Rusty Jackson - Be the Blessing

A Missionary's Life :: Sunshine & X-Rays

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

From my wife :)

It's time for our weekly 'Friday Update'. Well... actually, it was time for it YESTERDAY.

Unfortunately, my blog has been on the fritz and I've been trying to post this for about 30 hours!

>insert frustrated screams here<

Praise God for our awesome IT guy, Mike Price who fixed it for me!

Check out what we've been up to in the blog below! :)

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Please Don't Take My Sunshine Away. The lyrics 'you make me happy when skies are GRAY' definitely apply in Port Huron! We do NOT get much sun here. According to the map below, we are in the gray area of only about 2,000 hours of sun a year! That means about 2/3 of our year is clouds and gray skies. Not good when I am used to the sunny south!!! Luckily, God decided to bless us with SUNSHINE this week! I have not sunshine like that in MONTHS. It has been GLORIOUS! Almost all the snow has melted, and it actually hit 59 Thursday! WHOO HOO! Come on Spring! Of course it is gray again today, and this weekend the lows are in the 20's :(

Community-Wide Yard Sale. This is my current project for The Sound of Hope. I am orchestrating a HUGE Yard Sale to raise money for orphans, and for our church's Mexico mission trip! The economy has been hit hard in this area, so we needed a fundraiser that would help the community, instead of just take money (that few people have to spare). So, we are hoping people will do some spring cleaning and donate their stuff to sell! Then our shoppers will get to buy things at a low cost, and the proceeds all go to missions! We have a lot of work to do over the next few weeks to make this a success. Please pray God will bless our efforts and give us a great turn out of donations and shoppers!

X-Ray. My new chiropractor decided to do some x-rays on me this month, and what he found was, unfortunately, not good. My neck is apparently curved the wrong way! I had no idea what a big problem this could be. I've gotten a couple of other opinions from chiropractor friends and they all agree that this does not need to go untreated. Apparently it can cause a whole list of health problems now (like the painful muscle spasms I've been struggling with the past year, and problems like bronchitis, headaches, and a weak immune system, which I struggled with most of my life) and if left untreated can cause bad arthritis and degeneration as I get older. I'm SO thankful they were able to find it now, when it can still be corrected! Please pray for HEALING first and foremost, wisdom for my doctor, and that my body will cooperate with the treatment.

The picture to the left is my neck, which appears very straight with a slight

curve toward the back. The picture above is a healthy neck, which curves

toward the front. Notice the spaces between the healthy vertebrae above.

(which my spine is missing).

A cheerful heart is good medicine. (Prov 17:22) Well, that is one thing our church definitely has going for it... we like to LAUGH! Below is a hilarious video piece Rusty did for his 2nd job (with the church). The series this month is entitled "Walking Exposed". It's all about honesty and vulnerability, which can be tough things for people to step into. To lighten the mood, Rusty put together this video 'EXPOSING' our assistant pastor Doug Haney. Hope you enjoy it!

Haney EXPOSED from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

BIG News Coming Soon! We have BIG NEWS to share with you, but it's too important to add into this little update. So, have a great weekend and STAY TUNED next week as we reveal something we're very excited to share with you! (and no, we're not pregnant. haha! ;)

What do you DO?

Tue, 9 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Haney EXPOSED from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

Friday Update :: Picasso and Reading Rainbow

Fri, 5 Mar 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It's that time again... time for our FRIDAY UPDATE!

You know... that random blog we do each week to update you on what we've been up to ;)

Check it out below!

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Picasso. Okay, maybe it's more in the 'paint by number' category, but I am loving painting lately! I'm no expert but I really enjoy seeing something in my mind and then seeing it out on the canvas. Plus, I LOVE giving personal, meaningful gifts to people. What's more personal than a monogram painting?

I did these a couple of weeks ago but couldn't post pictures because the Mommy's hadn't received them yet. Now I'm happy to share with you my two latest creations!

This one is for a sweet little girl named Mikayla Grace Rosario. Mikayla's mommy is one of our co-workers at AIM. Her color scheme is pink and chocolate brown, so I put together this monogram for her! I'm hoping it doesn't look to 'babyish' and can be used in her room as she grows up :)

This one is for a sweet little boy named Zander Gabriel Kelch. His parents go to church with us, and have two beautiful little girls. Imagine Daddy's excitement when he found out they were having a BOY! Since Tim is a sports fan (he's on the softball team with Rusty) I wanted to be sure to carry that over in this piece.

I'm working on another gift for a friend right now in memory of her Dad who passed away this year. As soon as it's finished and she's received it I'll be sure to share it! (*note - I'm not planning on pursuing this as a business because, as my parents would say, I already have too many 'irons in the fire'! haha. My schedule just won't allow me to do a lot of them. However, if you are interested in 'ordering one' feel free to Contact Me. I can be hired to do some here and there as my schedule allows ;)

Reading Rainbow. Did you ever watch that show as a kid? I did, and I have to say I LOVED IT. Reading has always been a big deal to me - I was in every summer reading program possible growing up! I remember getting in trouble in Mrs. Hamlin's 1st grade class for reading my "Adventures of Barbie" book in my lap (hidden under my desk) in class. (Imagine THAT! A student getting in trouble for READING?! She was careful to explain that it was a GOOD thing I was reading, but really needed to pay attention in Math time. BLAH. Math... who needs it?! ;)

As I got older it got harder to find time to read things I WANTED to read. In high school it was because of all my AP required reading, in college it was required reading for all my English Lit classes. Now that I'm done with all that I'm trying to get back into the habit of reading things I enjoy (and I'm really glad we have a mentor, Michael Hindes, who encourages us to be reading SOMETHING at ALL times!)

Right now I'm reading "Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth" by Richard Foster. I know the title sounds boring - who wants to read about DISCIPLINE? But really, it's not at all what you expect! If you want to grow in your relationship with the Lord and in how you relate to those around you, I'd encourage you to pick up this book! I am learning so much through it! (Thanks Dawn for the recommendation!)

Right now Rusty is reading "Spiritual Slavery to Spiritual Sonship" by Jack Frost. He has been RAVING about it and I can't wait to start it! It's so cool to see God speaking to my husband through a book, and to listen to ways his heart is changing just by reading it. I LOVE it! I think we're going to switch books as soon as we're done :)

Rusty's 2nd Job. A while back we told you that Rusty's started a part time job with our church here doing video work. He is still really enjoying it and I love seeing people excited about his pieces. His latest one is here if you want to check it out! We hope you enjoy it, and we hope you have a great weekend!

Faith Parenting vs. Fear Parenting from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

My Second Job

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Most of you out there know I got a second job working at our local church - Cross Current. I love the work I do because it allows me to use my gifts and passions for TV, story-telling and editing. My desire is that the folks in our church can get some encouragement and hope from stories like this one here.

Faith Parenting vs. Fear Parenting from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

Raising the Dead - Literally?

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Just read this story from the mission field. One of our World Racer's wrote it, Marissa Villa. It's a long post, but well worth the read.

They met for the first time in the Atlanta, Georgia airport back in May 2009. Matt Patch, Austin Anglea and Dan Snyder: instant brothers with much in common. After training camp the three of them had dreams and visions of the Lord using them together. Even though they'd talked about it with each other, none really knew what it could possibly look like.

In November 2009, Matt, Dan and Austin were baptized together in the Jordan River by their brother, Aaron Bruner. As they prepared for the baptisms, they reminisced about the dreams and visions the Lord had given them and how He was going to use the three of them in His Kingdom to do huge things (read Aaron's blog about it here).

It's now Feb. 26, 2010, and the three have gathered in Jinja, Uganda.

Austin was in town purchasing bus tickets for his team as Dan and Matt took a boda boda, or a motorcycle taxi, into town to do some work on the Internet.

Little did they know that God was about to use these three transformed men--one a former teacher/coach, another a former realtor, and the other a former cop--in a mighty way. Just one to three years ago they were living for themselves, living the American Dream, the party life. Today they were living for the Kingdom.

As Matt and Dan rode towards the town of Jinja on the back of the boda bodas, they saw a man surrounded by a group of people, laying on the ground to the left of the road. As the bodas slowed, the man, who was covered in blood, came to his feet. He'd obviously been hit by a car or thrown off of a boda, but seemed OK. The drivers kept moving.

As the boda bodas came around a slight bend in the road, Matt and Dan noticed a motorcycle laying there. Its pieces were strewn across the road. As the bodas slowed, a young girl of about 7 years old came into view. She was wearing a pink dress and her face and arms were covered in blood, but she at least was standing.

But just past her, a group of about 15 people were surrounding something else on the road. The boda bodas stopped in front of the group and a small boy, also about 7 years old, came into view. His body was laying in the middle of the road.

He was lifeless.

"He's dead," they thought.

A man shaked the boy, trying to bring him back to life, but he lay limp.

Dan and Matt pushed through the crowd to get to the boy who had a four inch bleeding bulge on his forehead. His mouth and ear was spilling blood.

Matt prayed as Dan looked around for a ride to get the boy to the hospital.

It was then that Austin arrived on another boda boda that was coming from the other direction. Austin jumped off of the motorcycle and immediately ran to the boy.

"The kid's dead," Dan told him.

Dan told Austin that someone in the crowd was willing to take the boy to the hospital. The two of them and another man carried the lifeless boy's body to the car.

"Do you feel a pulse or see him breathing?" Dan asked Austin.

Austin stopped his prayer mid-sentence, looked up, and simply responded, "No."

As they lay the boy in the backseat of the car, Austin pulled his sweatshirt off and put it under the boy's head. As he did this, the boy's chest started to rise and fall.

He was breathing.

The prayers for the boy continued as Dan, Matt and Austin climbed back on boda bodas. Matt and Dan rode to the hospital to pray over the boy again. The doctor on duty said the hospital didn't have the necessary medicine to stop the bleeding and swelling in the boy's head.

Matt and Dan decided they'd have to buy the medicine. They ran across the street and bought some, ran back, and gave it to the doctor.

They prayed again.

Meanwhile, Austin hopped back on his boda boda along with the boy's friend and the driver on a mission to find the boy's parents. They drove along back roads, through clothes hanging on lines, and finally arrived in the boy's village. His parents weren't home, but they managed to find neighbors who agreed to tell the boy's parents about the emergency.

A few hours later, Dan and Matt were at the hospital again to pray for the boy once more. They found him, his mother, and his close family friend there. They were told the boy, Trevor, and his sister, Precious, were both hit by a boda boda.

And they both survived.

The family is Christian and the family friend who was there is a pastor. Dan and Matt explained what had happened, that Trevor hadn't been breathing when they'd first arrived, but that his breathing came back after they started praying for him.

As they prayed for him again, Trevor began to move his fingers and his eyes started to flutter. His mother, Sarah, thanked God and thanked them for praying for her son.

They promised to keep Trevor and Precious in their prayers, and walked away knowing they'd experienced the miraculous ability of the Lord and prayer.

Austin:
I remember becoming irritated as it was taking a ridiculous amount of time to buy the tickets for the team. But it was no accident for it was the Lord delaying me for what was soon to happen! After my time spent in town I headed back on the motorcycle taxi. I looked ahead and saw a crowd of people and as soon as we pulled up close I saw Dan in the middle taking charge of the situation, and by the look on his face I knew something was wrong. I tapped my driver and told him to stop, I needed off! I remember seeing the boy laying in the middle of the road saturated in blood, Dan looked at me and said, "he's dead." Going up to the boy he was lifeless, as his eyes were open but glazed over, he surely looked dead. There was a man there trying to massage his chest trying to get his heart working. Not knowing what else to do, I put a hand on the boy and began to pray in the Spirit as Dan figured out a car to put the kid in.......we carried Trevor to the car while all three of us continued to pray and then the car pulled off to take the boy to the hospital. As quick as that, it was done.....riding back home on the taxi after we went and told the people in the boy's village, I began to cry thinking about the whole situation, but then I began to think how God aligned the three of us in order to be there for that boy, and I began to rejoice! God has a plan for that boy and he wanted him to live, and how grateful the three of us are to be a part of what God wanted done that day.

Matt:
Once we pulled up I was scared, shocked, and felt useless. I was looking at a lifeless child. A million things started to create a wall in my mind. Then God busted through all of the feelings and said, "hold on, I'm bigger than that... pray." So, I did. I walked away from today realizing that being in God's will is just that... being. I can't do anything. However, in Christ I can do everything. All I have to do is "be". Did I raise the dead today? No. I witnessed the beautiful gift of life that was being stolen given back. Glory be to God. How wonderful and amazing He is to let us be a part of His plan, His miracles... His son Trevor's life.

Dan:

once we pulled up and i saw trevor i thought without a doubt that he was dead...just the way he was laying on the pavement, i could tell. as i got closer and saw his forehead, the blood coming from his ear and mouth and his half opened, glazed over eyes...i just knew he was dead. in retrospect though, i have no idea if he was dead. to be honest, i thought about praying but quickly replaced that thought with, "i've gotta get him to the hospital" and started working to find a driver to get him there. i looked over at matty and saw him praying on the side of the road...and then out of nowhere austy showed up...to think of all the different variables that went into the three of us being there at that exact moment...it's unbelievable. anyways, i didn't think about praying again until i heard austin praying as we carried trevor to the car. i immediately started praying and a few seconds later, after all three of us were praying, trevor started breathing. i didn't realize it as it was happening but god put the three of us in this situation for a purpose...he had aligned it...it blows my mind...three different guys...all doing different things amongst the chaos to help this boy...trusting our god...praying with all that we had...and trevor lived. i know we didn't act any differently then most people would've but the lord put the three of us there for a purpose...to experience his miracles and the indescribable power of prayer...and trevor lived...that's the kind of god i am willing to give my life to.

*As of 2/27, Trevor is still alive but they doctors are concerned about the trauma to his head, please keep him in your prayers*

*thanks to Marissa Villa for typing the details of this story*

Friday Update :: The Land of Milk and Honey

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It's that time again - time for our FRIDAY UPDATE! We had a very busy week this week, including a trip down to Georgia for meetings. (Originally I was going alone, but Rusty's department ended up needing him in for meetings too so we came together!) Check out our update below!

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The Land of Milk and Honey. We arrived Tuesday night to the Land of Milk and Honey....er.... I mean the Land of Chick-Fil-A and Sweet Tea. My parents and little brother picked us up from the airport and we all stuffed ourselves at Chick-Fil-A. It was great to see them and to catch up! Mom even brought me a few 'prizes' from Martins (you Oxford/Anniston people know what I'm talking about!) Cute clothes for $2.50 are always exciting! It was a great start to our trip.

The Blue Kazoo. We then jumped into the Blue Kazoo to drive up to Gainesville. For those of you who knew me in college, you know that The Blue Kazoo is my old car, a 1989 Volvo Station Wagon. It wouldn't make it to Michigan, so we left it with my parents. They let us borrow it for 2 days to get around in Gainesville. It was a great idea until the car started to hum, then vibrate, then shake violently! It felt like we were in a helicopter!!! We pulled off the interstate to find a 'bump' in the tire. While it wasn't fun to change a tire in the cold that night, we are so thankful God protected us and kept it from blowing out!

Swazi friends. While in the office, I ran into some dear friends I haven't seen in almost 2 years - Kriek and Jumbo Gerber from Swaziland! (Well, they are actually South African, but they live in Swaziland). They are the couple that led my first team to Swaziland in 2007, and are on staff with AIM in charge of our Swazi orphan care. I've missed seeing them so much! It was great to catch up with Kriek for a while, and hear about their visit to the States!

Meetings, meetings, meetings. Those were the point of the trip, afterall, so we had plenty of them! Rusty was working on replicating the sales/recruitment system at AIM. He's worked hard to create a productive system for The World Race, and now they want to use it for other programs! (Great job Rusty!) My meetings were entirely different, but very productive. Details about them will be coming soon - God has been at work in some big ways!

Baby Mikayla. During our lunch break, Kelsey and I went to visit our friend and co-worker Rosie who just had a sweet baby girl. Mikayla is less than 2 weeks old...a tiny little bundle of joy. She is absolutely BEAUTIFUL! (and Rosie looks great too!)

Mommy Rosie and Baby Mikayla

My turn to hold her!

Auntie Kelsey & Baby Mikayla...

Shane Co. On our way to the airport, we stopped off to get our wedding rings checked and cleaned (because there's no Shane Co in Michigan). I know this sounds like a detail, but it was actually one of the highlights of our trip! I cannot say enough GREAT things about Shane Co, and we love every chance we get to visit out friends there. The staff knows us by name and has one of our prayer cards up in the back room. They love hearing about our mission work and updating us on their lives too! If you're looking for jeweler that will also be your friends, I'd encourage you to check them out. And did I mention my rings are BEAUTIFUL?! (we recommend the Shane Co in Duluth, GA).

Home Sweet Williams. Last, but certainly not least, we must tell you where stayed during our visit. The fabulous Williams family (Kevin, Sarah, Chloe, Eli, and Samson the doggie) let us stay in their guest apartment. This is important because WE LOVE THE WILLIAMS!!!! Princess Chloe was my flowergirl for our wedding, Eli is the cutest little blonde you'll ever see, and Kevin and Sarah...well... they're just AWESOME! The kids stayed with Grandma Wednesday night, so the 4 of us adults stayed up like goofy college kids till 2am. We shared stories, talked about movies, music, and macbooks, and laughed at hilarious Dave Barnes videos. We heard all about their trip to Disney, and made a plan to move to Orlando and become Disney characters for a year (sounds like fun, right?) We did NOT want to leave and were secretly hoping we'd miss our flight, haha! Kevin and Sarah - thanks for having us!

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*the last picture is of me and Chloe on my wedding day....somehow we have managed to NEVER get a picture all together with Kevin and Sarah! Maybe it's because we tend to hang out, just the 4 of us, late at night? Williams Family, we need to remedy this!

Friday Update :: Georgia Bound

Fri, 19 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

It's that time again! Time for our 'Friday Update', where we fill you in on what we've been up to for the past week (or couple of weeks ;) Check out the info below!

Written by Ericka

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Be My Valentine. Last week, in lieu of our Friday Update I did a couple of Valentine themed blogs. I'm still surprised at how much of a hit one of them was - 700+ views and 32 comments (and they keep coming in!) It's VERY encouraging to see God using my blogs! Overall it was a great Valentine's weekend. Rusty and I enjoyed dinner and a movie out, and he gave me flowers and chocolates (I gave him a new pullover). BOTH of our moms sent us Valentine's too! We were very blessed :)

No Southern Belle. Most of you have probably heard by now via facebook, but just in case you didn't (and are wondering), I did NOT get the part of Belle in Beauty and the Beast at the Civic Theater here. I found out I made it to the top 2 (which is encouraging) but they chose the other girl. I guess they only like NORTHERN Belles up here! (kidding, kidding... haha ;)

Wooly, Wooly. My husband has been getting very wooly lately. Our hair stylist has been on maternity leave - the perfect excuse for Rusty to 'save money' and not get a haircut! I've trimmed it a few times but I am no professional...so it's gotten a bit out of hand. He decided to grow a beard along with it, so this is how he's looked for the past couple of months.

I won't lie - I kind of liked it. I love his hair longer, and didn't mind the beard too much (though it was a little scratchy). Imagine my surprise when he walked in CLEAN SHAVEN (and got a haircut a day later!) I feel like there is a strange man in my house...it is taking some getting used to!

Tent-making & Support Raising. Sometimes Jesus and the disciples relied completely on the support of others to do their ministry, as Rusty and I (and all AIM missionaries) do. (see Luke 8:1-3) There's something beautiful about the dependence of it - trusting God to show up and provide through the generosity of His people. We also love the fact that we have great relationships with many of our supporters we wouldn't have if we worked 'normal jobs'. I could go on and on... but the bottom line is, support raising allows us to do our full-time ministry, and we're thankful for everyone who supports us (and we still REALLY need your support!)

Sometimes though, the disciples raised money other ways. For example, Paul was a tent-maker for a season. Since we aren't traveling for a few months, we've been looking for opportunities to do a little tent-making on the side. It can help with our support burden, and also (hopefully) help us save for having children in the future (since we don't have maternity insurance).

For me, tent-making means I've gotten back into selling Arbonne products (I'll share more on that later, but feel free to contact me if your interested in trying anything!) For Rusty, it means a job with the church! That's right - he's been hired part-time to work for our church here. He'll be doing a lot of video work for them, which he LOVES! It's great to see him using his talents and abilities from his TV days in a ministry setting (and we're so blessed he's getting paid for it too!) Praise God! If you're on facebook, you can see one of his latest pieces by clicking HERE.

Georgia Bound. Yup... I'm South bound again. I'm headed down next week for a few meetings with my boss and coworkers. It's only for a couple of days, and my schedule is PACKED - but I'm looking forward to seeing everyone at the GA AIM office (and my parents for a quick dinner one night). Please pray for me! I will be missing Rusty a lot (he's staying in Michigan). I'll be flying Tuesday (23) and Thursday (25) and would appreciate your prayers for a safe trip and traveling mercies...and blessings on my meetings!

That's all for this week friends! HAPPY FRIDAY & have a great weekend!

From sinner to SAINT :: A Story of Redemption

Fri, 5 Feb 2010 00:00:00 GMT

I know it's time for the 'Friday Update', but this week it's going to be a little different.

We'll update you on our life next week - for now I'd like to give you a little 'inside information' for the Super Bowl this Sunday!

I hope you'll check out the incredible story of God's redemption (written by Ericka) below.

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This past 4th of July was a little different for us than ever before. Instead of spending it with family, or at home in Michigan, we were flown down to Georgia to meet some new friends.

Phil Williams is a sports agent who lives in Peachtree City, GA with his beautiful wife Meg and his incredible children, Hannah, Luke, Kyle, & Beka. He heard about Rusty through some mutual AIM friends, and looked him up online. After all - sports agents and former sports-casters are cut from very similar cloth... especially if they not only love SPORTS, but love the Lord.

The two immediately hit it off via email and phone call, and before we knew it we were headed down to hang out for the weekend. Phil wanted us to meet his family, and his very special 'third son'... Anthony Hargrove.

You may know him as #69, the New Orleans SAINTS Defensive Tackle.

Anthony isn't Phil's blood, he's actually one of his clients. He doesn't look like Phil's other kids. His skin is a different color, his arms are covered in tattoos, he's 6 foot 3 and weighs 272 pounds. But he's FAMILY, through and through.

The Williams have been there for Tony in some of his roughest times. His story is full of pain - his dad left when he was a small child, his mom died of AIDS when he was 9. The rest of his life he was bounced around from relative to relative, and NFL team to NFL team. Eventually he found himself at his lowest point - out of money, abandoned by his family, addicted to drugs and alcohol, and suspended from his team. But Phil never gave up on Tony.

NEITHER DID GOD.

At the end of his rope, Tony found the God of redemption, the God of HOPE, the God of second chances. And he started over with a new outlook on life, and the desire to do something DIFFERENT with his NFL fame and money this time around. Instead of getting all the girls, cars, and clothes, he wants to change the world!

We heard Tony's story that weekend, and watched as the video below was recorded. (Watch it to hear a first hand account of all he has been through. It's worth your time!) We heard about all the horrible things people said about him, and all of his terrible transgressions. Every detail was unbelievable to me, especially after watching him put together puzzles and cuddle with Phil's youngest daughter, Beka. He's got a sparkle in his eyes that's unmistakable, a spirit that doesn't quit, and a heart as BIG as he is! (which, let me tell you, is pretty big!)

Just a few days after the Super Bowl, Tony will be following that big heart all the way to Swaziland. He's been listening to God about giving back, and he wants to go GIVE HOPE to the children in Africa. He understands what these kids are going through - what it's like to have your dad leave and your mom die of AIDS. What it's like to feel unloved and unwanted. But he also understands what it's like to LET GOD IN, and to find HOPE when all seems lost. I can't wait to see what God will do through Tony there!

Keep an eye out for Tony this weekend as you watching the SUPER BOWL, and stay tuned to see what God has in store!

Tony is special, and I know God has a very special plan for his life.

God is a GOD OF REDEMPTION, and He is redeeming His SAINT!

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To see the awesome video about Anthony from NFL gameday, click HERE.

To read more about Anthony's journey, click HERE and HERE.

Friday Update

Fri, 29 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Written by my wonderful wife:)

And now we take you back to our 'regularly scheduled program' - the weekly Friday Updates you all love! Here's the latest from our life in Port Huron, MI where it was 7 degrees today!

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Sound of Hope Sales. This update is actually from a couple of weeks ago. I got an opportunity to share with the church about The Sound of Hope on Sunday morning, and to sell some of our merchandise. We ended the morning with $400 raised for orphans through our sales! Praise the Lord! We're planning to do it again, as well as some other Sound of Hope events throughout the year. (Stay tuned for details!) It was exciting and encouraging to see the church's response!

How do you feel about EVOLUTION? No...we're not talking about Darwin! We're talking about the EVOLVE CONFERENCE at our church here in Michigan! It was an awesome time focused on seeking God & His plans, healing (emotionally and physically) and worship. Michael Hindes & Mike Paschall were the special speakers, which meant we got to visit with Mike & Patti! We also had 11 World Racers from Georgia come up for the conference, which meant we had some house guests for the weekend! It was awesome to be with so many people we love, seeking God together!

Worship. As I mentioned above, WORSHIP was a big part of the Evolve conference. Luckily, it was also my first weekend singing with the worship band! I had a great time making music with our very talented worship leaders. Thanks to everyone who let me be a part; I'm looking forward to singing with you all more as the year goes on!

Saltines & Ginger-ale... sadly, that was my diet for most of the week. Remember all that 'hang out time' I talked about with all the people we love (at the Evolve Conference)? Well...people weren't the only thing hanging out. Apparently the STOMACH FLU decided to make it's rounds too. Yuck. Three people from the worship band came down with it, plus Michael, Kathy, and Patti... and finally me. NOT. FUN. I am still recovering - my body aches all over. PLEASE PRAY with me that Rusty doesn't get it!!!

The other woman. Yes...*sigh. It's true, Rusty has another woman in his life. She even shares the BED with us! LUCKY for me she's a DOG! Hahaha! Meet Millie Mae, our 'guest' for a week and a half. She is a precious little puppy who belongs to Gary & Joey McGinnis (who are in Kenya doing some mission work with The World Race). They rescued her from being euthanized and she couldn't be sweeter! When she and Rusty aren't playing 'chase' in the house, she is begging to be CUDDLED. She follows us around like a shadow and wants to be loved every moment of the day...and night. I've never had a dog sleep in bed with me, but she INSISTS. The first night she peed in the bed...NOT good!!! Since then though, we've all gotten comfortable with each other. We usually wake up with her smushed down between us, cuddled as close as she can be! She's stolen both our hearts!

(This is Millie checking out Rusty's backpack. Can you tell how tiny she is?)

There She Is... MISS AMERICA! Consider this your reminder, the Miss America pageant comes on Saturday night! (7 central, 8 eastern on TLC). There is also a 'behind the scenes' show coming on tonight at 9. Tune in to cheer on MISS ALABAMA, Liz Cochran. Liz and I met when we competed together in her first Miss AL prelim pageant. I liked her from the moment I met her, and taught her how to tease her hair that night when she was having trouble. She won that night, and kept winning... all the way to Miss Alabama! She's very sweet and incredibly beautiful... I'm sure she's going to make Alabama proud!

A Southern BELLE. And with that, I'm referring to Belle, from Beauty & The Beast. You see, the Civic Theater here in Port Huron is doing the play, and auditions are on Tuesday. I've decided to try out - intimidated though I am! I've done drama teams, musicals, show choirs, All-State show choir and AU Singers, and have lots of experience singing & dancing, but I've never auditioned before for an actual play. I also don't have any experience here in Michigan with this particular theater, so I may not stand a chance. Still... I HAVE to try! Belle has been my dream role for years (I considered auditioning to play Belle at Disneyworld) so I'm going to give it my best. I know it's silly, but if you wouldn't mind saying a little prayer Tuesday for me, that would be great!

Thanks so much everyone!

HAPPY FRIDAY, and we hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Weekly Update

Fri, 22 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Written by my wife

Sorry I've slacked off on our Friday updates! Don't worry friends.... I'm back today with good news, great pictures, and a FUN video!

This is not a 'typical' update, but rather an update on our snow a couple of weeks ago (I know, I'm late, SORRY!) But first, let me update you on 2 things I know many of you are wondering about....(drumroll please).....

1. WE WERE FULLY FUNDED FOR 2009!!!! WHOO HOO! >insert a happy dance here<! After much prayer, hard work, prayer, discouragement, prayer, and encouragement GOD SHOWED UP through YOU! We finally got our account updated for December and found out that we not only raised enough for that month, but we also raised enough support to cover our deficit from previous months! PRAISE GOD - He is our AWESOME PROVIDER!

To all of you who gave - THANK YOU does not cover it! Please continue to cover us in prayer and support this year...it is a new year with new needs and we are praying 2010 will be fully supported too :)

2. My 3 days (Jan 6 - 8) of praying for RENEWED VISION were WONDERFUL! Again- THANK YOU for praying for me! I felt your prayers throughout those difficult (but good) 3 days. What came out of it was a lot of clarity, focus, and new vision. Please continue to pray that God will give me the courage, wisdom, and provision to see it through!

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Well, now that you're updated with our good news, we hope you'll enjoy these pictures from our POHO SNOW! That's right, the snow season in Port Huron is in full swing! We got around 7 inches on the ground 2 weekends ago. Since then it's snowed a little more here and there...maybe 3 or 4 other days. If this year is anything like last year, we won't see the ground again until it all melts in April!

It's cold but beautiful, and we decided to spend our Saturday having fun in it! We hope you enjoy the pictures and the video below...made especially for YOU!

PoHo Snow FUN from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

Our snowy home...

Winter wonderland...

Snowy berries...

Rusty in front of the frozen over Lake Huron!

Me at Lake Huron....

This is for my Dad and brothers - thought you'd like a picture of a boat!

It was pushing through the huge chunks of ice on the lake to get to the river!

Under the Blue Water Bridge, which crosses over to Canada!

Rusty LOVED 4-wheeling in the Explorer!

Of course we had to play some snow football...

Great catch!

Snow Heisman!

It was all fun and games until the wife got tackled....

AND got a snowball to the FACE!

I was not happy....

But Rusty got what was coming to him! When I woke up the next morning this was outside...

Rusty (who always 'teaches' me about driving in the snow)

tried to turn around to get the mail and got STUCK in our FRONT YARD!!! Hahaha!

Luckily he was able to shovel it out... while I laughed...TOO FUNNY! ;)

There are a few more pictures under 'browse my photos'...

hope you enjoyed seeing our Saturday in the SNOW!!!

We had so much fun acting like BIG KIDS together! :)

A Call to RESPOND - CORRECTION

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Folks I apologize. I was not clear in my last blog post. I'm not going to Haiti. The blog I posted was actually written by Ashley Musick - a former World Racer. Ashley and a group of WR Alumni are going to Haiti - in fact they left today.

Sorry for the confusion.

A Call to RESPOND

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

The tragedy in Haiti has placed this call on our lives - a call to respond. The best part is we can all answer it in some way, either by prayer, giving or going.

Well we've got a group World Race alumni who are going - tomorrow! Please check out the details below. They need YOUR support.

Since the earthquake happened in Haiti we've all been looking for opportunities to help. AIM is launching a huge effort to make a long-term difference. Creating opportunities for short-term teams will take a lot of details and information that you can't get unless you are there. Somebody has to go in first.

I've been working with many people to organize a team of World Race Alumni to go into the country, and we're leaving this Thursday. That's right... we're leaving on Thursday . I'll actually being going out to lead the team. My heart was broken for the people of Haiti on my World Race trip last February, and I want to help. The trip will be from Thursday the 21st through Wednesday the 27th.

We'll be traveling to Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic and traveling to the border. The vision is that we will go as a first response team representing AIM, gathering basic info on contacts and travel, and to provide immediate relief to the people suffering in Haiti.

I talked with Seth Barnes last night about this trip and AIM's bigger picture. Adventures in Missions has experience working in crisis and disaster situations. They responded to the tsunami and to Hurricane Katrina. We want to make a long-term difference in Haiti. I have hopes that our Alumni trip will help gather necessary information for the many teams that will follow in our footsteps to build into the long-term plan of bringing restoration to a part of Haiti... physical and spiritual.

Being some of the first to go in will not be easy. We're still working on details regarding transportation, communication, and ministry contacts. But we need to start somewhere... there are people dying in the streets. Any hassle in transportation is immediately worth it because finding answers to those problems will make it easier for a team of medical personal going in the next week.

We're going to pray. We're going to minister to those we meet. We're going to tell their stories.

And this is only the beginning.

Will you help us? Will you help send this team of Alumni out to help pave the way?

We have asked each Alumni who is participating to buy their own plane tickets to the Dominican Republic. They are getting friends, family, and supporters to help them with that. In order to cover ground costs and ministry needs (any opportunities to meet immediate needs like food, water, and blankets) we have set up a special project to accept donations. Please pray and give! We need your help to pave the way. Please give to this project to help this team of Alumni!

Go to this direct link to give: https://www.adventures.org/give/donate.asp?giveto=worldrace&desc= (this is also accessible by going to www.theworldrace.org and clicking on the "Donate" tab on the homepage. Hit the button that says, "click here to give!")
Once you're on this page, change the program on the drop-down menu to a "World Race Project." A new box will appear, for a description of the project. Please have supporters put WR HAITI as the name of the Project.

We're asking that all Alumni help us raise money for this Project. Reach out to your personal networks of family and friends. If you've watched the news, read the blogs, and wondered what you can do... please do this. We absolutely need you to make this happen. Please give abundantly and sacrificially.

In addition to financial support, this team will need a special covering of prayer. Pray for safety. Pray for open doors and clear communication. Haiti has always been a spiritual battleground as well. There is a war in the heavens for this nation and we are sure to experience it firsthand in the coming week.

Family, friends, supporters, blog readers.... You are needed. You are the foundation for the ministry we do and we thank you.

For Him and His Kingdom! Jesus is the Hope of Haiti!

REPRESENTING!

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

What up folks?! If you got a a few minutes check out another facet of what I do for the World Race. Not only do I work as a recruiter for the program, but I also do several radio interviews too.

Here is the one I did right after Christmas.

A Missionary's Life :: 7 States and 3,000 Miles

Fri, 8 Jan 2010 00:00:00 GMT

Here's our Friday Update, written by my wife!

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It's that time again... time for our Friday Update! This week I'm finally back on track and am posting on the right day...er.... night (ha!).

Since we got home Monday night we've been catching up on work, unpacking, organizing, and putting away Christmas decorations...not very exciting. So instead of updating you on that I wanted to give you a recap of our trip home... all 3,000 miles of it! ENJOY!

The picture above is a snapshot of our 'roadtrip route'... all 7 states and 3,000 miles of it. I think it looks a bit like the Little Dipper, which gave me a giggle. Boy was this trip...um... EXCITING to say the least. (though not exactly what we had planned...)

A - Port Huron, MI - It all started out at our home in Michigan. We packed our bags and left around 11am on December 18. The weather was great - no snow or ice, just clear skies. Christmas gifts were wrapped and packed, Christmas music was on the iPod, and we were on our way HOME for Christmas... or so we thought. We were supposed to arrive around 11pm...

B - London, KY - ...but it started snowing. Fitting; we were singing "Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow", and boy DID IT! Big, wet flakes were pouring from the sky. By the time we made it to London, KY for gas, we found out the ROADS to home were CLOSED! We would not be going home tonight. We got out a map and the GPS and began to re-route to...

C - Nashville, TN - which was about 3.5 hours away. I got out my phone and started texting friends in an effort to find a last minute place to stay. Lucky for us, Tyler Ward, my friend from college, responded with an open house! We got to see him and meet his beautiful wife Analee, his awesome parents, and 2 of their dear friends....CHRISTMAS BONUS! It was an unexpected blessing along the way.

The next morning we got up to drive the last 4 hours of our (much longer than expected) trip home and finally arrived in...

D - Oxford, AL - Home, sweet, home! But no time to relax! We walked right into our Bennett Family Christmas party preparations! We had a blast seeing my Dad's side of the family, and meeting my new baby cousin Michael!

The rest of the trip to my hometown was jam-packed. I sang for the morning and night service at church, visited as many friends and family members as we could, celebrated Christmas Eve with our immediate family, Christmas Day with my Mom's side of the family, and Christmas Night with our godparents & 'Aunt' Angie. We were SPOILED with good food and lots of presents! And of course there was also the day trip to...

E - Birmingham, AL - to see some of my girlfriends!!! (Rusty was such a trooper!) We had lunch with Courtney Pearce and braved The Summit for some last minute Christmas gifts for Rusty. Later we met Lisha Li for coffee at Starbucks. That was followed with an unofficial Miss Alabama Pageant Christmas Party! It was so good to see some of the sweet MAP girls, especially my precious friend Katie Boyd! We had a great time exchanging scarves and girl-talking. Then it was time for a late dinner with Josh & Shelly Daniels at my favorite place... CHICK-FIL-A! What a great day full of time with good friends :)

F - Monticello, AR - It wasn't long before it was time to drive to Rusty's hometown. We left the morning after Christmas and arrived safe and sound that night in time for dinner. We had a great time with his parents and sweet MeMaw, and were spoiled with even more good food and gifts! We visited Rusty's Uncle Charles who is 92 and still sharp as a tack! We also made sure to eat lots of Ray's Burgers, and I spent one day shopping with my wonderful mother-in-law in...

G - Little Rock, AR - which is also the next stop on our trip. Well, actually we went from Little Rock to Cabot, AR (but it's close). We spent New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in Cabot with our dear friends Josh & Kristy Fleming, and their beautiful little girl Carly. All too soon though it was time to leave for...

H - Memphis, TN - where my dear friend BJ Agnew SURPRISED us with tickets to the Liberty Bowl! We almost froze to death, but Rusty LOVED seeing Arkansas play (especially since I cheered for his team that day!) We made it through Eddie Money's half time performance but were too cold to stay longer. I was very thankful for the police officer who offered to give us a ride back to our car! (Yes, we started off 2010 in the back of a police car- HA!)

The rest of our time in Memphis was spent visiting Rusty's sister Tracy and hanging out with BJ and her friends. It was great to see them all, and we were sure to eat some delicious Memphis BBQ on our way out of town! Just 8 more hours of driving and we were in...

I - Cincinnati, OH - where we crashed with Brad & Faye Wendel, the awesome parents of Andi Wendel. We love that whole family, and it was great to see them again! We were so thankful for another free place to stay before our final drive home too....

Port Huron, Michigan! WHEW!!! Ohmygoodness what a TRIP! If you made it through that long description, congratulations ;) To all of you who pray for us, THANK YOU for your prayers for safe travel and good health! (they were definitely felt!) To all of you we saw this trip, it was WONDERFUL to spend time with you! To those we missed - we are SO sorry... there just weren't enough hours in the day! We definitely hope to see you next time!

Enjoy a few more pictures below of our Christmas Roadtrip! :)

My little brother's new puppy! (Isn't she cute?)

My family: (l-r) baby brother Jaron, BO (Brent's German Shepard), Mom, Dad

Melissa (Brent's fiancee), little brother Brent, Rusty, me

(yes, Rusty and I are in our pajamas ;)

Rusty and me with my Granddaddy on Christmas Day

My Aunt Tammy & me with my Granddaddy's Christmas Monkey - HA!

Visiting with Anthony & Carrie Friday (friends of mine from college) and their beautiful little girl!

How funny is Ansleigh's face? She looks TERRIFIED!

New Year's Eve morning with the Jacksons!

Rusty and his MeMaw

Rusty and his Uncle Charles who is 92 years old.

We had a great time visiting with him - he's still sharp as a tack!

He shared with us about his time in WWII and some family history!

Me and my sweet friend Courtney at our lunch date! :)

Some of my beautiful friends from the Miss Alabama pageant

after our 'scarf swap' party (no, we didn't wear those scarfs with those outfits - ha!)

The best part of this pic is, (if you could see the bottom half) we ALL have our feet in 'pageant pose!'

A Christmas visit with Josh & Shelley Daniels - love them!

Rusty with his sister Tracy in Memphis :)

Me with my sweet friend BJ who surprised us with tickets to the Liberty Bowl!

Here we are in our Arkansas colors supporting Rusty (even though we are both AUBURN alums!)

Rusty and I FREEEEEZING at the Liberty Bowl!

(my face was under my scarf for most of the game)

A Missionary's Life :: I'll Be Home for Christmas

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Check out our latest update, written by my wife! There are even before and after pictures of my MANCAVE!

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Where to begin? We have so much to update you on... I apologize for being out of touch the past couple of weeks! Here's our VERY late 'Friday update' (yes, on Wednesday) for the Christmas Season! We'll stick with a theme - all our updates to the 'tune' of Christmas Songs!

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Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow!

We left Michigan for our drive home on Friday morning (the 18th). No snow on the ground, no ice or snow falling... the weather was perfect for driving! That is... until we hit the SOUTH! We'd been in the car for about 9 hours and were singing 'Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow' when it started! It ended up snowing SO hard that they closed the roads in southern Kentucky!!! After re-routing an extra 4 hours to Nashville, we called it a night. A BIG THANK YOU to the Ward family for giving us a free place to stay at the last minute! It was an unexpected blessing to see my friend Tyler and to meet his beautiful wife and family!

I'll Be Home for Christmas. After another 4 hours in the car Saturday morning, we FINALLY made it home for Christmas! After a week in Alabama (my home), we drove home for Christmas again to Arkansas (Rusty's home). So far, we have traveled around 1,350 miles (over 25 hours in the car!) We are so thankful for all your prayers that kept us safe in bad weather & traffic! Please keep praying for our travels around Arkansas and our trip back to Michigan! (Jan 3-4)

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year! Even with all the travel time, this truly has been a wonderful visit with friends and family!!! We've kept ourselves busy with family get-togethers and trying to see as many friends as possible (for those we missed, we hope we see you next time!)We've been spoiled with lots of presents and yummy food... it's great to be with the ones we love! (and back in the land of SWEET TEA & CHICK-FIL-A!) THANK YOU to everyone who made this trip special, and a special thanks to our parents & family!

What Child is This? While home for the holidays I got to meet my new baby cousin Michael! He is adorable, and we're so glad we got to see him (and his parents ;)

O Holy Night. I had the opportunity to sing for the morning and night service for my hometown church the Sunday before Christmas. I sang my grandmother's favorite song, "O Holy Night" and also "Mary Did You Know". It was great to see the church family I grew up with, and to get to sing again!

All I Want for Christmas... is a new mancave! Before we left to come South, Rusty and I had 'our Christmas' at home. We exchanged presents, had his favorite roast for dinner, and watched Christmas movies. I surprised him with his 'big' gift - a makeover for his mancave! Rusty's 'mancave' is a corner of our unfinished basement in our rented home. I re-did it in an Arkansas theme, including curtains I made for him, and an Arkansas Razorback blanket I made for him. I know it's far from 'Extreme Home Makeover', but I did the best I could with a rented home and small budget. He was SO excited! A big THANK YOU to Kim & Patrice, the 'Christmas Elves' that helped me redecorate! You can see the 'before and after' pictures below!

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Ok... as much fun as this Christmas Song update is, it's getting a little long so I'll bring it to a close! We are enjoying a few more days in Arkansas before starting the long drive back to Michigan. We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! Enjoy the pictures below!

BEFORE

The 'entrance' to Rusty's mancave...

AFTER

Now sealed off with insulated curtains.

BEFORE

One of the walls in Rusty's mancave...

AFTER

I know the wall is still purple, but we are renting so we can't paint.

BEFORE

The main wall - decorated by kid's art (made by the grandchildren of our landlord).

Very sweet, but not very 'manly'. Also, notice the towels stapled up for curtains...

AFTER

I couldn't paint since we are renting, so we covered the walls with fabric.

I made the curtains out of Arkansas Razorback fleece!

BEFORE

The 3rd wall of his 'mancave'.

AFTER

BEFORE

The 'junk shelves' in the basement...

AFTER

Now covered with insulated curtains!

TADA!!!

Meet Kim & Patrice, the 'Christmas Elves' that helped me with the transformation!

SURPRISE!!!

He had NO IDEA! I am so sneaky! :)

Rusty giving the 'thumbs up' for his new mancave!

And his final surprise, a new Arkansas Razorback fleece blanket, handmade by ME! :)

A Missionary's Life :: It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Fri, 4 Dec 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Well... it's everyone's favorite blog of the week... our FRIDAY UPDATE! (written by my wife)

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas! Okay... let's be honest...it was 'beginning' to look that way about 2 weeks ago. Yes- this year I was one of those crazy people who decorated BEFORE Thanksgiving... I couldn't help it, I was just TOO EXCITED!! What can I say...I am my mother's daughter. (and I guess this is what I get for making fun of her for being Christmas Crazy all those years!) I finally put the finishing touches on it all this week though, and we are very happy with the outcome! There was lots of bargain shopping and several 'do it yourself' projects, but we were able to stay under budget. Next week I plan to post a 'Decorating on a Budget' blog to share some of my ideas...tune in if you (or a friend) need some direction! :)

PoHo Family Christmas Party. Last night Rusty and I hosted our first Christmas Party together. We had over all the Michigan World Race staff, and some very fun visitors too! We ended up with a house full of loved ones and spent the night eating, laughing, praying, and worshiping. Our VERY FUN guests showed up with Christmas hats for everyone and sang carols upon entering the house. I made some yummy white chicken chili and mexican cornbread for dinner, and we finished the night with Jesus' Birthday Cake! (a red velvet cake with 'Happy Birthday Jesus' on top! - it's a family tradition :) It turned out being one of the most FUN Christmas parties EVER!!! A big THANK YOU to everyone who came! :)

I LOVE SURPRISES!!! If you know me at ALL, you know I love presents (giving and getting) and you know I LOVE surprises! This week I got both - in a very special ornament bought for me by Mrs. Darla Snyder (our friend Matt's sweet mom). The ornament is just too cute; it's the world, with little children from different countries holding hands around it. The word "HOPE" is written on it in 6 different languages. It was a very special addition to our tree! THANKS MRS. DARLA!!!

The First SNOW! That's right! Our Christmas party ended the most perfect way of all... with SNOW! As we walked our last 3 guests out, we found sparkly white flurries all over our front steps. Needless to say, both Rusty and I were VERY excited!!! Sadly it had all melted by morning, but we are hoping for more soon! (it's just so pretty!)

The REAL Reason for the Season. Of course, we all know the REAL Reason for the Season is JESUS... not decorations or parties or gifts. I have some great blogs coming that focus on that... blogs about Christmas gifts that give back, decorating on a budget (and giving the extra money away), and a blog coming this weekend about a VERY special little girl who's doing something incredible for Christmas this year. Today, I want to let you know about a great group of women - led by our friend Meg - who are overseas starting off the season right. They are giving their time, money and love to 'the least of these' while on a trip to Swaziland. They are truly living out scripture; "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." (James 1:27) Please keep them in your prayers this week as God is breaking their hearts for Africa. Click here to read a more detailed update of their trip: December Trip to Swaziland

Well, that's all we have friends! To see ALL the pictures of our home decor,

and our Christmas party, just visit this link:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=139075&id=575430898&l=74f29e31f9

We hope you have a wonderful weekend!

One Year Later: WAKING UP A GENERATION

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Alright, so I finished up my last blog post talking about the growth of the World Race this past year.

A big reason for that growth - other than God - is my wonderful teammates from the January 2008 squad. It was such an honor, and blast to lead them around the world, and it's even cooler watching them lead their own squads!

Let me start off with two wonderful ladies, Patrice Deaton and Gretchen Kiehlbaugh. They left this past June to lead the June 2009 World Race squad. In my opinion, what makes Gretchen and Patrice great leaders is they have a huge passion to see their teammates experience real FREEDOM in Jesus!

Another awesome lady from my trip is Caroline Crawford. She is a squad leader for the August race. Right now Caroline is in the Middle East, or Eastern Europe maybe. I don't know - it's hard to keep up:) Caroline is great at reading a situation, cutting through the crap, and gently helping you get over yourself so that you can better do the thing God has called you to do.

Next up - Andi Wendel! Andi recently left to lead the October squad. The love of Jesus radiates off this girl! Andi is a great shepherd, she loves her team deeply - and they know it!

Next year, Robby Riggs will squad lead one of the January squads. HA! Nobody laughs like Robby! He knows how to have fun, and his presence in a room can change the atmosphere. Dude's got a HUGE heart to serve and his squad will be blessed by it.

Now to Nate Evans - ole Nate! He's heading out in January as well. Nate will be a team leader next year, and one thing I know for certain - there won't be any lack of passionate exhortations in that group. Nate has got a great ability to get people fired up. He loves the Lord - and his passion for Christ is contagious.

These aren't the only folks from my squad who have invested back into the World Race.

Matt Snyder came on staff full-time back in January. Aside from being a talented musician, Matt is a gifted writer and storyteller. He works in our marketing department.

I know most of ya'll know Kim Daniels. I've reposted a TON of her videos on my blog. Kim is a full-time staffer with a passion for telling stories through video. As you can see here - she is pretty good at it:) Kim also does a lot of work in our marketing department.

I don't how we would have made it around the world back in 2008 if it wasn't for Mark Stratmann. Not only does Mark have an amazing heart, but a great logistical mind. Currently, you can find Mark working his tail off in our logistics department. He connects with a lot of our ministry contacts in the field, and makes sure things are lined out for our World Race teams when they get to a country.

Now as you can see, here at the World Race we are all about raising up leaders, or simply - waking up a generation! We believe every person that comes on the trip has leadership potential. Our goal is to tap into that potential and challenge them to be the man, or woman the Lord is calling them to be. Hey, it's not all about the World Race either, this is just a program. So we encourage people when they finish to follow their dreams, whether that's with us, or not.

There's a lot of folks from my two World Races who are not with the World Race, but they are in full-time ministry somewhere. That's what it's all about, seeing God give folks a dream and then going to live it out.

I'm proud of and love each and every one of my teammates, whether they are in full-time ministry or not. We had a blast bringing Kingdom to the nations together! It sure was fun:)

Gone, SEE YA, BYE!

A Year Later

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I tell you, one of the many things living 34 years has taught me is this -

TIME FLIES!

It's been a full year since I got home from my second World Race.

That's CRAZY!

But believe it or not, I feel like I'm finally just now getting a chance to settle in. Most of you folks know that my post-race life has been equally as intense as life on the race.

I got engaged, packed up ALL Ericka's stuff into a U-Haul, moved to Michigan in the middle of winter, moved Ericka into her new home, moved myself in with the Hindes, started working full-time for the World Race, walked through pre-marital counseling, flew to Arkansas for wedding showers, then drove over to Alabama for more wedding showers, rented a car, packed it full of wedding shower gifts and drove it back to Michigan, found a place for me and Ericka to live, packed up all Ericka's stuff again, moved it to the new house, went back down south and got married, HONEYMOON, back to Michigan to set up the house, continued trying to find the right role for me within the World Race, went down to Georgia for World Race training camp, came back home for a couple months, bought a car, continued working to set up the house, bought health insurance, mom came to visit, in-laws came to visit, back down to Georgia for training camp, back home for a few days, went to Buffalo for the Daniels' wedding, back home for a couple weeks, then down to Arkansas unexpectedly for my grandfather's passing and funeral, back home for 3 weeks, down to Arkansas again for the Razorback/Auburn game, back home for 2 days, back down to Georgia for World Race training camp, and FINALLY BACK HOME!

WHEW!

If you made it through that MONSTROSITY of a list then you can see it's been INSANE since I stepped off the jet in Little Rock back on November 21st of 2008.

It's also been insane to see how the World Race has continued to grow over the last year as well. The coolest part about this job is being a part of something on the ground level, and then watching the thing take off.

When I finished my first World Race in 2007, the program had just completed it's second year in existence. That year we had probably about 100 folks that did the trip, or started their trip. The next year, 2008, that number grew slightly to around 115. This year however, we have seen tremendous growth - we sent out 220 racers in 2009. We expect that number to double next year.

I'm proud to say my team, the January 2008 World Race team that finished up exactly a year ago has played a huge part in this growth. We've had several of them come on staff, as well as many go back out onto the field in leadership roles.

I'll bring you their stories tomorrow.

A Missionary's Life :: Japanese, Swahili, & Chick-Fil-A

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's that time again.... read our weekly "Friday Update" below! (written by my wife)

Roll out the red carpet. This Wednesday Rusty and I were asked to emcee the Volunteer Banquet for our church. The theme was RED CARPET, and it was set up as an Awards Show. We spent the night telling jokes, laughing at ourselves, and giving out funny awards. It was a BLAST! We have such a wonderful church full of fun people! (and any excuse for me to wear an old pageant dress is GREAT! ;)

Happy Birthday in Swahili. "Heri ya siku kuu!" (okay, actually that says "Have a Special Day" in Swahili...there's no direct translation for Happy Birthday). This past monday was the 10th birthday of one of the children we sponsor in Kenya. Sweet little Erick is growing up! I've been sponsoring him for almost 3 years, and I have loved every moment. If you have time, please say a little prayer for him today! He comes for a Muslim family, but through Compassion International he is getting Christian discipleship. It is such a blessing to get his letters with Bible verses in them! Praise God!

Drain-O FAIL. Yup, there's a much less glamorous side to our daily lives (it's not all red carpets and award shows! haha) All week we've been struggling with a badly clogged kitchen sink...YUCK! We tried 3 different bottles of Drain-O and Liquid Plumber, all to no avail. After having to wash the dishes in the bathtub, we had just about had it! Thankfully, some friends on facebook suggested trying a plunger. Lucky for us it WORKED! (well that, coupled with some prayers!) We're sad we wasted $15 on drain-o, but very thankful we didn't have to call a plumber!

The Chick-Fil-A Fairy. Those of you who know me know that I LOVE Chick-Fil-A. I could eat it every day - those tasty nuggets, honey mustard, and sweet tea...mmm... Okay, now my mouth is watering! Anyway... the tragic thing about living in Michigan is, there is only ONE Chick-Fil-A. ONE! And it isn't even a REAL Chick-Fil-A... it's just part of a food court on a college campus AN HOUR AWAY! UGH! So so sad. Well, yesterday afternoon I got a knock on the door. When I looked outside I saw our friend Shawn from church. "That's odd", I thought, "I wonder what Shawn wants?" And then... I opened the door. In Shawn's hands were one of the most beautiful little red and white boxes I'd ever seen! HE BROUGHT ME CHICK-FIL-A!!!!!! 12 whole tasty little nuggets, and a slice of pie! AND IT WAS MINE! ALLL MINE!!!! First I hugged him, then made him pinch me to be sure I wasn't dreaming. After he left I did a little dance in our kitchen and chowed down... OH HOW I LOVE CHICK-FIL-A!!!

Japanese Evangelism. No, we're not going to Japan...but we are helping out Japanese students! Our friend Kim has been hired to make videos by a Christian guy in Japan who's teaching students English. Today we were interviewed in conversational English (on video) to help them learn. The really COOL part is, we were asked questions about our faith; how we got saved, what our relationship with Christ is like, and how we feel about the gospel. It's so neat to know that just by sharing from the heart on a 5 minute video, we might be helping lead a Japanese student to the Lord!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary. No, not for us (though we did make the 7 month mark this week! WHOO HOO!) It's Rusty's 1 year anniversary of finishing the World Race. That's right, exactly a year ago today he was on a plane home. We can't believe how quickly the past year has FLOWN by!

Picasso in training. Well, they aren't THAT good, but this week I finished 7 paintings I've been working on. I've only painted one other time in my life, but we were looking for some cheap Christmas decoration ideas. I decided to paint some canvases to hang on all our doors because they were really inexpensive (only about $2 a piece, ribbon included). The experience was a lot of fun, and I'm really pleased with the end result! They may not be perfect but they're mine. I tried to take pictures but the flash messed with the way they looked...still they give you an idea :)

That's all we have friends - consider yourself caught up.

Enjoy the pictures below, and have a great weekend! :)

This painting is for the bookcase (where our stockings will hang).

It's gold & silver (you can't really tell it's metallic in the picture).

This painting is for our bedroom.... (gold, silver, & brown)

This painting is for our guestroom (it's done in a jungle-theme")...

For the office (again, the metallic gold & silver look much better in person)...

For the bathroom...

For the hallway....

For the entry-way (I was really proud of my holly in the corners!)

Hope is Born in Swaziland

Sat, 14 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

This is absolutely an amazing story from June 2009 racer Tiffany Berkowitz.

I had just sat down on one of the mattresses in the common area of where we live to watch an episode of "The Office" with some of the girls. I had never seen it before, and thought a little mid-day bonding over popcorn and a show sounded pretty good.
Five minutes into the show, William and Matt walked in the room and asked the question... "Are there any girls who would want to go with Pastor Gift to deliver a baby?"
I think after the initial shock wore off... I jumped up faster than I ever had before. I looked at Erin who had also jumped up and started pumping my fists in the air and screaming with so much excitement. Within a few moments, six of us girls were piled into White Chocolate (the old white van we drive around) and ready to go.
We picked the mother up from her home. Her name is Gamane. She was already in a lot of pain and could barely walk. This is her story: Her mother was a prostitute, so she is a direct product of that lifestyle. Her mother was born again and now looks down upon her daughter, disowning her because of the lifestyle that SHE has now chosen... the life of a prostitute. Gamane, only 25 years old, is now pregnant with her 5th child, and has no idea who the father is. She is HIV positive, and has no money or food for the baby.
So we get her into WC (White Chocolate), and started comforting her.

Erin, Kelly, Hannah, Kimi, Cori, and myself began to ask her questions to try and take her mind off of the pain. Erin suggested that I sing to her. So I sing. "You are the source of life, and I can't be left behind.. no one else will do.. I will take hold of you. I need you Jesus to come to my rescue. Tell me where else can I go? There is no other name by which I am saved, you capture me with grace. I will follow you." She was put at ease for a few moments.

The hospital was about 45 minutes away... and we were making good time.

Her contractions were getting closer and closer together. Kel started to time them, and they were about 1 minute 45 seconds apart. Kimi checked and said she wasn't that far along, and literally 30 seconds later, I look down... and see half of the baby's head!
Every one screamed "THE BABY IS COMING!" and hardly even 10 seconds later.. the whole baby was out. It happened so fast!
Pastor Gift was yelling to us to shut the windows, and wrap the baby up. We didn't have anything! Luckily, Hannah had decided to layer that day (so fashionable, that girl). So she took off one of her shirts and we wrapped the baby up.
A girl. A beautiful, beautiful baby girl.
I was crying. Bawling. Harder than the baby. It was the most beautiful... disgusting... thing I had ever seen.

Pastor Gift told us to get the baby to suck on something, so Cori stuck her finger in the babies mouth, and she began to suck on it. Everything was normal, the baby was healthy. Then Gamane's cousin grabbed my hands and told me to help her push. We had to get everything else out of her... the umbilical cord, the amniotic sac... (I will spare the gory details for those that can not handle it).

It was insane.

We asked her what the baby's name is going to be, and she said that she didn't know. Then she told us that we could name it for her. We all got SO excited. We talked and prayed about it for a few minutes, and then decided on HOPE... which is Litsimba in Siswati (the language here).

The reason behind it is obvious. We believe that there is hope for her life. Hope for a NEW life, and that she is going to bring that Hope to Swaziland. Gamane loved it.

A few minutes later, we pulled over on the side of the road. There was no buildings around us, no people... just cows. A lot of mountains, and a lot of cows.
We had a flat tire.

A young woman laying on the back seat of White Chocolate, fluids and blood everywhere, a baby bundled up on the blanket, six girls who have no idea what to do, and a flat tire.

And a lot of cows.

Pastor Gift changed the tire... with a tire that was even more flat than the one that was on it before. We tried to flag a couple cars down, but no one would stop.. so we did the only thing we could do.. we drove. Welcome to Africa, friends.
From the moment we puledl out, you could see the lines from the rim of the tire grinding into the asphalt. 15 minutes later, we arrived at the hospital and handed them over to some professional care.
She is HIV positive, so she can not breastfeed. We walked to the store and got some milk. Gamane asked who was singing to her in the car. I told her that I was. She said that she didn't know what was going on around her, and that all she could hear was the song, and that it helped her through everything. I cried again. We prayed over Gamane and Hope. We prayed for her little life... for God to invade her heart, then said our goodbyes. We couldn't fix the tire, which was shredded at this point, so we hitched a ride in the back of a truck and headed home.

I was thinking about the beauty of life. The miracle that it is. And then I was thinking about the tragedy of her situation. There were so many thoughts... so many emotions. It was so beautiful, and so sad.

Pastor Gift is looking for a family to take care of the baby. They may have found a home, but I ask that you all pray for Gamane and baby Hope. God has a plan for her. And Gamane saw God's love through us in a way she never had seen it before. I could see the glow of the spirit all over her. Pray for redemption in her life.

I don't really understand it all. Life. Death. Struggles. Victory. Hardships.
But I do know... God... is in the midst of it. Of it ALL.
He was there. He is there. He sees Gamane. He sees Hope. He loves them. He has a plan. A purpose. He does for everyone.
We are blessed.
Because we are alive.
And we have Him.

A Missionary's Life :: HIP HOP, Birthdays, and Babies

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's time for our FRIDAY UPDATE!

Be sure to read all the way through, because we saved the best news for last!

-----------------------------------------

Happy Birthday Jaron! That's my 'baby' brother, for those of you who don't know. I guess he's not a baby anymore though, since he turned 18 on Monday! I can't tell you how proud I am of him. He has grown up into a wonderful young man; smart, kind, generous, compassionate, and brave enough to stand up for what he believes in. We love you Jaron!

Hip Hop Abs. More like Hip Hop OUCH! I ordered a used DVD off Amazon a few weeks ago and have really started using it this month. Oh BOY is it a WORK OUT! I can't keep up with it full out yet, but I am trying. The funny thing is EVERYTHING HURTS! (I thought it was only supposed to be my abs?! haha!)

O Christmas Tree, CHEAP Christmas Tree... that's right, WE BOUGHT OUR FIRST CHRISTMAS TREE!!! We don't have many Christmas decorations for our home, so I am trying to get creative. So far I found some cute things at Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby, and we were especially thankful to find a nice, used Christmas Tree for only $35 off Craigslist! YES! If you have any other cheap Christmas decoration ideas, feel free to post them below :)

Whistle while you work. We thought we should update you on our work days, since you might be wondering what we're up to. Rusty is still recruiting for The World Race and is on the phone pretty much all day everyday. He spends time sharing with potential missionaries, talking with them about where God is leading them, and praying with them. He is using his Pastoral skills and he is loving it! (And God is working through him in some awesome ways!) I am still working on support raising for us - writing letters and sending prayer cards out in hopes of more support soon. PLEASE PRAY FOR PROVISION! We've had several new supporters in recent months, but we still went 'into the red' in October. Until we have the support we need, I can't go back to full-time orphan fundraising. SO, if you know anyone who could give, please TELL A FRIEND about us!

Delivering babies. If you're wondering how the World Race is going, we can tell you that the 220 missionaries out on the field are truly bringing LIFE around the world! LITERALLY. This week, 5 World Race girls helped deliver a BABY in the back of a van in Swaziland. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?! Talk about BRINGING LIFE! The best part is, they got to name the precious little girl they delivered. They truly believe she is going to bring HOPE to her country. Want to read all about it? Check out the blog here: Hope was born in White Chocolate.

Thanks so much for reading, and thanks even more for your love and prayers!

We hope you all have a HAPPY FRIDAY!

A Missionary's Life :: Costumes, Concerts, & Explosions!

Fri, 6 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's time for our weekly "Friday Update"! (written by my wife)

Check it out...

Trunk of Treats. Last Saturday Rusty and I took part in "Trunk of Treats" for our church. We dressed up as The Tooth Fairy and a Dentist, and decorated our car trunk to look like a giant mouth! It was a great excuse to use an old pageant dress, and I was able to find "Michigan Dentistry" scrubs at the thrift store super cheap for Rusty. All the kids that came were SUPER cute and we had a blast! One Mom asked to take my picture so she could show her children what the Tooth Fairy looks like when they're older, haha! We had over 1,800 people come through the event. It was a really fun way to give back to the community!

Check out our giant mouth! (see the teeth and the tongue? the candy was inside!)

Things that go BOOM. This week there was a MASSIVE explosion in our little town! A Welding Shop exploded (multiple times) about 15 minutes away, and Rusty felt the boom all the way to our house! Amazingly there was only one person injured, but it blew out windows in homes all around the business. They also had to evacuate the area because of the 500 gallons of chlorine that caught on fire! Way more excitement than we're used to in Port Huron. We are so glad more people weren't hurt or killed! To see a video, click here. (about half way through it explodes again, several more times!)

Bowling Fun. This week we did a little something different for family night....we went bowling! It was so much fun to hang out with our Michigan 'family'. I learned that my husband is an excellent bowler (I had NO idea!) and I, of course, am terrible. Still - it was a great time!

SEALED with a kiss. Ok, maybe not a kiss....maybe more like insulation. This week we had to seal our home for winter. That's right, the low last night was 29 degrees! So out came the AC units in the windows! I also bought some 'great stuff' foam insulation to spray in some cracks and holes around the house. We are SO thankful for our home (and the cheap cheap rent we pay), but it is old and very poorly insulated. We are praying the heat bills don't make us go broke this winter, as it will be bitterly cold soon!

Fun Day with Kim. This week my dear friend Kim and I scheduled a "Fun Day" for an afternoon and night away from Port Huron! Because we live, work, play, eat, and sleep in our homes, it was really nice to get out (even if it was only an hour and a half away!) We had a GREAT time painting our own pottery ornaments; a tradition we plan to continue every year. We also enjoyed a PHENOMENAL show by Dave Barnes & Ben Rector. These are two incredible musicians who are Christians, making music in a secular world. We really enjoyed meeting them and hearing their hearts for missions!

Dave supports The Mocha Club, a campaign that raises money to build wells in Africa. I got a chance to share a little bit with him about my vision for The Sound of Hope campaign, and he was SO encouraging! I also may have given him a support/prayer card...why not? ;) You can see pictures of our "fun day" below!

TC Video. And, in case you missed it, Rusty put together a great video from our time at Training Camp. Click here to see exactly what we do during our time in GA --->Training Camp Recap! - VIDEO

PHEW! It's been a fun and busy week (see the pictures below!)

Hope you all had a great one....HAPPY FRIDAY!

Kim and I painting our ornaments at "Creatopia"...

Listening to the very talented Dave Barnes...

Meeting his opening act, Ben Rector...

Who just happened to be an Arkansas Razorback Alum!

(here he is calling the Hogs)

And finally, meeting Dave Barnes! SUPER nice guy!

(I would highly recommend his music! Check him out!)

Training Camp Recap VIDEO

Wed, 4 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A wonderfully made recap video of our time at training camp last month:)

Training Camp Recap from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.

A Missionary's Life :: Unpacked bags

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Hello friends and family! It's time for our Friday Update again! (written by my wife).

There's not too much exciting news to share with you this week, so instead let me list a few things I'm thankful for today!

Unpacked bags. For the first time since January I have not only unpacked our bags, I've put them away! Our luggage is in the closet, not to be removed for at least 7 weeks! PRAISE THE LORD! As much as we love to travel (and as much as we miss traveling overseas), this winter is giving us a much needed break. We're looking forward to being home in Michigan until Christmas, then down South for a couple of weeks, and finally home again for a few more months! We're glad to be settling in even more, and finishing more 'home set up'. Being a 'frequent flyer' isn't always fun. Praise God for REST from the road :)

Free massage. Yes, God is THAT good! I've had a pain in the neck - literally- for several months now, and no, his name is not Rusty. ;) I've come home from every training camp with knots, pains, and muscle spasms in my neck and shoulders. A few weeks ago my hair stylist gave me a card for a FREE half hour massage. YES! I cashed that baby in yesterday and it was WONDERFUL! God is such a God of detail :)

Soliciting the solicitor. I'm still laughing about this one. I came home yesterday to find a 'membership paper' from the 'Michigan Water Conservationists'. Why? Because the lady came door to door, told Rusty we were facing 'IMMINENT DOOM' and my sweet husband had pity on her and gave her $12. (After all our fundraising struggles, it's hard not to empathize with someone asking for money). Here's where it gets good though; he then asked her inside, showed her all our Sound of Hope merchandise, tried to get her to buy something (to support orphans) and sent her home with one of our prayer cards!!! HA!

Family dinner. This week's family dinner was even larger than normal with visiting staff in town! Casey, Erin, Dennis, Lynette, & Kelly all joined us at the Hindes house for dinner. It was wonderful to see them all! We had a great teaching time, prayer time, and good fellowship together!

Red, yellow, orange & green. Those are the colors we are seeing around here. It's FALL, and it is BEAUTIFUL outside!!! The leaves up here are really incredible - it's breathtaking just to drive around town. I took a few pictures in our yard this week for your viewing pleasure so.... ENJOY!

We have a grape arbor in the back yard of the home we're renting...

these are some of our YUMMY grapes!

A Missionary's Life :: $1,236 and a Hit & Run

Fri, 23 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's that time again....time for our FRIDAY UPDATE! (written by my wife)

Hit & Run. I thought I'd start out this update with our most dramatic news...the hit and run we were involved in this week. That's right friends, we got HIT BY A DEER. No, we didn't hit a deer...IT HIT US! Wednesday night as we were driving home, a deer ran out into the road. Rusty slammed on the brakes and tried to miss her when SHE HIT US! BAM!! Right into the side of the truck. Luckily we weren't hurt and there was no damage to the truck. We were upset with the thought that she was in pain and pulled over to look for her, only to find her long gone! She'd run off, so we're hoping she is ok. Again- to those of you who pray for our safety as we travel, THANK YOU!

Home Sweet Georgia. Every time we come down to Training Camp we stay with an AIM staff member. We have been so thankful for the way they have all generously opened their homes to us, but it's always been a little difficult being newly-weds on a crazy schedule living with another family for 2 weeks. This time, WE GOT OUR OWN APARTMENT! The AWESOME Williams Family gave us their apartment (joined to their house) for our time in GA. We had our own room, bathroom, living-room and kitchen. It made a world of difference for us to have our own space. Sarah & Kevin, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts! (We really enjoyed our hang out time with you and your sweet kids too!)

Auburn World Racers. Two friends of mine from college are going on The World Race! It was so neat to see my Auburn friends, Lana and Lauren, at Training Camp this week. It was also encouraging to know that they decided to go on the race after talking to me and especially after talking to Rusty! It's so exciting to see how God is using us in the lives of others. Lana & Lauren- He has BIG plans for you!!! We can't wait to see all God will do in and through you on the Race!

New friends. The past week and a half we've had a chance to meet a lot of new World Race friends (who finished the race in the past year). It was SO good to meet them, hear their stories, and hang out with them. It was even better to find out that several of them are MOVING TO MICHIGAN! I am looking forward to getting some new girlfriends soon!

Old friends. It was also great to catch up with some old friends. I really miss seeing all my AIM co-workers that I used to see every day in the office. I enjoyed working with them, catching up, and just being surrounded by them this week. We are truly BLESSED to have so many wonderful co-workers that are also friends! We also got to spend some time with Seth Barnes (our spiritual dad/boss/director of AIM) and some of the AWESOME World Race coaches! It is such a treat to see them all!

$1,236.00. Did you see that number? $1,236! That's the amount of money we raised for orphans this week at Training Camp! I got an opporutunity to share about The Sound of Hope with these World Racers, and then gave them a chance to buy merchandise and give donations. At the end of the day our total was $1,236! PRAISE GOD!

Ministry, healing, & breakthrough. The ministry that happened this week at Training Camp was incredible. It was such an honor to take part in ministering to these Racers who are called to go to the nations! We saw God bring deep healing to many of these young men and women, and were able to see incredible breakthrough as they began ministering to one another. God has BIG PLANS for this group, and we're so glad we got to help prepare them to go bring His love, truth, and healing to THE WORLD!

Well friends, that's all we have this week! Overall it was a great Training Camp. Rusty did a wonderful job with the Men's Retreat, I enjoyed connecting to the young women, and we both had a great time leading the World Race Parent's Reception. We're enjoying a day off tomorrow and are excited about seeing my family and watching some football!!! We fly home Sunday, so please keep us in your prayers!

A Missionary's Life :: Bragging Rights & Training Camp

Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's time for our weekly update...written (by my wife) this Friday from Gainesville, GA!

Bragging rights. In case you didn't catch the game, ARKANSAS WON. It was ugly - Auburn played the worst they have all year, and Arkansas miraculously found a defense! End score: 44-23 Arkansas. Now Rusty has bragging rights for the year AND I owe him a footrub & backrub....*sigh. WAR EAGLE anyway! The GOOD NEWS is, Rusty tried hard to be sweet to me, and we had a blast visiting with dear friends, family, & supporters in Arkansas. Trudy & James, Josh, & Kristy, Chris & Carrie, Ruth, Charlie, Ryan & Lisa Marie, Lane & Denise -(and all your beautiful kids)- WE LOVED SEEING YOU!!!

*see the pictures at the bottom for some highlights from our trip!

Chimney sweep. Football games & time with friends wasn't all we did in Arkansas...Rusty tried his hand at being a chimney sweep! Our friend Chris had knee surgery recently and couldn't climb up on the roof to clean their chimney. Rusty stepped in (or, stepped UP rather) to help out. The FUNNY thing is...Rusty only brought nice clothes for the weekend. So, the next thing I knew Rusty was on the roof in his Dr. Pepper pajama pants! The pictures were too funny not to share!

Near death experience. On the way to the airport Monday, we almost died in a car crash. Sounds dramatic, I know, but it's true! The car in front of us hit some deep water, throwing it up on our windshield. There were several seconds where we could not see ANYTHING at all! We were meeting several cars in the left lane, including an 18 wheeler that could have hit us head on. To the right (in front of us) was an SUV, with a ditch and trees beyond that. Rusty tried to hit he brakes and started to hydroplane. We all had a few panicked seconds, just waiting on a horrific crash! When the water stopped we were MIRACULOUSLY still in our lane and hadn't hit ANYTHING!!! God's hand was definitely on us that day. To all of you who pray for us when we travel, THANK YOU!

Training Camp. We're back in Georgia for World Race Training Camp this week and we would really appreciate your prayers!!! This is the LARGEST Training Camp we've ever done, with over 100 participants! The next week and a half will be very busy for us. Our responsibilities include:

Hosting the Parent's Reception (a time for us to introduce World Race parents to AIM, and minister to them)
Leading the Men's Retreat (Rusty will lead the men on an adventurous retreat and teach them about serving, accountability, leadership, and what it means to be a man of integrity.)
Sharing about The Sound of Hope & selling merchandise (I will speak to the World Racers about The Sound of Hope campaign and how they can be involved with raising funds and awareness for orphans).
Working with Development & Donor Relations (I will be spending some time helping in these departments as we prepare for the end of the year).
World Race Participant training, ministry, teaching, counseling & prayer time (we take part in all things necessary to prepare these World Racers for their mission work around the world!)
Miscellaneous (a little bit of everything else like camp set up, break down, cleaning, kitchen duty, and all the other things needed to have a successful Training Camp!)

This is a busy and often stressful time for everyone involved. We have early mornings, late nights and little sleep in between. Satan HATES what we are doing, and tries to constantly mess things up by causing car trouble, schedule changes, sickness, bad dreams, lack of sleep, relationship struggles and anything else he can throw at us as staff! Rusty and I especially struggle with this as a married couple. I have already been dealing with severe muscle spasms this morning in my shoulders, back, and neck (VERY PAINFUL!) If you could lift us ALL up in prayer during this time, it would be greatly appreciated! Please pray too for these racers as they prepare to bring the love of Christ to the WORLD!

Well friends, that's all we've got this week!

Enjoy the pictures below, and thanks in advance for your prayers! HAPPY FRIDAY!

YOU'RE WEARING THE WRONG COLORS!!! - We were on opposite sides this game. EW!

Good thing we still love each other! :)

Headed in to the game!

The score was UGLY for us Tigers :(

Rusty was VERY excited with the end score!!!

I was NOT happy :(

Luckily, we weren't too mean to each other, and hugged it out at the end of the game ;)

We had a great time hanging out with Lane & Denise after the game!!! We wish we lived closer!

Our first night we stayed with Josh, Kristy, & sweet baby Carly!

During the weekend we stayed with the Tuckers -

these are the 3 beautiful Tucker women! (Carrie, Jane, & Mae)

We also visited the Norris family, who just moved into their new home!

...and made time for a quick coffee with Charlie on our way out!

And of course, our final stop had to be RAY'S for a burger with Mom!

Real Men - A Fighting Chance

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

I just want you guys to have a fighting chance.

Because the world around you ain't helping you any. If you believe Men's Health, TV, movies, the media, most professional athletes then you will be CONVINCED that your life is ALL about YOU!

How can I get more, have more, be better looking, get more women, buy more gadgets, make life easier, take control of things? These are the questions that consume most men, and they have at different times consumed me. It's the 'how to' guide in Men's Health - it's the message of every professional sports star during contract negotiations. It's the subject of half the books out there - 'take control of your life.' It's the reason for all our technology; to make life easier, more comfortable. Our culture celebrates independence in everything. We learn how relationships are "supposed" to look through 'Sex and the City', and other TV programs.

WE have become the gods of our lives.

Now this is not an indictment of any of you folks out there reading this, because let me tell ya - I'm living deep in this stuff as well. But living this life for Jesus, and hell - being married, especially being married, has taught me REALITY is VERY different from the world's view.

According to Richard Rohr, author of "Adam's Return", there are five truths we need to accept to live and live within.

1. Life is HARD.
2. You are NOT that important.
3. Your life is NOT ABOUT YOU.
4. You are NOT IN CONTROL.
5. You are GOING TO DIE.

OUCH! You're not going to see that list on any cover of a men's magazine. In fact, most say the exact opposite, "Make your life easier", "It is all about you", "take control of your life", and "live forever."

Unfortunately, false realities turn into false expectations. And when we carry these false expectations into our relationships - we wreak havoc. If friendships, marriages, or any other relationship gets hard - we bail. If people don't placate to, or stroke our egos daily we don't really want to be around them. If folks do things beyond our control, we get controlling. Death scares most men. These false expectations destroy relationships. I'm convinced our culture's worship of self is the reason people can't stay married, and men can't be fathers.

Now, I can speak about these things, because I have lived these things, and still do on some level.

The message of Jesus is simple - love others, which simply means, get your eyes off you and think of others ahead of yourself. The message of our world is equally as simple - love yourself above others. And anyone who has any sense knows that you can't have successful relationships with that mentality.

As men, we must die to our egos, our desires and wants. They must be laid down so that we can serve the wants and desires of our wives and children. By our 'death' - life will spring up in those around us. That is how men of integrity live.

This is reality. No way can anyone be a husband or father if all we do as men is worship ourselves and serve our own needs.

This is a truth I am learning DAILY.

This is a truth I want to pass on to you:

Men you need to walk into this deal - marriage, life, the whole shot, with accurate expectations.

So, here's the deal, I've got this vision, with all this worldly self worship: I want to see some REAL MEN recognized for their sacrifices. I want to see the man honored who had a chance to abort his baby, but decided not to take her life, to save the life of his own ego. I want see the story of the man whose wife is bed-ridden at a young age which forces him to drop out of school to work to support her and their daughter. I want to hear more about "everyday" men who are the real heroes of our culture. I don't even care if you don't profess Christianity as your religion, because in my mind - if you are loving, honoring and serving your wife and family then you are more like Jesus than most self-proclaimed Christians.

Somehow I'm going to bring you these stories. Because after all, my desire is to lay it out there RAW and REAL - so that we, as men, at least have a fighting chance.

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If you know of any REAL MEN out there, I'd love to hear about them!

Contact me and submit your stories. I'd like to include them in a future blog.

A Missionary's Life :: Tigers, Hogs & little girls

Fri, 9 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

It's time for our FRIDAY UPDATE (written by my wife)....coming to you LIVE from Fayetteville, Arkansas!

Hands of Hope. A few months ago God gave me a great idea. I had this picture in my mind of orphans handprints on the wall (as art). I shared the vision with my boss, and the next thing I knew I was sending fabric to Swaziland with some of our missionary teams! In just a short time "Hands of Hope" was born. "Hands of Hope" is orphan artwork, made from the children's handprints painted on fabric. We have them in all sizes, and this week I spent several days trimming them and painting "Hands of Hope, Swaziland" on each piece. They will be for sale soon online, with all the proceeds going to care for orphans. I hope they'll serve as a reminder to pray for these precious children, as well as a unique piece of decor for your home, school, or office!

Temporary Insanity. That's my claim anyway. It's the only explanation I have for why I let my stylist chop 3+ inches off my hair! Since 11th grade (when I cut 13 inches off for Locks of Love) I swore I would keep my hair long. After going in for a trim this week, I somehow came out with MUCH shorter hair then I had planned!!! Rusty loves it, but unfortunately I hate it. I'm hoping it grows back quickly!

Family Traditions. This weekend we are starting a new 'Jackson Family Tradition'! On Saturday, Auburn (my college) plays Arkansas (Rusty's college). We've been looking forward to this game for MONTHS! We are planning to start a tradition by going to the game together each year (saving skymiles & worldpoints to make our trip nearly free). It's an awesome opportunity to see family, friends, and our college campus! Plus, we both LOVE COLLEGE FOOTBALL!!! (especially OUR college football!) This game will determine bragging rights for one of us for the next YEAR... soooo... WAR EAGLE & GO HOGS! (We'll let you know how the saga ends next week! ;)

Girls, girls, girls. Since we're in Arkansas for the football game, we are taking the opportunity to visit several of our dear friends and supporters. Lucky for me, they all have ADORABLE little girls to play with! Last night we stayed with Josh & Kristy Fleming, and got to play with their precious little girl Carly. This weekend we are staying with Chris & Carrie Tucker, and their two beautiful little girls Jane and Mae. I am loving all things pink & princess and all three adorable girls! (We love their parents a whole lot too ;) Thanks guys for being our Arkansas Hotels!

Well friends, that's all we have for now! We'll be flying home Monday, unpacking, repacking, and flying down for Training Camp on Wednesday, so prayers for safe travel are appreciated. In the meantime, I'm decked out in my red & white waiting to see my HOGS play!!! PIG SOOOIIIIIEEEE!!!

From those who have gone before

Thu, 8 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

My 2008 squadmate and current World Race video guru, Kim Daniels, put this together.

Enjoy

from those who have gone before from Adventures In Missions on Vimeo.

A Missionary's Life :: office space & late night meetings

Fri, 2 Oct 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Well Ladies & Gentlemen...here's our Friday Update! (written by my wife)

Late night meetings. Any of you who know me well know that the later it gets, the better I get! No matter how much I sleep, I do not function well in the mornings. If you want creativity from me, my best will come during late afternoon through the wee hours of the morning! Lucky for me, I got to have a late meeting Monday night. Ryan & Tina Essmaker came over for spaghetti, and stayed for coffee and brainstorming. I cannot say enough GREAT things about this couple!!! They have volunteered to create a web site and print work for FREE for The Sound of Hope campaign (to raise awareness & funds for orphans). They are both SO gifted and have some wonderful ideas! We worked until almost midnight casting vision, discussing needs, and coming up with new ideas to take this campaign to the next level! I am THRILLED at what the next few months hold as we work together on this, and SO THANKFUL to have them as a part of our campaign!

Thanksgiving. Thursday night was our weekly "family dinner", which just happened to be THANKSGIVING! We know we're almost 2 months early, but our dear friend Andi is headed back out on the mission field. Andi will be co-leading a World Race squad for the next 3 months and will miss Thanksgiving with her family, so we celebrated early so she could enjoy some turkey! We always have so much to be thankful for, so it wasn't too tough! Please keep Andi in your prayers as she heads out into the nations!

I'll be home for Christmas. Yes, it's true! Though we were planning to be overseas doing mission work for the holidays, our plans have changed. Our trip was canceled due to insufficient funds. We are disappointed, but we are choosing to trust God anyway! (and looking forward to being home for Christmas.) Read all the details here:We are NOT going overseas.

Support news. Though we still have 'insufficient funds', we are rejoicing in some good news in our support raising. We've had several people sign up as monthly donors this month- PRAISE THE LORD! We also had a dear woman volunteer her sky-miles for when we are able to plan another trip to Thailand. (thank you Brea!!) To all of you who are giving, you have really encouraged us this month. We are continuing to raise support in the hopes of having a healthy support account again. Once that happens, we will be able to go back overseas! If you feel led to give, click here! Support Us!

Office space. Last weekend I was able to get part of our home office decorated and set up. YAY! Now I have a beautiful used desk and a place to organize my work. It has already made me more productive, and it's a blessing not to have 'work' strewn all over our home! There are still some things I'd like to change, but I am loving it! For those of you who wanted to see the office- here's a picture of my workspace. (Rusty's side is still 'under construction' ;)

There's one more close up photo I put online too. JustBrowse My Photos to see!

Well, that's all we have this week! We're looking forward to college football this weekend,

and getting a little more work done along the way. HAPPY FRIDAY!