Just Jon

“God has provided each of us with certain capabilities and opportunities. He is aware, of course, of our environmental obstacles and roadblocks – for example, the problems we have faced in our family life. He knows our inherent weaknesses and the circumstances that are beyond our control. But at the same time, God wants us to use what we have at our disposal. He wants us to develop our capacities and use them to the fullest.”

– Gene Getz

This quote really resonates with me, especially as I reflect upon the numerous mission experiences I’ve had. You see, one of the things I like the most about missions is that you can be whoever you want to be (within reason of course)! It is a little like the guy who always stays at a Holiday Inn. He is capable of so much more just because of where he spent the night. Going on a mission trip gives you the opportunity to be the person you want to be.

Now before you scoff, give me a chance to defend myself. I’m not telling you to go on a mission trip and impersonate a doctor. What I am telling you is that your slate is clean. Even though our slate is always clean with Jesus, we sometime operate as though it is not. But on a mission trip we are free of all our past. You can use your past as a guidepost rather than a hitching post!

What I really love is the fact that I’m Jon, the guy that flew across the ocean to spend a week serving when I’m on a mission trip. I’m not Jon the salesman. I’m not Jon the guy who forgot to use his blinker and cut you off. I’m not Jon the guy who should have spent more nights in the library when he was in college instead of hanging with friends. I’m not Jon the guy who chose to watch T.V. instead of have my quiet time. I’m just Jon, a servant of Christ.

However, it should not stop there. My hope is the person I become while on mission is not some counterfeit person; rather I hope this is the person I truly desire to be, the person God created me to be. With that in mind I try to take that person home with me and be that person back home as well. It is a challenge to maintain, especially when life gets back in full swing. We have a family to take care of, a job to tend to, and no doubt our personal vices (golf, football, T.V.) pulling at us from different directions. Regardless of who you are when you get on the plane to fly to Romania and regardless of whom you become when you return home, I truly hope you will ask God to show you who He wants you to be. Maybe He will use this trip to mold you into that person. That’s my prayer. Aspire to new heights.

A passion secured

My first trip to Romania no doubt made me fall in love with this country. It was not until my second trip that I actually developed a passion for my second home. I decided to return to Romania the summer of 2000 to serve as an intern at an orphan camp. Writing this blog brings back so many memories. Camp Lapusna as it was called was a good three hour bus ride from civilization. This old camp at the top of some mountain was originally a youth summer camp during communism. We were so happy to get one warm shower a week. Usually we walked to the river where we would jump in the water, get out, apply soap, and jump back in to remove the soap. The water was so cold it would take your breath away.

Every experience I’ve had working with orphans, regardless of the country, has been a wonderful experience. However, the two experiences that stand out the most involved living with the children 24/7. The first was this particular experience in Camp Lapusna. The other was in Latvia. Sure you may build relationships with kids teaching VBS half a day or even a full day, but the true relationships come from sharing meals with the kids, tucking them in bed at night, and spending all your free time with them.

Oh the memories of Camp Lapusna. How could I forget the Water Nazi, stepping on a viper, or living off peanut butter and crackers! I still remember riding a bus from the Budapest airport to camp. It took close to 15 hours on a long and winding road. I remember sneaking into my room so not to wake my roommates. Even better, I remember waking (with jet lag) to all 15 of my roommates staring at me as they tried to figure out who I was!

But the memory than stands out the most was something that revolved around a key hole. You see, each morning the staff and interns would meet for prayer before everyone else was up. During this time we would pray for the children individually by name. Our meeting room was connected to one of the sleeping quarters for the children. And unbeknownst to us the children would take turns looking through the key hole of the door and watch us pray. Little did we know the impact this simple act of faith would have on a room full of children.

Don’t you agree with me that every child, or every person for that matter, deserves to be prayed for by name? I hope you will join me in praying for them. Aspire to new heights.

A Chance Encounter

If you’ve read my blog in the past or if you’ve gone back over some of my older posts you’ve probably heard me quote my wife more than once. I’m proud of my wife and I’m proud to have shared so many wonderful experiences with her the past nine years (as of Wednesday to be exact). We have a lot of similarities and many differences. She balances me out. At times she’s the roots and I’m the wings of our relationship. At times it is the other way around.

I’ll never forget one of the most profound things she ever said; “Sometimes God takes us one place just to get us to another.” This should be our mission statement. During the nine years of our marriage we have lived in Lubbock, Houston, and Romania. That may not seem like much to you but we have had three stints in Lubbock, one in Houston and one in Romania. This does not count several moves in Lubbock and several in Romania. This means a lot of moving and a lot of “homes” or houses rather. Home to most of us is where our family is, where we reside day-in and day-out. Some say, “Home is where the heart is.” The question is; can your heart be in two places at once? Romania has to be a place where I “left my heart.” In preparation for an upcoming trip to Romania in June I’ve reflected a lot about what has drawn me to this country for the past 10 years. During this self discovery I found my trip notes from the very first trip I took to Romania in March 1999. As a side note, I’m not sure I’ve ever thanked my dad for taking me to Romania with him. Knowing he is the only self proclaimed follower of my blog I can give a shout out to him and say thank you for exposing me to this wonderful country. Isn’t it amazing how one small experience in our life will shape our decisions from that point forward?

If my memory serves me right I don’t think I even knew where Romania was before this trip in 1999. I’m not even sure I knew Romania was a country (geography was not my strong suit). Now this country I’d never heard of before has become the place I think about daily. My thoughts, prayers, hopes and dreams may not revolve around Romania, but they definitely go there often. After reviewing my notes I’m reminded why. I spent the very first day in this country in a dilapidated orphanage with 100 plus kids that had absolutely no hope or promise. I spent the entire week with six of the most spiritual men I’ve ever known. Their wisdom and spiritual maturity still guide me today.

Many would argue my passion is less about Romania and more about Romania being the first country I ever took a mission trip. There may be a hint of truth to this statement but I still believe it is about the country. Honestly it probably isn’t the country itself, but rather the people from this country. Some of my best friends are Romanian. Others may not be Romanian but I met them in Romania. As I take the next few weeks to share with you my aspirations for Romania I hope you catch a glimpse of the oversized hearts my friends in Romania have. I love them as though they were family. To me they are! For those of you that are travelling with me to Romania in June I hope you will one day share my enthusiasm. For those that are not, I hope you will follow along and join us the next trip! Until then, aspire to new heights.

New Beginnings

Your computer is not playing tricks on you. Today is May 19, 2010, and the last time I blogged was May 18, 2010. I guess you could say I’ve taken a yearlong sabbatical from blogging. To say I didn’t have anything to blog about would be far from true. Much has happened the last 365 days. I’m not even going to focus on that. I don’t want to dwell on the past. I’d rather focus on the future. I’m excited about the future, primarily my upcoming trip to Romania June 5-15 with Pioneer Drive Baptist Church. I want to spend the next few weeks talking about Romania and why I have such a heart for this wonderful country. Most of my blogs will be directed at those joining me on the trip. However, I hope others will follow along as well. Who knows, maybe you will join us on the next trip. My hope is that I’ll be able to continue writing blogs during our trip. Then upon our return I might actually keep blogging. Who knows! None-the-less, I hope you aspire to new heights. I know I’ve been challenged the past 365 days to do that very thing. I hope you join me.

Where are you

A friend recently posted on my blog asking where I was. I responded by asking him if he had a map. It's been one of those months. I'm blessed by my job and the opportunity to be a voice for those that have no voice. But the travel does wear on you. I've been in so many meetings I just could not find the strength to blog when I got to the hotel. To be honest, I'm really not blogging today. I've even considered taking my blog off. However, I don't want to just yet. At least not until I give my wife props one more time.

Earlier today I was taking a short break between thank you notes to let my pen cool off. During this time I decided to read Kacee's blog. She doesn't give herself enough credit but she's a great communicator. Honestly, she conveys the message much better than I do. For that reason, I hope you will read her latest blog (May 11). Not only is it inspiring, it really is my life mission. She just says it better than me!

I'm not going to promise I will blog any time soon. I'm not even going to promise I won't just take this thing off. Who knows where tomorrow will lead! Blessings. Aspire to new heights.