I'm Not Okay

"I'm not okay, you're not okay... but Jesus can fix us both." This simple sentence completely flipped my life upside down when I read the book "When Helping Hurts" by Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert nearly a year ago.

**SHAMELESS PLUG WARNING ** It's an unbelievably FANTASTIC read for those who are preparing for a missions trip or looking more into the reality of the poverty surrounds us all. Seriously. Go buy it. Or. You can borrow mine. Just. Read. It.

As it turns out, my group traveling to South Africa also happens to think that this book is pretty neat. We will be reading it as we prepare to travel overseas and support the mission work that is already taking place in the community of Red Hill. Together we will be delving into what it means to be involved in a short term mission project and how to best support the missionaries and the community without being a burden to the cause. I'm so excited to reread this and have new things stand out to me. I'm sure there will be a post or two throughout my reading :)

But back to why I'm really writing on this beautiful Nashville winter morning instead of the million errands I need to run today.

I'm NOT okay. You're NOT okay. BUT JESUS can fix us both. I feel like this statement is one of those sentences that our teachers in high school made us emphasize different words while reading through the sentences repetitively and each time you read it something new strikes you about the statement. To me, reading this brings a message of humility as a follower of Jesus Christ and a constant reminder that I am nothing without His hand guiding me in every move that I make. It embraces the "one-ness" across humanity in that we all NEED to be fixed by the only one who can do the fixing. We are all on an even playing field in the eyes of Jesus; our race, our wealth, our zip code, our family does NOT define us. What a humbling and sobering reminder that I am so small in the eyes of my creator and yet I was created to do great things in His name, and so are my brothers and sisters in South Africa. The Gospel is open to the broken and for that I will be forever grateful. God is alive and God is moving in this community outside of Cape Town and I can't wait to see how He is exalted.

It was so great to be back in Nashville this weekend to meet with my team members and share our excitement and our vision for this trip. I could hardly contain my excitement throughout our meeting yesterday.

**SHAMELESS PLUG #2**
Thank you SO much to everyone who has come alongside this trip and supported it both prayerfully and financially. I am right on time for my deposits thus far and have a $1000.00 towards the trip. That being said, I am slightly nervous about the next financial deadline which is January 4th. I will need to have an additional $1000.00 towards my trip by that time so we can purchase our plane tickets. Please think about a donation as ANY (and I mean ANY) gift is so helpful, and hey, who needs a great tax deduction before the end of the year?! ;)  As a reminder, I've included how you can best give a donation at the bottom of this page.

THANK YOU for making it to the end of blog post #2! I am not much of a writer, but want to keep you all updated on the work we are doing preparing for March 4th.



To make a donation to Jenn Vander Veen's South Africa Mission Trip:
1. Go to www.justiceandmercy.org/donate and select "Support A Missionary or Pay for a Mission Trip." You will be prompted to log into a Pay Pal Account. There you can plug in your credit card information and you can note that this donation is for "Jenn Vander Veen, South Africa Trip, March 2015"
2. You can mail a donation to me! I love mail. Be sure to make a check out to JMI (Justice and Mercy International) and write South Africa 2015 in the memo line.
My new address is:
Jenn Vander Veen
5700 108th St, Apt #3A
Chicago Ridge, IL 60415

Well, that's all folks! Until next time!

Spoiler Alert: South Africa 2015

Hello to my wonderful friends and family who so willingly decided to click on this link! I can’t wait to share how God has been moving so boldly and clearly in my life over the past several months. As many of you know, I recently packed up my few belongings and moved back to Chicago from Nashville to start a new job opportunity at the Children’s Hospital of Chicago. Now, as many of you know, moving in and of itself is an exhausting process, not to mention starting a new job all within a few days. The natural response that anyone would recommend would be to REST for a few months, right? However, God has other plans. 

 March 4-14 2015, I will be joining a team of nurses and traveling to *spoiler alert* SOUTH AFRICA and providing medical care and community support for a small population there. Let me repeat that again, I will be going to SOUTH AFRICA. 

Now, a lot of you may be thinking something along the lines of this: “Does that girl ever take time to sit at home and settle into a routine?” Well, for those of you who know me best know that I’ve never been one to sit still for very long. God laid on my heart at a very young age to do mission work. For a long time, I thought that meant that I had to drop everything, sell all my possessions, say adios to my family and friends and hop on the next gondola for the Amazonas. I was sold out - ready to commit to loving God’s people where I thought He wanted me to go. In fact, I can remember a conversation I had with my dad during college, where I was exhausted from the demands of classes and said “I just want to move to Africa and love all of the babies.” While there is nothing wrong with that sold out fervor, God had to teach me that it was not the ONLY type of missions.

I was ready to take the plunge and commit to international missions, but had to learn to love the people that God had put in my everyday path first. My mission field became my church and the families there, my school, my job, investing in new communities...all the while breaking and humbling me to a place to learn what it means to be a servant of the Lord. I have learned through the years that to it doesn’t matter what setting your “mission” is in, just that the love of Jesus is unashamedly shown and His glory is on display.  Although these lessons are far, far, FAR from over, God has opened up the door for a new mission field....

Which brings me back to my original point: SOUTH AFRICA. I am honored to say that I will be participating in a trip to Cape Town, South Africa and partnering with Justice & Mercy International and Rolling Hills Community Church. When I was first approached about this opportunity, God began doing a work in my heart that silenced all the fears and excuses in my heart. I started to pray and research about this partnership and learned about the people of Living Hope. Living Hope is a ministry partner located in the community  of Red Hill, bringing a servant attitude to those broken down by poverty, disease and addiction. My role on this trip will be partnering with other health care professionals and working with those afflicted with HIV/AIDS, providing life skills education to families with young children and assisting with any other ministry needs. To learn more about how Living Hope is supporting the community of Red Hill, visit: http://www.livinghope.co.za/ 

Now if you’ve made it this far into the blog post, you can probably anticipate what this next portion is going to entail. Yes, that’s right, you guessed it...I need help with this support! The total cost of this trip is $3100 and about $500 has already been raised! I ask that you prayerfully consider a donation to this team and assist in the work God has been doing in South Africa. Even if you feel that you cannot donate at this time, I ask that you join me in praying for this community and for our team as we prepare for this calling. 

For those of you who are interested in donating, there are a few ways you can do that!

• -Cash or Checks can be sent directly to me (Please make all checks payable to JMI and write “Jenn Vander Veen” in the memo line)
• -Mail a gift directly to Justice & Mercy International, 1810 Columbia Ave. Suite 100, Franklin, TN 37064
• Make an online donation: www.justiceandmercy.org Click “donate” and scroll down to “Support a Missionary or Pay for a Mission Trip” and type “Jenn Vander Veen” in the space provided.

WOW! Congrats! You made it to the end of this incredibly long post! I hope to provide you all with updates on the preparations we make for this trip, as well as an update on our financial progress. To close, I want to reflect on a few verses from Matthew 9:37-38. "Then He said to the disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." So, my sweet friends and family, I want to challenge you to pray and discern what mission field YOU are being called to. I would love to hear how God is revealing Himself to you. 

Thank you all in advance for your love, support and prayers. I look forward to sharing how God continues to move so boldly in my life during these next few months. 

Love Always,

Jenn