Two Very Messy & Very Expensive Stories!

For many years I have prayed for a woman of wisdom to come into my life. Many of you know this as I have often voiced it. This past month, God answered my prayer. 

Soon after I moved to Africa I met a woman by the name of Jenny. She is a wife to Josh and mom to Harper, August and Silas (all of which are still back in America). Also, she is mom to Rose (who is in Uganda). 

In the midst of planting a church, Jenny and her husband Josh felt called to adopt and quickly began taking action. During the beginning stages... surprise! Jenny was pregnant. They could have just decided to not adopt, but when you hear God’s voice you hear God’s voice.... so they kept on truckin'.

Because international adoption is tricky and slow... Jenny had Silas before Rose could be adopted.

This left Jenny here in Uganda for the past six weeks on a mission to finalize things and bring Rose home. She had to leave her entire family, including five-month old Silas, at home. This alone is enough to break my heart. I can't imagine. 

I have often told Jenny, that as much as I hate it for her that she is away from her family, God has blessed me big time allowing her to be here with me. In a very short time she has taught me so much about being a wife, mom, and child of God. She is selfless and a servant. She is obedient and patient. In the midst of a lot of hard days, she is constantly finding ways to encourage me. 

One day Jenny said, "It has been my prayer through this entire process that the will of God be done. So whatever happens, I will be glad about it." She also explained to me that often we pray that God would improve us, yet we don't expect situations where we are able to use those improvements granted by Him. Jenny used the example of praying for patience. She prayed for patience. "And if that means I am here another year, I am ok with it," she said. These are just two examples that testify to the kind of woman she is. 

All of that comes down to this, yesterday the passport was denied in court for Rose. Yes, she was upset... but today her head is held high and she is full of joy even though this means at minimum another month in Uganda. It means another month away from her family. It means another month away from her five-month old baby boy. 

We often say that adoption is a perfect picture of redemption. That is true, but we view adoption as a beautiful and exciting thing when often it isn't. Adoption is VERY expensive and VERY messy.

Likewise, the story of redemption isn't a pretty one. God adopted us as His children, but to do so He had to give His only Son to die for us. His Son died a bloody, ugly, unfair death in our place so that we might be forgiven of our sins. Our redemption was VERY expensive - it cost our Savior His life. Our redemption was VERY messy - it meant our Savior would die a bloody death on the cross. 

Here is the good news. Both have a happy ending. Because of the suffering of Jesus, we were reconciled with our Father, and adopted as His own. Likewise, Rose will one day be reconciled with her new family and called their own. Adoption truly is a perfect picture of redemption. 

But, Josh and Jenny still have a lot of the expensive and messy part of their journey left. 

I am asking that you dedicate some time to pray for this family; this family who has dedicated all that they are to glorify God, even when that means suffering. Pray that the next step of this process leads to the reunion of their family. And while they are trusting God to provide even though it seems impossible, pray that God provides for them financially as they are now faced with A LOT more cost than they ever could have imagined. 

Also, if you would like to give to help this family, you can do that HERE.! $1, $10, $100, $1000. Anything helps. 

Also, feel free to share this need with others. Their need is big, but so is our God who we trust will provide for them! Maybe God will use us to provide! 

xoxo, 

Jordan 

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children. And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father." 

- Galations 4:4-6

"No one said this would be easy, and it isn't."

The other day I tweeted "No one said this would be easy, and it isn't."

As I have laid in my bed sick the past two days, I desperately wished I could snap my fingers and be home. There is just something comforting about being somewhere familiar when you aren't feeling 100%.

Yesterday, to get to the doctor I had to take a boda, and then three more coming home (the last one being in the middle of a dust and rain storm. The driver got lost and seriously just dropped me off on the side of the road in the unknown). A motorcycle ride was not exactly what I usually participate in while feeling bad, but here, it is just part of life.

Today, I fought negativity as I desperately wanted to be home rather than in Africa a half a world away from the people I love. 

As I felt my fever rising I went to get a Tylenol and next to the bottle I saw an envelope that said "to my sunshine." I knew that whatever was inside was bound to make me feel better. I was right. 

It was a card my mom had given to me the day I left for Africa, and it said: 

"God made you for "such a time as this!" There is strength in obedience, hope in faithfulness, and peace when you call on His wonderful Name!

Don't let your heart and mind linger at home - focus on HIM and the beautiful boys and women that need HIM. That is where you will find the joy in the midst of pain."

Today, I am finding strength in my obedience. I am finding hope in my faithfulness. I am finding peace as I call on His wonderful Name. I am choosing to focus on Him and not the things I have always known as comfort. I am seeking Him and finding joy in the midst of [quite literally] pain.

The last part of my tweet was, 

"... but it is so sweet to know that I am right in the middle of the Lords plan!"

No, it isn't always easy, but it is always worth it. There is SO much joy knowing I am in the middle of the Lords plan, and there is so much joy seeing how he is teaching me and growing me both during the good days and the hard days.

God is so good and He is my sole source of strength, hope, peace and joy. I am thankful for opportunities to learn this and thankful for the wisdom of others to teach me this.

xoxo, 

Jordan

Missing this wise momma! 

{SERVANTHOOD}

I came to Kampala with the intentions of serving others. I came to Kampala to help teach the character of God to the people of this city. What I didn't know is that the people in this city would be teaching me the many ways my life was lacking characteristics of God. This has compelled me to post several blog entries that will hopefully help you reflect on whether your life possesses these characteristics that I have been missing. 

SERVANTHOOD: 

This is something that until recently, I thought I was good at. In fact, I think it is something that most of my generation thinks they are good at. We are the generation of "change." We do good things. We go to Africa to feed the starving children. We volunteer at the SPCA, homeless shelters, nursing homes, food-banks and Habitat of Humanity. We raise money for Relay for Life. We raise awareness for sex trafficking. We buy fair-trade and wear scarves that benefit great causes. 

Us Christians serve at church. We sign up for every event, we bring food to every social gathering, we teach Sunday school, we keep nursery, we lead bible study, and we, sometimes, put a few bucks in the offering plate. 

We think we are servants. In fact, in so many ways we are. 

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

Right before I came to Kampala, the founder of A Perfect Injustice asked me, "what are you most excited about?' I responded, "learning from you." Little did I know how much I had to learn. 

This is the woman who at 21 years old came to Africa never intending to return to America. The woman who prayed, "ok God, why do you want me here?" The woamn who only six years later is the executive director of a ministry that is changing a countless amount of peoples’ lives and a woman who daily is passionately fighting against injustice for the purpose of furthering the Kingdom of God. The woman who serves prostituted women, street children, and many, many more people who face injustice. The woman who has slept on the streets with street boys to assure her love for them, allowing them to see the love of their heavenly Father. 

That is amazing, yes... but I already knew all these things about her. In my head, that is what servanthood was. Abby has proved otherwise. 

The first day I was in Uganda, Abby had a gift for me (I came to serve her and she quickly served me). That same week she took me to lunch and encouraged me greatly. The next week (on her only day off) she invited me and many other women to her house. She had dinner cooked (WHICH WAS AMAZING), movies ready to play, and a home manicure spread out with all the works. As if that wasn't enough, she began baking us cakes. She literally served every one of us from the second we walked in until we left. 

The next week, I mentioned that I did not pack enough clothes. So, (once again, during her one day off) she took me shopping. While there, she found a shirt that she LOVED and after much convincing on my part she went and bought it. 

The following week, all those clothes I had bought (and many, many more) got stolen. She quickly called to sympathize with me (ok, this woman sees the most horrific things, yet she took the time to sympathize with stolen clothes).

The following day, she showed up with a bag of her own clothes to give to me. Included in the bag was a dress she had previously worn that I said I loved and the shirt she fell in love with that I convinced her to buy while shopping with tags still on it. 

Today, we were walking to street programs, which was quite the hike. About a mile in, it became obvious that I was struggling (when am I not?). My shoes were KILLING my feet and I literally was having a hard time even keeping them on my feet. If only you could have seen me walking up that hill. Tragic. This is when Abby stopped and refused to walk any further until I put on her shoes and let her walk in mine. 

It baffles me how a woman who is surrounded by people who desperately need to be served, takes time to serve me. It baffles me that she would take on my pain, to give me comfort. It baffles me that she gives the little time she has for herself, to serve me. 

This is servanthood. It isn't working for an awesome organization or even saving the world. Yes, these things are great and they are serving.... but servanthood is a characteristic that you possess both during these events and outside of them. It is something you seek to do daily, for everyone not just a select few. It is giving of yourself and putting everyone else above you. 

I am thankful for the example of servanthood. Not just in Abby, but in Jesus Himself. Fully God, who made himself human and came down to earth to selflessly serve His people; who took on pain for my comfort; who didn't give me a bag of new clothes, but gave me the gift of salvation. 

So, think about it again. Think about it hard. Do you posses the characteristic of servanthood? 

xoxo, 

Jordan 

Phil 2:1-4 says, "Now if you have known anything of Christ's encouragement and of his reassuring love; if you have known something of the fellowship of his Spirit, and of compassion and deep sympathy, do make my joy complete--live together in harmony, live together in love, as though you had only one mind and spirit between you. Never act from motives of rivalry or personal vanity, but in humility think more of each other than you do of yourselves. None of you should think only of his own affairs, but consider other people's interests also."

Phil 2:3-4 says, "Don't do anything from selfish ambition, or from a cheap desire to boast; but be humble towards each other, never thinking you are better than others. And look out for each other's interests, not just for your own."

Phil 2:5-8 says, "Let your attitude to life be that of Christ Jesus himself. For he, who had always been God by nature, did not cling to his privileges as God's equal, but stripped himself of every advantage by consenting to be a slave by nature and being born a man. And, plainly seen as a human being, he humbled himself by living a life of utter obedience, to the point of death, and the death he died was that of a common criminal. That is why God has lifted him to the heights, and has given him the name beyond all names."