“Not that I have already obtained this or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own, because Christ Jesus has made me his own.” Philippians 3:12
“For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” 2 Timothy 2:10
You should hear the biggest news first and then we’ll circle back and cover all the other happenings from the last 6 weeks.
BIG NEWS. Sometimes being sick is not a bad thing. The last two weeks of April and into the beginning of May I was sick and exhausted (the last 8 months and illness caught up with me). But this turned into a good thing. Since I couldn’t do much else, it turned into a time of deep thought and prayer about the future and what I’m supposed to do after my short-term time is over. After much prayer and talking with family/friends/counselors, God has led me to apply as a long-term missionary with ABWE. Based on what else God has been showing me, it is possible God may be guiding me to serve long-term in some other location where there are Spanish-speaking people (then again He may bring me back to Nicaragua). That part is still not clear yet. What is clear is the peace and joy I’ve had over the last 2 weeks as I’ve said yes to God’s call to follow into this next step. (If you would like the full story, feel free to contact me and we’ll Skype or something. So many cool things have been happening)
IMPACT ON TIMELINE: So what changes will this bring? Here is the timeline (Keep in mind that my co-workers The Larges will be transitioning into new ministry before or by the end of this year, so I was already going to be leaving SJdS before then):
NOW – End of SEPT = continue in SJdS & also help with missions teams coming down here and elsewhere in Nicaragua.
OCT = Regional Conference for all missionaries in Latin America
NOV – Begin of FEB = Move to the capital of Nicaragua and explore future ministry possibilities there & further north in Nicaragua. (Or if God has opened a door to another country, I’ll go explore that place)
FEB = Return to the USA
MARCH = attend the 2018 Candidate Class for long-term missionaries
APRIL - ?? = raise support to go full-time to wherever God leads.
So that is the BIG NEWS!
THE MONTH OF MAY: Please check my FB page for many more details about what happened in May. https://www.facebook.com/jessica.mulder.737
KEY MOMENTS:
-Had many opportunities to teach the Bible to women and teens with the help of translators. So much fun to share what I’ve been learning with others.
-God opened special opportunities to spend time alone with Him and really get to know Him more; like people know their best friend. Through those times, He has pointed out the depth of His love along with pointing out things that need to change in me life so I can move forward in long-term missions.
-My tutor "L" and her husband turned to Jesus as their Savior after many weeks of asking me questions about the Bible and then meeting with the Larges for marital counseling
-Found out that the woman on the hill ("M") had, all on her own turned to Jesus as her Savior, after continuing to read the Bible daily after each of our weekly visits.
-We had a YOUTH RETREAT and many of the kids have continued coming to youth group and this past weekend, my neighbor let her daughters not only come to youth group but also attend and sing in the service with the rest of the group for a special event we did for Nicaraguan Mother’s Day. We have also seen some of our older youth stepping up and getting involved with planning events.
-I hosted a supper at my house for the entire staff of the Spanish School, with the awesome help of Diane and our newest intern Elissa. It was a fabulous evening getting to know them better and answering their questions about our relationship with God. They asked if I could do another supper in June and said they’d teach me how to cook Nicaraguan food.
-Saturday was our WOMEN’S RETREAT. All the other single missionaries came down and gave our church ladies a very special day of teaching sessions and crafts. To my great joy, one of my former tutors came and I also had the super awesome privilege of teaching a session on spiritual warfare.
-Been spending more time just walking around the town meeting and greeting people. Also have enjoyed doing prayer walks around the city perimeter. Asking God to do great and mighty things in the lives of the people of this town, for lives to be changes, for families to be restored.
So much more happened and I’ll love to set a time to call you or skype you if you want to hear other stories.