“In the past couple of years, I’ve learned that its okay to give yourself a shot at the unconventional- that people will whisper and worry about what you’re doing with your life when it seems to be carrying a rhythm that rings a different sound. Some will not understand why you find art in each dot and line, or why you find beauty in the waiting.
If the things that you find purpose in don’t align with the world’s, it’s okay to question that and not fall into the pressure of fitting your shape into the cut-out hole that every else had presented to you. It’s okay to find purpose in serving those that will use their testimonies to unexpectedly change the world, someday. It’s okay to run in the direction that that little voice deep within you is telling you to go.
Because, honestly, we’ve all been in positions that require striving to be someone that we’re not, in order to fit in. We’ve all, at some point or another, given in to those whispers that are not our own. But I’ll tell you this: Your voice is different for a reason- and the world would love to hear it’s sound.
It’s okay to trust in yourself with the extraordinary.”
I wrote this alone in my living room after I returned from my three-month mission trip in Costa Rica. I was going through the transition of being back home and I realized that before I left, I was still trying to fit into all of those “cut-out holes” laid before me. All at once, I was contorting to fit inside the lines of shapes like hearts and cameras and textbooks- when all I wanted to do was fit inside a map. Don’t get me wrong: those other shapes belong with me. But they belong inside the lines, as well. The more I’ve prayed, the more that I’ve learned they can’t take up all the space.
Since I was really young, I had a strong desire for missions. I heard of my mom’s stories from her time spent in Jordan and I wanted nothing more than to go out of my element and be a missionary. However, those cookie-cutters got the best of my young self. They formed sentences like, “You’re going to be a teacher!” or “That’s unrealistic, Jordan.” While people had their best intentions in their redirection, I didn’t find excitement when I thought of different pathways. However, I molded myself to fit in with their shapes.
Jesus isn’t afraid to take us to great lengths to wash our feet.
When I was fifteen, I met someone really great named Jesus. He immediately instilled a passion to serve others and tell everyone about who He was! I went on my first mission trip to Cherokee, North Carolina and fell in love. The following year, I was sitting in Castillo Del Rey’s compound in El Salvador. It was my last night in this beautiful country and I remember hearing, “Are you called?”. I gave God numerous excuses as to why I couldn’t go up and declare the calling that I had always felt. A few minutes later, I committed my life to missions. I was being prayed over in Spanish with the El Salvador flag hanging over my shoulders. I wept as a young El Salvadoran woman washed my feet. The symbolism of that moment astounded me, for I was there to serve Jesus- the King of my heart. Yet, Jesus was using her to serve me. I felt like Peter in that moment- not wanting the Lord to wash my feet. I remember saying, “God.. I just committed my life to serving You and You are serving ME?! This doesn’t seem right.” But in that moment, He humbled me to teach me that His desire is to serve us, to love on us, and to take care of us. We cannot be complete without the help of God. We cannot go out into the nations and share the love of Jesus, until we allow Him to share that love with us, first. We are His children and He is our perfect Father, always pouring into us. If we refused our father’s love, what relationship would we have with him?
“Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God. So he got up from the table, took off his robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and poured water into a basin. Then he began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel he had around him. When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.” “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!” Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.””
John 13:3-8 NLT
Since then, the Lord has been so gracious in the process of washing my feet and teaching me to wash the feet of others. He’ll patiently sit with His basin filled with cold water and look up at me with a smile on His face. When I finally look down and see the heart that loves me so, He shows me what it looks like to cleanse the dirt and how to do it well. Then He sends me off to go find others to wash- no matter how far I have to go.
His love has no borders.
The following year, I remembered Him telling my heart so clearly to go back to Central America for three months. I had pushed the thoughts away and He continued to pursue me, anyways. Not too long after. I found myself sitting in a little Ugandan orphanage and the Lord said so clearly, “It’s time. You’re going to expand.”
When I returned to the states, I immediately started looking into mission trips to Central America. I found the Costa Rica Passport trip through Adventures in Missions and there it was: Three months in Central America. Just like He asked. The Lord expanded my horizon and has continued to do so ever since that moment. I initially pushed away His plans because I was afraid of the thought of leaving Ohio- the place that I called home. But God’s plans are always, always more beautifully written than our own.
Why I Chose the World Race
My first month back home from Costa Rica was pretty lonely. I felt like I had lost the strong community that I had grown with. I was in a form of culture-shock. The Lord held my hand through it all and taught me to have deeper intimacy with Him. I prayed that He would show me what my next steps were. He had spoken to my heart a lot in that season and I had received quite a few words from different people that I “would not be here long.” I knew the Lord was working and getting ready to do something life-changing.
I had heard a lot about the World Race in Costa Rica. My team leaders had just gotten back from the Race, we had a worship night with a WR team in San Jose, I had gotten to know some of the staff at ADV, and my ministry host was on the Race when the Lord called her to Jaco. However, it never hit me that that’s what I should do until I returned home. I had fallen in love with Adventures in Missions and knew that I wanted to continue to work with the organization. Each time I would sit and pray about the World Race, the Lord would show me crazy “coincidences” that confirmed that I should go. The Lord has spoken to me about this trip in astounding ways. I believe that this is what I’m supposed to do and the World Race will help guide me into the full-time calling that the Lord has placed on my heart. I am ready to serve the nations, however that looks like to God. I want to wash the feet of His children around the world, just as the Lord did for me.
What is the World Race?
The World Race is an 11 month Christian mission trip to 11 countries around the world. One of the unique things about the World Race is that it’s not only a mission trip but also an intensive discipleship program designed to launch my generation into our specific kingdom calling. Through the World Race, my team and I will serve in partnership with churches and ministries in local communities to preach the Gospel, plant churches, work in orphanages, minister to women and children trapped in prostitution as a result of human trafficking, and bring the restorative hope of the Father’s love to many tribes and nations. Lord-willing, I will be leaving in January of 2018 and will be returning that November.
I want you to be apart of this.
I would love for people to partner with me as I enter into this season. I will face many challenges all throughout the World Race and I need people by my side, supporting me through prayer. Another way that you can support me on this journey is through financial support. As I prepare for my departure, this will be one of my greatest challenges. Like most other missions organizations, World Race participants are required to fundraise financial support. In order to leave fully funded in January, I need to raise $18,100. This money will cover all of my field expenses for the 11 months of the trip. If you are interested in joining me through prayer or financial support, I would love to set-up a time to talk with you on the phone or meet in person and share more with you! You can subscribe to this blog and continue to follow my journey as the Lord works in and through my team and I.
Contact me if you have any questions!
