Made for a Woman

At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, ‘The LORD, the God of Israel, commands you, “Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.” ’ Barak said to her, ‘If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.’ And she said, ‘I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the LORD will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.’ Judges 4:4-9

Anyone who knows me knows I am not a feminist; I like having help from a man (especially a tall one who can reach things for me). But the other day my work gloves started to give out and the equality-seeking woman in me started to show. Good construction gloves are hard to find to begin with and on top of that I have very small hands (almost kid size). But Lowes and Home Depot seem to think the only work women do is in the garden. Women have been hard-core since the Old Testament; the above is an excerpt from Judges where the prophetess and warrior Deborah is rallying a general for war against Israel’s suppressor, King Jabin of Canaan. So the general gathered his troops and Deborah said to him, “Up! For this is the day on which the Lord has given Sisera into your hand. The Lord is indeed going out before you.”(v.14). The war was a great success, but the commander, Sisera, fled the battle. He ran to a nearby tent and asked the woman inside to hide him. She was of neutral tribe, but knew what was going on; she offered him some milk and hid him under a rug. When he fell asleep she grabbed a mallet and drove a tent peg through the side of his head. Now remember I am as peace-loving as the next tree-hugger but I think even a Tibetan monk could admit that is pretty bold (and I doubt she had gloves on). Women are extreme.

And don’t forget Mary the mother of Jesus, how devoted was she? ‘Yeah God, I’ll have your baby, no big deal.’ The bible just barely touches on what she must have gone through; having to ride a donkey to Bethlehem, running to Egypt so they didn’t kill her son, losing Him in the temple. Then she saw him grow into a man, lead the disciples, preach to large crowds, heal the sick and then lost Him to the cross. She watched her own son die. Women are strong.

At Wonderful Wednesday Worship two women went forward, one to give a testimony and another because she wanted a soul change. The first just wanted to thank the church for everything they had done for her, she was a young mother with two children, both out of wedlock, who was raised in the church, left for a few years and returned a short time ago. She cried as she thanked everyone for what they had done for her and acknowledged how lucky she is to be in the Ebenezer church family. The other woman had a similar story but she was not from this church. She had gone through a nasty divorce and lost her mother, moved to Hattiesburg for a job and just recently got to her feet. It was then she realized she was still missing something, she has provided for all the physical needs of her and her children but their spirits where still lacking. She went forward for prayer and to renew her commitment to the Lord. Pastor always calls the deacons to come forward and lay hands on whoever needs prayer, but this time he called all the women who could relate with this woman to encircle her. She was still dealing with some of the dark areas in her life, such as what she had to do to keep her children fed; but as she was surrounded by women saying, “I’ve been there, don’t give up”, “Give it to God”, and “We love you” her spirit was lifted and her heart filled. Women are powerful.

I am lucky to be surrounded by great women in my life, not only do I have my own mother, aunts and grandmothers, but now I have Jordan’s mother, aunts and grandmothers. Here in Hattiesburg I live with a very wonderful woman (the superintendent of Hattiesburg Public Schools) and have had the chance to meet many more in Sunday school at Ebenezer and at St. Thomas Catholic Church. And I’ll not forget Mother Earth who gives us everything we have. Women are wonderful.

Just a little tribute to women. The pictures are from a bike ride to church and visiting the goat woman in Virginia (the goat is only two days old, and was trying to lick my face. Note Jordan in the background creeping on another goat).

The PSA for today is for something I could find in my size. These are Vibram Five Finger Barefoot shoes. Originally designed for rock climbing, but then redesigned for everything. They feel like you are barefoot and I can’t wait to dance around at Blissfest in them. Being barefoot is a way of life, a peaceful, joyful way of life and our world today has tried to make that dangerous. So we just wanted to thank Vibram for making a shoe that lets us experience the euphoric state of barefootness and safety too.


Peace and Love,
Jess and Jordan

Lean on me

“Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil. For if they fall, one will lift the other; but woe to one who is alone and falls and does not have another to help. Again, if two lie together, they keep warm; but how can one keep warm alone? And though one might prevail against another, two will withstand one. A threefold cord is not quickly broken.” – Ecclesiastes 4:14

Much has happened recently and many thoughts have been on my mind, so I ask you all to bear with me on my scattered thoughts within this posting. Hopefully, I will be able to tie them all together.

First, I would like to mention that the 6th year anniversary of the Iraq War just passed by last Thursday (March 19th). I would like to call to mind not only the thousands of American men and women who have lost their lives, but also the millions of Iraqis who have lost their lives as a result of the American war in Iraq. I hope that all of you reading this may be able to take a moment to pray for an end to the bloodshed in Iraq and elsewhere across the globe.

Just the other day I was watching the last few episodes of Band of Brothers on television. For those of you who don’t know, Band of Brothers is an HBO series that was created following the true story of Easy Company from the 101st Airborne Division in World War II. This company saw their first bit of action on D-Day and fought through the bloodiest battles of the war. One of the battles was the Battle of Bastogne. This battle took place in the Ardennes mountain range around Christmas time and the ground was covered with snow. These soldiers were surrounded on all sides by Germans, lived out of holes which they dug in the ground and were constantly being fired on by artillery which they could not see. On top of this, they had no supplies and many were without food, clothes, and ammo to defend themselves. In this episode it was very clear that the soldiers limits were being pushed and many were breaking down not only physically but mentally. The only place they found warmth and comfort was with each other. They spent their time paired by two’s cuddling in their “foxholes” trying to keep each other warm and telling each other stories about their friends and family back home.

Every hour or so a new round of explosions from artillery fire would go off around them and last for 10 minutes or so. After each round, more soldiers would be found dead when the firing was done. It was the soldiers who lost their buddy which suffered most. They were left alone in the cold, silent woods by themselves sitting in a hole with death all around them. The commanders and other soldiers did their best to comfort each other, but it was not wise for them to leave their own foxholes to check on others, because the bombing could happen at any moment.

Fast-forward to today’s war in Iraq. Our soldiers are no longer fighting this sort of trench war-fare and the coldness is replaced with unbearable heat, but one thing still remains, the importance of “brotherhood” within the armed forces. Last January the Army lost 24 soldiers due to suicide. That same, month 16 deaths were also reported due to combat. This means that more soldiers died due to suicide, than combat. According to CBS, 120 veterans committed suicide per week in 2005 and the numbers have grown each year. No one knows the exact reason why this is happening, but a large amount of them are soldiers dealing with Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. The next question is, “How do we stop this?” In the bible passage above I find a small answer: Friendship. In the bible, this passage particularly, the importance of friendship and companionship is pointed out. When a person goes through a rough time, they need another person to help bring them out of it. When soldiers comes home, they need family and friends to help bring them back to normalcy, to help them put to past the things they may have done in the war and to notice once again the beauty of life, most importantly, the beauty found in each and every individual. This beauty can only be found through the love of someone close.

Lastly, we should recall Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane the night he was betrayed. All he asked for was his apostles, his closest friends, to stay awake with him and pray. At this moment in the garden Jesus was being crucified spiritually, and coming to terms with the fact that he was to be crucified in order to carry out his fathers will. In this most trying hour all he asked for was his friends to be awake and nearby.

This week I will be thanking God for the friends and family which he has provided me. All of you have shaped my life in one way or another and without all of you I would not be as strong as I am today. I am also greatly thankful for Jess, my closest friend, and partner in my journey to be more like Christ. Finally, I would like to thank Lance, Felicia and Danny for coming out here to Hattiesburg and visiting us. It was extremely nice and refreshing to be able to spend some time with friends and just relax.

Peace and Love,
Jordan and Jess

Love Wins

If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.
1 John 4:20

We had a wonderful mini-vacation at my Grandma Wambold’s house on Tybee Island in Georgia. My brother, his girlfriend Ashley, my four-month old nephew Logan, my mother, and my Grandma Garthe all came up for the weekend. Saturday night Jade, my brother, talked Jordan, Ashley and I into going into Savannah. For those of you not familiar with the area, Savannah has the largest St. Patrick’s Day party in the United States. Now St. Patties Day isn’t until Tuesday but the party started this weekend. So we went down to River Street (think Bourbon Street, in New Orleans, the weekend before Mardi Gras). As we neared we saw more and more green beads, crazy hats, and drunken people. But the first thing we saw when we reached river level was hateful ‘Jesus’ signs (i.e. “Ask me why you are going to HELL” and another listing “Drunkards/Homos/Muslims/Catholics/Fornicators/Mormons/… YOU WILL BE JUDGED”). The group of ‘Christian protesters’ were getting lots of attention from party goers and the yelling party goers were being watched by nearby police.

The above verse ran through my head; Jordan and I had recently sent the verse to a friend in Los Angeles who was protesting against the famous Fred Phelps/Westboro Baptist Church group. They were in LA holding signs outside the Oscar Awards reading “God Hates You” (the group is best known for protesting homosexuality at soldiers funerals). The people we encountered were much more civil and signs slightly less hateful. The four of us walked by and spent a few hours down on the river doing some AMAZING people watching. But Jordan couldn’t get the protesters off his mind. After awhile he said, “You know, this is Babylon.” Looking around I couldn’t help but agree; when I think of Old Testament cities, like Sodom and Gomorrah, I do think of drunken people partying and obsessed with sex (just less green stilettos and more togas). Then thinking back to the prophets of that time they did stand and yell in the streets, telling of the impending destruction because of the people’s sin. Then we asked ourselves: As modern day Christians are we to be mimicking Ezekiel and Isaiah?

DID WE FORGET ABOUT JESUS?

Jesus came into the world with one word- LOVE. We are no longer called to stone sinners as in the Old Testament—Let he without sin cast the first stone (John 8:2-11). Jesus spent time with sinners not condemning them from a soap box. Jesus asked to stay at Zacchaeus’ house (Luke 19:1-10); he didn’t call him out of the tree to tell him his sins will send him into a fiery pit. Jesus never called the woman at the well a slut (John 4:4-29). He simply lived in a way that drew non-believers to him. (And that practice is not outdated, people did it then and throughout history. I am currently reading Little Flowers of Saint Francis Assisi – great stories of Jesus-like faith and devotion.) However, Jesus was rough sometimes, turning tables in the temple and referring to some as a “brood of vipers”; but those were believers who had gone astray. We are called to hold each other accountable. We are not to be out there judging non-Christians, a coach can’t tell kids to practice if they aren’t on the team and he never invited them to play.

On our way out we stopped and talked to one of the sign holders about everything we had been discussing. He was receptive to our message and pointed out his sign (with a verse from Romans calling everyone to be holy) was well thought out and not hateful like the others. Hopefully he will pass on the message to his fellow protesters and they will rethink how to better relay Jesus’ message of love. It is unfortunate that these protesters are shaping the view of modern day Christians. I would guess that most of the people on River Street that night were not church goers, and for some this may have been their first experience with Jesus. It is just disappointing that their first impression of our loving Christ is one filled with hate.

Peace and Love,
Jessie and Jordan

Blinding Noise

"So Balaam got up in the morning, saddled his donkey, and went with the officials of Moab. Gods anger was kindled because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took his stand in the road as his adversary. Now he was riding on the donkey, and his two servants were with him. The donkey saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with a drawn sword in his hand; so the donkey turned off the road, and went into the field; and Balaam struck the donkey, to turn it back on the road. Then the angel of the Lord stood in a narrow path between vineyards, with a wall on either side. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it scraped against the wall, and scraped Balaam's foot against the wall; so he struck it again. Then the angel of the Lord went ahead, and stood in a narrow place, where there was no way to turn either to the right or to the left. When the donkey saw the angel of the Lord, it lay down under Balaam; and Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the donkey with his staff. Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and it said to Balaam, 'What have I done to you, that you have struck me three times?' Balaam said to the donkey, 'Because you have made a fool of me! I wish I had a sword in my hand! I would kill you right now!' But the donkey said to Balaam, 'Am I not your donkey, which you have ridden all your life to this day? Have I been in the habit of treating you this way?' And he said, 'No.' Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the road, with his drawn sword in his hand; and he bowed down, falling on his face."

Numbers 22:21-31

Jess and I for the last week have been on a little adventure. Last Tuesday (March 3rd) we traveled with Ray to some property which he owns in Virginia. We were planning on being in Savannah Georgia by the March 10, to visit Jess' grandma and Ray was heading to his property to clear some of the land, so he offered to take us up with him, we would help him out and then he would drop us off in Atlanta where we would catch a bus to Savannah. We arrived in Virginia to Ray's property and to our surprise there was snow on the ground. Living in Hattiesburg, Mississippi we sometimes forget that it is winter elsewhere, especially when it is so warm. Our plan was to camp out of a 9 foot by 15 foot tent/shelter on his 13 acres and each day we would work to clear/thin out his property so that it can be landscaped. The first night we were there it was extremely cold with snow on the ground and temperature in the 20's. We survived the night and the next day we woke up and began work. Being in the woods was extremely relaxing and it was good for both Jess and I. Sometimes we get stressed out when we are in cities like Hattiesburg and we get caught up in our work, traffic, schedule and other frivolous things.

When we were in Virginia we woke up to the sunlight, ate and began work. We ate lunch when we got hungry during the heat of the day and ended work towards sunset so we could prepare our dinner over the campfire. Even though we were working we felt much more relaxed in the fresh air, surrounded by trees and the chirping of birds. Sometimes in houses we get caught up in the electronics, TVs, four walls and confined spaces. In our daily routine we magnify ourselves and consume our days in a hectic schedule which we create for ourselves. It is in the wilderness and peacefulness of nature which I feel dwarfed by trees and vulnerable to the elements. It is in nature that I feel the magnificence of Gods presence.

One of the days we went down the road to his neighbor who had a goat farm. On that particular day two goats had been born. We were able to hold them and learn about raising goats. On this farm we also saw a donkey. Now Jess and I had just read the above passage a couple days before going to the farm and when I saw the donkey I couldn't help but imagine it saying "Hello" to me, in a Eddie Murphy voice, just like in the movie Shrek. How amazing it would be to hear an animal speak to you! The rest of the week I reflected on that passage and how it fits in my life. I imagine Balaam had many things on his mind. He must have been concerned about the journey. He was probably thinking about what the Lord told him about Israel but also tempted by the silver and gold to disobey the Lord and help out his friend. In whatever thoughts and moments he was caught up in, he was blind to the presence of God and beat his donkey who was innocently being obedient to God. During Lent I have kept in mind the distractions in my life which blind me from the ever presence of God. Do I find myself distracted by my own daily routine that Gods presence is put aside? Am I caught up in my life to the extent that others who are obedient to God are being hurt, like the donkey? I think these are questions we all need to ask ourselves from time to time. How are we blinding ourselves to Gods presence and are we hurting those closest to us by pursuing our own pleasures and wants? In pursuing those answers I suggest spending time in silence or somewhere out of the ordinary and away from your daily routine. Whether this means turning off the t.v. and spending time in silent reflection, taking a walk on your lunch break by yourself instead of eating in the office; putting time aside to spend in a park, or elsewhere in the midst of Gods beautiful creation. Let the birds, trees and donkeys remind you of Gods ever presence.

Peace and Love,

Jordan and Jess

Gifts

And the King (Jesus) will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” Matthew 25:40

At Wonderful Wednesday Worship we are studying Journey to your Spiritual Gift. This was our first week with the new guides and we are to work through a lesson each week, filling in the blanks and answering the questions. Last night Jordan and I sat down to start our workbooks and Anne joined us. As we were working through we came to areas where we had to find answers in the bible; each of us with a different version, we shared the verses out loud to find the solutions. It was a great time of sharing and collaborative learning. Journey defines a spiritual gift as: a divine ability given by grace through the Holy Spirit to make each believer and the church more like Jesus. So far we have learned that each Christian has a spiritual gift, how we can improve and use our gift, and that exercising our spiritual gift brings immense joy. The book is really great, breaking down the 19 spiritual gifts given in the New Testament into three groups: Serving gifts (i.e. helps, giving, hospitality, faith…), Speaking gifts (knowledge, wisdom, prophecy, teacher…), and Sign gifts (miracles, healing, tongues…). All the gifts can be found in Romans 12:6-8, 1Corinthians 12:8-10,28, Ephesians 4:11, and 1Peter 4:9-10. The next ten lessons will describe the each of the gifts. Jordan and I recently read another book called Experiencing the Spirit which detailed the nine gifts mentioned in 1Corinthians so we are excited to do some comparing.

This is going to be really neat for us because I think it is easy to find plateaus in our relationship with the Lord. Thinking, “I am doing everything right, I am reading the bible and praying, etc.” but God always wants us to be challenged, growing, discovering new gifts, and bringing others into His family. And the reward is great. The above verse was brought up in talking about serving gifts. At that point Jesus is explaining his return and how he will split the people into two groups (sheep and goats). Turning to one He invites them into His kingdom; adding, when He was hungry, thirsty, a stranger, naked, sick, or in prison they cared for Him. They said “When did we do that?” And He replied, “As you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.” One day Jesus is going to invite us into His kingdom! So powerful, also powerful is the idea that each time we help someone we are helping Jesus. The homes we are working on are not “perfect” and no matter what we do they never will be, all we can do is try our best and never say, “it’s good enough for this place”; when we replace the homeowner’s names with Jesus only our best is good enough. Even when that means Jordan is going to take off all the door trim (which I JUST calked) because the door is a little crooked.

No PSA today just a challenge (I mean, it is Lent) :

Remember Jesus’ words and treat everyone as if they are Jesus.

Peace and Love,

Jess and Jordan

The pictures are a before and after of when we raised the ceiling in one of the houses. We have also added a list (and preview) of other blogs which we enjoy reading on the bottom of the column to your right.

Learn, Sow, Reap

“You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands; you shall be happy, and it shall go well with you.” – Psalm 128:2

Last week we began working on a house which I began repairing last August when I was here with AmeriCorps. At that time it was literally falling down and Mary, the homeowner was living in her front room without any running water. Mary is in her 50’s or 60’s and I believe she is unemployed on disability. When we left last August her house was put on new foundation and her exterior walls were fixed up. We are now back and since then there haven’t been many volunteers or AmeriCorps teams to continue the work. We put mud on the drywall which was put up and sanded it as well. We are now ready to paint, put up base boards, frame out the windows and other various finishing work so that Mary can move back in.

When I was here back in July and August, we had a consistent gathering of men from around the neighborhood who would just watch the work we were doing. They seemed to be observing every action we were doing as if they were learning so they could do it themselves. Last week, while we were mudding the inside and sanding down the mud, the next door neighbor whose house is pictured above came over to observe what we were doing. I talked to him a bit and I think he remembered me from last August. The next day as we were working, he called us over and told us to check out the inside of his house. To our surprise he had learned from the work we did back in August and that other volunteers had done since then. He scrounged around and saved to gather supplies and had begun fixing the interior of his own house. As he showed us, he had a huge smile on his face and a sense of pride. He was asking me for my opinion on it as if I was some sort of judge and I told him he was doing some good work. He replied with a sincere “Thank You.” The average home buyer would never even stop to take a look at this house, and most contractors would probably tear it down and build a new one rather than repair it, but to this man it is more than a house. It is his security and means of living. I am sure he does not have the funds to build new. Although, this house to me is the most beautiful thing I have ever seen. It is the embodiment of hard-work, determination and will to not only survive but rise above. This man could not have planned for his house to be destroyed during hurricane Katrina and obviously was not going to let it get him down.

Public Service Announcement: One thing we have recently learned about is the issue facing those who wish to fix their houses, but don’t have the funds and live in this particular area which has been deemed a flood zone. In order to legally do house repairs one must attain a building permit which cost according to the amount which will go into the repairs. They can range from $50 up to even around $250. On top of that fee there would be limitations on the amount of money you could put into the house, without it being rebuilt and put on stilts since it is in a flood zone. This would not be a problem if the homeowner has enough money to rebuild his house, or if they are able to get a non-profit to help them rebuild this house. The problem is most people in this area do not have the funds to rebuild their houses, their houses will cost more than the permit limitations to fix up (even to livable conditions) and the non-profits in the area are overloaded with work and/or don’t have the necessary funds to help everyone.
This puts the homeowner in a sticky situation. They either live in the condition which their house is left in, which could be like Mary (no running water and house falling down) or they do what this man is doing and little by little rebuild your house to a living condition without a permit and hope not to get caught by the city. I guess this is how people are forced out of their homes so cities can reclaim neighborhoods and bring in higher income residents who can afford to build new houses and thus pay more in taxes to the city. The problem is: what happens to the people who have originally been living there? Where do they go?

I leave you all with one quote: “He (Jesus) said to them, ‘Suppose one of you has only one sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath; will you not lay hold of it and lift it out? How much more valuable is a human being than a sheep! So it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.’”

Perhaps it should be legal for a man to fix a house which is rightfully his to the best of his abilities and not be condemned because he doesn’t have enough funds to follow laws established by men.

Peace and Love,
Jordan and Jess

Rule #1

He (The Lord) said, “I hereby make a covenant. Before all your people I will perform marvels, such as have not been preformed in all the earth or in any nation; and all the people among whom you live shall see the work of the Lord; for it is an awesome thing that I will do with you.”
Exodus 34:10

Most people who have ever tried to read through the bible, front to back, quit in Exodus or Leviticus. Genesis and the beginning of Exodus are filled with exciting and well known bible stories. Then the end of Exodus and all of Leviticus have detailed descriptions of the new laws of the land and extensive information on the building of the temple. Not the most thrilling reading to be found in the book.
You all know how Jordan and I like to compare what we are currently reading to what we are currently doing. Well, we are hoping not to lose you here during our time of Leviticus. The crazy Genesis (hitchhiking) stories are over for awhile. We made it through some boring parts of Exodus (we cleaned the garage our first few days here; tools are accessible and ready to use) and now we are learning the Leviticus (Ray’s house) laws:

• Shower every night so the sheets stay clean (I know this doesn’t sound too bad but for those of you who really know me… well.)
• House shoes must be worn inside (Anne- Thank you for the new slippers!)
• Work clothes come off after work, lounge clothes are to be worn when lounging (I like this one, a good reason to be in my pajamas by 6pm)
• No lounging on top of the comforters, especially the one handmade in Iraq (Ray worked in Iraq and had a lovely duvet made and shipped home; Jordan likes to lay on it because it is fluffy)
• Help keep the house clean, i.e. clean up after yourself and vacuum (we like this one because we get to help out around the house and show our appreciation for letting us share their home)
• Make yourself at home (this is Anne’s favorite rule)

All joking aside we are really thankful for their hospitality and like God’s laws helped the Israelites stay on track and live in peace with Him, we know by following our simple rules our time here will be in peace with our new family in Christ.
Now to building the temple!
Well not exactly… we striped a few walls last week (old pine tongue and groove) and this week we preserved the wood in plastic wrapping for Ray to use elsewhere. It was time consuming and mundane but he reuses or recycles building materials; which is right up our alley. With that work done, today we moved on to another house. Jordan worked on this house while he was here in August. It had extensive hurricane Katrina damage; Jordan’s team put the house back on a firm foundation so the walls no longer slant. They also installed new floor joists and sub flooring. Since August another AmeriCorps team visited and put up the drywall. Now the home needs a fair amount of taping and mudding, sanding and painting, baseboard and trim… general finishing. We will most likely be working on it the next two weeks.
We are excited for ‘Wonderful Wednesday Worship’ tomorrow night at Ebenezer, and will hopefully learn something we can share with you on our next blog.

Thank you for all your prayers -- Peace and Love,
Jessie and Jordan

One Family in Christ

"For the Kingdom of Heaven is like a householder who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place; and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' So they went."
- Matthew 20:1-4

For as in one body we have many members, and all the members do not have the same function, so we , though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; he who teaches, in his teaching; he who exhorts, in his exhortation, he who contributes, in liberality; he who gives aid, with zeal; he who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness. - Romans 12:4-8

Today, while working Jess and I were discussing the stories which Pastor Wilson highlighted Wednesday night at "Wonderful Wednesday Worship". In his discussion, he was pointing out that Christ calls us to "go into the vineyard" and he will pay "whatever is right". He also highlighted that we all are blessed with spiritual gifts and as one family, we are to use them to help and grow the church.

Every now and again, Jess and I stop and think about our present circumstances. Sometimes it hits us at the same time and sometimes we have our own moments, but every time it ends up with us looking at each other, smiling and praising the Lord. Today, for me, it seemed too good to be true.

Jess and I were alone and working on a house. We had just the tools we needed, it was a cold brisk morning. The street which the house was located on was empty and the only noises being made in the neighborhood were our hammers banging on the nails and wood. Occasionally, the sound of power-tools was heard. For the most part, it was quiet and peacefull. The neighbor across the street, Mr. Hallaway, would come over every now and again to check the progress, joke around, and give us any tips that came to mind. Mainly he came over just to start up conversation. Mr. Hallaway is 77. Short man about 5'5, gray hair with a round face. Every time I see him he has a big smile and his eyes shine. When he laughs, he seems to do a short hop and slaps his knee, like you would see in a broadway production. When I asked him about the purpose of the house wrapping paper we were putting up he said "I don't know, we didn't have that in my day". Today we also enjoyed a conversation about his garden. It is too cold yet to plant anything, but the first things he will plant are his potatoes. "You used to plant them in early January, but since the weather has changed, you just have to wait till it gets warmer".

It was about mid-day that I was reflecting on our work, our living situation, Pastor Wilsons sermon, Mr. Hallaway, Jess and the kindness of Ray and Annie. I was overwhelmed with disbelief and praise that Jess and my plans were able to come to fruition and we were actually out "working in the vineyard" and serving the Lord by serving his people. As you all know, this has been in the planning since around August of last year, when we started saving our money so that we could provide for our food while we were working. However, the Lord seems to have had this in his plans long before. He has told us that if we just go out and use our gifts which we were given and went to work, he would provide for our living. Once again, He has gone above and beyond with His compensation. Jess and I are sleeping like Kings and Queens in our comfortable beds, we are able to share food with Ray and Annie at their generosity, and most importantly we are able to work hard to lighten the burden on the shoulders of others.

As we are realizing, we are meant to live as one family in Christ. When we come together with our diverse gifts and put our pride, selfishness and worries away; we are able to accomplish great things. By helping others, we help ourselves and together we grow stronger in unity. Of course, without Christ this would not be possible. He has laid the foundation for our family. Hope all is well with everyone. You are all in our prayers.

Jess' Bedroom. My Bedroom

Peace and Love,
Jordan and Jess

Sacrifice, Save, Serve

“One day Elisha was passing through Shunem, where a wealthy woman lived, who urged him to have a meal. So whenever he passed that way, he would stop there for a meal. She said to her husband, ‘Look, I am sure that this man who regularly passes our way is a holy man of God. Let us make a small roof chamber with walls, and put there for him a bed, a table, a chair, and a lamp, so that he can stay there whenever he comes to us.’ ”
2 Kings 4:8-10

Jordan and I have arrived in Hattiesburg (no more sleeping on bathroom floors – for awhile – so everyone can stop worrying, hehe). We made our destination in seven days. Ray put us right to work on Saturday morning working on a house he hopes to finish. We are staying with him and his wife Anne, it makes work a lot easier knowing I have a nice feather top mattress to sleep on each night, no more ‘roughing it’ for awhile.

Sunday I had my first experience at Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church. I went to women’s Sunday school with Anne, where they were discussing the above passage. The reading was perfect, just as Elisha was grateful to the woman, we are so thankful to Ray and Anne for opening their home to us. Also the story came as confirmation for Ray that he was doing the right thing. The woman was not seeking anything in return but later in the chapter she is rewarded with a son, in the same way we hope we can reward Ray by helping him catch up in the ministry he has, the R3SM non-profit.

After Sunday school I enjoyed the morning worship and Pastor Wilson’s message: Sacrifice, Save, Serve- Freedom ain’t free, but I shall be. He touched on how we can have financial freedom and true freedom through sacrificing what we really do not need, saving some every week, and serving others. Jordan and I took his message as confirmation that we are doing the right thing. We sacrificed our things to get our possessions down to one backpack full, then saved everything we could in AmeriCorps (which was not much), and now we are ready to serve without worry. A really great feeling of true freedom, believe me.

After church we helped Anne prepare the house for an all women’s super bowl party. About 30 women showed up and just had a ball eating delicious food, fellowshipping, yelling at the TV and each other. It was an even split between Cardinals and Steelers fans which made for a good laugh at every touchdown.

Today, unfortunately, we have a rain delay so we will be cleaning up from the party and resting up for a week of work. We will keep everyone posted.

Finally we would like to make another public service announcement. We would like to thank all the churches who knowingly and unknowingly provided a place for us to camp out each night. It was outside their buildings (or in their bathrooms like the picture above) that we felt safe, warm and protected by God. Thank you for all the prayers of a safe arrival, our God is an Awesome God.

Peace and Love,
Jess and Jordan

Living Exodus!

In January, Jess and I started to read through the bible together. Starting at both Genesis and Mathew simultaneously we should finish it in one year, reading a couple chapters of both Testaments each day.

As we were nearing the end of Genesis, Jess mentioned briefly that she thought it would be neat to read about Moses in the desert while we were in the Mojavi. I laughed and said "be careful what you wish for". Little did we know that our lives would soon become the first half of Exodus!

Three nights ago (Saturday night) we were dropped off in Barstow, CA. We arrived just in time for the second half of Mass at St. Joseph. After Mass concluded we asked the priest if we could spend the night in their parking lot; he said yes. The next morning we attended the full service and afterwards enjoyed a hot breakfast provided by the Knights of Columbus. We then set off for the on-ramp and waited for a ride east.

After a couple of hours we were able to get a car ride to the next exit in Barstow. There happened to be a man at the on-ramp already, so we sat and read our bible. At this point in time we were at chapter 13 of Exodus. After more hours passed by and no luck with rides, we decided to grab our bags and walk to the next on-ramp. We were expecting it to be easier to get a ride where there wasn't another hitchhiker. After four miles of walking we realized that past Barstow there was nothing and we were in fact, in the middle of the Mojavi desert. Night was upon us and we set up tent under the only tree in sight.

The next morning we walked along Historic Route 66 to the next town called Dagget. It was there we re-filled our water packs and waited for a ride. Shortly, a lady named Cheryl picked us up and told us "You'll never get picked up here, let me take you back to Barstow". Discouraged we agreed and she dropped us off at what she called "hippy hill" which was the same on-ramp we were at before we started walking. Only this time, the man was gone.

While waiting we decided to continue reading where we left off last in Exodus. It was the beginning of chapter 14 which says "Then the Lord said to Moses: "Tell the Israelites to turn back and camp in front of Pi-hahi-roth.". Immediately we started laughing and took it as a sign that us turning back was the right thing to do, and we wished we would have read it the day before. Soon after the Red Sea opened up, as it did for the Israelites and we obtained two good rides taking us all the way to Tucumcari, New Mexico (over 800 miles).

At this point in the bible we are past the Red Sea, the Israelites are safe and have rejoiced, but now are beginning to grumble towards God and Moses about water and other various things. Which Moses tries to remind the people that their murmurings are against God, but God continued to respond by taking care of his people.

Today (Tuesday) we were dropped off in Amarillo, Texas by a guy who promised to take us to Oklahoma City. (which would have passed the ice storm in Amarillo). However, after sticking up for foreigners when he made some racist remarks; he decided he was no longer going to Oklahoma City and dropped us off in Amarillo.

After sitting in the 15 degree weather (which felt like 5 with the wind), it was easy to focus on the negative as did the Israelites in the desert. We decided that we would dip into our emergency money and got a room at the American Value Inn to bring us out of the cold.

While in the room, we warmed up and had time to reflect on our recent two days. It was here that we realized we had become like the Israelites and quickly forgotten the blessings we received only a day ago. There is no time for negative thought because after all, we are alive, safe, warm and blessed by a loving God who provides for our daily needs. A God who hears our murmers, but still continues to love us and provide for our needs. Tomorrows weather is forcast to be in the 50's and we are in high spirits for the end of our journey! We are almost there!

Finally, we have one public service announcement: these bags as
photographed to your left were in the dozens and left on the side of
the road in the Mojavi. They were all filled with only tumbleweeds.
Why are we picking up tumbleweeds in plastic bags? A tumbleweed in a
orange plastic bag, tumbling down the road, made for a funny sight

We have also added a list of the cities we have been dropped off and
picked up (mileage of rides included), located at the top right of
this page.

Peace and Love,
Jordan and Jessie