Our whole group on "fun day." We went to the Dodgers Stadium 50th Anniversary Game! :)

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've update you all with what's been going on. It has been insanely busy, and continues to be, but I am learning so much. I think I will be processing for the rest of my life what I have learned here. This past month days here have largely consisted of class and homework during the week and then evangelism and more homework on weekends as well as various speakers throughtout the week speaking on topics outside of class. The class - Perspectives on the world Christian movement -  is a college level class that is normally taken over a period of fifteen weeks, but we took it in fifteen days! I'm pretty sure I learned more taking this class than I have in all my years of academic schooling and church combined, I didn't just learn information or stories but I learned the purpose of our world and how God is working and wants to work and will work in the future.

Speakers talked about the Bible, history and missions in a way I have never heard. They made connections throughout the Bible, revealing God's global purpose and the whole theme of the Bible I had never seen before and now that I am aware of I cannot stop seeing everywhere I turn and everywhere I read in the Bible. I feel as if I am reading the Bible for the first time and it is opening up a whole new world and purpose I never knew existed.

The speakers made connections in history and showed how God has been working through the ages to accomplish his glory among the nations. I can no longer look at the world the same way or the purpose of my life the same way after taking this class. The Biblical basis for missions and what God's plan for the world is his plan revealed in history as well as the great need in the world today has turned my world upside down. I can't explain everything I've learned on here because it would take far too long but I'm so excited to talk to you all about it when I get back.

Beyond just an awareness for God's purposes, the class also went over modern missions and what that looks like - the basics of modern missions training and cross-cultural furthering of the gospel. Let's just say that there are so many wrong assumptions I previously had, and the western church in general has. We had some incredible speakers come in. There are some amazing people who have devoted their lives to God's glory among the nations and God has ignited my own heart through them as they have taught about God's purpose for every believer and all nations and how God is working. The World Center for Missions - where we are staying and studying at this summer is so incredible - it is the hub of world missions and the men and women that are here and the amount of purposeful and intentional missions and the logistics behind it is so incredible and encouraging. I never even heard of the term misseology till this summer! Like people study missions and how to accomplish God's glory among the nations as their job! How incredible is that? God has opened my eyes to so much!

Also, through mentoring and accountability here, as well as some incredible sermons we've heard here, God is dealing with  a lot of personal sin issues in my life as well as healing me from a lot of things from my past. He is healing me from my past and challenging me presently so that I can be whole and complete in him and in this new purpose and passion for the future that he is revealing to me through the classes and training I am getting here. He is so good. I would be lying if I said it was easy, because it is not. It has been full of long days, spiritual warfare, incredible spiritual battles as God grows me and overall a constant battle to not be overwhelmed by so much information and challenge as God turns my world up-side-down. But, I believe that God will "not give me more than I can bear" and  I am so incredibly grateful  to Him for his grace in allowing me to be here and to all of you who have been willing to be used by him to support me spiritually and financially. I know I have probably said this before, but you all really will never know the full extent of how much you have blessed me or what God is accomplishing because of you guys in my life and will accomplish through me in the life of others, Lord willing. I can't thank you all enough.

So, to get back to what I'm doing now that the class is over... We've been doing a lot of cross-cultural and religion training. We have specialists in different religions come in and speak on various religions and then we go the next morning to the corresponding temple or mosque. Please pray for me and all the students here. The spiritual warfare surrounding these temples are intense and especially as for most of us this is our first exposure to idol worship and cultic religions. So far we have been to a Mormon temple, a Hare Krishna temple, and a Hindu temple, tomorrow we will go to a Buddhist temple and in the coming weeks many others and have more cross-cultural and religion training. I can't emphasis enough how much I cherish your prayers. God is doing incredible things here in all our hearts but obviously Satan isn't excited that God is raising up a group of people passionate for God's glory and spiritual warfare is coming on all fronts. Pray for me and everyone else here that God would protect our hearts and minds and that we would live in his strength. Beyond the spiritual aspect, Satan has definitely been attacking everyone physically; the past couple weeks a lot of us here have been sick with various things as well - I am now with a really bad head cold - and one girl had to go to the hospital for a couple days. Satan is attacking on fronts. PLEASE PRAY! James 5:16 says "The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." Pastor John Piper said in one of his sermons on prayer that "prayer causes things to happen that would not happen if you didn't pray." We need you fighting for us! I wish I could write more but it is almost lights out. I'm sorry it's been so long between posts on here. I love you all and think of you often.


Blessings,
Jessalynn



p.s. If the "perspectives" class ever comes anywhere near you (you can search for locations it's held at at perspectives.org) PLEASE TAKE IT! It will be the most life changing and worthwhile class you will ever take!

Gettin' All Technological ;)

Hey sorry it's been so long since I updated you all - I made this video last week but was having problems uploading it for some reason and haven't had a chance to figure it out till now. Love you all! Sorry I rambled so much, pretty tired!

Drinking From A Fire Hose

Well, I made it. I can't believe this is only my second day here - and my first full day - because I have already learned so much and met so many incredible brothers and sisters in Christ. I can't even begin to explain how overwhelmed I am by how much God has blessed me already and how much I have learned. Yesterday consisted of mostly delayed flights from weather and travel and then getting to know people (picture 40+ college kids on a picture-scavenger hunt and icebreakers). But even my first few hours here I was already blown away with the way that God is moving in this place and encouraged so much by the people I am getting to know and the conversations I am having. Day two now, this morning was orientation information and more fellowship, Target run for necessities, and our first session/class tonight.

It's amazing how God draws people together; when your identity is in Him social boundaries and limitations are meaningless in light of the glorious grace that we share. I already love the people here so much and am so encouraged to be around like-minded brothers and sisters in Christ that are pursuing the same things I am.

I can't possibly share everything, I already feel like I've been here for so long and learned so much in the short time I've been here already. In orientation today we went over the summer schedule.... Let's just say I'm already feeling like I have "information overload" and the summer has barely just begun. Our days are going to be packed with so much and not just "busy work". There's a reason this is called the IT (INTENSIVE TRAINING) Summer Project. I don't know how I am going to take this all in, I'm already overwhelmed with how much I've learned already. It's going to be a jammed packed summer but words cannot begin to describe how excited I am. I can't wait to see what God is going to teach me next or how he is going to use this in my life, he already has so much. Our Project Director - Hudson - explained it like this "This summer will be like drinking from a fire hose." And I believe it.

Tonight we had a talk about Evangelism by one of the leaders and Traveling Team staff members here named Morgan. To sum it up: MIND BLOWING! For something so basic and essential to the Christian walk I don't think that the gospel and it's implications for not only us as individuals but in the world is talked too little about. I know I've mentioned it before, but God is never done teaching me more about the "basics" of who he is and my relationship with him. Morgan talked about evangelism and the reasons for it in a way I have never heard before. I can't possibly share it all or begin to even touch on all the things he shared - I wish I could - but one thought that really stood out to me tonight was the fact that evangelism is not for people - though they do need it and that is one of the reasons we share - but more importantly it is for God's glory because he is WORTHY of  their (the people we share with/the world) honor and praise (read Revelations 5:9). I've been thinking about evangelism backwards this whole time - with people being saved as the purpose instead God's glory as the purpose and people's salvation as the means to that.

 Morgan talked about how people sometimes bring up that they think it's "unfair" that not all people get to hear the gospel but in reality none of us deserve it and it is entirely for God's glory. Morgan's three main points for tonight were (1) Christ Commands it (Matthew 28:18-20, Matt. 4:19, Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8, 2 Cor. 5:15-20 and so many more!!!!!!) and that is enough. Period. God says if you love him you will obey his commandments (John 14:15). Period. (2)People Need it (Eccl. 3:11, Romans 7:24, Eph. 2:3, Romans 10:14). (3) Jesus Deserves IT!!!!!!!! (Col. 1, Psalm 33:8, Psalm 86:8-10) Colosians  1 talks all about who Jesus is and how glorious he is why would we not, as Paul writes labor to "proclaim" him to "EVERY MAN".

Again, I can't share everything - and looking at our schedule for the summer I'll probably have even less time in the future to explain and more information to process a lot faster as well - I don't know how much sense this all will make since I can't explain further but I am just so overwhelmed and excited for what I am learning here I had to share with you all. I feel like I am only now beginning to understand just a glimpse of what my life should be about and just a glimpse of the glory of God.

Tomorrow we are going to get some more evangelism training and then go share the gospel with people down by the pier at one of the beaches here. I'm a little nervous but mostly excited and even more now than ever before because I am coming to more fully understand the importance and the reasons for evangelism.

Please continue to pray for me and the other students and staff here - whenever God is at work you can be sure to find Satan lurking nearby because he definitely isn't happy about the fact that we all are learning how to battle like never before against him. Also for the people we will be talking to tomorrow that we would find open hearts and minds and most importantly that God would be glorified.

There is so much happening and so much that I'm looking forward to - I wish I had more time but this is already pretty lengthy and I have stuff to finish before lights out. Thank you all so much for your love and support - I think about you often and thank God for you all. You will never know the full extent of how much you have blessed me or the people that will be changed through you sending me to grow and learn how to reach lost people. God's work is so exponential. I can't begin to tell you how blessed I am to be here.

Much love,
Jessalynn

P.S. I will try to continue to write often but looking at the schedule I know it will be pretty crazy from this point on so I'm sorry if it's a few days between posts.

Abundantly Beyond All I Ask or Think

"Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think..." 

- Ephesians 3:20

 So this past week someone called me and said they wanted to send me support and that they knew I had a lot of support left to raise so they wanted to "take care of a good part of it." I was thinking maybe $500 or so... well I got their check in the mail today and it was $2,000! Never assume to know what God has planned! And the day before I'm heading out! Could his timing be more perfect or his provision be more complete?!?! But it get's better, I got ANOTHER check in the mail from someone I don't even know (again!) which put me $60 OVER what I need! And I'm still expecting at least one more check from someone! God has not only provided abundantly for me but the extra money will be able to help multiple other students that are still short on support. I know I shouldn't be surprised because God never does anything ordinary or in the way I think it is going to go, but I am. I prayed for support to come in so I could go but God has done "ABUNDANTLY more than all that I have asked or think"! He is so good!!!!!!!!!!!! Exclamation points, capital letters, words, they all fail. We serve an awesome God!!!!!!!!!! I feel like all I ever do is cry because God has been blessing me so much, He is so good!

Love and Blessings,

Jessalynn

p.s. I'll try and write more soon! Just had to give everyone an update!

Provision From Unexpected Places

Yesterday I went to my parents church for the first time this summer and got up and talked about going to LA. Some of you may be surprised I am still raising support with only a couple days left before I fly out but in my experience a lot of support raising is like this; last-minute, God-glorifying,  faith-growing experiences. I can honestly say with all my heart God has given me such peace about this summer, whether all my support comes in or not. When I think about it too much on my human terms of time and space and value I can get overwhelmed a little but when I look in my fathers eyes there is such sweet peace and rest and I know I have no reason to worry.

In the mean time, while I wait, I have been so completely overwhelmed with the blessing of people I don't even know. For most of the people at my parents church it was only my first or second time ever meeting them and yet they received me open-armed and supported me not just financially but spiritually. I was so overwhelmed and blessed by these people that don't even know me and how passionate they are for Christ and his work. This entire support raising process has been so much different than any other I have ever experienced - out of the six missions trips I've gone on - over half the people that have supported me are people I don't even know. I can't even describe how encouraging that is to know that people I don't even know are being moved by God to send me to LA. It's been a crazy and exciting whorl-wind ride where I can't wait to see how God is going to provide next - he blows me away - it's never what I expect, but who am I to think that my tiny human mind could ever grasp the glorious plans God has?

I have two days till I am supposed to fly out. I'm still expecting some support in the mail but as of right now I'm still $2,000 short. I can't wait, I know God has something huge planned. As I write this I keep thinking of the faces of people and the ways that God has sent people to encourage and support me in this journey to LA and I am so overwhelmed. I can't help the tears rolling down my face because He is so good and the love He has shown me through his people is breathtaking. The word "love" doesn't even seem sufficient because God's love and the love of his people is so much greater than the loose term I hear bantered about in a world that has yet to realize just how great of love has been shown them. God help me be and share this love!

With the love that only he can give,
Jessalynn

P.S. Someone asked me if I will have a mailing address while down in LA - YES! I would love receiving letters while down there and to hear from all of you! If you would like to send me some [Godly] love letters the address is:

Alyward House
The Traveling Team - IT
Jessalynn Centifanto
1539 East Howard St.
Pasadena, CA 91104

Pictures of Gods Love

      I traveled with my family yesterday to Minot Air Force Base to visit my brother,sister-in-law and (dare I say) most importantly my little nephew for memorial day weekend. As I lay awake in  my lazy-boy/ bed for the weekend last night, I felt such an incredible overwhelming sense of how blessed I am with the family that I have. Granted, during the six-hour drive that should have been a four-hour drive I was wishing that my two little brothers didn't have to stop so often and that my parents didn't have to stop at every sign of civilization or have a sit-down dinner even when traveling, but I am blessed.

     Last night I got to tip-toe into my nephew's nursery and creep up to the crib and watch him sleep. He's gotten so big already. This morning I woke up from my lazy-boy bed to baby chatter and got to hold the love of my life (I make no secret of this to my fiance by the way haha), my nephew Titus. Every baby seems perfect to me, I love babies, but I swear my nephew has to be the most perfect of them all. He has the biggest blue eyes, the softest skin, the most delicate and perfect face, the most hysterical and precious laugh. When he held his chubby little hands up to my mouth with a piece of squished peanut butter and jelly sandwich at lunch today my heart melted and when he laughs at his own joke (gibberish chatter) I think he is the most hilarious comedian I have ever heard. You know that feeling when you think you can't love someone more? Yeah, I get that every time I see him. 

     I've been thinking about how blessed I am and how much I love my family and my precious little nephew and I am overwhelmed with how much my heavenly father loves me to have blessed me with the family that I have and give me one of the greatest treasures in being an aunt of such a precious little boy. When I look at Titus, my heart bursting with love and admiration, I can't imagine how God could love me any more than that, but he does. And he loves every other person like that. He wants me to love everyone like that. It's so simple but unfathomable and I fall so short. I mentioned in my support letter (which I shared in my first post on this blog) that God has been working in my heart to anguish for people and not be satisfied with superficial or complacent love but that I would ANGUISH for their souls, that I would love them desperately, that I would give anything for them. I don't love people like that yet, I don't love everyone like I desperately love my nephew but I want to and I know if I am faithful God will continue to grow that in my heart. 

     This summer I want to know more deeply how to anguish even more for the lost people of this world. I want to love them so much my heart hurts, I want to look in their eyes and fight for their salvation like I would fight against anything that tried to harm my nephew. Someone asked me once if you can love someone without knowing them. I know I loved my nephew before I ever met him. I would have given my life for him the moment I knew he existed and after meeting him that only grew - even though I still don't even know how that is possible, I loved him so much before. I want to love people I've never even met, and yes, it is possible. I want to love them so desperately I would give my life for them before I've even met them and when I finally do meet them, when God brings them in my path, I want that desperation and love to grow even more - though I won't know how that is possible either. I know I can't love like this without God and I couldn't even desire that kind of love without him and so I pray that God will grow in me the kind of desperate love he has for me and every other person in the world.

     As I write this, I try to hold back tears, because I know that somehow - I have no idea how - God loves me as desperately as I love that little blue-eyed boy asleep in a room nearby, and more. God has painted pictures of his love in all his creation and today I am overwhelmed with the picture he has given me. What picture of love has God put in your life today?

What is your mission field?

Jim Elliot, the famous missionary who was killed in the service of the gospel once said

"wherever you are, be all there."

I've been thinking a lot about this over the past few weeks and praying that wherever I am I would keep my eyes fixed on what God has given me at that moment and in this place so I don't miss the opportunities at hand because I'm too busy looking towards the next place I want to get to. I've made that mistake too many times. I've missed out on so many opportunities that God has given me because I was too busy wishing I was somewhere else. "Wherever you are, be all there."

 God has given each of us a mission: He has commanded us to spread his word, his gospel, to the ends of the earth. He has given us each a mission field: EXACTLY where you are at any given moment. Every second is a second towards eternity, every second is a second towards someone's eternity in heaven or hell, every second, every place, is your mission field. This is a fundamental concept and yet so easily forgotten.

 I arrived home, at my parents house, a few days ago, they just moved to a tiny town in the middle of nowhere, Montana. I've never even visited a town this small and I catch myself wishing I was somewhere else, DOING something else than killing time and doing seemingly meaningless things. But God has a mission for me even here and the more I recognize that the more I am blessed in indescribable ways. I pray every day that God's will would be done in my life this summer - wherever he chooses to place me. I pray that support would come in so I can go to California, if that is his will. I want that so bad. Questions swirl around in my head, wondering if I'll raise support in time or if I'll be somewhere else this summer, and if so where and how? BUT,in this time of waiting and unknown God is whispering in my ear "wherever you are, be all there, Jessalynn" and verses like Matthew 6:25-34

"25“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his lifeb? 28“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."

God has a mission field for me right where I am at, in this tiny town in Montana - for however long he wants me here - and I am finding my mission field in some of the smallest things. I don't know how long I will be here, and there are many unanswered questions but God has placed me here for "such a time as this" and I am finding such sweet rest knowing that he is in control. Please pray for me that God would continue to draw my heart closer to him and that my eyes would forever be exactly where he has placed me.

On a side note, one unexpected blessing God has given me here is rest and nourishment for my body. It seems simple but it's amazing how getting good, consistent, sleep for the first time in probably two years and eating good food - as opposed to college food - has really rejuvenated my body and my health problems have gotten so much better. I have so much more energy and I'm realizing how much I have previously been running myself into the ground. I really am not being all God wants me to be when I'm not giving my body what it needs to be all that he created it to be. God is good. He gives what we don't even know we need sometimes.

I am so blessed to have you all supporting me.Thank you for reading, I know I can get kind of lengthy when I write haha.

One last question today, for all of you: What is your mission field?

 Love and blessings,
Jessalynn

IT Project Video

A video about the IT Project

Support Letter

To my dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

I hope this letter finds you all well and full of Christ’s overwhelming love, joy and peace. As I write this letter and think about all of you that I will send it to my heart is filled with such love and joy as I remember all the ways that each of you, as my brothers and sisters in Christ, have encouraged, challenged me and brought me to where I am today. I say, along with Paul in Philippians 1:3-5, “I thank my God every time I remember you. In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.” Some of you I haven’t seen as recently as others, but know that all of you have been in my prayers and continue to be in my prayers.

I am so excited to be writing you this letter and sharing with you how God is working and the opportunities he is bringing into my life.

This past year has been full of changes and trials but also full of blessings and God is infinitely gracious and merciful to me in all of my mistakes and failures. I often find myself relearning some of the most basic concepts of what it means to be a Christian, but God is always taking me just one step further into what those “basic concepts” really mean and what that looks like in my life. He has been teaching me to serve him for the sake of others and not myself, to love deeper than ever before, to have compassion and ultimately has made my life and my relationships so much more full and purposeful as I learn to serve him more completely.

A truth that God has been working on in my heart recently is what it really means to love people, something I am constantly relearning as God grows me in him. He really has been impressing on my heart that it is not enough to just be “nice” or kind to people, it’s not enough to do good things or even sacrificial things for people but my heart should be in a place of agony and aguish for their souls and their eternity. Paul says in Romans 9: 1-3:

“I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, those of my own race.”

                I have been praying that this anguish that Paul felt, this desperation, for people’s souls would overwhelm my heart and drive me to love and serve people as Christ would. I want to anguish to the point that I would give up my eternity for theirs and that I would stop at nothing to give them the hope I have. I want a desperation to overtake my soul in a way that I cannot not ignore it. God has been working this truth and this desperation into my heart and the more that I anguish for people the more I have been driven to love and pray for them and intervene for them.

                Something that I feel God has called me to, as part of this new desperation and love he has planted in my heart, is a missions training program in Pasedena, California this summer. It’s called the I.T. (Intensive Training) Project and is sponsored by a  non-denominational, non-profit, missions organization called The Traveling Team. The program is designed to train college students for missions and to help them better understand God’s vision for the world. As God continues to call my heart to serving others for him I want to understand and know more completely what his vision is for the world and his calling on my life. I feel like the I.T. Project would be a practical step towards what God is calling me to do.

                The I.T. Project will consist of visiting different mosques and temples, evangelism and a college-level course on missions training, called Perspectives, at the U.S. Center for World Missions. It will be from June 7^th – July 26^th and will cost $2,800, as well as traveling costs (around $600) and some minimal living expenses while down there. Also an optional Perspectives Coordinators Workshop that will give me the license and material to pass on what I learn will be $200. The total – minimal - cost comes to $3,600. If you feel like God is calling you to support me financially as well as through prayer I would be ecstatic but God is also able to provide “exceedingly more” than all I ask or need and so I ask that you only give money if that is something you feel God is calling you to and not out of a sense of obligation. I would ask that you pray for me, however, while I am down there and even in these months leading up to this trip as God prepares my heart for it. Pray that God would continue to make my heart sensitive to his voice and open to whatever he wants me to learn. I can’t thank you all enough for all of your support and prayers over the years and for your continued support in this new adventure I’m taking. You are such a blessing!

May the Lord bless you and keep you,

May He make his face shine upon you and give you peace,

Jessalynn

P.S. If you choose to support me financially you can make checks out to “The Traveling Team” and send them to me, at:

P.O. Box #491

Circle, MT 59215