who we're becoming.

 a lot has happened in the past week. a lot of ministry. a lot of adventuring. a lot of tacos. a lot of dancing. a lot of laughter. a lot of heartache. a lot of learning. a lot of growing. a lot of struggle. a lot of forgiveness and grace. a lot of remembering to trust and rest in the promises of God.

God has been reminding me that everything that happens is a part of His plan for our lives. All that happens is to teach us, to grow us, to stretch us and to mold us into the individual He created us to be.

it's easy for me to have the mindset, especially during a season of focused ministry, like I'm a part of here on this YWAM base, that I should blog each week what God is teaching me that week. but there's something wrong with that statement. that statement makes it sound like God is only teaching me 1 lesson a week.

in reality, He is teaching me many lessons each day!

so this blog post is going to walk through many of the lessons I have been learning this past week, along with just some fun stories and pictures!


the other day, some friends and I adventured to an area down the road that has some beautiful cliffs dropping off into the ocean. we bundled up, because, believe it or not, it gets cold here, and sat and watched the sunset. sadly, it was pretty cloudy, but we still enjoyed beautiful fellowship. we chatted about what God has been teaching us and how we can be praying for each other.

I shared how God is teaching me to move on from my past and how to learn the lessons He has taught me and allow Him to lead me into new places with Him.

my friend, Dorothee, shared that God encouraged her one time to thank Him for her past. she shared that God told her to look and see what He had taught her through it and to give thanks. even in and through struggle and hardship, God is teaching. He is using it all to draw you closer to Himself.

thank Him for struggles because He has a plan to use it for good.


the next day was Friday, the day I have the opportunity to sit in the dts classroom. the teaching was on hearing the voice of God. and we practiced listening. the teacher encouraged us to take 30 minutes and examine our hearts, pray to God to speak to us and write down what He said in a letter form, starting with the words "dear jod..."

with God's help and the Holy Spirit inside me I wrote a letter from God to myself. here's some of it, not to boast or seek honor or glory for myself, but maybe to encourage your heart to believe what my heart needed to hear that day:

"dear Jodi,
...I am here for you because I created you and i love you. abide in me. rest in my love. and move on. look. see what I have done in your life. I was there at your birth. I was there through every moment. I planned every moment.
look. see what I taught you. see how I protected you. see? oh, how I love you. and all the heartache was to grow you. I know it was and is still hard but see how I have used it in your life?
I know you. I love you. trust me. I am faithful and true. I will never fail you. I will never leave you.
I led you here. trust me.
I am holding you close,
your Father"

this letter encouraged my heart. God is leading me. through every day and in every moment. He is faithful. and He has a plan for me.

then it was off to the beach!

it was the weekend and so we packed up 2 mini vans with 18 people and drove to the beach at Ensenada. it was a beautiful day of fellowship, laughter, tacos, mangos and surfing (for those brave enough to get in the cold water ;)

thank you God for sunny days and dear friends and the beach!

this weekend was dia de los ninos - or kids day! it was celebrated at church on sunday and on monday our dts group went to a local village and held a kids day for the children there.  this was a fun day of bonding with, working with, laughing with and serving with the other dts students. together we blew up balloons, filled piñatas and walked around the village and invited kids. when the kids showed up, along with their parents, we played games such as musical chairs, jumprope and other games that I learned while we were playing them, hah!

it was beautiful to see the dts students serving and blessing others each in their own individual ways, especially the family that I nanny for. at one point during this night, I looked around and saw both of the parents chatting, in english, with one of the local dads. even though this family might not be as involved with the food assembly line that we created to get everyone fed that night, they were able to use their gifts of loving on people and share their hearts with this dear man and listen to his story.

Praise God for His plan for our lives and placing us in different situations to be used for His glory. He knows best because He knows all.


on tuesday, I celebrated dia de los ninos again but this time in the heart of Tijuana at Zone Kids (the ministry to children in the red light district).

I had been feeling discouraged that day and a lot of me didn't want to go but God strengthened my heart and I went. and He blessed my heart through this dear kids. these dear kids break my heart because of their life situations but they are filled with so much joy and love you can't help but be blessed by spending time with them and playing games with them and pushing them on the swing and popping balloons together.

oh to understand the depths of God's love for these children.

oh to understand the depth of God's love for this world.

oh to understand the depth of God's heart for this world.

and because of His love for this world that He has created, He has a plan for this world. He has a plan for my life in this world to share His love for this world.

and through that process, He is drawing my heart closer to His heart.

oh what a mystery.

Wednesday and Thursday were hard days because the family got sick. but even though they were hard because they were different and different days are hard to walk and work through as a child when all things are different, God taught my heart a lot.

I sat in the classroom on Wednesday because nanny-jodi wasn't needed. that's when God reminded me about His heart and His plan. the speaker spoke about God's plan and His will and how we can know what it is. and maybe, just maybe God's will is more about who He wants us to be than what we actually do.

are you becoming the person He has created you to be?

"it's not about what we're doing. it's about who we are becoming in the process." - mark batterson.

you are His masterpiece.

your life is not an accident. do you believe this? He has a plan.

He has a plan. through whatever you are walking through, He has a plan for you.

and the plan that He has for you is good. He is using your life experiences to shape you into the person He desires you to be.

who are you becoming?