Goodbye lovely Sweden...

I really am being honest with you when I say that I feel as if my heart will be left behind here in Sweden when we leave. This experience has been more than words could ever express. I find it hard to even write this. I really don't want to leave. Even with the thought of comming back.. leaving here is going to break my heart. I just feel like God has been blessing us in amazing ways here. I feel more like me than I ever have, and I have made friends that are impossible to ever forget. Matt and I have just had a hard time the past few days.. wraping our head around the reality of leaving. We both have found our place here and love it with all of our hearts. I know for him it must be so hard to leave. For him, leaving also means going back to work. I know that after this experience.. that would be hard.

Tonight we were so blessed to have a going away party thrown in our honor. It was amazing to get a chance to be with alot of our friends who have become like family to us. A couple of the hockey guys showed up as well to say goodbye. My heart is overflowing with gratitude. I am so thankful to be able to know all of the people that we have met here. I really can't imagine not waking up here. The party tonight really made me aware of how much I want to come back. I really can't imagine not ever seeing those people again. They are too close to my heart. I know Matt feels the same way.

Tomorrow is our last day in Sweden. Even writing that sentence brings me back to the reality of it all. Tomorrow.... we will spend our last day packing, taking a walk, and spending some time with friends. Please pray for us in this time. It is really hard for us to leave. Also please keep our flight in your prayers. Matt and I both are not too fond of flying, and after my experience in comming here... i am very nervous and anxious to fly. It is crazy to think that this time...l this season in our life is over. Now we ask for you to pray for our next steps. Please pray for us as God continues to guide them. We do want to so what He wants. I know that He gave us such an amazing love for Sweden and for the people here. We are excited to start the next process in getting back here. We love you all and thank you for comming along for the ride with us. It is so sad that it has come to an end.. but we feel as if it is also just the beginning.

Lots of love from Sweden.......

Jess and Matt

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MATT!!!!

Hello friends and family!
Today Matt turns 27. SO OLD! haha. Matt and I both have such mixed emotions about leaving. On one hand we feel so excited to see our friends and family, and share with them some of the adventures GOd has taken us on. On the other hand... we both have fallen in love with everything here. God has really shown us so much about where our passion lies. It is amazing how when we surrendered our time, money, and posessions... how God totally took control. He really wanted to strip us of everything, and He has taken amazing care of us. He has showed us things about ourselves individually, and as a couple. God took us and just used us, and that is exactly what we prayed for when we arrived.

I have been involved in the figure skating show here. It was yesterday and is again today. It is so cute. I just love watching the little girls skate around so proud looking for their parents. I was nearing in tears yesterday thinking of how blessed I am by those little girls. They love me without words. It is amazing.. God has just showed me how to show His love to them.. when no words are even spoken. I will miss them a lot.

Matt has been enjoying some time off from practice.. now he has some time to just relax before we head back to Colorado and he begins to work at full speed. Tomorrow we will have our last meeting with the Church group. Also, our friend Nikolus will be there to help us figure out things for next year with the hockey team and the school. Please remember him in your prayers. I really just want him to see the love that we as Christians have for each other. I want him to feel accepted and loved. Matt and I really feel that God has amazing plans for him. We are praying for him. He has played such a huge role in everything we have done while we have been here. He has made it so nice for me. I love Volleyball and he is the one who first invited me to go help coach. Him and Matt have been able to form a great friendship as well.

Please pray for us as we begin to pack our things and head off. It is pretty emotional for us. Even with the thought of returning.. it is still hard to leave this place that we have fallen in love with. It is hard to believe that we arrived here nearly 3 months ago. Time passed so fast! I know the rest of this week will just fly. My mom knows that i will wait until the last minute to pack all of my things. I think i got that "gift or procrastination" from her. haha.

Thanks again from the bottom of our hearts. This time that we have spent here has been life changing for Matt and I. We both can't wait to share our stories with you in person. Thank you so much for wanting to keep up with what we are doing, and for being so invested in our time here. We love you all so very much.

LOVE,
Jess and Matt

Stockholm...

Matt and I have been away for the past few days on a trip with our friends to Stockholm. It was a 6 hour drive. We went with 2 other couples and Jon (the other HMI missionary). I suppose I will go from most recent events backwards.
On our way home from Stockholm the weather seemed to be getting worse the closer we were to home. We were driving 2 cars. On the way to Stockholm we drove with girls in one car, boys in the other. However my friend Helena wasn't up to driving in the snow on the way home so her husband drove in the car with us. I had switched from driving in the car with the girls to driving with the boys. Helena and Louice are the sweetest girls and wouldn't sit in the front seat because they thought I should sit in the front. I knew they were being too nice, so i changed cars and thought one of them might change into the front, but they never did. We were about 10 km outside of Goteborg when the snow got really heavy. Helena's car was ahead of us by maybe 1/2 a km... but we couldn't see them. All of the sudden Peter (Louice's husband) recieved a phone call saying they were in an accident. Within seconds of that, we pulled up to the accident. Helena's car was totally smashed. They were hit from behind, the whole back part of the car was crushed. They were driving a VW bug, and anyone who has been in one, knows that there is hardly any trunk space, and the back seat is very squished. It is a miracle that nobody was extremely hurt. The lady in the other car was hurt pretty bad as well. Helena, Louice and the other lady were taken to the hospital in an ambulence. Louice asked that I go along with her, so i drove to the hospital with her in the ambulence. Sirens ringing and all. On the way to the hospital, the paramedic told Louice that they had to of had guardian angels around them, becuase the crash could have seriously injured them all. I believe this is true. If you saw their car, and where they were sitting, you would be amazing. They didn't even have any cuts, and the back windows were crushed, and fell on them both.
Louice was able to leave the hospital soon after we arrived, but Helena was complaining of back pain, so they took some x-rays to make sure nothing was seriously wrong. Later on last night we found out it was all good, and she was going home. To make matters worse... yesterday was Helena's husband Simon's birthday. Please keep all of them in your prayers! Louice can't remember anything from the crash, and I know that Simon was really worried about Helena. I will see them all today to make sure they are all ok, but please pray for quick healing. I am sure they are all sore today.
It was just such a strange ending to an amazing weekend. I know God was watching over us though, I am so thankful to Him that nobody was seriously hurt. Words really can't express how thankful I am for those friends. The past 3 days were so much fun. It was so great to get to know our friends better, and to be able to have some time to be tourists in Sweden. Stockholm is beautiful! We got to see the castle where the King lives, go shopping, walk around the beautiful cobble stone roads. It was just the most amazing time. Riding on the subway was an experience in itself. It was so great to have some tour guides with us also. I will post a few pictures on here of our time.
It feels so odd to be in the last days of our time here. We will be heading home in less than 2 weeks. It is the weirdest feeling. We have both come to love it here. To be honest, the people here are what make it so amazing here. We have made some awesome life long friendships, that I will take with me everywhere. The next couple of weeks will be pretty busy. Spending time with people, meetings, and packing. We have a lot going on, but we are so glad to be busy in the last days we are here. Please pray for us as we leave. It isn't an easy thing to leave behind our friends, but we have faith that we will be back here again. Thank you again to everyone who supports us. We love hearing from you. We love you all, and we will see you all soon. I am sure I have a couple more posts in me. haha.

Lots of Love, and thanks for your prayers.
Jess and Matt

Ps: Bob, Matt says to get your golf swing ready!

Lobsters going to division 2?

My heart, in this very moment is so full. I feel so many emotions that it is hard to put into words. I can't explain to you how amazed I am at the work of our Lord. He has take Matt and I on this amazing journey and i feel so unworthy of all of the blessings that He has given us. I think of the song verse " every blessing you pour out i'll turn back to praise." It is impossible to take any praise or glory away from our God. He has done so much in our hearts and through us. He has taken us both on this amazing road that we both never even would have thought of. I am overwhelmed at the thought of Jesus dying for us on the cross. He paid our debt, so we can live today.. so that we can be here in Sweden telling people about what He did for us. Yesterday I had this amazing opportunity to share in a kids class. It was for ages 5-8. I was really nervous and unsure about what to say, once I was there and speaking to the children I was so blessed by what God taught me through it. Those little kids are going to grow up to be men and women... and me telling them about what Jesus did for us, is just as important if not more. It blessed me to be able to teach them the song Jesus loves me.. and to hear their sweet voices singing along in english. That whole experience is something I have never had the guts to step out and do in north america. How silly!

God is so faithful! Matt's team won Wednesday night agains their rival team. Matt was named player of the game as hey contributed 3 goals to their 8. The score was 8-3 in the end. This puts them pretty much in the position to move up to division 2. They are in first place. In the past few days Matt has really had the opportunity to talk with some guys on the team. He has had some deep conversations and had some open doors for sharing His faith. I think it is so awesome that God placed us here over easter. I don't think there is a more perfect time to tell about Jesus and the price he paid for us. We have had some of the guys to our house even, and Matt has prepared supper for them. I am so proud of Matt.. you have no idea. He has been so bold in sharing his faith, and so trusiting that he just wants to be used in whatever way. Please continue to pray for Matt as he has some great oppportunities this weekend to hang out with the guys and get to know them better.

I feel so overwhelmed with emotions because.. i am in love with this place, but excited to go home at the same time. I feel like my heart is in two places at once. All I know, is that we feel so amazingly blessed to be used in whatever capacity we can. We want to be lights, we want to live in this place and shine.. we want Jesus to shine in and through us.

Matt has another game tomorrow at home. It is the last game of his season. I know it is a bittersweet feeling to be finished with hockey. He is excited that they made it through playoffs, but will miss playing.

We miss and love you all. Thank you for all of your comments. we appreciate them all.. and we are happy to have some people from Sweden viewing our blog also. Thanks for all your love and support. We love you all!

Happy Easter!!!!!

Much love,
Jess and Matt

a blink of an eye....

This is Matt and Jon after their big win on Sunday.

Wow.. three weeks exactly from this day we will be on our way back home to Colorado. It seems like not long ago that we arrived here. It seems so strange to be gearing up to go back. It is kind of a bitter sweet feeling that I have. I am excited to get home to friends and family and have a clothes dryer once again!!!! haha. But I dread leaving our friends that we have made here. I have found myself feeling so comfortable here and so challanged each day. I am not sure what the decision will be as to whether or not we will be comming back, but I know without a doubt that I love this place. IT really has become like home for me. I love our appartment, so cute and cozy and steps away from the sea. I love our friends, they are so loving, accepting and kind. There is hardly anything bad that I could say about this place and our time here. It has really just been a blessing from God. Such an amazing blessing!

Matt had a game on Friday night against a division 2 team. They tied 4-4. Last night they played the same team again and walked away with an amazing victory! They won 9-2. Matt scored 3 goals and had an assist. It was so fun to watch. The team really looked great and they were playing amazing. They have 2 more games left in the series. They play their rival team again at home on Wednesday and then again they play on Friday. They are in first place right now, but the next two games are really important for them. I just keep reminding matt before every game how cool it is that we are serving our God IN SWEDEN.. and that he gets to play hockey here. I think it is the most amazing thing. Never did we think that this would be an option in our life. God really has provided for us in ways that are "immeasurably more than all we could ask or hope for." I am so thankful for everyday that we have here. It is so amazing to watch Matt taking part in something that he has been dreaming about since he was little. I am so proud of him~!

Matt has been having some great opportunities to talk with a guy on his team named Tobias. He came over for supper the other night. IT has been really nice getting to know him. Please pray for this relationship! I feel that God is opening doors for Matt in these last few weeks to be bold with some of the players on his team. I am really excited to see what God does in Tobias' life. I know that Tobias knows God.. but he has a hunger to go deeper and this is very exciting! We have a very busy schedule this week.. lots of meetings, games, practices, suppers, and much more. Everyone seems to be wanting to get some time in with us right before we leave.. but it is great! We love it!

I will update you all more and let you know how the games went. Please continue to pray for us, as decisions may be made soon. We both really want what is best for the churches, the team and the rest of the people here. We trust that God will work out all the details as He has in the past. Our hope and trust is in Him as we continue to walk in His calling. Thanks for all your love, support and prayers.

Much love,

Jess and Matt

Stingers vs Lobsters

Matt's team won tonight 6-3 against their rival team. It was an away game, and i think that Ronnang (matts team) had more fans there than the stingers. It was amazing! Their next game is Friday at home. I am thankful for a home game. It should be fun. I don't exactly know how many points matt got, but I know for sure he had three assists. This is just an update for any curious hockey fans. So yeah. I will write again soon.. all is well I am feeling much better and God is good! Miss you all.
Love,
Jess

Bitter sweet....

Hello again friends and family. I am sorry it has been awhile since I last wrote. Things have been pretty busy around here. Thank you so much for all of your thoughts and prayers. God has been faithful in calming our hearts and helping us to refocus and see the big picture. Yesterday I had the opportunity to go with the girls volleyball team and help coach them at a volleyball tournament. It was awesome! They ended up winning the whole tournament, and played amazing! This win meant that next year they could move up to division 2. It would be so awesome because if we were to come back next year, i would be able to actually play. Right after the volleyball tournament we drove to the hockey game. I ended up being really sick and had to spend the first period in the car, sleeping. I missed a penalty shot that matt made.. and scored on.. and i was pretty bummed. I ended up going in for the second and third period. It was really hard to be there, but I am so glad I was. The guys ended up winning 8-4 over the division 2 team they played against. They weren't expecting to win so it was awesome that they won! I was sick all night and into this morning. I am feeling a bit better now. Just achey and sore... but God is so good. I just feel like He is being so faithful in supplying our needs. Matt played awesome last night and got 2 goals and 2 assists.

We had a meeting with the a group of church members last Thursday, but we didn't actually end up talking about us comming back next year. They mostly were looking for us to tell them about our time here. We have both come to realize through things people have been saying to us, that the church and the hockey team have a big part in deciding if we come back next year, but ultimately it is our decision whether we will come back or not. Through some people we have heard that they would like for us to come back. Which is really encouraging. Matt and I really want to make sure that this decision is made with a lot of prayer and thought. We both feel as if we need to go back home first, and take some time to make sure that what we are doing is what God wants for us. It would be really hard to say no to comming back after experiencing what we have here. We have made amazing friends, had amazing opportunities to grow relationships with younger kids, and we have just felt like God has been blessing us in amazing ways. We spent this weekend with some friends eating, playing games and having fika. It was awesome!! I realize how important friendships are!

Tomorrow is a busy day with Swedish class, then volleyball and Matt is going to be sharing at a boys youth night. I am really excited for this. The guys here look up to Matt so much! I am praying that God will prepare the boys hearts and that they will be receptive to what God has to say through Matt. Matt is also really looking forward to this time. Today Matt spent most of the day helping out with the school and their hockey tournament. He is being so great and really has been open to helping out in whatever way he can. Wednesday he has another game away, against their rival team... the STINGERS!!!!! It will be a hard game.

Thanks again for all of your thoughts and prayers. This week has been a great week. We both have had time to just be by ourselves and focus on our time with God. Our "white space" .. yes pastor monty I am listening to your sermons online. Keep praying that God will continue to open up doors for us to share. I can't express to you how much i love this place. It is beautiful, the people are amazing and I am in love with the food! haha. Matt and I have really been able to grow and learn a ton here! Thank you to everyone who helped in getting us here. You will never know how much it means to us!!!

Once again, we love your comments and love to hear from you all! We love and miss everyone. God is good!

Love you all!

Jess and Matt

consumed...

The past few days have been pretty hard on me and Matt. It is now comming to a point where decisions will need to be made about comming back. The hockey team, the school, and the churches all need to make a decision first whether or not they would want us back for next year. It has been really hard to not let thoughts consume me. I feel like daily Matt and I have been evaluating how people are treating us and questioning if they like us or not. I know that all of these thoughts were not from the Lord! It started to become our main focus. This Thursday we have a meeting with the Churches to give a description of out time here and to also present any future thoughts that we may have. Please pray for us in this time. I really feel that it is hard to not always question what people think. It is easy for our focus to change. Today Matt brought me a quote from his book that he is reading and it really hit home for us both. It says:

"A man who wants to lead an orchestra must turn his back on the crowd. Leaders turn their backs on the crowd and follow their mission no matter what the crowd thinks. As you live your life for Jesus turn your back on trying to please the crowd; face Jesus, and please Him with every fiber of your being."

That is our desire. We are here to please Jesus, we are here answering His call. It is so important for us to always remember who is in control. It has been really good to be able to refocus and remember why we are here. We feel refreshed and excited for the last month that we are here. I am no longer thinking about when we leave, but about each day that we still have here. It has been an awesome revelation for us to have. Thanks so much for your prayers. Please continue to pray that God will use us here. Pray that God will show us His will for us... whether it is here or somewhere else. We really want to be where He wants us to be. We miss you all and love you... now here are some words from Matty...

Hey everyone. We were able to make it through the first round of playoffs. The first series. Now we are going to be in the next series to see if we can move up to the next division. We play three teams, so we have 6 games left in the season. We play at home, and then at their home. These will be very difficult games. Each team has very good players. It will be 6 very tough games. I also have an opportunity on March 11th, to share my testimony with a group of young boys. I am very excited about this. Please pray that God will use me and speak through me and prepare the kids there. I am sure some of the kids that will be attending wont know the Lord, so pray that God will give me all the words to say.
Things are going really good on the team. I am getting to know the guys a lot better. I really want to start stepping out and being bold in the last 5 weeks we have here. It is just starting to hit us how fast time is going by. I want to start to challenge some of the guys that I have had conversations with and invite them into our house. I want to be able to speak with "saltiness" to give them a taste and wanting more. Thank you for all of your support and prayers. Things are continuing to be busy for us. But we are thankful for all the opportunities we have. I will try to keep you all updated on our games and what happens. Pray for us this week as some decisions may be made.

Lots of Love,
Matt and Jess

5 weeks left?

"Matt Bothwell matchens gigant" This was taken from the Ronnang hockey club website. Matt was named the "game giant". This was game two of three in the first round of playoffs. Their team had won their first game Wednesday in overtime. Matt scored the game tying goal with 13 seconds left. Last night was a great game! They ended up winning 11-3. Matt had 4 assists and played really well. I guess he played well if he was named the "game giant!" ahha. He got three stars in the game and was followed by John the other missionary here in Sweden, who had 2. It was a really intense game up until the end of the second period when the opposite team began to get frustrated and 3 of their players were thrown out of the game. They play 2 more rounds of playoffs in the next few weeks. It is very exciting! They don't play again until next Sunday though. It is great to watch Matt play and enjoy himself. He loves to play and you can tell that it is a lot of fun for him.

It seems like a dream to remember back to the first days that we were here. This place has come to feel more like home each day we are here. It was so fun to introduce Luke and my mom to our friends because I feel so blessed to be able to call them all friends. God has really blessed me with amazing girl friends here. They are so much fun, and just really accept me for who I am. The people here are so loving, sweet, and giving. While I have been here I have simply felt loved for who I am and appreciated in ways that I can't express. It is such an amazing blessing. God has really been showing me that if I put my trust in Him and simply ask for things, that He will provide. Before I came here i really didn't know for sure if I would want to come back here for long term, and it is still up in the air. However, I know for sure that my heart is here. My heart feels at home here. Matt and I have really been praying that God will use us here and that we would be able to bless the people that we come in contact with. But I feel that I have been blessed by every person that I have met. Christian or non Christian I think that by being here I have been able to view everyone as God's Children. I think about the fact that we all have the same creater. I really hope that I can bring this new understanding home with me.

I really try to get Matt to write on here, and he has promised that he would this week. Him and my brother are out making videos of each other doing crazy stunts like walking a log that is over the ocean. Luke leaves tomorrow so maybe then Matt will have some time to write. Thanks again for all of your comments and love. We appreciate it so much! Love you all.
Jess and Matt

A great opportunity...

Hello friends and family!

WOW.. it has been a great week. My mom and brother were here. My mom left Saturday morning. I was pretty sad to see her leave. My brother was supposed to leave today, but he decided to extend his ticket. It has been really cool to have him here. He has been able to help me with volleyball, and also practice with Matt's team. Matt likes having another guy around, so it has been a lot of fun for us.

Yesterday evening we had the opportunity to speak with our home church in Colorado. It was such a blessing for us to be able to share what God has been doing through us and in us here. The people in our home church are amazing and have supported us 100% since we decided to come to Sweden. It was an awesome time to share with them how their support financially and through prayer has opened up amazing doors for us here. Matt and I were so blessed to be able to share and see some framilliar faces. OUr friend Tommy also sang a song in Swedish. It was so great. Tommy has a great hunger for God and is a great friend to Matt and I. He was encouraged after the service and we ended up talking and sharing for a couple hours after the service ended. Matt was able to share what God has been laying on his heart about sharing our faith. It was encouraging to me as well hearing him speak about not being selfish with our faith. I really am praying that God will continue to open doors for us in the last weeks of us being here.

It is so crazy to think that we will only be here for 5 and a half more weeks. Time really has been going by so fast! I think back to the beginning of our time here and am just in awe of God's provision and faithfulness! He truly is an "all knowing" God. Please pray for us in these last few weeks here. Matt starts playoffs this Wednesday. They play the best of 3. This last month will be very busy for us, so please pray for strength for us. Matt and I have a new hunger for sharing our faith, for being servants to people, and for being open to any opportunities that are laid in front of us. The past few months I have felt as if we have grown spiritually, but also personally and as a couple. God has taught us so many things about ourselves. We feel so blessed to be able to be here, and we also feel so loved by everyone who helped us to get here, and who continues to support us. You truly will never fully know what it means to us. This has been an experience that we will carry with us for the rest of our lives. It is also an amazing gift to be able to share our faith and have God use us in the capacity that He has.

Thanks again to everyone at Temple Baptist in Pueblo! You truly are close to our hearts and it was such a blessing to be able to see a lot of you yesterday. Thank you for your love, support and prayers. They are precious to us, and we are so thankful to have a church family that consists of such amazing people. It was so touching to hear all of your kind words and encouragment. Hearing that you all really are praying for us touched my heart. Bob Wood (Matt's brother in law's brother haha) said that him and the kids pray for us every night, and I was broken by this thought. How amazing that we have that gift. We know that God truly hears all of our prayers but how precious for children to be praying for us. Thank you to all of you for your prayers. They lift us up and give us strength!

We love to hear from you all, and appreciate the comments and great encouragment! I will keep you updated on how the "mighty red lobsters" do this week. Please pray for Matt as he is starting to feel a cold comming on. He wants to be able to finish strong, so please pray that he may do so.

Lots of love,
Jess and Matt

A few pictures ...

Visitors Day 1

Hello once again!
EVeryday I have to remind myself that I am IN SWEDEN! I am here, and I am loving it. Things have been amazing and seriously more than i could have ever hoped. The past few days have been great. This week we had a bit of a break. It is a holiday here, so we didn't have Swedish classes and we didn't have to teach in the school. I still have volleyball and skating. And Matt had hockey as well.. but it was nice to have a bit of a break.

Thursday- Valentines Day- was great! Matt suprised me with flowers and chocolates and it was nice to spend the day just the two of us. It gets really busy here and we find ourselves constantly with people so it was a nice time for the two of us. Friday Matt had another game. It was their last game in the regular season. They tied 5-5. Playoffs begin in one week from now. While Matt was playing hockey I had the best night with a bunch of girls here. It was so much fun. There was a group of 8 girls that got together and we went for supper, and then out bowling... and of course we had Fika at the end of the night! I just really am in awe of how God has taken care of me. I love my friends here. They are so special to me. In the past I havn't always enjoyed hanging out with groups of girls, but last night it was so great to build relationships and tell stories and get to know who all of these girls are. It was a HUGE blessing for me.

TODAY my mom arrived with an extra visitor. My little brother booked a ticket last minute and got on the same flight as her. I WAS SO EXCITED!!! I havn't seen Luke since November. Him and my brother just returned from a trip to Thailand and Austrailia. He had only been home a week and already he is back travelling the world. It is so great to have them here. They were very tired when they arrived, but Matt and I did our best to try to keep them awake so they could try to get used to the time. They were asleep by 8:00pm. haha. It is just so cool to have people here that we can share everything with. I can't wait to introduce them to the people that we have been meeting. Even though it is very crowded in our one bedroom appartment, I think it will be a great week. Luke will be able to skate with Matt, and help teach some gym classes... and my mom and I will do plenty of shopping ahha. I must say it is nice to have another woman around. It is usually just me, Matt and John.

Matt is busy preparing to share in his home church. One week from now we will be doing a live feed in his church. We are both really excited to be able to share what God has been teaching us during this time here. It is such a cool opportunity and we feel really blessed to be able to do it! I love seeing Matt in the word. It is the best thing to watch him dive in and try to understand what God is trying to say to him through His word. I am really encouraged by how much Matt loves His Bible. He is always prepared to answer questions.

This week will probably be a busy one. We are going to try to show my mom and Luke a good time. We want them to see everything! So, I don't know how much I will be writing on here. However, I will write for sure when the week is done and fill everyone in on what happened during this week. Thanks again for all of your comments and your love. It is so nice to know that people check up on us and are curious about what is going on here. We love you all so very much.

Lots of love,
Jess and Matt

Doors opening....

This weekend we had an amazing opportunity to spend some time with some of the other hockey players on Matt's team. It was so interesting to see their approach in asking to hang out with us. They were very concerned about having a good time, and wanting to show us the amazing things their city has to offer. We ended up going to Goteborg with Niclas, he is the other volleyball coach as well as the manager of Matt's hockey team. He has a lot of say in what happens on the hockey team. He is the same age as Matt. Niclas' best friend Kim (who is also Matt's former linemate) met us in Goteborg with his girlfriend. It was so interesting because Niclas asked me prior to going to Goteborg what our stand was on drinking. I was well aware that Niclas drinks, casually and also at parties. On the Island that we are on, if you are a Christian at all you don't drink. I told Niclas that Matt and I used to drink, casually and sometimes at parties. I told him that we wouldn't be drinking if we went out with them but that we were not going to judge them for things that they would be doing. We just simply wanted to spend time with them. I could tell that by me saying that it put him at ease.

It was great to see Matt in constant prayer in the days leading up to us spending time with these guys. He really was praying for the opportunity to share, and for his teamates to not feel judgement but acceptance and love from us. Matt had been reading the book he got from my cousin and was really encouraged by it. One part that Matt had underlined says;

" Let's not seperate ourselves from the lost, but take our light into the darkness and watch the Lord work in amazing ways."



That is exactly what happened.... When we arrived in Goteborg and met up with the others, we walked around and got to see some of the city. Then we spent some time getting to know each other over coffee. After that we went to a pool hall and played some pool. Matt, John and I enjoyed our cokes as the others enjoyed their beer. I felt at ease knowing that they felt comfortable enough around us to do what they wanted. It also opened up doors to start discussing the very grey area of drinking. After the pool hall we headed to dinner. As our food arrived, they asked us if we did anything before eating... this was an amazing opportunity to talk about prayer. It was so awesome to hear their openess to what we believe. Kim (matt's former linemate) knew a ton about Christianity. I could tell he had experienced it in some way. We had amazing conversation. It was so appearant that God's hand was in it all.



Since Swedish people eat very late, it was almost 10pm by the time we finished our meal. We decided to head home and left Kim and his Girlfriend. On the way home, Niclas received a phone call about a birthday party that was going on. The people throwing it invited us to go to it, since Niclas wanted to go and we would be dropping him off we decided to stop by for a bit, and I am so thankful that we did. As we arrived we were greeted by person after person. It seemed as if everyone wanted to talk with us. These were all young people, who had spent the night celebrating. There was drinking going on, loud music and in the midst of it all... we were there.. being lights. During this time Matt and I were able to share our faith with Niclas. Niclas is 26, and has had some hard times. He has a blood disease, and also has a really bad injury that has caused him to stop playing hockey. HOW AMAZING that Matt could give testimony to what God has done in his own life!!!! God just had that meeting planned out all along. Niclas was the one who started the conversation about God and I know that won't be the last time he asks questions.



After Niclas asked some questions, Matt had the opportunity to share with another guy on the team named Tobias. Tobias approached Matt and began to tell him about how he believed in God, but wasn't really following what he knew was right. Tobias asked Matt why he prays before games. Tobias said that he watched Matt and wondered if it helped with the game. Matt was able to share with Tobias how he prays before he does anything. Tobias has also had a girlfriend for 5 years, and asked Matt if we prayed together. I am just in awe of God's goodness. Matt had been preparing to share his faith. He had been ready to give and answer for the hope that we have, and God just presented these opportunities to him.



I had an awesome talk with the oldest girl on our volleyball team. Her name is Camilla. She is dating one of the guys on Matt's hockey team. She had been drinking a bit, but she approached me, took me aside and began to cry. She told me how she knew she was being treated badly by her boyfriend, and how she watched the way that Matt and I were together and how she knew that is how relationships are supposed to be. It is just so amazing and it blows my mind how God uses us even when we don't know we are being used. Camilla is such a sweet girl, and I shared with her a lot of stuff about Matt and I, and why we are the way we are. It was just awesome to be able to be used in the midst of such darkness.



As the night came to an end, we left the house encouraged, but so thankful that we are saved from that lifestyle. We felt that the timing was right and we left the house. I still, to this very moment, am so thankful to God for opening up those doors. It was so interesting to see how people began to open up to us, once we entered into their comfort zone. On Sunday morning Matt and I began to read Matthew 9:10-13



10While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. 11When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners'?"
12On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."



Matt and I desire to live a life through the example of Christ. Our hearts go out to the lost, or perhaps the misled. Some of the young people here have such an altered view on Christ, and Christians. I pray that God will use Matt and me in their lives and that He will be able to shine through us. We want to see them as HE sees them. Since we went to that party, we have been able to hang out more with some of the people that were there. We have played volleyball with some of them, and more of the Volleyball girls have approached me to hang out with them. All it took was us stepping out in faith and trusting that where we were was where God wanted us to be. Now we just stand in awe of His faitfulness and provision.

Matt had another game last night and they won 6-3. It was a very exciting game. Matt played very well with a few assists and 1 goal. He took a shot in his knee.. so he is pretty sore. Not sore enough though obviously since he is at the driving range with some hockey guys. It is a very nice day today and I am heading out to take some pictures on my own. I can't believe that we have already been here for half of our time! It sure is flying by really fast.

Thanks again for all of your comments. It is great to see first timers on here writing comments to us. We both LOVE to hear from you. It is a highlight in our day for us to be able to hear from people from home! We love you all and miss you a lot! This week should be fairly slow.. until Satruday when all of the fun begins!!! haha. My mom arrives!!!

Please pray for us as we continue to build these relationships. Please pray specifically for Niclas, Tobias and Camilla. They are very close to our hearts and we are praying that God will continue to work in their hearts and use us in their lives.

Lots of Love,
Jess and Matt

Ps: HAPPY BIRTHDAY JAYDA!!!!!

Keeping busy...

Hello Everyone!
Sorry it has taken so long to write one of these. We find ourselves getting busier by the day. Last week Matt's team played against their rival team. It was a really intense game. However, they ended up losing 4-1. It was pretty sad for the team. They play again tonight and they are hoping to come away with another win. It is a home game so I am excited to be able to watch. I really enjoy watching the games here.

We have still been working a lot with the school here. It has been really great! God has just been opening up doors for us that we never expected. I am really enjoying coaching volleyball. It has been an amazing time for me. I never really excpected to be doing that here, but I look forward to going every time!~ It has been going so well that we are going to be having another practice during the week. I coach two different teams and I just feel so blessed to be able to do it. The girls are so much fun, and they love when I try to use my Swedish. They all speak amazing english though so that helps me out a lot! Matt and John do most of the Gym classes in the school during the week. The kids all love it and ask to play dodgeball most of the time. I am just in awe of the position that God has placed us. We get to hang out with those kids almost everyday and let God use us in whatever way He wants. We are so thankful.

This weekend a few of the guys from Matt's team asked us to go to Goteborg to hang out with them. It is so cool to see the guys accepting Matt and wanting to spend time with them. We are really excited to hang out with them. Please be praying for us, as we really do want to be lights to people. We really want them to see something different in us. I trust that God will give us the opportunity to share, and I just pray that we will know what to say when the time comes. I feel as if God is molding Matt and I in this time. I know that He knows the right time for things and we are simply waiting on Him.

It has been such an amazing blessing to get to know the people here. I love their kind spirits and generous hearts. We are able to start making some amazing friendships with people here. They really have taken us in and accepted us and loved us in amazing ways. We can't be more thankful for what they have done for us. We feel so blessed to have the support of family and friends at home, and to also have this amazing church family here with amazing friends who are helping us to feel comfortable here. God really is so awesome. We have family everywhere we go.

This week will a bit less hectic. The schools have a week off, so we wont be teaching this week. Matt has a game tonight and on Tuesday. We wont have Swedish classes either so we are looking forwards to being able to explore the island, and spend some time with friends here. My mom will be arriving next Saturday. I AM SO EXCITED FOR THIS! I can't wait to show her things here, and to introduce her to the people that I have been getting to know. My mom is great and takes advantage of my travels. She came to Hawaii when I went to YWAM and now she is comming here. I LOVE IT! It is so great to be able to share this with someone from home. I am literally counting down the days until she arrives. She will only be here one week, but we are going to try to do as much as we can in that one week. Matt is already working on his egg making skills as he and my mom have a competition going.

Thank you all for your prayers. We really do need and appreciate them. It is crazy to think of how fast our time is going here. I just am in awe of God's goodness and love. He brought Matt and I into this amazing situation. We know that it wont always be sunshine and rainbows. We know that there may be some trials, but right now we are simply loving being in His presence and enjoying the gifts that He has given us. We miss you all, and love you all! It is so great to know that this is being read. I hope that we are helping you keep up with things here. Please keep the hockey team and the volleyball team in your prayers. Pray that their hearts would be prepared for whatever God has to say to them.. we pray that He may use us in His plans for their lives.

Love you all so much! I will have more time this week to post another blog.

Jess and Matt

One month in Sweden....

Hey Everyone. Today I made matt go on a walk with me. It was very cold and windy, but we managed to take some pictures. We will be putting some more up soon. Anyways.. today is Matt's day to write.. so I will let him get to it. I love you and miss you all!!!!

I can't believe that it has already been almost one month. Time really does fly when you are having fun. Things are going really good here. God has been opening up a lot of doors to let us get to know the people and build relationships. The more time that goes by, the more opportunities I get to talk with the guys on the team. They are starting to accept me more. A couple of the older guys on the team, have invited me a couple times to go into the city to hang out with them. We have played 4 games already. Last night we played at home and won 9-2. God has really been blessing me here. I have been having a lot of fun on the ice. He has put me on an amazing line, and we have really been clicking really well. The last two games, out of a possible 19 goals, our line has had 15 of the goals. I love the style of hockey here. It seems to be suited for the way that I play. I love the big ice. It is great having good linemates to be able to have confidence in. The four games I have played, now I have 7 goals, and 10 assists. I am really just enjoying playing again, i am having a lot of fun. I am really praying that God will use the gifts and abilities that He has given me to give glory to HIm. I am praying that this will give me the opportunity to share the hope that I have with others. Our toughest test to come for our team will be on Tuesday. We play against our rivals.. the Steningsund Stingers! They live just across the bridge and it is a huge battle here. They are in first place and we are in second place. It will be interesting to see how it goes. I just really want to thank eveyone for their support and their prayers. I just ask that you would continue to pray that God would give us boldness and open up doors for us be able to share the good news of Christ. Pray that in everything that we do that Christ is glorified. That it is not us who live, but HIm who lives in us. And that His light would shine through us. It's really amazing how God answers prayer in Jessica's life. We really didn't know what to expect in comming here. Everyone would talk about "Matt's hockey" and "Matt being invoved." And God has opened up amazing doors for Jessica to get involved with the young girls in this comminity. She coaches volleyball three times a week, and coaches figure skating once a week. The president of our hockey team said that Jon and I are stars around the rink, but that Jessica is a star to the young girls in the school and in the community and they really look up to her. I am really proud of her, i know that some of the things have been outside of her comfort zone. She is really just stepping out in faith and letting God work through her and it really is making a difference. I guess for both Jess and I, there are a lot of things that we are having to do that we would normally not do at home. We are really stepping out of our comfort zone, but i read that "Everytime you step out of your own comfort zone, you step INTO God's comfort zone." I really do appreciate everyone's prayers and support. I love looking at the comments that people leave on here, and know that people are really reading our blog daily. That means a lot to us. I love everyone with all of my heart.
Until the next time,
Hej dor (bye)
Matt .. and Jess

Ar min svenska sa dalig? ( Is my Swedish that bad?)

God afton, ( Good Evening )

That is about the extent of my Swedish. I am trying to learn, however it is a hard language. Matt knows some hockey terms, but it seems like it will be a difficult language to learn. I love it though. The people here sound like they are singing when they talk. I love the language. Anyways, things here have beein very busy. We have been substitute teaching for a gym teacher here. So we have been busy at the school almost all day everyday. It has been great getting to know the kids. We have been teaching them how to play dodgeball. It has been so much fun. I am also coaching another volleyball team twice a week. The girls asked for me, which is very nice. They are all so great and kind and sweet. Tonight I coached by myself. It was SO very out of my comfort zone. I hated it at first, but by the end I was having the time of my life. I just feel so very blessed to be able to be wanted in that capacity.
Matt had a game tonight away. I just talked to him. This is how the conversation went:

Jess: Hey hun, how did you do? Did you win?
Matt: Yeah it went ok. I was really tired so... but it went ok. We won..... 9-1.
Jess: WOW that is awesome! That is great... how did you do though? Did you get any goals?
Matt: Well.. yeah I got.. 4 goals and 3 assists....

It is amazing how well he is doing. God really is using Matt's talents to their full extent. I am so proud of him. This Friday he has a home game. I like the home games. I love to watch him here! Matt has been growing so much here as well. He is stepping out of his comfort zone like crazy! This weekend we went to a birthday party, and I left early to go to another birthday party... and matt stayed at the party... and PLAYED GAMES!!!!! This is huge for anyone who knows matt. He avoids games at any cost! But he stayed this time, and he played. It is so amazing to see God mold and stretch Matt and I.

This week will be pretty crazy and busy. Tomorrow I will be a part of a girls youth night at the Church. I am really excited for it. We have something going on everyday this week. We are so thankful to have things to do here. I think sometimes it is hard to say no to things as well, so i am hoping that I wont hit a wall and be so worn out. So pray for us as we keep very busy this week. I have been loving Swedish culture and ways of life. I love that they eat MANY times in a day. They have Fikka a lot!( coffee and cake or some other kind of food) I love it. However, their coffee is more like Espresso, and they drink it black with no cream or sugar. This is quite different for me as I love my Vanilla Latte's from Starbucks. Also, cheese and bread is their staple food here. TWO OF MY FAVORITE THINGS! This is very dangerous for me.

I really wish that I could share this experience with all of you. It has been amazing! I am falling in love with Sweden. I am already in love with the people here. I have found some amazing friends. One friend who likes to shop and drink coffee... WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR IN A FRIEND? haha. God is just blessing us beyond all I could have imagined. Honestly though, thank you all so much for your love and support. I love reading all of the comments from friends and family. They touch my heart to know that you all care and are keeping up to date on this amazing journey that the Lord has us on. We read all of the comments together, and we are blessed by them. This is a time in our lives that we will never forget and we are so thankful to you all that helped us get here, and to those of you who are holding us up in prayer. Thank you so much!

I am going to go do some laundry now. HAVE I MENTIONED.. that they don't have dryers here.. so I hang all of our clothes and iron them all. I know I sound spoiled.. but it is very hard to wash all our clothes.. especially since matt wears like 10 outfits a day ahah. Anyways, it takes me a very long time to do. I hope to get better at it soon. Tomorrow or Thursday I am going to try to get Matt to write a blog. We miss you all and love you all.

Thanks again, Hej da ( bye)
Jess and Matt

One Thing You Can't do in Heaven:

Right before we came here Matt got a book from my cousin Lawrence. It is called "The one thing you can't do in Heaven" by Mark Cahill. The other day Matt started to read it. He had been excited to start it but hadn't found the time. It was awesome because it was a rainy day and all we felt like doing was reading and drinking tea. Matt began to share some of the contents of the book, and I was truly blessed by it. In the book he says,
" You can worship God in Heaven. You can praise God in Heaven. You can sing songs to God in Heaven. You can learn from God's Word in Heaven. But the one thing you cannot do in Heaven is share your faith with a non-believer.
This hit us both quite hard. How amazing! This thought touched us both because it has been a hard thought to actually step out and share just who Jesus Christ is. The people here speak very good "conversational" english, however to get into a serious conversation with someone about God would be a bit difficult. Thinking about witnessing as the one thing we can only do here on earth that we cannot do in Heaven was amazing to us. It changed the way we looked at things. In the paragraph prior to that quote, Cahill says;
"What a humbling thought that the God of this universe would use fallen mankind to plant seeds in the hearts of the lost!"
This was a humbling thought. We really pray that God will use us in mighty ways while we are here. We are simply here, willing to be used, and expecting great things to happen. As Matt was reading this book, I was reading through Proverbs. I was in beginning the 16th chapter. I have read these words a hundred times, but they rang in my head as truth for right now.
Proverbs 16:1 " To man belong the plans of the heart, but from the LORD comes the reply of the tongue.
16:9 "In his heart a man plans his course, but the LORD determines his steps."

Even in our two weeks of being here, we have felt the Lord confirming in many ways that this is exactly where he wants us. At least for this time. It has been amazing to simply be available to be used. I want God to use us in whatever capacity. He is using skills that i never really thought would ever be used. Figure skating and volleyball were two things that I never even thought twice about doing again. It has been such a blessing to be able to be a part of these things. Matt has started to form great friendships with some of the guys on the team. We know that in time God will provide ways for us to be able to share our faith and do the "One thing we can't do in Heaven." .... share our faith. Please continue to pray for us as. We KNOW that your prayers are being heard and we are so thankful for every one.

We tried to take some pictures today... however our camera ran out of batteries. HOPEFULLY there will be another sunny day soon, so we can post some new pictures up of us. Last night I attended two birthday parties. One with Matt, and one for girls only. It was so much fun getting to know new people and I actually am starting to feel more confidence being alone.. i think it is because i don't ever really feel alone. I know that the Lord really is determining my steps!
Matt has an away game this Tuesday, and a home game on Friday. He is excited to play again. Things are still going so great. We love our house, the people here, and we are feeling so blessed to be here. I am really missing Ricky though (our puppy). It is hard getting used to being alone without a friend around all of the time haha. It is so nice to know he is being taken care of. It is crazy to think that January is almost done. Time is just flying here. We are really trying to make the most out of every day.
Thanks again for all of your support. We miss and love you guys so much! Thanks for caring about what is going on with us. We try really hard to keep you updated on what is going on here. Love you all!

Jess and Matt

Matt's game pictures...

Hey everyone.
A pastor here takes great pictures, and he took some of matt's game. Please go look at them, they are great! Matt is wearing #10 here. I hope you are all doing great! we will be writting another post really soon. Love you all and miss you.

http://sports.webshots.com/slideshow/562254458jRRrPp



Matt and Jess

Matt's First Homegame....

Hello everyone!
If you are wondering why I am the one who does most of the writing, it is because Matt hates to type. Most of the time he is right here with me, feeding me information. Except right now, so i can brag about his game last night...

As I arrived to the rink 30 mintues early I thought there would be hardly anyone there. I was wrong. The rink was packed! There was hardly any seats open. I was approached by numerous people saying how excited they were to watch Matt play. I knew Matt was a bit nervous before the game. There is a lot of pressure to perform. I am brought to tears remembering what I watched last night... I honestly in all of my time knowing Matt and watching him play hockey, I have never seen him play the way he did last night. He played with such intensity and passion. I knew the entire time watching him, that he really wasn't playing for anyone person sitting in the stands. He wasn't playing to perform for his team. He was playing because he knew it was a gift from God to be able to play, and he really was playing for Him. It was so refreshing to see him in his element and serving the Lord at the same time. Matt played amazing! He scored 2 goals,( should have been three, but they didn't count it) had 2 assists, one penalty shot, and one penatly.( haha) Everyone around me kept telling me how good they thought he was, and how fun it was to watch him.
After the game, when Matt had come home, we talked about the game and how it went. His first thought was " I should have scored on that penalty shot." haha. Right after that, he expressed to me how different it was playing. He loves it, and really prays hard that God will use the gift that He has given him. It is amazing how when you give something over to God in your life.. how He will use it in amazing ways! I was so touched watching his game, and overwhelmed with pride! I am so proud of Matt for stepping out and being used. It was simply amazing. ( I am trying to upload some video from last nights game as we speak)
We played volleyball yesterday in Gym class as well. It was so fun to interact with the kids. Matt and I are both being pushed way out of our comfort zone, but we are loving every minute of it! It has been an amazing journey this far, and there is still a lot of time left in this trial period here. I have made some amazing friends already. The girls here are so excited to have me around, which is so awesome for me. I really enjoy the time that I get to spend with them.
Once again thank you so much for all of your prayers, love and support. We miss and love you all. This week, we will be continuing to work with the school. Matt's next game is in one week, next Tuesday. It is a home game, and I am very happy for that! Keep praying that we will be used in mighty ways here. We are simply willing to serve, and we trust that God will use us.

Lots of Love,
Jess ( and Matt is here now so he approves this message)

Hello all. (this is matt)
Well, last night I played my first game. I have a really good line, i am playing on the first power play and i actually got a lot of ice time. It was my very first game in over a year, so i am still a bit rusty. We ended up winning the game and I got my first goal in Sweden, so that is a blessing. I have been learning a lot through God's word. When i didn't get the chance to play in the first game, I got to chat with one of the guys on the team. He mentioned that here in Sweden you either go to church.. or you don't go to church at all. And the reason that you don't go to church is because there are too many rules. They feel like they would have to give up too much. It really made me start thinking alot about how to approach this, because I know that it isn't about rules, it is about a "freedom" in Christ. As I was reading in Colossians 4:5,6
"Be wise in the way you act towards outsiders (non believers) ; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone."
This hit me because when it says "seasoned with salt" that means that it has to be tasty. You have to be able to grip them, and give them a hunger to want to know more. Pray that their hearts will truly be opened to Jesus Christ, and to realize that it is not about rules. I pray that they may see this in mine and Jessica's life. I want God to give me the wisdom and discernment to be able to talk to anyone I come in contact with. Thank you for all of your prayers, we feel them so much. Thank you so much for all of your support and prayers, without them non of this would be possible. So thanks again, and God bless.
Matt

Friends and Family, (this is Jessica)

Hello everyone! The past few days have been awesome! I had my first coaching class and LOVED IT! It is amazing how with kids, how language barriers really don't exist. They were really loving and accepted me right away. They were teaching me Swedish songs and words by the end of the class. That time was such a blessing for me. It was great to feel purpose in being here, as I have been sick and not able to be a part of very much.
On Thursday Matt, John and I went to the school here. It is grades 7,8, and 9. The teachers in this school are very excited about us being here and want to have us in their school as much as possible. We found out that I will be helping in teaching english in some of the classes, as well as helping out with the sports. The teachers are excited for me to help with gym class as they have no girls who help with those classes. I will also be assisting in coaching the girls volleyball class. I feel so blessed to be able to help with all of these things! Matt will also be helping out in the school. They have 2 days a week in which they have 2 hours of hockey classes. He is very excited about being able to help with that! This opens up HUGE doors for us. We have found that a major need here is for youth leaders. They don't have "Youth Pastors" in the churches, and they are a bit at a loss for ideas of what to do with the youth. This is a huge thing to take on, but we trust that we are in the Lords will, and through Him anything can happen.
Words can't express how lucky i feel to be able to be a part of all of these amazing things! Matt read something to me the other day that BLEW me away. It was in his commentary in his Bible it said;
"Our service won't save us, but we are saved to serve." I just think this is an amazing thought! It has changed the way I think about my time here in Sweden. Not only in the way I view my role here, but also in the way the Swedish people live. That may as well be their moto. They have such servant hearts. Our needs have been met in every way here. They are always wanting to serve us! We have more than we could have imagined here. Please keep praying that God will show us His plan for us while we are here. We are really open to be used,... but more than anything we are so excited to be able to serve. We feel as if we were "saved to serve."
If their is anything else you would like to know about our time here, please feel free to ask us. We miss all of you and appreciate when you check in and read this!
Thanks again for all of your love and support! We are so thankful!
Lots of Love,
Jess

Ps: Matt and John had a full page article in the news paper here.. they are practically famous!

For those of you who want to check in on matt's stats, there are a few websites you can look at.
http://www.eliteprospects.com/team.php?team=496
http://www.swehockey.se/bohuslan-dals/Table.asp?TournamentId=50125

Week #2

Hello again!
Well, I have to praise God for health today! Matt and I are both feeling good today. Yesterday was the first day since we have been here that we actually got a chance to get out and explore the island that we have been living on. It is so beautiful here.. there are like 5 different towns within minutes from each other. We explored 3 of the towns yesterday. We started at a grocery store in the biggest town. It was a bit refreshing. The store was large and had a lot of variety. This made Matt very happy as the store that we have been shopping at is very small and has slim pickins. Matt even found "Sweet Chilli Heat Dorritos." This made his day!
After we explored that town, we went for pizza in a different town. AMAZING! It was the best pizza i have ever had and I am sure we will be there at least once a week. It is cheap pizza.. but the BEST! Thin crust and amazing! It was great because we spent the day with John, the other guy who is here. It was nice to be able to talk with him and get to know him. He has a great sense of humor. I can imagine it would be a bit lonely here for him. I know that if it weren't for each other, that Matt and I would be bored at times, and lonely. It gets dark here at about 4pm, and the sun just starts peeking out at 8am. It has also been raining everyday since we have been here. Not the best weather to get out and do things. Anyways, so we are doing our best to help him feel that he isn't alone here.
Matt had his second practice last night. He already was moved to the top line. (He wouldn't write this about himself.... so i will.) He said he feels a bit tired on the ice. I told him I think it is probably because he is just getting over his sickness. He is liking it a lot, however his mind is always on what God wants for him. He came home a bit discouraged and said " I just don't know how I will be able to build relationships with a lot of the guys on my team." So please pray for his team. Pray that God would open doors of opportunity for Matt. I know that Matt really wants to be used. He wants God to shine through his life. I know that God will bless him for this.
Tonight I venture out on my very first event of my own! I am going to be helping coach the beginners figure skating class. I am very excited, however I am always very shy and anxious (YES I GET SHY SOMETIMES haha) whenever I start something new. So pray for me that I will be able to get past my insecurities.
God has been so faithful to us. He has provided us with all that we need here so far. This comming Monday we begin our Swedish lessons. We have already started to practice a bit. I think the most important thing I have learned is "Jag talar inte svenska." This means... " i don't speak swedish."

Thanks again for all of your prayers and support. We love you all!

Hej da (Good-bye)
Jess and Matt

Passing it On...

Good-morning! I am writing this to you at 4:30 in the morning here in Sweden. I just can't seem to get used to the time here. Things have been going alright here. I am finally starting to feel better. However, now Matt is sick with almost the same symptoms that I had. Please pray for him. Matt really wants to play hockey this week. He was unable to go to practice last night because he was feeling so ill. I know exactly how he is feeling. It is horrible to feel so sick, when you want to be out of the house experiencing and new place.
On Sunday we went to one of the many churches here. It was amazing! They were so kind, and sang some english songs for us. A man tried to translate for us. It is just so encouraging to see the Lord move. His love has no boundaries... even language boundaries. I found myself rejoicing and thanking Him. It was so fitting that the first day I actually was able to leave the house, was on a Sunday. The people at the Church have been amazing! We were invited over for lunch and supper that day.
We have found out a few of the responsibilities that we will have while we are here. Matt and I want to be used wherever help is needed. I am going to be helping with a beginners skating class once a week. I also will be helping with a day care program that one of the Churches here runs. This makes me very excited! It will be nice to have things to look forward to while Matt is out scoring some goals. Matt, John and I will be taking some Swedish classes twice a week as well. This is an amazing blessing. Most of the people here speak english, or at least try to, however it is awesome to have the opportunity to learn their language. We will have to practice some on here sometime soon.
Please pray for Matt as he will be working on getting his release forms from Hockey USA. They will be doing some paper work and working this whole issue out on Wednesday. I know that his desire is to be able to play. If he does get his release forms it will be on Friday that he plays his first game. It is an away game, so I wont be able to watch, but i will be there with him in Spirit.
Matt and I really do appreciate all of your prayers. If you have anything you would like to know, please just e-mail us. We would love to keep in touch with all of you. I hope to be able to post some more pictures and videos soon. We are so excited to see what God has in store for us while we are here. We really want God to move in a mighty way here, and use us in whatever capacity He wants.

Romans 12:1 "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship."

If you would like to see some more pictures of the place that we are living, a pastor of one of the churches here is an amazing photographer, and he has a great website. Most of the pictures are from the summer time, however they are amazing and really do capture the beauty here.
http://www.alphoto.se/Webgallery/index.html

Also, if you would like to try, Matt's team has a website. I can't tell you where to go, or even what to click, as it is all in Swedish. We may be able to find a different one soon, but for now this is the only one we know of. Their team is called the Lobsters. VERY INTIMIDATING!!! haha He is very excited to play for them!
http://www.ronnangsik.se/

Thank you once again for all of your prayers. We miss you lots, and we will try to keep you posted on any new adventures that we have.

Lots of Love,
Jess and Matt

Our New Home

Here are a few pics that I took this morning! It is the first nice day since we have been here and it is the first day that I am feeling better! PRAISE GOD! I hope it lasts! haha. We love and miss you guys. I will take more pictures soon! For now.. here are some from right outside our door.
Love, Jess

A Reminder of His Plan

Hello everyone. This is Matt.
This has really been an amazing trip so far. To be half way around the world and to see that people over here love the Lord so much, that even though they have never met us they treat us like family. Like brother's and sister's in Christ. The most amazing thing about this whole experience is seeing the way the different denominations (pencostal, lutherans, catholics, evangelicals, baptists) are all working together in the name of Christ. God has been so good to us this entire trip. With the exception of Jess being sick it has been really great. The people here have been so accomodating. If only you could see where we live. It really does look like it came out of a postcard. I have already been taught a lesson. Our first hockey game was Friday night. I was told that all of the paper work had been taken care of and I was going to be able to play. It was a big deal as everyone was excited about us being here. I really wanted to go out and play and very pumped up. Two hours before the game, we got a call that they needed another peice of paper, a transfer, from USA hockey. The International office is closed in the USA till Wednesday. This made it impossible for me to play in the game of Friday night. John, the other guy that is here with us got to play and he did really well. I was really upset and I wondered why. Then God reminded me why I am here. It is not about the hockey. We are here for a different purpose.. and that is to be a light for Jesus. So i had to say.. " not my will, but yours." While not playing I had the chance to have amazing talks with two different Swedish guys while the game was going on. It was great to be able to start building relationships.. and to me that was worth way more than playing the game. My time will come when I will get to play, hopefully all of the paper work will come in and I will be able to play this Friday. Please continue to pray for us. Pray that God will give us boldness... that the Holy Spirit will work through us and that everywhere we go He will be glorified. Pray also for the people in Sweden.. for their hearts to be changed and for their eyes to be opened. Also that God would do a revival here. It has been a very challenging time for Jess. She has been ill since we have been here. She hasn't been able to leave the house and meet the people that I have been meeting and see the things I have been seeing. I know that it is very hard for her emotionally as well as physically that she can't do the same things. Please pray for Jess, that God will give her the strength and that God will heal her from this sickness so she can start enjoying and seeing what a beautiful place this is and how amazing the people are here. Jess is still sick, and couldn't attend our game the other night. Thanks again for all of your prayers. Please continue to pray for us.

Matt

Sick and Sleepy

It is hard to express my feelings in this moment. The past two days I have been laying in bed, so sick, unable to eat much and feeling horrible. It has been so hard to watch Matt go and experience the culture, meet new people, get tours, and have meetings. I feel so left behind. Tonight Matt had a meeting with a group of people who played a huge role in getting us here. They talked about what we would be doing for the next 3 months. It was the hardest thing to watch Matt leave and know that i wouldn't be a part of that. It is hard to understand why I am so sick. I want to be by his side talking about the exciting things to come. It is such a strange thing to be sick in a completely new place. I have been by myself for most of the time since Matt has been out and about. I feel as if I am letting the people down here, and worst of all Matt. I don't want to be on the sidelines, I want to be right in everything! My heart hurts because of the lack of envolvement that I have had. I know that it is only day 2 out of 90... however i want everyday to be blessed, and I want to be used every single day I am here.

I can't express to you how alive Matt looks here. It is as if God made this place for him. He is happier than ever, he is so excited about hockey. His first game is tomorrow. Rumor has it that the whole island will be attending the game to watch him and John. I am so excited for him and can't express how proud I am of him for stepping out and being willing to be used. I really am praying that I will be well enough to go to the game tomorrow. Please pray that God will do a miracle and heal me by tomorrow. I trust that He knows what is wrong with me. I have found such comfort in Psalm 23. It is written on the wall in our appartment in Swedish, and everyday I find myself finding more truth in it.

Psalm 23:
"The Lord is my Shepard, I shall not be in want,
He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters ( our appartment is right on the ocean )
he restores my soul.
He guides me in the paths of righteousness, for his name sake.
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
your rod and your staff the comfort me......"

I am simply trusting that God wants me here, and in His time I will be well enough to come along side of Matt and be used. Thank you all for all of your support and love. We feel your prayers. I am thankful that I have time to update you all. I am sure things will get busier and that I the posts will be less. However, I am glad to keep you up to date on this amazing adventure that God has us on. The people here are honestly amazing! They are so sweet and caring and accepting. My favorite thing right now is that all of their Christmas stuff is still up. They love the season so much and they keep it all up until the end of January! It is awesome to see their love for Christ and how they just love the season.

Tomorrow is Matt's first game. He is a little nervous, but I know he will do amazing! Please pray for him. Pray that he doesn't get my sickness!

Much love from Sweden!

Ronnang Sweden (CET)

Hello from Sweden!

Matt and I have been so blessed in comming here. Although the trip here was hard for me (feeling ill the entire time) God has really shown us that His hand is in this all. The people here are so friendly and very excited about us being here. We have learned that we will be working with many churches over the course of our time here. The churches here no matter what denomination all work together and support each other. It is very interesting to see. We are living with a couple that have a three year old son. They have been very helpful and they are very supportive of us being here. They even told Matt that they didn't like hockey very much, but that they would attend all of his games. haha. The place we are living is beautiful and more than I could have asked for. At the moment we are staying on a pull out couch but we will be getting a bed eventually.

I am very overwhelmed with how God knows us. He knew what we would need to be comfortable, and He is just taking care of us in ways that are so unexpected and amazing. Having John here ( the other guy from Canada) for Matt is amazing. I think it will be great for Matt to be able to relate to someone and to be able to talk to him on more of a Spiritual base. Matt is honestly glowing. All I keep thinking is " this is exactly what God had planned for Matt." Much prayer is needed as non of the players on his team are believers. God has placed us in a very awesome spot. We are surrounded by believers, but also we are around people who don't know the Lord. Keep us in your prayers as we begin this awesome time. It is only day number 1, but already God is working.

Prayer Requests:

For the team. That they will be receptive to Matt and John, and that they will accept them as team members.

Matt- That he will have boldness and trust in what he knows as truth.

Please pray for me as well.. I am not feeling well even as I write this. I trust that God is in control, and that soon enough I will be feeling better.

We miss home, but we are so excited about what God has in store. I will try to post some of Matt's hockey game on here.

Thank you for all of your love, support and Prayers.

Love,

Jess and Matt