A Wonderful Journey

Dear Friends,

What an amazing journey! We connected with a number of people! Some had been friends for a long, long time. Some had been friends for a few years. And some were brand new! It was all good. Most of all we were able to connect and reconnect in personal relationship, all built on the foundation of a mutual love affair with Jesus Christ!

Paul said it this way: "You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus!" (Galatians 3:26-28)

That is what we personally experienced. The "oneness" that is in Jesus Christ! Did not matter who you were or what you did or where you were from! Those were not the questions. Some of the folk we met were on top of their world. Others were dealing with such deep issues they were reeling from the blows. All knew Jesus Christ! We were ONE in Christ! And all were fascinated to hear the story of STADIA INTERNATIONAL-JONATHAN PROJECT! It is very moving when people begin to connect the dots and they fully understand that they can have eternal impact on an unreached people group! When eyes light up and hearts open it makes the travel all worthwhile! But most of all the blessings roll when you know that somebody who had never heard the name of Jesus would hear His name and would be able to make a decision to serve and follow HIM- simply because somebody here was moved to adopt them as an unreached people group! Talk about unity in Christ...that is living the UNITY found in Jesus!

Great news! This weekend in all four services Judy and I will be at Eastside Christian Church! We have been invited by Pastor Gene Appel to make this return and to share in the services. We are so honored. Pastor Gene will very briefly describe our story and then we will be prayed over! That is a high honor and we take it very seriously! Really it is the fulfillment of what the Eastside Elders prayed over us last September 2008 as we transitioned out of the Senior Pastor position at Eastside into this new chapter of our lives! We know we will see many of you this weekend!

Keep us in your prayers,
Graydon and Judy Jessup
P.S. Travel sort of kept me from getting this blog finished by this past Monday...but, better late than never, right!?