Haiti Team Interview Five: Jordan

Mix thoughtfulness with humor, devotion, gentleness, and a genuine spirit, and you've only just begun to understand Jordan. Some wondered at his varied facial expressions, but all knew him to be unguarded and honest in his interactions. Though normally quiet, Jordan never hesitated to bring his kindness to bear on the children we met; and for the team, he could switch quickly from attentive conversation partner to fellow worker to comedian. This is Jordan, and this is his story.

Jordan first heard about the Haiti mission in a service at Lighthouse. At first he responded in apathy. In fact, he stayed that way and didn't give much thought to the trip until two others-- Jesse and Lee-- joined. Lee specifically talked to him and encouraged him to make his own choice in the matter. Even after Jesse brought him to an informational meeting, Jordan was careful about committing to the team. Commitment, in fact, was the most important factor in his decision: he didn't want to commit to something and not follow through. In the process, others encouraged him by saying that if he sees an opportunity to serve in Haiti, he should take advantage of it. This, he found, was God's response to his indecision about joining the team, God's answer to prayer.

I understood something about Jordan more clearly from his interview. At our final meeting before we left, Sandi encouraged us to share a prayer request, and Jordan responded by saying he wanted God to break his heart for the children of Haiti. I didn't think much of it at the time, but later understood why he chose that particular prayer.

Before he became a Christian, he saw life as dull, mundane. Even after he became a Christian, he was still a "broken person." He had been on mission trips before, but never got much out of them, and he wanted God to take him from that place of indifference and give him a concern for others. In fact, Haiti to him was different from previous trips. He saw it as a place where he could listen to God. He humbled himself and found that he wanted to change things about himself that he can't change on his own. He found he needed God and others.

Jordan's favorite verse is Matthew 6:33: "Seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be given to you as well." It reminded him what he is living his life for. "Living for Jesus," he said, "is vague and sometimes misinterpreted." This verse showed him specific actions to take, and therefore makes an effort to apply it to his life. A young man of only twenty-four years, he knows God has much planned for him. In the meantime, he'll be thinking, considering. He has a knack for it, even if he stops occasionally to make a funny face.