Week 3 Update

Homesick. I've never thought much about being homesick. Only little girls who miss their mommy get homesick. 5 Years have passed by since I moved to Cookeville and I maybe could have possibly been homesick one time (my first birthday away from home), but even then it just barely crossed my mind. But this trip to Texas...man, I am homesick. I'm ready to see my family. My friends. Even I-40 haha. Being homesick stinks...

Now that I've got that off my chest, I think Texas is pretty cool (not literally...mid 90's in late September is not cool). I've seen more deer in the past 3 weeks than I ever have in my life! We were told when we first got here that if we made it a month without hitting a deer that we've done something. Exactly one week into our "adventure" and we took Bambi out. Since then, we've been deerber (kinda like sober but not really haha).

This past week has been the most challenging both for our crew and personally. We've hit a few obstacles at work (ie. welding shop not having our pieces finished, inspectors being extremely picky, etc) and it's just been a frustrating week having to "hurry up and wait." Personally, it's been a trying week for my pride and patience. I've been finding it nearly impossible in my heart to love my coworkers and then when I have ideas shot down only to later have others take credit for them working perfectly, I want to scream, "I TOLD YOU SO!!!!!"... ... Please pray for me to have patience and love for my coworkers. Also, as most of you know, I was told this week that my uncle Terry was taken to the ER because he was having trouble breathing. He had to spend a few days at the hospital but the mighty hand of God worked in his body and he was able to come home today. God is faithful to take care of his children. Thank you for your prayers. Please continue to pray for his health as well as the salvation of his youngest daughter, Tasia.

I spent today sleeping in (6:45 is sleeping late!), Going to church, spending about 4 hours hanging in a hammock down by the river, and then going back to church. Today was sooooo refreshing! I have been studying the Gospel of John lately and just being reminded of the love that was shown for us on the cross and really trying to draw applications from the life of Jesus has been great. There's a long chain of events that lead me to this next statement but...The Entire Bible Points To JESUS!!! It's amazing. From the very beginning God had planned Jesus' coming to save His people from their sins. God has loved us since before time and space existed and He's gonna love us forever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and ever and...you get the picture.

I want to close this blog with Psalm 150. God has been bringing this passage to my mind a lot lately and well...here it is

"Praise the LORD!

Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
²Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
³Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
⁴Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
⁵Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
⁶Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD!"

Week 2 Update

Hello...This week has been pretty good so far. We've gotten quiet a bit done this week considering that it has fallen a flood the past 2 days. When I went to a local church here last Sunday, Ingram First Baptist, they had 2 things on their prayer list that I wasn't really used to seeing: "Rain! Rain" and "Relief from Heat." Well, God has once again answered prayers! Isn't it amazing to have the priviledge through Christ to pray to the Creator of all things!! Take a minute and really focus on that...Amazing!

This week with the coworkers has been going good as well. I was able to share a good amount of the Gospel with Scott. It seems that he has a fair amount of knowledge about Jesus but I believe there is no relationship. He is very interested in my life (ie. why I have joy, why I get up early to go be alone, etc). Please pray that I would love Scott as a person and not a project and pray that God will change his heart of stone into a heart of flesh......my friendship with Corey is growing. He lives in a different room so I have to be more intentional with my time with him. Please pray for there to be time this weekend to get to hang out (possibly go swimming in the Guadeloupe River on Sunday) and that God will save him.....with Marty, I honestly haven't made him a priority however our relationship as coworkers is getting better. He gave me a huge, encouraging compliment the other day that came out of no where. Basically he said I'm a good worker and that he enjoyed working with me. That means A LOT! Please pray for him to see the true reason behind my hard work (Col 3:23). Pray for God to save him and that his entire household(wife, daughter, and Corey) would declare Christ as their KING!......I have gotten very little time with Jimmy. He has been very busy getting all the material ordered and the sub-contractors scheduled. Please pray that his time will free up and that I'll get to share my faith with him before we fly back to TN (Sept 22).

Thank you for partnering with me in prayer. It is VERY, VERY, VERY encouraging knowing that I have you holding the ropes for me. "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you."(Phil 1:3)

For His Name's Sake,

Jacob

Prayers Answered

Just so you all know, miraculously, God has changed my heart towards Scott! It truly has been like a light switch. I can't explain it!

I have been reading Don't Waste Your Life by John Piper recently, and a chapter is entitled Risk Is Right-Better to Lose Your Life than to Waste It. It makes some really neat, challenging points. I don't want to waste my life. I mentioned in my first post that I believe God has called me to know Him and make Him known...I've not been called to waste my life but to live for Him!

I echo Paul in Philippians 3, "But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead."

Please pray for tonight! I am sharing with Scott tonight. It is worth it. He must know the truth. Pray that my words will be loving and that God will soften his heart to the gospel!

"Third [Day]'s a Charm"

Okay so I was really pumped to show off some of my Texas pictures BUT my camera cord is in Tennessee...sorry...I know, I'm just as disappointed as you haha.

Today was our third day at the job site and things are BUSY! There's so much to do and so little time. One of the head hanchos from J&S, Jack Stites, told us that he expects the originally 12 week job to be done in 8. No worries though. The crew that has been sent out here has some talented people that know how to "make it happen." I've heard through the grapevine when this job is completed there is another Texas job in the makings! Who knows, I might be in Texas til January. OH! and to clear something up from the last post...The 12, now 8, week job does have a few breaks in it. We will be flying back to Tennessee every three and a half weeks. Also there is no cellular service within 30 mins of the job site and even then it's roaming until about 10 mins from our hotel.

This week has already thrown some challenges my way in the spiritual aspects of things. My roommate, Scott, and I clash. Everything about us just doesn't jive. It is hard to love the guy. Please pray that my, literally, hate for him will turn to love.

Also, it is really hard to be encouraged and to encourage others. Everyone is, playfully, out to get each other all day but it is beginning to wear me down. Pray for me to find encouragement. Pray for me to be an encourager...all the time.

I have gotten to spend some one on one time with Corey Jackson. He's Marty's son, recent Upperman Highschool graduate, and he's pretty fun to be around. We've worked out together once and I've gotten to build a pretty solid relationship with him. Pray for this relationship to deepen and for him to see Christ living in me.

Thank you for partnering with me to advance God's Kingdom.

Christ is All,

Jacob

Day 1

Welp...we made it. Seventeen hours, one thousand sixty seven miles, and three different states but we made it!

Yesterday was the beginning of my 12 week stay in Texas. To help everyone catch up a little...I have taken the entire year off from going to college to work. I am working for a "local" construction company, J&S Construction, that has sent me and four others (Jimmy Smith, Scott Caudill, Marty Jackson, and Corey Jackson) to Kerrville, TX to pick up where another company, which unfortunately went bankrupt, left off. We're building a wildlife headquarters center.

The purpose of this blog is not only to keep friends and family informed that I'm ok (haha), but to invite you to be a part of what God has called me to. Since I became a Christian, almost 4 years ago, God has been doing A LOT in my life in the way of maturing me in the faith. For the sake of time I'll save the details for later blogs but to summarize, God has called me to "know Him and make Him known". I believe God wants to use me here in Texas to reach these 4 men for Him. He has already given me a ton of favor with these men and I am trusting Him to give me lots and lots of opportunities to share the Gospel with them. Please join me in praying for these men to die to themselves and follow Christ (Luke 9:23-25).

Tomorrow will be our first day on the job site.