Applebees

Ashley and Izzy

Cafe with my roommates

For all of you Spanish speakers, here's an essay for my professor at Montco!  

 

Amor Transformando

Mi Experiencia con Jovenes Con Una Misión

Jessica Miller

2 de Noviembre, 2013

Mi vida nunca sera la misma después de Musica y Misión (Escuela de Discipulado y Entrenamiento).  He aprendido independiencia dejando mi familia y mis amigos por 5 meses.  Yo he experimentado la cultura Méxicana y he aprendido mucho español.  Yo he ganado conocimiento en escribir canciónes, presentación en el escenario, y teoria musical.  Vivir en un cuarto con siete chicas ha producido paciencia, humilidad, y pensamientos.  Yo hice muchos amigos de los Estados Unidos, Canada, UK, Scotland, Bahamas, Africa, y México.  Algunos chicos me enseñaron a surfear, mi nuevo deporte favorito.  Visité la famosa Bufadora, compré ropa en las Segundas, y pasé mucho tiempo en la playa.

                Todo de eso me ha cambiado.  Pero experimentar la voz de Dios ha sido la mejor parte de mi viaje. Yo he visto vidas cambiadas por él, personas que tenían vidas miserables.  Yo sé que él es real. Dios se ha revelado a mi.  Estoy aprendiendo a escuchar y depender de el Espiritu Santo.  El ha estado mostrando su amor por mi.  Ahora mi identidad es en su apasionado amor por mi. Dios está haciendo mi corazón puro.  Nunca veré a las personas de la misma manera.  Dios está rompiendo mi corazón por las personas en esclavitud y los niños sin padres.  Quiero hacer una diferencia en el mundo.  No quiero hacerlo en mi misma fuerza pero en su fuerza.  No quiero hacerlo solamente porque hay una necisidad, sino porque amo a Dios y quiero agradarlo.  

Dios me está preparando para mi crusada a Cuidad de México y Republica Dominicana en Deciembre.  Estoy muy emocionada por este tiempo.  Hay 8 personas en mi equipo.  Estamos escribiendo canciónes para conciertos para chicas en prostitución en Cuidad de México.  Un líder de mi crusada, Lizbeth, acaba de empezar un ministerio para las prostitutas en Ensenada.  Cada jueves, nosotros caminamos por los calles para orar y hablar.  Este jueves era la noche de Halloween.  Sentí una oscuridad espiritual fuerte, pero también sentí la presencia de Dios con nosotros.  Habían muchas personas locas vestidas en disfraces tratando de asustar a los niños.  Ellos no vinieron cerca de nosotros.  Y hablamos con una mujer en prostitución y vamos reunirnos con ella pronto.  

La noche de ayer miramos una película sobre trafico humano.  Entiendo que muchas chicas tienen vidas muy difíciles y no escojen vender sus cuerpos.  En algunas partes de Asia, es parte de la cultura vender a su niña en esclavitud.  En los Estados Unidos, muchas chicas son atractidas por dinero y glamor.  No es fácil para estas chicas salir de este negocio.  Pero esta vida no trae felicidad.  Ellas necesitan esperanza, Jesús.  No puedo esperar para compartir el amor de Cristo con ellas.             

I have never felt spiritual darkness as I did on Halloween night.  As every Thursday, I went with the Unfading Beauty ministry to downtown Ensenada to walk the streets and pray.  We split into two groups.  Prostitutes were dancing in windows, and the bars and night clubs were packed, with loud music and beaming lights.  Everything seemed to scream evil.  Huge mobs of college kids ran up and down the streets, dressed as witches and demons, scaring innocent children.  As we were praying, I kept repeating Psalm 91:7-8:  “You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”  The mobs did not come near us.  As we were literally walking through the valley of the shadow of death, I felt the Lord’s hand of protection over us. 

One leader in our group felt led to plead with God for the sake of one righteous person, like Abraham did over Sodom and Gomorra.   Later, we found out that in that exact same place that the other team had been approached by a woman named Maria.  They talked with her for a while and found out she was a prostitute.  She’s going to meet with Lizbeth and Corina in the next few weeks.  It’s so cool how God is working even amidst the darkness!  Please pray that Maria would come to know Jesus!  I’m amazed that God chooses to use us, as weak and apathetic as we are.

                On Monday I had to chance to be part of Casas de Esperanza (Homes of Hope).  This YWAM ministry builds modest but secure homes for needy families.  As the families came to the base to apply for a house, we made an effort to share God’s love with them.  The DTS students led worship, performed a skit, served food, and played with the kids.  These boys and girls are so precious.  Many of them look and smell as if they haven’t had a bath for weeks, but they are so excited to play with you and talk with you.  One girl took off her bracelet and gave it to me as a gift.  I felt so rich there.  Why am I so well off?  God has blessed me with so much.

                On Saturday we are performing songs in Spanish we created in our co-writing groups.  We’ll be using the songs in outreach.  There are two Christian bands from Ensenada that we’ll be performing as well.  We are stoked for tomorrow! 

                This upcoming Tuesday we’re going to the wilderness for team building week.  We don’t know where we are going and didn’t receive too many details, except for a list of the things we’re allowed to bring… which is not much.  Deodorant, toilet paper, and toothpaste are not permitted.  I don’t feel as if we need to give up using toothpaste in order to be united.  This may be the hardest part of the DTS yet for me.  The girls in my room know I brush my teeth constantly.  (Lol!)  I am not very open to the possibility that God wants to teach me something through this.  Lord, show me if I am wrong.  J 

I have never felt spiritual darkness as I did on Halloween night.  As every Thursday, I went with the Unfading Beauty ministry to downtown Ensenada to walk the streets and pray.  We split into two groups.  Prostitutes were dancing in windows, and the bars and night clubs were packed, with loud music and beaming lights.  Everything seemed to scream evil.  Huge mobs of college kids ran up and down the streets, dressed as witches and demons, scaring innocent children.  As we were praying, I kept repeating Psalm 91:7-8:  “You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”  The mobs did not come near us.  As we were literally walking through the valley of the shadow of death, I felt the Lord’s hand of protection over us. 

One leader in our group felt led to plead with God for the sake of one righteous person, like Abraham did over Sodom and Gomorra.   Later, we found out that in that exact same place that the other team had been approached by a woman named Maria.  They talked with her for a while and found out she was a prostitute.  She’s going to meet with Lizbeth and Corina in the next few weeks.  It’s so cool how God is working even amidst the darkness!  Please pray that Maria would come to know Jesus!  I’m amazed that God chooses to use us, as weak and apathetic as we are.

                On Monday I had to chance to be part of Casas de Esperanza (Homes of Hope).  This YWAM ministry builds modest but secure homes for needy families.  As the families came to the base to apply for a house, we made an effort to share God’s love with them.  The DTS students led worship, performed a skit, served food, and played with the kids.  These boys and girls are so precious.  Many of them look and smell as if they haven’t had a bath for weeks, but they are so excited to play with you and talk with you.  One girl took off her bracelet and gave it to me as a gift.  I felt so rich there.  Why am I so well off?  God has blessed me with so much.

                On Saturday we are performing songs in Spanish we created in our co-writing groups.  We’ll be using the songs in outreach.  There are two Christian bands from Ensenada that we’ll be performing as well.  We are stoked for tomorrow! 

                This upcoming Tuesday we’re going to the wilderness for team building week.  We don’t know where we are going and didn’t receive too many details, except for a list of the things we’re allowed to bring… which is not much.  Deodorant, toilet paper, and toothpaste are not permitted.  I don’t feel as if we need to give up using toothpaste in order to be united.  This may be the hardest part of the DTS yet for me.  The girls in my room know I brush my teeth constantly.  (Lol!)  I am not very open to the possibility that God wants to teach me something through this.  Lord, show me if I am wrong.  J 

I have never felt spiritual darkness as I did on Halloween night.  As every Thursday, I went with the Unfading Beauty ministry to downtown Ensenada to walk the streets and pray.  We split into two groups.  Prostitutes were dancing in windows, and the bars and night clubs were packed, with loud music and beaming lights.  Everything seemed to scream evil.  Huge mobs of college kids ran up and down the streets, dressed as witches and demons, scaring innocent children.  As we were praying, I kept repeating Psalm 91:7-8:  “You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.  A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”  The mobs did not come near us.  As we were literally walking through the valley of the shadow of death, I felt the Lord’s hand of protection over us. 

One leader in our group felt led to plead with God for the sake of one righteous person, like Abraham did over Sodom and Gomorra.   Later, we found out that in that exact same place that the other team had been approached by a woman named Maria.  They talked with her for a while and found out she was a prostitute.  She’s going to meet with Lizbeth and Corina in the next few weeks.  It’s so cool how God is working even amidst the darkness!  Please pray that Maria would come to know Jesus!  I’m amazed that God chooses to use us, as weak and apathetic as we are.

                On Monday I had to chance to be part of Casas de Esperanza (Homes of Hope).  This YWAM ministry builds modest but secure homes for needy families.  As the families came to the base to apply for a house, we made an effort to share God’s love with them.  The DTS students led worship, performed a skit, served food, and played with the kids.  These boys and girls are so precious.  Many of them look and smell as if they haven’t had a bath for weeks, but they are so excited to play with you and talk with you.  One girl took off her bracelet and gave it to me as a gift.  I felt so rich there.  Why am I so well off?  God has blessed me with so much.

                On Saturday we are performing songs in Spanish we created in our co-writing groups.  We’ll be using the songs in outreach.  There are two Christian bands from Ensenada that we’ll be performing as well.  We are stoked for tomorrow! 

                This upcoming Tuesday we’re going to the wilderness for team building week.  We don’t know where we are going and didn’t receive too many details, except for a list of the things we’re allowed to bring… which is not much.  Deodorant, toilet paper, and toothpaste are not permitted.  I don’t feel as if we need to give up using toothpaste in order to be united.  This may be the hardest part of the DTS yet for me.  The girls in my room know I brush my teeth constantly.  (Lol!)  I am not very open to the possibility that God wants to teach me something through this.  Lord, show me if I am wrong.  J