Service is out there!

In approximately 13 days I will be getting on a coach bus and starting the adventurous week that is also known as the Pay It Forward Tour. It seems like it was just yesterday that I got on the bus my freshman year for my first tour. I was a shy, quiet youngster who had no idea what was in store for her. Little did I know that those first nine days would impact my life so much and help to shape me as the person I am today. 

So in honor of the tour season that is quickly approaching I'm going to throw it back and walk down memory lane a little bit. Now it's not a #throwbackthursday, because clearly it's Saturday, not Thursday. So maybe we could create a new hash tag? #sweetserendipitysaturday. It might become a nationwide trend, you never know.... 

The Pay It Forward Tour is a service trip for college students that goes to 7 cities in 9 days. The PIFT is put on by an organization called Students Today Leaders Forever. STLF's mission is to reveal leadership through service, relationships and action. 

Freshman Year!! :) 


This was my first tour ever! My roommate convinced me to go, and boy am I glad that she did!! Our final destination this year was Charleston, South Carolina. When we were in Charleston we got to help out with oyster restoration near the water with all of the other schools that were there too. It was neat to see about 200 college kids working together to get the job done. During the week we stopped in places in Tennessee, Georgia, Florida and more! Another little fun fact about this tour is that this is where I met my current roommates! We all went on our first tour together and now we live in our first apartment together! 

Working at the food bank. 

Just casually hanging out by the beach. It's a rough life, you know? 

Sophomore Year!! :) 

This year I stepped out of my comfort zone and went on my first ever mystery tour! This meant that I had no idea where we were going each day. All I knew was that I would end up in Denver at the end of the week. We made stops in places like Kansas City, Memphis, Arkansas, and more! I met so many great new friends from my bus. It was also really neat because there were a lot of other Christians on my bus too. We got to hang out, talk about Jesus and do some late night worship sessions. 

Exploring Memphis! 

First meal in Denver. Can I have a table for 45? 

Aren't we a good looking group of people? I'd say so. :) 

We made it to Denver! 

Junior Year!! :) 

This year I am going on the Philly Mystery Tour! I have the amazing opportunity to be a part of the Bus Core, which means that I am a part of the team that plans the entire trip. My bus core is amazing and they have truly been a blessing in my life. Each of us bring a different strength to the table and it makes for a super awesome team! Our final destination this year is Philly! Since we are on a mystery bus, our participants will not know where they are going each day. We will surprise them each day with where we will be staying/serving. 

Meet my Bus Core!
Lauren, Joey, Khamille, Kyle & myself. 

JaPhillMe? 

7 cities. 9 days. Service every day. Memories in each city. Friendships made along the way.

I am a mess, I am a wrecking ball.

Music has a sneaky way of making sense of my life. A lot of times when I'm feeling certain ways I can find a song that can easily describe exactly how I'm feeling. It's not an easy task, but eventually I do find that song that explains everything and puts my soul at ease. 

I have recently found myself to be going through a season of feeling lost at sea and like the the waves of doubt and stress were going to gobble me up. It's been a little rough, I won't lie. The stress of school, extra curricular responsibilities and maintaining friendships has caught up with me and has overwhelmed me a bunch. Don't get me wrong, I love my major and the kids that I have the opportunity to work with. I love the organizations that I am a part of and have the chance to serve in leadership roles with. And I adore the amazing friends that I have been blessed with. Somehow during the process of making everything work out and have my life run smoothly I have forgotten about myself and the importance to take time for me and to relax. My roommates and close friends have always told me that I'm too busy, but I usually just brush it off and go about my life again. It took spreading myself too thin and realizing that this was too much for me to take a step back and realize how important it is to have a nice balance in your life. 


These lyrics have spoken truth into how I've been feeling for the past few weeks. 

Sometimes this world starts breaking me down

I get so lost I think I’ll never be found

And there are moments of fear and doubt

Even the best fall to the ground

I am a mess, I am a wrecking ball

I must confess that I still don’t get it all

Lord I believe that all Your words are true

Doesn’t matter where I’m going if I’m going with You

I press on, I press on, I press on

When I still don’t get it

I see the world through my jaded eyes

I get frustrated when there is no Why

I put my focus on worthless things

Even the strong fall to their knees

God only knows what we all need

I am a mess, I am a wrecking ball

These lyrics are powerful and can give comfort in a time of uncertainty, stress and doubt. 'Even the best fall to the ground.' That is the lyric that I hold on tight to. I know I don't have it all together, and that is perfectly alright. Who says I need to be perfect, all knowing and have all my stuff together? I guess I have come to realize that the only one pressuring me to do all those things was myself. Kinda crazy, right? I can be my biggest enemy and critic, but I can also be my biggest cheerleader and encourager. I want to choose the latter and am working to make it something that I practice every day. So while I may be a mess and a wrecking ball in my life, I know that it's alright to struggle. It's alright to admit that you don't know it all and can't do everything. I have an amazing support system of friends and family who back me up and encourage me to be the best I can be. All I can do is press on. 

Check out the lyric video to Press On by Building429

[Peace&Love] Jenny