I Am Blessed!

Tonight I saw a homeless man outside of Fred Meyer (a grocery store). He was literally shaking while holding his sign which said "Hard times. Anything helps. God bless." Long story short he is homeless with his wife. They moved up from California and now live behind a car wash. When I talked to him his wife was inside the laundry mat trying to stay warm. They don't have time to make it across town in the evenings to arrive at the mission before they close and he doesn't have ID which is required to enter the mission. He said they sometimes walk to WalMart (another grocery store which is open 24hrs) and stay there all night.  I blessed him and then told him to call me if he ever needed a ride!

God is good.

Despite the hard times we go through, He is good.  I thought I had a rough time with my knee. Wow was I wrong. I have come to the point where I don't want God to heal my knee just to bring me comfort but to heal my knee so that I can testify about His healing power! I thank God for my legs, my family, a bed, a warm house, food, family, friends, a job, health and above all a love that is bursting from my inmost being! A love that looks beyond, physical condition, beyond spiritual health, beyond temporary situations to the heart and soul of God's greatest creation!

When I think about that man I met tonight, I remember Brother Yun, a mighty man of God who suffered tremendously for Christ. Buy the book The Heavenly Man (click it).

Next time you see someone in need, don't just think about all the blessings you have. Do something to change their life and reveal Jesus' love through your actions!


God Bless! I love you!

-Jordan.

Is it possible for a guy and girl to be just "best friends"?

“The greatest attraction between a man and a woman-even greater than apparel, makeup, and hair styles-is shared conversation. The deeper the conversation the deeper the attraction. Women are particularly good listeners and good conversationalists.”* 

“Sharing the wounds of the past and the dreams and visions of the future is the primary way couples create emotional intimacy, which is why deep one-on-one sharing should be saved for a committed relationship. Sharing the past makes you particularly vulnerable, and when you share the future, one of the partners almost always wants to be a part of the others person’s dreams.”*

              

“Most of the time, counterfeit oneness comes in our lives in the form of a listening ear, a shoulder to cry on, or lips speaking words of encouragement. Women are particularly vulnerable to the need for emotional intimacy because God made them more “feelings” oriented. For a woman two of the most appealing characteristics in a man are gentleness and compassion, and both have a lot to do with showing feelings. By limiting deep, personal conversations and the amount of one-on-one alone time they spend together, singles can guard their hearts from becoming too involved until the commitment level of their relationship exceeds the emotional level.”*

“Being involved in exclusive relationships before you are ready to be married is like going shopping without any money; either you will leave frustrated, or you will take something that doesn’t belong to you.” –Voddie Baicham JR.

When you try to be best friends with someone of the opposite sex one of you will inevitably become emotionally one with the other and therefore make your relationship more than just best friends. Unless you are committed to the relationship and serious about marriage you are just going to take what is not yours, which in most cases is the woman’s heart.

Therefore the answer is no, you cannot be just be "best friends" with someone of the opposite sex.

*Directly quoted from Choosing God’s Best by Dr. Don Raunikar.

Comments? Questions? Reply!

It's Online!!!

Hello, I was finally able to upload the outreach video to YouTube! All you have to do is click this link Justice DTS Outreach! Austin and I are still in Phoenix, we are patiently waiting for the arrival of our third niece! Charee (our sister) is due on the 26th, we thank God for this opportunity to be able to assist in doing the chores and taking care of her other three kids so that she can get her much needed rest! Continue to pray for a safe delivery and don't forget to watch the video!


See ya later!
-Jordan

Onward!

Yesterday was graduation day, we finished up all our homework, placed the finishing touches on the Outreach Video. We threw our Mission Statements into the ocean as a sign that we are giving them to God letting Him know that we want to live out everything that was written on it. Getting the rooms set up for graduation, moving chairs from the class room to the great house and cleaning everything up was about all we did before it was 7pm! I shared about my experience during the Lecture Phase, Gareth shared about the Outreach and then we all ate food and talked until 10pm!  I can't believe the DTS is over! I am no longer a Student, I graduated and am now looking forward to what God has planned for my life in the months to come!  Austin and I are leaving Barbados Monday, flying to New York and then on to Phoenix to be with our sister Charee who is having a baby girl! We are very excited to have this opportunity and can't wait to arrive back home in Klamath Falls sometime in the beginning of March!  Here is a bit of what I said lastnight;
"Before arriving in Barbados I had no idea what to expect during the lecture phase, I imagined to be a time where we would have classes in the morning and then have the entire afternoon off! I was wrong, class started at 8am which meant I needed to get up around 5:30, Lunch at 12:30, work duties from 2-5 and dinner at 5:30.  We were free after cleanup and took the time to either finish homework or head into town for groceries, or the beach.  Don't get me wrong, I am not saying I don't like how YWAM and the DTS is structured and set up, I am just saying I had a different opinion on what would actually happen.  Each week we had a different speaker, topics ranged from Children at Risk, Jusice, The Father Heart Of God, Hearing God's Voice and Relationships.  I thoroughly enjoyed each and every speaker and long to return home where I will hopefully have some free-time where I can study more about each and every topic that we discussed over the 12 weeks of the lecture phase.  I loved the family atmosphere and the great people who live here and are a part of YWAM Barbados; I made new friendships that will continue on throughout my entire life. During the lecture phase God called me to Gambia, I also had amazing times of worship, Bible meditation and intercession.  During the 12 week lecture phase my life changed in many ways, my eyes were opened to suffering across the globe and not until I arrived in Albania did I see how real it is.  I would encourage any and all of you to attend a DTS, it has changed my life forever! Please either email or comment and ask me any questions you have about YWAM's  DTS and I will be more than happy to answer them! Thank you for all your prayers and financial support for and during this DTS; please keep me in your prayers as I am making decision about what is next.



Love,
-Jordan

My Albanian Outreach Story

In September of 2011 I departed for Barbados to attend a Discipleship Training School with Youth With A Mission.  One of my goals for after graduating High School was to go on a mission trip and take a few Bible College Classes.  While searching online for a Mission Trip, I stumbled across YWAM and their Discipleship Training School. I continued to search for other potential organizations but every time I would arrive back at YWAM and their DTS.  I prayed about the different options and God continued to show me that YWAM was where he wanted me to go.  I talked to my cousin who also attended a DTS with YWAM and that conversation only confirmed what I was hearing from God.
Three to four weeks before starting the Justice DTS in Barbados my life was jam-packed with meetings, work, errands, and support-raising.  The lecture phase was amazing, each week was a new speaker and a new topic, ranging from 'Hearing God's Voice' to 'Relationships' to 'Children at Risk'.  During the Lecture phase of this DTS I had amazing times in worship, in prayer and during one of those times I heard God call me to be a missionary in Gambia.  I later talked to Bill Landis who explained to me the need for distribution in Gambia, distribution of Bibles, the Jesus Film, Books, Medicine, and most of all Jesus’ Love.  I was speechless as God reminded me of two months earlier when a speaker visited my church and shared a message from God that was for me.  He said “God will use you for distribution, you will be a part of missions, not by yourself but as a team.  Someone may come  up to you , give you $1K and say “God told me to give you this.”  From then on part of my heart has and will forever be for Gambia. 

        During the outreach into London and Albania I asked God to give me a taste of His emotions, I want to hurt like He does when He sees us running from Him, I want to cry as He does when He sees the abortion, sex trafficking and human slavery that runs rampant day in and day out.  I have prayed for His heart and I know that He has answered my prayer! God has allowed me to feel the emotions He feels, He has given me the ability to imagine myself in that persons shoes. I believe  that through spending time with Jesus during this DTS I have come to the realization that God is the most loving father of the entire world! From my experiences in Barbados, London & Albania, I have seen how God feels regarding His people in this world. I have seen and can attest to how much He loves us, how much He cries because of the suffering that happens all across the world.  From the day outreach started God began to show me how much He desires to come into our lives, He has revealed to me the love He has for every single person in the entire world.

From books I read and stories I heard I realized that a lot of people put their focus too much hearing someone say the ‘sinners prayer’ but never taking the time to invest in their lives and show them how much God loves them and that Jesus died on the cross for their sins and so that they can go to heaven for eternity.  I look back over the past 8 weeks of outreach and see that even though I never heard anyone ask Jesus to become there own Lord and Savior, I planted hundreds if not thousands of seeds during this DTS.  I now look back and see that I was Gods hands and feet, I was his gardener, I planted and fertilized the seeds of the gospel and saw them blossom and grow.  My life is forever changed because of my experiences during this outreach, I am personally committed to following Jesus wherever He leads, no-matter the cost. 

Outreach Stories, Evaluations, Mission Statements..............

This last week of the DTS has been very busy, ranging from writing mission statements and outreach stories to cutting down trees and working on our outreach video.  Tuesday we talked about re-entry back into normal life and the reverse culture shock that comes during that transition.  From the day I got on the plane for Barbados I have only traveled to new places and now that I'm back in Barbados I feel slightly confused and out of place.  I know that what I feel like here in Barbados is only a fraction of what I will feel like when I return back home and meet all of you, family and friends who as I have carried on their lives for the past 6 months.  I know time has passed and situations have changed in all of your lives just as they have in mine.  Don't think for a minute that I'm not looking forward to returning I know that I have been gone for a while and I am super excited to share my heart about what has happened over these past 5months. Austin and I will fly from Barbados to Phoenix, AZ for two weeks to be with our sister Charee as she has her baby! Currently we are planning to be back home in Klamath Falls at the beginning of March.  It is now 11pm here and us guys are still hanging out in the classroom making the finishing touches on our homework, we need to finish the team video, our personal outreach stories and our mission statements.  Graduation is tomorrow at 7pm so we have to finish tonight!  I will just write my Mission Statement right here so you all can read it!

MISSION STATEMENT

My purpose and destiny in this life is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever. 

I am going to preach the good news to everyone, no-matter their race, color or creed.  

I will actively portray God's love to others by imitating Jesus and 

serving in any way shape or form.  

Because of how I live for Christ in my daily walk others will come to know Jesus as their own personal Lord and Savior.

I will be sharing the team video and my Outreach Story with you soon. For now I ask that you pray for the team that we would have safe travels and continue building our relationships with each other as we head off our separate ways.


Thank You, Thank You, Thank You,
-Jordan

A Time for Everything.........

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8

1For everything there is a season,

a time for every activity under heaven.

2A time to be born and a time to die.

A time to plant and a time to harvest.

3A time to kill and a time to heal.

A time to tear down and a time to build up.

4A time to cry and a time to laugh.

A time to grieve and a time to dance.

5A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.

A time to embrace and a time to turn away.

6A time to search and a time to quit searching.

A time to keep and a time to throw away.

7A time to tear and a time to mend.

A time to be quiet and a time to speak.

8A time to love and a time to hate.

A time for war and a time for peace.

There is a time for everything and that time right now is for me to leave Albania and return to Barbados.  I have had an amazing time in Albania and I am extremely excited to return for two years!  Looking back over the past seven weeks I can honestly say I have had an amazing and life-changing time here in Elbasan, Albania!  I have another 400 pictures to post online but I haven't had the time, I promise you as soon as I return to Barbados I will post them!  

        This last week in Albania has been great, super busy and lots of fun! We started the week off by sharing with the kids and adults how much we have loved coming to Elbasan and living in their neighborhood and that we will miss them terribly as we leave for home.  I am excited about the next few weeks months and years and the exciting plans God has for my life.   During these past 7 weeks I have grown in God and have more of an understanding on how Jesus feels when He sees His children suffering. I know that God has something so amazingly better in store for this community and I am excited to see the change! 

       The next week holds debriefing, work duties and writing reports and filming videos! I am excited for the beaches and going barefoot! Continue to pray for us as a team that we will share what is from our hearts during this next week and that it would be an awesome time of personal development and fellowship with our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Keep me in your prayers, 

-Jordan

   

Macedonia!!

Yesterday the entire team spent the day in Ohrid, Macedonia!  We left at 8am and arrived in Ohrid at 10am, we stopped about 30min prior to the border to have a snowball fight and climb on and in the old military bunkers that Enver Hoxha built during the Communist days of Albania.  Ohrid, Macedonia is very beautiful, the city is situated right on the edge of Ohcrid Lake.  There are numerous statues, ruins, an ancient amphitheater, a Johann Gutenberg printing press, a beautiful castle and much more all located within 20min as the human walks! We arrived and I exchanged half my money so that I could buy some food, which in Macedonia is fairly cheap! I was able to buy one slice of pizza, an apple strudel, one piece of chocolate, a 14" pizza, 6oz of coffee and two more strudels one apple and one cherry! Altogether it cost $5US which is the exact amount I exchanged!  I had an amazing time in Macedonia walking around the city and hiking along the top of the castle and through ancient ruins as well as sitting in an ancient amphitheater that was originally built around the time of Christ's birth! I had an amazing opportunity to see and use an original Johann Gutenberg printing press; there are only 2 in all of Europe and one just happens to be in Ohrid, Macedonia!  


Today marked the beginning of our last week in Albania! It is sad that the time has flown by so quickly but I know God has moved in the hearts that we have touched.  During tonights children's and adults meetings we explained that this is our last week here and that we will miss them terribly. A few of us shared how much we will miss them and that during this last week we pray that we will portray God's love toward them in numerous ways! 
       After the adults meeting we talked a bit about our individual ideas we have regarding the last week here.  We came up with these: coffee with the teenage guys, karaoke, a farewell party, giving food to families without them know it was us.  Also, washing hair, playing football and billardo (pool), a prayer walk and times to just walk around the community and just meet new people as well as continuing to build relationships with those we have already met.
      
My time here in Elbasan, Albania has been amazing and I am excited to come back sometime in the future.  During the prayer meeting we had with the local Albanian Church here in Elbasan I heard God call me to return to Albania for 2yrs sometime in my future.  Please pray that I will follow God's will and plan for my life as I make decisions and plans regarding my immediate future!  




Zoti të bekoftë!
-Jordan




P.S. If you enter your email address in the box to the right that says "FOLLOW BY EMAIL" then you will receive an email each time I post a new update!

Hey!
Sunday morning we attended Albanian church, the message was about Godly fear and worldly fear, we were too late for coffee so I was a bit colder during the service.  In Albania the majority of buildings are colder inside than it is outside!  Later that day at children's church a few of the boys were making the meeting hectic, I was teaching and it was tough trying to get their attention. I was sad when they were kicked out but noticed that the kids were all paying attention as soon as they left.  I refreshed the kids' memories on what we have learned over the past 5 weeks and then explained to them that Jesus wants to come into their hearts and live with them! They were all concentrating and I pray they will be thinking about what I said!
     Monday began and before I knew it 4 o'clock came rolling around, 8 of the neighbors arrived for the mini-conference we are having over the next 4 days! I spoke Monday night on 'The Father Heart of God and Hearing Gods Voice,' I definitely could have spoke for more than 45min on those heavy subjects! We listened to how God specifically wanted us to pray for Elbasan and Albania. It was a great subject to talk about and I was very glad a few of the young guys from the neighborhood were listening.
        
             The reason Roma-Gypsy's marry their children around the age of 12 is because they believe it will solve the issue of fornication.  It does for some of the youth but for the majority it only creates broken relationships, divorce and many other issues that you can imagine with arranged 12yr old marriages.  We were playing pool a few weeks ago and one of the kids, Ibo who is 12 years old and getting married in a month was crying because he lost a game of Fooseball. It was sad to see someone that is so young and immature getting married and having a child!  I believe parents need to sit down and talk with their children, starting when they are young and making sure their children know that they can come to them whenever they have a question or problem!  They need to talk about sexuality, set up boundaries and work through issues and struggles that their children have. Those just a few of the thoughts that I have. I only have one minute of internet left, bye bye!

Hello!!!

This past week we had children's meetings every morning from 10-11am; the theme for the week was Jesus with stories of Jesus washing His disciples' feet, to Jesus feeding the crowds with just a few fish and loaves of bread, to Jesus being our healer and that Jesus is our friend who we can talk to at any time of our day.  

          This week I got sick AGAIN, it was annoying to say the least; I was glad it was only a 24hr flu bug and therefore I won't be feeling sick all week.   Thursday we had a meeting with us YWAMers from Barbados, we discussed the Team Covenant that we made before leaving Barbados and shared the feelings we have toward it.  It was great to bring up issues that had to do with the team or even items and circumstances that I/we were not seeing very clearly.  We also had a time where we talked individually to those who we have had even the smallest conflict that had not been dealt with.  The meeting lasted from 9:30 to 12:45, lunch is at 1 and I am on lunch prep this week so I got to work making tuna sandwiches!  As I said earlier I was sick with the flu, I had a fever, and a headache; therefore immediately after lunch I crashed on the futon and slept for the rest of the day. 

      

        Friday morning I woke up at 7am and felt refreshed and slightly energetic, Austin and I left for coffee with Alban and Rambo.  To our surprise they were still sleeping when we stopped by their house, we waited for 10min until Rambo's wife let us in.  We sat by the fire while they washed up, and then danced to some music before heading off to the Coffee Shop. They don't speak English so it is somewhat difficult communicating, the only bonus is that it forces us to learn more Albanian words! Time passed quickly and we arrived back home at 8:30 which is 30min after breakfast is supposed to begin; we walked inside the house and realized everyone was still in bed! The only one up was Laura because she was waiting for us to bring home bread for breakfast! Austin completely forgot to inform me that we needed to pick up bread for breakfast so I turned around and left for the bread shop! It wasn't too bad because while I was at the bread shop I found out they sell pizza slices for 40 cents! I bought one and found out that it is by far the best pizza I have had from an Albania bread shop!  That afternoon we left to play pool with Elban, Rambo and Vandam who all range from the age of 15 to 18; they are all married and Elban is expecting a baby! Roma-Gypsies marry their children around the age of 12 or 14 and I will explain their reasons for doing so in my next post!

Thank you for your prayers,

-Jordan

P.S. 

Please post comments or email me at jordannickel77@yahoo.com!

To start things off I would like to apologize for not posting updates as often as both I and you would have liked.  You may be saying "You don't have to be sorry!" but I should and am; I am here because of you, because of your financial support and I should have tried harder to post more updates during the past 4 months. I ask your forgiveness and will now post updates at least twice a week.  I will post an update tomorrow!



Thank you for understanding,
-Jordan

PHOTOS!!!!!! PHOTOS!!!!!

I uploaded photos from London and Albania!! You can look at them by clicking this link or click on the link that says #1 Outreach to Albania & London Photo Album it is on the left side of my blog.


God Bless,
-Jordan 

201HAS ARRIVED!

Happy new year!
Knowing today is the beginning of another year and looking back at what God has done in 2011, I am extremely excited for the amazing plans God has for my life in 2012!  Going back to the beginning of 2011, I really didn't have a plan for what I was going to do after HS. The idea I had was to go on a mission trip for a few months, return and earn a Degree in Business. God brought the idea of YWAM and a DTS and then confirmed that YWAM Barbados and the Justice/Children At Risk DTS was His plan for my life.  My initial plan was a three month mission, and although the DTS was 5 months the bigger issue was the $7,000 cost! I had no idea how I would raise $7,000, I only knew that if this truly is Gods plan, He would provide!  I walked in faith, believing that God would provide; no-matter how much I tried there was no way I could earn the $7K on my own.  Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you says the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, to give you a future and a hope!" This DTS has been a life-changing experience for me and my relationship with Christ! A few weeks into the DTS I heard Gods voice calling me to Gambia, I don't know when or how long, just that it will happen!
        I am heading out now to visit the Roma-Gypsies in celebration of the new year! Continue to pray for us as we are ministering to the Roma-Gypsies; that we will be a shining light in the darkness, a shining light of love!



Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!!
-Jordan



P.S. What are your New Years Resolutions? One of mine is to read through the Bible in a year in chronological order! Here is the link if you want to do it too! One Year Plan In Chronological Order!