Hey everyone! 

I just wanted to send out a quick message about things around here in Tuscaloosa. I didn't get to check to see if there were a lot of posts like this. But, the city of Tuscaloosa and many, many other cities in the state of Alabama and beyond have been devastated! We need your prayers more than anything! 

I was in my dorm on the first floor when the tornado went through. It bypassed the University completely! Definitely amazing! It was supposed to come right for us. We lost power and internet and had no connection with anyone except what we could post on Twitter and Facebook. Me and some of my friends spent the night in the dorm. We still don't have power there, and they are saying maybe Monday, but I feel it might be later. The damage to the town and around the counties is incredibly devastating! My friends and I came to a friend's apartment where we are staying now. We didn't know the extent of the damage or know how big the tornado was until this morning. It has all been very surreal and this has been one of the longest days of my life. And I only lost power. There have been many reports going around and it is sad and hearbreaking to see the city now. We all just can't believe that it happened here. 

Please pray for all of those who have lost loved ones and those that are still missing. Tomorrow will be a new day, but it is going to carry a lot with it. 

I'm giving out my info for any reason.  

Twitter: jesselyse88

e-mail: jeussery@crimson.ua.edu

Thank you for all the thoughts and prayers. I am praying for any of you that have also been affected by this storm and may have lost someone or anything. I am at a loss of words. 

An Exciting Announcement!!!

Hello friends! 

I have an exciting announcement to make. 

:-) 

I get to spend another one of my summers serving the Lord! 

What to know where I am going??

Here are some clues! 

Do you know what place this is? 

Welcome to New Orleans, Louisiana! 

I had mentioned this before in an earlier post, but I'm going to tell it again. 

:-) 

Last summer when I was determining where God wanted me to serve, I thought about different programs and different places. 

Well, I ended up getting a great internship in Mobile, AL where I worked with inner-city youth. 

That internship was great and definitely a step out of my comfort zone. 

It put a new desire in my heart to work with inner-city youth and those affected by the harms of poverty.

So, fast forward to deciding about this summer. 

It was January 1st, 2011. 

I decided to fill out an application to be a summer missionary with the North American Mission Board, or NAMB. 

Now, last summer I had started an application with NAMB, but did not complete it. 

However, this summer, I really felt like the Lord was laying it on my heart to once again begin the application process and this time, stick to it. 

It took me awhile to fill out the application. 

There are a lot of aspects and questions to it. I wanted to go through it prayerfully and honestly.

I finally finished the application about a month ago maybe. 

A couple of weeks ago, I got an e-mail saying that I had been accepted as a summer missionary!

Next, I had to wait for my next e-mail that would tell me my placement. 

During the application process, you go through the Summer Needs list and choose three programs or cities that you would like the chance to work at. 

The three places that I chose were in Louisiana and two in Arizona. 

As you guys know, I have a connection with Arizona. 

Lately, I have felt this connection to Louisiana. Many places that I would go, New Orleans would get brought up, just randomly. 

Well, I was out eating lunch with my friends last Thursday and one of the BCM ministers had texted me asking if I had heard about my placement for the summer.

I told her that I hadn't and then she informed me that I would be going to 

New Orleans, Louisiana! 

I was very, very excited! 

And yesterday I received the official e-mail! 

The next steps are to finalize travel plans and go to orientation. 

But, I am ready to get this summer started! 

I feel like the Lord is going to have something great in store and I am more than ready to see what that may be! 

Look for a post coming soon about the program that I will be working with as I serve in New Orleans, Louisiana! 

:-) 

Soul Surfing and Traveling to Borneo and Kenya

This past weekend I went on an entertainment splurge! 

I went with some of my friends to go see not one, but two movies. 

It is very rare for me to go see one movie in the theater, let alone two! 

:-) 

First, I saw that this movie was playing at the new IMAX that my theater opened. 

And the IMAX is always fun. 

I love animals. I love people.

I love to travel.

And well this movie had ALL of those things! 

:-) 

Born to Be Wild follows two different women who help to rehabilitate animals. 

Both of the women have been taking care of these animals and helping them for many years.

One of the women rehabilitates orphaned orangutans in Borneo.  They have centers where they take care of them until they see that they are fit to return to the wild. 

It also follows a woman and a program she has in Kenya, Africa. She too rescues orphaned animals, but they are elephants. Most of them have been orphaned because their mothers have been killed by poachers. They rehabilitate the elephants and slowly return them to the wild and back into herds. 

The other movie that we watched was Soul Surfer. 

It was a great movie! I really enjoyed it! 

It is based on the true story of surfer Bethany Hamilton. 

While out surfing with some friends she was attacked by a shark and lost all of her left arm. 

She was projected to be one of the greatest surfers. She didn't let her attack get her down, she persevered and continued on.

She went on to become a great surfer and win many more competitions. 

The movie was very real to the series of events that actually occurred. 

Bethany herself was on set the entire time making sure that everything was portrayed the way it happened, before the attack and after the attack. 

Another thing that I really enjoyed about this movie was that the faith the family has in Christ was shown. There were scenes of the family in church, Bethany at youth group,  her father reading the Bible, Bethany taking a mission trip to Thailand after the 2004 tsunami and encouragement and advice given that was faith and Bible based. 

These were really great movies! I enjoyed them! 

I hope maybe ya'll will watch them as well! 

Travel to another country, see some great landscapes, and learn how God is with you through any situation and will give you the strength you need to endure! 

Happy Watching! 

:-) 

Ready to Forgive

This morning God showed me something remarkable...again.

I may have already known this fact about Him, but I had pushed it back in my head. 

There are many perceptions about God. We all have them whether we believe and trust in Him or not. 

Some of them may be right, but sometimes, they are wrong. 

I used to have this perception about God that He was like a police officer. Watching my every move, watching where I went, who I was with and what I was doing. 

He was waiting. 

For that perfect little time, that when I broke a law, He could turn on His lights and tackle me to the ground. 

He would arrest me and pour out His wrath and be angry with me for the ways that I had betrayed Him. 

I would say that I'm sorry and promise to do better. 

I would serve my time by reading the Bible to get it done and go to church because I was supposed to. 

Only to serve my time for a little while and then get right back on the streets and do everything again. 

There is one thing right about all of that and that is: He was waiting. 

He is waiting. 

He is waiting and ready to forgive! 

God isn't a police officer. 

He is our Protector and Guidance, but most importantly, He is our Father, if we have chosen to accept His invitation for a relationship. 

God is READY to forgive. 

Please, don't miss that. 

He is READY to forgive us of our sins. 

Think about it, sin is the thing that God hates! 

It puts a barrier between us and Him that is so big that we alone cannot cross it. 

We need Him beside us, guiding us along. 

With sin in the way, that bridge isn't there! 

God is READY to forgive.

He wants to close the gap that sin has created. 

He wants nothing more than to destroy the sin that lies between us and Him. 

Because while that sin is there, our relationship with Him is not growing. 

It is stagnant. 

What good does a stagnant relationship do? It goes nowhere and it has no friends. 

While sin remains between our relationship with God, we aren't able to hear from God, we aren't able to see God working in our lives. 

He doesn't want this! 

Nothing more does He want than for us to accept the gift of salvation that He has given to us. 

He sent His Son, His SON, to die on a cross! 

For me and for you. 

Can you imagine sending your child to die an excruciating death? 

God did that through His son Jesus! 

All so that we may believe and have salvation.

Why are we waiting to repent? Why are we waiting for something "amazing" or "divine" to happen? 

Friend, when you repent of your sin to God, when you fall at His feet, when you accept His offer of eternal life, there is nothing more divine or amazing. 

When you accept and receive His offering, you are made new. 

Because before, we were dead. 

But in Christ, we are made alive and new! 

What is more divine or amazing that being brought back from the dead!!??

There is only One, who can do these things. 

His name is Jesus Christ. 

He was sent to this earth to die for you and for me.

He was obedient to His death on the Cross so that one day, if we choose to believe, we could live with Him in Heaven for eternity. 

He is waiting and He is ready.

Will you keep Him waiting? 

Or will you run with arms wide open to Him?

To the One who gave it all. 

He is waiting and He is ready. 

"...but You are a God ready to forgive, gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love..." -- Nehemiah 9:17

My Humble Abode

Hey Everyone! 

So, recently one of my blog friends did a video of her room at school. 

I decided to follow that direction and show you around the place that 

I have called home for 4 years now. 

(Hoping for a 5th...but that is another post for another time.) 

Here is a picture tour of my humble abode. 

(Sorry it isn't a video for those that would love to hear my accent! ;-) haha) 

The living room.

Kitchen nook area and the bathroom.

Sink area. That cool sign is from Starbucks! 

;-) 

Our bathroom.

My room. 

I did have a roommate, but I am now in the room by myself.

One of the desk areas. 

The other desk area where I mainly work. 

Vanity area.

A view of the beds. 

I sleep on the one that is the highest 

and 

the other I treat as a couch for reading and such. 

Hope you enjoyed the tour! 

:-) 

TOMS (less)

To see other posts that deal with this event, click here and here. 

Today was the annual 

One Day Without Shoes

event sponsored by TOMS shoes! 

I was happy to participate seeing as, well for many reasons:

I love kids.

I love TOMS.

I yearn to serve people.

I love being barefoot.

But, most importantly, because

I love God. 

Because my first love and most important relationship is with Christ alone, He gives me the rest of my desires.

It is because of my love of Christ, that I love people. 

I am called to love others.

The rich. The poor.

The young. The old.

The hungry. The thirsty.

Men. Women.

Boys. Girls.

Black. White. 

Asian. African. 

Hispanic. Indian. 

I am called to love them all.

Because of my love of Christ, I can partake in many different organizations, visit different areas, talk to multitudes of people, and walk barefoot for a day. 

Because of my love of Christ, or rather Christ's love of me, I can support and pray for the opportunity to spread the Gospel and glorify God. 

Because Christ loves me, I love others. 

This is my third year participating in the One Day Without Shoes event, but I think that this year was completely different. 

Yes, my feet did start to hurt toward the end of the day, but I pressed on.

Actually, I prayed through the pain. 

I did not pray for my pain of hurting feet to go away, rather, I prayed for the thousands of kids who have to go daily without shoes. I prayed for them and the things that they may suffer from. Including the cuts, scrapes, and diseases they can get from their feet not being protected. 

I prayed for the children that are not allowed to go to school simply because they do not have shoes. 

I prayed for the people who cannot go into eating establishments to get food.

I came to the realization, yet again, of how much I truly have. 

Of how good, shoes feel after cobblestone sidewalks.

And to the realization that this small act of going without shoes, may not even compare to what others actually live through each and every day. 

I came to the realization that the less I have, the closer to God I am. 

Simply because there is less to distract me from Him. 

I learned again today how God is pursuing me, relentlessly

and 

He is not giving up! 

Praise God that He does not give up! 

It is amazing all the things you learn when you go a day without something so simple.

In this case shoes.
:-) 

College Fail of the Day

Hey Everyone! 

Okay, so first, I should really start writing down the ideas that I have for blog posts and the things that I want to tell ya'll in general. 

Because, for the life of me, I have forgotten half of the posts that I was going to write! 

Well, this one is tell you of a college fail that happened to me today. 

Today, I had a test in my Marriage and Family class. 

I prepared by looking over my notes from the class 

and extending out info about everything on the study guide. 

I was up late last night studying, as all college students do during their cram sessions. 

I went to my class today to take the test and as I was going about it, realized that nothing, 

NOTHING, 

looked familiar. 

Now, I am a bad test taker anyways. 

I don't know what it is, but I am just not a good test taker. 

Anyone else?

Well, I was like great, nothing that I remember studying is going through my head. 

I didn't remember anything and nothing on the test looked familiar. 

So, needless to say I left the test feeling really discouraged. 

Fast forward to my last class of the day. 

I'm flipping through my binder to put away a handout that I had gotten 

and 

there in the back pocket of my binder is a study guide. 

A study guide from my Marriage and Family class for my test. 

The test that I had today. 

It was NOT the study guide that I had studied all night last night.

It was NOT the study guide that I had filled out last night. 

It was NOT the study guide for today's test. 

Yes.

I had studied the completely wrong study guide.

In fact, I had studied the handout for the last test.

You think that I would have come to the realization that what I was studying seemed familiar, 

but no. 

I studied the completely wrong thing. 

College Fail of the Day. 

Here is to hoping that for my test that I have tomorrow, 

I study the correct material.