June 2022

Sitting at a table in Havana, Cuba, surrounded by some of my dearest friends, a young man looked intently into my eyes and said, “Jennifer, we can’t see the mountains.” I knew exactly what he meant, and it broke my heart. Just an hour earlier, I had the privilege of bringing the Sunday morning message at a church in Havana.

Pastor Eric, who translated both of my books into Spanish, was there to translate the message as I spoke. He and I had never met in person. All of our work on the books had been done via email and internet. To greet him face to face for the first time that Sunday morning was an emotional moment for both of us. He seamlessly translated for the congregation as I brought a message from Joshua Chapter one. While Joshua 1:1-9 repeats the words “Be strong and courageous,” the verses are not about our own strength, but rather about our faith in God. To end the message, I used an illustration about my time in East Tennessee near the Great Smoky Mountains. Living in Tennessee for 13 years usually provided a spectacular view of the mountains, unless there were storm clouds, fog, or summer haze. My view of the mountains could often be obstructed, but the mountains were still there. And so it is with faith. God is always there, but sometimes our difficult circumstances can obstruct our view of Him.

June 2019

Jesus stunned His disciples when He washed their feet. He horrified them when He told them to wash one another’s feet! Ancient foot wash-ing was a detestable assignment, relegated to the lowliest household servant. Surely, Jesus meant something else, something more pleasant, more noble. Humbly serve one another? Really? 

Every trip into Cuba is unique. Each city and church is different, and for me personally, there is always a unique lesson to learn or observation to make. The April trip was a lesson in “foot washing.” 

November 2021

It has been said, “many hands make the load light”, and certainly this is true in ministry. When the Apostle Paul addresses the church at Corinth, he admonishes them to avoid being territorial in ministry. He reminds the church that all ministry is a collaborative work for the sake of the gospel (1 Corinthians 3). While each person and ministry are unique in giftedness, all are working together for Christ—sharing the load as well as the harvest. And so it was this year in Nicaragua.

In September, five ministries and countless individ- uals joined hands to make an impact in Nicaragua. I was blessed to be part of the team that organized and led a women’s retreat involving 160 Nicaragu- an women. God’s presence was abundantly evident in our time together, and I am confident the results will be ongoing…

November 2019

Returning home from Cuba in October with dengue fever, I was concerned about going to Nicaragua in November. The Lord, however, provided a wonderful team from the USA, gracious Nicaraguan leaders, and His strength in it all. Over 100 wom- en attended the Mujeres de Gracia women’s retreat in Nicaragua, sponsored fully by Word of Joy. The comments below, translated from Spanish, are from women who attended the retreat...