5 minutes with Jasmine ...

Tell us a little about yourself: I am a mother of 3 children- a 12 year old, an 8 year old and a 2 year old. I also have my cousin’s son living with us at the moment- so four children at home! My husband is the Creative Arts Pastor at our church. We have been living in Sydney for a year, prior to that we were in Melbourne for 3 years, and Hong Kong for almost ten years. In Hong Kong, I was teaching English; now, I am studying a Bachelor of Education (Primary) via distance education. What's your favourite bible passage & why? Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. For me, I like the reminder to lay aside our sins- Jesus has taken this burden for us; and to focus on Him as we run this race marked for us. Our race will not always be easy, and will surely be interjected with trials, but we must remember to persevere and look to Him! I particularly like the word “run”- not walk, or plod along- running, to me, suggests a joy, elation, to be running to the ultimate prize- and what a blessing that is! How do you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus? By going to church, praying, praying with my kids and being around other Christians. I also find teaching scripture- pointing lots of little eyes to Jesus- helps me keep my eyes new and focused on Him. What would you like the next generation of Christian women to know? To seek Christ above all things- whether it’s career, relationships, family or whatever! True peace and contentment in life can only come from Him. What's one thing that you love about your local church? My local church is the most welcoming place. It is such a beautiful place of community. I love that the teaching is biblically sound, and that our people love God and love people! What did you learn about God at a time in your life you found hard? I learnt He loves us even when we don’t particularly love ourselves. When I look back at times in my life when I wasn’t walking closely to Christ, I can see that His love has always remained constant. What are you passionate about? I am passionate about my family, and about children. I am passionate about education and teaching; raising our children to be the next generation- which is a huge responsibility. What do you enjoy doing when you rest? Rest! Ha! I have four children at home! I love spending time with my family- road tripping, holidaying, day tripping- making memories. If I get a moment to myself, or with a girlfriend, I love going to the beach, swimming, snorkelling, and I’ve recently taken up scuba diving which is fantastic!