Sometimes goodbye can be a beautiful word to say

a cup of earl grey

One important thing to learn to do well as you get older is bringing times or seasons to a close. To learn to transition well into the new and actually say goodbye to people, places, or whatever needs the goodbye so you can move on.

It is the hardest part about doing a DTS with YWAM. Sure, there can be other hard parts about it; culture shock, living with the same people for an extended period (and usually people you would not pick), and all the other things thrown your way, but none compares to saying goodbye and going home.
Home, where either nothing has changed or too much has changed it doesn't seem like the same place. It is always pleasant when both are experienced at the same time.

I am back in the stunningly, beautiful New Zealand. A place so close to my heart it is almost worth a tattoo. A permanent art piece marking my time here, so that I never forget. Don't pee your pants, Parents, I will not be doing it, notice the word "almost."

I am planning on transitioning well from my time here to Tulsa. Who knows though, stuff comes at you that you never plan.

Ending with a fantastic quote...
“Lighthouses don’t go running all over an island looking for boats to save; they just stand there shining.” 
― Anne Lamott

Thai iced coffees are too good

I am sitting in a cafe sipping some lemon iced tea, while I take my time on the Internet. I am starting to think of my time here in Thailand and the difficulty ahead of going home. It is never an easy transition from being so far away from home to staying put. Although, I am quite excited for some specific things in Tulsa and America in general. I hope a few of you are willing to sit over a coffee and let me spill a bit about my time with YWAM. That will help me let go and move on to focusing on home. I think that is it for now. Tulsans, please enjoy the amazing weather for me. Go ride a bike or grill. Grilling in January? I think so. Also, if anyone wants two house show tickets to see Waterdeep in Nashville let me know.

I found some free wi-fi, so here comes an update of our time here. We have been in Ton Sai for the last month. It is a small beach village where people from all over come to rope climb. They are usually intense climbers. Although I have not seen Chris Sharma. We live in small huts with not so nice beds, flush our own toilets, and take cold showers. It is a little out of the comfort zone, but everything else outweighs it. Our crew is doing well! We are getting to know people and eating plenty of Thai food. We miss our YWAM Oxford friends, but overall Thailand is treating us well. We look forward to a visit from our friend Nicki, then after we head for debrief. To bring our trip to a close. I will be headed stateside on March 5, with a short visit to San Fran. Then home, where goodness awaits. Love, Jordan

Smile in the land of smiles!

Hello from Ton Sai, Thailand All is well from our end. We are enjoying meeting people and climbing. The climbers here are pretty good. Christmas was as good as it can get in a country that doesn't quite recognize Jesus. There is not much for me to share. Most of the sites are not new, yet things still amaze me. The pollution and how animals are treated is rough on a soul. Seeing the poverty and feeling like a tourist is an interesting experience. We are here to bring light in a dark place, to love each other well. I think we are doing that! Thanks for praying. Thailand is not an easy place to BE. Have a great New Years. Jordan

Bye Sheep.

Hello! 

My team and I are off to the Land of Smiles (Thailand) tomorrow morning. I will try to get on here once a week, we'll see how that goes. I do ask that you would pray for us. Any and all is appreciated. This is my last trip for a time with YWAM, so I want to finish well and share God's love with others. Hope you have a lovely Christmas and New Years. I will be home sometime in March, but until then...

Love,

Jordan

Thailand or bust

Okay, so maybe we are not leaving quite yet, but does six days count as being a lot of time?

The last few weeks has been delightful, but in a little over two months it will all be over and we will all be going home, traveling or sticking around for awhile.

To end, an Anne Lamott quote...

"My friend Terry says that when you need to make a decision, in your work or otherwise, and you don’t know what to do, just do one thing or the other, because the worst that can happen is that you will have made a terrible mistake."