arts and Design, only to be enlightened to challenges and other options.

5 months ago, December 2016

I began entertaining the idea of an alternative to immediately going to college. I knew God was tugging at me and taking a year off to do mission work sounded amazing. One of my best friends related to me that the same thing was on her heart, although she was much more sure of her decision. It was the beginning of an even closer bond between us and a support and guide that I didn't even know I needed.

3 months ago, February 2017

I made the decision that I was really serious about this missions thing. My friend sat down with me at our weekly coffee date at Eurasia Coffee, and we made a pros and cons list in my journal of my two college options and mission work. On paper, missions seemed like the obvious choice. I still did a lot of praying and advice asking though. After sitting down (many times) with my parents, one day my dad suggested that I start with something smaller. That is where Zimbabwe came from. Soon, I had made the decision to accompany that trip, unknowing if that would replace a long term mission or not.

2 months ago, March 2017

On a second trip to Webster University (which ended up sealing the deal for me on my college decision to go there), I met with my former pastor. I bounced some concerns I had about the organization I was working with and my difficulty with finding something that aligned with my beliefs and philosophies on missions. At this point I had decided that I was 98% sure I was going to do this. She was encouraging and helped me understand my options. I decided to start over finding an organization (yikes!!). I reached out to family and friends for suggestions, met some cool people, and felt a whole lot of stress.

30 days ago, May 1, 2017

I was connected with G.O.D. Int'l for the first time, and fell in love. It felt so assuring to find something that so loudly spoke the Lord into me and to finally find something I knew was right. Over the next few weeks, they devised a plan for a program that would fit me, my schedule, and what I was looking for. Finally, after having a plan, I could start to write a support letter, plan a blog (hello!), and dream of the reality of going.

19 days ago, May 12, 2017

I graduated high school! While excited, I was still on my toes about the fact that I had no job (working on that), no spot in college in the fall, and no money yet for missions. I felt discouraged and embarrassed. While my friends and family's concerns for me have helped me be motivated to get details together and think about challenges, the week after graduation, I let those concerns get to me and I felt beat. Since then, I have worked out more details and feel much better about it.

7 days ago, May 24, 2017

I turned 18! Legal adult, and already feeling those responsibilities!

Today, May 31, 2017

I am writing a blog post with the intention of sharing it with all of you, and have finished my support letters. I have hopes that you will be apart of this journey with me (if you've made it through this unintentionally long post), whether that be through financial support, prayers, or just thoughts. Though I would be crazy not to ask for help in raising this goal of $15,000 in three short months, support is so much more than money, and guidance and prayers are worth their weight (I wonder how much a prayer weighs?) in gold.

I am so incredibly excited for this opportunity, and I hope you are too. I am just beginning to fundraise so those details (and how you can be a part of my adventure!) will be in a later post. I can't express my gratitude for you reading to the end. Time is a precious gift, I know, and I feel blessed that you've given me a bit of yours.

Blessings,

Jenna

P.S. (Because this post isn't long enough already) If you have any questions, message me on Facebook, email or text me, or contact me through the about page!