Jordan Takes a Tumble....

Sunday morning I attempted to carry a set of cornhole boards down a dark staircase. Notice I said "attempted." I attempted and failed - dropping one of the boards on my foot. I knew right then that I had broken my foot and at the moment felt as if it shattered every bone. Needless to say, I am a drama queen. My foot is not broken, just bruised. Regardless, every step I take the pain in my foot reminds me of the tragic cornhole catastrophe!

One disaster wasn't enough so I decided to fall down the stairs yesterday morning. If you didn't know, I nanny at 5:30am every morning, and it feels particularly early on Mondays. I guess I wasn't completely awake and - BAM. Down I went.

Sometimes when experiencing high levels of pain I feel nauseous and then pass out (What a whimp, right?). It is a pattern in my life that doctors just can't figure out. So while I sat up, head spinning, I quickly thought, "hope this 4 year old knows how to call 911!" Following that thought was that awful nauseous feeling and I laid at the bottom of the staircase prepared to faint.  Praise the good Lord, I didn't - but now have some more bruises to match my foot.

Currently, I want to scream every time I sit in a chair - because my rear hurts so bad. Every time I lift my arm or lay on my side, I again remember my great fall. (But seriously, I wish someone was there to witness this. It must have been hilarious.)

My current physical problems have got me thinking. It is crazy how much we think about our physical bodies. This summer I got a skin disease, and thought about it 24/7. I refused to wear a bathing suite, because to me, I looked so disguising. Every time I get a blemish on my face, I am seeking a new type of skin-care and am self-continuous about it all day long. Two pounds gained might as well be thirty and one increased pants size would be the end of the world. Constantly I (we) are aware of our physical problems, but inwardly, not so much.

Lately God has been showing me a lot of the brokenness and ugliness inside of me. I have realized how full of pride I am. I have seen how selfish I can be. I have become aware of the many many ways I am judgmental of many people if not all the people around me. I have been convicted about the small amount of time I spend talking to God or reading His word. I have noticed that I rarely share the Gospel even though I understand its importance and what it means for the lost souls surrounding me, daily. 

This list of inward problems are microscopic compared to the VERY long list of problems I have. Yes, I have acknowledged these problems - but what am I doing to fix them? I am so concerned with my outwardly problems I do not focus on the inward - which is what really matters, eternally. 

In 1 Peter 3, it says, "Do not let your adorning be external—the braiding of hair and the putting on of gold jewelry, or the clothing you wear— but let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious."

How convicting. God isn't concerned about what we look outwardly. But He is concerned with what we look like inwardly. 

I desire to be as aware of my inward problems as I am with my currently outwardly problems. I want to acknowledge my sin as much as I  have acknowledged the pain in my foot and rear, every step I take or everytime I sit in a chair. 

This isn't to teach. I do not preach. It is a humble declaration of my sin and public statement of my conviction, with the hopes it will convict someone else who needs convicting. 

Always with love, 

J 

xoxo 

Did you know?

The mission statement of A Perfect Injustice is to show and teach marginalized people the love and hope of Christ - and they do just that! 

Showing the love and hope of Christ means different things for different people, and what I love about A Perfect Injustice is they will do whatever it takes to show that love and hope! 

Did you know there are over 10,000 street children in the city of Kampala? It is mind boggling! When API comes in contact with these children the first step they take is to attempt to resettle them with their family. If this is not a option, they seeks means to place them in a home. 

Many people ask why API always helps street boys and not girls. The reason is, there are rarely any girls. But in this blog I want you to meet Tedy. 

Tedy is a beautiful 12 year old girl from Kikubampagi village. She loves the color green because it shines and the color looks nice when painted on anything. Her favorite food is banana and rice because they are delicious and give her energy. In school, she enjoys studying mathematics. Her favorite hobbies are listening to gospel music and playing netball. Her best friend is Dorothy because she loves the most of all her friends and is peaceful and caring. 

Tedy, a normal girl, lives a very not-normal life according to American standards. She is part of a extremely poor family who lives in a grass-thatched house. Her mother, who is a widow, loves Tedy but has a very limited source of income and is unable to provide for her.

A Perfect Injustice has helped Tedy resettle with her mother and is ready to help this family have the means to stay together, allowing for Tedy to go to school, have clothes, food, shelter  and love. They are ready to show this family the love and hope of Christ - but need your help! 

Tedy is in need of a sponsor. There is the option of $50 or $100 a month. Will you pray about providing for her? 

If you are not able to monetary provide; pray for Tedy. She specifically ask that people pray for God to help her attain her goal of becoming a qualified teacher. When she grows up she wants to be a teacher in order to help lower the illiteracy levels in Uganda. 

If you are interested, email aperfectinjustice4@gmail.com to receive specific information on what your monthly donation will provide for Tedy and her family! 

Learn to do right; seek justice.

Defend the oppressed.

Take up the cause of the fatherless;

plead the case of the widow.

-Isaiah 1:17 

"Let me tell you, I saw Jesus at work today."

One the girls in my bible study had the opportunity to lead a missions trip to a small town in Arkansas this summer. While there, she experienced a situation that truly blew my mind. To motivate you to read this, the story ends with a restaurant full of people praying together. This story challenged me, and I hope challenges you, to seek opportunities to be Jesus for somebody - it may just be in a restaurant Kitchen! 

"We arrived in Helena, as a group of 25, on Saturday, July 6^th. This particular Saturday was a very normal day in the sense that all Saturday’s, when arriving in Helena, consist of eating, unpacking, and shopping at the only Walmart in town. Little did we know that the very next day would hold a memory that would never be forgotten. After the church service on Sunday morning, we quickly hopped into the rental cars for lunch because we had 3:00 camp meetings to attend. Typically we all crave Mexican food at the only local Mexican restaurant in town, but on this particular Sunday, we decided to try the new restaurant in town called The Delta Grill. The Delta Grill has been open for a little less than a year now, but has created a good reputation for its food. Ann Carter had heard that The Delta Grill had some pretty great battered fish and onion rings. As we walked into the restaurant, you could see the surprise on the customers faces. All 25 of us coming in to take over; we are any waiter’s nightmare. After all the remaining tables in the restaurant had been pushed together to accommodate all 25 of us, and we were all settled, we began to wait… and wait. It seemed that it took 10 minutes for our waiter just to take our drink order. Then when he did, he didn’t seem very capable of completing the task without some assistance. The drink machine was not self-serve, but luckily the owner didn’t seem to mind that our group was just helping ourselves. Looking back, that may have been slightly rude, but in the end the waiter was just happy to get everyone a drink. As we sat and waited for the waiter to return and take our food order, fifteen or twenty minutes passed by. Eventually Vikki and I decided that we may need to see what was going on, so we went up to the cash register and Vikki asked, “Is there anything that we can do for you?” The owner was glad to have Vikki take the orders of our large party. After he explained that CF stood for crinkle fry and SF stood for seasoned fry, I quickly asked if there was any other way I could help him out. He looked at me and said, “Yes, young lady, do you mind coming back to the kitchen for a few minutes?” I was thrilled. This would be my first experience cooking in a restaurant’s kitchen. Quickly we made our way through the curtains and I was introduced to Alan, who had come just to cook for the day because Dave was short on workers. Dave is the owner of the restaurant. He had also brought some of his family members in to help. One of which was our struggling waiter. At first, I was just waitressing and taking food to tables as it was prepared, but soon that wasn’t enough because Dave had to run to the store! The Delta Grill had run out of cold slaw and batter for the flounder—the two seemingly most popular items! By that time all the kids in our group had to come see what it was like to be in a restaurant’s kitchen. Lillian DuVal and Carol-Ann Moore came and took pictures of us cooking, but soon began taking drink orders for the other customers who were coming in to eat. Lillian and Carol-Ann became the waitresses and I started frying the last pieces of battered fish and put the seasoned fries, crinkled fries, and the onion rings in the fryer. We were all having the greatest of time laughing and shouting orders like, “Where are the plates?” or “Tracey wants his fried okra!” Well Tracey never got his fried okra, but eventually everyone in the restaurant was fed. As I sat at the table eating my fried fish, Dave and Alan came out of the kitchen to thank all of us. And, I will never forget what Dave said, “I’ve never seen anythin’ like this before. I couldn’t believe how all you girls just pitched in and started servin’. This mornin’ I prayed that God would help me with my business. Let me tell you, I saw Jesus at work today. Y’all did exactly what Jesus would’ve done. Thank y’all so much. I just can’t thank ya enough.” As Dave thanked us for probably the fifth time, I saw his eyes water up just a little bit, and at that Matthew Brown suggested that we pray for the restaurant and for Dave and Alan. With that notion, all of the customers in the restaurant circled up and grabbed one another’s hands and we bowed our heads before our wonderful God who showed Himself that day at The Delta Grill. As we drove back to the church to prepare for those 3:00 meetings Cari DuVal said it best, “Y’all that will be a memory that we will never forget, and Alan and Dave will surely never forget it either. We did just what we were supposed to do—bring the Kingdom of Heaven to Helena, Arkansas.”

Jesus tells us in Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

We were able to accomplish that command that day, and what a blessing it was to all of the hearts involved. Praise God for His work done in The Delta Grill on that day."

Your Greeting Card Lied to You!

I distinctly remember going through senior year of high school and clinging to the "truth" of scripture that God had a plan for me. If you would have asked me what my "life verse" was I would have quoted this one in a heart beat. When things around me seemed to go wrong, I clung to the knowledge that God would provide for me and would not let anything harm me. In reality, I believed this scripture meant He was going to give me what I wanted and would give it to me when I wanted it! 

When graduation rolled around I know I received at least fifty cards with it plastered on the front. It was on bookmarks and canvases, and even doodled in my notebooks. 

What was the verse? You have probably already guested it. Yes, it was Jeremiah 29:11: 

"For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you a future and a hope."

I have been reminded lately that it is not just me that clings to this scripture. I often see people posting it on facebook and twitter in the midst of their trails or confusion. The same people who post prophanity and crude talk. My favorite realization occurred when I decided to google "Jeremiah." Guess what the results are? Jeremiah 29:11, not even the entire book. It is hilarious, really. 

At this point, you are probably completely annoyed that I am bashing this scripture. In fact, I am doing far from that - I am criticizing how we choose to interpret it. There is great truth found in it. Yes, God does have a plan for us. He does have a plan for us to prosper, and He will not harm us. The problem is, we think that means He will give us what we want: it actually means almost the opposite. 

If we would look at just one verse before verse eleven we would read this: 

       "This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place."  

God was in fact talking to a group of exiles from Babylon in Jeremiah 29:11. Exiles who were in the midst of much suffering. To them He says, I will come rescue you, but after you suffer for 70 years. He explains to them that He has plans for them, and that He will not harm them. He will not harm them - yet they will still face much suffering. They will prosper - but after 70 years. 

So why is it that we interpret this verse to say God will give us what we  want when we want it, when it clearly is not what he is promising us?

Yes, this verse should be plastered on greeting cards, doodled in our journals, painted on canvases and engraved in our heads, but not for the reason of hoping God grants us what we want and when we want it. Rather, it should make us joyful for the current state of life He has placed us in, whether good or bad. It should make us confident that though God blesses us, suffering too comes from Him. It should make us rejoice in God's perfect timing and not hopeful in our own timing. It should make us thankful we are not exiles in Babylon. it should make us rid our minds of our own hopes and dreams and pray earnestly for contentment in the hopes and dreams God has for us!  

Pray. Pray knowing God may answer you tomorrow and He may answer you in 70 years. Regardless, He is the God who will give you a hope and a future! 

SOOO glad that the plans I had for myself on this day did not occur. Thankful for the GREAT plans God had and has for me! Even thankful for all my greeting cards - and the real truth behind them! 

I Finally Brought a Boy Home to Meet the Parents!

At the beginning of my college career, my parents decided to move. As they began transferring to their new house, I told my mom not to bother giving me a room - a guest room would be much more practical. I explained to her that soon I would be bringing a boy home to meet her and my father, so they would need a guest room for him to stay in. She laughed of course, but I am sure a big part of her thought I was right. I may have been slightly joking, but in fact meant what I said. 

Four years of college later I tell you - no boy was ever brought home (I am in no way disappointed or upset about that, by the way). Ironically last week by parents moved again - this time, I gave no plea for a guest room. 

..................

About a year ago I made up my mind. I NEEDED a boy in my life! A boy to keep me company, snuggle with me, and make me laugh. The boy I had in mind was slightly different than the "type" of boy most college girls are searching for. Similar though to most - my search became an obsession. I HAD to have him! I didn't even care one bit what he would look like, I just wanted one!  He didn't even need to be tall. In fact, I preferred he not even reach knee level. 

This past Sunday I had the joy of bringing home a boy to meet my parents for the very first time! His name is Copper (Inspired by one of my Disney favorites, Fox and the Hound)! 

Copper is a 12 weeks old and I love him so much already! We have literally spent every moment together! He snuggles up to me at night and I wake up with him by my side. He possibly is the cutest thing ever! Well... except for that one thing.... 

He much rather use the bathroom inside than outside. It is driving me INSANE! Any ideas how to fix this? 

Today me and Copper made our first visit to the vet. I was terrified... him, not so much! Surprisingly, it was a walk in the park...

And then we took a walk in the park (literally)! We walked down the pier at the harbor of hospitality, meeting many boaters along the way! We were having a blast - until I realized I dropped the car key somewhere! oops. I prayed that God help me walk directly to it, and He did! Not sure why I was so shocked He answered that prayer, but I was! 

After we found the key, we left the waterfront and currently Copper is very sweetly laying by my feet in Muddy Waters Coffee Shop (MY FAVORITE COFFEE EVER!) while I enjoy a mocha frappe and write this blog! The perfect date! ; ) 

And now... what you are all wondering.... 

Why did you get a puppy when you are moving to Africa?

GUESS WHAT?!?! 

Copper is going too!!! AHH! I am so excited! 

I still am hopeful that one day a "real" boy will come home to meet the parents... but that is all in Gods timing! For now, I am stoked to have brought home Copper! He is the best! 

He is all about some Kissing!

Watching me and Mom cook!

At our first Vet Visit! 

Waling around the beautiful, Elizabeth City

Chilling at Muddy's