Posted in Macedonia by Jordan Drake on 10/30/2010
Thank You Macedonia
This month was an incredible month. We had the opportunity
to choose our country of ministry in a mission appropriately titled "Challenge
Europe". We were given a list of five different countries from which we were to
choose a destination, establish a contact, and determine our own ministry. My
team chose Macedonia. After a 33-hour train ride from Ukraine, my team and I
arrived in Tetova, Macedonia for our second to last month of this year long
journey.
When we arrived to Macedonia, we met up with our awesome
YWAM contacts, Ryan and Robert. They helped us get situated in our new home for
the next month and took care of our meals. After we had a while to rest, we
talked about all the opportunities we had this month. Ryan shared with us that
there was a university just beyond the center of town that he frequently
visits. So, we decided that spending time at this university and building
friendships that could be sustained by YWAM would be the best way to spend this
month.
Our first day, we headed down to the university and honestly
did not expect much as many of the students had already gone home for the day;
however, we wanted to make an effort. When we arrived at the school, Jordan
(another contact from YWAM), Brook, and I met a man named Omer from the coffee
shop on campus as he was closing up and throwing out the trash. Jordan began
talking to him a little in the Macedonian language and a few minutes later we
were walking towards another coffee shop to sit down talk. After an hour or so
of getting to know Omer, he paid for our drinks (the hospitality here is
amazing!) and invited us to come back to his shop the next day. So, we went
back to the campus the following day and met up with Omer, who introduced us to
some of his friends: Besar and Armend.
 Before you knew it, we were hanging out almost everyday
playing pool, throwing darts, spending time at Omer's coffee shop, and
experiencing the town. Ryan was telling us that it is not common to be invited
into the home of an Albanian family (we are near the Albanian border so there are many Albanian families), yet while we were in Tetova we met two
different families, Besar and Armend. After Omer's coffee shop closed on
campus one day, Besar invited us to his shoe store on the main road to meet his
mother and see his shop. His mom was very hospitable. During normal business hours,
she pulled up stools for us to sit, as Besar order coffee & tea from the
place next door and then he went to get us cookies. We spent the next couple of
hours talking to his mom and developing a solid friendship with Besar. A little
while later, his dad came into the shop and so we had a chance to spend some
time with him too. Besar and his family are incredible people with great
hearts. A couple of days later, Armend told us that his mom invited us over to
their house to have tea. So, a few days later, Armend's brother picked us up
from town and drove us halfway up the side of the mountain to their beautiful
home that over looked the city. Again, in typical Albanian hospitality, his
mother offered us tea & coffee. While we were waiting for the drinks to brew,
she set out cookies and pastries to eat and gave us cold drinks as we waited
for the other warm drinks. After finishing the coffee & tea, we thought we
were going to head out but then she offered us food. She went out to a local
restaurant and ordered us all burgers (The burgers here are amazing. They have
huge burger patties with all the essential ingredients you would expect but
then they throw the fries into the burger and you eat all of it at the same
time). After eating lunch, Armend asked if we wanted to watch a movie. So, we
spent the next hour watching the Book of Eli with Armend and his family. Yet,
his mother felt that we needed to have snacks for the movie to she offered us
fruit and pretzels to eat while we watched. Honestly, the hospitality here is
truly amazing from Ryan and Robert to Omer to Armend and Besar's families. I
only hope that I have learned a thing or two to bring home with me and share
with others this amazing care.
One night, we went out into town to hang out at a local coffee
shop. Somehow, our friends from Macedonia found out that it was going to be my
birthday the next day, actually it was going to be my birthday in an hour or so
because it was around 11:00pm at the coffee shop. Unbeknownst to me, they began
talking about what they could do to celebrate my birthday...that night. Thoughts
were proposed to yell "Happy Birthday" at midnight but that was not enough for
them. As they were talking, they realized that we didn't have a cake. So, at
11:00pm at night they all got on their phones and began to find bakeries that
were open this late. All the while, I had no idea that this was happening
because I was talking with some other friends at another table. I saw Besar,
Armend, and two of my teammates head out as they said they would be back
shortly. While they were gone, midnight passed and it became my birthday.
Shortly thereafter, they came back with a cake in hand singing happy birthday
in a crowded coffee shop. And at 12:30am on my birthday we began celebrating.
Honestly, the people here are absolutely amazing. They hardly knew me yet they
were determined to make my birthday a great time. Thank you to them, the
messages from family and friends, a call with my amazing parents, a surprise
party thrown by my incredible girlfriend (which, by the way, she planned in
America by contacting my team in Eastern Europe. I know right?!?! That surprise
was the evening of my birthday. So, I had the cake surprise and then the other
surprise from Melody), and a rededication baptism, I had my best birthday ever.
The month was an absolutely incredible time, from the
location to the people. Thank you Lord for the chance to meet some new friends
and to experience your creation a bit more in the beautiful country of
Macedonia!
| |
|
Posted in Ukraine by Jordan Drake on 10/18/2010
To All of My Amazing Supporters,
I just wanted to say thank you so much to all of you that have helped to support my trip and make this year possible. I just hope that you have been able to see God move through us (as illustrated in our blogs) in the same way we have felt Him move through us. Although I am fully funded, there are a few of my friends that have yet to achieve their financial goals. If you so desire, you can help to be able to support one of my teammates by going to...
http://emilygilchrist.theworldrace.org/
It has been an incredible journey and it is strange to think that it is coming to an end. As I look back on this year, I thank God for the opportunity to serve Him and for all of my incredible supporters who have served just as mightily through giving. May the Lord bless you all. Thank you so much!
Month #1: New Zealand
Month #2: Australia
Month #3: Philippines
Month #4: Malaysia
Month #5: Thailand
Month #6: Kenya
Month #7: Tanzania
Month #8: Uganda
Month #9: Ukraine
| |
|
Posted in Ukraine by Jordan Drake on 10/5/2010
Welcome to Ukraine
 We are now in month nine of our trip and it is strange to think that in a short period of time we will be home. Although I have become mentally and physically exhausted from this trip, I feel as though I have become spiritually alive. Before the start of the race, I could not have imagined living such a lifestyle (i.e. living in close community with fifty strangers, living out of a backpack, moving every month, etc.); but, honestly, I have come to appreciate this lifestyle and this community very much.
This month we are working with the MacDonald family helping
to serve the needs of the co  mmunity. The MacDonald family is an amazing family. If you can imagine the movie cheaper by the dozen, you can imagine life at the MacDonald house. Although they have a handful of children that are serving in the army right now, they still have five amazing children living at home, ranging in age from 15 to 3. We are working in the region of Lungask, more specifically Lutugino, which is near the Russian border.
 In order to honor our contacts and serve the community, we have been asked to help facilitate eyeglass clinics, give presentations to the schools about our trip and then play sports with the kids after school, visit the patients in the hospital and show movies to the kids every Friday, help pick corn and then cut down all corn stalks to feed the animals for the winter, and visit a rehabilitation center for alcoholics. It was a stark change of pace from the ministry in Africa and much needed.
The people in Ukraine are amazing. The food in Ukraine is amazing. The ministry in Ukraine was refreshing. Thank you Lord.
| |
|
Posted in Ukraine by Jordan Drake on 10/5/2010
Growing Closer to God
My greatest desires for the year were to read the bible cover to cover and to grow closer to the Lord. The first goal is relatively easy to accomplish: create a plan and stick to your reading schedule. However, the second goal is a bit ambiguous. How do you grow closer to the Lord? What do you need to do in order to grow closer to God and experience His presence in your life?
Initially, I thought that as I read through the bible that I would experience the Lord more and more in my life. However, to be quite honest, the more that I read the bible the further I grew away from the Lord.
**Disclaimer: please do not get me wrong; I believe that the bible is a great way to grow closer to the Lord and to understand the promises that only He can offer. However, I do believe that He customized this particular lesson for me.
Sounds a bit ironic but it is the truth. I would analyze every verse and try to determine exactly what God intended because I wanted to achieve His will for my life. I was the student that wanted to understand every detail of the assignment before I began because I wanted to do well. As I read the verse about loving your neighbor as yourself, I began to question, who is my neighbor? What type of love do I need to offer my neighbor? Do I offer him agape ("selfless") or can I just offer him phileo ("brotherly") love? I was the epitome of "analysis paralysis". As I look back upon my life, I can only imagine how many times I walked by Jesus because of the fact that I was so concerned with identifying the proper type of love. "Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of Mine, you did for me," Matthew 25:40.
Although reading the bible was a great start in my quest for a deeper relationship with the Lord, I was missing a vital component to the equation: doing the word. "But be doers of the word and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. Because if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man looking at his own face in a mirror; for he looks at himself, goes away, and right away forgets what kind of man he was. But the one who looks intently into the perfect law of freedom and perseveres in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer who acts - this person will be blessed in what he does," James 1:22-25. I was hearing the word correctly but I was not doing the word.
A friend of mine on the trip informed us of the different Greek words used to define knowledge: Oida (Book/Verbal Tradition Knowledge) and Ginosko (Experiential Knowledge). In my quest to grow closer to the Lord, I focused all my efforts on the Oida knowledge of God by reading and having deep conversations with my squad. However, I unintentionally did not exert much effort on practicing what I read or what I heard. It was not until I held an orphan in my arms, distributed food to the poor, gave away a free pair of eyeglasses to someone that could not see; that I was able to experience ("Ginosko") love. All of a sudden, the idea of loving your neighbor became so clear. I did not concern myself about who was my neighbor. I did not worry about what type of love I should offer. I just loved. I was a doer of the word.
Both Oida and Ginosko knowledge are vital components of experiencing God. The bible is the inspired word of the Lord that allows us to be able to read and understand `His promises, but when we act on His commands we are able to see those promises come to life. I once heard that "the heart cannot follow what the mind does not believe" but then I heard that you need to "have an ice cold brain and a red hot heart;" two conflicting comments but two important concepts. It is important to have fundamental beliefs that will help guide you in your walk of faith, but it is also important to not let your thoughts paralyze your servitude.
| |
|
Posted in Uganda by Jordan Drake on 9/30/2010
I know that it is a bit delayed but here is a summary of our month in Uganda. My friend John had written this great summary of our life over the past month and allowed me to link his blog. Be prepare because it is a bit different than any of the other months.
| |
|
Posted in Ireland by Jordan Drake on 9/30/2010
We were in Ireland for a week attending the Awakening Conference. It was a nice break from the past 8 months of ministry. Each year at the Awakening, they host a dance competition between all of the squads. This is a video of our squad's performance, which awarded us first place.
N Squad:Awakening Dance Off- Ireland 2010 from Krissy Whaley on Vimeo.
| |
|
Posted in Uganda by Jordan Drake on 9/3/2010
The Story of a Lifetime Part 3
As I reflected upon my life, I realized just how blessed I
have been and still am to check off so many items from my bucket list: skydived
in Buenos Aires, Argentina, hiked the Incan Trial to Machu Picchu, Peru; skied
at the edge of the world in Ushuai, Argentina; stared down a lion on a safari
in Masai Mara, Kenya; zip-lined through the forests of Changmai, Thailand; etc.
I really have so many incredible memories that I cherish. However, I do not
write about these memories in order to brag of my stories but in order to
illustrate a point: the rewards that I received were purely selfish. There is a
song entitled "The Hurt". Essentially, the song declared, "You can have my
empire of dirt," which inferred the point that the writer had strived so hard
for something that was of no significance. When his life was over, all of those
possessions and all of those selfish desires, would "go back in the box".
Donald Miller, author of A Million Miles in a Thousand Years, explained that in
order for a story to reach an epic level that it needs to offer a benefit to
others. It needs to be about more than just excitement. It needs to be about
leaving a legacy, a legacy that advances the kingdom of God. Although I would
never pass up an opportunity to do something adventuresome, I have recently
been encouraged to find a purpose behind all of my actions. Live an epic story
of a lifetime by living an adventurous life for others. I may have a movie that
is exciting with all of my adventures but would it win an Oscar in the eyes of
the Lord?
| |
|
Posted in Uganda by Jordan Drake on 9/3/2010
The Story of a Lifetime Part 2
 After we were briefed on the events of the day, the guys and
I headed over to the guides in order to select the one that would be most
willing to lead us into the depths of the rapids. We found out that one guide had been rafting for over ten
years and arguably had the most commercial flips in the world; his name was
"Big J". As we headed down the river, he told us to paddle when he said
"paddle," to stop paddling when he said "stop," and to crouch into the raft
when he said "Get down;" otherwise, we may be in trouble with these rapids. We
could hear the sounds of the rushing waters as we pulled up to our first rapid.
"Alright men, we have a class three rapid. Paddle." We dug our paddles into the
water and headed into the wild. The waves grew louder and so did our yelling.
We smashed into the water below and were met with a wave of water that filled
the raft up to our chest with water. "Good work," commented Big J, "but get
ready though because we are about to hit a class five. We like to call this one
'Big Brother'". We could hear the waves crashing around the bend but could not
quite see what we were getting ourselves into. All of a sudden, we turn the
corner and Big J tells us to start paddling again. Like the lip of a roller
coaster when you first start out, we slowly entered the rapid but were soon
sucked into the current and were left at the mercy of the river. As we
descended down one wave, we could see another larger wave begin to form. Before
we had time to move, we were thrown into that wall of a wave and were submerged
under the water just long enough to be shot out the other end. No overturned
raft yet, but we were still hopeful.
As we waited for the remainder of the rafts to pass through
"Big Brother," we saw one guide motion that a man had been injured. We waited
in this one area for about a half hour later to find that a man had dislocated
his shoulder and need to exit the boat. Quite honestly, this did not instill
fear into the guys in our raft; rather, it made our adrenaline pump for the
next class five. Throughout the remainder of the day, we hit a number of
different rapids (e.g. Retrospect, Go Left and Die, etc.) ranging in size from
a class three to a class four. We even saw some class six rapids but were
specifically told that we would not be able to enter those rapids unless we had
a death wish. Our guide told us that this particular one that we passed through
was called the "Dead Dutchman" because one man from the Netherlands tried to go
down the waters alone and was sucked under the current and drowned. After a
long stretch of still waters, Big J told us to begin paddling. He then told us
that we would need to exit the water just before this monstrous rapid
approaching. He said that this rapid was worst of them all. He said the
beginning part of this rapid was beyond a class six but the second half was
probably a class five plus. He said that they call it "The Bad Place". We
exited the waters and climbed ashore. We hiked up the hill just a bit before we
gazed over the side into what appeared to be the eye of a hurricane: water so
loud you could hardly hear yourself think, ten foot waves from the North
battling ten foot waves from the South, and whirlpools so great that you would
think that God just unplugged the bath tub. "We are going to drop in half way
though," Big J declared. "You said that you wanted to flip; well, here you go.
Less than half of the people that enter this rapid are successful. It is very
important that you listen to my instructions. Alright, now get back in the
boat. It is go time." It took us all but a minute to pile back in the boat and
take guard for the battle that was to ensue. "Left side, paddle...right side,
back paddle...everyone, forward paddle. Get Ready...Get Down". Immediately, we
crouched into the raft, pulled our paddles aboard, and held on for our lives.
It felt like we dropped in from a ten-foot half pipe but the other side was a
launch ramp. We flew over the waves but were stopped mid-flight by the next
wall of a wave and then dropped in on yet another ten-foot half-pipe. Again, we
saw another wave forming right before our eyes, but this was probably the
largest wave we had seen so far on our trip. However, this time our raft was
turned sideways because we were so jostled from our last wave. We were about to
enter the largest wave...sideways. We all held on tight and hit that wave head
on. The right side of the raft hit first and slowly began to lift and continued
to lift until the people on the right side of the raft were directly over the
people on the left side. It was no longer a positioning of left and right side
but top and bottom. Then, the raft began to sink and the people on the left
(aka the bottom) were submerged under water as the people on the right (aka the
top) held on for dear life, hoping gravity would not toss them in the
hurricane. Then, all of a sudden, a wave from behind pushed us back forward and
we slammed back down; we were all accounted for but we did not have time to
cheer because we met another wall as we turned our heads down river. "Boom,"
the front of the boat lifted and the people in the back of the raft were now
under water. We were then shot forward but this time we were not all aboard. A
person from the back of the raft had been thrown under the boat and ended up in
the front. We pulled him aboard and road out the rest of the bumpy rapids until
we reached clam waters. Big J looked at us in disbelief and said, "Wow, people
normally flip. Good job. Wow," he said in astonishment, "you guys are good".
Although we wanted to flip that day, I think that I was more proud not to flip
and hear that comment from a recognized whitewater guide. We decided to face
the Nile that day and we conquered the Nile, on this trip at least.
| |
|
Posted in Uganda by Jordan Drake on 9/1/2010
The Story of a Lifetime Part 1
I woke up this morning to the rushing waters of the Nile
River. I slowly got out of my sleeping bag and crawled out of my tent. I walked
over to the edge of the balcony and just gazed into the majestic views of the
longest river on earth and began to ponder life.
I just finished
reading a book entitled A Million Miles in a Thousand Years by Donald Miller. All throughout the book he talked
about life being a unique story, a story that demands a character that
overcomes conflict and yields reward. I started to think about my life and my
story. I started to wonder if my life were a movie, would I want to watch? Well
actually, I first questioned if others would want to watch my life on the big
screen but then I realized that I am not living this life for anyone other than
the Lord; so, then I questioned if I would want to watch and would it please
the Lord?
Miller expanded
on the idea of conflict and reward. Essentially, he reiterated the age-old
idea: the greater the risk, the greater the reward. He explained that in order
to add excitement to a story that there needs to be an element of risk. No one
wants to read about the man that stood on the bank of the Nile and watched the
rapids ferociously devour everything that entered its path. They want to read
about the man who took a risk and challenged the beast. They want to read about
the man who got into a raft and conquered class five rapids.
So, I had a
decision to make. I had the choice to be the man that stood on the bank of the
Nile or I had the choice to be the man that conquered the rapids. If you knew
my personality, then you would know that I would never pass up an opportunity
to experience something so incredible. I decided to be the man that would enter
the mouth of the Nile River.
To be continued...
| |
|
Posted in Tanzania by Jordan Drake on 7/23/2010
It Doesn't Need to
Be Thanksgiving to Be Thankful
I was on the
phone with my parents the other day talking about possible return dates, so we
could schedule a flight home for Thanksgiving. It is hard to imagine that in
three and a half months we will be at home celebrating Thanksgiving with our
family and friends. I would be lying if I said that I wasn't a bit homesick. I
spent the rest of the day thinking about that Thanksgiving meal: the green bean
casserole, the stuffing, the mashed potatoes, the yams, the vegetable platters,
the deviled eggs, the pumpkin pie, the jello dishes, and of course, the turkey.
But then, I started to think more about the people that made each of these
amazing dishes than the actual dishes themselves.
I started to
think about my dad who would take me to the local practice fields when I was
younger just to go toss the football around and then take me to get a slurpee.
I started to think about all the late night movies and market runs that we
would make together. I started to think just how fortunate I was to have a
father that was so involved in my life.
 I started to
think about my mom who always puts my needs before her own. I started to
remember all the fun we would share in the short-trips down to San Diego or
Malibu. I started to think about the times when she would have to go into work
but still needed to watch me; so, she would bring me into work, set up a movie
in the conference room, and get me breakfast from McDonalds. I started to think
just how grateful I was to have such a deep agape love from my mother.
I started to
think about my aunts, uncles, and grandfather who would treat me as if I was
one of their own. I started to think about all of my cousins who are basically
my siblings. I started to think about all of my friends who would drop anything
just to help me if I ever asked. As I thought about these blessings, I thanked
God for such an incredible group of family and friends. I am reading a book
called Boundaries and it states that one
of the greatest desires in life is to build relationships. I have those
relationships and could not be more thankful. The Bible says that there is no
greater love than to lay down your life for someone. I would definitely lay
down my life for my family and friends without hesitation because I have the
greatest love for them. So, I don't need to wait for Thanksgiving in order to
be thankful for such a blessing. I love you all so much and cannot wait to see
you all soon!
| |
|
Next 10 Articles >>
|
|
|
