7 days until Haiti!

If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him.
C.T. Studd

7 days from today we'll be headed to Haiti! To tell you that we are excited would be a gross understatement. As a family, we're so ready to be there and see what God is going to do! We've been doing a countdown everyday. Kendall loves it! As soon as she wakes up everyday she's ready to decorate our countdown paper! 

We're traveling to Titanyen, which is located in the mountains of Haiti. We will be serving the local people alongside Truth Evangelistic Ministries who have been in Haiti for fifteen years serving God faithfully. This trip will consist of building on to a school and fixing up local facilities. In addition to this construction, we will have the opportunity to visit in two voodoo villages, preach, teach, and work in the discipleship process.

While we are there Jenn and Kendall will wear skirts knee length or longer with shirts with sleeves and headbands. Joe will need to always wear pants and then for church a collared shirt. 

Prayer Requests

• Pray for the team to focus on His Power not their abilities.
• Pray for the people to be open to the Gospel.
• Pray that the people will see Christ in everything that is said and done.
• Pray for the Spirit to penetrate this area.
• Pray for the team to transition well into this area.

Jenn will still be headed to Guatemala in October! Please be praying for this trip! She will be there from October 19th- October 25th. While there the team will care for malnourished children at the Operation Baby Rescue center, visit remote Guatemalan communities and perform medical clinics for the villagers and pass out shoes, work at St. Luke's Hospital and Kelly's House, interact with with orphans at the Hope of Life children's home in Zacapa, as well as visit the Feeding Center at a community based around a trash dump. She needs about $2,000 for this trip. This includes all in-country transportation, lodging, meals, international medical insurance, and airport fees.

Thank you for partnering with us in prayer and financial support! We live for His Glory!

In His Amazing Love, 
Joe, Jenn, and Kendall Hennis

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be glory forever! Amen!
Romans 11:36

/ˈôrdnˌerē/

Ordinary- or·di·nar·y (adjective) With no special or distinctive features; normal. (noun) What is commonplace or standard. (synonyms) Common, usual, regular, normal, habitual, customary.

I've always heard people use the word ordinary. It's a funny word without much expectation. People use it a lot with their testimony of coming to Christ. "Oh, my story is so ordinary." 

Interesting...

My husband has a "shocking" testimony. He came into this world 3 months early and all of 2.8 lbs. No one thought he would make it the first day let alone the first week. He did though. Growing up he played sports. He lived in a small town where everyone knows everyone. Was dragged to church on Sunday's or paid to go. In high school he played football and was on the wrestling team. He did really well in wrestling.  He even made it into Sports Illustrated, got a scholarship upstate, and was fifth on the Olympic ladder. During his time in college he got heavily involved in drugs. Cocaine was the drug of choice. His addiction haunted him his whole life. When he was 25 his whole world collapsed in on him. We were freshly married with a 1 month old. He was on drug offender probation, working full time, and nursing a habit. We went to church every Sunday. "Pew potatoes", we went but never heard what was being preached. For sure we weren't living it out! He came home after a night out of using and I had my bags packed. I was done. After I left, he sat on the floor for the second time in his life and tried to commit suicide. Joe was Baker Acted and an ambulance came to bring him to the hospital so he could be put on suicide watch. During the drive the paramedic started to talking to Joe. Asked him what was going on. Joe told him.  At the end of their talk Joe told the driver that he wanted to know Christ he just didn't know how to do it. The paramedic pulled over the ambulance jumped into the back with him and my husband prayed to receive Christ right then. Everything was different about Joe after that. The way he walked and talked. Everything. Since then Joe has felt the call to ministry and was ordained as a pastor. He is in seminary and loves sharing the Gospel wherever he is. I don't say that to boast of Joe. Only what God has done in Joe. 

“Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” 1 Corinthians 1:31

I don't think that any of our individual stories are more or less amazing to God. We are in awe of other people's stories, but not God. To Him they have to all be beautiful stories stitched together and laced with grace. From a parent's perspective, as our Heavenly Father, they must all be amazing. Especially knowing our hearts and all of our thoughts. Each one of our testimonies He uses for His glory. The weak moments, times we've had to peel our brokenness up off the floor, tears, joys, fears, pain-- it isn't for nothing. Share your story of His glory, even when you think it's ordinary. There is someone who can relate!

In His Love, 

Jennis

Round We Go

Every time we got to a new village I asked God the same question. What should I share with these ladies?

Every time I got the same answer- share your testimony and 1 John 3:16.

By the second day, I was a little frustrated. We were doing eight bible studies that week.

“God, why do you want me to keep sharing my testimony and that verse? Can’t I share on something else?”

Silence.

So at every village when I was introduced I shared the shorthand of our testimony. It went something like this minus the pausing for the interpreter:

“I’m married to Big Joe. Our first year of marriage was very bad. Joe drank a lot and did a lot of drugs. I didn’t respect him because he did those things. Joe didn’t love me the way I thought I should be loved, because I didn’t respect him. It was a very bad cycle. After our daughter was born (at this point Kendall would usually smile really big and point at herself) Joe and I separated for a period of time. It was during that time that Joe tried to kill himself. When you try to hurt yourself in the states many times they send you to a hospital. They also send a very big truck called an ambulance to pick you up. The driver of the ambulance was on a very busy road and while driving asked Joe if he knew Jesus. You see we had gone to church many times, but we just listened and never applied it to our lives. It’s what you call pew potatoes. So, when the driver asked Joe if he had heard of Jesus- we had. We just never understood in our hearts. The driver asked Joe if he’d like to accept Christ right then, pulled off the side of the road, jumped into the back with Joe, and he accepted Christ right then! During the time we were apart I also accepted Christ. Nothing about our lives were the same after that. We didn’t walk the same, we didn’t talk the same, our lives were different. You see for the first time in our lives we understood what true love was. When you understand and receive God’s love it changes everything. God restored our marriage! Joe and I could love each other right for the first time as well as others. It’s that love that compelled us to fly for three days in a big airplane to be here with you. So that we could share with you how much God loves you and what He can do in your lives. I also would like to share a verse with you it’s 1 John 3:16, By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us. And we also ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

Not a bad thing to share, but I was tired of talking about myself.

It wasn’t about me though.

What I would later find out is that these women understood husbands that drank a lot, because many of them have one.

Alcoholism is a problem here. Drinking in Zambia is not the same as in the states. It doesn’t taste good. It’s straight up alcohol. So the only reason to drink here is to get drunk.

At one of the bible studies I got to pray for a young girl named Mercy who was married to such a husband. She had a baby on her hip and one in her belly. Mercy was ready to go back home to her parents’ village because she was not happy with her husband.

Very humbling.

On Friday of that same week a man went up to Joe at a leaders meeting and told him that my testimony was very encouraging to his wife.

God knew exactly what those women needed to hear. He already knew that they could relate. All I needed to do was be obedient to what He told me.

All I needed to do was share my love story with God- with others.

I encourage you to do the same when God prompts you.

In His Love,

Jennis