The Lord Leads in His Perfect Timing

A picture that I feel like describes how the Lord has been leading me over these past few month is this:

All around me looks dark, but the Lord shines a light on someplace specific and I know clearly that is where He is directing me; the amount of time the light shines in that place varies (lately is has felt really short!:)), eventually I start to see the light shrink around me and know He is leading me somewhere else in the near future. I start looking/asking/praying for where He is guiding me. Sometimes, the next lighted place appears just before the current one goes dark...and other times it feels like it gets totally dark where I currently am...and then I am to just stand firm and wait, trusting He is with me even when it feels/looks dark, that there is good purpose in the waiting, and He will shine light someplace "soon" and show me where He is leading next.

Thank you for joining with me after my last blog post to pray for clear direction, I feel like I am seeing our prayers begin to be answered!! The past two weeks I have been assisting the campus health clinic in the afternoons get caught up with digital medical data entry. I saw that they needed volunteer help with this when I was staffing DTS in Feb/March and even prayed that God would send them help; so I was glad to be able give time now; the medical staff have been very kind and welcoming to me! I will continue to serve doing data entry a couple afternoons a week for the entire fall quarter . Even though Crossroads DTS was postponed, there are still several other schools that will run this fall; this week Wednesday (Sept 23) and Thursday (Sept 24) are the official arrival days for incoming students; they will all receive rapid COVID tests and also be quarantined for 14 days. These arrival days will be long and busy for pretty much the whole campus; please pray for physical/mental strength and safety for all of us who will be helping to make arrival day happen. 

In addition to helping with medical data entry, I have another possible connection for serving this fall that sounds exciting! There is a ministry here on campus that works with something called the SourceView bible; click the link to learn more about the benefits of this bible reading app, especially for reading out loud in group bible studies. The ministry recently got the rights to forms Spanish NIV translation for the SourceView bible. While working on the farm, I connected with a woman who is a big part of this Spanish NIV project; she invited me to help! I should learn more in coming weeks.

Medical data entry and SourceView bible work I think will both utilize skills from my library science education and I love the idea of connecting with the Spanish language again too!

At the farm two weeks ago, I learned how to get the plastic pots ready for planting lettuce in aquaponics and then this past week I got to teach a group of people how to do it! I am looking forward to learning how to plant seeds in the rocks hopefully soon (it takes a special technique to get lettuce to sprout in lava rocks instead of soil).

"Big" rocks fill the bottom

Little rocks cover the top

Ready for planting

Fundraising for Oct-Dec: Funds still needed:$1,400-$2,000

I am raising financial support again for October-December 2020! I do believe the Lord is calling me to be in Kona in 2021, but right now I only able to accurately estimate expenses til the end of this year. Monthly donations or one time gifts are both greatly appreciated!

Total estimated monthly expenses: $850- $1,050 (Estimated funds needed for Oct-Dec: $2,550-$3150)

• Housing: $450/mo
• Groceries/Food/Household items: $300-$400/mo
• School loans: $100-$200/mo (*according to government mandate my loans are in forbearance until December but my goal is to still pay on them at least some each month.) (HUGE PRAISE my loans are now approx. $13,500)

Funds raised so far: $1,150

3 ways to support financially:

1. My Venmo account: @Jenna-Patnott
2. A check made out to me and mail to my bank (include a note in envelope that says "to be deposited into account"or to my address her in Kona:

• Address for my bank Lake Michigan Credit Union: 

                        LMCU PO Box

                        PO Box 2848

                        Grand Rapids, MI 49501

• My address in Kona: 

                        Jenna Patnott

                        75-346 Hualalai Rd E103 

                        Kailua, Kona HI 96740

3. Tax deductible donation processed through YWAM El Paso-Juarez Mission account (if you want to donate this way please email me and I will send you instructions)

Fun Times!

Cutting down banana tree at staff farm!

Hiking with friends:

Answered Prayer

1) I am seeing/experiencing the beginning of deeper community and friendship develop

2) I am enjoying applying in my own life a new ministry tool called Immanuel Journaling and can see how the Lord is using it to soften my heart and open my ears to hear Him.

3)God's clear direction a to help with medical data entry this fall and possibly also with the SourceView bible Spanish NIV project.

Prayer Requests:

1. Safety and energy for all of us helping with the busy arrival day for student on Wednesday and Thursday this week.

2.Good, deep, and healthy community/friendships for me during this time when “social distance” is the norm.

3. A yielded heart to the work the Lord wants to do in me. 

4. Continued clarity and direction from the Lord and filling me with His hope and joy

4. Good communication and unity in general; it seems like in this season miscommunication  and disunity just come out of nowhere.