Tarantulas

I have posted many things that I love about Haiti...but have never shared something that I do NOT love about it...tarantulas. All of my family and close friends know that spiders are not, well, my favorite thing in the world. My spider "tolerance level" has definitely been heightened since the 5 and-a-half months that I've been here. However, I don't think I'll ever be able to tolerate these furry eight-legged creatures.

I found this one last night on the outside of the Men's Dorm (of course!).

 

If the picture wasn't good enough...here's a video I recorded with my iPhone! Ha!

 

Fortunately, I have only seen about three or four of these in the 5 and-a-half months that I've been here. Hopefully this will be the LAST one I see, throughout my remaining 17 days here!

June Journal Entry (6/13/2012)

June 13, 2012

"To my generation,

The point of me sharing my story, my testimony, and how God has been working in and through my life, is this: I want to reach people that have lived a life similar to mine, or who are currently living a similar lifestyle now. I want you to find hope, to be encouraged to live a life of righteousness...rather than falling into the ways of this dying world (and generation) that we all dwell in. A world that is overwhelmed with alcohol, nicotine, drugs, adultery, sex and "casual" hookups, countless teenage pregnancies, lying, cheating, stealing, lust, and any other immoral filth that we partake in. Don't get me wrong, I am by NO means perfect. Nor do I consider myself to be better than anyone that partakes in the things I just mentioned. I haven't always been a dedicated follower of Christ, pursuing a life of righteousness in a world that is filled with temptation and sin, lurking around every corner. 

We are all sinners. The difference between the "old" sinner Jordan and the "new" sinner Jordan is this: I am no longer held captive by the ball-and-chain of the sinful ways, that I once lived. I no longer sin, simply because I have nothing better to do in my free time. Let me also state the fact that I could not have overcome my past, filled with immoral relationships, parties, and a generally pessimistic outlook, without the power of God. Trust me, I tried to overcome these vices on my own- I failed miserably time and time again. I battled with God, asking, "Why me, God? Why must I go through these things? Can't you just give me a break?". I didn't turn to Scripture as much as I should have....

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." James 1: 2-8

Rather than embracing my trials with a positive mindset, I constantly fell in defeat. By no means was I building perseverance- I was building Satan's grasp/stronghold on my life. "...That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does." Rather than turning to God, asking for HIS guidance and help, I tried to lean on my own strength and knowledge. I had a one-way battle with God. Even if I did throw up a prayer, why would He have provided for me? "...But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt...". Deep in my heart I knew I needed to submit to God, but I let my mind take over the battles of my heart. If only I would have been aware of these verses prior to all these trials, right? 

This is why I want you to be aware-and remember-even if you dedicate your life genuinely and wholeheartedly to God-we will ALL face trials and defeat .It's not going to be a smooth, freshly-paved road the entire ride. It will be filled with potholes, speed-bumps, cracks, roadblocks, and detours. We will all face this-there is no escaping the inevitable. It's the way that we RESPOND to these hazards- that builds perseverance and our trust in God. If we had not trials to face, why would we need to trust in God? 

My friends...joing me in this journey. You will be amazed by where God can lead you...when you die to self, take up your cross daily, and develop a genuine relationship with our LORD. Stand up to the ways of the world. Join me, brothers and sisters in Christ. This is the battle of all battles; the war of all wars. This is the battle for our LORD...for our eternal life.

                                                                                                    Sincerely With God,

                                                                                                           Jordan Piper

                                                                                                              6/13/2012

                    

The Countdown Begins.

  I celebrated my 5th month in Haiti last Saturay, June 16th. Therefore that leaves me with less than a month left here; 24 full days to be exact. My oldest brother, Jason will be here from July 2nd-9th. Catalyst, my college ministry consisting of all my best friends back home, (the team I came down here with June 2011) will be here from July 6th-17th. I will be returning to the United States on July 17th, with all of my best friends. I have been anticipating their arrival for quite some time now. I'm so excited for my brother and for my best friends to experience what I have had the blessing to experience for this long. I'm definitely having a mix of bitter-sweet emotions. Haiti has became my "home away from home". I've developed many great friendships with the Haitians as well as the American NVM staff. The Haitians no longer consider me a "blanc", meaning a foreigner. "Ou pa blanc. Ou se Ayisyen!". They now consider me one of them, a light-skinned Haitian so-to-speak. I am beyond thankful for being blessed with the opportunity to plug into this amazing community of people for 6 months. However, I greatly miss my family and friends back home. I am continuously praying for a smooth transition back into my America way of life, as well as into Liberty University in August. I pray that God will give me the wisdom, strength, and courage for this transition to be as smooth as possible. I plan to return here to Nehemiah Vision Ministries sometime in 2013. I'm not sure exactly when, or for how long, but I will be back!

  All the Nehemiah Vision Ministries interns decided that we needed to take a group photo. Maggie Younker, whom I have worked with since January, departed on Monday. She has spent 5 months here, and will be interning with the International Justice Mission in Europe, starting in September. We also have 3 Summer interns who arrived several weeks ago. It has been great working alongside my fellow interns and new friends!

So this pyramid picture didn't turn out as great as I would have liked. I was using a 35mm lense and had about 5 minutes to try to get several shots (Maggie had to leave for the airport and we have 100+ people on campus). BUT...it's an awesome picture, regardless.

Brandon Hutchens (NVM Missions Team Coordinator); Interns: myself, Jonathan Dimanche, Maggie Younker, Chris Bosma, and Clinton Small. There is never a dull moment on this compound!

  Thank you for taking to the time to check out and share my blog! I ask that you keep me in your prayers, as I continue to serve the remaining 24 days here! God has been doing amazing things over the past 5+ months of my life. This has been a life-changing experience, to say the least.

Thursday Morning Thoughts

I would like to share with you some of my thoughts I had this morning, while riding to Onaville to finish painting a container at our "satellite" location.

"   As Christians, we musn't blend in with the secular world. Let me clear up the fact that I am not stating that it is wrong to befriend non-believers or to associate with them. However, we are called to be bold; to be radical in this day and age filled with unholiness and impurity. We must not merely label ourselves as Christians and abuse the grace of God. Jesus lived a perfect and blameless life so that we sinners may be redeemed. That is enough reason for me to try my absolute hardest to live my life as a genuine, devoted follower of Christ. Christ paid for the sin of all mankind with His own blood.
    Tell me, what good is it to dress up in our "Sundays Best" on Sunday mornings, singing along with the worship band and raising your hand up to Heaven to praise our Lord, when Monday-Saturday you live no differently than your secular neighbor?
    We must NOT abide by the norms that our society has grown accustomed to. What is more courageous; giving in to temptation and impurity or living a pure life of righteousness? Will it be easy to ignore the peer pressures of the world? Absolutely not. As a devoted follower of Christ, you WILL face trials, temptations, and downfalls. How you respond to those downfalls, is the testing of your perseverance and faith in God. I see people constantly stating things such as, "Why is there so much evil in the world?; What happened to moral standards?; Why is he doing this and she doing that?", etc. Rather than asking questions such as this, would it not be easier to live your life, the way you want others to live theirs? Lead by actions rather than solely relying on words. You could be the brightest, most knowledgeable speaker of this age, but if your words do not coincide with your actions, then they will fall upon deaf ears."

 I enjoy writing, even though I am far from the best at it. Writing is simply an avenue for me to share with the world, what God puts on my heart. I will attempt to post things such as this on my blog, on a more regular basis. I am sure that there will be many people whom disagree with my thoughts and actions. That is completely acceptable. However, if I have one person that is somehow "moved" by my words, no amount of opposition can overcome that single victory.

Exactly One Year Ago Today...

June 11, 2011 was a day that led to a life-changing week for me. Why was the week of June 11-18 so important? June 11, 2011 was the first day that I stepped foot in the wonderful nation of Haiti. It was the first day that I had ever left the Red, White, and Blue. It was a day that I have engraved into my memory and hope to never forget. I remember my thoughts when our plane circled around the airport, preparing for landing. I remember the screeching tires of the plane on the tarmac....everything became so real. I was actually doing this. I was following God's call to partake in a short term mission trip with Catalyst, the College & Young Adult Ministry at my church, Crossroads Fellowship. Preparing for the trip, I knew I was going to see things I'd never seen before. Severe poverty. Starving people and malnourished children. People that desperately need not only physical aid, but also spiritual, mental, and emotional. Little did I know then, the impact that week would have on me.

It's currently 4:05pm here in Chambrun, Haiti. At this time last year, I had safely arrived here at the compound of Nehemiah Vision Ministries. In the hour or so drive from the Port-au-Prince Airport....my life had already been rocked. I saw many of the things I had been anticipating in the weeks leading up to this trip. Your heart my wrench when you think about these things and see pictures online...but when you're actually here and are witnessing things you'd never imagined you'd see...it hits you a lot harder than any picture you might find on Google.

I am still using the same journal that I brought with me on the trip last year. Here is an excerpt of my first journal entry in this country:

 Day 1
Saturday
6/11/2011
    "I am sitting on a cinder block on the top of a medical center in Haiti. How many times in my life will I have the opportunity to do this? God has already done amazing things for me on this trip...and I haven't even been here for 24 hours.
   As soon as I took the first step out of our Delta airplane...and stepped foot into Port-au-Prince, I knew God sent me here for a reason."

Today is June 11, 2012. I have been in Haiti since January 16; 4 months and 26 days. I have about 35 days left of my 6-month internship here at Nehemiah Vision Ministries. It is absolutely amazing to reflect on what God has done in my life in the time span of one year. Although it is amazing, it should not be surprising. Why? Because when you die to self, take up your cross daily, and establish a genuine relationship and become a dedicated follower of Christ....ANYTHING is possible. If you would have told me on June 10th, 2011, that the week lying in front of me would lead to me spending 6 months in Haiti...I honestly probably would have called you crazy. I knew on that hot, sunny Saturday exactly one year ago, that God sent me there for a reason. At the time, I didn't know what that reason was.

The Last Day
Saturday
6/18/2011
    "I hate that this will probably be the last time on this roof for quite some time (referring to the medical clinic roof). Hopefully I will be able to return in January. If not, then I will definitely be back next summer. This mission trip has drastically drawn me closer to God and helped me "find" myself in numerous ways. I found out that children have a huge place in my heart. I feel like God might be calling me to do something with children/youth...because I enjoyed playing with these kids so much.
   I have opened my eyes and my heart, for the love of others. I would rather work for and help somebody else, rather than for my own best interest. I hope to take what I have experienced here in Haiti, and share it with friends and peers, touching their hearts like mine has been touched. However, no matter how compassionate I tell my story nor how many pictures I show them.....they will not feel the love, pain, and happiness that I've experienced this week. God is doing amazing things here and I hope to see even more improvements when I return. 
   God, I ask you to bless Jay and touch him with a quick and full recovery from his surgery. Lord, I ask you bless all my fellow team members and myself with safe travels back to America. Lord, let us arrive in America with new perspectives, outlooks, and changed hearts. I ask you this in the Lord's name...Amen."

Tears of happiness cloud my eyes as I finish typing this blog post. God knew that I would read these journal entries, on this day, remembering what I felt like He was telling me in 2011. I knew that I would return to Haiti. I knew I was being called here. I knew that children/youth was going to play a roll in my life. When I return from Haiti on July 16...I will have a month and a half of "down" time to transition back into American life. Then I'll embark on the next chapter of my life, studying Youth Ministry at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia. I pray that this blog post, my testimony, will reach people to follow Christ with all their heart, strength, and might. I pray that my life will bring glory to the Kingdom of Heaven, in everything I do. I apologize for the long post...but reading these journal entries and reflecting on the past year really touched my heart today. I hope you've enjoyed this post, and stick with me for the remaining 35 days of my time here in Haiti. The college ministry (Catalyst) that I came with last summer, will be here from July 6-17th. I will finish out the last 11 days serving alongside my best friends. God is so good great.