~Jessica Lynn Mission~

Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, and kind words in supporting me on my mission trip. I know I am not the best in words when discussing this as I get extremely emotional when talking about my sister. Just so you all have a better understanding of what God is doing in my heart...

Back on July 6th of 2011, just a year ago from yesterday, my sister, just a week after her 27th birthday went to be with the Lord VERY unexpectedly. We are only a year and a half apart and she was my best friend, losing her has been the toughest challenge in my life and the lives of my family. 

I have one older brother and another older sister and them, along with my parents, have been struggling so much emotionally this past year. This has obviously been the absolute most difficult time in our lives. Even typing and posting this on this day seems so strange as it was a year ago from yesterday that she went to be with the Lord, I have a million emotions everyday about her and these past few days have been even more. I am very private with my feelings and emotions about my sister so writing about this is very very difficult for me, but I know that the Lord can use our trials and her testimony for His glory. 

My sister was one of the most amazing people I have ever known. She was such a bright light for Jesus and had been a faithful steward until her last days. Even though I knew how great she was, I was amazed at all the testimonies given at her service by her friends, coworkers, and even people that had hardly known her. She touched the lives of more people than I had ever known and that she had probably ever known, everything that was said came back to one factor and that was her love for the Lord. She was such a great witness and servant for the Lord and I want to continue that for her. We both had served at my parents church doing Sunday School, at times we served Sunday School together.

Within days of her passing I felt led by God to do a mission trip, He has laid it so heavy on my heart to trust and serve Him. It had never even crossed my mind previously to leave the life that I know, go to an unfamiliar place, just to serve the Lord. Almost immediately after Jessica's passing the Lord opened up my eyes, I felt Him saying over and over, "Trust Me, serve Me, life on this earth is short and you are only here to glorify and serve Me". Jessica was such a great light and witness for Him, she always inspired me to follow the Lord and God keeps telling me to spread the Gospel and glorify His name just like she did.

My sister's favorite things in this world were serving the Lord and traveling and since God has been leading me to do a mission trip I have felt so blessed that I am able stay close to her and a relationship with God by doing her two favorite things together. Right away the commandment of the Lord in Matthew 28:18-20 comes to mind, "And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen".

At first the idea just popped into my head that I would volunteer at Calvary Chapels in Europe to do traveling and volunteering, which seemed perfect in doing what Jessica loved most (Serving the Lord and traveling), but after further seeking the Lord He completely changed my direction as I kept myself open to Him guiding my path instead of doing something that would just be “cool and fun”. In it all I know that this is not about me or even my sister, this is about the Lord, serving and glorifying Him.

I have felt Him leading me through Calvary Chapel as I grew up attending Calvary Chapel Tri-City and my dad is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Laveen. I know that it is important to spread the Gospel in sound doctrine and the Lord has led me and my family to fellowship and serve through Calvary Chapels since I was a child. Even though there are many many churches of sound doctrine to serve in, at this time I feel that he is leading me personally to Calvary Chapel for this mission. I also had felt him leading me to work with children as he has given me such a love for them and as Jessica led Sunday School, I feel God has directed me in the path of helping children while serving Him just as Jessica did. 

The Lord reminded me of James 1:26-27, " If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world". God claims He is the father to the fatherless and that we, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, are also his children. Galatians 3:26 is just one verse that claims we are His children, "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus" and David in Psalm 68:5 states that, "A father of the fatherless, and a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation".  

Dealing with my sister's passing and working in a stressful atmosphere was really taking a toll on me so about 7 months after Jessica's passing I quit the business job that I had and started applying for jobs working with children as I prepared myself for a mission trip. God is so good that only a few weeks after I quit my job I got another as a teacher's aide at a preschool. At that time I was not sure when I would go, where I would go, or for how long I would go. I just knew that the Lord was leading me in the direction of working with children and serving Him.

The Lord has been so good and faithful and has led me to a Calvary Chapel affiliated school/orphanage in Cambodia, they are affiliated through Calvary Chapel Fallbrook California and opened in 2006. I was just praying and seeking the Lord about what He wanted for me and that He would guide my path in this decision. I asked Him to guide me as I wanted this to be His will for my life and not my own, and after months of praying He completely opened the door to this organization. I had messaged their director and as soon as I heard back from him I immediately felt this peace come over me as I was reading his email and the Holy Spirit was simply saying “go”. 

Since then I have been in contact with their director Kit Carson and a few other girls that are volunteering this year also. Kit and his wife Ream are the directors of the school and orphanage, I have attached links to their website, a blog of the school,  and to a blog by Kit Carson for the orphanage. Kit and Ream, along with just a few staff members help to run a school of over 150 children and an orphanage of over 40 children.

Cambodia is in Southeast Asia, next to Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Over 96% of their population of Buddhists, less than 1% are Christians. Back in the mid 1970's Cambodia's suffered a genocide that killed approx 25% of their population, many natives are still recovering from this tragic event. This is a country, one of many, that is in desperate need for missionaries to spread the gospel to a land of people that are so lost spiritually.

Since being in contact with Kit, I have booked my airline ticket. I am going August 5th-October 25th. I am now just preparing myself to go; spiritually, emotionally, physically, and financially. First and foremost I would greatly appreciate your encouragement and prayers as I prepare for this trip. I would be blessed to have a band of Christian prayer warriors on my side while I am on this spiritual journey. Please pray for myself, the children I will be working with, and the other volunteers, staff members, and natives I will meet along the way. If you are interested in helping me or the orphanage financially there are many options, I have full faith that God will provide if/when needed. The donation button on this blog and the information regarding where to send a check to goes directly to supporting me financially on this volunteer mission. The school/orphanage itself is obviously always in need of funds, on their website there is a donation button and there is also an option to sponsor a child in the orphanage as each child they take has to be fully funded.  Matthew 18:1-10 comes to mind, mainly verse 5, "And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me".

I am excited for this spiritual journey and I am blessed to have it with this organization, the staff, and the other volunteers. I may never know exactly why the Lord has led me to this place in Cambodia and for the timing, but I have faith in Him and His guidance and I am grateful that he has allowed me to be obedient to His will and to just trust and serve Him for whatever His purpose may be. I truly believe that God is using this for more than just me going on a mission to Cambodia, I believe that He is using this to speak to others that need more encouragement in serving Him. God said in Ephesians 2:10, “For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them”.

 I know that we are in the mission field from the moment we wake in the morning until the moment we fall asleep at night, we do not need to go to a foreign country to serve the Lord. Whether it be at home to our family members, at work to our coworkers, or just to strangers that come across our paths in our lives we are in the mission field and are called to share the gospel of Christ.  This can be by our words or actions, not all are called to serve physically as a missionary but God has a purpose for all of us. It could be in constant prayer, 1 Thessalonians 5:7 the Lord tells us to "pray without ceasing", or it could be to serve on a mission trip, or some are blessed financially and can serve through their finances the Lord has blessed them with. There are countless ways the Lord can call us to serve, we just need to be obedient to His calling for our lives. 
 
I hope and pray that the Lord uses this for His glory not only during the time I am in Cambodia but eternally after. I pray that me serving the Lord does not end once I return from my trip but that He keeps guiding my path and allows me to be faithful to Him and His will for my life.

Again, thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, I will be keeping in touch through my blog.

God Bless,

Alissa Oldenkamp

Jessica and me when we were little

Jessica and me just laughing together like always

Oldenkamp family when we were little