Luke 1

²⁶In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, ²⁷to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary. ²⁸The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."

²⁹Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. ³⁰But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God.³¹You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.³²He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, ³³and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end."

³⁴"How will this be," Mary asked the angel, "since I am a virgin?"

³⁵The angel answered, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called^{c]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">[c]} the Son of God. ³⁶Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. ³⁷For nothing is impossible with God."

³⁸"I am the Lord's servant," Mary answered. "May it be to me as you have said." Then the angel left her.

I've been thinking a lot about Mary lately. The Bible doesn't give a lot of commentary on what was going through her mind, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say she was more than a little freaked out. I'm playing Mary in our church's Christmas production called The Twelve Voices of Christmas. Mary is the voice of wonder, and as I read more about her, I have to say I agree with the assessment. Having never been pregnant, I can't understand all of it, but what I do get makes me admire her all the more. I like that she didn't protest, just wondered at the mechanics of it and then said "Okay, God, I trust that you know what you're doing."

Kinda puts things in perspective...

I've been on an internet fast.

Before you praise/chastise me, know this: it wasn't entirely by choice. The internet at the house was down, and I decided to see if it was possible to live without the world wide web. Surprisingly, it is, but I'm not going to tell you it was easy. I can't tell you how many times I went to Google something only to remember I couldn't.

Quite a bit has happened over the last month. As a result of a meeting with Global Ministries staff and two fellow missionaries in early November, I have created an Advocacy/Support/Friend group comprised of six people, each of whom has played a role along the journey to this point. They are all good at giving me their opinions and advice and ideas, and though we haven't really decided what this will mean in the long run, they are all incredibly supportive.

I spoke at two different churches this month. On November 8, I was at Victory Chapel in Liberty Center, OH and on November 15, I was at Stryker UB in Stryker, OH. It was nice to be back in my home state, and especially lovely to speak with several people I've known since I was much younger.

I am pleased to report that as a result of some very generous donations, I have reached 50% of my needed support. In July 2010, I will be able to attend CROSS-Training at OMS - three weeks of field prep and seminars. I'm praying that I will be ready to move into the compound at Greenwood soon after, and begin traveling.

I am excited to see what the next year brings. I pray that when the time comes, I am ready.

Shalom.

I Timothy 1

¹²I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. ¹³Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. ¹⁴The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

¹⁵Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. ¹⁶But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. ¹⁷Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

Come Quickly, Lord

Revelation 21

The New Jerusalem

¹ Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

² I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.

³ And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.

⁵ He who was seated on the throne said, I am making everything new! Then he said, Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.

⁶ He said to me: It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life.

⁷ He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

1Now of the things of which we have spoken, this is the sum: We have such a High Priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens,
2a minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched and not man.
3For every high priest is ordained to offer gifts and sacrifices; therefore it is of necessity that this Man have something also to offer.
4For if He were on earth, He should not be a priest, seeing that there are priests who offer gifts according to the law,
5and who serve unto the copy and shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished by God when he was about to make the tabernacle. For,"See," saith He, "that thou make all things according to the pattern shown to thee on the mount."
6But now hath He obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
7For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
8For finding fault with them, He saith, "Behold, the days come," saith the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah--
9not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, because they continued not in My covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord.
10For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord: I will put My laws into their minds and write them in their hearts, and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to Me a people.
11And they shall not teach every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, `Know the Lord,' for all shall know Me, from the least to the greatest.
12For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more."
13In that He saith "a new covenant," He hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away. (Hebrews 8, 21st Century King James Version)

17-18God is love. When we take up permanent residence in a life of love, we live in God and God lives in us. This way, love has the run of the house, becomes at home and mature in us, so that we're free of worry on Judgment Day—our standing in the world is identical with Christ's. There is no room in love for fear. Well-formed love banishes fear. Since fear is crippling, a fearful life—fear of death, fear of judgment—is one not yet fully formed in love. (1 John 4:18, The Message)

Once upon a time, in a kingdom far, far away, there lived an absent-minded young lady. She had a good heart, but her brain was often lost in that magical land of the library, which meant she had very little time for anything constructive. One day, her father the king said to the moderately attractive young lady, "You should really do something besides sit around and read."

Unfortunately, the also-moderately-deaf young lady had just reached the good part in her book.

The end.

DVD's are done! If you'd like one, or your church would, please let me know.

If I were any more relaxed, I'd be in dreamland

I'm listening to very mellow music right now, so blame that if I occasionally get maudlin or space out. Not that you would be able to tell the latter. I usually start rambling if that happens, and I don't think it would be that obvi...

Never mind.

It's been a somewhat eventful week for me. I spoke last Sunday at Monroe UB, which was a lovely experience. They have very nice people, and I felt so welcome! Thanks, Tina, for being awesome and letting me pick on you. :)

I've been taking on more responsibilities at work, which is both a blessing, because it means more hours, but also slightly nerve-wracking because there is more of which to keep track. (Sometimes I wish I weren't so focused on grammar. Things sound better when you aren't worried about prepositions and capitalization. And I'm doing it again.) I really enjoy the people I work with, and the people who come in always have good stories.

Ooo...my parents have a fire going in our fireplace, and I can smell it outside. (I'm in my room upstairs, but the window is open. Actually, it kind of smells like they are burning the house down. Should I be worried?)

I've been told that the DVD's of the historical presentation from Conference are 50% completed. They've been formatted, but now they need to be multiplied. Stay tuned for news on how to get those.

I got really wound up on Thursday/Friday, so my father took me out to lunch and we had a chat about life, the universe, and everything. (Hence the mellow/rambly/spaced-out-ness now.) Aren't fathers wonderful?

Okay, I think that's it. Be sure to check the links for missionary updates. Neal and Carol Brinneman have also sent out an update about their work with JAARS. Let me know if you'd like to be on their e-mail list.

If you'd like to know what I was listening to, here you go:

Parce Mihi Domine - Jan Garbarek & The Hilliard Ensemble - Officium

Kyrie (from Mass for Double Chorus) - Robert Shaw - A Capella

Brilliant

I know. Believe me, if there were something to write about, I would be all over it.

My parents are in Alaska this week for their anniversary, which leaves me to take care of the homestead by myself. I've done my best to fill it with people, but despite my efforts, I'm home alone, watching TV Land most nights. Either that, or writing chapters for my book.

Oh yeah. I'm writing a book. It's about the Crusades and how perceptions have changed over the years. It's mostly a historical survey, with some theology and hopefully pointed commentary on the current desire to ignore or downplay this period in history. No idea when I'll be ready to publish it.

Work is going well. I've been given more responsibilities lately, and we're trying to get ready for Christmas (ugh!), so I've been kept relatively busy with that.

There have been a couple of health concerns recently. I've been hesitant about getting them checked out, mostly because I don't want to know. If it continues, though, I'm thinking I won't have a choice.

New link is up for the Hendrick's blog. They are in Spain, and have been going through some difficulties lately, so they'd appreciate a word of encouragement, I'm sure.

I'll leave you with this sentiment from Paul to Philemon.

"I always thank my God as I remember you in my prayers, because I hear about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints. I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ. Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints."

Pay no attention to the time stamp

The China team arrived safely Sunday after a successful, and only mildly bumpy, trip. I and several others were at the Ft. Wayne airport to welcome the majority of our weary travelers home. It's nice having my mother back - I actually eat real food. :)

THANK YOU to everyone for your prayers lately. I have managed to acquire two very important pieces of equipment in the past week, which has been an incredible blessing. The project for this week is to get in touch with Operation Mobilization (OM) and see what they recommend for the other equipment I will need. This will all lead to a future project - figuring out how to get everything into and out of each country.

One logical impossibility at a time.

On a more personal level, things seem to be going well. I meet new and interesting people every day at work, and I even had time last weekend to attend my five-year high school reunion. It was nice to catch up on everyone's lives.

***Other Updates***

After a much-needed vacay, Wes and Jean Bell are back on the field. There are still some health concerns, but they are looking forward to the new school year.

The Hendricks are also back in Spain after their trip to the U.S. in June. Please continue to pray for their family and the new church plant.

Tomorrow, at Corunna UB, I will be showing the movie shown at US National Conference on missions night about the history of UB Missions. Church is at 10:15, directions are to the right on your screen. 

For those who requested DVD's of the occasion - they will be available shortly from Global Ministries. I can't give you an exact date because anyone who would know is in China. But if you need a copy absolutely right now, let me know, and I can have one made.

Upcoming events:

August 23 - I will be speaking at the Monroe UB Church. Again, see -->.

Check out the link for the China blog on the UB website. They will be returning in another week.

Also, as I hear from other missionaries, I'll be posting updates and links. Check back frequently to get the scoop.

Is my quirk showing?

Couple of things:

Keep in mind the team in China. My mother is leaving with sixteen others tomorrow for two weeks. There are already about 15 people there. They will be teaching Chinese English teachers how to teach conversational English.

Owen Gordon sent out the update for Jamaica Bible College. Keep them in your prayers, especially that scholarships will be available for their students.

This past week, I sent out an e-mail to the current UB full-support/endorsed/candidate staff people in their various fields. I've heard from several, and will keep you updated on their status. Please encourage the missionaries you support to put me on their lists - I'd like to keep everyone connected. 

Also - I am currently available for speaking engagements. This will not be the case for long. My appointment book is rapidly filling. I guarantee an interesting time will be had by all.

P.S. You are allowed to comment. In fact, it's encouraged. I do like to know that I'm being monitored by more people than the U.S. Government.

It takes a long time to say anything in Old Entish. And we never say anything unless it is worth taking a long time to say.

When I was in sixth grade, I wrote a short little note to a new girl in my class, at the behest of my friends, explaining to her why it was a terrible idea to be friends with another girl in the class. 

Needless to say, I got into a bit of trouble for that incident, and to top it all off, it didn't work. I didn't understand it then - the girl about whom the note was written was in fact constantly in trouble, and I was trying, the only way I knew how, to save the new girl from a lifetime of difficulties. What's so bad about that?

Legally, of course, the answer is called slander, or defamation of character. Morally, it's a severe violation of the Golden Rule. Logically, we should have stayed out of it altogether. But what twelve-year-old thinks logically?

What's my point? The title of this blog really says it all. It's a quote from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers by a character named Treebeard, who is a tree-herder, and caretaker of the old forests. He later says in the book that he is older than the elves (who are immortal) and that he will live long past the point that the current troubles have any bearing on the world. You knew right then that if Treebeard said something, it would be profound, and it would bring great change. 

Words are powerful. Whether we speak them, sing them or write them, they cannot be taken back. When I was the editor of my school paper, I spent three months on a story - working with the writer, the parties involved, my advisor, and my staff - because a) it was controversial, and b) I wanted it to make people think. 

That is my first goal with this ministry. As time passes, and I meet more and more people, I am given greater and greater vision for this position. I can do a great deal, I believe, but my primary goal is to make people think about the Kingdom and their place in it. 

Our time here is short, but what we do now will have meaning for eternity.

Think about it.

Looking Back, Looking Ahead

I'm going to try something different today - I'm going to actually write the post before I figure out a title. 

It's taken some time, but I think I am fully recovered from the US National Conference for the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. From June 3 to June 7, I and more than 800 other UB's gathered at Sawmill Creek in Sandusky, Ohio for a few days of business, worship, and the all-important task of electing a new bishop. This was my second full conference I attended, but the first where I actually got to take a small part in the proceedings.

Of course, the highlight of the Conference for me was Saturday night, which was dedicated to missions. I was finally able to show people what I've been working on for the past few months. I have to admit - I was so nervous I couldn't watch it with everyone else. Aside from a few technical glitches, I think it went well, judging by the number of people who have requested the presentation on DVD. Speaking of which, we're still working on that. I, and everyone else in the office, use a Mac, and since the project was originally created in PowerPoint, we're having some issues getting it to save properly as a movie. I'm hoping, though, that this will be accomplished relatively soon.

The theme for the night was Looking Back, Looking Ahead. (I think I just found my title.) Jeff Bleijerveld, Director of Global Ministries, illustrated the problems inherent in trying to impose former ideas about missions onto the world we live in today. It's an important point - a hundred years ago, even fifty years ago, I don't think the idea of a missionary journalist would have gotten very far. (In my opinion, it would have been even more important back then, but that may just be me.) In this technological age, it's so easy to send off a quick e-mail or text and call that communication. I believe, though, in a more personal level of communication. The problem is that it's much more time-consuming than we like. 

Anyway, I'm getting off track. Jeff's theme also works as a theme for my life recently. When Queen Elizabeth I was nearing the end of her life, she finally chose a successor. She had no children, but her closest relative was James the Sixth of Scotland. He would ultimately become James I of England. Before Elizabeth died, though, there was some difficulty in the court. It was important to stay in Elizabeth's good graces so she didn't kill you before she died. At the same time, it was also important to start making nice with the man who would be King when she was gone. It was a delicate balance that all too often didn't succeed quite as well as some hoped. 

That's been my life for the past few months. Incredible as it may seem, there are actually a lot of things to take care of before you embark on something like this. College debts to settle, equipment to buy, things to pack, paperwork to sign - it's an exhausting process. At the same time, you have to take care of the day-to-day things like your job (so you can pay off those debts and buy food). At the same time, you also have to be thinking about the future, and how it's going to happen. I've been seriously lax in sending updates to supporters, which is partly why I created this blog. However, no one knows about it yet because I haven't sent out an update. I've also been lax in writing support letters and getting in contact with grant agencies. This has made it much more difficult to plan for the future because support has been coming in very slowly. Throw in the project for Global Ministries (about 400 hours), and yes, I've been quite busy, thanks, how are you?

Now that I have more time, the plan is to dive right in to raising support. I still have to work, of course, but once I get the movie situation sorted out, I'll be relatively free. 

And that's my life right now. I would appreciate your prayers. I made quite a few connections at Conference, and I'm hoping they come to fruition.

Because His love compels me,

Jessica

The Land of the Canucks

I was in Canada this last weekend with my mother, attending the mid-year Conference in Port Colborne. Canada is one of my favorite places, not because everyone says 'eh' (which they don't - though I noticed some people say it more often than others), but because Canadians have no problem telling it like it is.

I met some very wonderful people, and got back in touch with others. I was able to make a contact with Operation Mobilization, which could send me to the UK in the near future. I'm hoping that comes to fruition.

National Conference starts tomorrow for the behind-the-scenes people. I'm looking forward to it, yet dreading it at the same time. There are a lot of positive things the UB Church could do in the future, but it could also stagnate. I'm hoping people make the right choices this weekend.

Pray for Global Ministries on Saturday, and for me especially as we debut the historical presentation.

Not Really a Post

As the title says, this isn't really a post, just a comment. If you'll notice on the right, there are a number of links to various websites where you can find me or things related to me. Judging by the number of sites listed, it's amazing I have any time to do anything else but update people on my life. That being said, please forgive me if posts are a) redundant, or b) sometimes delayed. I promise, if anything interesting happens, you'll be the first to know.

Nao, lovely to hear from you. We really should hang out sometime.

RE: My First Trip

I don't know. Global Ministries requires 100% funding before a missionary can begin her assignment. I'm currently at 18%. As for a timeline, I hope to get started before October.

Commencement

I titled this 'Commencement' not because I have reached the summit of my educational career (I have not yet begun to fight!), but because this is the beginning of what I hope will be a beautiful friendship. In this, my inaugural post, I hope to give you an idea of who I am and what I will be doing. 

My name is Jessica Hollopeter. I am the daughter of Jason and Donna Hollopeter. My father is a pastor in Corunna, Indiana, and my mother is the Associate Director of Global Ministries in Huntington, Indiana. I was born in Toledo, Ohio and moved to Huntington when I was eight. I accepted Christ when I was four, and fully committed to Him the summer before eighth grade. 

Last October, I was accepted as a Sojourn Missionary by Global Ministries, in partnership with OMS International. My position is Missionary Journalist. I will travel to GM and OMS fields in more than 40 countries four to six times a year, for six weeks at a time, interviewing missionaries and nationals about the work God has been doing through them. 

This is an incredible opportunity. One of my professors once asked me what I would do if I had a magic wand. I told him I would read, write and travel. Turns out, I get to do all three for the Kingdom (I'll read on the plane), which just makes it that much greater. 

That's the bare bones about me and my job. I'll update this as often as I can with information on what I'm working on and how support is going. Thanks for reading!