Merry Christmas!

Dear Friends and Family,

I apologize for not updating this blog more often! If you look back on some of my other entries, you'll see that this is not the first time I've neglected my updates, but I am so grateful for your readership. This semester has been the busiest and most challenging few months of my Wesley career, but I am excited to be able to share a bit of what I've been up to so far as a director!

First of all, my primary responsibilities this year are overseeing our international student ministry and planning/managing our 12 Spring Break and summer mission trips. I also mentor six staff and student girls, coordinate the Wesley building's schedule (a job that has become more complicated now that there are two churches renting our facility out during the week), and keep track of all the keys to the building (of which there are hundreds and are often mislaid by one of the 70 odd staff members who need them for various events, etc).

 In many ways, my job has become more administrative than ever before, and I have to admit that I enjoy being the authority figure over the ministries I've loved and been a part of for these past three years. On the other hand, being the one in charge can also be a bit daunting! Please be in prayer for me as I lead my 4 ISM interns and coordinate the nearly 350 students/staff going on or leading a mission trip this year (and all the money that goes along with them!).

Speaking of mission trips, I'm pleased to announce our trip line up for this year! For Spring Break, we're going to -

Bethel School of Ministry (Redding, CA)

Cuba

Honduras 

Jamaica

LA

NY

IHOP (Kansas City, MI)

And our summer trips are to -

China

Ecuador

Montenegro

Mozambique

Scotland

The purpose of taking a mission trip through Wesley is to come beside long term missionaries for a short time, gaining insight into what they do and are called to, encouraging them in their work, allowing the Lord to cultivate a love for the people or country we visit, and building community with our brothers and sisters in Christ wherever we go. I am very proud to be apart of this process, and I am very excited about all the people with whom we will be working, all of whom are Wesley alumni or connected to a church in Athens. 

Please also keep the second weekend of January (the 10-11th) in your prayers. That weekend will be Wesley's Second Annual Missions Conference, and I am in charge of coordinating all of it! We have some excellent speakers coming in, and the teams will get a chance to spend time together, so it should be an awesome event. However, I'm still feeling overwhelmed! Please pray for guidance, especially during this holiday season when motivation for planning has waned dramatically.

Well, that about sums up my first semester as a director! If you have any questions, or would like to hear more, just email me back, or leave a comment on this post. I'd love to tell you more about my job!

I'll leave you with a few pictures from our last few Snack n Chats:

Thanksgiving dinner - we had nearly 250 people from nearly 20 countries!

Members of Athens First United Methodist volunteered to be table hosts

Me and my ISM interns in front of the tree the international students decorated at the Christmas Snack n Chat
(I'm the one on the far right!)

Wesley staff and international students sing Christmas carols in their native languages

To China and Back!

I'll be leaving this Sunday for two weeks to lead Wesley's trip to China! I'm very excited to be able to revisit a country I love so much, and my team is expecting the Lord to do great things, as He always does. I can't wait to share my adventures with you when I get back! I'll also be including some more information about my new position for next year, so stay tuned!

Updates

What's the best way to open a new post on a blog you haven't updated in two months? Start with good news, of course!

As some readers may already know, I am coming on as a director at the UGA Wesley Foundation in July. It's an exciting opportunity for me to grow as a leader in ministry, and it means three more years working in a place that has contributed to my walk with the Lord in more ways than I can count. I will serve as director of missions and our international student ministry, two areas that I love and know well. Although it was a difficult - three years in any one place still qualifies as a big decision for me - I feel confident in what I have chosen and in the purpose that I still have here in Athens.

My responsibilities and time obligations will change significantly once I begin work as a director. I will no longer be able to sustain an outside part time job, I will be required to raise more support than I have in the past, and I will be even more involved in the specifics of the ministry areas entrusted to me. The Lord has already been good enough to open doors for me when it comes to support raising and insurance needs, but I know that I still have a ways to go before I reach the financial goals our pastor has set for directors.

In preparing for this new role, your prayers and support are integral. Thank you so much for the ways that you have supported me in the past! I look forward to the new challenges and responsibilities that await me as I step into this new position.

Here are a few pictures from our last Snack n Chat! This one was a Valentine's  Dance, so our students are pictured learning a hip hop routine.

Thanks, and God bless!

Jessica