January 2024
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NKJV)
I pray this update finds you well! It’s been a little more than one week of being sent out and living down in Peru. It’s already been a productive time and I am so blessed by all of the relationships that are being grown and the new ones being forged. I’m excited to see all that the Lord is going to do in this coming season and semester. Thank you so much for your prayers!
Right now, there are a lot of people on campus, but many are still to come. It looks like we’re going to have at least a few more people from the states so that will be nice to be able to grow in our Spanish together. If you didn’t know when we took off, we left last Wednesday around 1pm. We were able to talk with someone waiting near us for our flight about where we were going and what the Lord was doing and that began one of multiple conversations where we got to share Jesus. Please pray that those conversations will be seeds that the Lord will water. During our flight to LAX we got to have a great conversation with a college student sitting next to us. She had a lot of questions and I pray the Lord helped us to answer well! We had about a 6-hour layover in LA so we went to Santa Monica. It was my first time, but Andy had already been there (for those of you who don’t know, Andy is the other missionary being sent out from my home church). We had a good time exploring a little. It was a great way to pass the time and also provided an opportunity to share the Gospel with our driver who was from India named Gouthem. Please pray that those seeds would turn to salvation!
When our second flight was getting ready to leave, there was a man who was having some health difficulties, so the flight ended up being delayed by a couple of hours. As far as I’m aware, things ended up being okay. There were several people who were health care workers flying with us so that was a blessing. We got into Lima a couple hours later than anticipated—right at the time we were supposed to start boarding our flight, which led to a 7-hour layover until our next flight. Praise the Lord there was no lost luggage, and only minor delays. During our layover we went exploring a little in Lima and I got a much-needed haircut. We quickly realized that we weren’t in Santa Rosa anymore as we began to feel how hot it was outside. Thankfully we packed accordingly!
We arrived in Trujillo around 8:15/8:30pm Thursday night. We got all settled in as they already had a place picked out for us. We’ll be staying with the guys in the guy’s dorm for now. I’m excited to get to know them all better and to be able to speak Spanish more and more. On our first day here, we got to say hello to people we haven’t seen in a long time and met some new faces as well. They showed us the ropes and we got right into working on some projects. There’s already a lot that has changed since our last visit, but there’s much more to come! All the growth that is taking place here in Trujillo is very encouraging. Not only that, but the new CBI campus is starting up in Brazil this semester!
Right now, we’re working on finishing up a new storage unit next to the current men’s dorm, and then we are going to begin prepping the floor for the new men’s dorm that CC the Rock is going to come and build. I even get to do cabinets, so when things slow down with the priority projects, I’ll be working on some cabinets in the kitchen and doing some things with the coffee shop as well.
The Spring semester starts on Feb. 13th, and I’m excited to help receive new students and some old ones too as not everyone is here yet. This Tuesday we’re going to get to see more what our roles will look like ministry-wise, and how we can pour into the students, make disciples, and be a blessing to the campus. Outside of our time helping in our ministry roles here and with construction, I’m trying to spend as much time as I can to grow in my Spanish speaking ability. Thank you all for your prayers with that. My Spanish is already getting better, and there’s a lot of work ahead.
How to Get Involved:
Thank you so much for all your prayers, generosity, and support as I’ve come out on the field. It’s been an overwhelming blessing, and I’m really excited for what He’s doing. Right now, my greatest need is prayer. I want to honor the Lord and walk in all that He has for me to do here. If you feel so led, I think the greatest physical need is monthly giving and support. Your giving makes outreach and ministry possible, as well as opens doors to provide for physical needs as well.
Prayer:
- to be open to whatever the Lord has
- to be flexible
- to grow well in this season
- to learn Spanish quickly
- to aid however I can in the growth and development of the students and to help them understand and realize God’s call on their life through prayer and His Word
- to be faithful in the little things as well as the big
- to be an example of how a Christian man ought to conduct Himself in every way
- for physical growth as we train at the gym and are able to use that weekly for a Bible Study to reach the wrestling/jiu-jitsu/MMA gym
- continued prayers for my family’s health back home
Thank you for your prayers and support, Dios te bendiga,
-Jordon