Nearer my God to Thee

I have put off writing this for too long. It seems as though there is too much for words. But I want you to know what God has done and is doing. In August, I went to the Czech Republic for a short term mission trip. I met my sister there, Esther who had been there since March. I was gone for 28 days and Ess and I flew home one week before my wedding.

It is funny that the last blog entry I wrote was about the Body of Christ; about other believers and the might of Love and a United Front, because that is so much of what I met in the Czech Republic.

The bulk of my trip was spent with 90 teenagers at a music camp where these incredibly talented kids – some believers, some not – learned music and dance and drama. That’s the hook, get it? They were there learning and being taught talent by amazingly talented people! But what we were really doing was teaching them the Gospel. The teachers and leaders were believers, sold out, for-real lovers of Jesus Christ. And the truth was spoken and LIVED. In a culture that is essentially void of God, a remnant of the secular Soviet sixty year occupation, these kids saw and heard the truth. The truth that there is meaning to life, that they were created for a reason, that there is a God who holds all things and who LOVES them. It was awesome!

I got to share one night, early on in my time with them about my romance with God and my then fiancé, now husband, Mitch. I told about my heartache and pain and God’s grace and rescue and care and tender affection. And how He led me to the man that will love me for the rest of our lives. And I saw the tears come down the faces of some of the girls and the eyes that would hardly blink for fear of missing a detail, and I KNEW that the Holy Spirit was speaking through me. And my vulnerability before them all opened the door to so MANY relationships and conversations and opportunities to show how Jesus is REAL and He is crazy about us and wants us so so soooo much.

And that was just a little bit of what He did! I was blessed beyond measure! I got to work with and serve the most incredible body of believers. Believers were there from all over – the UK, the USA, Czech Republic, Ukraine, Estonia, Germany and of course, Canada. And let me tell you about the power of a shared love of Jesus Christ! Wow, God spoke to me through them, I learned from their teaching and I drew strength from cleaning up after them, from doing their groceries, from making them coffee, from coordinating their efforts, making the creative dream of someone who may not be so coordinated into a reality. Because that is mostly what I did. I worked behind the scenes, I came up after people, I was generally a quiet, unassuming presence that made sure other people could shine. And I loved it! I got to talk and pray with the people I worked beside, about who Jesus is and what they were learning. I was encouraged with news of healing and the pursuit of the Holy Spirit and of those whose hearts are for the mission field. Whose visions are bigger than their bank accounts and abilities but who hope in the Lord. This God who uses the weak to shame the strong and the small to slay the giant.

And I got to talk to Jesus. Each day there was somehow time to go and be alone with Him. Our camp was actually in a building that seemed like a school. It was old and looked “communist-built” but it was just what we needed. It was built on the outside of a town, and that meant that I could walk into the woods or climb up into the hills to a place where I could see for miles and miles. And I heard His voice and knew His peace and His strength. And secrets and hidden things were unlocked to me.

I went to the Wild Places. I went far away at a time where it didn’t seem to fit – I was gone until a week before my wedding! But God called me there. And He had me right where He wanted me. I gave myself over to be used and the service I was called up for was incredible. And the JOY of it! And the strength I was given to do what was being asked. So gently asked.

This morning I was reading my devotional, “Streams in the Desert.” Read this book! It is so good. It quoted the words of an old hymn,

“Nearer, my God, to Thee, nearer to Thee!

E'en though it be a cross that raiseth me...”

It made me think, is that really my song? Do I covet the presence of God so much that I would ask for anything to bring me closer, even the greatest suffering? I know it is the call of my Spirit. Of a Spirit that has been sealed for Him, for Glory. But my heart is selfish and slow to heed the call; my body is adverse to the tasks of putting my hand to the plow – getting up early enough to spend time with my Savior when my bed is so warm. Oh, how much I need Him to give me the strength to go to Him. Can I do anything good without Him? No. He is the Good. He is the One. In Him I put my trust; I will not be put to shame. Let the hearts of those who seek the Lord, rejoice!

Thank you so much to all who supported me with your prayers and your giving. I had no idea what was in store, and with that in mind, I face the future. We don’t know what is coming – but it is big and beautiful and from the hand of a Father who loves us and we can be SURE that whatever it is, it is good because it is meant to make us like Jesus, that He may be the first born among many. That nothing can separate us from the love of Christ, no condemnation, no charge, no act of men or of angels or demons. And in that hope may we make our stand.

Praise to the Lamb who is worth of all.

And Merry, Merry Christmas!!!

Discovery in the Wild Places: The Body of Christ

It is amazing how, as we take risks with God, He takes these times to show us beautiful and secret things. The unlocking of concepts maybe we had read about but have yet to experience.

I read “The Holy Wild” by Mark Buchanan a few years ago. I really recommend this book. Its twelve chapters are broken down into attributes of God: His goodness, His faithfulness, His love, His wrath, His mercy, His victory, His Holiness, His creativity, His Wisdom, His rest and His glory. It’s an easy book to read because of the way the chapters are divided, but the main “jist” of the book is this – if you cannot REST in God, you will never be able to RISK for Him. It supposes that once we know (i.e. have faith) in who He is we will be eager to set out into the WILD PLACES; those fringe lands of the “safe” Christian’s existence. These Wild Places are places where we don’t know what will happen, who we will meet, if we will make it. Places of daring and adventure, of risk and danger and a terrifying romance of the heart. I think the Wild Places are the places where our Spirits long to traverse, but our hearts – so fearful, so busy with other things, so weighed down – constrain the urge.

These Wild Places look different to each of us. And yet, for those of us who dare to go, our experiences in them are similar. It is in these places where we discover who our God really is. Where we can KNOW because we have seen for ourselves – His LOVE, His GOODNESS, His WRATH, His MERCY, His GLORY! The past few years, God has given me this faith, faith in who He is and now, faith to enter the Wild Places once again.

Going on this trip to the Czech Republic is a Wild Place for me. Some people are adventurous by nature. You LOVE to travel. New places are exciting and your only concern is that the world may be too small. Like Catherine of “Anne of Avonlea” you long to “know, not just believe, that the world is round.”

For me, I have a hobbit’s heart. My heart believes it was made for the Shire. For the quiet, known, comfortable corners of home. But God knows better. And so, I am Called into places where I will risk for Him. And I can take this risk because I have faith in who my God is. Because I have gone into the Wild Places before and I have SEEN His beauty, His provision, His faithfulness.

My journey into this Wild Place has already begun, and I am getting to see beautiful and secret things. Things that I have known, that I have heard about, but now I really see. On Sunday, I got to see the Body of Christ. More and more I am coming into an understanding of this powerful mechanism of God. Of His Church. Over the past few years, I have met with Believers in different cities and continents and denominations and have witnessed the incredible impact of a United Front. Of Love. Protecting and nurturing, providing and teaching and encouraging on another. And on Sunday, I got to be swept away by a little group of these Mighty Giants in Sombra.

Thank you St. Clair Community Church for your generous contributions. A “love offering” was collected for this trip and raised $730.00. This is fabulous!!! In order to cover their costs of feeding and housing me for the time I will be with them, I am required to pay Fusion Ministry $600.00. The amount raised by my church family will more than cover this expense!

In total, I am looking to raise $2,000.00. My trip will cost more, but I am covering the difference with my own funds. On Sunday, we were also blessed with a teaching on Boldness. And encouraged to boldly ask our Heavenly Father for what we need! I know it is God’s will for me to go to Czech Republic and I am boldly seeking this amount to cover costs. If you would like to donate, please do!

Donations can be made by making cheques out to Jocelyn Haveman and sending them to:

Jocelyn Haveman

c/o St. Clair Community Church
P.O. Box 114
Sombra, ON  N0P 2H0

Or you can use email transfer to jocelyn.haveman@gmail.com. 

Be blessed and dare to believe that what you believe is really REAL.

Riding the Road to His Heart

Over the last few years I have carried a secret desire to go away somewhere and be with God. Not just for an hour here or there or an organized weekend church retreat, but for a road untraveled. 

I took the one less traveled by, And that has made all the difference. (Robert Frost, Mountain Interval. 1920)

I have seriously considered just packing supplies and going up into the woods to be alone with Him, to have the chance to really seek His heart.

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. ¹² Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. ¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. (Jeremiah 29)

And I have found Him, He is faithful to His promises. Over and over God has shown up and surprised me in all sorts of places and it is delightful and it has inherently changed my heart. But I wanted more. I wanted TIME and an environment where I was completely dependent on Him.  

And guess what? He put the desire in my heart to go away and find Him because He is wanting to fulfill it.

 ⁴ Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart. (Psalm 37)

And He is doing so in the MOST incredible way. In a way I could not have asked for, because I could not have imagined it. Let me tell you what He is planning.

I am going to the Czech Republic because someone somewhere made a mistake. My sister Esther’s ticket home was booked (approximately) two weeks past the date she could have came home. When she discovered this discrepancy, she started praying about what to do with that extra time. She told me that God showed her it wasn’t WHAT she wanted to do but WHO she wanted to do it with, and it was Him who put me in her heart. So she asked me if I would consider coming out to the Czech Republic. At the time, I was working and planning to be working through the summer, so my reaction was to say no. But I prayed about it because I really wanted to go! And as you know, I am going! And I am not just going for Esther’s empty time, but am going for much longer, because I have been given the chance to be part of the ministry there. Up to just this week, Esther and I had loosely planned to “travel around” for our spare time but really did not plan too heavily.

But now we know! Sort of. We are going to take the trip I have wanted to take for so long. We are going together on an extended “Quiet Time” with the Holy Spirit. After our time with Fusion and ministering to those we meet, we are going to get on a pair of pedal bikes and go and be with Jesus. We are going to loosely plan where to stay and where we will wander but we will really just be meandering in His presence and through His beautiful creation. Our plan is to get through Austria and into Italy and then bike through Tuscany. And on the way, instead of rushing through from site to site, we are going to sing and worship and pray and rest and dance and REJOICE in the hope of the Glory of God!

How perfect is His plan? Esther will be coming off of six months of ministry. I will be coming into a new season of life, preparing for places and experiences I have not known and that God has set apart for me.

 ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. (Ephesians 2)

This God, the one I serve and who calls out to all of us provides rest. Sometimes it’s at the end of a season and sometimes it’s at the beginning.  

² He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, (Psalm 23)

For us, this rest is going to mean about nine days in August. I cannot properly describe the joy in my heart as I write this. I know that there are the most beautiful surprises waiting for us. I know that somehow this is going to mean the restoration and the revival of our spirits.

Please pray for us as we prepare for this journey. Please pray for me as I continue to raise financial support for this trip. I trust God’s provision and I am so excited to see how this all works out.

Because part of this trip is going to be spent outside of my mission with Fusion Ministry, I am subsidizing the cost of the trip from my personal funds. I mentioned in my pervious blog that this mission trip is going to cost about $2,000.00 CND. This not the true cost; I have not included the full price of my plane ticket or my travel expenses in these days I have just described. The money that I raise will go to cover part of my plane ticket and my expenses directly related to the mission trip with Fusion. If you would like to donate specifically to this time I have just described, please indicate so.

Donations can be made by making cheques out to Jocelyn Haveman and sending them to:

Jocelyn Haveman

c/o St. Clair Community Church
P.O. Box 114
Sombra, ON  N0P 2H0

Or you can use email transfer to jocelyn.haveman@gmail.com. 

Thank you so much for your support and prayers! I will be posting updates of our plan and how God provides!

Mission Possible: Czech Republic

How can I explain to you all the Journey that I am on!? When I titled this blog, “An Incredible Journey” I never imagined that name could be underestimated! But what a God I serve! I think it impossible to overestimate Him.

Over the last few years He has taken me through law school, Articles, across oceans and into His Heart. He has proven faithful and very recently, so exciting! Words cannot capture the breathtaking precipice I am looking down from, the only thing that comes close is that instant when, after steadily advancing to the peak of a roller coaster’s first dive, you hang suspended and wait to be swept away! Except instead of a coaster’s track ahead of me there lies only the open expanse of His unending, unyielding wild heart of Love.

God willing, I will be called to the bar in September, which means that I will be an official lawyer and another chapter will begin. I do not know where I will be working, and that is part of the landscape beyond the precipice. But until then, I have a Summer of Strategic Adventure.

Part of this Adventure is a Mission Trip to the Czech Republic. Many of you know my sister Esther Haveman, a link to her blog can be found here: 

http://ourlambhasconquered.wordpress.com/ 

She has been in the Czech Republic since March 2013 and has asked me to consider coming out and finishing her time there together. After a lot of prayer, I have felt released, or rather His spurring to GO! And so, for the end of July and into August, I will be working alongside my sweet sister with Fusion Ministries.

A Little about Fusion

Fusion, which operates under Josiah Venture is a youth ministry that comes alongside churches, training them to run musical outreach ministries. Fusion is not a music ministry. It is a relational ministry that uses music as a tool. The ministry is a pop/rock/gospel choir that is open to high school students and rehearses weekly. As the choir prepares for upcoming concerts the gospel is shared, many non-believers attend the choir and hear and see the gospel week after week. Every summer, each Fusion choir has a week-long camp. I will be a part of the Czech Republic's Central Camp for a key week – the week where multiple start-up Fusions come together.  Overall, I am to act as a catalyst; drawing in Czech non-believers and connecting them with national Christians who are in a position to continue in on-going relationship after I have left. I am also there to build up, relieve, and support the Church so that evangelism and discipleship can happen. This is my most exciting part; as much as I love and long to reach the lost, I love ministering and encouraging other Believers.

Fusion also plans to make full use of my administrative and organizational skills, I will be ensuring people know where they need to be and when they need to be there, helping the Camp run smoothly and ensuring the message stays on Jesus and isn’t lost in cumbersome coordination.  I will be setting up and dismantling activities and will most likely get to sing in the final choir!

A link with more information can be found below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkzlMC39Z3I 

I long for the chance to share Christ and testify to the Gospel! My life is an open testimony of God’s healing and grace and how He can change any heart that is open to Him. His faithfulness and creativity, His joy and hope, His playfulness and merry heart are calling to us all!

Support

Above all, I covet your prayers. The powerful prayers that will release the Spirit’s power in my life and into the lives I brush against. I can do nothing without Him and I have seen the effects of prayer, I am a sold out believer in it. I also need financial support. It will cost approximately $2,000.00 (CND) to go. And unfortunately, Fusion cannot issue tax receipted donations. If anyone has an idea of how I can accept donations and get the donators receipts, please let me know!

Please consider donating, I appreciate any amount and am trusting the Lord for provision.

Please make cheques out to Jocelyn Haveman and send them to:

Jocelyn Haveman

c/o St. Clair Community Church
P.O. Box 114
Sombra, ON  N0P 2H0

Or you can use email transfer to jocelyn.haveman@gmail.com. Any questions you may have can be sent to this email address :)

Psalm 16

¹ Keep me safe, my God,
for in you I take refuge.

² I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord;
apart from you I have no good thing.”
³ I say of the holy people who are in the land,
“They are the noble ones in whom is all my delight.”
⁴ Those who run after other gods will suffer more and more.
I will not pour out libations of blood to such gods
or take up their names on my lips.

⁵ Lord, you alone are my portion and my cup;
you make my lot secure.
⁶ The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
⁷ I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
⁸ I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken.

⁹ Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices;
my body also will rest secure,
¹⁰ because you will not abandon me to the realm of the dead,
nor will you let your faithful one see decay.
¹¹ You make known to me the path of life;
you will fill me with joy in your presence,
with eternal pleasures at your right hand.