New York, New Me!

HEY!

It's Saturday y'all! I am so excited to see what is ahead for this next week. Yesterday was my first day at my job, well NY Office, and I LOVE it! I love my new boss and I know full well that God has brought me here for a reason!

I guess I have decided to blog for the main reason of filling in my family and friends on my life, but more than that, I believe I will be writing and speaking to many people very soon! I believe God has brought me to this city not only to be a light in the darkness but to be a voice in the midst of noise. I want more than to just walk to work and carry on with my own life, but to be engaged with the people I am surrounded by. I don't know what will be next or what is to come but I do see a light at the end of the tunnel.

This morning I met a friend at breakfast who is a few years older than me and she opened my eyes to a few reasons why God might have brought me here. I found them encouraging and wanted to share them with you for the few who relate in this "new season" perception of living:

1. "He separates you to sanctify you"
God has brought me here to be thankful for what I have but to help me realize that HE is all I truly need.
2. "He brought me here to teach me the basics"
My life has always been speed mode and trying to find my own way no matter what that looked like. In the process I didn't learn the basics of being a woman of God and learning to be pursued and loved and not always having to lead. This is just one of the many.
3. "The life I left behind was only shaping me for the life I will have"
I don't know or fully understand this one in my own life, but I know that I will in the next few months.

These were powerful messages that I believe the Lord sent to me to send to you as well. As I grow and learn the extent of my journey here in New York, I pray you seek and find the extent of your journey no matter where that might be.

"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised." 

Hebrews 10:35-36

<3 and Blessings

Reflecting, Renewing, Restarting

Hello All!

Well, I made it! I am currently sitting in Starbucks in Manhattan and really just in awe of how I got here and all the amazing things I have learned through this past summer!

God has taken me and changed, sanctified, and rescued me in so many ways and I know that these will continue to be the case for the rest of my life. God has shown me that it's okay to change and it's okay to let His will be done because it really is ALL  for my perfect good! 

I sit here and write to those in the middle of a transition stage or beginning one, those who are going through a particular difficult time and even those who just feel that Lord is about to do something amazing in your life. I have been given a calling to write and tell all who will listen about the Glorious and powerful works of Christ Jesus and how He Alone really is enough; so this is what I am doing :) 

"The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me because the Lord 

has anointed me to preach good news..." 

Isaiah 61:1

Reflecting: 

As I look back at the last few months, I am honestly overwhelmed with hope, joy, and amazement. Where I was six months ago can't compare to where the Lord has brought me. I have been healed and rescued by the blood of the Lamb and am for once in my life solely and dependent on my Husband, Jesus Christ. There is nothing I want more than to wake up to serve Him and go to bed thinking of Him. I have grown as a woman of God and as a woman in general. I have made friends and even let go of some, I have been out of the country and experience life in another culture as well as been to another state and experienced a different life of Americans. There is nothing I have done that has not taught me something and there are plenty of mistakes I have made that have shown me the path of living and learning through Christ's eyes. 

Renewing:

I sit here now looking at the faces that pass by on the sidewalk and look at the line that goes out the door with people who either are visiting or getting coffee on their break. Its just crazy that through all of this I see people, I see hearts, and I see God more clearly than ever before. I see my calling as a daughter of Christ and I see that there are many points in my life when God was slowly opening my eyes to see what I now see. 

This is where I take a break and stop talking about myself and encourage you. I know most of you who read this and some I don't, whoever you are I know that if you have read this far you must know that God is your Savior, or do you need a reminder? God has called you and is leading you everyday to serve Him. An encouraging word...

"You are each in the palm of my hand and you have been brought to where you are for this season in your life for the purpose of growing, maturing, and exemplifying my name. You are the fruit of my Kingdom and I have a plan for each of you. I give you the courage to go, the faith to believe, and the hope for tomorrow. I will show you the way and more than this, I am the way. So hold onto me and know that when you are in my hands, no one can take you away. Come near to me and I will come near to you. There are beautiful days ahead and for those of you struggling, I give you my joy to rest on today and always. There is beauty in the change and there is courage in the fight. So don't give up and do not grow weary for there are too many days ahead where your voice is need to uplift another, your body is needed to serve a brother or sister in need, and your mind is needed for the growing and uplifting of my body." 

Restarting: 

I am in New York City, a place where many people live but few people find true life. So I have been given a mission to go and speak and build up. I have no idea what this looks like nor do I even know how long I will be here; what I do know is that God has me. As I sometimes get asked these questions and respond in this way some may find it as crazy but then there is a hope in these words that even non-believers find comforting. I don't have all the answers but I do have a book to lead me in truth and hope, I have a heart that is filled with the Holy Spirit, and I have the faith to keep going even when all the other doesn't seem to fill. 

This is my first post for this new season, new journey, and new beginning. I am ready for what God has for me. I ended my journey in Denton with a dinner at Chuy's with some amazing friends. This is for each of you: You all are my light and my joy. You have given me the hope to know that I CAN do all things through Christ who gives me strength and as my phone continues to go off with text of encouragement, there is nothing I want greater than for the Lord to bless you all ten-fold for your hearts of love and adoration for Him and for me. I will be seeing you all very soon...

I am left with nothing more than gratitude and joy. Thank you all for loving me and praying for me and please if anyone is interested in contacting me feel free!

jessicapittman11@gmail.com

Blessings to you!

Looking Back to Look Forward

Hello All,

Well as I sit in my best friends living room and soak in so many memories, as most might know, it calls me to write!

There are times in your life when you wonder if this will be a moment you remember for the rest of your life, and I have to say, yes! God has given me the grace to let go, the faith to hang on, and the strength to keep going! There are moments in all of our lives when you can't see in front of you so you try and look back to remember so you might can "guess" what God is going to do next; am I right? Although this might be dangerous, it can also be a renewing of the mind to remember God's most beautiful attributes in your own life! 

As I look back I realize that God has provided, loved, adored, conquered, strengthened, and changed for me and to me through it all! It has been a journey, a fight, a race, and a challenge. There are days when I look back and remember I thought I couldn't have made it past that day, and now look where I am at! God is beautiful and amazing and also gentle! He knows are deepest needs even if we don't even know what those needs might be!

So yes, I ramble on and on to get to the point of this blog! God gave me Israel to define in my life the closing of chapter, and the beginning of another. I have looked back to realize the woman I am now is because of all those memories and I look forward to thank God for the amazing promises He is about to fulfill! He gives us a battle to prove that He always wins the fight!

I look back on High School, College, Israel, and the many moments when God has swept in and rescued me and I look forward as I say goodbye to friends for New York and thank God that He is sweeping me up once more into His arms for the next journey of my life.

I can't wait to see what God has in store for the next chapter, but I also mourn the ending of this one. I love each and every one of my friends here in Denton and I know God gave me each one of them to show me how to love, how to lead, and how to open up! I will cherish each memory and hold it in my heart to tell my future friends, family, and church!

So I encourage you all today to look back ONLY if it will help you look forward!

Blessings

<3

Amazing Love from Israel

Hello All,

Yes, its the next day and I get to blog! Unfortunately I don't have any pictures again, but I still wanted to write to fill those in on my amazing day!

Today was not jam packed with crazy hiking or site seeing, but it was an amazing day! We arrived in Tel Aviv today where we visited first the border of the Gaza Strip, for those who don't know this area is highly dangerous. In 2009 over 10,000 rockets flew into the border town of Israel to Gaza. Last year the number dropped to 350 but still claiming lives. Tactics have been taken now like the bomb shelter playground we visited. Can you imagine, sending your children to a playground in doors is the only way you know your child is safe? It really is quite astonishing to think that this is how these children grow up, in fear of the next rocket hitting them.

We then traveled to a Medical Center right outside Tel Aviv in Holon where there is an amazing program called "Save a Child's Heart." This program is a gift FROM ISRAEL to the ARAB COUNTRIES WITH 43 OTHER COUTRIES. This program provides medical heart surgery and needs to children who cannot get it in other countries. This is beautiful and amazing. It proves that through the eyes of a child, all men become equal.

I do hope as you read my blogs you feel that I am beginning to love this country more deeply than I ever thought possible. God has claimed this land for His people and His people will be protected no matter the schemes of man or the enemy try to prevail. I have lived my life under the skies of Texas and in no time in my childhood did I have to run to a bomb shelter in 15 seconds to be safe. In no days of my youth was I worried about the day I graduated high school and was immediatelly sent to fight two hours away from my home for my country. This is a reality for the people of Israel. It needs to wake us up from the fantasy world we think we live in and become aware of the world that is coming.

So I urge you tonight to look into you heart and see what you would do if all you had was 15 seconds? I thought about this long and hard as I sat and prayed in the Medeterranean Sea tonight. I began thanking God for my life, my family, friends, and this trip. I have learned to see through the eyes of child and understand that sometimes you have to just embrace the bomb shelter God gives you to escape the schemes of the enemy out of it.

I am so excited about what God is doing and will do and doing all I can to have the faith to carry on, the hope to look forward, and the trust to know He has it all under control. I will never be perfect, but I am praying to my God who is!

His love for us is like the waves in the sea; though they may feel distant at times, He always has the plan to bring it into the shore for a boistrous sound and wonderful refreshing current! His love for us is amazing!

I love you all dearly!

Shalom!

A Dig through Israel!

Hello My Friends!!!

The Lord is amazing and beautiful!

He has moved in my life today like never before! I now am sitting on the porch of a Kibbutz in Israel at 11:00PM! This has been a wonderful day!

Starting the day at the Temple Mount it was wonderful to hear the history and then see the wonderful archeological sites throughout Jerusalem! We then traveled to the Jewish quarters and then traveled to Marusha Mountains where over 5,000 man-made caves are being excavated. Its was amazing!

We were able to dig through the cave where I found foundational blocks that were over 2,400 years old! Can you believe that? Then we begin to pass the buckets throughout the cave to begin to sift through the dirt! It was crazy how many pieces of pottery we were able to uncover! Our caves were named "Lumpy" and "Lucy!" It was wonderful to see the Lord use this time to join our 39 students together for the cause of Israel and finding it legitimacy one day at a time!

After this we went through a 2,500 year old cave! It was crazy how many stairs were in it and the wonderful interior decorators they were :)

So yes, today has been eventful as well as dirty! It has to be the most dirt I have had all over my body since I was 5!

We have had a wonderful night of fellowship and just loving the company of each other! I love each and every one of these young men and women and know that God is going to do AMAZING things that we cannot even fathom through all of us! God is amazing and beautiful and deserves all our glory and honor and so much more!

Be blessed and know that you are in my prayers!

Shalom!

My Favorite Sunrise EVER!

Hello All!

It's been a beautiful day! It all started last night after staying the night in the Bedouin Desert in a tent! Yes, for everyone not believing me I will have pictures up soon! Anyways, after a very long night on the tent, we arose at 4AM to get ready and eat the Bedouin breakfast of cucumbers and soda! :) We then traveled to Mount Masada and climbed a crazy steep "Roman Road!" we then viewed the most beautiful painting God could ever paint for me! I sat aside from the group and worshiped God and it was a beautiful date with God! I have learned more in the past week about my own heart, life, and perspective than ever before! I have been trying to learn and grow as a woman of God om my own but now realizing I've never been on my own! God has gone before me in ways that I ever could have imagined!

As we continued the day we descended the Mount on a 45 minute "Snake Path" that was crazy long and steep! We then were able to fly in a private plane of a Commander of the IDF! I also got to meet Gall, a 20 year old young woman of the Israel Defense Force, who welcomed us with open arms and gleamed as she looked through my pictures on my phone of America! She thanked us for fighting the good fight!

We left there and went to the Dead Sea and literally floated on the water! It's nothing like you could ever imagine!

To top off the whole day we had a journalist from the JPOST come and speak! It was an open light to why we are fighting for Israel on our campuses!

God is doing amazing things in the 44 lives that are on this trip! It's wonderful and beautiful to share a love for a country and a love for Christ with leaders from all over America! I value this time with my friends as I continue to look toward the future God is taking me to!

Thank you all for your love and prayers!

Remember through your own lives today thank God for what you have been given! I visited the Israel Holocaust museum yesterday and was completely moved to know that everyday is a gift! It's more than just waking up and thanking Him for the day, but it's more that you don't have to watch your family being murdered! It's blunt but honest especially when you are in the midst of the Holy Land!

Love you all!

Day 2 and 3 of Israel...

Hello My Friends, Family, and Followers,

I am so excited to be able to contact you tonight! I know it is earlier in the day for most of you but here is is 9:30PM we are all sitting in the lobby having our dates with WiFi. Pretty crazy how we can go nuts by not having internet for two whole days! I just want to start off by telling you how AMAZING the trip is and I am so excited to tell you all about it and show you so many pictures!

First I want to tell you the flight was brutal but it was perfect since I stayed up till 5am on the first day! I we landed then headed straight to the tours of the last two days.

It has been a beautiful experience; from sheep herding to Mount Beatitudes to Caesarea Philippi the first 1 1/2 days!  I am so excited about this, it was a beautiful time to spend with the Lord and really dive into why I have been brought here and what exactly I am meant to do through this organization and beyond! Also, yesterday I we went on the Sea of Galilee! This was beautiful experience to soak in yet again that I was in the Holy Land!

Mount Beatitudes

Sea of Galilee

 

Today we were able to meet with IDF (Israel Defense Force) soldiers along the Lebonese border! These young men range anywhere from 18-22! Can you believe that? We say goodbye to our families to go enrich our learning in university classrooms and they say goodbye and head out to fight terrorism on the borders of Israel. This was amazing to really open my eyes to the opportunities I have been given in the US that I was completely unaware of. These young men showed me what it was like to have joy in the midst of chaos and hope in the history of tragedy.

After this we went as a group rafting through the Jordan River! Yes, the Jordan River! It was so fun and I actually found a new hobby!

So then we drove to Jerusalem! The HOLY CITY! I am so excited to see the beautiful sites tomorrow of the Old City. But tonight we went to the Shabbat service at the WESTERN WALL! It was probably one of the most awarding times of my life. To be in the place where Jesus was and was slain for me is just amazing, sanctifying, and humbling.

So after recording this all, I am left with a loving joyful and beautiful feeling of joy and humbleness like I have never felt before. God has granted me the amazing privilege to join these 38 other leaders from all over America! I am beyond looking forward to what God has for me in the next few days as I look forward to camel riding, visiting the Old City, and many many more wonderful adventures!

Stay Tuned!

Denton to Newark...DAY 1

Hello My Wonderful Followers,

Well, as I sit here in the hotel lobby after a wonderful conversation with a dear friend I am overwhelmed with the joy of my friends here, my love for this amazing Land, and my heart ultimately being changed!

We met tonight and discussed the argument over the State of Israel and we are all looking forward to the fight on our campus and standing up to fight! We are going to Israel to learn and grow as student leaders and I cannot wait to see how God changes and moves in all of us! 

This will be one of the most amazing times of my life! I am preparing for a change like I have never experienced in my life and I am expecting God to change, move, and woo!

I want you all to embrace the day today and as I fly to Israel in 11 1/2 hours that you you will know I will be lifting you all up! God has called us to love Him, enjoy Him, and obey Him.

I will be praying for many provisions, future opportunities, and clarity in my life! I look forward to sharing my growth and experiences with you all!

Blessings to you and to CUFI!

<3