Ministry Update!

WOW! I still can't believe that Christmas has come and gone already! This Fall has gone by so fast and so many things have happened that I want to give you an update on. I PRAISE GOD FOR ALL THAT HE HAS DONE. Thank you for being apart of this season! Okay well here are some of the exciting things that have happened...

1. I started working for Family Legacy September 1. The past few months have been filled with so many NEW things in the ministry. God is doing so much and I only have time to give you a glimpse of it. Anyways, I have had the privileged of being the coordinator for the Sponsorship Program. As Mom would put it...I just inherited 10,000 kids. :) I have been so humbled each day as I go to work and be a voice for the kids in Zambia on this side of the world. On top of that, we have launched many projects throughout the fall that I have been able to help facilitate....Thanksgiving Day Project which was organizing and processing through all the letters written from the children to their Sponsors and sending those out so that each sponsor would know how much they mean to their child. Reading through the letters made my heart so happy! These children don't have much, but they are realizing how important it is to have prayer partners on the other side of the world fighting for them through prayer. Along with that, we launch our new Community Resource Centers. We have 18 centers throughout Lusaka, Zambia that are available for children to come as a safe-haven within their harsh communities.  We believe that being in the community with these children will have a greater impact in the lives of so many people! These centers have benefitted so many children so far and God continues to amaze us at how much He loves these children and desires to rescue them! Oh I just pray that more and more children will come to the Lord Jesus as their personal Savior!! Recently I have been working on our First Ever Christmas Project! We are actually going to have a Christmas Party for the child in Zambia. I can't wait!!! Organizing and getting things together for that has been quite the task, but very rewarding!! Keep praying that God will bless these precious children with His Love!! (Please check out the Family Legacy Blog for recent updates on the newest happenings of the ministry: www.legacymissions.org/blog)
2. I have also continued to live with my sweet Aunt and Uncle. They have been quite the blessing! They have such big hearts and their generosity is out of this world!! I praise God daily for them and how loving they are! I have learned so much from them and they don't even know it! I can't believe that they have put up with me for almost 4 months now. I told them that it will probably be around 2 months that I would be living with them until I find somewhere else to live, but from the looks of it...I will be here for a little longer! I really do love where they live. It is so refreshing to come back to a 'Home'! I am so blessed and grateful for the family that I have had the honor of growing up with! (*Thanks Mom and Dad for raising me and instilling so many biblical principles and truths in my life! What you have done for so many years, is coming full circle.) I am praising the Lord above for providing a place for me to live during this transition in my life! I am still believing that God will provide a place for me to eventually move to when the timing is right. 
3. Personally I have grown so much this Fall. God has been challenging me and taking me deeper in a relationship with Him. I have had to face many things, but in the end it was there to refine and shape me to be more like Christ. My heart is at a good place and I am loving the journey that God is leading me on. I have been studying the Song of Solomon this Fall and I have loved looking at scripture more in-depth. This study has really unveiled so many things that I would not have known if I didn't go through this study. I love how God's Word is so applicable in our lives - from understanding more of who I am in Christ, to really knowing the love that God has for me, and then experiencing all of that day-to-day! I wish that I could explain all the little things that my Beloved Jesus has been teaching me. To wrap it up in a few words..I am pursuing Jesus with all that I am as He leads me through each season of my life and I am seeking to faithfully obey Him no matter where He asked me to go.
4. Financial Update...As the end of the year comes I have been significantly blessed by so many of you in your financial support over the past few months! I am so thankful for all that has come in thus far. It is not too late if you are wanting to support me. All you need to do is go to my link...www.legacymissions.org/joy and then follow the instructions or you can just click the link on the top right of my blog that says Joy's Donation Page. It would be such an honor to have you come alongside me as the Lord uses you and I both to bring His word to so many children. I am still praying that God will continue to provide month to month. I know that He will give what is needed at the time. Thanks so much for all your prayers too! God is moving and it is so exciting to what is ahead! I can't express to you enough just how humbled I am to have you partner with me in this ministry the Lord has called me to be in. My prayer is that God will return the blessing!  

I hope you all have had a blessed holiday with your family and friends! I pray that you all had the opportunity to reflect on what all that God has given and provided for you! Praise God that He loves us! 

Loving Him more and more,

Joy

Please pray for the weeks and months ahead...

>I depart for Zambia, Africa in 137 days and there is SO much to be done before then! Not only within Family Legacy, but outside of that too. I am in 2 weddings only 2 months apart (the first one is next weekend) and it will be an adventure trying to balance everything out! 

Tis the Season for Holiday Pictures

Here are some pictures from this past week....

*The Kids singing*

*Ruth and Raylee*

*Mom and Me*

*Sisters*

*The Cake Teddy Bear that we made!!*

*JJ and Me*

*Dad*

*Joshua and Me riding horses*

*Me and JJ on Christmas Day*

*My sister caught me riding my nieces scooter 

she got from Santa..haha*

*My Brother (Tully) and his dog, Cash*

*Christmas Morning...the kids are

 finding out what Santa left them!*

*Josh and Me*

IT'S CHRISTMAS TIME!!!

YAY!! I'm heading home to spend Christmas on the ranch with my sweet family! I hope all of you have a great holiday celebrating the birth of Jesus!! I am going to be sending a little 'UPDATE' if you will to give you an idea of what has been happening this fall if you haven't been able to stay up to date. Also, I am going to give you a support update and how all of that is going. 

By the way, my Dad is doing better!! His visit at MD Anderson last week went well and he got a good report! No sign of returning cancer!! PRAISE GOD! And he has a new mindset on recovery! He is still taking it one day at a time and trusting the Lord for strength and energy! 

Thanks for all of your encouragement, prayers, and support as I have been walking through this new transition in my life! I PRAISE THE LORD ABOVE FOR ALL OF YOU!!

Blessing to you and your families!! 

Merry Christmas!!

Joy

Seeking Strength...

Hey Y'all! 

Since Thanksgiving, things at work, my family, and just my personal life has been everything but calm! This is me being transparent about things...Anyways, WORK at Family Legacy is just busy as always. There are lots of projects each week and high goals set to reach. I have never been challenged this much in how to tackle major things all at once. There definitely have been days of me being overwhelmed and feeling very inadequate. God has been good though through it all because of the little glimpses of what is to come for HIS kids in Zambia. I am still humbled to this day of being able to be a voice for these precious children and be a part of a ministry that is striving together to bring the name of Jesus and full restoration to so many children! Praise God for what HE is doing! At the beginning of December we had a FLMI Staff Christmas Party at my ranch and here are a few pictures...

*This is everyone who was there! Kids and spouses included!

*The FLMI STAFF!

(Greer, Susan, Sommer, Holly, Me, and Josh)

~ MERRY CHRISTMAS ~

On top of work being a bit crazy at times, I have been learning so much from God's Word! The Lord has been constantly refining me and bringing me to where HE WANTS ME! I have wrestled through numerous issues and wanted to do things on my own...but I have soon realized that that is a pride issue. I hate to admit that, but it is. Not dealing with things, not letting people help me, not stepping out of my comfort zone...all connect back to pride. The Lord pointed that out to me the other day and I have been slowly processing through what needs to happen. I'm not quite sure what all this will entail but I do know that I am learning more of the character of God and His restoration process. As I work through my issues and allow His word to fill every part of me, I am being made more like Him! Praise God for His unending love and grace!! 

Lastly, things with my family have been great!! However, things with my sweet Dad have NOT been so great. Sadly, he is not doing very well. We all thought that he would be progressing much more further than he is right now. He has now lost over 50 lbs. He is have a difficult time eating again, which this hasn't happened since his very first symptoms about a year again. My Dad has also been choking again whenever he eats. This past weekend my Mom told me that on Friday night that my Dad was choking for about 3 hours after they ate dinner and she almost had to take him to the ER. We are hoping that it is scar tissue building up in his esophagus and not a new cancerous growth. They left today to head down to Houston to return to MD Anderson for tests. He has tests Wednesday and Thursday. 

PLEASE BE PRAYING! 

Pray for strength, comfort, peace, wisdom, and encouragement! 

Both my parents are exhausted from the past 8 1/2 months of dealing with cancer and the recovering process of surgery. We all are hoping that the results will be words of encouragement and not the other. I will know more at the end of the week. 

Oh Lord...we need You!! 

Thanks again for keeping up to date! You all are a blessing! Have a great week!! 

Desperate for more of Him,

Joy

A Video from my Kids!!

Hey Everyone! I just thought you might like to see my kids! They left me a video wishing me a Merry Christmas! It may be hard to hear but hopefully you can understand enough of what they are saying! (I turned my music off but after you watch the video and you want it back on then scroll to the bottom and hit play!)

Praise the Lord for ALL that He has done! Enjoy...

Loving the Holidays

I just love the beginning of the holidays...

I have so many memories of good 'ole traditions and one of those is waking up on Thanksgiving morning and watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with the entire family. All of us girls grab our cup of coffee and sit together on the couch as we watch the long parade...so thats just what we did with kids running around us! Jamie, my second oldest sister, came up from New Braunfels and we just had so much fun!! We missed JJ this year...she was actually hosting her in-laws at her house, but we are really looking forward for Christmas so that we can ALL be together!!

We had a good group for Thanksgiving...everyone (extended family on my dad's side and few from my mom's side) came over and we ate, relaxed, ate some more, and watched football, especially the TEXAS GAME! :) That has been another tradition to watch football throughout the Thanksgiving weekend...what can I say? My Dad brought me up well... :)

(I am going to be adding some funny videos soon of my nephew playing football with my brother!!)

Then once Saturday hit...it was decorating galore! Mom, Dad, and I all worked together to get the house decked out for Christmas. I just love getting ready for Christmas!! Mom and I exchange memories of past Christmas' as we were bringing the house to life with the touch of the holiday season. This is by far my favorite time of year...I uploaded this video to give you a glimpse of the end of a day of decorating...Me, Dad and Mom made a fire, turned on Polar Express and drank hot chocolate under our Christmas lights...can't get better than this!! :)

As I got back to work this week, it has been busy as always, but such a fun week!! We launched our new website tonight! It looks so good thanks to our tech guy on staff. You need to check out the new changes: www.legacymissions.org . We also launched a Christmas Project for our precious kids in Zambia! Holly, my co-worker, and I had several people call in requesting to send their child a Christmas gift and with the Lord's guidance we developed a way to distribute gifts to the children!! It's all on our website through the Father's Heart Program....http://www.blogger.com/www.legacymissions.org/christmas . It is going to be incredible and I can't wait to see how it's going to bless these kids!! They are going to love it!!!!!

Well by now, I am hoping you have heard a song or 2 automatically playing on my blog. I wanted to share with y'all some of my favorite songs that have ministered to me in the past week or so. I just love how God will use music to speack to us! Take time and listen to them...all of them are really powerful! Oh...and...I have changed the title of my blog. I have noticed that a lot of things I have posted about have to do with my life, what I'm learning, and what has been happening...so I wanted to make more of a general title to share ALL aspects of my life along with my passion for Zambia!

That's it for now! I hope you had a great Thanksgiving and a good week! YAY for the holidays...go grab some coffee, sit by a fire and watch a good Christmas movie...or drive around and look at Christmas lights!! All of it is just sooo fun! I hope to be doing ALL of that very soon...

Blessings,

Joy

On the Ranch...

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

 I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with family and friends!! I will be on the ranch with my family for the weekend. I am so excited!! :) I wanted to express to you just how thankful I am for each and everyone of you as you have come alongside me throughout this year of seeing what the Lord is teaching me, where He has called me to go, and battling through the ups and downs of life! PRAISE GOD THAT HE HAS WON THE BATTLES!! Thanks again for all of your prayers, words of encouragement, and friendships! I'm sure I will have plenty of pictures and stories to show after this weekend! 

Love you all and Happy Turkey Day!

Loving Jesus more & more,

Joy

ps- HOOK'EM HORNS! :)

8 months ago...

Today is actually a very significant day...8 months ago, my Dad was diagnosed with stage 3 Esophageal Cancer! My families' world was turned upside down that day!! I can't believe that it's only been 8 months...it seems like it's been over a year of going through all that we have gone through. Plus, 4 months ago from Saturday, July 22, was my Dad's surgery.

As Thanksgiving is only just a couple of days away, I can't help but be thankful for my Dad's life and for him still being here with us today! The Lord has surely carried me and all of my family through such a difficult season. My dad still has a long way to go before FULL recovery but he is making it. Every day is a NEW day and we are so thankful for the progress we have seen in my dad thus far! We give the Lord constant praise for holding us up throughout these 8 months and making each of us even stronger! Thank you all for praying for my family and I. We can't express to you how much of a blessing it is to have you walking next to us!

God is still our Hope, our Joy , our Comfort, Strength, Provider, Shepherd, Healer, Conquerer, Saviour, Lord, and the one we give all the GLORY to!! I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving!! I pray that God will pour out an abundant blessing to you!! Know that I am truly grateful for you! Love you all!!

Praising the Lord,

Joy

WOW....PRAISE GOD!!

There are so many things to be thankful for this week and I am not saying that just because Thanksgiving is a week away but for other things that were accomplished this week!! First of all...I am so thankful that it is the weekend! It's been one busy week at work and I am so glad that I have a couple days to relax, watch football, go to church, and see friends. 

I finally finished my massive project I have been working on for the past couple of weeks. PRAISE THE LORD!! I just dropped the last bucket of mail at the post office on my way home tonight. Our precious children in our program throughout Lusaka wrote Thanksgiving Day letters to their sponsors. (There were about 1000 letters that had to be sent!! ) It was a BIG project for me and I got it done!! I am going to try to put one on here so you can just see how sweet, pure, innocent, and authentic they are. That has been one of my favorite things lately that I have been able to read some of these letters. It's almost like I can picture their faces as they are writing...

Also this week... my director put up a Camp LIFE 2009 Countdown.... :) We are at 177 days until we head off to Zambia!! We designed the t-shirts, selected the songs, the versus, the daily lessons, and....discussed what we are going to BLESS the children with!!! I can't wait!! [You Camp LIFE Alumni will love what we are going to do!! And for everyone else reading this...well you just need to come to Zambia to experience it for yourself... : ) ] This coming summer is going to be so amazing and I believe God is going to move like never before in the hearts of every child. To give you an idea of what will be taking place next summer here are few things you CAN know at the moment...everything else will have to wait for the team meetings in the Spring....

Camp LIFE 2009

Theme : Jesus Loves Me

Verse : John 3:16 (main verse)

Daily Lessons: How God displays His Love on us

Songs: All I can say is...HIGH ENERGY, UPBEAT, FUN... 

(What else would you expect?? haha)

Things we are giving the children: I can't tell you.... : )

I wish I could tell you more, but I can't be the one to spill all the secrets. All I know is that this message is going to be so powerful because all of them come from such harsh, discouraging, unloving homes. I am so excited about continuing to watch the Lord move in big ways to make Himself known throughout the country of Zambia. 

Along with the Thanksgiving Letters and Camp LIFE 2009 news....I have some fun updates from my kiddos! Holly brought back all these pictures and videos. It is so amazing to me of how God is in the midst of changing a country by working through the little children. Sooo....here a few (of many) pictures of my kids from Kamanga Community....(Heather and Holly are clearly the Americans with them...haha)

*Heather is at Maggie's House...they are eating ring pops! 

*All the kids outside their home*

*All of the kids...*

*Ok...this is EMMA...remember her from this summer?? 

Well she is just LOVING being at the LIFEWAY Homes...she is such a light and I am so thankful the Lord rescued her from the horrific situation she was in. Oh and she just got "plats"...they are basically hair extensions to braid into their short shaved hair. I JUST LOVE THIS PICTURE AND THIS CHILD!! 

*Here is sweet Susan with Paul...my two favorites (besides Maggie)! 

That about does it for the week...I want to tell each of you...THANK YOU!! You all are so encouraging and provide so much support through your prayers and friendships. I would not be here if it was not the Lord using you. It is such an honor to have you come alongside me and be a part of something so much bigger than we can grasp. Thanks to all of you for your financial support. God is providing and I am so humbled by it all! PRAISE GOD FOR YOU! 

Have a great weekend everyone! Thanks for keeping up to date!! :)

Living for Jesus,

Joy

PS - I am probably going to change my URL address to something more simply like joyjanszen. I will let you know when the change happens but just a heads up. 

Weekend recap and Busy Week....

Well to give you a recap of this week I will make it short and sweet because I'm afraid I would bore you all with the details...sooo...

Last weekend was great! On Saturday I slept in for the first time in a while and went to my cousin's baby shower at Botanical Gardens in Fort Worth. It was my first time there and it was beautiful!! I really want to go back and just walk around outside. But anyways, I got to see my mom, sister, nieces, and more family!! (Pictures Below)

*Mom, (my 3 nieces: Ruth, Esther, & Anna), Me, and JJ*

*Mom and her daughters*

It was great to see them and it made me excited about our holiday events that are coming fast around the corner. After that, I came back home (to my aunts house) and took a nice jog before my good friend Lauren Shoush came over to eat dinner, watch football, and eat brownies! We had so much fun just talking, laughing and feeling like fat kids! haha...I mean we kept justifying that it was "okay" to eat as much as we wanted because we both had gone running earlier in the day. BUT we are planning to do it again soon! : ) 

Sunday was sooo busy running around town doing normal errands that I have not been able to do in my normal weekly schedule. My afternoon was spent at Southlake Town Center. It has been my favorite place to go as I was growing up and I just love that I am only 15 minutes away from the best little shopping center!! It's especially great when it's all decorated for Christmas. Anyways, I dropped off my Mac to get repaired, ran into a few smalls shops and grabbed Starbucks. What else could be better on a fall night!?!? Might I had that my Macbook crashed and now I basically have a brand new computer - I lost everything I had from the past 2 years!! Pictures, Videos, Music....GONE!! : ( I guess this is a good analogy of storing our treasure's in heaven because earthly things can be taken from us so quickly. (That sounded cheesy, but my Aunt said that to me so if she said it then it's okay to share - haha) 

My weekend wasn't all too restful with the week I had ahead; however, it was so fun! This week has been quite busy with all the projects and things I am responsible for. I don't even want to try to explain things because it just overwhelms me a bit. Tomorrrow (Friday) is supposed to be my big mail out day...I feel pretty on top of everything with printing out over 800 address labels, scanning over 1000 letters, organizing all the letters written from our kids, and separate them by community schools...Yikes...I have also had to learn to work more in-depthly with our database so that I can fix any issue (hopefully) on the website concerning our kids. It's CRAZY!! Even though I feel like I am not making a dent in any projects I am becoming an expert in soaking up as much information as possible and then somehow spitting out the right answer! : ) 

But seriously, doing all these different projects and seeing all these new things in Family Legacy excites me sooo much!! As God is moving here, He is moving in Zambia. I actually spoke with Holly again today and she said that there is so much happening on that side already! PRAISE THE LORD!! We are seeing so much progress and it's only been a few months. Just think of what the outcomes will be like when several more months pass by...

I can't believe that it's almost the weekend...I CAN'T WAIT!! Tomorrow is my Dad's Birthday so we are going to have a little party for him on Sunday. I will be relaxing Saturday while watching football and then heading to church at The Village that evening. Sunday I'll be down at the ranch all day!! I am so thankful for a place that I can get away and just embrace the presence of the Lord! It's almost like I can breath a little easier out there! I will try to post pictures of this upcoming weekend.

Well sorry that I said this was going to be short and sweet...what can ya do? 

Hope you all have had a great week and enjoy your weekend! 

Focused on Him,

Joy

You just have to love them!!!

Well this week as been everything but slow and easy...I have so many things I am working on at once and it's basically "crunch time" for me says my director. haha...anyways, keep praying for me. I have to send out a mass mailing to over 1,000 people and so many more things have to be done next week. Besides all of the projects I am working on, I got to talk with my dear friend Holly Scurry. She is an assistant director and is currently in Zambia right now working on things, but today I got to talk with her and her sister on the phone. They gave me the best news.........

They went and saw my kiddos yesterday in Kamanga. They took pictures and videos of them. Just knowing that someone was there with my kids strengthened my heart. While I was talking with them on the phone they sent me a few pictures....more are coming soon plus a video! Don't worry I will share these all with you as they send me them...but for now these are 4 pictures they sent me. Holly said they are doing well, but just still very thin...

*These first 2 are Maggie...

*This is Maggie's house - Look at that precious smile with all her teeth missing!! :)

*This is Heather and Holly with (left to right) Susan, the baby (unknown name) and Maggie sucking on ring pops!

They said that they loved these things...I mean what child would not love a ring pop??

*Here they are...all 6 kiddos...4 of them came Camp LIFE. We didn't know about the other 2 till later.

(Left to Right: little Susan, Older sister, Maggie, Junior, Joseph, Peter, and then little baby)

I just love them all!!! :)

So that's it for now...I have a crazy weekend just trying to play catch up on things that I haven't been able to do since work has been so busy. But just so you know...the Lord has been providing on the financial side of things. I am so humbled and honored to be able to do what I do. Praise the Lord for all that He is providing and what He will provide. He is doing so much in my life and I love what I have been learning lately. I am hoping to share all of that with you in a later post. Thanks for checking on how things are going in my life. I pray that you are doing well yourself! Be Blessed!

Being made more like Him,

Joy

WHAT A WEEKEND...

So...lets just say that God is soo good!! My weekend was filled with so many great things that just thinking about it makes me excited!! This weekend was Baylor's Homecoming and every year there are lots of activities going on...Pigskin, Bonfire, Parade, and the game. Along with the activities, so many alumni come back in to have reunions and boy did I have them...

Thursday afternoon I drove down to Waco and I met up with one of my dearest friends, Kaitlyn Amos. I had the privilege of discipling her throughout my senior year of college. We attended Pigskin that night with her family and roommates. (To those who don't know what Pigskin is..it's basically a mini-Broadway show that Greek organizations actually perform in the Spring..called "Sing" and the top 8 acts out of 20 will perform again during Homecoming). It's a really big deal and I was involved in as many performences as possible! Haha..I'm sure you can imagine... I'm not a singer or dancer, but being able to do all of that with some of your greatest friends is so much fun!! Anyways, Kaitlyn and I watched all the performances and then headed back to her place.*Kaitlyn and I at Pigskin

During the day on Friday, I had lunch with Kaitlyn before she left for her soccer game in Austin. Later on I would meet up with my old roommates! Chelsea, Amber, Garland and I all lived together our Senior year. (Chelsea, Amber and I lived together for 3 years and Garland and I lived together for 2 years but all four of us lived together for 1). Anyways, I met them at our favorite Italian restaurant called Baris. It's a little hole in the wall!

*Chelsea, Me, Garland, and Amber at Baris!

My heart was so refreshed with being able to spend time with them. It's not that often that just us 4 girls can sit around and catch up. After we ate dinner we headed over to the Bonfire on campus. It is another Baylor Tradition...As we walked around we saw so many people we knew and again it was so great to get to see them all!! Chelsea, Amber and Garland all headed to Pigskin that night and I stayed around talking to some Chi Omegas in the show. I love getting to just talk with girls who I spent time with during college. Friday night I stayed at Johanna's house, another girl who I discipled throughout college.

*Johanna and I at the bonfire!

Saturday morning was the Homecoming breakfast for Chi Omega. All of the current members and Alumni get to have some time together in the morning reminiscing on memories. I loved this!! A lot of my favorite people were all in the same room for the first time in a while. Some of those I saw included: Paige Baten-Locke and her daughter Katie-Leigh Baten (I met them in Zambia - picture below), Audra Peterson, Carly Christensen, Jerica Olson, Taylor Gift, Lauren Sherman, LM Hudson, my roommates of course, and many more...*Paige, Katie-Leigh, and I at the Chi Omega Breakfast Saturday Morning
(I met Paige and Katie-Leigh in Zambia this summer. We became so close throughout our time there.)

Once the breakfast was over, Chelsea, Amber and I headed over to the middle of campus to watch the parade. We had a good time sitting on the side of the road watching all the floats come by...
*Chels, Garland, Me and Amber at the parade!

Once the parade ended we grabbed one last meal together and then went our separate ways. On my way out of town I stopped by one of my favorite places...'Food for Thought' and said bye to Kaitlyn then off to Starbucks for a pick-me-up drink...just when I thought my weekend couldn't not have gotten better, the Lord blow me away at what would unfold...

*Kaitlyn and I at 'Food for Thought'

As I was waiting on my drink to be made in Starbucks I noticed an African American standing behind the counter and something inside of me told me to ask him where he was from. To make this long story short...this guy's name is Zaccheaus and he is from Lusaka, Zambia!!! I could not believe!! I got so excited that people started looking at me in Starbucks. I did not care...clearly...because I just met a ZAMBIAN!! I mean I thought I had to go to Zambia to hang out with Zambians but I guess you just have to go to your nearest Starbucks...haha..anyways, we sat for about 30 minutes before he invited me to come to his house and get 2 cd's that him and his group that he travels with made. I went over to the host family's house that he lives with and met another Zambian, named Alan. Their host Mom was there as well. Another fun aspect is that Nancy's daughter, Amanda, went to Camp LIFE!! Crazy of how small the world is!! So for the next hour and a half I hung out with them at their house. My heart was so happy to just spend time with those from the country I love!! I am hoping to see them again soon!! : )

*My two NEW Zambian friends in America!! (Alan, Me, and Zaccheaus)

So that was my crazy, busy, fun-filled weekend with so many great people!! Oh and I also went home to see my parents on Saturday. They are doing well! It was really great for me to see them too! Keep praying for my Dad to gain weight...he's down a few more pounds this week! :(

I am so thankful for everyone who I got to see and spend time with!! On another note, please be praying for me this week. I am working on about 4 - 5 projects at work and it's slightly overwhelming! Things are going great though...God is moving, Kids are being loved on, and souls are being saved!! Thanks again for all of your prayers! Love you all!

Loving Jesus,
Joy

How Beautiful is the Love of Christ...

Well this past weekend was so exciting for many reasons....

1. One of my best friends got engaged to a guy that is so wonderful! Garrett is like a brother to me and I couldn't be more happy for them! I was so thrilled that I got to be a part of their first of many celebrations! God is so good and has been the center of their relationship from the very beginning. I can't wait to see how God uses them to further His name!! Anyways, they will be getting married some time in the Spring and I am so honored to be a part of their Big Day!

* The Bride-to-be...future Mrs. Stephanie Peters!!

* All the girls at Steph's Engagement Party!

* My dear friends are getting married!

2. I have been working on the LIFEWAY KIDS. Basically I am reading through recommendations of children who have been through our Camp LIFE Program in the summer and who need to be taken our of their current living situation and put into one of 6 other homes we have in Lusaka. These homes each have 8-10 kids with some of our Zambian staff as house parents. Each child gets to attend school, have full meals, and be discipled daily. My sweet Emma is one example of many children who are given the chance to begin a new life! Anyways, I spoke with Holly on the phone, since she is in Zambia working on things, and she told me we have 10 openings for NEW Kids to come into the homes!! PRAISE THE LORD!! Ten more children will be rescued!! So...please be in prayer over the new kids. I am so thankful that the Lord provided spots because the stories of these kids are horrific and I cried over each one!

3. God has been faithful! He is providing what is needed for the moment. As I have sent out support letters He is gradually supplying my daily need. As of today, I have received 10% of the amount needed in monthly pledges and several one time gifts that are meeting my immediate needs. Thank you so much for all of you who have given! God is doing what He said He would do as being my Jehovah-Jireh -- "the Lord who provides". I am so humbled and honored to be where I am!! THANK YOU!

4. Learning the Love of Christ. (The meaning of my title of this post) God is definitely taking me on a journey with understanding more and more of who He is. I begin studying the Song of Solomon a couple weeks ago. I have studied it several times throughout college, but I decided to do it again. Mike Bickle is the one who teaches and breaks down every verse in order to understand the meaning, see the significance, apply yourself to it, and most importantly embrace the beauty and love that our Lord God, the bridegroom, has for us! I am only on Session #5 and I love it! I love how the Lord constantly pursues us with His word and moves our hearts to love Him more and more! God is taking me through a process that only He can lead me through and I couldn't be more excited about what is to come!

That's it for now! Hope you all are doing great!! Keep praying for my dad, he hasn't progressed that much. He really needs to gain weight and he doesn't really have a desire to eat. I don't mean to end on a negative note, but just thought you should know.

Thanks again for staying up-to-date on my life!!

Loving Jesus with all my heart,

Joy

The Days are flying by...

HEY!!! I can't believe that it's already been 2 weeks since my last update. I have been trying to make time to give you some good updates and NOW the time has come..haha..

Here's my Dad and I when I went home a few weeks back!
He's doing good, but just needs to put some pounds on!! :)

Okay so over the past couple of weeks I have finally adjusted my schedule and I'm finally on a good routine with work, hanging with friends, etc. One of those things has been going back to my high school (Keller) and watching Volleyball matches. I have loved it! It's hard to watch though and not want to jump on the court, but I had my time I guess.... plus, I am so out of shape anyways. Last Friday, Oct. 17, I went to a match and afterwards I was able to sit and talk with my Coaches about life. It was so great! I loved hearing how they were really doing and the ups and downs of the year. It really makes me want to coach!! :)

Another fun event that happened was the Kanakuk Reunion for Alumni the weekend of the Texas/OU game. Which by the way, those Texas Longhorns are looking good huh? :) #1...yay! Anyways, it is always refreshing to see kamp friends! This is a picture of some of the girls I got to hang out with. We went to lunch at McCalisters...Also, if you haven't been watching college football you are missing out!! If you didn't know already, I am a HUGE TEXAS FAN!! And if you get a chance to watch UT play, you need to! They always put on an exciting game!! I try to find a way to watch the games on the weekend!

Lastly, I wanted to show you where I live. This is my aunt and uncles house in Hurst, Texas. I have about a 20 minute commute to work. It's not bad if I can get on the road right before or after the traffic.

Isn't it cute?? :)

So that's it for now....I have multiple upcoming events here in the next few weeks that I will certainly give updates on!! I won't really have an open weekend until Thanksgiving though so that's a bummer but it's fun! I will take lots of pictures and try to be better about posting them.

Hope you have a great week!! By the way, some of the Family Legacy staff is over in Zambia right now and I am going to try to get them to send me a video of some kids to give you a fresh look at what's happening right now!

Be Blessed my friends!

Loving Jesus with all that I am,
Joy

News from Zambia...

I am so excited to give you all an update on my kids that you all now know!!

~Maggie~
Well this is very exciting news!! This morning when I got to work I received an email from Paul Mulenga (He is one of my favorite Zambians, who actually worked with me a lot when I was there). He got to know all 5 of the kids: Maggie, Peter, Susan, Joseph and Junior. Anyways, I have been talking back and forth with him on the phone on how things are going over there. He told me last week that he was going to go visit my kids in Kamanga and then let me know an update on them. Soo...email I got was all about the kids. I immediately picked up the phone and called him. It is always so refreshing to hear the voices of Zambians! He told me that all of the kids are doing well. They all thought that I was going to be with him because I always had been when I came to Kamanga but not this time. He said that they were sad, but that he told them that I had been asking about them and praying for them. Paul said Maggie is now going to school!! If you remember, Maggie was just a street kid when I first meet her. Her mother told her that she couldn't go to school because she wanted Maggie to be a street kid. So many questions are asked "WHY?" but to tell you the truth, I don't know why she would want her daughter to not be educated. However, God has really been working in the lives of Maggie and her mom. Her mother came to know Christ on the last day I was there and NOW Maggie's mom is supportive of her going to school. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!! My little girl is not on the streets anymore, she is in school. Praise the Lord for sponsorships! I feel so privileged to be able to help her go to school and begin to get educated.

As for the other ones, Paul said that they were all doing well. Not much change in their health, but doing okay. The parents seem like they are continuing to change in a positive way. The only sad part Paul said was that Maggie and Peter's Dad has been really sick and is going to the hospital soon. He said to be praying for him and the family. Paul also told me that he was going to talk with Teddy, one of the head administrators with Family Legacy in Zambia and make sure that these kids were being discipled and taken care of. What refreshing news to hear that my kids are doing good!! God is so good and He is watching over them every moment!!

Maggie

Susan

Peter, Junior, and Joseph

~Emma~
When I spoke with Paul, Holly and I asked about Emma. He said that he went to see her at the Lifeway Homes. When he got there, Emma came up to him and while giving him a big hug said, "Thank you Paul. Thank you so much for all that you have done! I am so happy and I'm so glad that I am here!" When I heard this, I almost cried. Knowing that Emma is doing so well and loving her "new home" and her "new life" humbles me so much! Praise the Lord for how He is constantly restoring her and all of the kids.

Emma (middle) with all her "new" sisters at Lifeway.

As for other testimonies that have been happening here at Family Legacy...we just found a little girl Margret after many weeks of trying to track her down! I got an email from our Zambian office and along with it was a precious picture of her and her grandma as well as a letter written to her American counselor. The sweet words of Zambian children are priceless and move me to tears. The Lord is really on the move and I am so humbled to be able to stand and watch Him do His work and rescue these children 1-by-1.

If any of you are interested in coming to Camp LIFE next summer or want to Sponsor a Child please contact me or look at the website: www.legacymissions.org

I will continue to keep you updated on new things that are happening! Also, I wanted to let you all know that the past week has been so much better on managing time at work, meeting up with friends, etc. God has been teaching me so much lately and I am so excited about this year! The Lord is already giving me glimpses of what is in store over the next few months. (Don't worry, I'll keep you updated on that as well!)

Thanks again for staying updated on my life and what God is doing!! You all are such a sweet blessing in my life!

Passionately His,
Joy

Inexpressible & Glorious Joy

Hey Everyone!!! I am sorry that I have not been able to update y'all on my life. Every time I try to sit down to write, something else comes up or I'm too exhausted. So here is a few weeks later on what has been going on....

Well I have finished 4 weeks at Family Legacy and it sure has gone fast!! I have stayed busy most of the time, but I think now since we have done 2 major projects that things will settle down. In the midst of it all, I have FINALLY finished my newsletter and everything that goes along with that. My goal is to send them out Monday and Tuesday of this week. With that said, if you want a newsletter please write back on a comment or email me. I would love for you to be on my mailing list. (I will be sending a newsletter and a dvd from this summer).

My position with Family Legacy is basically bridging the gap between the kids themselves and Americans. I have had all sorts of questions and emails that I have had to tackle myself and learn alltogether. Everyday I feel so inadaquate to be where I am because I know I can't do what I'm doing with the Lord Jesus by my side. He certain has been my place of refuge as I adjust to a new life living with my aunt and uncle and working more hours than I ever have. One thing that I am trying to do, and you all can help keep me accountable, is to be on a good schedule that is balanced with work, fellowship with friends, church, etc.

One benefit at FLMI is that there is not a certain amount of hours that I have to put in each week so basically you can make your own schedule. With that said, there is so much to do be done so you have to be discipline when you are at work and then be discipline in stopping at the end of the day (which should be around 6 / 6:30pm). With there being so much to do, you tend to feel like you need to stay later, but as Greer and Holly both have said to me, "it will be here tomorrow". Haha. I am looking forward to implimenting these things starting this week. After finishing typing, printing and stuffing my newsletters, my late nights at the office are now no more!! :)

The most encouraging thing about this week was when I got to hang out with some of my dear Kanakuk Friends. Little did I know that a whole group of us all live close to each other. Wednesday night after I left work, I went to Lauren Shoush's apartment and got to see JROB and Alyshia Foster. Oh how we all brought back memories from working at kamp. What a blessing they are to me! And today, Sunday, I drove over to Fort Worth to see one of my campers, Lucy Ryan. We spent the afternoon just hanging out and catching up. I hadn't seen her since before I left for Africa. Fellowshipping with precious friends has been good for my heart! This weekend I realized how important it is to have a good balance of things in your life and to continue to invest in the lives of those you love.

As you read my blog, you probably are thinking that I need to slow down, reprioritize things, get a better schedule, not work so much, etc. As this weekend comes to an end tonight, I do want to tell you that God has been moving in me this weekend. On Saturday night, I went to the movies with my aunt, uncle, and one of their other friends from church. We went to see the movie FIREPROOF. (To give you a little history, I don't go see movies in theaters and I can't remember the last one I went to.) By the way, if you haven't see this movie, you need to! God moved in me in so many ways that I can't really explain it. But there is one thing that I can explain...one of the songs played in the movie is called "While I'm Waiting" by John Waller. If I could choose any song to describe my life right now, it is this one. Some of the lyrics are:

Im waiting

I’m waiting on You, Lord

And I am hopefulI

I’m waiting on You, Lord

Though it is painful

But patiently, I will wait

I will serve you while I'm waiting

I will worship while I'm waiting

I will not faint

I’ll be running the race

Even while I wait

As I was hearing this song played, while the movie continued, I began to cry. They were tears of how I was feeling at the moment. For most of you, you know the status of my dad. He is very weak (40 pounds lighter to say the least) and slowly taking one day at a time in recovery. But along with that, my work consists of long days that I am not with the kids, but I soon will be! Enduring through seasons like this can be tough, but God will be faithful to His word! He will not fade, or let you down, or back off until what He began in you will continue until it is fully complete! The joy of knowing our God and understanding the love He has for you, me, us, is far beyond our understanding, but what's interesting is that HE WANTS US TO KNOW HOW HIGH, HOW WIDE, HOW DEEP, AND HOW LONG HIS LOVE IS FOR US!!!

The title of this post is from 1 Peter 1:8-9 which says,

"Though you have not seen Him, YOU LOVE HIM;

and even though you do not see Him now,

YOU BELIEVE IN HIM & are FILLED WITH AN INEXPRESSIBLE & GLORIOUS JOY,

for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the SALVATION OF YOUR SOULS."

I hope you all are doing well!! Know that even though we can't see our beautiful Lord we still love Him and believe in Him and by us remaining steadfast in those aspects He will reward us with such joy that can't be expressed in words. And this joy that we are expriencing is the goal of our faith...it is our salvation!! Praise the Lord! Amen, Amen, and Amen again!!

Love you all! Please let me know how I can be praying for you!

Living for Jesus,

Joy

Loving where I am...

Well I have been working with Family Legacy for a week now and I have been loving it! It has been a big transition for sure, but whenever you begin a new stage in your life there will always be transitions to go through.

Things have been a bit busy already. I am the Coordinator for the Father's Heart Sponsorship Program and I have the privlidge of communicating with those who are sponsoring children and the children themselves. I absolutely love it!! Being able to work for these children and partner with the Lord as I watch Him rescued 1 child at a time is so humbling. After working a week, it is so much more clear of why I am here and why I have been called to missions.

I'm sure you are wondering where I ended up living...well, my sweet aunt and uncle opened up their home for me to live with them until I find a more permanent place. They live in Hurst, Tx which is only about 20 minutes from my office. I am not sure how long I will be there, but I'm trusting the Lord will show me when I need to know.

I am hoping to get out my support letters next week. I have been working on them plus doing other things as well. (If you want a newsletter then contact me and I'll add you to the list.) We have had a major project that the entire Family Legacy Staff has been working on all week and weekend. We are hoping to be done tomorrow (monday). The project we are working on is to get all the 10,300 kids that we had this summer at Camp Life up online to be sponsored. If you are interested in sponsoring a child go to www.legacymissions.org and click on the Father's Heart Program and then explore to find a child to sponsor for $36 a month. If you would like more information then let me know.

I know this is short, but I wanted to let you know the updates. Please be in prayer for the support I need to raise and for future living situations. THANKS AGAIN for all of the support all of you have given me.

God has been so good and I am constantly in awe

of who He is and what He is doing.

With a Passion for Him,

Joy

The New Journey Begins..

Hey Friends and Family,

I wanted to let you all know as soon as I had a chance to that I am now officially working Full-Time for Family Legacy Missions International! It is located in Irving, Tx. (Close to Coppell, Grapevine, Colleyville). I meet with Greer and Holly today over lunch to discuss everything about what I would be doing and what it would all look like. I am so excited to say the least! I am so humbled that I get the opportunity to serve in a ministry that I love and where my passion is! While talking with Greer and Holly it was clear to see that the Lord has prepared me for this throughout my entire life. God has placed such a deep passion in my heart to love these kids, but love them through loving the Lord. I know this journey ahead will not be easy, but with the hardships come the true, rich rewards that only God can give.

With that, I begin working this coming Monday, Sept 1...yes, that is Labor Day! I am not sure where I will be living though...so please pray for that! I would love to live with a family who wouldn't mind a 23 year old young adult living with them as she follows her calling in this missionary life. I don't have much money in my bank account either, so that is something else to be praying about! With going on staff with Family Legacy, I will also be on full-time support. I believe 100% that the Lord will provide. There is not a certain amount stated, but enough to pay off everyday living expenses (i.e - insurance, food, gas, phone, etc). *If there is a certain amount, I will inform you all.

As what I will be doing for Family Legacy....the "title" is not exactly set yet, but I will serving in the capacity of a Communications Liaison both here in the States and in Zambia. I will be working with both Camp Life and the Sponsorship Program (Father's Heart). Basically, bridging the gap between those living in Zambia and those here in America. A great deal of relational skills will be required for this position. On top of that, there will be numerous projects and deadlines to meet depending on what I will be assigned. So my job will have multiple facets through it all, which is the exciting part!

I can't wait to finally be doing something I love and that I was born to do. God has been so good and faithful! I believe this is what I'm called to do for the rest of my life!

To serve the Lord by serving these kids!

Please be in prayer for:

*A Place to live (who that would be with and where)

*Financial Support

*The days ahead...God's provision, protection, etc

I am so thankful that you are continuing to journey with me as the Lord takes me on a new path. I praise the Lord for how He has used many of you to change so many lives. I am just a vessel for the Lord, carrying His message, and being His hands and feet! I am honored to be where I am. Thanks again for all of you!

Overwhelmed by His Love,

Joy

PS-Videos of Camp Life are on the side bar. Click the link and you will be able to watch them!

If you want to know more information about Family Legacy go to this website...

http://www.legacymissions.org/