First things first. Thank you. Thank you so much, every one for all the support I have received. Whether that be through prayer, encouragement, donation, delightful comments, blog/video views, or even a thought towards me this past year, thank you. I honestly and earnestly couldn’t have done it with out the best support group in the world through you! My World Race journey has come to an end. God sustained me through 11 months across well over 11 countries. If you have any doubt that this journey was anything short of awesome then please watch the many videos I’ve shared. It’s said that words have the power to shift hearts and pull stars from the sky. It’s said that a picture is worth a thousand words and what is a video if not a compilation of thousands of pictures and sounds. This is why I created videos. To share and express God’s magnificence when my words fall short.
I’ve loved using these videos to share this journey. It’s been a great tool, but honestly the videos can also become a lie to the public’s face. These videos fail show the heartbreak and hardships. They fail show the time five of our women caught malaria (four being on Malaria medication). They fail show those who had family members pass away while being on the other side of the globe. They fail show the time a few men in Africa sneaked into a team of women’s campsite in the middle of the night. They don’t show how my teammates woke up to these men cutting open their tents with a knife and stealing their belongings. They fail show the emotional roller coasters we’ve shared due to missing Christmas, New Years, Thanksgiving, birthdays, births, and weddings.
But these videos also fail to show God’s goodness through it all. They fail to show the miraculous healings that Papa orchestrated. They fail to show the Peace beyond all understanding that the Lord filled us with through trial after trial. They fail to show the strength and relentlessness that my teammates showed. They fail to show the true abandonment, like to that of the apostles, I have witnessed right before my eyes. They fail to show the miracles. Now, as I sit here and attempt to summarize the past eleven months of intense, cross-cultural Kingdom work, I struggle to summarize it in a way that will tailor to my fellow Millennials’ short attention span mentalities. Rather than continue to attempt to summarize, here are three short (very true) stories that completely changed a few ways I see God and the world around me.
// PRAYER
Our first four month were spent in Europe. This is a story that takes place in Romania. One day, we were blessed with the opportunity to hand out hundreds of bibles to the surrounding villages. We also got to share the gospel with those who were willing to hear it and pray for many along the way. In the middle of this event my team of three met a woman who was not willing to hear the gospel, but she wanted a bible because it was free. Instead of trying to force her into relationship with Jesus, I simply asked her if there was anything I could pray about for her before we parted ways. Turns out, it hasn’t rained in that area for months and this woman is a farmer. Now, I don’t know much about farming but no rain can not be good for business. At that moment, I believe the Spirit gave me a thought. So I asked to borrow the Bible we had just given to her for a moment. I highlighted John 3:16 and verses from the “Roman’s Road”. As I handed the Bible back to her, I asked her if she would strike a deal with me. The deal was, I will pray for rain and if rain comes, she has to share those verses I highlighted with her neighbor. She agreed, in a manner that chuckled at the thought of my prayer actually working.
After we finished handing our bibles out we headed back home and the clouds began to roll in. That evening there was a down pour. Not a drizzle. Not a light rain fall. There was a down pour. In the midst of a heavy rain coupled with thunder and lighting, my friends and I danced in the rain that evening. We danced as we worshiped our Father for his working hand and praised him because he answered our prayer above and beyond what we could have expected. I will never forget that dance party and the power of Spirit-led Prayer.
//COMMUNITY
Our next three months were spent in Africa and sure enough, the very first month while in Zambia, I got really sick. To save you from the PG-13 details, something was in my stomach and my stomach did not appreciate it’s company. So much so that my stomach was forcing me to spew out of both ends. Naturally, these events were coupled with a high fever and body aches. This was unfortunate, but what made it even more unfortunate is that two of my follow teammates shared this dastardly fate with me. I hardly remember those few days that we were sick, but I’ll never forget what I witnessed when I woke up at 2:00 AM in the morning. I woke up for one of my regular toilet visits and saw that my fellow sickies were up as well due to, for lack of better term, discomfort. After finishing my appointment in the bathroom, I wandered into our living room to catch some air before returning to our hot, mosquito-accompanied room.
As I stepped into the living room, I saw that a light was on in the women’s side of the house. Sitting in the area beside the living room was the entire women’s team. You need to know that prior to this night was a full day of ministry, a day of which these women had to pick up the slack for us sickies, and following this night was another full day of ministry. Back-to-back full days of ministry in the heat of Africa, yet these women had woken one another up at 2:00 AM to plead with the Father for healing. I will never forget that silent surprise and the power of Biblical Community.
//WORSHIP
Our final four months were spent in Asia and this final story takes place in the Muslim dominant country of Malaysia. A country where it is illegal to evangelize. During our stay, we had two continual prayers circulating around the Christian community of this country. First, a missionary family who has disappeared and was believed to have been kidnapped by Muslim Extremists. Second, a law that was trying to be passed in the Malaysian judiciary system that could give the death sentence to any citizen who would convert from the Muslim faith to Christianity. This month, we got to spend a few days with a Missionary family from America. This married couple had four very energetic daughters. We got to do a lot with this family, but one night in particular continues to resonate in my heart during every worship session since.
This family doesn’t get to be part of communal worship and they haven’t since they’ve been in Malaysia so they asked us if we’d be willing to have a worship session in their living room. Of course we were down! As we gathered in the living room, the father sat his energetic children down and spoke to them about worship.
He looked to his daughters and said, “We are about to worship. You may worship how every your heart desires. You can sing, draw, or even dance like King David. But remember, you are coming before the Lord and this is between you and Him. Please respect Him and please respect those worshiping around you.”
This was one of the most simple descriptions of worship I had ever heard. Simple enough for his 3 year old daughter to understand, but it was so profound. That evening, our team of seven and this family of six worship the Father. I will never forget one of the most beautiful worship sessions I have been blessed to be a part of and the power of True Worship.
THE WORLD RACE IS OVER, but the missions work continues on. Thank you for all your support throughout this crazy year. The most common question is, “So Jase, what’s next?” Well, I’m glad you asked! This coming July 30, I will be joining ITestify for a 2 week missions trip to the Philippines. Please check out this website and partner with us as we extensively share the gospel in the Philippines. This is a very young up and coming missions non-profit. This upcoming trip will be its second trip overseas so we can use all the help that we can get! You can start by checking out the website here:
https://jloo2010.wixsite.com/itestify
Following this missions trip, I’ll be returning to San Diego, CA to start my online schooling. God has placed it upon my heart to pursue a Masters of Divinity with a focus in Homiletics. The plan is to remain in San Diego until I can find a job and housing in San Francisco. The reason the plan is to go to San Francisco by January, 2018 is because I would like build community up there and follow God’s leading in being part of a church plant that has been years in the making! I’m super excited for every thing Jesus has lined up for these next few months and am beyond thankful for His Love. This blog site has carried so many memories for me and God has used it tremendously this past year but for now, I will be retiring it. Maybe the Lord will bring me back to serving with the World Race, but for now, it’s see you later. So, see ya later!!!!
