To Suffer Is To Gain

1 Peter 4:12-13

Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed.

I don't really know what I want to say about this right now because I'm extremely tired. This verse was talked about tonight at cru and it's not something I think about often when going through hard times.

Verse 18

If it is hard for the righteous to be saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?

If we are not able to make wise choices on a daily basis and live out our faith as if we really believed it, how will someone who has never met Jesus ever get a chance to see Him?

A Letter

Jessica Samson

505 Indian Hills Dr #D3

Moscow, ID 83843

(208) 661-3850

February 16, 2010

Dear Family and Friends,

Wow. Is it really two months into the New Year already? Life is very busy for me here on the Palouse and I’m sure it’s just as busy for you! I would like to take a few minutes to share with you how God is at work in my life. At age 22, I’m finally starting to understand what it truly means to step out in faith and be an ambassador for Christ. This revival started during New Year’s at a Campus Crusade for Christ conference in Portland, Oregon. There I was blessed to spend five days getting to know other students around my town that love God on a deep and personal level. Conference is where it started, but that’s nowhere near the end.

My application to go to San Jose, Costa Rica on a short term mission’s trip has been accepted and my passport will be here soon. This trip is completely out of my comfort zone because I have very little experience sharing the Gospel with strangers and have forgotten most of my high school Spanish. However, I have no doubt that this is going to be an amazing experience.

Our main goal is to share the Gospel and seek God in a new culture. We will be sharing our faith on campus and trying to meet as many students as possible to gather contacts for the Costa Rica staff there. We hope to be able to spend a day at a local orphanage as well. At the end of the week we will hold a “fiesta” where we will invite all the students we have met and have more opportunities to engage in spiritual conversations and friendships.

One of my prayers for this trip is that the team I am heading there with will have an open heart to what God has for us. Another prayer is that we are each able to reach our financial goals of $1,400 per person by March 11. We will leave out of Spokane on March 15 and return on March 22. This semester is literally flying by and this trip is quickly approaching.

If you choose to be a part of the financial process in the amount of $50, $100 or any other amount, please make your check payable to Campus Crusade for Christ. Any amount given is greatly appreciated.

I ask that you keep me, my team members and the Campus Crusade staff in your prayers during these next few weeks and particularly during our trip. I also ask that you come alongside me and pray for those we will meet who don’t know Christ. Through this kind of giving you will be a huge part of what God will do in Costa Rica.

In Christ,

Jessica Samson

Productive or Not? Tell Me What YOU Think!

I've been struggling with what to write as my post for this month of February. It's not that I have something very profound or life changing to share although I feel like I should.

I just finished meditating on God's Grace and it was very hard for me to sit still, be quiet, and not get sidetracked with thoughts of all I need to be doing. So far I have gotten very little homework done this weekend which is stressful to me because these are my main homework days. However I'm also accomplishing things. I'm developing and nurturing friendships, I'm getting bills and finances taken care of, I'm getting my house cleaned, I'm making meals, I'm spending time with Jesus Christ. The latter is the most important accomplishment and alongside that is the relationships with other people. They go hand in hand. Thus, I am being productive in a way that will impact more than just the upcoming week.

I've been thinking a lot about internships, jobs and graduation the past few weeks. Where to go? What to do? How to do it? Does it really matter? In all honesty, I don't have huge aspirations when I think about getting a job in the real world. I think sometimes this thinking is out of fear because I don't have enough faith in myself. But then I get inspired by Focus on the Family or a friend who is following God or an opportunity for overseas missions. My pulse quickens and my mind sharpens as my ears perk up. I know I can serve God from anywhere doing anything, but I don't want to just be "anywhere" doing "anything." I want to do something great and worthwhile that will change lives and further God's kingdom. But how can I do that when I'm so insecure in my faith as it is?

Maybe my insecurities come from an unwillingness to face the person I should/need to be. That's a hard pill to swallow. It's so easy to sit around licking my wounds pondering all the horrible things then getting up to do something worthwhile based on my personal convictions. Maybe I'm afraid of what will happen if I actually get an internship - regardless of where it is or how long it is. Maybe I'm afraid that life will not be so easy and I'm going to face hard obstacles. And - oh my goodness - I might even cry and want to give up when things get hard. But wait....is that any different than now? Hmmm Let's move on shall we?

Like I said, I have no profound insights to share at this time. I am simply attempting to hold myself accountable to me, to God and to my friends. There are some incredibly large blank spots between dates in the many journals I have kept over the years. I have found that when I quit journaling/blogging - I am in the midst of battle and am probably losing. I'm very happy sharing what's going with my life when I'm feeling good about it. However when I start making wrong decisions, I stop wanting to confront the issue of where my heart is at. And that's the real danger. Writing/journaling keeps me very in tune with the inner workings of ME. When I don't want to deal with that, I don't write about it, only think about it after massive amounts of alcohol. But this conversation is for a different time....

Thanks for reading. :)