God's Faithfulness

I love to sit and reflect on our lives; where we've been and where we're going. It amazes me to see the hand of God. His faithfulness, His abundance and His truths. Our God is so good, all the time! He has shown us His goodness when we've been standing on the mountain tops, but even more amazing than that, He has shown us His goodness in the valleys. Life is constantly changing and I am learning to embrace change, its a process for me. But our God never changes. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. His nature is always consistent.

Everyday I see God working on His plan for our lives. In that things change often; just when I'm comfortable, things start changing. I've come to realize that, its actually the graciousness of God. He knows us so well and knows just what we need, even before we know it. God knows that I have to process things and often times wrestle with it. So instead of just saying "ok its time to Go to Africa" He's doing it in phases. I am so thankful that my God shows us grace and love even in our weaknesses. We are preparing to move once again. God has given us an opportunity to save money and simplify our lives as we continue to raise support and prepare to go to the field full time. This move requires us to really downsize and get rid of a lot of stuff. It took me a little time to process and work through the idea, but I clearly heard God speaking to me and letting me know that this IS His plan and though I might not be comfortable with it, I need to trust Him, knowing He sees the big picture. I can now say the idea of being free of stuff and living simply is quite inviting. God is moving and I am so excited to see How His plans will come to be. When He says go, I want to be ready. One of my favorite passages of scripture that God brings to my mind often is: Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the desert and streams in the wasteland. Isaiah 43: 18-19. I love reading about the Israelites journey out of bondage in Egypt to the promise land. God did so many amazing things along the way: providing food, parting the Red Sea, providing a cloud of smoke by day and fire by night, protecting them against their enemies, the list goes on and on. They often grumbled and complained against God in spite of all He had just done for them. Most of them never Got to cross into the promise land, they missed out on all that God had for them, because of their lack of belief in the things God had said and shown them. I've asked myself, "How could they doubt God, after all the miracles they saw?" Then I realized we are, no different. God is at work in the lives of His people everyday, doing amazing things. I have found myself moments after God has provided in a huge way, saying "I know you just did this, but what about all these other things?" talk about being an Israelite! Often I'm reminded of these scriptures and it is my prayer that unlike the average Israelite who doubted God, I will be like Joshua, who trusted God and went ahead courageously, doing as God commanded him to do and in the end entered the promised land. Just like God promised! Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the law my servant Moses gave you; do not turn from it to the right or the left, that you may be successful wherever you go. Joshua 1:7

It is so exciting to see God doing the same thing in our lives as He shows us through people in Scripture. He has amazing things in store for all of us who are His children. He wants to do more than we could ever ask or imagine. Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us. We just need to be strong and courageous! Are you ready? I am!

Freedom in the unknowns

I realize its been quite awhile since I've posted anything. To be completely honest and transparent, I have struggled along this journey. Outwardly I have walked in obedience to what God has asked, yet inwardly in my heart I have resisted God, I haven't fully embraced God's vision. There are so many unknowns and I would think, "if only God would show me more of the details, I could get excited about His plans." God is so good, even in our weaknesses He chooses to use us. God has been doing an amazing work in my heart. Just this past week as I was preparing to share with a group of women, I was writing out a time line of our life over the past several years. As I began writing and reflecting on our life, I became overwhelmed by: Gods faithfulness, His grace, His provision, His plans, the second chances that He gives. And I realized something, it's not about us. It's His story. That's when I got excited. This is obviously something I already knew in my head, but for some reason, at that moment it was made so real and clear in my heart. God has given us an opportunity to partner with Him. What a privilege that is. Yet so many times when God allows things in our lives that change our course, we feel like a disservice is being done to us. As I looked back on all the events over the past several years, many of them were very difficult things and there were alot of very trying times, but reflecting on all of it, I saw God's hand all the way through and realized that He's been preparing us. He never left us and we are better for having gone through those times. What great confidence that gave me for what God has in store for us! God never wastes anything that we go through. As far as the unknowns that I have wrestled with, As I was doing my Bible study last week, it was speaking on the Holy Spirit and what a gift it is. Even the disciples struggled with the unknowns and they were asking Jesus for answers before He was to leave this earth. In John 16:12-14 we see what Jesus said to them. "I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when He, the spirit of truth comes, He will guide you in all truth. He will not speak on His own; He will speak only what the He hears, and He will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you.

God used that time in the word to reveal to me what I knew in my head, but needed to really get in my heart. In His timing I will know what I need to know. That is why we have the power of the Holy Spirit. I feel such freedom and I am thankful for Gods amazing grace, even when we are stubborn.

I have a fresh excitement for the Journey that God has us on. We see God moving everyday! We will be headed back to Tanzania in June with a team. I am so excited about this team. We are taking a few young people with us. It will be so exciting to watch God work in these teens and watch them have a fresh encounter with a transforming God and the work that He is doing all over the world. We are already seeing some really cool things happen. We have a real heart for young people and a strong desire to see them have the opportunity to do mission work and really see the scriptures come to life and become passionate about the Great Commission. Matthew 28:18-19

Please continue to pray for us, we would continue to walk in complete obedience to what God puts in front of us. Jeff and I are very excited to see how God will work out His plans with us and the day that we are in Tanzania full-time.

For His glory,

Jen

Merry Christmas

It is hard to believe that Christmas Eve is two weeks from today! We would like to wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! We are so thankful for each of you who have prayed for us, encouraged us and supported us on this journey that God has asked us to go on. God has been so very faithful to provide for us. God is moving and preparing us to be in Tanzania full time. Lots of exciting things are happening, stay tuned for more details.

We are putting a team together now to go to Tanzania in June. We will be repairing water wells in targeted villages. This will drastically improve the daily life and health of these villagers. More importantly it gives us an opportunity to show them the love of Christ. Most of these people have never heard the name of Jesus.

We are continuing to raise the monthly support needed in order for us to be there in Tanzania full time. We would ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers. This is a big challenge, but our God is bigger!

We are still looking for people to join our monthly support team. Please pray and ask God if He would have you join us.

If you would like to be on our support team or to make a tax deductible year end donation, you can do so at http://www.thirstnomore.org/ and note Jeff Schmidt. Your sacrificial giving is changing lives for eternity.

Season of Preparation

In each of our lives there are seasons. Some of those seasons we like more than others. God uses each and every season in our lives to prepare us for the next. God has made it so clear to us that we are to go to Tanzania to bring hope to the hopeless. It has been quite a process, one that at many times I've resisted, but God lovingly and graciously pursued me. Its amazing the freedom that comes from completely surrendering to God and letting him have HIS way. Deuteronomy 30:16 For I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, and to keep His commands, then you will live and increase, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to possess.

God has brought us into a new season of preparation. We are now preparing to Go. I find this season in our lives very humbling. We know that God would have us to go, yet we also know that He has divine timing. Like Nehemiah whom God called to go rebuild Jerusalem, He mourned, fasted and prayed for 4 months before God gave him the right opportunity before the king. Before speaking to the king, Nehemiah prayed and asked the Lord to grant him favor before the king. Nehemiah 1:11 He was willing to wait on the Lord, knowing that Only God could move in the heart of the king. Because of Nehemiah's willingness to wait God gave him favor in the eyes of the king and God provided abundantly for him. These provisions and blessings came to Nehemiah as he waited on Gods timing. I have been so encouraged by the study of Nehemiah. I can wait with confidence knowing that God will provide for our every need.

There are many needs in order for us to Go full time to Tanzania. The biggest of which is financial. These next few months we will be focused on full time fundraising. I used to look at this process and cringe. But God has shown us that our biggest part is to walk in His ways and pray and He will move in the hearts of men and kings. Our God is faithful and we believe that where God calls his people to Go He provides the way. Please pray for us as we continue on this journey. We would also ask that you seek the Lord and see if He might want to use you in this ministry. There are many ways to get involved. Our biggest need as I mentioned earlier is financial, we can not Go to the field until we have raised 100 percent of our funding. If you feel lead to give you can go to http://www.thirstnomore.org/ and note Jeff Schmidt. We are also looking for opportunities to share our vision for Tanzania and what Gods doing there, if your group, church or business is interested you can reach us at jeff@thirstnomore.org .

We are looking to return to Tanzania in January to do well repairs and other ministry, please pray that God would work out all the details. We are so thankful for each of you that have come alongside of us on this journey, through your support and faithful prayers seeds are being planted and people who have never heard the story of hope, are now hearing it and lives will be changed. People in a village in Tanga Tanzania, now have clean water and have heard of the "Living Water" that never runs dry. Many more are waiting for that same opportunity. It is so exciting to be a part of the work that God is doing!

Reflections from Tanzania June 2010

What an amazing time it was, on my latest trip to Tanzania. The one thing that struck me the most was Gods provision and direction. It was neat to watch God direct our paths and lead us to the places he wanted us to be.

It was a great opportunity to work with a team from Texas. They were great people who had a heart for God and for the people that we were there to minister to. I am truly thankful for the relationships that God has given me with these people.

We had the opportunity to repair a well in the village of Mkuzi, in Northeast Tanzania. It was probably one of the things that will stick with me forever. That one well will change the lives of many that area. Instead of spending much time and difficulty getting clean water, it is now readily available to them. One of my most memorable moments was, the moment the village kids pumped the fresh clean water. The village people burst out singing and shouting praises. The village "Mama" said, "Everytime we get water we will thank God and the Americans who helped us." This has given us great influence in this village.

I have seen first hand the desperate need for clean water. How something as simple as clean water, something we take for granted everyday, can change an entire village. Many of these villages have wells but they are broken and the village people do not have the resources to repair them. In a very short amount of time and for relatively little money this problem can be solved one village at a time. It is amazing to see, that when you take care of someone's physical needs, like water, how receptive they become.

God has given Jen and I a great burden for these village people. who are desperate to have your most basic of human needs met, such as water. Who most importantly are desperately lost without Christ. Many have never heard the story of Christ. Without someone willing to go and help meet their basic needs and share the Gospel of Christ with them, these people will die and spend an eternity seperated from God. God has made it even more clear to us that we are to go and share the love of Christ with these village people of Tanzania.

With the help of a local pastor in the Tanga area, I have targeted five villages that are in desperate need of water and who have the wells, they just need to be repaired. Once repaired those villages will have clean water readily available, but most importantly they will have heard the transforming message of Jesus Christ. As important as clean water is, our ultimate goal is to share Christ with these people.

Please continue to pray for our family as we continue on this journey. We know that this is what God has asked of us and we have said YES. Now its a matter of taking each step as God leads. We are starting on the next leg of the journey which is raising the initial money needed to get there and monthly support that will sustain us as we do His work.

If you would like to be a part of what God is doing in Tanzania, you can make a secure online donation at http://www.thirstnomore.org/ and note Jeff Schmidt.

We are so thankful for the many who faithfully pray for us daily and who have walked this journey with us. We love you all!

Tanzania June 2010

It's hard to believe but Jeff is in Tanzania. He left on Tuesday morning and arrived in Dar es salam, Tanzania late on Wednesday. I've been able to talk to him a couple of times for a couple of minutes. He is doing well and very excited to be there. The first day after he arrived he took a bus to a town called Tanga. Its north of Dar and its mostly muslim, a very interesting coastal town. Tanga is the town in which the team hopes to do ministry once they arrive. While Jeff was walking around checking things out He ended up talking with a group of students, who were very excited to listen to him speak English. They have asked him to come speak some English at their school next week. This is a great opportunity and hopefully a chance to build a bridge that will lead them to Christ.

The rest of the team will be arriving in Dar on Saturday, and after a much needed day of rest will be out in the city prayer walking and meeting people.


I still find it a little surreal that Jeff is back in Africa. So much has happened over the past six months or so. I have found myself reflecting on all that God has done. Back in October of 2009 I never would have thought I'd be in Africa in just a couple of months and while we were there in January and February of this year we definitely wouldn't have imagined that in just five months that Jeff would be walking on the red dirt of Africa again. It has definitely been a journey. A journey of faith. We are taking things one step at a time as God leads. Not certain of what the future holds, but confident that God is in control. We don't want to miss anything that He has for us. Last night as I was having my quiet time and reflecting on all that God has done, seeking God and waiting for God to speak, I opened my bible to Psalm 33:18-22 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and to keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the Lord; He is our help and our shield, In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our trust in You. I was reminded by this scripture that its all about trust. Gods love is unfailing!

Our Journey

What a journey we have been on. For us the journey began over 7 years ago. This weekend we celebrate our 7th wedding anniversary.
The first time I ever even considered the idea of going to Africa, was when Jeff and I began dating. He told me back then that someday He would live in Africa. That was what God was preparing him for. The question was ," if I would be willing?" Of course my answer was given with very little thought, I knew it could be someday but there was no real need to think about it at that time.
God has been at work in our lives over the years, preparing us for what He plans to do. I could write for days about this journey. I have been spending lots of time in the word of God reading about the Isrealites journey from Egypt to the promised land. I realized through a Bible study that only 2 of the 2 million who originally left Egypt ever made it into the promised land, that's a one in a million ratio. I was challenged at that time whether or not I was willing to do what it takes to be one in a million. It was then that I really had to consider the question: Am I willing to do what God puts in front of me, even if that means going across the world to Africa? There is only one answer if I wanted to experience Promised Land Living... YES! It was no coincidence I was doing this bible study as I was also preparing to go on my first mission trip to Africa. God was in the process of doing a real work in me while I was in Africa. I'll leave all of that for another time.
Since that trip God has continued to do a work in us. In April we were approved by Thirst No More. We are joining their team to start a work in Tanzania, East Africa.
In June Jeff will be traveling to Tanzania with Craig Miller of TNM to start laying the ground work for a long term work there. Please pray for us as we take this next step. The enemy has been working hard to discourage us and to defeat us. Our God is faithful. I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6
We are still raising funds for this trip and it has been a bit of a challenge. We recently found out that the airfare is almost double what we had planned. We were surprised by this but we know that our God was not taken by surprise. We have been blessed by many Christ followers who have encouraged us, prayed faithfully for us and who sacrificially support us financially. We know that where God leads, He is faithful to provide.
Please pray for our family as we continue on this journey. Pray for wisdom and discernment, that we will not miss anything God has for us. Also pray that God will supply the funds needed.
We would also ask that you pray and ask the Lord what part He may want you to play in advancing the Kingdom! Romans 10:15 says, "how can they go unless they are sent?" If you feel led to be one of our financial supporters you can make a tax deductible donation securely online at www.thirstnomore.org and note Jeff Schmidt.