Jesus broke out of the box I put him in.

You may have noticed that I have been posting pictures of some pretty incredibly cute kids on all sorts of social medias over the past few months. A lot of people have been asking what those pictures are all about and I believe it is time for me to share some stories, leading up to today, which was one of the most incredible mornings of my life. 

To give you a little history, my friend Bailey met a family that lives in the Edgehill projects. (The whole story can be read here and here on her blog, because there is no way that I could tell it better than she did on her blog). We started visiting the community to play with the kids, meet their families, and to start building relationships. We had no money, no name, no mission statement, and no idea what we were doing. Our sole purpose was to love on a community that is broken, and to do our part to break some of the racial, economical and social boundaries that separate communities like Edgehill and those like Belmont University across the street.

Kids planting seeds of soft grass in their park

So much has happened since then. We began playing with the kids in the park every saturday, and brought some of our friends along too. After months of getting to know these families, we hosted a back-to-school cookout for the community, where over 100 kids and their families came out to share a meal, play games, and get ready for school with awesome little backpacks and school supplies donated by the Ethos Church congregation. This all started with three or four of us that would regularly go on a Saturday, but this last weekend we had 16 volunteers who gave up their saturday to love on the kids so well. We planted grass, taught the kids about tomatoes, and gave them all a chance to share something that they are grateful for. 

Fast forward to today, September 22nd. 

One of the girls from Edgehill has been coming to Church with bailey for the last few weeks because her parents needed a babysitter. This morning, when Bailey was picking her up, some of the kids that we know well from the area asked if they could come to church too, so they all piled in the car and came along. 

The family of the boys that came is Somalian, and are devout Muslims. We have known this from the day that we met them, and it has always been a debate to us when (if ever) it would be okay to tell them about Jesus and our faith. We didn’t want to be those white rich kids from some church who come in and bring them toys and a bible and make the community hate us. We try to be a light in the community, that is the light of Jesus in us, bringing some hope and love where we could, always praying that God would somehow give us some opportunity to share Jesus with these kids  in a way way that would not offend them or their rich cultural heritage handed down by their families. 

Anyway, back to this morning… 

Ethos Church at Marathon Music Works

We filled up a massive long row of chairs got ready for worship. It was so cool to see the church welcome the kids; smiling at them and introducing themselves while seriously struggling to pronounce their beautiful African names. 

Worship started and some of the kids stayed seated. One of the boys, who is probably the most intelligent, beautiful and kind young man I have ever met, said, “Jordan, I want to see the words on the screen”. I picked him up and continued to sing the song that I knew so well. Suddenly I hear this little voice. I look at the face which is right next to mine. He was grinning from ear to ear, looking straight at the screen and singing the words “oh you bring, hope to the hopeless and light to those in the darkness”. Immediately, I started tearing up. I cannot tell you how beautiful it was. The truth is, I don’t know if I ever really thought that these kids would hear about Jesus. I wasn’t sure if I was ever going to have a chance or the courage to tell them, but in that moment, he was singing about Jesus, and he was so happy.

After the sermon, it was time for Communion. I couldn’t stop thinking about what the theological protocol is for teaching young followers of Islam about the Holy Sacrament of Communion. If you have ever been to Ethos Church in Nashville, however, you’ll know that our communion time is a set around community and sharing a meal together, while being thankful for what Jesus did for us on the cross. We sat the kids around a big round table, and got the elements. We told them that we do this because we love God, and we love each other, and this is a symbol of community and love between us and God. We then held up the bread and shared what we are thankful for. “Candy, friends, bread, juice, Jesus-” wait, what? one of our kids said that he was thankful for JESUS. are you kidding me?! Granted, he probably has little idea what he even meant by that, but hearing the name of Jesus come out of his mouth made me so happy, I cannot even explain.

Group nap time at the park

We then bought Subway, went to the park, played games, and had a 3 minute group nap time under a tree. I could never have imagined how important these kids would become to me, and how much more of an impact they could have on my life than I could ever have on theirs. 

I am overwhelmed by how good God is. Even in my weakness, my disbelief and doubt, God can use me. Looking over at all these boys who I had been praying would one day come to church, and hearing them sing to and about Jesus was an unreal experience. God is so good, so alive, and working like crazy.

Please continue to pray for all of these families and our ‘ministry’ of loving the community. Pray that we don’t put God in a box, or hinder the plans that he has for our community that are way beyond what we could ever hope or imagine. 

God is good, friends... God is good.

taking denver home...

My last Sunset in Denver, CO

As I write this, I am 38, 000 feet in the air flying back to my home city; Nashville, TN. My time in Denver has ended. This truly is a sad thought. The good news, however, is that the impact of is far from over.

At the end of each week, I, as a CSM city host, ask groups “what are you going to take home from this experience? What one thing is going to be different when you go back to your city?” During my last week as a host, I asked myself this question a lot, knowing that my own time to go home was soon approaching. There were just so many experiences, conversations and learning curves, what one thing could I possibly take home from this experience to a city that is so different to the one that I was in?

The danger in going somewhere to do “Short Term Missions” is believing that the work that you did was only in that particular city or country or area. We have to realize that there is no place that we go to do missions- Nowhere further than where we already are.

I must admit that I have been so guilty of this mindset before. When leaving South Africa, I arrived in the US with a mindset that I would one day go back to do Mission work. I did not see the opportunity of a new country and city to serve and to love people for four years. It probably took me a year living in Nashville to realize that the city I was in is my home and my (at the risk of sounding like a cheesy missionary kid) ‘mission field’!  I selfishly spent my time in college, making friends, impressing people, and spending money on things that didn’t really matter, all the while trying to figure out what it meant to live for others. I think I knew, and over time I started taking small steps toward this goal of living my life for the least.

Sybian: My first friend in Denver

While living in Denver, I felt like every aspect of life was my ‘mission field’. Not only did I get to serve and love while I was around the city with my groups, but also on my weekends and during break times. I occasionally sacrificed going out for dinner because one of my homeless friends was drunk and needed to vent about how hard life is. I sat with men sleeping on my porch in the middle of the night, offering water and what food I had inside. I helped bandage my friend Sybian’s wounds when I would rather be exploring the city. A friend and I went to spent our break at a nearby public pool, and ended up entertaining kids from one of our ministry sites that recognized us and wanted to play.

Myself and James who slept on our porch

Please understand, this is not to “toot my own horn” or boast at all, because it had nothing to do with what I did, I had just finally discovered what it meant to love people at all times, even when it is inconvenient.

So what am I taking home from my experience with CSM in Denver?

Nashville is now my Denver. I will see the people on Broadway like I saw those on Colfax. I refuse to ignore, walk past, or turn a blind eye to those in the city that suffer just because it is inconvenient to me. I commit to clothing, feeding, loving, and sharing Jesus in any way possible, whether that be volunteering with organizations, hanging out with kids in Edgehill, or talking to a stranger on the bus. 

Why? Because I am called to Nashville, it is my mission field, and I am going to live like this is true. 

A story.

I would like to tell you a story about a friend I made here in Denver. For the sake of the story, I am going to call him Ralph.

I first met Ralph at a Motel on the infamous Colfax Avenue. Many people who are homeless in Denver end up staying in grungy Motels on Colfax as it is better than the street yet only require payment for one night at a time. Ralph was homeless, and he had come to the motel for a few nights rest. He wasn’t your stereotypical homeless man at all. When I met him, Ralph was sitting on a chair outside of his room reading a book. He was completely sober, carried great conversation, and was very educated. He was probably in his late 20’s and wore khaki pants and a button-up shirt. He told us a little bit about himself, and how he was trying so hard to find a job to get off the streets and out of the Motels. A job for him wasn't coming easy, and he seemed a little demoralized about it. He told me that most nights he slept and ate at the Denver Rescue Mission. We listened, empathized, and prayed with him, truly believing that God could find him a job. You could tell he was a little bit ashamed of his situation, and weary of what we were doing there, but still grateful for the prayer and burritos that we were able to offer him.

The next monday I went to volunteer at the Rescue Mission downtown. As I was handing out meals, I saw a man that looked strikingly familiar, but I just couldn’t figure out from where. We stared at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, and eventually he said, “hey, you’re the guy that I met on Colfax!” I suddenly realized that our paths had crossed again. For the next 6 or 7 weeks, I saw Ralph at the rescue mission every time I was there. Always looking clean and sober, quite happy to stand in line for a meal in one of the toughest parts of the city. 

Last thursday Ralph walked through the line to get breakfast as he always did. This time, however, he looked different. Ralph was wearing a suit! A really nice pinstriped grey suit, with a new shiny white shirt. He was cleanly shaven, with a sophisticated haircut and a new confidence about him. Slightly taken back, I asked him why he looked so spiffy that day. “I got a job!!” he exclaimed. "A great job working with clients of a steel manufacturing company." He was so happy, satisfied, and ready to take on the world, so different from the man who I had met just weeks before. 

It is an incredible thing to see prayers answered. As far as I know, Ralph isn’t even a Christian.

I can only continue to pray for Ralph, and hope that the friendship, prayer and love that I have been able to show him over the last few months will somehow speak of the love that Christ has for him. I hope and pray that after I leave Denver in a few weeks, someone else may enter his life; someone who continually tells him about Jesus and prays for him. Someone that will have the joy of hearing him talk about that time that God provided him with a job, and a strange guy with dreads befriended him at a Motel on Colfax Avenue.

reconcile.

Looking down Colfax.
Denver, CO

I have been in this city for a little over a month now. I really can’t believe how quickly it has gone by. I feel at home walking down Colfax, the “Boulevard of broken dreams”, I’ve driven the prayer tour countless times, and have enjoyed more meals at ethnic restaurants than my growing waste line would care to remember. I have had my hand (quite literally) in thousands of meals given to Denver's homeless. I've had the opportunity to sort text books being shipped off to Africa, and even help plant fields of vegetables that, when harvested, will go to people who don’t have access healthy produce.  

All of these things are wonderful, and I am so blessed to continue to have these experiences with CSM. However, when I am asked what the favorite part of my job is, none of these things seem to make the list. So what is the best part of the job for this City Host?

Watching reconciliation happen.

Let me explain… 

Being born and raised in South Africa, reconciliation is a word that has been close to my heart my whole life.  I was born just two years before the democracy of my country was, and I grew up with the first generation of people born free and equal by the law. Since 1994, my country has been working tirelessly to break fresh stereotypes of anger and hurt left behind from Apartheid. It has not been easy for the country’s leaders. So much seems to rest on their shoulders, but the place I see reconciliation most in South Africa is not in large-scale government attempts or in politics, it is in the people. This is not a South African reality, but a universal reality. In Denver, not only is there a great need for racial reconciliation, but also reconciliation between the rich and the poor, the young and the old, the marginalized and the included. 

Reconciliation doesn't happen when the rich feed the poor, it happens when we all get on the same level, sit on the ground against a tree stump and talk about life's joys and hardships. That is why Jesus sat at the well with the Samaritan woman and went to dinner with tax collectors. Jesus set this example of reconciliation for us as something that we must all play a part in.

Being with CSM, I have been able to watch those walls of separation break down. I get to see the story being changed;

When a 15 year old girl calls a homeless person ‘my friend’. When a young student quietly sits and listens to the entire life story of a 68 year old man living on the street. When a group of teenagers stand in a circle in a McDonalds, hold hands, and pray with a man that most would simply ignore.

I have seen students hearts changed by these experiences, and I have seen my homeless friends with joy on their faces because of the mere fact that somebody listened.

These are the moments that impact lives and bring reconciliation. These are the stories that will change the future of our churches, our countries, and our world.

I want to leave you with a quote from one of my heroes, Desmond Tutu. When speaking of the role of Christians in reconciling our world, he says:

"We are made for goodness. We are made for love. We are made for friendliness. We are made for togetherness. We are made for all of the beautiful things that you and I know. We are made to tell the world that there are no outsiders. All are welcome: black, white, red, yellow, rich, poor, educated, not educated, male, female, gay, straight, all, all, all. We all belong to this family, this human family, God's family."

And that, friends, is the best part of my job.

thanks hey durbs...

I think I’ve expressed how I feel about the word ‘home’. I’ve also expressed my love for the continent of Africa, Durban, my family, and my life there. But this December holiday was different. The old saying of 'you don't know what you got til its gone' has never been so real to me. Coming back was even better than I ever expected. Everything about the last 3 weeks was perfect, and I hope to capture a bit of my time here in this blog.

The excitement of arriving home came to one ginormous climax as I looked through the glass arrival doors of King Shaka International Airport to see signs and faces. The best signs I've ever seen at an airport welcome... ever, and people that I love the most. people I missed and voices I had not heard. It was all too much. There is no feeling quite like it. it was the best welcome home I could've asked for. thanks guys!

Once all the hugs went around and the hello’s were exchanged, we settled down and headed for the beach. There really is no better thing to do on a Durban December day. Did I burn? yes. Was it worth it? uh, of course. The beach was packed with friends and strangers (vaalies). I was carted off to a friends house and hung out there for a bit. The lack of sleep was starting to kick in, and my body was tired. it was 7pm and I decide that I was way too tired to do anything, and jet lag was attacking my system. The plan: go home and sleep. The four friends that were with me invited themselves over for dinner… I stumble into my house extremely tired and see this. Yup, I have the best friends in the world.

A night of Pizza and cooldrink (pop/soda) made with real sugar and not high fructose corn syrup with a group of my greatest friends. what’s better?

Three weeks later, on my last day in Durban, I look back and have a hilights package of the best weeks I can remember. Here is just a taste of some of those hilights along with some photo’s (instagrams)…

 

 Drinking tea outside on a couch while starring at the view of the ocean in front of me. 

Finally getting to be with the Livesy’s and visiting Mike’s memorial. love and miss you bro- so much!

 local SA soccer match - Ama-zulu vs Kaizer Chiefs in the worlds most amazing stadiums. Nothing quite like it

Christmas down time with my parents and a perfect Collins-tradition styled Christmas dinner. relaxed, lounged and enjoyed Durban summertime.

South Africa vs Sri Lanka Cricket match!

 Boxing day traditions with my cool ballies. (the coolest)

Enjoying good music with the indie kids at Unit 11’s last gig. these are local heroes: Gangs of Ballet.

Eating the best indian food at House of Curries. with cool friends, of course.

beach!!

Making another t-shirt with our trusty old sewing machine

African Sky Sunsets

New Years party in westville with old friends.

On that note, an incredible home-made firework display, where one misfired firework nearly killed me.

Jumping off the pier during the first sunrise of 2012 into a beautiful and glassy indian ocean.

Lunch with friends at my house, followed by good old bronze beach and a Dear Reader gig in true indie-durban fashion.

Maaaaates

Hanging with the biggest gangster I know. (not really, but its fine.)

Farewell on the roof of The Royal Hotel

Durban Durban Durban. Even with all your flaws, messy roads, terrible internet speeds and buckets of sweat that you draw from my body, I still cannot think of a reason not to love you. Thank you city, old friends and new friends for the most incredible December Holiday of my life. I really pray that the memories I made in these 3 weeks will last me until next December when we see each other again.

Cheers for now.


Jordan

Blessed - A crash course of my first semester

I have a friend who explains everything good that happens as a blessing. for example, “I had such a good conversation with _______ today. it was such a blessing!”. This was a little confusing to me at first, but now I’m starting to enjoy it. I think all of us (particularly me) don’t see every good thing that happens as a blessing from God. Instead we just see it as life. Something good happened, and that’s it. So upon reflect on this first 6 months in the US, I can’t help but say that I have so many blessings. Ridiculous amounts. In fact, I’d say I’m over blessed, which is a blessing in itself. So I want to attempt to share some of what’s been happening in my life from the eyes of someone who sees life as a blessing.

Firstly- so blessed to be at Belmont and blessed with an accent that helped me meet people quickly.

A few weeks into being at College, I realized that I was going to have to start making a whole new group of solid friends. A new support group, and new accountability group. The beginning was a struggle because I didn’t have much community. There was a really hard week or two during this time, where I had probably the first mini-meltdown in my life. Yup, I was homesick to the max- There’s a whole blog about it. To add to this, things often reminded me of Mike, who had died a month or two prior while I was away in the States. I was dealing with all of this alone, and my friends thousands of miles away. it was a struggle to say the least.

enter Pembroke Hall…

Pembroke is a dorm (res) at Belmont. They’re known for their community. Pembroke has a tradition where the whole hall dresses up ridiculously and goes to support the women’s volleyball team (which isn’t a hugely watched sport). I started going to these games and slipping in. I made a few friends from the group and decided that I wanted to move there at some point. Enter Sam, Jesse, Asher and Brook: Four oddly different guys with odd names. The first time hung out with these guys, we played racquetball (the american version of Squash). In typical Jordan fashion, I over-competitively went for an impossible shot and ended up diving into the wall head first and being semi-concussed. first impressions right?

Starting friendships with pembro’s was easy. They convinced me to go camping with them over a break. I went along somewhat reluctantly. Little did I know that building friendships would be so easy with these new friends who were as obsessed with Lord of the Rings as I was. 9 of us were on a man-weekend of epic proportions and each took a name of one of the Fellowship from Lord of the Rings. I was given Gandalf (naturally) and we were the fellowship. I realized that this was the community and brotherhood that I needed.

Since then, I have taught them as much South African slang as their minds can take, and everyone now says my name how I say it (with an accent) so that it’s different to other Jordans on campus. Riley says 'kiff, bru' more than I do and every day I am reminded how blessed I am to have these friends. It was God’s plan and God made it happen. He turned that difficult week into something great.



To add to all this, I've been so blessed to have my boet Josh and his wife Heidi so close to me. So close that I was able to be at the hospital the night that their son Jonah entered the world. I’ve selfishly wanted a nephew since the day they got married, and I was there the night that he arrived. crazy! Spending time with the 3 of them has been a massive blessing and even better than I thought.
Thanksgiving came around and my entire family came to Nashville! It was the reunion of all reunions- our first thanksgiving altogether since 1999. Having family to give advice and to love on me for a week was the exactly what I needed.

Right now (as I write this) I am in the air heading home for the first time in 6 months.  what a blessing! The anticipation has been building for weeks. I started counting down the days 2 months ago, and its finally here.

So there’s that… My year of blessing. count them, because there may be more blessings than you realize.

A letter to Home...

The time has come. Yes, I've been living almost 4 months in the United States, and I have finally started feeling homesick. I was mostly in denial, thinking I’m just not a ‘homesick person’, but alas, the sensation has hit me lately and there isn’t much I can do about it. This so-called 'sickness' isn’t necessarily sadness. For me, its a thought process.

I guess the first time I noticed it was when the Springboks were getting their big sendoff to the world cup in New Zealand. I was in class, thinking about the tweets I’d read and the video’s I’d seen with all the thousands of people cheering for the boys. Memories from 2007, and last years World cup flooded back to me and I started to miss my country. I told the person next to me that I missed home. she said, “yes I know. I can tell by the flag you drew and the lyrics of your national anthem that you just wrote out on your notepad”. I looked down. there it was: the SA flag with the worlds of the anthem, Nkosi Sikalel’ iAfrika. I even added in a little bit of ‘Shosholoza’. Caught redhanded.

I think the rugby has made me miss home more than anything. Sometimes I tell my roommates or people around me in-depth team news about the Springboks just because I NEED to tell someone that Patrick Lambie is starting, or that Australia lost to Ireland. They just nod and pretend to be interested (which I appreciate). I guess its just not the same. not the same as hearing it on the street, on the radio and from our pastor on stage at church on a sunday!

Watching the boks play and singing the national anthem cheers me up a little, even though I usually watch alone from a dodgey online stream on a small pixelated screen. People say I wear South Africa shirts like every day. I also have my flag on my wall, and my scarf either around my neck, or on the side of my bed. (thanks to Siya and Damien for that one!) But this missing rugby has made me realise the small things that I miss about home. 

First and foremost, I miss my family. I miss my friends. my little carpet-dogs. I miss walking into a home. that is mine. that I can lounge around wherever I want, eat whatever is there, and watch as much South African and European sport as I’d like. I miss braai’s with family and braai’s with friends. I miss the smell of that boerewors cooking with the sound of Hugh Bladen screaming “STEFAN TERBLANCHE” in the background. I miss home-made meals. (no, “home-made” meals in a box don’t count). chutney, and its flavor of Simba chips. Meat that tastes like real meat, Coke and fanta orange -made with real sugar, BILTONG, milo cereal, R5 bunny chow.

I miss hearing different languages and that wonderfully bland thick durban accent. I miss being able to talk to car guards, security guards and petrol attendants. I miss seeing the ocean anytime I drive home or to church. I miss driving on the left-hand side of the road in a manual car. having said that, I miss driving. I miss Grace and playing in that awesome band. I miss saying ‘howzit bru’ and ‘cheers’. I miss the South Africa handshake (trust me, there is one).  I miss paying for things in Rands. I miss beautiful South African children. 

The list goes on and on. I know some of the mentioned ones are random, but I think it explains my point… 

I miss home.

I guess the old cliche, “home is where the heart is” is totally true, and I've finally come to understand it now.

I hope this blog doesn’t sound depressing, that was not the idea. I want you to know that I am loving life, my university and I love being here. God is so good, and every day I remember how blessed I am to be here. Even in all the joy reflected through facebook status’s about my great life, I miss you all. a lot. This is reflected in the fact that I have started counting down to the day I come home Christmas. Under 3 months now! also, I watched Invictus tonight. I had chills for most of the movie. I am glad I have been taught how important home is- It will make my 3 week visits mean so much more.

Lastly, I'm pretty sure facebook has rejected me as a South African. I never see anyone in my news feeds and I'm pretty sure you don't see me. I do love hearing South African voices on Skype calls though, so feel free to call anytime!

I love and miss you all. Don’t forget about me! 

Jordan

adventures of USA: Phase two

Can you believe that I have been in the United States for almost 3 months already?? no, neither can I. It has been a whirlwind. So much has happened in life in the past few months, I don’t even know where to start.

there are two times in my life where I can say I’ve felt frozen in shyness. the first was when I was merely a kid, and asked to go the bathroom in swaziland when 300 schoolkids -who had never seen a white boy- enthusiastically mobbed me and took me to a long drop.(needless to say, I got there and told them 'I don't need the bathroom anymore'. the second time was the day I arrived at springhill. No joke. I was overwhelmed by everything. I always saw myself as pretty wild and energetically crazy, but these people were 500 times crazier. I walked into the Dining hall and I felt like a kid in the movies on his first day at school. totally small and lost and overwhelmed. 3 food stations with different hot food options, a salad bar, a sandwich bar, and a couple of desert options. not to mention chocolate milk, coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and fruit juice all "on-tap". Completely freaked out by this new world, I sat at a table and quietly ate a small sandwich. not because I wasn’t hungry, but because I my body was in shock mode. 

Now I sit at the end of the summer with friendships that I believe will last for years. I feel like that dining hall is my home and I attack that foodline with intent. I’ve stood on stage dressed like a pirate with a South African flag and proudly danced to ‘waka waka’ by Shakira. I’ve lead kids to the Lord, and had some incredible conversations with young men about life and their struggles. So what has happened from that first day of camp training to today? 

I don’t really know. Yes, the 'making friends' part isn’t so difficult when you have a really cool South African accent, but that isn’t it. all I know is that I have been used by God, and God has used others in my life. I feel such a connection to this camp, the people here, and the work that is going on.

I guess I have really learned what it means to rely on God. To fit in to a new environment, for strength, and to trust him for what I need. Lets be honest, 22 hours a day, 5 days a week in a new country with frustrating pre-teens isn’t easy! I’ve relied a lot on God, and the people around me to get me through those tough times.

A few weeks ago, I got a skype call that one of my close friends from South Africa was killed. I thought I was done. there was no way I could put up with kids for a whole week with no personal space to break down and wrestle with God. And not only did God comfort me through that pain, he gave me the joy of being an area director that very week,! an incredible week in a new position at camp. Along with that was hanging out with some awesome people who really helped me out and prayed for and with me. I’ve just realized how God provides what we need at those critical moments. and I am so blessed. 

Sometimes relying on God for what you need is difficult to grasp, but it's the only way. I feel like coming to the states and following that call has been so rewarding. I don’t know what the rest of my america journey’s will hold, and heading to Nashville NEXT WEEK (!!!!!!!!) for college is incredibly scary. I feel like starting there will be somewhat similar to starting here at camp, but I’m looking forward to it, because following God has been incredibly rewarding so far.

In my last post, I spoke about being used by God, and expecting to be used by Him. He succeeded in that. I learnt a LOT. If I summed up phase 2 of my journey in one sentence... When things in your life get completely changed up, cling to God, and he will provide.  What more could I ask for in a summer?

I miss you all!

and Mike, I love and miss you bru. so much.

adventures of USA: Phase one

Greetings! Hi. Howzit. 'sup. ja
I have been in the US for 11 days... It has been a great 11 days. its weird to think not long ago, I was in Durban; sitting on bronze beach with good friends and swimming in the warm, salty Indian ocean. Now I am in Michigan. With a beautiful clean saltless ocean (okay fine, its a lake) that people claim has waves, none of which reached above my shins.

Here I sit at the end of “Phase one” of my journey. Phase one is what I called my ‘holiday phase’. I spent some time in wonderful Chicago- and even though it was raining most of the time, we did some cool touristy things for the long weekend before I got on a train to Michigan where I’ve been able to spend time with family and help out at their church on the weekend!

Being a tourist has been fun. I'd say I've done some pretty cool things. I've eaten some good ‘local’ food, seen cool sights, watched a live baseball game at Wrigley field, snuck into an NFL football stadium, been up a 96 story building, took pics at 'the bean', jumped in a river and a lot of other rad things.

These things have made the past 10 or 11 days fun- but the adventure has been a lot to do with the people. Usually when I come to the states, I shadow my parents and do whatever they do. But this time I have met and hung out with people (closer to my own age) that I have a lot in common with.

Day/Morning number 1 in the US I spent giving clothes to needy people in the Chicago area. Since my body does not have the word ‘jetlag’ in its internal vocabulary, I went along with a friend and helped out at the church. It was so interesting to hear these peoples stories, and to learn that Africa does not have the only poor people in the world- and Africa is not the only place that needs Jesus to intervene, and people to share love. 

Spending a weekend with my cousin and his friends in Grand Rapids, Michigan was pretty interesting. I taught them the meaning of a ‘bring-and-braai’ and tried to explain why I call girls ‘bru’-but they taught me a lot too. Not only do they have a community of young Christians living simple lives together as a family, but they have loved their neighbourhood as their friends and family and are spreading the love of Christ to their little ghetto-town! I felt like I was in the ‘blue like jazz’ book or something.

On my last day in GR we took a kid with us on our adventures to the river. 5 year old Meechie. (I have no idea how you spell his name). Meechie comes from a really tough home-life, and.... had never been swimming!! WHAT?! so we took him out for a day of fun. He was going crazy. It was so great to see a kid experience so much joy out of things we take for granted!

and yes, my cousin matt took me dumpster diving. (google it). so maybe I was petrified of getting 'caught', and we didn’t find much in the dumpsters, but it was an interesting and good bonding experience none-the-less. 

So what have I learnt here in the first few weeks in the US? that people are pretty much the same everywhere. We all need love, we all need a friend, and we all need Jesus. I feel content about being here because I have realised that I can make an impact wherever I am, not just in the typical ‘missionary’ areas of the world. I miss Africa, but am excited for what I can learn and who I can be in these phases of my life.

Now begins phase two. tomorrow morning I drive up to SpringHill Camps in Michigan! (Along with my awesome film camera that my cousin gave to me for the summer! [what a good ou]) I will be working at SpringHill Summer Camps which is just an hour or two away from where I am now. if you were to ask me how I’m feeling, I’m slightly nervous about it all, seeing as I will literally know no one, but really excited! I will do my best to keep my jord-in-a-blog friends up to date with whats happening.

God Speed my friends
cheers

Africa, I will be back...

I cannot believe that the day of my departure is really almost here... It feels like I was just saying ‘Im leaving next year’ then, ‘I’m leaving in 2 months’ and now ‘goodbye. I’m leaving on thursday’... The last few weeks have been crazy! that’s pretty much the only way to describe it. Amongst all the terrible goodbye’s, there have also been some great times. great times with friends, with family, and my Grace Youth family. I’m so grateful for those moments! I guess it starting to hit me. I am going... forever. or for now?

I'm sure you saw my last post about the Watoto Choir. (pronounced. wa-toe-toe. not why-toe-toe, or wa-tooo-tooo! ha!) So since I wrote that post, I got connected with the organizers of the tour. Totally a God thing. And basically I said to the ladies in charge that I will do everything and anything they need me to do- JUST to be near these choir and spend some time with them. I started off by being a security guard at a merchandise table! Me? security guard? I know, right!

I was honestly like a star stuttered fan who would do anything just to be near the kids. I would offer to carry boxes to the bus, in a hope that I would have to put the box IN the bus, and thus getting to see the kids... Eventually, I didn’t have to celebrity stalk them anymore- I got to meet all of them! listen to their stories, play games, drive them around and just be in their presence. If I wrote all that is on my mind about these kids, you would be here reading this for days. no kidding. every little moment has become a story, every funny line from one of the little guys is worth a long laugh, and every cute smile from a favourite kid is a paragraph. I am now known as 'uncle jorda' (apparently there is no 'n' in my name) who is the brother of 'Aunty Carita' (because we have the same kind of hair!)

This is about to get very deep and soppy [I apologise]... I’ve seen a glimpse of Jesus in these kids and the adults around them. I have experienced love from them that I don’t think they themselves know that they are capable of giving! They have affected me in the deepest places in my heart. Kids who may have had no parents, no hope and nothing to give, have given me everything.

It’s really hard to explain what has changed in me, but one thing I can explain: My passion for Africa, and for kids- has been renewed, revived, revitalized, resurrected, reinvigorated (I can't pick one). Even though I wish I could move to Uganda right now to be with these kids and others like them, I understand that going to the US is what I believe God’s calling is for me right now. and the great thing is that I know I will be back! The passion for Africa and the unloved has grown in me HUGELY over the past 2 weeks, and I thank these incredible kids for the role they played!

Saying goodbye to them was heart-breaking. I honestly don’t know if I will ever see them again. But I know that God has put them in my life over the last few weeks for a reason, and that is: to remind me why I love Africa, and to help me never forget that Africa is my home, and that God-willing... I WILL be back!

Let it ooze...

Last night at Grace Family Church, the incredibly awesome and talented Watoto Children's choir gave us a bit of a performance. When I say, a bit of a performance, I mean, they blew us away! If I were to make up a language, I would make the word ‘watoto’ mean ‘ENERGY’ because WOW these kids had a lot of it! The biggest smiling faces, the craziest dance moves and most energetic facial expressions I think I've ever seen. Did I mention this was their 5th performance in less than 24 hours? No matter, because when looking at the stage, all you see is JOY.

All of the children live at the Watoto Village in Uganda and each has lost one or both of their parents to violence in Uganda, AIDS or poverty. they were abandoned and alone, and seemingly had no hope in life. Each child has their own unique story of pain and hardships that they have lived - and I can tell you that there are no nice pretty childhood stories.

On Friday night when the choir arrived at our Church to relax and practice, I got to speak to a few of the boys from Watoto. I told them they were famous, and I wanted to be like them! they humbly disagreed and in said they were not at all famous and in fact I was famous. we laughed... In an attempt to continue the ‘famous’ topic of conversation, I asked a question. I said ‘who is the most famous person in the world to you? who is your favourite celebrity?’... I was expecting an answer like Chris Brown or some pop star that these kids might have heard. Instead 10-year-old  Ronald looked at me, and without any hesitation, in his beautiful accent he replies... ‘God’.

God is the only thing on these kids’ minds! He is really all that matters to them! Because through some incredible people at Watoto village, God has rescued them from their despair and given them life and hope. Now they are traveling the continent sharing their story. Boldly speaking to crowds and saying that Jesus is their saviour and their friend, singing worship songs to their God in front of large crowds. They don’t hang on to their past. they aren’t affected by their rough stories and don’t get interviewed on Carte Blanche. Why? They have found Jesus. They have hope! And despite their past, they know they are safe and loved.

I realised that the Joy that I saw in their faces was all Jesus. His love was ooozing out of them. and they sang to him with all they have.

It just made me realise what an impact that one person can have by merely living out God’s plan and calling. Not only are the kids lives changed, but they in turn make huge impact on the people that they get to sing to around the world (including me).

This gave a me a fresh reminder that we can each make an impact wherever we are. and I know that even though I’m going to Michigan to minister to a bunch of rich kids from a whole different world, I can still make an impact on their lives. because in actual fact, its not me making an impact. its the love of Jesus oozing out of me that can make the change.

“It is Jesus that has given me back my life... So I sing to Him”

Check out all that the watoto village is doing at www.watoto.com
If you’re in Durban, they have a partner village which is doing incredible things too! www.liv-village.com/home

Thank you to Watoto for coming to Durban and impacting us!

I don't understand...

I love knowing someones mind. to somehow get inside their head and figure out what they’re thinking- to be able to read their feeling and emotions. Especially the woman-kind... (but that’s a whole different blog!)

what about getting into God’s 'head'? I know we try! all the time! that’s why people write books and blogs and make nooma dvd’s and give hour-long sermons. We want to get to know God more, and we want to figure out what he’s about. in order to figure out what he’s about, we try to know what he’s thinking...

The greatest thing about God is... He isn’t an equation. He isn’t a section in a maths text book that I can just work out on a piece of paper and then understand! You can’t put him in a box. you can’t figure him out!

You see, if we could figure him out, then we would know everything he knows, and if we knew everything that he knows, that would make us equal to him- which would make US God and therefore we wouldn’t need God. But we do need God and we can’t be equal to him and we can’t understand him! Thats why HE is God and we aren't! Get it?

We can always get to know God more than we do right now, but we can never fully understand him.

Yes God tells us a lot about himself and his plans for us in the bible, but not everything. This is why I don’t like people who try to predict God. like the end times. I think God doesn’t give us a date for a reason! he wants us to realise that we can’t know everything because he is God and we’re not, and we have got to be ready, and trust that he has it under control and he has our best interest at heart.

The point where trying to figure out God becomes unhealthy, is the point at which we think we have figured him out!

I don’t know why God does things, and I love that! I don’t know whats coming next, and its exciting! The world could ‘end’ while you’re reading this, or in two thousand years time. I might have an awesome 2011 or the worst year of my life... but all I know is that I have a God who loves me, and he’s a God that I can trust!

If God had facebook, and then I failed...

Last Friday was a sad day for South African citizens. yes, our beloved national cricket team, the protea’s, bowed out of the Cricket World Cup. They failed. Even thought they promised us that this world cup would be different. They choked! again

Straight after cricket I went on facebook. yes, of course I did. We love posting our reactions to sport on facebook- most status's looked something like this:  “CHOKERS. YOU SUCK PROTEA’S”... “That is why I don’t support South African Cricket”... “worst captain ever! We can’t even win an easy game!”... Now I’m not getting into those reactions, because, we all know how I feel about what it means to ‘support’ your team. Something else interested me in all of this...

One of my friends wrote a similar status. I challenged her with it and she made an interesting comment:

“I didn't give up on them, I am saying they aren’t performing and it upsets me- like when i sin, even tho God loves and forgives me, it still upsets him!”

Wow, suddenly a status about cricket has brought up an interesting debate about God’s grace ! Love it!
I thought about this long and hard, and what she said was true. We do mess up, and God is disappointed in our sin, because he loves us.

But lets just say God had a facebook account. His name is GOD. and he has something like 3 billion friends. He loves me and supports me. and I fail. what would he make his status?

Would he say, ‘JORDAN YOU SUCK!!’... ‘CHOKER!!!’... ‘so typical! one moment you promise me you wont mess up again, and the next moment you do! Ha! its pathetic really’.... ?

My opinion? ... Thats not what he would say. When people let us down, our initial reaction is anger. bitterness. and yes, disappointment too, but this disappointment turns in to anger anyway, we cant really escape it. because we’re human.

But the amazing thing about God is that his disappointment is out of love for us. He is saddened, but always loves us anyway, and doesn’t resent us for turning our back on him. He forgives us. and takes us back immediately, even though he knows we will fail again. and again. and again.

That is what makes God amazing.

Hebrews 8:12 says “And I will forgive their wickedness,
and I will never again remember their sins.”

As human beings, there is nothing more awesome than the fact that God won’t hold our ‘chokers tag’ against us.

this is the beauty of grace!


(Special thanks to Caryn for posting that comment, and encouraging me to blog about it . )

Hi, God...

The world is consumeristic. We are selfish beings. We want. we need. we want more. we need more. We always have more than we need... and then we get more. ‘I have something cool, but I want whats cooler.’ Our consumeristic nature has become a rash on our generation, and has entered the very fibre of our society. On top of this, I think we unknowingly and far too easily slip into this consumeristic mindset with God...

Lets be honest for a second. Everybody prays when they need/want something. Whether its help in a situation, or supernatural intervention. I totally understand this, because, I do it too! Its all too easy to pray when you’re desperate. Sometimes we see God as a lifeline. A genie in a bottle. A wish-granter that is there to make our lives more comfortable and easy. And then if God doesn’t answer prayers, we get angry at him. Pretty normal cycle for both Christ followers and people who don’t consider themselves ‘practicing Christians’.

Since Friday, when the earthquake and tsunami hit Japan, #PrayforJapan has been a trending topic on twitter. (If you’re not on twitter, you should be. get with it. its awesome) That means that a VERY large percentage of the Social Networking world (literally millions of people) are tweeting about praying for Japan. I’m sure you’ve seen it around: every celebrity, president, and commoner has said something about ‘our thoughts and prayers go to Japan’...

This got me thinking... something terrible happens and suddenly the world in interested in prayer? I sometimes wonder what God is thinking in all this. I actually have no idea. But if I was God, listening to the voices of a world that loves to beat me down and hate my people, I’d probably say something like, ‘oh. So now you want to speak to me???!’... Thankfully, I am not God.

We give God so little of our time, and yet we expect Him to answer our every plea and fulfill our every desire.

Instead of making myself feel guilty about being a consumerist and ‘not praying enough’, I've tried to counter my consumeristic-ness [yes, I just made that a word]. IDEA: Every time we feel the need to pray for something out of ‘God I need this’ or ‘God, please’ (whether its personal or for something like the people of Japan or New Zealand) try spend more time in prayer than just asking for things. I started to realize how much I ask of God, and how little time I actually give him.

Don’t misread this: My heart really does go out to those in Japan, and prayer is HUGE in this situation! All of us really should be in prayer for them as often as we think about it. God answers prayer, but he also loves spending time with us. (as weird as that sounds)

I believe that our relationship with God could be so much more if we gave him more time than the 30 seconds it takes to ask him for help!

'Coach, please can you tie my shoelace?'

Coaching grade 2’s how to play the very intricate game of cricket has its ups and downs. Realistically, as far as the cricket goes, the kids are pretty terrible. often in the 45 minute practices they just want me to throw the ball at them and see if they catch it... because catching is everyone grade 2’s favourite part of cricket (even though 80 percent of the balls land on the ground). However, There is more to this job than just teaching them how to play. The part that is most interesting and entertaining is listening to what they say and the way they see the world.

I’ll get back to that...

The days when I’m not with my legendary grade 2’s I coach a team of 14 year olds. Quite a difference! In fact, last week I coached 8 year olds, 11 year olds, 13 year olds as well as my 14-year old team. So I’ve had a pretty good stretch of ages. Each stage of their lives is so different, and they speak/act/think very differently. There is one thing though, one common thread that I see in all of them.

The little ones (grade 2’s) want to learn how to tie their shoelaces, get a real bat and play cricket with a hard ball. The 11 year olds want to get taller. the 13 year olds want to get stronger and have deeper voices, and the 14 year olds want to have a girlfriend... Can you find the common desire? They all want to be big(ger).

They all want to be in the next stage of life thats just beyond their reach, or is in their reach, but something that for some reason beyond their control, they can’t have.

The truth is, we all want something else. Something more then what we are right now. Something we could be. Or our dreams for the future. I personally wish I was famous. you know, a drummer- rocking out for packed stadiums of 80 thousand people, with people running after me and fight for my drum sticks and begging for my autograph... lets not get stuck on details, but you get the picture...

I’m not saying these dreams for the future are wrong or impossible... maybe you will see me in an interview on E! channel, or writing a facebook status that gets fifteen thousand likes... but today- that is not me. When we allow ourselves to get sucked in to what we wish we had, or want one day, we miss the now. We miss whats happening around us.

Maybe you wish you were out of school. Maybe you wish you had a SWEET job at company that paid better. Maybe you wish your kids would grow up and move out, or  you wish you had that retirement home on the beach where the sound of the ocean drowns out the real world. We have to keep those dreams for the future, but not let them control our minds.

Whichever stage of life we’re in, we have got to enjoy it. and just live it! What I have learnt most from these little guys is simple:

When we are more worried about tying our shoelaces, getting bigger or having a girlfriend: we miss out on simply enjoying the grade 2 cricket happening around us.

Gap Life

the wonderful gap year. its a craze. I’m telling you. everyone's doing it!

I see my self as a relatively experienced gap-year-taker. My gap year actually turned out to be a gap 18 months. sweet huh? well. yes and no. So I decided to compile a short list of great gap year tips and things you should know when entering this endeavor. For those of you that already started your year, use this stuff. even if you’re studying but living at home... its a whole new world, and a new lifestyle.

1. connect to a local church- and stay there! this is huge. (and this applies to anyone who just started varsity too) leaving high school when everything is easy and spoon-fed by youth and youth leaders is one thing, but being on your own spiritually is a whole new one. Don’t let yourself get distracted and pull away from your church or your christian mates. Stay there! I promise you, being plugged into a church will make your year a lot easier, and will provide that accountability so that you don’t become a first year fader.

2. Get busy- Do something! I’m not talking just about your studies or job that you’ve got for your gap year, but do some new stuff. You’re going to have a lot of different spare time, and rather than sitting on facebook all day every day, do something interesting. Get a hobby. like, start a blog.(ha!) or learn a language. or get involved in something at church or in your community. Don’t just sit around. It’s the worst! You end a day or a week thinking , ‘well that was a waste!’

3a. Keep thinking about the next year. This is a big thing I learnt! Most of us take gap years because we aren’t exactly sure what we want to do or study. And that’s a great reason. However, while you’re in your gap year, you need to be thinking about the future. Try stuff and see where your passions are- look at your options for the year ahead. get little experiential jobs or things to do! be proactive . That way, you won’t get to December still having NO idea what's next...

3b. At the same time, live in the now. Don’t let the future stress you out. keep it on your mind, but just enjoy the time you have to have fun ! Stressing is for later ... 3a and 3b are a balance, but its possible to be both

4. Make the most of it . Do as much cool stuff as you can. be wise with money. save it, but also spend it on having fun. doing crazy stuff. make new friends. go places. It will just make your gap year that much more memorable at the end of it all.

5. Lastly, Be ready to grow. honestly I've seen more growing up in myself and my mates than ever. its fast and furious. And at the end of the year you'll look back and see how much you've changed.

Well, for those still in school and not sure about after-school life, I highly recommend the gap year (or 18 months... or gap life. whatever you want to call it.)
You will grow, be challenged and have exuberant amounts of fun! and at the end of it all, you will be ready to take on the school books again after a healthy 12-month rest.

light.

Just think how much of our world revolves around light . Ok yes, the earth literally does revolve around a light-source called the sun... But this is figuratively speaking.

Sunlight brings life. It makes things grow, and makes life happen. But not only is light something that we cannot live without, its something of great beauty and mystery. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy watching the sun set over the ocean or rise over the mountains. what about fire... I could stare at flames forever. The light of a huge bonfire or even a tiny candle is mesmerizing! What about those photographs with the perfect lighting that just creates a mood to the image that is simply unexplainable. The source that gives humans that bronze skin tone they desire. Sunny days make life more fun, and the light of a new day can even bring people hope.

The bible speaks a lot about light. Jesus is referred to as light in the darkness and the bible (the 'word') is referred to as a light to our path. In fact, the word ‘light’ is written over 300 times in most versions of the bible! Why? I almost feel like the analogy gets old after a while. We all understand that we can’t live in the dark? Yes, we know we need light to see, or we will trip, fall into a hole in Ballito, or walk into a pole or something. (none of which I personally have done before... obviously). But is this the only meaning of the analogy?

Here comes a thought I had the other morning while enjoying a Durban sunrise.

I wonder if walking in the light is more than just being able to see. What if we didn’t only think of Jesus, 'the light’ as something that helps us see in the dark, but rather something with beauty. something that can hold our attention for hours at a time. something that makes things grow and brightens my mood. the hope. the awe-some lighting in a photograph. all that stuff. maybe walking in the light is living life to the fullest. its taking all the greatness and awesomeness of Jesus and just living in it. loving it. letting it give us joy and fun! (what? Fun?... yes. God invented fun! just throwing that out there)

Psalms 18:28
Lord, you have brought light to my life; my God, you light up my darkness!

What if our relationship with Jesus was less like a tourch on a night when we have no electricity, and more about... light

to judge is a mental game...

People are sensitive. As much as I don’t want to say it, I’m the same. I don’t know if its an age thing, a society thing, or a South African thing, but as far as I can tell, human beings are just sensitive! We have this sort of guilty conscience, and immediately assume that others think badly of us and are telling others about it.

The sad thing is that often- this is the case. Our society is OBSESSED with everyone else’s lives. We’re always so interested in who did what and who went where with who and blah blah blah... We have websites, magazines and even television channels solely devoted to digging up dirt in peoples’ lives.

On the other hand, you know that saying, ‘I feel judged’. I think sometimes that comes from us putting judgement on ourselves. We start to believe that people are judging us for our actions, when in reality, they aren’t - it’s all been in our heads!

How do we get out of this bottomless mud-filled chasm of gossip, judgment and mind-games that we find ourselves in? Are you ready for some ‘1-year-out-of-school-wisdom’??? ( ha- that was a joke)

kill it before it grows

I believe that is the solution- Don’t give these issues (and any issue for that matter) space to grow. its like a flame. without oxygen, it dies. You give a fire oxygen, it turns into a raging fire. Give it more oxygen and the next thing you know, half of Australia is in Ashes. (sorry Australians, it seemed appropriate, you always seem to get forest fires. and you play in the ashes)

You see, the small flame will always be there! We can try out best to ‘not judge’- but we’ll always mess up because our minds are sinful. We can also try to ‘not care what others think’ but again, our mind does it for us! So rather than pretend we’re perfect, lets just confront stuff head-on, straight to the person before a small birthday candle turns into a raging veldfire with the berg-winds of gossip. (you see that analogy? brilliant)

A friend of mine once said in a sermon that unforgiveness is one of satan’s greatest weapons. - If we don’t sort out our issues with people early, that hurt grows on us and never stops (even if we’re in denial about it's affect on us). We end up with lost relationships, and insane hurt, and later on have to pick up the pieces.

Just kill it before it grows!

I leave you with a quote... ‘Unforgiveness is like drinking poison, and hoping the other guy dies’

'two oh double one ... that was a fine year'

Sometimes, when I step back and pretend I am not human, I think - ‘those humans are pretty strange!’... (I do this with a lot of things, its really a fun exercise)
Let me give you an example...

So some genius people back in the day took a look at the stars, the sun and the moon, and some how created this incredibly complex theory of measuring time. They discovered and decided to use a 365 day year, with a leap year every 4 years. That's 365.25 days per year. But, three of every four century-years is not a leap year. By doing that we are subtracting off 3 days every 400 years, or .0075 days every year. That gives us a year of 365.2425 days. Ridiculous right? yes! I agree

So the rest of us not so smart people have turned this scientific GENIUS into an emotional and pyschological idea. We have turned the new year into a day where we hope everything will change, or everything will be better. We tell ourselves we will be better people, and make ‘new years resolution’ like - go to gym, eat less junk, make more friends, take risks or (insert your New Years Resolution here).....

One of my favourite bands once wrote: ‘So this is the new year and I don’t feel any different’. I think that’s how I often feel come the 1st of January. Because really, the difference between the 31st of December and the 1st of Jan is no different to any other day...

However, this year, I have decided to join my fellow humans, and over dramatize and emotionalize the setting and the rising of the sun. Why? Because 2010 was an AMAZING year- and... its over. Its a new decade! It’s time to move on with anticipation about 2011 which for me, is a year to get excited about. So much change can, and will happen in my life this year, and there is so much opportunity for growth.

So maybe we're already a week into 2011, but lets make our resolution to be open to change and growth in 2011. That way, we can still get fat and not feel bad about it! Agreed?