Eighteen months ago Cindy and I sat down with Cami and Ben to discuss God calling our family to continue the work in Iceland. Through tears of both joy and sadness we then told Stafford Baptist our desire to transition from pastor to lead church planter in Reykjavik. 

We attended training from July to September to prepare for our partnership with the International Mission Board of the SBC. After eight weeks of training we said good-bye to many new friends and partners who are now sharing the gospel all around the world. Many of these friends went immediately to their new countries of service; some headed to Vancouver for an additional four months of training. We transitioned to Georgia -- thanks to the hospitality of First Baptist Church Loganville -- and waited for government documents to clear. 

Our future country is now in sight. Clearance from the government has come. Flight tickets have been purchased. On February 29, 2012, our family will leave Washington DC for the six hour journey to Reykjavik. We will be the last of our FPO 3’ 2011 team to reach our destination, even following those who went to Vancouver. Finally, we can join them. We are indeed Celebrating the Reality.

Akureyri [ˈaːkʰʏrˌeiːrɪ] ( listen) is a town in northern Iceland. It is Iceland's second largest urban area (after the Greater Reykjavík area) and fourth largest municipality (after Reykjavík, Hafnarfjörður, and Kópavogur).


Nicknamed the Capital of North Iceland, Akureyri is an important port and fishing centre, with a population of 17,754. The area where Akureyri is located was settled in the 9th century but did not receive a municipal charter until 1786.[3] The town was the site of Allied units during World War II. Further growth occurred after the war as the Icelandic population increasingly moved to urban areas.

The area has a relatively warm climate due to geographical factors, and the town's ice-free harbor has played a significant role in its history.

I had a chance to visit Akureyri 2009. While I was there I prayer walked asking God to place a burden on the heart of a church for this city. Our prayer is that the gospel will abound to those who live here. Is it possible that God is calling you to come and join this work

Two themes from 2 Corinthians 4:1-12 have greatly impacted my life over the past six months. As Paul talks about his ministry, the “therefore” in 4:1 connects back to chapter 3. In fact, in many ways 4:1-6 reemphasizes chapter 3.
3:7-9 = 4:1 “having this ministry”

3:12 = 4:1 “not losing heart”

3:14-16 = 4:3 “veiling gospel” 

3:14 = 4:4 “hardened minds”

3:7-18 = 4:4, 6 - The theme of glory
The first theme from Paul is this: “The surpassing greatness of our salvation in the new covenant in comparison to the old covenant.” Paul makes three assertions:
Because the message is so great I did not need to trick anyone with my words. I was faithful to proclaim this gospel. “Therefore I have the right to be heard by you.”

1. The reality of those who reject the good news is that “they walk in blindness.”
2. The message of the gospel is Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus breaks through all of life’s boastings or barriers:
1. To those who boast they are Jews (we have heritage rights) - He is the Light
2. To those who boast they are Greeks (we are educated) - He is the Knowledge
3. To those who boast they are Romans (we are in control) - he is the Glory

In Galatians 3:28, Paul draws a contrast with people and proclaims there are no barriers that prevent the gospel message from transforming a person. The second theme is found in verses 7-12, “through suffering Paul understands that the gospel will be proclaimed.” In verse 7 Paul states that we house this treasure -- the gospel -- in jars of clay. Now there were much more valuable vessels. Vessels made of gold and silver were attainable. Why clay? Clay pots were simply discarded after they became cracked or broken. They were never recycled. Clay was common; anyone could get it. Here in lies a life changing principle. God takes what is most glorious (the gospel) and houses it in what is common (born again believers), so that the surpassing greatness of God will be made known.
Although we may not suffer like Paul or the early church, may we see every circumstance or situation as an opportunity to share:
The Power of the Gospel
The Hope in the Gospel
Life Transformation by the Gospel
Praying for the gospel to transform the northernmost capital of the world to impact all of the world.

Here is a video link that was made in the summer. It provides some background to the work in Iceland.http://vimeo.com/28731645

We just wanted to update everyone that we are still waiting for the background check from the FBI. Please pray that this would come quickly. We have some sparkling apple cider that we will open once it comes in. 

On the first of January I had the privilege of preaching at one of the greatest churches in the world, Lucerne Baptist. I shared these thoughts and thought they might be an encouragement to you. From Matthew 26:1-29. In this passage there are four scenes that Matthew pens to reinforce Matthew 23-25. If you took Matthew 23-25 and summarized it you would have two major thoughts:
1. Salvation is a gift of God's grace, not of any works, and our works boast of God's grace.
2. The sternness of the chapters should keep Christian disciples sober in this world, longing for the world to come!
Now Matthew takes an brings several historical events to drive home the Lord Jesus' teachings.
vss.1-5 We have the intentional plans of the religious to kill the Lord Jesus
vss. 6-13 - The anointing of the Lord Jesus, reckless abandonment
vss. 14-16 - An act of betrayal
vss. 15-35 - A last meal together
Here are some applications from these scenes.
1. Religious people who embrace triton over truth will attempt to kill that which really reflects Lord Jesus.
2. Selfless abandonment to the Lord Jesus requires relinquishing what I hold most precious to my Lord.
3.Unless by God's grace I to would be a Judas. Question "Would you let the Lord Jesus wash your feet knowing you were about to betray Him?
4. The intimacy of a supper provides us a model for our church gatherings. Intimacy, devotion and strength.
Intimacy - We need one another; Kingdom living is lived among one another.
Devotion - Remembering Jesus is to proclaim his Life, Death, Resurrection, Ascension and Return.
Strength - We must press on faithfully. Remember our Lord will eat again at the Great Wedding Banquet.

Believing God for a work of His grace in the Northern Most Capital of the World!!
By His grace and For His glory.

The Heavens proclaimed His glory and good will has been shared by millions around the world for the last 2000 years. Today we celebrate the Incarnation of The Messiah. Merry Christmas!
Let us remember:
At His Incarnation Jesus Christ Brought Hope
In His Life Jesus Christ Brought Joy
In His Death Jesus Christ Gives Life
In His Resurrection Jesus Christ Provides Victory
In His Ascension Jesus Christ Provides Transformational Living
In His Return Jesus Christ Brings Final Conquest And Makes All Things New

Can you name this historical tourist attraction in Iceland and its significance around the world?

My good friend and fellow Florida Baptist Theological College (now Baptist College of Florida) graduate Richie Allen invited me to the board meeting of LINC-UP Ministries. LINC-UP is a non-profit ministry designed to mobilize churches to start new churches in a remote area off the Amazon river in Brazil. The theological and philosophical work that LINC-UP does is really sound and the results have been simply extraordinary. Last year alone LINC-UP had 110 students enrolled in theological education. These men and women will be the future evangelists, church planters and leaders in local congregations. To quote from their newsletter, “the motivation behind it all is to see God glorified among those who have never heard (the Quilombolas of Brazil).” God is doing some amazing things through LINC-UP. Please pray for them as they continue to  connect churches in the states to help facilitate a church planting movement in Brazil.
 
The Lord also had another blessing in store for me while I was in Florida. Doug Kearnes serves as pastor of First Baptist Church of Hilliard, Florida. Doug and his wife Lynn have been friends of mine for over 25 years. God graciously allows our lives to intersect every so often. It was a blessing to share breakfast together and find ourselves leaving the restaurant with the lunch crowd.

On Sunday I attended First Baptist Church of Orange Park, Florida. I have known David Tarkington, the Senior Pastor, since 1997. When he was Student Pastor at the same church we shared in several youth camps together, and he also brought his youth group to Stafford, Virginia, to do mission work with Stafford Baptist. David and his family took me out for lunch after the service and we had a great time catching up. Let me take this moment to encourage you to listen to David’s sermon from Sunday (December 5, 2011). It was a tremendous challenge that cut deep into my heart over my own selfish ministry desires. It really is a must-listen for church leaders! http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/get-real-david-tarkington/id135822490

A shout out also to our friends Ryan and Stacie Rouse. Ryan serves as student pastor to FBC Orange Park. I was thrilled to meet Piper their little girl. She is adorable!!

LINC-UP Ministries and FBC Orange Park will be partnering with us in Iceland on multiple levels. We are excited to see what develops in 2012 and beyond.

From the northernmost capital in the world, Reykjavik, Iceland, we are praying for and believing in a church planting movement that will impact the world.

Cindy, Cami, Ben, Alli, and I want to wish you a Happy Thanksgiving. We ate to much, watch some football and enjoyed time with our family in Loganville, Georgia. Although the turkey was not deep fried, it was still yummy. This is our first blog post on the recreated Iceland project site and we are grateful to be up and blogging.


A couple of status updates for those who have been following us recently. (For those who have not been here in years, the old site is lost with all the post. We will be posting later this week the adventure from how we started, to summaries of what God has done since we first prayer walked Reykjavik in August, 2005.

We (The Jessup Family) will be the primary posters to the current blog. We are currently waiting for the Icelandic government to approve our Residency Permit. The Residency Permit grants us the ability to live in Iceland long term taking advantage of schooling, medical, and a variety of other benefits. While our Permits are being reviewed we cannot be in Iceland. On Friday we learned that we had our permits rejected for two reasons. Our attorney we hired in Iceland is in the process of getting these matters cleared up. We will have to file some additional paperwork and we resubmit some forms that could take up to 6 weeks. Please pray that this will go much faster.

We are currently living in the mission house at First Baptist Church Loganville, Georgia. We are so grateful for the generosity of this fellowship. We have been blessed since we finished our training with the International Mission Board of the SBC to have places to live. Jason and Tracee Pelt opened their home to us immediately followed by Max and Rhonda Waugh. (Big Time THANK YOU) God has meet our every need by His riches in glory and uses His people for those provisions.


That is enough for now check back this week to see how the whole project developed. You will see this statement often in our post as a way of reminding you to pray and as a way of expecting God to work. We believe with all our heart that God is going to touch the world from the northern most capital of the world. Please pray that God would work effectually for His glory among Icelanders.