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Wednesday, March 26, 2008

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!

Thursday, March 20, 2008

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

Monday, March 17, 2008

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


Wednesday, March 12, 2008

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

Monday, March 10, 2008

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

Tuesday, March 4, 2008

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

Saturday, March 1, 2008

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