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