Welp if you couldn't tell from the title of this blog, I'm in NYC now. It's been so much fun thus far. We arrived Monday and there is such a different atmosphere here than the city of Hanover (where Dartmouth is located) and the Vermont farmhouse I was at in the beginning of April. Both of which I loved and brought rest and peace to my soul!
It was such a joy to go to Dartmouth again. I love the small town and the beauty that surrounds the campus. We had a great time joining in with campus ministries, leading worship & prayer sets, teaching, and evangelizing. I felt the same stirring as last year. The hunger in the believers to see revival and an openness in the atmosphere for God to move! Revival is a reality.
New York City couldn't be more opposite than those tiny, sweet towns I've been in. I don't know that I could ever live here long term but I love the freedom and energy of the city (not like the new age kind of energy, but actual literal energy from the hustle and bustle)....the busyness of it all where you just can't wait to hit the pillow at night because of how productive you felt that day. At least that's how I've been feeling this week.
We went evangelizing yesterday at Columbus University and it felt less weird to strike up a random conversation with someone you've never met. Or maybe it felt like the same kind of weird but the atmosphere makes it feel more exciting to step out of your comfort zone? I don't know...but my team is just loving it here...it matches the fast pace schedule my students enjoy.
One thing I've noticed though is on the other side of that energy and the feeling of freedom is the hopelessness that can so easily be sensed. The 1st girl I talked to and asked if I could pray for yesterday replied "you can pray for my happiness." She immediately walked on. She was a cute college student but you could visibly see the sadness that overwhelmed her. Even just walking around or riding the subway I look at people and can see the ambition and desire to be something or to "make it" or whatever it is they want. But they just look sad. And not that ambition is a bad thing, but without a hope in Jesus what does it all mean? I was reading in Matthew when Jesus says "let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." Then he says, "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life?" That verse really struck me being here in NYC. How sad I find it to live a life thinking it all means nothing. BUT what a JOY it is to know Jesus and His love and the life He offers so abundantly! There is such freedom in knowing Jesus and He really is the only answer to our deepest longings and desires. It is my prayer that true and lasting freedom and life in Christ would come to this city.
So pray for my all-star team and I as we minister in the city and to local campuses like Columbia, Julliard, City College, etc. We'll be meeting with a lot of students from these campuses and teaching on evangelism and then immediately taking them to put it all into practice. Tomorrow we'll be meeting at New York University to do this very thing and then head over to Washington Square Park to share the gospel. May Jesus receive His reward in New York!
Below are some pictures for your enjoyment. Thank you all for your support and prayers. Be blessed this day!
My artsy Dartmouth shot.
Praying for Students at Dartmouth.
My team! Best.
Scenic Hanover.
Our crew doing worship at the Burlington House of Prayer.
Scenic Burlington, VT.
Scenic Huntington, VT.
Driving into NYC.
St. Tyler at the largest Cathedral in North America.
A peacock.
Kayla & Lauren leading worship at City College.
Hannah and I capturing the essence of city life...?
Healthy meals.
Working on my cooking skills.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Hey Friends and Family!!
What an AMAZING few months it has been! The DTS began in January and we have a radical group of students who areready and willing to sacrifice it all for the sake of the gospel. I've seen major growth in each of their lives and I'm so excited to see what happens in these last few months of DTS.
What have I been doing?
The previous 2 months we've been in class learning about things like the love and character of God, world missions, worship and prayer, having a Biblical worldview, etc. Each week has been dynamic andGod is moving in and among our staff and students in a great wayteaching us how to abide in Him, not only now, but for the rest of our lives.
We've been applying what we learn each week by evangelizing on the streets of Harrisburg. One of the ways we've been doing this is by going to Bar Row every Friday night. We would hand out hot chocolate and strike up conversations with anyone we could. We got to pray and share the gospel with dozens of people and a few gave their lives to Christ and got filled with the Holy Spirit!!
Other than this I've been discipling students, preparing for our upcoming outreach, and cooking the meals for our school of 50! It's been a fun way to get to serve the base (and I'm learning how to cook! woohoo!).
Worshipping on Bar Row // Chris Dupre teaching on the Father heart of God
Where am I now?
Our entire school just moved to Washington DC to partner with YWAM DC for the last month of our lecture phase. What better way to grow a love for our nation than moving right to the heart of America? We are joining in with the Washington House of Prayer located in Anacostia to worship, pray, and exalt the name of Jesus over our government and our nation. We'll also be evangelizing in local neighborhoods and encouraging the missionaries in this area to keep going!
Our school on a Biblical history tour with Jason Hershey for our first day in D.C.
What am I doing next?
In April and May I will be co-leading a team to a few of the Ivy League schools (Dartmouth, Columbia, and Brown). We are pressing in and interceeding for these schools because we know a great move of God is coming! Simply, we just want to preach Jesus and see an awakening in the hearts of the students to come into a loving relationship with their Creator. What's exciting is that these campuses hold world leaders, so as we evangelize and as we see people give their lives to Christ we are also affecting nations! We will also be joining in with campus fellowships to teach them how to evangelize to their peers and then disciple those who give their lives to Jesus!
Dartmouth: A voice of one crying in the wilderness
Columbia University: In Thy light shall we see the light (Psalm 36:9)
Brown University: In God We Hope
This truly is an exciting time in our nation and I'm so excited to be living in such a time as this! I believe we are on the cusp of the 3rd Great Awakening and a great harvest is coming! Keep believing with me and praying for the veil over people's eyes to be removed so that they can see the TRUTH of who Jesus is. Simply that He loves us and He came to save us.
Thank you for all your support and prayers! I feel so blessed to be called to YWAM for this season and I wouldn't be here without you! Have a happy day.
Hope you had a great time through the holidays and made it successfully through the hustle and bustle of it all! And here we are at another new year!
I don’t know why, but I’m so excited for 2012. Part of it being I get to staff my first DTS starting January 2nd. I’ve been in communication with our students and hearing their excitement about coming makes me so ready for it to start.
Luke 10:2 says, “And he said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.’”We are believing for a great harvest in America! Where news and media want to cast doom and gloom on our nation, this is a time we can look up to our Heavenly Father and see His heart not only for our nation but every nation on earth. We are certain that we will see another outpouring of His spirit and many will come to know the Lord in these coming days!! Already in China, 30,000 people are being saved and baptized daily! Because we believe we are about to see a massive move of God in our own nation, we are called to train up others to be laborers in this harvest with us!
The Fire and Fragrance DTS is designed to raise up students and release them onto college campuses of America and into the nations of the earth–to partner with and plant communities prioritizing worship and intercession enabling these communities to flow into outreach fueled by the power of God.
As a missionary I know it’s my job to communicate to you what my needs are. I feel I may not be doing it as well as I should be so I wanted to share with you some major needs I have.
Prayer is essential! I need to be covered in prayer to do what I’m doing. God has great things in store for this school, and the enemy hates it. I need wisdom and discernment to walk in discipleship with my students and boldness and courage to share the Gospel. Please pray for His protection and guidance daily and an ear to hear what He’s saying as I lead.
Also, since this is not a paid position, I am in great need of financial support. I am certain God has called me to YWAM and to missions for this season of my life until the point that He tells me to stop and do something new. The logistical side says if I don’t raise enough support I can’t be on staff. Can I ask you to pray about partnering with me in giving either a one time donation or monthly? Due to cost of living (housing, food), travel, and basic necessities I need to raise roughly $1,000 per month.
You can send donations to:
1) Fire & Fragrance
Attn: Jessica Ramsay
PO Box 4826
Harrisburg, PA 17111
2) Give via PayPal (see link on right side of this page)
3) For a tax deduction:
Make checks payable to U of N Kona (not to me)
Attach a sticky note (or separate sheet of paper) with my name and account # onto the check (Jessica Ramsay, Account #5696)
Send checks to:
University of the Nations
#433
75-5851 Kuakini Hwy
Kailua, Kona, HI 9674
I am so thankful for the prayers and support given thus far. Blessings to you all!
Here is my official November newsletter. For those loyal blog readers out there, this will probably just be a refresher, but I wanted to give an overview of the past few months! Thank you all for your continual support. I couldn't do this without you guys! Know that you've been such a blessing to me. May YOU be blessed! Have a happy month of thanks!
I hate writing blogs. I just sit here wondering what in the world I should write about. What will interest my reader? What will really capture their attention? And then again does it really matter? I don't know how many people actually even read this. It's more of a way for me to process all the going-on's in my own life and to have some feeling of accomplishment in the fact that I keep some people updated on my life as a missionary.
Where to begin is always the tricky part. I sit for a while...get overwhelmed and watch an episode of The Office. And then I come back and I have to decide should this be informative? funny? deep? emotional? intelligent? And If I'm really trying to shoot the moon, all of the above? And I'm pretty sure, actually really sure that I fall short at making any of these that great. It's not like I'm writing a novel where I'm trying to win a New York best-seller. But then again...what if I could make it just that good? And then I realize how unbelievably ridiculous that all sounds so I move on to the average joe-anne's blog. Just an update so you know that as a missionary I'm actually doing something worth my time...and yours.
I know there are a few of you...the ones reading this right now...that find interest in my blog updates because you do like to stay informed on what's going on with me (and let's be honest, I'm terrible at making a phone call. I'd just rather have you in person). And then I suck you in with my attempt at sounding exciting on facebook and twitter just to get you to move your mouse over my link and click on it. And then if you actually read it ::I'm sorry to say:: you just become disposed to all my ramblings. But then again this is just the internet and you can just as quickly X your way out.
So I'll now move on so we can get to what you're really looking for.
The facts:
I've been here 36 days.
Harrisburg got flooded.
Our team went on The God is Not Dead tour to different Ivy Leagues and universities with musician and Burn 24-7 director, Sean Feucht, to evangelize, worship, and build up local believers.
I did handy work. Helping a family build a community prayer room in their basement.
I went to 5 yard sales so that our staff house had pots, pans, chairs, and beds. The essentials.
I did flood relief for 2 weeks. Moving things out of poop/mud filled basements to higher ground in order to power wash basements. It was smelly. My goal was to do as much work as possible and stay as clean as possible. It worked until the last day. We removed 100s and 100s of bucket loads of water and mud from a family's basement. They made us cookies and banana bread.
I started getting up at 5:30 (yes...A.M.) on a word of the Lord that as a community we are to dive deeper into the Scriptures.
I've prayed. And worshipped.
I've gone evangelizing. A few from our team started bar ministry last Friday. They saw 1 salvation and 1 guy get healed and filled with the Holy Spirit!
I've started in our first week of widow's ministry. Last week helping a single mother of 8 clean and take care of her children while she went on a business trip.
I've done 2 life sieges so far. Praying for the ending of abortion and revival in America.
I stood outside of an abortion clinic for hours praying with trained sidewalk counselors who try and stop them from getting abortions. It may sound weird, but with all the love in their hearts they show women there are better options and offer them their free services of ultra sounds and mom/baby resources, etc.
I actually just think I'll stop with the list and elaborate on this more. These women (the sidewalk counselors) are HEROES. I'm serious. They are looking injustice in the face and telling it to go to hell (sorry, was that too blunt?). They are literally SAVING LIVES. One of the ladies is currently discipling 14 women who decided to keep their babies. Helping them move, driving them places, getting them the resources they need.
It was my first time to go last Friday. I went with 2 of my friends here. We all had a hard time keeping it together. To stand on the sidewalk of an abortion clinic and KNOW what's about to take place. I don't process things that well...it took about 2 days before I finally sobbed.
It's important that you know that none of this comes from a place of judgment. I know people who have had abortions and there is no condemnation in my heart or mind for the decision they've made. However I know them after the abortion. I know the heartache, the medical problems, the brokenness they've carried for years due to that abortion. I've seen them reach freedom too, which is awesome and so in the Father's heart to bring healing and peace in those hidden away areas.
But I was standing out there. Watching these beautiful women walk in fear and trembling. Thinking this is the only way things can ever get back to normal. It's how the enemy lies to us. The popular answer is that it's a woman's right to choose. The lie is that abortion is just the quick fix. Get in, get out, get on with your life. But I would like to take a survey of the many women who have fallen prey to this and see how well they went on with their lives. After their decision is made, the enemy flips the switch. All of the sudden guilt and shame flood their way in. It's possible many of these women will have future medical issues.
And it broke my heart. I wasn't angry at the women. I was sad for them. I was hurting for them, as I continue to do so. I pray the ones I saw will come to know Jesus so they can find the freedom and healing He so lovingly offers.
I highly suggest you check out the website Bound4Life. They have a great database on the history of abortion, the kinds of abortions performed, and statistics.
Did you know:
50 million babies have been aborted since 1973? Planned Parenthood was started by Margaret Sanger...a eugenicist who believed the “dead weight of human waste” should be “eliminate[d]? Did you know Planned Parenthood started in ghetto populations--or as she referred to them the "undersirables"? The company who makes the RU-486 pill was the same that made the Zyklon B gas for the Nazi death chambers?
It's really just a messed up thing. I've been thinking so much about it this week. How do people really not think it's murder? It's a baby. A baby's heartbeat starts just 18 DAYS after conception. How is it we've been deceived so long? We're in the midst of a silent holocaust.
And how is it a woman can deliver a premature baby at 23 weeks and the baby LIVES...but if the baby stays in the stomach at 23 weeks it can still be considered not a life and it can still be aborted? Just because someone decides that human life is not a human life does it make it true?
I encourage you to do some research yourself and really get a heart to start praying for the end of this. Here's a video done by Ray Comfort that is so good! He survey's people on the streets about their opinion on the topic of abortion and brings to light so many of the lies being believed about this industry.
Well...there I went again. Writing the longest blog ever. Can you tell what has really grabbed my heart since I've been back? It's a weird thing to say that I 'look forward' to going back to the abortion clinic. I don't know if I can truly say it's something I look forward to going back to. I don't necessarily want to go back. To know babies are dying 100 feet from me. To know women and men are hurting. To get cussed out and almost hit by their cars. I actually don't WANT to do any of it. It'd be way easier to push it to the back of my mind and pretend all is well. But my heart is stirred. I do want to go and pray and come alongside the counselors to show these women the love of Jesus and the other options they have. I don't know how much help I actually am. But I'm going because I know the Lord's heart is to see abortion ended. I know His heart is to reach out His loving, gentle hand to these women who are so confused and afraid. I know it pleases the Father's heart that I would be an extension of His heart in that place. And because of that I do look forward to going back to that place...exalting and glorifying Jesus over that building, and doing the best I can to save these women and their babies.
Please pray for me. As you can imagine, being a missionary brings plenty of warfare. Heck just being a follower of Jesus working a 9-5 job or being a stay at home mom (and everything in between) brings plenty of warfare. I'll pray for you too. Lastly, would you please join me in praying for the ending of abortion.
::If you'd like to partner financially with me and the work my team is doing in Harrisburg please email me at JessicaRams@gmail.com or click on the link to my PayPal up top::
(Um...sorry for the not so sly financial help part. Girl's gotta eat.)
Okay, so this post is actually from my friend Nick's blog (http://nickholding.wordpress.com). And with his permission I decided to copy it to mine. I thought it was a great summary of everything I've been doing with Circuit Riders and YWAM. I figured if any of you still had questions about what it is I'm actually a part of and who in fact are these Circuit Riders I speak of, then this would be a great thing for you to read! Hope you enjoy!
This summer the entire Harrisburg staff left the East Coast for Hawaii to take part in a 5 week school: The School of the Circuit Riders. The “Circuit Riders?” I hear you ask, “who are they?”.
Just over 250 years ago a wild breed of men was unleashed into the wilderness of America not unlike the 12 young, zealous disciples that Jesus sent out in Matthew chapter 10. The mandate of the young riders: Take the gospel to the remote corners of the frontier.
Their message: The kingdom of God has come, repent, be baptized and follow Jesus. Their payment: A mere 60 dollars a year if anything at all. The cost: Their very lives. 50% died before reaching 33 years old. Their reward: Nothing in terms of societal success and yet everything in terms of the glory of God! These leaders lived for a cause greater than themselves, were dangerous to the enemy, and powerful in the hand of the Almighty God!
(Original circuit rider)
In a period of 45 years under the guidance of Francis Asbury and his Circuit riders the US Methodist church grew from 1,200 members to over 210,000.
The last 5 weeks have been sheer craziness. 300 people showed up from the US and all around the world. With a busy 6 day a week schedule, we were running hard and fast in every way. For 5 days a week we had lectures, prayer room, small groups and work duties.
(Kona prayer room)
We also had various community outreaches, most teams did door-step evangelism, but I ended up on a team that spent our Saturday’s building an aquaponic farm. Aquaponics combines fish farming with the growing of vegetables. The fish water is pumped from the fish tanks into floating grow beds that are fertilised by the fish waste, and in turn the plants clean the water which then feeds back to the fish. The farm is for the Marshallese, a people group displaced by US atomic testing on the Marshall Islands in the Pacific. This is part of a long term outreach the Kona base has to the Marshallese with many other people going down to visit and join in with their community.
(Circuit riders class time)
This short school has been so amazing and encouraging. Our focus has been simply:
Save the Lost.
Revive the Saved.
Disciple them all.
Over the course of the school this was broken down into 5 week long topics, which I highly recommend the study of:
Simple Gospel
10 subjects for discipleship
Revival History
Missions
Prayer
Firstly, getting back to the simplicity of the gospel has been, as it always is, a revelation. The pure facts that Jesus died for our sins and wants to be Lord of our lives led to over 80 salvation’s during the times of door knocking in Kona.
10 simple subjects of discipleship, or “The Big 10”, is a curriculum which tackles ten key topics for Christian’s to know, with the idea that as soon as someone gets saved we can take them quickly through topics such as:
Who is Jesus?; Prayer; Reading the Bible; Understanding worship; Who is the Holy Spirit?; What is Sanctification?; Hearing God’s voice; Evangelism and Fellowship.
The biggest impartation I got, is faith that God is really moving right now in a new way and that revival really is here. The school sent out 4 outreach teams, to Orange County California, Alaska, Washington D.C. and a long term community plant to Ireland. I’ll be joining up with the D.C. outreach next week as they contend in the US capital for the ending of abortion as well as raising up a house of prayer and evangelism.
O.C. Outreach
Huntington Beach, Orange County (O.C.) is where the “Jesus People” movement started in the 1970s and saw thousands of US hippies come to know Jesus. We’re really believing God is about to move in a similar way. 110 Circuit Riders have gone off to the O.C. to join 120 YWAMers from the Denver base and 500 local church workers for a massive 2 week evangelism push in the Orange County.
(Matt and Derrik street preacing in the OC)
On the beach a huge, old school, revival tent has been set up. We have daytime evangelism mixed with nightly public meetings. I’m really believing for hundreds if not a few thousand to be saved as so many “wild-eyed” revivalists show up on the doorstep of the O.C. Many of whom bought one-way tickets foreseeing the outreach going a lot longer than just two weeks. What amazing commitment to the word of the Lord from people! (As I write this I just saw a report that the O.C. team has already seen 75 salvation’s!). There really is a new move of God being released!
Podcasts
I’d highly recommend for all to listen to the Circuit Riders Podcast (all the talks have been given away for free over iTunes). I’d especially recommend the talks “The Unoffendable Heart” and “Self Dethroned” by Brian Brennt. Amazing revelation!
I completely agree with everything Nick wrote and I hope you are as excited as I am about what God is doing. I just thought that was such a clear post about what I'm a part of...compared to my mostly-scatterbrained-ramblings I tend to leave you with :)
I have 2 more weeks until I move back to Harrisburg. I'm enjoying the time I get to spend with friends and family, but I'm so excited to get back to PA as well! Currently I'm working on raising monthly support to cover the costs of my housing, food, travel, etc. for this upcoming year (and one time gifts are certainly accepted!). If you would like to partner with me in this just email me at JessicaRams@gmail.com.
Thanks again to all who are supporting me prayerfully and financially! I shall now end this ridiculously long post...but not before I let Johnny Cash say a few words about the Circuit Riders!
