Life Changing Perspectives.

Dear Mom and Dad,

This letter isn’t mandatory or anything for our trip but I thought I’d write you a little something before I left. By now you’re probably at home and I’m probably flying on a big airplane on my way to Jackson, Mississippi. First of all, as you know, I’m not one to express my feelings at all very often but let me tell you that I am so excited that I’m able to be a part of this trip this year. It is most definitely a life changing experience and I’ve been so blessed to see how God’s going to use me. God’s pointing me in directions that I never thought I would ever go. He’s showing me the life He has planned and serving others is one of the biggest things I feel comfort from. I know that ever since I’ve been attending Ontario Christian I haven’t seemed to enjoy it as much as I would have liked to enjoy high school, but I just want to thank you for blessing me and having me attend school here. As much as the school lacks major high school activities and such that I have often complained about, I’ve been so blessed to have gone and go to this school. The people that you have surrounded me with are impacting my life so incredibly much and they’re causing me to seek God in so many more ways that I wouldn’t have even imagined. I’m growing through the “weaknesses” that I had toward this environment and God is opening up my eyes to the things unseen. I would have never had the urge or desire to go out and be an evangelist of Christ if I hadn’t seen the love of Christ through my peers and some of my teachers. This whole experience has truly matured and opened my eyes to the life that God is beginning to lay in front of me. I’m so excited for not only this Jackson trip but the many more trips God will bless me with in the future. God’s going to use me to change His kingdom and He’s already started. Thank you for helping me begin my adventure as an evangelist of Christ. I have such a passion to serve God’s people and to love them with the love that God has shown me. God’s calling me to be a fully-devoted disciple of Him and I’m trusting in Him always.  I’ve given my life to Him and I’m excited to see what He is going to do with me. I have the up most confidence in Him alone. Thank you for giving me the best things for me even when I don’t believe it’s the best. Thank you for all the sacrifices you’ve made to make my life the best you could make it and for being my biggest fans. God’s blessed me. I love you. Have a wonderful week. Miss you already! Thank you for sending me to Ontario Christian, it’s changed my life.

In Christ,

Just a little snippet

Just a little something I did in my spare time.

      -Trevor

Glory Be To God.

It's been a joy unspeakable.

           People keep telling me "welcome home", that this place here is my home... Asking me if I'm home yet? Or if I enjoyed my trip? But to me, this whole experience in Jackson, Mississippi has felt so much more than "home" to me. But never would I have imagined that being in a place 1,815 miles away, living under a roof with twenty people, where we get tornado warnings, and pretty much live a whole new life style would be my home; my comfort zone. The environment of true love and belief and the people surrounding has most definitely earned it's title as home in my heart. We lived like family, we acted like family, we felt like family, and we loved like family, but it was most definitely God's love that held us together. Glory be to Him. This family of devoted Christians that had been surrounding me this whole week has not only showed the love of the Lord but they have taught me valuable life changing lessons that I'll never forget and have kept me accountable for who I am as a follower of Christ in a loving way. When people say that this trip is life changing... they're not kidding. The love and hearts after Christ that surround you; you honestly just forget about the rest of your world. Everything seems to dissapear and nothing matters but the truth that we have a God who loves us, who calls us to love, and who we believe in whole heartedly. A God who loves us enough to send His only son to die for something we were intended to die for. One of the songs that really stuck out to me this trip was "How Deep The Father's Love For Us" by: Stuart Townend. It's so powerful and if you haven't heard it yet, I hope you get a chance to listen to how deep His love really is. I'm not going to write all the lyrics but I'd like to share some of the lines that have done so much more than just pop out to me.

How deep the Father's love for us, how vast beyond all measure.

Behold the Man upon a cross, my sin upon His shoulders.

It was my sin that led Him there, until it was accomplished.

His dying breath has brought me life, I know that it is finished.

I will not boast in anything.

But I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection.

But this I know with all my heart, His wounds have paid my ransom.

I really hope and pray that you'd take the time to really hear this song out. It's all so true. I will boast in Jesus Christ, His death and resurrection that has saved us and set us free from the chains of death. 
 This trip has most definitely given me a whole new definition of the word family. If you were to have looked at the team of kids who were called to go to Jackson, you would have been like... Really? Do they even know each other. Really? She doesn't even look like she would fit in with this group? How are they going to come together as a team? But guess what? This is my family and I could not ask for a better one either. No matter what we looked like, whether we hung out in the same group or whether we had a lot in common or dressed the same, didn't matter at all. And that's truely what they teach you out here in Jackson. To be a diverse family of color, location, clothes, and race is truely what God calls us to be. A family that loves no matter what's on the outside. "Love is the final fight." is something that Mr. John Perkins really reveals out in Jackson and it's so true. Just showing that love of the Lord can change a person's life and how they choose to live it. After we've loved, the rest is up to God and we all know the wonders He can do. It's insane to see these words Jackson, Mississippi and how they aren't even close to just a couple of words or just a little city on the East Coast anymore. It's so much more than that. It's taught me to love limitless and to believe in the truth of Jesus Christ because it will set us free. It's taught us to really be a community under God's love and how much that little statement really means. Jackson has taught us how to really live that lifestyle out and how important it is. It was crazy to see in the little things how much they were able to show love. Running on the streets, or sitting outside on the porch... People made it a point to honk and wave. How often do you and I ignore the people that we don't know? Well, these people certainly didn't know us and they most definitely could tell that we were different, but they showed us that love of open arms and welcoming into their community. Or how at that carnival where it was probably the first time any of these people had ever seen us but they were thanking us without even knowing what we were doing or how those little kids just wanted someone to love them and to love. We all came together as one community, as one body under God. Now, all that's left to do is live it out. Live out this life of community, love, leadership, justice, and vulnerability. To "be not afraid for He has overcome satan and evil and He is with us." To lead with prayer and to have a willingness to step out of our comfort zones. To let the Holy Spirit direct us and let it change who we are. To be accountable and keep our strength to stand up and be who we really are in Christ. To love beyond what we can imagine. To love in God and take a leap of faith. To let His power empower us. To  love in action. This trip has taught me more than you can even begin to imagine and more than I can even begin to explain, but God is truely working and moving through all of us, so be ready world, we're ready to impact you!

[Community. Love. Prayer. Vulnerability. Confession. Accountability. Vision. Humility. Hope. Belief.]

I only wish that you too could see God moving in all these people out there. Trust me, they'll change your life and leave you speechless. I can't wait to live out this life God is calling us to with no fear and no regrets. God is so good and gracious..

I believe in an endless love... I believe... I believe He loves me... And that's all I need to know.

.Love.

In Christ,

Kali Taeleifi

"And you, my child will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,"

"to shine on those living in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace."

Luke

Facetime

Dear Lord,
       Thank You for giving us a safe trip to, during, and from Jackson, Mississippi. Thank You for allowing us to be a part of the 2011 Jackson Team/Class. Thank You for providing the funds for us to go. Thank You for beginning a mighty work in us. Thank You for promising to carry that work through to completion (Philippians 1:6). Thank You for teaching us a great many things through the people and situations You have surrounded us with. Thank You for allowing us to grow close as a team and form new friendships that will last a lifetime. I pray that You would allow our lights to shine like beacons of hope in the darkness and our voices to ring out with a message of Your love. I pray that You would not allow us to become complacent and settle for second best. I pray that You would not allow us to be happy with mediocre or second rate lives. Help us to step into Your promises and fulfill the plans You have laid out for us. Please continue to help us to seek after You will all of our being. I pray You would help us to go and make disciples of ALL nations. Heavenly Father, I pray you would help us to act justly, help us to love mercy, and help us to walk humbly with You (Micah 6:8).
    We love You Lord.
     In Your name I pray,  Amen

-An avid Lover of the one true God.

Jackson, MS.

A calling that eagerly led our hearts,
    and set the rest of our world apart.
Entered into a community not known,
    together, obviously, truely God sewn.
He bestowed unto us, this neighborly love,
    that truely was sent from Heaven above.
United through the love of His son,
    united to be the body of One.
Vulnerable, weak, and broken together,
    but loved and saved by Him forever.

It's mind-blowing to see this community now known,
    to see in Christ, how much they've grown.
They fight with vision, passion, and drive,
    in Christ alone, that's how they survive.
They teach to love, and learn to be loved,
    for it was the grace of His own flesh and blood.
All these lessons learned and taught,
    but this battle of love is still to be faught.

Bringing it home...

In Christ,
-KT

Trevor

Celeste

TJ

I Asked, You Answered.

I asked to be led,
You gave me leadership.
I asked for knowledge,
You gave me experience.
I asked for change,
You made me new.
I asked for fun,
You gave me joy.
I asked for help,
You gave me justice.
I asked for hope,
You gave me faith.
I asked for compassion,
You gave me love.
I asked for confidence,
You gave me hummility.
I asked to serve,
     . . . Jackson

-Trevor Wolnisty

Beautifully Broken

The Delta is the most fertile region in all of Mississippi. It's rich farm lands leave the area lush and green. Coming up to the church we worked on I was taken by surprise at what I saw. The church was smaller than my house, no running water in the kitchen, torn up carpet, no cleaning supplies, dust everywhere, leaking roofs, and spiders in almost every corner. My first reaction was this is going to be a challenge, and I am not sure if it is even possible to fix this place at all. The church seemed unfixable, beaten down, abandoned, broken. As I started to scrub the kitchen I began to see the stove turn from a nasty yellow-brown to white again. All though it did not look pprofessionally done as we departed from the church, I started to see a sort of beauty amidst all the destruction. God was using that church in some way, some how to reach people. The congregation experiences the King in that beat up little church in the Mississippi Delta. God is using the broken to build up beauty.

I am that church. I was broken, beaten, beyond repair. Then something happened that I was, and still am, so undeserving of. God saw beauty in me. He chose me. He cleaned me. He empowered me. God is in the business of finding broken people and using them to bring Him glory. When He takes control, things start to grow and magnificent things begin to happen in the most unimaginable ways. I am reminded that God's kingdom is not a place for perfect people. It is a place for the redeemed and the justified. It is a place where the lost are given hope and where only by the blood of the Lamb are lives transformed. The church Wednesday showed me a glimpse of God's bigness and incomparable mercy and compassion He has for the broken hearted. The Kingdom of God is full of beauty amidst the broken. We are a redeemed generation. A chosen people, that the King has invited to bring Heaven to earth, so that He may be glorified. The Creator is building up His Kingdom here on earth through His royal priesthood. He is pulling people out of their brokenness, breaking their chains, and setting them free. God is mighty to save.

This is life changing.
This is good news.



-Hailie

Monday. Workday.

Video Blogging - Kali

My Blind Side

To say that my trip to Jackson, Mississippi has been a different experience for me would be an understatement. I come from a family with a very global perspective. My dad travels globally regularly for his job and has been to every major city I can think of. My sister, mother and I have been to our fair share of cool places as well because of the greatness that is frequent flyer miles. We as a family like to read up on as well as discuss current events.

I find myself extremely angered about the injustice that is happening in Africa with the LRA and my heart breaks for all of the numerous injustices happening in China. Sex trafficking throughout the world makes me sick and I always find myself wearing a "YouMe" shirt to the gym. So why then am I so ignorant to the struggles in the urban communities around me?

On Saturday we worked the carnival to send the kids that come to the Spencer Perkins Center in Jackson to New York for a week. The whole importance of this trip is to take some kids from Jackson to a place that they may have never been able to see just because of their lack of opportunities. When reading and listening to John Perkins he talks so much of how the urban community struggles with crime, drugs and sex and he believes this reason is because people around them don't expect much from them. The Spencer Perkins Center is changing the expectations for the kids in this community. All of the kids that want to go to New York must be on Honor Roll and they must be displaying respectful behavior. I, being the "whiter than white" girl as Dr. Perkins would refer to me, can come to Jackson, work the bouncer at the carnival and do some yard work around the house, but is this going to change and inspire the community of Jackson? No, but that is what the Perkins center is doing here. They are using community to change the community, and it has been eye opening to see that at work.

-Lauren Jacobs

Community

The carnival on saturday was the perfect example of community. First off for me, it was an opportunity to practice patience. From working with a bunch of kids at once to handling an icy machine, patience was the one thing that I was challenged with today. Through this challenge it was great to have my team members around me and working side by side the benefit the people of Jackson. There is something about this community that is indescribable. The slower pace life style also has given me time to reflect on the importance of working together. That is what JP is all about. This has made me think, what if our school, nation and world was aware of the need for community? As I continue through the week I am hoping to look for ways to bring that same community back to our school to eventually bring change.

- Joi Payton

Our First 2 Days.

I've Got the Resurrection in Me

Lord I know you might be angry but please Father hear me out
I pray that you would hold your wrath Father, please God don't shout
Lord I need to talk to you, I promise you that this time I won't cry
I come to you right now to ask you this one question...why?
Why Lord can't I get over this one sin that I've been struggling with for years
Lord this one sin has brought me too much grief, too many tears
And why Lord does it seem that I cannot stop this habit? God I'm so weak
But in your Word it says those that will inherit the earth will be meek
But I don't know Lord I'm lost I'm confused I'm consumed by this plague
My guesses for why I can't stop are so ignorant and so vague
I need help Lord, I need you to break me free
The Devil is blinding me Lord I need you to help me see
I can't walk in darkness and expect myself not to stumble
I come to you for three things make me wise and keep me humble
The third is to turn this weakness into a strength, please turn this around
Please Father order my steps, place my feet on solid ground
Because right now my feet are sinking in sinful quicksand
I'm neck deep stretching out looking for a helpful hand
And Lord I can see you on the edge reaching out trying to lend me help
But at this point the sand at my mouth you can't hear me scream or yelp
But I can hear you say "You believe in my son you've accepted Him into your heart,
you think that is it, but you're forgetting another part
My ears haven't sunk yet Lord, so I know I can still hear you
I look upon you speaking and Lord I still fear you
But I'm sinking Lord, I'm terrified, my anxiety has reached an all time height
My eyes aren't covered yet so I can see you speaking what a glorious sight
You keep talking to me in spite of my trial of pain and strife
You open your mouth and say "You must be like my son and sacrifice your life"
And I think to myself Lord you want me to kill myself you want to bring me death
I can see you shaking your head with a sigh and then you take a deep breath
And then you say "Do not kill yourself but sacrifice the life of your past,
When you accept my son the old life should be gone it shouldn't last,
My son came to this earth so that you might have life and that much more
You just don't know that I have many blessing for you waiting in store"
And then you reach down and instead of taking my hand to pull me out you place your fingers on my head
And then I have a vision of a mother holding the body of her grown son who is dead
The son's back has been brutally whipped, the flesh is completely torn you can almost see the bone
The mother weeps bitterly with her son's blood on her clothes, I can hear her groan
And behind them I see a cross with a plaque on top labeled that reads "Jesus of Nazareth King of the Jews"
I look at the sons body and notice some bruises with a mixture of colors, some reds and some blues
And then I see the son has enormous holes in his hands and his feet
Followed by a gaping hole in his side that trails blood, truly this wasn't discreet
And then slowly the son's face was revealed and what I saw was so bloody and gory
Who in the world would make this up? This is not a fictional story
I saw the son's head covered in thorns that resembled a crown
And from his scalp dripped deep red tears that sorely fell down
And when I saw this I thought to myself who could do such a thing to another person, another human being
And Lord this is your son Jesus, I know what I am seeing
I saw the torment that was inflicted upon the body of the son and tears from the mother would not cease
But the one thing that I cant forget is that the emotion that was left on his face was not anguish but peace
And then you pull back your hand from my head and the vision is gone and I'm still here in the sand sinking
My mind at the moment is paralyzed by the vision I don't know what I am thinking
At this moment my whole body is practically buried, my hand is the only thing out of the sand that sticks up
And then I say in my mind "Lord I sacrifice my old life and devote a new one unto you" and then my body picks up
You lift me out of the quicksand and place me before you
And before you say anything I drop on my knees and say Lord I adore you
You say "Just as my son was sacrificed and resurrected and accepted by some of this world and even you,
I accept your sacrifice of your life of old and resurrect you as new.
For you all each have your problems, your individual struggles, your own cross to bear
You've made mistakes, you've sinned, but I can see your heart, you care
Just as the third day of my sons death the stone was cast down and rolled away
I shall cast down your old life and make a new way
For in you I see a resurrection of truth, a resurrection of your spirit
You are a servant of mine because I spoke the Word and you chose to hear it
So get off your knees my servant there's no need to feel guilt or sorrow
You will wake up and you will be different you will be new tomorrow
And as I stood before you I saw your hand being stretched out toward me and on your hand was the word grace
And then at that moment my eyes closed and when they opened I was lying in bed with tears streaming down my face
And as I lied there in astonishment with the fact that answered my question why
I smile and laugh to myself and say "Lord I said I wasn't going to cry"
But I realize that what you did for me on that day was an astounding cost, an incredible price
And if you gave up your life for me than I should be able to do the same so I stretch out my arms and I sacrifice
And Lord I can feel your spirit in this place, the whole room, every section
My old life has past, it is dead an here comes the resurrection


-Andre Newman

The First Few Days

Its day 3 here in Jackson, MS. After our first service project helping at the carinval put on by John Perkins, today is Easter Sunday. We went to the serivce at New Horizon Church in Jackson. This was the first church I have been to that was an all black church. The gospel music and dancing was really amazing. If you have never experienced that kind of worship and teaching you really should. The service was a little under 3 hours long but I never really noticd because how everyone was into the message and you could feel the Holy Spirit. The Lord is truely at work here Mississippi and it is really cool to see. It is also interesting to see a new type of culture and getting to meet new people. I have learned so much already about where we are and the history behind it. I'm excited to contiue to serve here and learn more about this amazing state.

God Bless, Jordan Olson

Community

Well, it's the third day out here in Jackson, Mississippi and it's already been such an inspiring and life changing experince... And we have a whole five days left! It's so exciting and I can't wait to just live these next few days to the fullest! I've already seen God moving so much in everything these days and it's truely breathe taking, words can't even describe the feelings that I've gotten just from these past three days. God's truely changing the lives of myself and the people around me. This community that they've developed out here is so incredible! These people have just met us and they treat us like family, our "accent" doesn't matter, where we're from doesn't matter, color doesn't matter, clothes don't matter... the only thing that matters is that God is our Father and that we believe that truth with all of our heart! This foundation itself is just an inspiration to love. Our house has collages all over the walls of different teams that have come out here and just been impacted by this foundation and it's crazy to think of all the things they've made that we've been able to se around the foundation like the gardens, playgrounds, and just buildings around the area that they've built or helped build and to think of how much those things are impacting the people who get to use or see them and how much it impacted the people who built them. I guess for me it's just somthing to think about how. How doing the little things or big things in life impact so many people. How this community is building more and more each day and how there is so much love in the whole area not only in the people but the objects around the foundation. It's so cool. God's working out here and it's such a blessing to just be out here together with all of my brothers and sisters in Christ.

-Kali

Good Friday Reflection

Can't even imagine myself in your position.
All the things you've gone through and all your oppostion.
How much you sacrificed and gave up for us.
We could grasp on to something to hold..something to trust.
With the pain you went through, the tears and the pain.
You endured it all and took the blame.
And because of your blood you saved us all.
It's our turn now to live out your love and stand tall.
We'll remember this day always and forever.
The day you laid down your life..just so we could spend eternity together.

On Friday for devotions we went over how Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and how he was praying to God. The first time he asked God if that there could be a way that this weight (dying on the cross) could be taken off him; a bit later he said, not my will but your will be done. Following this discussion Hailie had read us about what it would've been like to be on the cross..all of the physical effects of being on the cross. All of the suffering and pain that God went through was to save us. Although we deserve nothing.. God placed his son on the cross to reedem us of our sin.

When we went through this discussion I thought of how I've been taking God's grace, mercy, and love for granted; how I do not thank him enough for what he's done for me. This discussion challenged me to have a desire to seek out his people and his kingdom for the better.. to love your neighbor as yourself. I'm looking forward to growing closer to him in this experience/trip and growing closer to everyone here!

-Celeste Melim

It's Friday. Friday.

Rest assured. We have arrived in Jackson. But not after a few fun times. One thing we learned today is to never play extreme spoons in the airport...I guess it scares people when they see a bunch of high schoolers diving under chairs. Oops. Also, the word "bomb" should never be spoken aloud. Especially when everybody gets quiet for a moment. Cough. Cough. Jordan. It was pleasant arriving at Jackson during the daytime. We had no trouble finding our way to the Perkins Center...even with these crazy drivers. We have explored the art of competive gaming early on. Girls barely beat the boys in an intense game of Catch Phrase. Actually Chad, the girls killed you guys....sorta. Anyways, the wall is already filled with quotable quotes and notable notes. Each student designed their own personal envelope to share encouragement with each other throughout the week.

Already, the house is filled with lots of laughter and good discussion.
We enjoyed dinner with JP and took a tour of the center. We enjoyed hanging out with JP and playing basketball with foundation workers. We are also excited about an Easter carnival tomorrow at the Perkins Center, where we will get to fellowship with children from the community as we celebrate Christ's resurrection. Please pray for this event to go smoothly as they are expecting 1,000 attendents.

Today is Good Friday. Tonight, Hailie and I did a devotion on Christ's suffering on this day over 2,000 years ago. The team reflected on the physical suffering of Jesus and the depth of his sacrifice. As leaders, it was incredible to see God working through this group of students. We are not only teaching them, but learning from them as well. We have seen the beauty of God's diverse creation coming together under the cross and we are blessed. As a symbol of community and coming together as one, we annointed each group member. First, we annointed the ear, for the things that they will hear this week. Next, we annointed the thumb, for how we will serve. And last, we annointed the big toe, for where God will lead us. We are beyond excited about how we feel the Holy Spirit is moving and is present on this trip. Thank you for the continued prayers and support.

In Christ,
Chad and Hailie

We made it to Dallas! Played a little ninja in the airport and waiting for our next flight. Jackson here we come!