Team Haiti...32 days left!!

 Here is our group that's going to Haiti. Since there weren't enough seats on a flight for all 26 now 25, we had to break into three different groups. All except for Amber (who found out she's pregnant...Congrats! But now she can't go...Amber will be missed) and Tyler(who IS going and in group #1 but missed today's meeting...shame on you! J/K)

Group #1

(from left to right: Misty, Casey Face, J.D., Shu, Lana, and Audrey)

Group #2

(from left to right: "Jack", Barry, KP, Nick, Jodie, Jen and ME!)

Group #3

(from left to right: Joe, Stephen, Jess, Danielle, Joe, Amy, Kevin, Seth and Sierra)

Sean and Heidi (the Canadians)

(I stole this pic from Facebook...I hope they don't mind!)

Please pray for our TEAM!

Our Classroom : the World

It has  been two weeks since our last Haiti meeting. Our homework is to use the world and our everyday lives as the classroom. The teachers are God's people and the holy spirit.*  I personally feel like I should get an A+ in this so called classroom of Missoula. 

At the "deciding" to go to Haiti meeting  awhile ago my brother J.D. was giving us all the raw details of what this trip would entail. Not much of it  bothered me much except getting my shots (check!) and having common sense. Now some of you might be thinking "Jes, you have common sense" but no joke I seriously thought I couldn't got to  Haiti because I had no common sense. I told several people afterwards "well... looks like I can't go" and many thought I was being silly. But this was weighing heavily on my heart.

I cannot tell you how many times I have bought random crap from the vendors in the malls of Portland and on the streets all because I couldn't say no. I would leave feeling taken advantage of and stupid. No common sense.  I am the type of person who won't t say anything to the waiter if they have gotten my meal wrong or go to the mechanic if there is a strange sound in my car until I'm stranded on the side of the road. And sometimes I am the daughter calling her dad to bring gas because I have run out... again. No common sense. Are you starting to see a pattern here?!

A few weeks ago,  for whatever reason I decided to skip my math class. Instead, I was spending time with Landon, cleaning and working on Haiti stuff. Around 11 or so I got a call from a Los Angeles number and I ignore it. They kept calling and left voice messages. After listening to the messages, they sounded urgent and threatening so I called the number back. Sure enough it was scam, but with my history of no common sense and ignorance I fell right into this mans game. Most people after just listening to the voice message would have ignored it but I couldn't.  The more this man talked I thought he could be legit but also a part of me knew something wasn't right. After spending a hour in tears with him, I FINALLY told him I had to change my sons diaper and put him down for a nap, then immediately called 911 to make sure I wasn't being arrested. 

Now I can look back and laugh but in that moment I was so scared. My bestie Courtney left work early that day to come to the police department with me for some extra piece of mind. The narcotics cop was a no non sense kind of guy and had my back. At the end of the day I was so proud of myself. After looking back on the day I realized that I was stronger than I thought. And having COMMON SENSE I walked away from this situation holding my head a little higher. But most of all ready for Haiti!

"...So that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of GOD." 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 

says: "Your travel choices within the next year will bring serendipity"

Now that my two concerns about Haiti had been prayed about and overcome, I feel unstoppable and confident. Well, now for part two of my homework, the "treasure hunt". God is inviting us on us on treasure hunt. Our privilege is to be so led by the spirit of God that we can find treasures in this new context that had been hidden from our eyes previously.*

Remember, no matter where you are our world is a classroom, so how can we seek these treasures through the people that we serve.  Let me show you how...

• Walk with humility- keep in mind you are showing up late to a meeting. God has been at work among these people long before you arrived.*
• Embrace with affirmation- your greatest gift to the people you meet will be affirmation, not criticism.*
• Live with Vulnerability- don't be afraid of weakness- it's normal.*
• Practice flexibility- Always expect the unexpected. your not in control.*
• Live as a studentt- be determined to learn from everyone.*
• Work as a servant-be willing to whatever needs to be done.*
• Speak as a story teller- let the spirit tell God's story through you.* (check!)

This past week I was really working on "practicing flexibility". I LOVE to plan ahead and be on time and when that doesn't work out I feel stressed and anxious. So I made the effort to let it go. My mom would call and say "I lost track of time, so now I'm late for watching Landon...", normally I would freak out but I truly would let it go and say "no worries", and I worked on my mailing out my Haiti fundraising letters.

Minus the sippy cup, I mailed out 11 letters. Each card had "my story" inside(which can be found in my blog), a reply form and envelope to send money. I specially ordered mailing labels with my name in fancy writing and bought traveling stickers(like for scrap-booking) for the back of the envelopes. Not too Shabby!

By working on my personal "treasure hunt", it has made me more conscious of my surroundings and reaction to everything that happens in my life and to make more of an effort to be kind and understanding. 


"Learning is a treasure that will follow its owner everywhere"  ~Chinese Proverb

Be kind to one another,
Jes

@ the Missoula Valley Youth Rally last weekend.

I just love having my picture taken...can you tell? photo taken by: Mandie

p.s. I will have a bonus blog that I'll post this Sunday :) I can't wait to show you what I have in store!

*blurbs from our journal. Thanks J.d.





 

It's all in your head!

Overcoming fear is a skill anyone can learn. The problem is that most people cling to their fears, because it's who they are. These kinds of fears can be spiders, snakes, darkness and NEEDLES! For me fear has held me back from doing so many things.

 More recently, when I had decided to go back to school I heard that I may need to update my immunizations. I cried. Going to school was what I really wanted to do and that meant doing something I was scared of. Well, lucky me, I didn't need shots...I dodged a bullet! But now for Haiti it's a requirement to get shots AND take Malaria pills (I'm horrible at swallowing pills). So, not only am I going somewhere I've never been but to get there is all about overcoming my fears!

On Feb. 14th, I was schedule to get my travel immunizations, I could not put it off or just ignore this appointment. My dear friend Gay offered to take me to lunch that day, in order to comfort  me and let me know that everything would be OK. As she would say " YOU intimidate those immunizations!"  Which worked up until I was sitting in what felt like a tiny room trying to soak in all the info the public health nurse was trying to tell me but all I could think about was the 6 or more shots I would have to get. 

I only got 2 shots NOT 6!

Once the time came for us (Christine a.k.a Shu and I) to get our shots, I stepped up and said that I would go first. And I'm so glad I did because when all is said and done my fear was all in my head. I had made it bigger than it really was and "I owned those shots"(another saying from Gay).

First one down and one to go, w/my mom holding my hand. Love her!

"Thinking will not overcome fear but action will."

~ W. Clement Stone 

 

If I hadn't faced my fear I wouldn't be able to comfort others who might have the same fear or my son as he get older or have this...

...my updated immunization records :) So proud!
(It's been over 12yrs since my last shot)

"I can do all things through HIM who strengthens me." Philippians 4:13

Missio Dei*

At our first Haiti meeting I got to see the group of 26 (well technically 24 from MT and 2 from Canada) going on this trip and that I now refer to as "my team or teammates". I will be getting to know them very well up until the day we all leave.  I have 6 mandatory meetings to attend to learn more about Haiti but more importantly how to get prepared mentally and spiritually. 

My first assignment was to read  Exodus 3 and 4, then apply the story of Moses to my life. So many times I question god just like Moses in Exodus 3:11 "But Moses said unto God, "Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?".  God reply is "Certainly I will be with you..." Exodus 3:12. 

Each of the lessons we are given will not only be helpful towards our trip and to the Haitian people but it can be applied to my everyday life. Exodus is just one example of what we will be doing  for the next 6 weeks.

With this being said my goal is to post a blog every Friday. I want to share my journey with anyone who wants to follow me and let my sponsors know how I am doing! I will go over the lesson for that week and I will also share pictures of thing that happen as I anxiously await to go to Haiti.

"Each day is a new beginning."

*Missio Dei means "the mission of god".

Sisterly Love

Some of you might be wondering what "sisterly love" has to do with Haiti, well... Everything! Not only do I get to go on this trip with my Sister Katie (for those of you who don't know her name) but we will be flying together.  We had to break our team of twenty four people into three groups. My sis and I are officially group #2 and I couldn't be more excited! This will be another level of bonding for us.  


Secondly, I want to help her raise money for this trip. This is Katie's second time to Haiti and she wanted take it to the next level for fundraising, so  she is making Chic coasters. That's right COASTERS... 

...they speak for themselves

 Get a jump start on a early Birthday or Christmas present. They will also make a good house warming gift or just something for yourself. Don't miss out!

 For more details check out her blog:Missio Katio

How Can I be a Sponsor?

Jes Partain
Twitter: JesMarie @JM_Partain
Email: jesjudo_005@hotmail.com

Dear Family and Friends,

On March 30, 2012, I will be taking up the challenge of  going to Haiti with twenty six other teammates. This is a unique opportunity to serve, to learn and to love another culture!

This mission trip will raise vital funds for the purchase and construction of a home for a needy family in Haiti.

To accomplish this task, we have a large fundraising goal of $4,000 for the cost of building  materials and labor. This amount would be sufficient for the entire purchase of a new home for a family!

The expected cost of my own trip expense is $1,300. I have set myself a personal fundraising target of $1,000. I would greatly appreciate your help in reaching this target because life is an echo--what you send out comes back. 

I have started  my fundraising off with a personal donation of $200. Your donation will bring me closer to my goal and help me succeed on this journey. I understand these are hard times everywhere but any amount is greatly appreciated.

It's official and there's NO turning back now!

Two years ago I welcomed my  beautiful little boy into the world, overcoming 
fears I had of raising a child on my own.  My son is an amazing little boy who 
has truly rocked my world!
  
Like most parents, I want my son to take advantage of all that life has to 
offer. When I reflect on my own life, I see a lot of good opportunities that I
didn’t take advantage of because of fear.  To go to Haiti, for me, is to face
that fear and take advantage of an opportunity to grow.  The trip itself is
scary, considering I have never traveled outside the US.  In fact, to get 
shots is terrifying in itself!  This trip is a great opportunity for me to 
take on the challenge of meeting new people and sharing the love of God with 
them--the thing that is most important to me.
 
Plus, I want my son  to see me set goals, make plans and then apply hard work 
to see them fulfilled.  I want him to see me take action to overcome the 
hurdles and obstacles that come with trying to fulfill a dream.  I want him to 
see how things can be hard--but so worth it!  I want him to see the blessings 
of achieving goals.  I want him to see how God can use me in spite of my 
inadequacies to bless my family, my community, and my world.
 
In other words, I want my son to see what it is to glorify God in very 
intentional ways.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter. As one of my sponsors, I will personally let you know how we do. If you would like any more information on “Mission to Haiti” please visit: www.missoulavalleychurch.com/Haiti mission or follow me on twitter that is listed above.

Sincerely,
Jes Marie Partain

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All checks should be made payable to Missoula Valley Church.

Missoula Valley Church

1528 S. Higgins Avenue

Missoula, MT, 59802
(406)549-1744

Help me get there!