Open Doors...

Hello everyone!

God is just so good! I can't say that enough. he just has blown us away by how amazing He is. This week was amazing. Matt and I have really been trying to seek God out and ask what it is that we should be doing while we are here. We have talked with some of the people here and asked where there is a need for us. We have found out that there is a need for some Bible studies with young married couples. Although we don't feel qualified to teach a Bible study like that, we feel that the Lord is asking us to follow through with this. We are really excited. Please pray for this time! we are really excited for this to start! We really need a time also where we can fellowship with young couples our age. WE feel like this is a huge blessing for us. This Bible study along with the one that Matt will be doing are simply amazing opportunities! We are really excited for these to begin. we believe that they will this next week.

We had our first Swedish lesson this week. It went really well. It was just me and Matt, but we learned a lot and we were both surprised at how much we remembered. It felt good to be able to understand most of what our teacher was asking. I am looking forward to our next class. This week we have also been blessed with being able to get together with many of our friends. God truly knew that matt and I needed some good Christian couple friends, and we feel the Lord has blessed us more than we could have asked for. It is amazing that we can find friends like the ones that we have here... all the way across the ocean. I even baked with my good friend Louice this week.. we made a kind of Swedish cinnamon bun. THEY WERE SO GOOD! ( I say were, because we have eaten most of them... haha) Even though it seems so small.. it was a big thing for me to be able to learn how to do something that is very "Swedish". I felt at home doing it.

Matt has played two games since I last wrote. The most recent one he was awarded "player of the game." He was really excited! They won the game 6-2. The game before they lost 6-4 but Matt had an amazing game with 2 goals and one assist. The team is now in 3rd place and will move onto playoffs. They can't move down a division, and have a good chance of moving up to Division 1.It is so exciting! It is great to see Matt interacting with the guys on his team. It seems a lot different this year than the last. I always see him talking with the guys, and laughing.. even during a serious game. It is awesome! He plays away again on Sunday. The team only has 4 more regular season games before the playoffs begin.

We are both having to make some big life decisions even while we are here. It has been a bit stressful this week.. but we really feel the Lord's calling to return to Sweden. Please pray for the Lord's leading. It is not only decisions about returning here next year... but about plans when we will go home in March. My visa is up in April, and we have to decide what would be best for us when we return. Please also pray for God to reveal what it is we should do. We are seeking out all of our options and asking Him to make it all clear to us. Matt and I cling to a verse that the Lord gave us when we first started dating... it is Philippians 4:4-7

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

We trust that His peace will come with the answers to our questions. We are praying lots and seeking out His will for our lives. We feel so blessed to be able to be here... and to be doing what we are doing, serving our God. Thank you so much for all of your love and prayers.

Blessings,

Jess and Matt

Hello again Friends and family! Sorry it has been so long since I have written. Things have been going great! Matt and I are really enjoying our time here. Since I last wrote Matt has played two games, and has another game tomorrow. The first game he played was at home. It was awesome!!! They won 3-2. Matt got an assist and scored the game winning goal with one minute left in the game. It was such a great thing for him. He was playing on the first line, and he couldn't have looked better out there. He looked like he was having the time of his life. His last game was away, and I didn't go to it, but it wasn't as good. They lost the game with the score 5-7. It was a bit of a disappointment but hopefully they can bounce back from the loss.

This week has been a week of getting things in order and finalizing our schedule. We found out we will have Swedish classes twice a week again.. and we are really excited for it. Also, Matt has been helping with the school's ice time. He gets to go and play some hockey with a few of the students. It has been great.

God has really been opening a lot of doors for Matt on the team. Niklas (one of our great friends who is like the hockey team manager) has told Matt that he would like for Matt to be able to start a Bible study once a week in the rink. This is amazing as it is.. but Niklas also said they could provide some food, and whatever else Matt needs. Niklas also said he would be attending it. It just touches me how God has it all figured out. Matt has already been having Bible studies each week with one of the guys on the team.. and he is really responding to the Bible studies. Our church in Colorado helped us with getting some studies that relate to hockey, and it really helps to make the guys interested. Please pray for this whole thing. Matt is willing to speak, so please pray that the Holy Spirit will speak through him, and that the Lord's words would be heard!

Thank you for all of your prayers. It is hard to believe that we have already been here for over 2 weeks. Time really goes by so fast! We have such amazing friends here, and are able to keep really busy in fellowship with them, as well as the other things we are involved it. God just continues to bless us. He truly is in control... all we want to do is serve Him.. we are willing.. and we know He will use us according to His will.

We love you all and miss you all,
Please continue to pray for us...

Love,
Jess and Matt

Our lovely Swedish Appartment...

Brought back to truth...

This week has been quite hard. I have really been struggling getting used to the time difference. Last night was the first good sleep i have had since I have been here. I have also been feeling a little discouraged. I found out that volleyball will be cut from 4 days a week to only 1. This was hard for me. Volleyball was such a great time for me last year. I am still so excited to be a part of the team and to actually get to play on it this year. However, my heart was saddened. However figureskating has gone from 1 day a week to 2. I guess this opens up some time for me to serve in different ways.

Matt has hockey almost every day of the week, and has also had amazing opportunity to meet with some guys and have Bible study with them. I praise God for this time! How amazing that those doors have been opened. We had a meeting yesterday with the church group that supports us to be here. It was really great. They had everything written out for us as far as expectations of what we should do while we are here. Everything is great. WE are a bit nervous for our new Swedish classes that we will be taking. It is more advanced, and we both still feel shy to speak still. It is hard because we always know we can speak english. Please pray for us as we begin our new schedule next week. We are expecting to be busy.

During my quiet time today I studied Psalm 132. The Psalm speaks of David's journey to return the Ark of the covenant. The first time he tried he failed... becuase he didn't seek out the Lord and ask Him what he should do, and how he should do it. That is how i feel I have been this week. I have felt so discouraged and at times a bit caught of guard by what God has been doing. I was confused as to what He wanted us to do, even though we have only been here one week. When I read about David's struggle and how he only was able to do what the Lord had asked him to do, after he surrendered his own will and asked God how to do it... I was humbled. I realize that my agenda is not the agenda that we should have while we are here. I want the Holy Spirit to be able to move, to speak to us and to lead us as we should go. I want to seek the Lord out first, and His agenda. Ask Him what He would have us do while we are here. I believe that He will be faithful and will show us.. if we are faithful and willing to listen. Then we can rejoice and dance as David did in 2 Samuel 6:14. Once David did what he knew the Lord was asking of him, and by being obedient and seeking out His will... he could rejoice and dance. I can't wait for that day.

It is amazing to have all of the opportunities that we have while we are here. I am so happy to have an agenda to follow, with expectations for our time here. It feels nice to know what is asked of us.. i just have to remember that there is one whose opinions and expectations should come first... and we need to be in tune with Him in order to know what it is He is asking of us. I don't want to be careless and carry things sent from God on an Ox cart as David did haha.

Thank you so much for all of your prayers. We truly can feel them. We feel as if the Lord has big plans for the island of Tjorn. We trust that He will use us, as we are willing to be used in whatever way He asks. Please pray for the lives of the guys on the hockey team. That they will see light in Matt, and continue to feel as though they can ask him questions.

Matt has another home game this Sunday. I am really excited. I love the home games. It is great to watch him play. Please pray that this week as we start to get back into things, that we would feel rested and excited. Also please pray for the Lord to reveal what His plans are for us while we are here.

We love you all.. miss you all.. and can't thank you enough!
Jess and Matt

Back at it...

Hello again!

We have been here for almost 4 days now, and honestly I feel as though it has been non-stop! The night we arrived we went to our close friends Peter and Louice's house. It was so amazing to see old friends and be right where we were nearly one year ago. The next evening we were so blessed to have a party thrown in our honor. Many of our friends were there, and it was such an amazing time to get to see everyone again. They have all touched our lives in such amazing ways, and it felt like we were right at home being around them all once again. They are already trying to make us speak more Swedish. I really pray that the language will come more easily to us soon.

On Sunday Matt had his first game. He was a little nervous, but though that he wouldn't play at all during the game because he had only been to one practice during the week. In the middle of the second period the coach sent Matt out. He only played 4 shifts in the game, but made a huge impact. He scored 1 goal, made a big hit ( I was so surprised) and had a penalty shot. I really want you to understand how i feel when i watch Matt play in Sweden.. it is as though God made this game just for him. He looks so at ease on the ice, and enjoys every minute. It is truly such a blessing.

The past few days have really been packed full of things for us to do. It has been harder than we expected to adjust to the time. We find ourselves not able to fall asleep at night, and then sleeping into the middle of the day. Please pray that we will start to adjust better. It is so strange to wake up in the middle of the night and be hungry. It makes sense though considering 2am here would be dinner time at home.

Thank you all so much for your prayers and thoughts. We miss you all, but feel as though God has us here at this time for His purpose. We are excited to see what will come. We have a meeting on Thursday concerning what we will do while we are here. Matt is at hockey now, and i will be going to figure skating tonight as well. It feels so great to be back to the usual things here.

Missing you all,
Jess and Matt

Part Two of Our Amazing Adventure

Hello dear family and friends,

The time has seemed to just fly past us. It has been a year since our first arrival in Sweden. WE leave today at 5:15pm. I have to admit that I am a bit nervous. Not for being in Sweden, or anything about the place... about our flight over there. I am really praying that we both don't get sick. It was such a horrible ride there the last time.

Please pray for us as we arrive, see all of the framiliar faces, and begin our time of ministry. Matt is hoping to play in a game this weekend, so please also pray for health for him, and that the time change isn't hard on his body. We both can't express how excited we are and how blessed we feel to be doing the Lord's work. He has been so faithful to us, and we find ourselves humbled and in awe of who He is.

Thank you for all of your support through giving and prayer. We love you all dearly! I can't wait to get back into the swing of things in Sweden and begin writting to you what God has been doing. Please pray for open hearts, and that God would move in amazing ways!

Thanks again for all of your prayers, we truly can feel them!

Lots of Love....

Jess and Matt