2 Friends, a New Country

Over the past two summers, I have had the opportunity to work at a local coffee shop called 3J's.
Being family run, the atmosphere is amazingly positive and the mangers/owners are fantastic. Every two years, the two owners take a trip to Costa Rica to work with a church plant that has been established. This year, they invited their employees to go on the 2017 summer trip.

Working with CiM (Churches in Missions), this trip aims to help and support, not only the church plant, but the local community of Cariari, Costa Rica as well. As a team, we may be completing construction projects, children's ministry, pastoral conferences, or other miscellaneous outreaches, but all will be acted out through the love of Jesus Christ.

In talking to my friends and family about this trip, my best friend (and soon to be sister-in-law) Andrea, expressed interest in going along as well. We haven't been on a missions trip together since 2002. In fact, I went on my very first missions trip with her in 2001. We are both very excited to be traveling together to share the love of Christ once again.

So why am I telling you this? Well, our team is in need of partners - partners in prayer and partners in finances. While yes, I am saving money and conducting fundraisers to aide in my funds for this trip, reaching out to others is a way to get more people involved.

If you are reading this I would ask you to consider partnering with us - either through prayer or finances (or both!). We need prayer partners to lift us up as we prepare and as we go next summer. By joining us in prayer, part of you goes with us as we minister to the people in Costa Rica. Even though you do not travel with us physically, you do travel with us spiritually. Your prayers go forth and prepare the way. Will you pray for us?

We are also looking for financial partners. Andrea and I have joined together to fund-raise. We are making crafts to sell, saving our pennies, and reaching out to our friends and family. We have created a GoFundMe account to help us collect funds. This site shares a bit about our story and our upcoming trip. To access the site, click here. Or you can copy and paste the follow address into your web browser: gofund.me/JandA2CR
*** If you are interested in giving a tax-deductible gift, email me at jgdancer89@comcast.net for information on how to do that.

We cannot do this alone. I mean literally we can't. There is so much going on behind the scenes that we don't even know about - the planning of flights, the organization of itineraries, the prayers of people who don't even know what they are praying for, but just know that something is coming. Will you be a part of our team by praying or giving?

Our deadlines are coming up fast. Our airfare is due in December with the rest of the funds due in February and April. We are believing together, not only for funds to come in, but for prayers to be answered and lives to be changed. As you pray and give to us, we want to pray and give to you as well! Please let us know of any prayer requests you have so we can join with you in prayer! We also want to give you updates periodically on our progress and on our outreach once the trip comes around. Look for information here and on the following social media sites: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (2 of them).

Shifting Focus

I first heard about Loveology at church. I'm not exactly sure what the circumstances were, or who else was around, but I remember begin very intrigued by the description my friend provided. I asked her if I could read it when she was finished and then shortly after, she put it in my hand with a "just get it back to me when you're done."


It took me a while to begin, but I remember being intrigued by the first few pages. Little did I know, this book would completely refocus my thoughts on love, marriage, relationships and sex.

In past months, I'd come to realize that my view on marriage, sex and relationships had been so skewed by pop culture and the media. I even found myself on certain occasions rooting for various situations on TV shows that I never would image condoning in my own life. I would catch myself and think why am I rooting in favor of this? I would listen to a song - I mean really listen to the lyrics and think, why am I putting this in my brain?

I began reading Loveology and found my perspective being turned back to where it all began - to who began it all: God. 

John Mark Comer presents 5 parts to help the reader better understand the origins of male-female relationships: Love, Marriage, Sex, Romance, and Male and female. Each chapter orients the reader in scripture and then dives into the difference between what our culture views as appropriate and "normal" and how God originally intended for it to be.

I found myself, not only shifting my focus, but also feeling better prepared for if/when God brings the right man into my life. I found that I have been viewing marriage through a set of fairy-tale glasses, and while I will probably never gain an accurate view of marriage until I'm in one, I think the rose-colored glasses have faded a few tints.

Comer goes on to talk about the calling of marriage and the calling of singleness and how we can be called to one or the other at different times throughout our lives. So often, I have been simply waiting until the right man comes along so that I can really start my life once we're together. This is such a blinded perspective! Right now, I am called to be single - so I am going to take advantage of all that comes with that calling. I have opportunities now that I may not have again once I am married and have children. Being single isn't a bad thing, or a disappointing thing - it is a gift and a calling that I have on my life right now. I am hopeful it will change (sooner rather than later), but if it doesn't, there is still so much I can do for the kingdom of God - which is why I'm here on earth to begin with.

There are so many little nuggets of awesomeness crammed into this book. I would be reading and come to think of 5 different people who would benefit from a particular passage. Usually, I am not a fan of books that aren't novels, BUT this one was worth the time to really dig deep. It fostered thoughts, conversations, and most importantly, it fostered my relationship with God. I found myself praying new prayers and new ways to the Lord as I was reading. While this book may not be for everyone, it certainly came at the right time for me.

Amazon: Loveology