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Monday, February 25, 2008

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

Monday, February 18, 2008

A few pictures ...











Saturday, February 16, 2008

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

Tuesday, February 12, 2008

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!!!!!

Friday, February 8, 2008

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

Saturday, February 2, 2008

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