Jaycee Jensen News

An Exciting Step for New Hope!

Wed, 7 Mar 2012 15:13:18 -0800

Five Wonderful Young Women to Serve as Summer Interns
By Jaycee Jensen, BBI Missionary, Director of New Hope Latvia
RIGA, Latvia – This is the beginning of a new chapter of ministry for New Hope Latvia and I am excited to share a glimpse of what the Lord is doing here.
This August, New Hope Latvia will host its first ever Teen Orphan Camp!!!! The vision for our “Thrive Camp” is to create an environment where teen orphans can experience deep, healthy and lasting relationships that will continue for years to come. This camp is a huge answer to prayer and an exciting new step in the larger ministry and vision of New Hope and we are already dreaming about what God has in store! We really want this camp to be a place for Americans, Latvians and Latvian teen orphans to connect with each other, and also, to experience Jesus in the midst of it all!
As we were thinking through the logistics of assembling a camp team, the idea arose to offer a summer-long “internship” option for college-aged students. I really didn’t know what God was going to do through that, but thought it would be really exciting if one person got excited about the internship and was able to come and serve. The response was WAY bigger than I could have asked or imagined. I never expected that so many amazing young people would be interested in the internship. I never dreamed that I would have to turn away some applicants because of how many applied!!
Many of you know that I have been praying for a team to come alongside me in the ministry of New Hope, and God is answering that prayer right now! It is with a humble and grateful heart that I am pleased to tell you that we have a team…at least for the summer! I am happy to announce that there will be five wonderful young women serving as the very first New Hope Latvia Summer Interns. God is doing something amazing here and I cannot wait to see how He uses this summer for His glory.
God is also working in other ways! I have a missionary that is interested in serving with New Hope. Her name is Susan Paterson and we have been friends for several years. It is a beautiful answer to prayers even deeper and bigger than I prayed. It just so happens that her abilities, qualities and giftings are everything that I’m not. It seems to me like the Lord has put us together specifically for the progression of New Hope. For example, I strongly dislike administrative tasks, but she can’t think of anything funner to do! This blows my mind in both a confusing and beautiful way! Needless to say, the Lord has been blessing this ministry in amazing ways.
As summer quickly approaches, please pray for us! There is a lot to be done between now and June 1, the day that our interns arrive. Pray for each of them as they raise support and prepare to serve whole-heartedly this summer. Please pray for the interns, our Thrive Camp and our Thrive Camp Team. We are currently in the process of assembling that Camp Team and would appreciate prayers for wisdom and discernment.
If you are interested in receiving further updates on how to pray for our summer ministry, please feel free to email Susan (spaterson26@gmail.com) or me (jayceeleigh@gmail.com).

You are Invited to ‘Thrive’

Sun, 30 Oct 2011 15:19:00 -0700

Hello from a golden blaze of color here in Latvia!
By Jaycee Jensen
RIGA, Latvia – It has been a beautiful fall season here in Latvia, and I am enjoying every minute of it. Blue skies, crisp cool air and all the leaves changing color and falling. Ahhh...such a great time of the year!
Ministry is definitely picking up as the school season is now in full swing. Spending more and more time at the orphanages as well as assisting with families in the states who are in the process of adopting kids from Latvia.
I also spend a good amount of time with a program called Fusion here in Riga. It is a youth “rock” choir. It is a GREAT ministry for youth that cannot find their way to church. Three years ago when this stared most of the kids were non-Christians, now there is a good number of them that are following the Lord and bringing their friends to Fusion to experience the same! This is a very important ministry that goes well with what I am doing here in Latvia because it gives me a place to send the kids who I work with where they can hear about the Lord and experience real community as well!
About every quarter we have a retreat with all the kids. I just returned from our fall retreat and it was amazing! Great time of building deeper relationships and sharing more about who Christ is! It was a blessed time!
When I am not at an orphanage, or at Fusion, or out on the streets with the prostitutes, I am working on the future plans of New Hope. And those plans might include you!!!
This summer I am planning the first annual Teen Orphan Camp with New Hope! The camp will be called “Thrive” and its purpose is to give these teen orphans a reason to dream of a better life than they have expected. It is to give them hope through love and relationship, to people and Christ! For people to believe in them and love them, not for what they do but who they are… I am so excited about this camp it’s hard to simply write the words!
But we will need help! I am looking for up to 30 leaders to come and love on these kids! Would you pray about it? I would love to see you in Latvia with New Hope! If you are interested and want more information please contact me at: jayceeleigh@gmail.com
The last thing I want to share with you is about hosting orphans from Latvia for Christmas and summer. There is an organization in America called New Horizons for Children. They find children eligible to host from orphanages around Latvia. It is an amazing opportunity to share the love of Christ with a child who has possibly never known the love of a family. If you are interested in hosting please read more here.
Thank you so much for all of your love and support of New Hope Latvia and me personally! None of this would be possible without your prayer and support!
Please continue to pray for all of these areas as well as a full-time staff for New Hope. I am in definite need of a team to come alongside me in all of this.

In His Undying Grip,
Jaycee Jensen
Director of New Hope Latvia
Bridge Builders International Missionary

Desert Places

Wed, 31 Aug 2011 00:06:22 -0700

By Jaycee Jensen,
Well where to start?
RIGA, Latvia – My life has been quite full in the past several months! Some may wonder where I have been lately, and I wanted to write and let you all know I am here! Alive and well. And living in the Grace of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
This season of life has brought many difficult times for me. I have been a missionary in Latvia for almost 5 years now; I am 31 years old, and as single as I was the day I arrived in Latvia. This has brought me to my knees over and over again in the last 5 years but this year it has taken me deeper than I ever imagined it would.
At the beginning of this year I started to feel, what I thought might be “burning out”. Five years is a long time and maybe it was my time to call it quits. But I struggled with the vision and passion the Lord put on my heart for teen orphans in Latvia. The passion was still there, and the vision still burning in my heart. But I could not find the energy or willpower to move. I was stuck.
After some talks with my dear boss, and close friends and family I decided I needed a time of restoration and counseling to help me find out what the issues really were. So I went to a counseling center in California for 6 weeks during March and April of this year. It was a counseling center for missionaries and pastors. I was not looking forward to going, but what I received from the Lord there was inexpressible. I learned so much about me, about ministry, about life, and my relationship with my Jesus! Ahhh… I cannot tell you in words how this changed me!
I went there confused, hurting, depressed, and really, really mad at God for not giving me on of the deepest desires of my heart, a husband and family.
I came out, different. Not full of answers, not fully healed, not completely content, BUT not mad at God, just annoyed! (Ha-ha) I came out a different person! Ready to live life in a healthy way, understanding that life is hard and hurts, but knowing I have HIM. And even in the times where He and I have tension during the “wait” of the desires of my heart. He is and always will be the Love and hope I hold on to.
So here I am back in Latvia. Different. Ready to start loving my girls in a new way that will bring life to me, and to them! Ready to wait on the Lord in my desires. Ready to let Him fill me with all I need to complete the race in front of me! Its interesting to me that my time in counseling did not answer one of my questions, yet I have all the answers I need and want! What a blessing to be loved and serve the God of the universe!
Thank you for all of you who have prayed for me during this very dark time. Thank you to all who prayed or encouraged me even if you had no idea you did!
What’s going on now?
The summer was amazing! I was apart of leadership in 3 different camps this year and had the joy of being used by God to lead three young girls to Christ! I also enjoyed loving on over 50 orphan kids for over 15 days. I also got the chance to serve alongside my home church Red Mountain Community Church at an English Camp here in Latvia!
The orphan camp sparked so many new relationship as well as different contacts around Latvia that I am looking forward to moving forward in during the rest of the year, and years to come!
I am also partnering with a YWAM missionary, Lysette who is here working on Human Trafficking in Latvia. Teen orphans are a huge target for human traffickers; and I am looking forward to going to the orphanages and teaching awareness and prevention to the kids, BEFORE they get stuck in it!
I also spend each Thursday night going out with Lysette and some ladies to reach out to the prostitutes that are working the streets of Riga. Hoping to build relationships with them and giving an opportunity to break free of a life of slavery, whether it is involuntary or voluntary. We just met a young girl who we found out is 8 months pregnant and has not had the money or recourses to see a doctor, and is working the streets daily. She just agreed to meet us to take her to a pregnant crisis center here in Riga! Hard work. But the Lord is working!
What’s next?
Good question!!
Right now I feel like I am at the limit of what one person can do on her own. So my desire is to have a team working with me. I need people who have a heart to come along side teen orphans and help them transition. If you know of anyone who has a heart fro such work, please let me know!
I also need to raise more support so I can start a new apartment with more girls who will be coming to Riga to study and learn to live on their own. As well as raising support to help pay for a Latvian to work part time with New Hope to help with documents as well as legal matters.
Until then I will continue to do as much as Lord calls me to do and give me strength to do on my own! I look forward to visiting orphanages throughout the year and building relationships, as well as starting to plan my first ever, teen orphan camp this next summer! (If you are interested in coming over to help let me know!)
Please continue to pray for the Lord to move and for strength and faith in HIM to give all that is needed in this work here in Latvia. Thank you!

Falling into Winter

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 08:35:28 -0800

Jaycee Jensen’s Fall 2010 Update

By Jaycee Jensen

Hello from a chilling and light fading Latvia! It is getting cold and dark here by the day! As winter draws near the days here become quite short. Right now the sun is coming up around 8:15am and dusk hits at 3:30pm! Not a fan my friends, not a fan! But I do have to say, I am excited for the snow, but I kind of wish it could be 75 degrees out when it does snow! I am already tired of putting on so many clothes! Guess that’s what I get for spending most of my life in Arizona!
Along with the changes in weather, there are many changes going on around my life, ministry, and even Latvia! Everything from watching 6 girls I have poured into “graduate” into independent life! Moving into a new place. Starting with a new group of girls. And being a part of the “Big Picture” as God moves through different exciting ministries here in Latvia; from Fusion, to the Festival of Hope, to the arrival of Celebrate Recovery to Latvia!
My Dear Girls
The girls you all have heard about for the past several years are doing so well! From working, to going to school, to taking steps out on their own in new and exciting ways! It has been a joy to live with them for the past 3 years; now I am looking forward to walking alongside them as they go out into the world! Three of them are living in Sweden right now, working and going to school. Two of them have moved into an apartment I have been working on and are now paying me rent and trying to support themselves! Very exciting to watch. If you would like to know more about each of the girls and what they are up to let me know! I will find a way to keep you connected to them if you desire.
New Girls
As I mentioned in my last update, I have chosen to “do” this ministry a bit different for this next year. I am living alone for the year, getting back to a place where I can pour into another group of girls who possibly will live with me after this year, but in the meantime I will be working day in and day out with several young women that have “aged out” of the orphanages or are on their way out. There is a specific 3 that are on my heart right now. Laine, Silvija, and Anna. I am meeting with them often and I will be starting a Tuesday night “family group” for them and a few others. We will be cooking and eating together, and I will be going through a discipleship Bible study with them, as well as just being together and supporting each other. I look forward to see how the Lord uses that time! Please pray for these girls and our time together.
The Move
So I moved out of the large apartment (1,249 square feet) into a very cute quiet one-bedroom apartment (485 square feet) with my doggie, Musha! I have been there for a couple weeks, and I have to say, it is quite an adjustment from living with 5 girls a dog and a cat! I used to be a great “alone person”, now I don't even know how to do that! I believe that is a great reason to be alone for this year as well. Find my peace in the presence of my Jesus apart from all else! Scary to say the least, but a very deep desire of my heart.
Fusion
I have shared about this before but I am just so excited about how amazing this youth program is for un-churched youth here in Latvia, and especially here in Riga! It is a “Rock Choir” where kids who want to learn how to play instruments, sing, dance, and do drama come and do just that. The environment is fun and “cool” yet the kids have expressed how they feel like it is a family! This from non-churched kids! Such a fun thing to be a part of here. It is also a very strategic ministry for my personal work with my girls. I can connect them to Fusion, and they build relationships, build confidence, feel like they belong to something, and have another opportunity to experience Christ! I just love it!
Festival of Hope
I really don't know how to express in words what this event looked like and felt like. I have never seen ANYTHING like it in my entire life! It was a three-day free evangelistic event at the biggest arena in Latvia. Franklin Graham (Billy Graham’s son) spoke each night and gave the gospel message. Michael W. Smith, and many more artists and musicians performed. But when Franklin gave an opportunity for people to come forward to accept Christ as Lord of their lives... I was speechless, and what is saw brought a fountain of tears of joy to my eyes! I seriously felt like I was experiencing a part of heaven in that moment! According to what I have heard over 3000 people accepted Christ, but over 40,000 heard TRUTH!!!
Celebrate Recovery
You may have heard about this, or may have not. But from what I know this is a program that has helped people recover from MANY different strongholds in their lives! In Latvia alcoholism is a major issue in almost every family. Alcohol consumption rose from an average per capita rate of 1.9 liters per year in the 1920-34 period to 11.7 liters per year in 1985. This is a sixfold increase in alcohol consumption! But not only alcohol is addressed with this program. Celebrate Recovery is designed as a program to help those struggling with hurts, habits and hang-ups by showing them the loving power of Jesus Christ through a recovery process. This coming week there will be people coming to bring Celebrate Recovery to Latvia! They will be teaching at the Baltic Pastoral Institute and the seminars are open to everyone who is interested, not just pastors!
Again this is a very exciting and strategic ministry for my personal ministry as I am working with kids daily with all kinds of hurts, hang-ups, and habits! Praise God for this, and please pray that this spreads though a wounded Latvia in a way that brings healing! Click here to go to the Celebrate Recovery home page.
When I was in the process of writing this newsletter, I wanted to share a prayer request...
But the Lord has been amazing and blessed me with a HUGE answer to it already. I want to share it with you!
Please pray for my car situation. I have to take my car in every year for a technical inspection. They look over the whole car, shake it up and try to find anything that falls off! (Just kidding...kind of!) This year, it did not pass and there are a few things that are quite expensive to fix. I think my plan is to let it hibernate this winter because I do not have the funds to repair it right now. This changes a lot of my ministry plans that I had for this winter. I can no longer travel to the orphanages the way I desired to. So now I am prayerfully considering what to do! Can you please pray for wisdom in this? Thank you!
I shared this with some ladies I work with and one of them mentioned that her Husband works for Toyota and would probably be able to look at it and see if there is anything he could do. I was doubtful since I had been to two different mechanics and had others say the same.
But after two days of looking at it my car was not only fixed, it passed the technical as well. For a total of $80 Instead of $1000! Praise Jesus!
Immediate Financial Need
I thought that I would let you know of my current financial needs. Right now the dollar is tanking in the current economy and my monthly support has dropped off, which leaves me with little room to help more girls at this time. It's been a struggle with visa applications, unexpected vehicle problems, and moving expenses all hitting at the same time. I will need to find new partners for ministry and would be open to any suggestions you have. Or I would like to ask you if you receive this email and are not currently a monthly supporter, would you prayerfully consider if the Lord would have you partner with me? Would you pray for me that I would be faithful and full of joy despite these circumstances?
Support Jaycee now!
I cannot express in words the gratitude I have for the faithful support of you who have sacrificed so much over the years to support me and this ministry! There would be no reason to give updates on the work God is doing here if it was not for you and your generosity and support! Thank you!
Thank you all for taking the time to read and especially pray! Your support of me and this ministry is more than a blessing!
In His Undying Grip,

Jaycee Jensen
Bridge Builders International - missionary
New Hope Latvia - Director

Mom, Camps and Big Changes

Mon, 27 Sep 2010 11:53:09 -0700

My Summer and Fall Rundown...

By Jaycee Jensen

RIGA, Latvia – It is 10pm at night and I am still trying to figure out how to catch you up on all the things that have happened over the summer and especially over the past month (I’ve been trying to write since this morning). I want write in a way that will give you the best stories and information on what has happened, what is happening and what is going to happen… But to do that would take about a week for me to write and I probably would have to put a hard cover on it because it would truly be the size of a book!
So here is what I will do. I will give short, to-the-point updates on the main happenings, and if you are interested to know more about any of them specifically then just reply with a question and I will give you the full story!
Mom Visiting – My mom was here for about 10 days at the beginning of the summer to visit the girls and me. It was more than a blessing to have her here and share my life with her in such a real way. That seems to always be the hardest thing for me here; to not be able to really share my life with all the people I care about back home, but anytime someone, as my mom did this time, comes to visit it brings me great joy to my heart!
Summer Camps – I spent most of my summer in 6 different camps around Latvia. For me personally, the camps this summer were like none I have ever experienced in the 11 years of doing camps in Latvia. The response to the gospel was overwhelming. From the two organizations I volunteered with, over 90 kids accepted Christ. I had the joy and privilege to be personally a part of a few of those life-changing decisions! Praise Jesus!
Summer Camp Highlight #1 – One of the best parts of the summer was watching how the Lord has been working in one of the girls that I have been spending time with from an orphanage outside of Riga. She attended camp last summer and God touched her heart, but still had to work through a lot of stuff in her life, she returned this summer and was hit hard with the love of Christ! She had some amazing breakthroughs and accepted Christ as her personal savior and Lord! During that camp there was an opportunity for kids to get baptized, and she asked me to baptize her! With the help and guidance of the pastor, I was blessed to be right next to her when she was baptized!
Summer Camp Highlight #2 – The other thing this summer that just made my heart fill with joy is watching two of my girls give their testimony in front of the camp! I even got to translate for both of them! This has been huge for them, as they have taken so many beautiful steps in their walk with the Lord. Just a few months ago they got baptized, and now sharing publicly about the hope they have in Jesus! Ahh, I can’t take it, God is sooo GOOD!
End of summer bash – Each year right at the end of summer we (the girls, Nick, Joe, and I) take a trip along the coast and camp for a few days. It was great as always! It has been a special tradition for celebrating Nick’s birthday, and just spending time together before the school year starts. It was a great time!
BIG Changes – Around the end of summer, things started to shake up in our home. Santa, the newest girl, was visiting a family in Sweden and was offered to stay there and continue education and work there. We decided it was a good idea since jobs in Latvia are almost impossible to get right now. About 2 weeks later, Endija was talking to a family she knows in Sweden and they also offered her a place to stay and to help her find a job over there. We also decided that it would be best for her to go as well since she has been trying diligently for the past 5 months to find a job with no results. And of course, Krista was already planning to be in Sweden for Bible school for a year! That’s 3 girls out of the 5 that are leaving! Wow!
Moving on…and breaking my heart – Realizing that 3 of the 5 girls will no longer be living with me I had to decide what to do since I am living in a 3 room flat that is quite expensive. I could not find any justification for staying there and spending so much money if there were only 2 girls left. So I started to think about moving.
While thinking about moving and the 3 girls leaving, I started to think about the other two and where they were at in life and when would be a good time for them to move on. With a lot of time in prayer I came to the decision that it would be a good time for them also to move out on their own. I talked to each of them and even though they did not like the idea they understood. So they will be moving to a small apartment that I have been getting ready that is about a 10-minute walk from where we live now. They will be paying their own rent and utilities, food, and other expenses. But just as a parent would be, I will be there to help when needed.
So what does that mean for me? – This has been the most trying time for me in a long time. The choice between getting another group of girls in right away or spending some time searching out the Lord before jumping right back in. I want both really! But after searching my heart and where I am at spiritually and emotionally I have decided to take a year and live alone. Take time to re-group, seek the Lord both personally and for the ministry. I will continue to mentor and help kids throughout the year in every way possible. But this next year I will be living alone.
If any of you follow me on Facebook, you already know… but my heart is breaking daily as I let go of these dear girls that have become family to me in so many very deep and special ways. I never knew the pain I would experience in this process of letting go. In the same breath I am overjoyed at the fruit that I can see in all of them! I am so blessed to be a part of the Lord working in such beautiful ways! Please continue to pray! I need it more than ever as I search what the Lord wants for this ministry and me here in Latvia and as I continue to pour into the girls I work with daily.
Thank you for taking the time to read. Thank you for all of your prayers, all of your encouragement, and your financial support! I would not be able to share such amazing stories of God’s work here, without your support! Thank you!!!
What will this next year hold for New Hope? – I am currently mentoring 6 girls out side of the home regularly, including the two from my home. I will also be making efforts to connect with orphanages around Latvia and continue to build new relationships with teens getting ready to “age-out” of the orphanage. I also will be working to get more knowledge of laws and assistance available to these kids as they leave the orphanage. I am also involved in the leadership of a youth program called “Fusion.” It is a “rock choir” based in the local church. It is a great way to get the kids I work with connected to other Christians and the local church!
In His Undying Grip,

Jaycee Jensen
Bridge Builders International - Missionary
New Hope Latvia - Director
Click Here to Support the Ministry of Jaycee Jensen

From Orphanage to Bible School

Fri, 9 Jul 2010 21:19:35 -0700

Krista, One of Jaycee's Girls, to Begin Studies in Sweden in September

By Jaycee Jensen, BBI missionary

RIGA, Latvia – I have some very exciting news to share. As I have lived here in Latvia with several girls in my apartment, one of them has grown so much in her relationship with the Lord and she is ready to take the next step! I had the joy and honor of praying with Krista Matula in 2004 as she asked Jesus to be her Lord and Savior. In May, after a long road of learning, falling, and getting back up again, she took the next step and got baptized! She has personally and publicly proclaimed Christ as her Lord! I am ecstatic! BUT THAT’S NOT ALL!
Krista has expressed a desire to go deeper and asked if she could attend a year of Bible school! We prayed about it and I started to look for opportunities. Knowing schools cost money, I was trying to find the best possible place for her to experience God and yet still be manageable financially.
I wrote a letter to the Director of Holsby Brunn Bible School in Sweden, a Capernwray School (and a school I attended in 2004-05) to see about the possibility of a scholarship. The director was excited to hear about Krista, and at the end of May we got the news that she has been offered a partial scholarship!!! Praise God!
Krista has been accepted for the next school year starting in September! She still has much to do to raise/earn the money to get there. The scholarship covers a little over half the $9,000 cost for the whole year, so she still needs to raise $4,000.
She is working hard to save every penny. The average monthly wage in Latvia is about $350. As a nanny she works hard but makes much less than that, plus I still expect her to pay rent of $100 a month and pay for her part of the food. That does not leave her with much, but she is saving all that she can. Krista estimates that she can earn and save about $500 by the time school starts! That is amazing for a girl just learning how to work and save! So now we are down to $3500 left to raise!
Bridge Builders International has agreed to allow Krista to raise support through their Latvian Student Fund. You can send your support to BBI, PO Box 4073, Salem, OR 97302 with a note that the gift is for “Krista’s School/Latvian Student Fund." Those who are unable to support financially and would still like to support her through prayers and encouragement, please write her and let her know! She would be very touched! Her email address is:
Those who would like to know more about the school, what the tuition covers, and how to help, please read this information page. BBI Latvian Student Fund.doc.
If you would like to invest in Krista’s education monthly you can sign up to participate in BBI’s Monthly Automatic Giving Plan. Just designate that your commitment is for “Krista’s School/Latvian Student Fund." Download BBI MAGP Form.
As a former student at this school, I cannot say enough about what it has done for me and my walk and me with the Lord. I went to Bible School in a time in my life when my faith became my own. I would not be the person I am today without the opportunity I had through that year to be fed richly and grow in my relationship and knowledge of the Lord.
Over the years I have created an environment designed to help teen age orphan girls transition from life in the institution to a successful Christ-centered life in the real world. I have seen Krista really develop and mature in all areas of life and she is ready to take this next step where she will have the opportunity to grow independently of the protective environment of our group home. It is a big step toward Christ and a step toward what He has for her future.

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New Hope Latvia Spring 2010

Tue, 27 Apr 2010 06:38:44 -0700

Greetings from a Cold but Warming Latvia

By Jaycee Jensen

RIGA, Latvia – Its been a little while since I wrote you personally. I am sure you have heard about my time away, or maybe heard about the reason why I went away. I would have to say it was probably one of the most defining times in my life so far with God. Man, did he meet me in really cool and new ways through this time and I honestly feel like a new person, very clearly not all better, but a new person! I am very excited to see what he does next. I suggest (at all cost) find time to be alone with your Jesus, you will not regret it! Thank you for all your prayers over this time.
ABOUT NEW HOPE AND MINISTRY IN LATVIA...
I have been working on a lot of different things over the past months in regards to New Hope and Ministry. The Lord has been showing me a lot and making me search for His will in a lot! One f the main things that has been a challenge is trying to figure out how to expand ministry yet make sure I keep my self available emotionally, physically, and spiritually to what the Lord has already given me responsibility for. Through some discussions with a few main supporters I have realized that I may not have the funds in the near future to open more apartments or a house for the traditional program for a while. It seems as if the Lord shows me each time I try to move "forward" and expand what I am already doing He shows me it is all in HIS timing. That He is asking me to stay faithful in the areas he has me for now. That I need to wait until HE gives the go ahead to move forward into more "homes" for these kids.
So I have been working on accumulating statistics and facts about teen orphans in Eastern Europe, that way I can put together some good information and video to share the need and urgency of the need here in Latvia to people around the world. My desire for this is one, to raise awareness of this problem, but also to hopefully gain supporters, and most hopefully touch the hearts of those the Lord may be calling to join the work here in Latvia with New Hope! (Which I would say is the greatest need right now, workers in the field)
WHAT DOES THAT MEAN FOR MINISTRY NOW?
I am also looking into getting ESL (English as a Second Language) certified so I can teach English here in Latvia. I would like to offer tutoring in these orphanages to the older teens getting ready fro their final English exams, and help them with their conversational English, in that way getting to know them, there life's, there dreams, and needs. Through that I can find out who really needs help and how New Hope can possibly intervene.
Another thing I am working on right now is building a curriculum for teens getting ready to leave the orphanage to give awareness of dangers, the assistance that is available to them through the government and social system (yet is generally unknown to the kids who need it most). And helping them as they start to look to what they want for a future (which is not on the majority of these kids minds, though they will be in that place VERY soon!) Once this curriculum is ready I plan on taking it around Latvia to the orphanages and teaching the older teens.
I am also working on getting a fuller knowledge of laws and rights these kids have from the government and social system here. That way I can assist them, even if I may not have the funds or ability to get them into one of the New Hope apartments, I can assist them in getting all they can from the state, so they have the best chances possible to make it on there own!
SUMMER TIME AND FUSION
So that is what is happening right now. This summer will be full of camps (as usual) But my goal is to make sure as many of the kids I know from orphanages will be able to attend these camps so I can continue to build relationships with them as well as giving them a great opportunity to be in an environment of Christ!
I am also quite involved with the Fusion ministry (a music “rock choir” outreach) here in Riga, for the specific reason that it is a GREAT ministry for these kids to connect to AFTER camp. They feel like they belong and they hear the Word every time, and are around people who love them and love the Lord! This ministry is such a HUGE need and I love watching God work in it. I will be helping lead two fusion camps this summer. (One of those two camps are with RMCC, Which I am ecstatic about!.) Click here for more more information about fusion latvia-1.pdf
EASTER AND ERNESTS
This Easter was extra special because we had a little visitor! I have received permission from Riga’s Orphan Court to have minors from the orphanages visit me for weekends and holidays. This Easter holiday the kids in Latvia had a 10 day break from school, so we were able to have a little boy named Ernests from the orphanage that I have always had a special heart for come and stay with us! He is 11 years old and just the sweetest thing! He has a few learning/development disabilities and his health has been up and down since he was born. While here we took him to get some nice clothes, to the zoo, the park, church, a hockey game, and just spent time with us as a “family”. It was a very special time. He was on cloud nine :)
UPDATE ON THE GIRLS
The girls are doing great. I am in the process of setting up a discipleship (family) Bible study with everyone I live with. They are all at different levels in their faith so I have always been hesitant to do this, yet I do believe that they will all learn and hear from the Lord, I trust His Spirit to do what He does best! Please pray for wisdom and me as I work on this.
One of the girls (Krista) is very excited about her relationship with Jesus and wants to learn more and more. She has signed up for a Bible School in Sweden. (The same one I attended several years ago) It is a one-year school and cost quite a lot of money that we do not come close to having. Can you please pray with us that if this is the right timing and what the Lord want for her that the finances would not be an issue.
Another one of the girls (Endija) Is a month away from graduating from high school! This may seem like a small thing to most, but for most kids that come from the orphanages here it is not that likely that they will finish 9th grade! Endija dropped out of school on her last year, did not return for two years, and now at the age of 22 she will finish! I am so VERY proud of her. Please pray for her as she pursues a dream of art and design for her future.
Santa is continuing school, she is finishing 10th grade this year and has two more to go.
Kitija is working full time at a café in the airport, and searching for what she wants to do in the future.
Another girl (Anna) from the orphanage where the girls are from has been visiting us a lot and she started to attend church with us. She actually travels over 60 miles one way every weekend just to come to church! While I was away she attended a conference put on by our church, and through that time she was ADOPTED into the KINGDOM of GOD!!! Anna is now a Child of the King! Praise Jesus! Anna is also looking into school here in Riga for the next school year and I have offered her a place to stay.
Ieva is also finishing high school this year and will move in full time with us at the beginning of this next school year to go to a sports academy to study physical therapy.
My Upcoming Schedule
April 26 - 28-----Prayer Days (BBI/Latvia prayer conference)
April 29 ----------May 1 “IZAICINĀJUMS 2010” (Acts 29 conference)
April 30th--------Susan Paterson Arrives in Latvia for full time ministry!
May 2-4 ---------BBI Family Retreat
May 5- 10--------Spring Conference in Czech
June 4-12 -------MOM Visits Latvia!
June 25th -------Summer camp Ministry STARTS!
So there you go! That’s what happening around here. I apologize for the length, but not sure how I could make it any shorter! Thank you SO VERY MUCH for you love, your support, and your prayers. I cannot tell you in words how blessed I am for all you are and do for me!

Blindfolded But...

Thu, 21 Jan 2010 23:06:10 -0800

By Jaycee Jensen
RIGA, Latvia – Have you ever been blindfolded and spun around then told to find your way? Even if you haven’t, I am sure you can imagine how it would feel. Well, I can tell you that my walk with the Lord in the past six months has felt quite like that, yet with a huge exception.
Just as you start to walk around blindfolded, someone grabs your hand and says, “Here I will show you where to go.” It still requires all your trust in that person leading you, yet there is an overwhelming comfort knowing you don’t have to do it alone! That is exactly my experience with my Jesus so far on this new journey. He has clearly given me a blindfold and said, “Go here”…not knowing quite where ‘here’ is, He grabs my hand and says, “I will take you there, but you have to wait for Me to lead you and you have to fully trust Me.”
To tell you the truth, most days I get ahead of Him and feel like we are walking too slow or maybe in the wrong direction and it takes a lot of patience on His part to remind me that I am the one who can’t see and I need to follow and trust Him! Oh, and during the times I have found the faith to trust Him and let Him lead, you wont believe what He does and where He takes me!
Here are a few stories of this journey this past few months…
Another apartment in the works
I arrived back in Latvia in the middle of November from a quick trip to the states to share the new work God has put on my heart (New Hope – a program to help orphan teens transition from institutionalized living into independent living in a Christ-centered environment). It was not long before the Lord showed me where he was moving. I rented another apartment in Riga quite close to my current apartment thinking it would be good to get ready for helping more teens. The apartment needs some work, and lots of furniture, but it is close to livable.
You need furniture? OK!
On Thanksgiving Day we had a big get-together here in Riga with a few missionary families and my girls and some close Latvian friends. While there, one of the missionaries came up to me and told me that they were leaving Latvia. This was devastating because I loved this couple and they were a great support here in Latvia, but he also said that he wanted to donate his furniture to New Hope! What!? This is crazy! And a HUGE blessing! He gave a much-needed couch, bed, wardrobe, dryer, shelves, lamps, bedding, a reading chair, and some smaller house items!!! Amazing! Now the apartment just needs some handiwork and it is ready to go!!!
Making memories
I dedicated the month of December to making memories for the girls who live with me. I might have gone a bit overboard, but I figured even if they took one of those memories and had it in their heart to share with their own kids when they have them, it was worth it! We spent the month going through a daily Advent calendar doing special things as a “family.” Everything from hunting and cutting our own Christmas tree, to decorating the tree, inside the apartment, and even outside the apartment (which is rare here in Latvia). We decorated stockings, made memory ornaments, baked cookies, had movie nights, helped at some charity events, made their very first gingerbread house, went to a Christmas concert, and on Christmas Day I took them to a Latvian hockey game (their favorite!). And each Sunday we took time to light the Advent Candle and reflect on Jesus and His gift to us. It was a great time for our “family.”
Bridge Builders International
I have a great new family and team I am connected to here in Latvia. Bridge Builders International is a phenomenal organization doing unbelievable amounts of ministry all around Latvia. We have 6 missionaries here and a group of nationals that are just fantastic! I urge you to check out BBI’s webpage to read about ALL the beautiful work God is doing through this organization and group of people. This weekend we have our annual Mission Days conference. Please pray that the Lord works through this conference to encourage and equip people here to catch the mission heart.
Now it is January 2010
As I said at the beginning of this update, I am on a journey with the Lord in this and as my prayer warriors and personal supporters you are too! It is exciting to be lead by him and used by him. There are many things that are looking very exciting for the future of New Hope in Latvia. Please pray with me that He will continue to guide me and I will be patient and wait on Him and not do this on my own. Also that I will find ALL my strength, love and wisdom from Him and in Him and not of my own will. I cannot, and do not want to do this without him!
My life passage right now is Hebrews 11: 8-10. What an amazing Faith of Abraham. This is what I want to be said of me someday…Read it; it is powerful. (But here is my personal paraphrase of it)
“By Faith, she was called by God to hold his hand as he guides her to a place of great hope for his children, even though she did not know where she was going. By faith she made her home among the orphans in a foreign land. Waiting daily on the Lord, for she was looking forward for the city whose foundation is hope and whose architect and builder is god.”
Thank you for taking the time to read. Thank you for all your prayers and support personally and financially. Please feel free to pass this letter on to anyone you want.
Also if you have any questions, concerns, encouraging words, or advice, please feel free to contact me any time.

Email me!

Spotlight on Jaycee Jensen

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:11:41 -0700

“It is not easy ‘raising’ already adult teens with deep needs.. But I have seen the healing power of Christ in each of their lives. And I cannot deny the call on my heart to continue to do this.” I have lived in Latvia since October 2006, during that time I have been working with an organization that is focused on youth and training youth leaders here in Latvia. My main responsibility was to direct Camp ministry here in Latvia. I really enjoyed this Ministry and saw God do amazing things through the work of this organization. Yet as this entire ministry was going on, I had a personal ministry going on in my home! I has opened up my home to some teen orphan girls, and through that ministry God started this new vision for Teen orphans in Latvia.
In 2003 I came to Latvia for the summer (as I did for many years before that) to help run a few summer English camps. At this specific camp is where I met 5 orphan teens that obviously did not want to at that camp. Come to find out they were forced to be there because their orphanage was getting remodeled and they needed to go somewhere. They ended up at the camp with me! I was their small group leader and to be honest I was not that excited about that as well. I wanted the cool kids, kids excited about being there not a bunch of brat kids who hate everything and everyone!
After several bumps in the road to building relationships with them, God broke through and bonds were made with them that year that have lasted up to this present day! Some of those girls are the ones who live with me right now!
When I came to Latvia I started to meet with theses girls as much as I could. Visiting them at the orphanage and others at their schools in Riga. (After 9th grade, to continue education most kids from smaller towns move to dorms in Riga, the capital city, from Monday to Friday) one of the girls was about to turn 18 and told me that she would no longer be able to live in the orphanage. I asked where she would go. She said that the government is supposed to give an apartment in the town thatshe was born in but that there was a waiting list. So she had to wait to get a place to live. Not only that the town she was born in was two and a half hours away from Riga. If she lived there she would have no possible way to continue education or get a job. So I told her she could come live with me until we figured something out.
As she lived with me I realized her needs were more than just a place to stay. Just basic life skills, cooking, paying bills, making a resume, applying for jobs, basic public manners, and that’s not even talking about the emotional issues! I found over and over again a lack of belief in herself to do anything, and the fear of failure and rejection paralyzed her, she had no ability to dream of a future. She lived for the day. Just in survival mode.
The need was deep and hard to put into words. But as she lived with me I saw things changing in her. I saw hope and trust forming from the inside out. Her confidence grew daily. She started to dream, started to look to what could be! As all of this was happening her twin sisters were getting ready to turn 18 and they were in the same situation as her. My apartment was not very big, but I could not see another way. I took them in as well! So all four of us living in a one room apartment, but somehow God blessed and gave me all I needed to do what He wanted me to do for them. Again I saw the lack of life skills and also being very emotionally unstable, but as time has passed they also have grown tremendously!
As of today I have moved to a larger apartment and have 5 girls living with me. Walking through life with them is a joy. Everyday there are struggles, it is not easy “raising” already adult teens with deep needs. But I have seen the healing power of Christ in each of their lives. And I cannot deny the call on my heart to continue to do this.
I have set up some high expectations and goals for the girls living with me to help them move into independent living with a solid foundation of Christ love, and life skills that will help them in the future not just live but live life to the fullest!
My dream is to continue this ministry personally and also expand it to help more teens in Latvia.