Posts filed under 'Jessica's Page'
A Note Form Jessica:
Thank you so much for all your prayers and support you have given me this summer for Mission Possible. I was so amazed at how God was able to use me the way He did on this trip. I was able to grow closer to God, and every day I just felt His presence. It was really neat how well our team worked together! I feared we’d have so many differences that we’d have trouble, but God really grew our team, and we give Him all the glory from this trip.
Week one, our team ran Vacation Bible School at Forcey Memorial Church. The theme was ‘’Secret Agents.’’ It was so much fun! I had the privilege to be in the drama and play Miss Newton, owner of the Sun-Force Agency. The kids really liked it because I had to wear a wig. The most exciting part of VBS however, was when I was able to help lead several kids to the Lord. One of the most challenging things that week was on Tuesday when we weren’t allowed to eat anything except one meal of rice and beans. Our team leaders were teaching us what it was like for people in the world who had nothing and were starving. Just after one day of not eating we saw how spoiled we really are. Each day after VBS, we practiced our drama and puppets to prepare for the following weeks. Also, that week, during our group devotions, we started talking about trials we were going through or had gone through. It was a great time of fellowship. Some of us cried, others comforted. It just was a great time for the team to come together and bond.
Week two, our team went to Ocean City. All the guys had to, for the first time, perform their paint board messages in front of a crowd. We also did our dramas for the first time. I was nervous, but I think we all did pretty well. I also learned how to start conversations with people and share the Gospel. I was surprised at how many people were interested in what we were doing and stopped to talk. Sometimes I would talk to certain people and I could tell that God was putting words in my mouth, and it was just the right thing to say. It would be exactly what someone needed to hear. It was so amazing!
Week three, we stayed at Forcey. Every night we went to Langley Park and worked with the Hispanic community. We did puppet dramas and we each got to do paint board messages. Even the girls! I was so nervous, and I messed up really badly, but I laughed it off and the kids laughed too. That week, we also went to Lexington Market in Baltimore and I met a girl named Danielle and after sharing the gospel with her she accepted Christ as her Savior. I still give her advice through email and pray for her everyday. On the 4th of July we went to the Mall in D.C., and performed some of our dramas. It was really fun, and we also got to stay afterwards and watch the fireworks. Later in the week, we went back to Baltimore and we performed dramas and the guys did paint board.
Week four, we went to Pittsburgh, and stayed at “His Place”. “His Place” is a building that is used for unchurched inner-city kids to fellowship with Christians. When we first got there, the lady who was in charge told us that a police officer had been shot right up the street from where we were staying. We were very nervous because it wasn’t in the best neighborhood, so the first night, we girls prayed together and by the end of the week we were sorry to leave. We worked with kids and teens there. You could really tell these kids had gone through a lot of stuff. It was really cool to get to know them and play games with them. Everyday I still pray that we were able to influence the kids and that God will continue to work in their lives.
Week five, we were volunteers at Camp Bennett. That week was different because we didn’t get to work as a team. Instead, we were each partnered with a counselor, and would help with different groups. I worked with the 7 to 8 year old girls from the inner city. They were so energetic; I could hardly keep up with them! Hearing some of their stories was really heartbreaking. One little girl named Tonisha really stood out to me, and I talked to her as often as possible. At the end of the week she became a Christian.
Week six, our last week, we went back to Ocean City. We did the same type of ministry we did the second week, but our day-to-day activities were different. We stayed right down the street from the beach and went there pretty much every morning. The guys each had to create their own paint board messages and they all did an awesome job. The whole team was really proud of them. This week it seemed like more people stopped to listen and there were several opportunities to witness one on one.
The trip was so awesome! I not only made some really close relationships on the team, but also more importantly, learned that I can rely on God for everything! This trip was truly life changing! If it’s God’s plan for me, I hope to go next year on phase two! Thank you again for your support! God bless!
Love in Christ,
Jess
August 7th, 2007
Why do I do this to Him?
by Jessica Itzel
Everytime I hurt someone,
I’m whipping and tearing His innocent back,
Everytime I mock and disobey,
I’m forcing the crown of thorns on His innocent head,
Everytime I say hateful words,
I’m shouting crucify this innocent man,
Everytime I try to make things go my way,
I’m thrusting nails into His innocent hands,
Everytime I do wrong,
I’m tourturing an innocent man,
As I do these things I expect,
This innocent man must hate me,
I expect to hear Him curse me,
But what I hear this innocent man say,
is not curses or words of hate,
they are words of love and forgiveness,
this man He forgave me for all of my sins,
so now I chose to live the way He lived,
if this man can forgive me for my terrible deeds,
then I can forgive others for the pain theyv’e caused me,
this innocent man died,
but now He’s alive,
He is now in Heaven where His father abides,
the innocent man is Jesus he died for you and me,
now lets show the love He showed when He died on a tree.
April 26th, 2007
Dear Friends, ,
I am very excited to be writing you this letter, because it means that God is planning to use me this summer. I’ll let you know a little bit about what’s going on in my life. I have been home schooled my whole life and I’ve never gone away for a long time from my parents. This summer I plan to go on my first missions trip! I will be going with my youth team from Forcey Memorial Church. This trip is called Mission Possible. I had never thought about leaving my family and doing something for Christ on my own, until three years ago when a friend of mine went on the trip. He told me about it and instantly I felt like God was calling me to do it. I prayed for three years about it, and God has just opened every door to make it possible for me to go.
Now I am sending you this letter to ask for you to please support me through prayer. I know that prayer is the best support you can give. Mission Possible is six weeks long, and we start training this week. We will need prayer for safe travels, that everyone will stay in good health, that God will use us to minister to people who have never heard of Christ, and that we will be able to stay positive and remember why we are doing this.
Each week we will be ministering in different places. Week one, we will be participating in Vacation Bible School at Forcey Memorial Church. Week two, we’ll be doing open air programs in Ocean City. Week three, we’ll travel to Washington D.C., Baltimore, and Annapolis, and week four, we will be at a camp in Maryland. Week five, we will probably be in Pittsburgh, then in week six, we will be back in Ocean City again. While we are in those places we will be working with children and adults. Along with open air programs, we will have puppet shows that share the gospel at an easy understanding level for the children and we will perform mimed dramas.
We will need financial help as well. Each of us must raise $2,000 before June. If you feel that God is calling you to support me and my team, then you can send a check to:
Forcey Memorial Church
2130 E. Randolph Rd
Silver Spring, MD 20904
Just make any checks out to Forcey Memorial Church, phase one, for Jessica Itzel.
Thank you so much for your support, and I can’t wait to tell you how the trip goes.
April 12th, 2007
Hey, this is Jessica Itzel. I’m gonna talk about an idea that changed my life. No dating! A couple of months after my 13th birthday, my mom decided that I was ready to watch, ’’I Kissed Dating Good-bye.’’ She had told me about it way before then, but I didn’t realize how wonderful and amazing it was ‘till I did it. Thanks to Joshua Harris (the author), I have been able to learn how and why I should keep my purity and save it for my future spouse. I want to tell everyone who reads this about it. ’’I Kissed Dating Good-bye,’’is a way to live a pure, happy life.
What you do is: While you’re young don’t get all caught up in the ’’Who likes who,’’ and, ’’Does he have a crush on me,’’ and stuff like that. If your friends try to talk to you about all that, then try and change the subject. Just be friends and enjoy your teen years cuz the time you have won’t last very long. I mean, honestly, when you’re 14, it’s not like you’re gonna get married any time soon. You’ll just be wasting the time you could be using to serve God. I plan to save my 1st kiss for my wedding day. Not only will it make the day more meaningful, but also, it will help me not to be tempted to do anything I’d regret. It may be hard to do at times, but I trust that God will bring the right person into my life when the time comes.
It’s always good to have open communication with your parents cuz you’re gonna need them throughout your life. If you don’t have a good connection with your parents or if you can’t for any reason then it’s good to have mentor or a good Godly person that you can talk to and can give you advice like a family member, a church member, or your pastor.
Sometimes you may feel lonely or discouraged. Sometimes I feel that way. Even some of my extended family members and my best friends try to discourage me, but it helps me feel better when I think about all the people I’ve been able to influence. It also helps when I think of how I’m gonna be rewarded. 1 Timothy 4:12 says, ’’Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in PURITY.’’ I’m gonna use my single years to become a better Christian and serve God.
It doesn’t hurt to have friends who are boys or girls, but we need to love each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. Some of you may be thinking, ’’Oh I’ve already made a mistake. ’’Maybe you’ve just done something small like you kissed someone or maybe your mistake is a lot bigger than that. Or maybe you’ve not made a mistake. Well which ever one describes you, don’t give up. God will forgive you cuz He loves you. You can’t change the past, but you can start over and change your future. I know it’s hard cause we’ll be under a lot of pressure from our friends trying to get us to cheat, and just go out on 1 date. They’ll say something like, ’’Oh it’s just 1 date; it won’t hurt.’’ I just put my hands over my ears and walk away. Like Joseph with Potiphar’s wife. She tried to tempt him but he just ran away from sin. I admire him greatly and God blessed his determination.
Just recently, I listened to the cds of ‘’I Kissed Dating Good-bye.’’ I listened to it cuz it has a lot of things the videos didn’t have. It’s good to hear different points of view on purity. It’ll give you different opinions about the matter. It’ll also help you explain it (like I’m doing right now) to other people who might be interested in it. Some of the other purity books I’ve read are, Passion and Purity, Wait For Me, and Dating Mr. Darcy. All these books encourage people to keep their purity and save it for their future spouse.
If you ever feel like you’re the only one thinking about doing this then don’t. There are lots of people who do it like the Christian artists, Barlow Girl, Rebecca St. James, and lots more. If you feel like ‘’I Kissed Dating Good-bye’’ is something you’d be interested in doing, then I suggest you watch the videos first, then listen to the cds. If you have any questions about anything then you can e-mail me at info@billandkarenitzel.com.
Jessica 
November 29th, 2006