A Tribute to Those I Love

One of the things I love the most about short term missions is the opportunity to build relationships with people that last.  In fact, I would go so far as to say that a lot of time has been wasted in short term missions when relationships are not built.  Seeking to understand by way of listening versus seeking to be understood goes a long way, and it allows for a much more authentic friendship.  Today's post is about of few of the relationships I am most thankful for.


First, Kevin and Chadrick.

I met these two during my recent trip to Kenya, and I lived at Kevin's home in Nairobi for about three and a half weeks.  There are very few people I have ever met who have the heart for their community the way that Chadrick does.  It seemed like 90% of our conversations were focused on creating opportunities for the young people in the slums of Dandora, Cairobangi, and Gomongo.  Kevin was a blessing beyond blessings.  By the time I showed up at his place, I was about two months into my trip in Kenya and was feeling incredibly drained.  Sitting down to even read my Bible felt like a daunting task, but then I met Kevin.  Oh how refreshing it was to find a young man who was eager to learn more from God's Word and find answers to his questions about Scripture.  The conversations we had late into the night meant more to me than Kevin will probably ever know.  When I talk about my trip to Kenya, the first stories I tell always come from my time in Nairobi, thanks in large part to these two men.

Next, Esther.  

In May 2011, I spent one single week in an orphanage in Port Au Prince, Haiti.  I had a blast with most of the kids there, but Esther will always stand out to me.  She was different than most of the kids: she wasn't an abandoned street child or a runaway kid; she had two loving parents who were killed in the January 2010 earthquake.  In a matter of minutes, Esther's life transitioned from one of rare blessings to an incredible amount of sadness and questions.  My final night at the orphanage, she sat down next to me and, with tears in her eyes, asked, "Why me?  What did I do to deserve this from God."  Never in my life have I ever felt so confident that my conversation was being led by the Holy Spirit as I was that night.  I forget most I what I said, I just remember each of us sitting there with tear-filled eyes and hearts that truly trusted God.  If I'm correct, Esther should be in the United States by now.  She was in the process of being adopted when I was there.   I pray for her often and trust that God is continuing to teach her more and more about his faithfulness.

Simeon.  This little guy means so much to me.  His story begins long before I knew him.  When I left Haiti after spending a week there, I struggled with a lot of things.  Perhaps the biggest struggle was the way that I let so many kids into my life and then had to say goodbye.  I think without ever saying it, I promised myself that I would never care that much about a child again; it hurt too much to say goodbye and know that I would probably never see them again.  Then, five weeks into my Africa expedition walks (or, more accurately, runs) Simeon. 

 It took me a few days, but ever so slightly I began to notice my walls were coming down.  I think every time he came sprinting barefoot to me across the desert thorns, my heart opened up more and more.  Before I knew it, the highlight of my days were playing with Simeon and sneaking a sucker to him when the other kids weren't looking!  The morning that we moved from his tribe, we awoke to Simeon's school bag hanging on the tree, packed full of "everything he would need to come to America with us."  Leaving him was one of the hardest goodbyes I have ever had, but I'm so thankful for the time we got to spend together.  

June 2010, my first week with Najeyyah.  

Last, but certainly not least, comes Najeyyah.  She is the first of all these relationships.  I met her on my first trip out of the country, when I went to Jamaica in June 2010.  At that time, she was an incredibly shy little girl who was happiest when she had a camera in her hands.  It took me hours to sort through all the photos she took, deleting all the blurry images of dirt and cement.  But during that week, we really got to know one another, and she became the closest thing to a little sister I have ever known.  

June 2011, reunited for the first time.

When I returned to Jamaica the following summer, I could not wait to introduce her to my family and friends who had come with.  But our first three days at the worksite, she never showed up.  I concluded that for whatever reason, it was not in the Lord's plan for my family to get to meet her.  And...as if to say, "Proverbs 16:1, sucker," the next and final morning at the worksite, sure enough Najeyyah showed up! 
Two months ago, I was fortunate enough to go back to Jamaica for the third time.  And this go-around, Naj wasted no time.  As I was working, I heard the voice that I recognized so clearly, as she asked, "Is Jordan here?"  It meant so much to hear her ask that, knowing that I had spent a total of five days were her in two years.  

May 2012, Growing up
before my eyes.

I've been blessed to be able to see her grow up, and it blew my mind this year when I saw how grown-up she is looking.  She is a regular in my prayers, and I cannot wait to see how the Lord moves in her life in the years to come.  

  Sometimes, although not nearly enough, I ask God, "Why me?"  The incredible blessing of these relationships and all the experiences I have had in the last two years are far more than I deserve.  It has been such a fun journey, and I am learning so much.  I believe with all my heart that it is the Lord who has orchestrated each of these experiences and followed through on them all the way.  However, he has chosen countless people to join me along the way and become a part of his ministry.  I am forever indebted to all those who have supported me through these journeys.  From watching me puke milk all over the football field to paying twenty dollars for three burnt cookies, everyone who has joined me has made a difference.  I had some really difficult times in Kenya, but reading everyone's encouraging words on Facebook and knowing of everyone back home who was praying for me was both humbling and motivating.  So for everyone who has contributed to these experiences, I say thank you.  I'll probably never fully realize how much of a difference you have made to me, and to the people I've been blessed to meet.

Telling Iltashawa's Story

the story:

In March 2012, I was living with a Maasai tribe in Kenya, along with my ten teammates from the United States and Canada.  One Sunday, Erika, Rachel, and Katie spent their morning at the local health clinic, where Dr. Leiyian had come from Nairobi to perform eye exams and operations in the locals in the villages.  

Erika, Rachel, and Katie (pictured with Dr. Leiyian) were the first to get the ball rolling,
when they volunteered at a local clinic performing eye exams in Satiman. 

That afternoon, the girls returned home full of excitement, and could not stop talking about what a great time they had helping Dr. Leiyian and the other volunteers.  They introduced us to a young boy, Iltashawa, and his older brother.  Iltashawa had, three years prior, an accident that severed his tear duct just below his eye.  The result was not only an open gash on his face, but also a non-stop tear duct that made it impossible for him to stop crying.  For three years, the young boy was forced to live with the non-stop tear flow from his eye.  

Left: Iltashawa and his brother, a Maasai warrior, visiting our home.  They had taken him to the clinic that morning, hoping that Dr. Leiyian and the other volunteers would be able to help relieve the pain and discomfort in his eye.

Right: An up-close look at Iltashawa's left eye.  You can see the red cut, which severed the tear duct, and the white in his eye, the result of the non-stop tear flow.  

At the same time, halfway across the world, Jackie Martin, founder of jmpPHOTOGRAPHY, was looking for opportunities to make a difference with the profits of her business.  She emailed me once I had returned to Nairobi and mentioned her idea, Missions in May.  She hoped to give a portion of her proceeds from the month of May to benefit the advance of Christian missions in the world.  

Immediately I remembered Iltashawa, who we were unable to help during our time with the tribe.  Erika and Rachel sent me the contact information for Dr. Leiyian, and a plan was in the works!

With the funds donated by jmpPHOTOGRAPHY, Dr. Leiyian made plans and arranged transportation for Iltashawa's surgery in Nairobi.  The surgery was performed successfully in June, and Iltashawa has recovered fully and is now seeing out of a healthy, tear-free eye. 

Left: Iltashawa recovering from the surgery. 

Right: Iltashawa and his older brother hanging out in Nairobi after the operation.

Many thanks are due to many people for the love that was shown to Iltashawa.  Erika, Rachel, and Katie, thanks for your non-stop effort and refusal to be okay with the pain and suffering you witnessed in Kenya.  Without your voices, who knows if this boy would have ever been given a chance.  Dr. Leiyian, thank you for showing compassion and an authentic love for the people of Kenya by your above and beyond efforts to take care of Iltashawa and many others entrusted to your care. jmpPHOTOGRAPHY, thank you for using your resources to be a representation of Christ's love and generosity to a boy you never met, but felt compassion for anyway.  And, gracious Lord, thank you for the incredible blessing that you've granted me since making me yours, allowing me to be an ambassador for your kingdom in the world, and spoiling me with incredible stories like this along the way.

Iltashawa after his operation, a happy boy with a healthy eye! 

-Jordan

The Lighting Rods of Life

It's safe to say that the majority of us would agree that life feels like a storm more often than not. Twenty four hours never seems like enough time to accomplish all that we want in a day, and the stress of trying to do everything often feels overwhelming. Even more than that, every person carries with them something or some things that get in their way of seeing what is really important. For Christians, we tend to have a hard time seeing past our struggles and resting in the finished work of Christ. I like to think of it as a system of lighting rods. In the midst of our storm that is life, we put so much of our focus on specific lighting rods. For example, this could mean that we are caught up in the shame of our sexual pasts. Perhaps we have not forgiven our family members or ourselves for pain that happened years ago. Maybe we're currently struggling with our image and trying to perform our way into being accepted. Regardless of the struggle, we all have them, and we all know what it's like to place the emphasis in our lives on that struggle. Like a lightning rod in the storm, that specific struggle is the focal point; it absorbs us and we are unable to address it healthily. When this happens, we are unable to focus on the true lightning rod--Christ. In the midst of struggles, far to often we hyper-focus on what we're going through, and our focus is taken away from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the redemption we've experienced through his saving grace. What we must recognize is the Christ is the ultimate lighting rod! He is the one, the only one, who absorbs the storms of our lives and allows us to live burden-free, shame-free, and guilt-free. This same analogy applies to the way we do life with non-believers. Are we so focused on the small lightning rods in their lives--the things that scream to us, "NOT A CHRISTIAN," that we fail to point them to the true lightning rod, which is Christ. In the midst of our storms in life, there is only one true way out. Let us not focus so much on the struggles in life that we fail to remind ourselves and others about the one true mediator, who has made a way for eternal peace in our lives.

Brotherly Love in Action

The last blog I posted said something about "loving brotherly in the city of brotherly love," or something to that effect. (I could just go check, but that would require me pressing the back button a few times, which I just don't feel like doing.) Anyway, the point is, I've been thinking quite a lot about how do I love well. Particularly, what does it look like for the church to love well. I am reading Andrew Marin's book right now, Love is an Orientation, which is particularly focused on how Christians can and should love the GLBT community. Personally, I think we have dropped the bomb in this area. If we don't come out and say how wrong it is that people are gay, we usually at least internalize something like, "It's just gross or disgusting that anyone would want to do that." I am ashamed to say that I ABSOLUTELY have been a part of both groups before. I started wondering how many of us (by us I mean Christians who believe the Bible is inerrant and believe that in it's inerrancy says no to same-sex sexual relations) have ever sought to understand the GLBT community's perspective before we seek to explain why they are wrong. I know I have not. I can count at least twenty conversations I have had that enhance my apologetic of why it's wrong or joke about how silly it is to defend GLBT with Scripture. The problem is I've never even used this apologetic because I've never discussed or dialogued with someone who holds a different view than I do on same-sex relations. On one level, I am afraid that I would not know how to discuss and dialogue; I am much more comfortable debating and arguing. I really think that's a pretty bogus stance to take though. I don't think that "selective loving" can function alongside "loving well." Though I certainly have failed the people that mean the most to me, I would not hesistate to say that I have "loved them well" in general. But I definitely could not say the same thing about my GLBT friends and acquaintances, who do not see eye to eye with me on all things. I think it's time that I, and the Church as a whole, begins an attempt to love well. For me, this is going to require a step or two into the unknown, stepping outside of the Christian subculture and into a world full of people who are desperate for a Savior and fed up with Christians who carry the "Bible says it, I believe it, that settles it" mentality. Loving well may not be easy or comfortable, but it is 100% necessary. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.

Loving Brotherly in the City of Brotherly Love

I think it's appropriate to type out a bit of a life update; not so much because my life is so exciting that I need to share. Moreso as an effort to keep myself sane amidst the wildness that has been the last 8 months of my life. I'm currently stationed in Phiadelphia, PA, doing an internship with Evangelicals for Social Action and enjoying myself bigtime. The Lord has been so gracious to bless me over and over again with great friends and good circumstances; there isn't too much to complain about. I'm here for five weeks, which doesn't seem like much time, but five weeks is the most time I've spent in the same place since January before I left for Uganda. Speaking of Uganda, I've done some more reflecting on that trip to Africa lately, realizing how much I really miss some of the people and the settings I was in. Some days I would love to hop on a plane and drink a cup of tea in the slums with my friends. Anyway, after I flew in from Kenya I spent a week in Jamaica, which was AWESOME. It's wild, but I really did have to leave the country again just to be with the people I wanted to see most. Having both of my parents there along with my four three best friends from home was an awesome, awesome way to spend the week. Ten days after Jamaica I flew down to Ft. Lauderdale, FL for Band of Brothers in Christ. Speaking of being blessed, BoBiC was such a great time for me. Seventeen days with 6 men who's hearts were set on seeking the Lord and growing in fellowship with one another. Still tough to put into words how valuable that time was for me. And now I find myself in a coffee shop in a Philly suburb, reading a book and doing some writing, trying to be thankful for all I've gotten to experience in these last 7 months. I am very, very, very excited to be back in Elmhurst in August and actually have a home...I'm not sure how nomads did it. But nonetheless, I have really had a great time trying to be present-minded with the circumstances I am in. Just a few minutes ago I was reading through Psalm 119, which I why I wanted to type this blog up to begin with. I think about how faithful and how good the Lord has been to me in this crazy stretch of my life. I've gotten to know Him more as a Father than ever before. Isaiah 33:6, which says "he will be the stability of myh times," spoke to me in ways I never understood before. And today, when I read Ps. 119:50, which says, "this is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life," I was kind of blown away. I am, like most Christians, a big fan of God's promises to us. Reading about how God promised the gospel before-hand through the prophets (Romans 1) and living on this side of that Gospel, it causes me to trust him so deeply for the assurance that his promises about me will be fulfilled. When I read about how faithful God was to bring his promises to fruition, I trust more and more fully that he will be faithful in his promises to me. So when I read that "his promise gives me life," I understand what He's telling me. Psalm 16:11 says in God's presence is the fullness of joy, and at his right hand are pleasures forever more. How depraved am I that I am constantly looking at things here in the world to give me joy and pleasure. He has already told me that the fullness of joy only comes in His presence, but he has also promised me that I'll be in his presence. When I read 1 Peter 1, and see that I have been promised an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, being kept in heaven for me, I trust that. I can't wait to fully receive that inheritance and truly live in the fullness of joy! How glorious will that be!!