Posted in Cambodia by Helena Jordao on 5/20/2012
DEAR BUG ON MY HEAD,
I know you can’t read, but this is my letter to you.
You are not the first bug to land on my head, and you won’t be the last.
However, your timing is impeccable, therefore I am writing to you.
You’re probably wondering “gee, Helena, why am I so special?”
Little bug, I sat in front of my laptop and pondered all the silly, goofy things about which I could possibly write a blog. Then you landed on my head, and began to crawl in my hair.
My first instinct? To kill you. But I didn’t.
The ones before you got swatted. Some got smashed if I was sweaty enough to not care about a dead bug in my hair. But you? You get to live, because you inspired me to write this blog.
There are few things in life that I’m practically guaranteed: the love of my Savior, bills, taxes, sunshine and rain, affliction, opportunities to display patience, and that bugs will continue to land on my head.
So you live to land on someone else’s head another day, and maybe inspire them to take a moment out of their day to be thankful for the littlest, creepiest, crawliest of things.
Creep on creepin’ on, little guy.
Peace,
Helena
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Posted in Cambodia by Helena Jordao on 5/18/2012
We are in Kampong Cham, Cambodia.
Our ministry is partnering with YWAM, in a teaching center.
We are teaching “Personal Development” and building onto a foundation already laid out by the K Squad team, who put together the little booklet we’re using to teach.
I’m the lead teacher in the smallest class, and one of my teammates is with me to help me. The students are college-age, and some of the sweetest, most joyful people I’ve ever seen.
I was a teacher’s pet, but I surely never came to class with that much enthusiasm.
My anxiety and second-guessing goes out the window the minute the students arrive. They are excited. They want to hear what we have to say. They come prepared, and are willing to participate. I observed some of the other classes, and maybe I’m a little biased, but my class is the most involved. I always make them draw haha bring out the inner child, but I think drawing is an amazing way to learn.
My favorite part, aside from when the lesson clicks and they start nodding, is when they call me Teechah (Teacher) haha!
We have a language barrier to overcome. We rely on the one or 2 students who speak better English to make the concepts known to the others.
How does this tie in with ministry? We are teaching these people that they are worthy, special, and important. We teach them that they are created and are here for a purpose. We had them draw out their life goals, and encouraged them. We had them ask themselves if their Creator would be pleased with their plans, and if they believe that He has a good plan for their lives. We talked about what happens when things don’t go as we plan, and how we can have peace because God is with us and has a plan for us. We talked about inner beauty, and how being pale or dark is the way God made us, and that He thinks we are beautiful just the way we are.
These concepts may seem simple, but what if someone never taught a young woman or a young man that there is more to life than looks and money?
So we are teaching this here is Cambodia, with the Bible as our source of worth.
I’ll hopefully be able to upload some pictures of the students very soon. Please be in prayer for us and for them, and for us to be healthy. Most of us have felt a little woozy in Cambodia, so pray for our stomachs!
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Posted in Cambodia by Helena Jordao on 5/12/2012
We arrived in Siem Reap, Cambodia for month 4 debrief, to rest and recharge for the next months of ministry. I had a really rough month in Thailand (notice I only wrote a handful of blogs, that’s how you can tell!) and I was struggling. Ministry was really dark and challenging, going into bars every night, facing the enemy’s stronghold and seeing the repercussions of sin in Thailand. If you ever want a broken heart, befriend a woman who sells her body. It is heart-wrenching.
Toss that along with the fact I got broken in Nicaragua—and I’m not referring to the volcano surfing accident—and it made for a difficult month of ministry.
When I wasn’t doing ministry, or drinking smoothies, I found myself on my sleeping pad a lot. I would just lay down. I did a lot of Bible-reading, which is my stronghold. I received a lot of notes, but I didn’t write any. I would get asked to go places with people and most of the time I’d say no. I’m glad I went to Tiger Kingdom, I almost passed that up.
Once I got to Cambodia, I snapped out of it… and I wrote… a spoken word.
I presented it to my squad at creative worship night, and I explained my situation, apologized, and said how thankful I am to be here and what I’m here to do.
I may get it on video and post it here, but I’m no videographer, so it’s a matter of having a kind soul do it for me. Any volunteers? wink wink nudge nudge
It felt great to get it off my chest, and I know it was well-received. Several people cried, my squad leader said he wanted to pick me up afterwards (later he did) and my old team leader keeps calling me a rapper =]
Cambodia is a harvest month for me. I’m getting to see more of what God is doing in my life, I’m getting better perspective. He’s revealing to me slowly but surely the things He wants me to do, and the ministry He wants me to start. I still don’t know the specifics or where He wants me to headquarter, but He’ll tell me when it’s time.
Prayer requests are for health this month (first thing I did was get sick) and for God to continue revealing His plans for me.
Love you guys so much and thanks for faithfully reading!
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Posted in Cambodia by Helena Jordao on 5/12/2012
I’m reading the Bible chronologically (you should already know this!) and David has just passed on the throne to his son Solomon. His other son, Adonijah, tries to make himself king, and that didn’t even last through his fake celebration dinner.
David makes all the preparations to build an illustrious palace for the Lord, and leaves the instructions for Solomon. David tells everyone that Solomon is young and inexperienced, and to help him out. So I thought Solomon was kind of a baby, and I braced myself to read about all the silly things he must have done.
Wrong!
In 1 Kings, chapter 2, David gives his last words to Solomon. David says to walk in God’s ways, and to be strong, and be a man! Then he gives very specific advice, concerning people Solomon needs to watch out for and “deal with according to his wisdom” aka take down.
Solomon starts His reign by cleaning house. He showed no hesitation, everybody listened to him, and I found myself whooping and hollering by the end of the chapter. Solomon was no baby!
How’d Solomon get so cool? He listened.
He didn’t do anything fancy or creative. He just listened to his dad and honored his wisdom.
It didn’t matter that he was young and inexperienced. He listened to his dad, who was old and experienced. He drew wisdom from a deep well.
And we have the same opportunity today, to seek wisdom from the Giver of wisdom.
You’ll be surprised at the random cool things you’ll end up doing, which you never thought you’d be capable to do, because you listened to the Lord.
If you had asked me last May if I wanted to go to Cambodia, I would have said no! To be honest, I knew nothing about Cambodia. I didn’t know the language, couldn’t point to it on a map (it’s not in Africa hahahaha) and I knew nothing about the genocide, Angkor Wat, or honestly anything at all about this place. But along the way, as I listened, God gave me specific instructions. He sent me out to 11 countries for ministry, one being Cambodia, and business as usual was thrown out the window.
I’m not a special kind of Christian. I’m no different than the people who faithfully fill up their churches every Sunday in America or any other country. We all pray, worship, and read about the same God. We love Jesus. He loves us individually, and has plans for each one of us. We tap into His wisdom when we listen to Him, and He guides us according to His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
Listen to Him, and you never know, you might end up in Cambodia!
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Posted in Cambodia by Helena Jordao on 5/12/2012
We arrived at our ministry site in Kampong Cham, Cambodia, and had a more specific briefing meeting. This month we are teaching English to Muslim and Buddhist college-age students, and sharing the gospel and our testimonies with them. We got a huge tour of Kampong Cham, and then were dropped off at one of the TWO safe locations to eat aside from home (eat anywhere else and you’ll probably have diarrhea, said the ministry host).
About halfway through dinner, I start to feel really thirsty. My mouth went dry, and I felt a panic sensation. As we were leaving the restaurant, I ask the age-old question “is anybody else feeling cold?” and got those blank stares because it’s Cambodia and we’ve all been sweating all day.
I tweet asking for prayers as I begin to have chills, and we leave the restaurant. My team prays over me in the tuk-tuk, and once we get home I go straight to my sleeping bag. Mind you, it’s hot weather.
I went to bed at 7:30 pm, woke up intermittently every 45 minutes or so, dreaming about writing a poem for a prince the ENTIRE night, and I was trying to memorize the poem? Why is my brain so weird? It’s a mystery.
Then I discover there is more to my situation: diarrhea (like the font color change? You're welcome.)
I take my temperature and it’s volcanic. We call Melissa, one of our nurses on the squad, and she says to keep monitoring the fever, it’s probably a virus and it’ll be over soon (in a good way).
That was our first day of ministry and the girls introduced themselves to the students while I was bed-ridden with Cambodian fever* and the runs.
Pros: I composed this blog, and I’ve been told I’m a very pleasant sick person, and also that I look like a small child with my kitten shirt and a thermometer in my mouth.
Cons: fever and diarrhea, and missing out on meeting the students on the first day.
God took care of my fever in about 36 hours, so it was a little virus. As for the diarrhea, let’s keep praying, as my bowels are still holding a grudge... er... not holding a grudge.
*not a real diagnosis
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Posted in Thailand by Helena Jordao on 4/29/2012
I take it back...
I didn't hang out with prostitutes this month.
I didn't just go to bars and confront the front lines of sex industry.
I made friends.
Women.
BEAUTIFUL women who are worth the same in God's eyes, and are worth the same in my eyes.
These women don't deserve the title of prostitute.
They don't deserve such a shameful label.
They sell their bodies for money.
They don't see another viable option.
They are blind and their self-esteem is wrecked.
They don't enjoy this job.
They complain often about being bruised, hurt, injured.
They never come out and say why, but we already know why!
The same way that I wouldn't look at you and say "I'm friends with this liar" or "I'm friends with this adulterer" or "I'm friends with this idolater" or "I'm friends with this gossiper," I refuse to say I'm friends with prostitutes.
I know many people who root their worth and identity in their jobs. It's one thing to have the same job for years and feel like that title defines you. But what if that title was prostitute?
Is there anybody who would want that as their definition?
I can tell you this: my sweet friends don't want that title.
There is hope for my beautiful friends. I love my friends.
They need Jesus just as much as I do. The only difference is that I have Him, but I never stop needing Him!
I dare not look down on them. I dare not label them with such a permanent, dirty word.
There comes a point where ministry ceases and grace just flows.
They are not my charity project!!!
They are my friends.
I love them as they are, with no condition. I pray they can find a better job and that they understand life is about God's glory, not money.
They are daughters, sisters, and mommies. They give themselves to send money to their families, to their children. It's heartbreaking.
It's also temporary.
I gotta believe God didn't create them thinking "prostitute" and He certainly doesn't call them prostitutes when He thinks of them. He thinks lovely and beautiful and smart and beloved, and most of all: mine.
God doesn't label me for my sins and shortcomings, so who am I to do that?
Sweet girls, my friends, beloved daughters of the Almighty God: you're not prostitutes.
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Posted in Thailand by Helena Jordao on 4/17/2012
What am I doing in Thailand?
While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and “sinners” came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and ‘sinners’?”
On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” Matthew 9:10-13
I came to Thailand to go to bars and hang out…
with prostitutes!
Girls in cute, modest dresses are not the normal people seeking them out.
Soft drinks or juice are not the normal drinks they get bought for them.
A listening ear is not normally offered to them.
Questions they’re asked are not normally about their family or their dreams.
But here we are, defying the norm.
We want to offer these women some mercy.
When we’re not at the bars, we’re interceding, asking God to have mercy.
“Do you have many friends here in Chiang Mai?” I asked.
“No.” she said, firmly.
“No friends?” I asked, taken aback.
“No friends.”
My God, this woman has no friends.
How lonely she must feel all day long, not knowing God is always with her!
Daddy, have mercy!
“If you could do anything, what would you do?” we asked another lady.
“I’d go home. I’d be close to my children, my family, sister. I’d just go home.” she responded, wistfully. Then she shook her head, as if to shake the thought away, and gave us a half-hearted smile.
My God, this woman doesn't get to go home.
Give thanks to the Lord if you have friends who accept you or if you can go home tonight.
Unfortunately, for a prostitute in Thailand that’s not a possibility.
Imagine what it’d be like to live in such blindness, loneliness, and despair.
Please pray for mercy. Pray that we’re able to befriend these women, and give them the hope they need. Pray that we never look down on them, or despise them, or treat them as if they are not as worthy of love as we are.
How loved they are!
How worthy they are!
Christ died for them, too!
If only they knew that!
Daddy, have mercy to save them and rescue them from their hopelessness!
Give them a hope and a future!
Please keep me and my team in your prayers, for God’s renewing strength and grace to pour into these beautiful women, and perhaps also minister to their customers.
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Posted in Thailand by Helena Jordao on 4/16/2012
Simple and straight-forward enough. I just had my quarter century birthday on the 12th of April :) I'm aging remarkably slowly, so I'm not overly concerned.
Here are 25 extremely random things I've learned, illogically ordered.
1) There is nothing that I need that God has not already provided.
2) The food I despised the most, I now like: bananas. So anything can change :)
3) Hammocks are the most efficient furnishing.
4) There is a "right way" to eat a mango without a knife.
5) The fetal position is the safest way to roll down a mountain.
6) All eyes are on you when you stumble, so get ready to preach in the pit.
7) Laughter really is the best medicine. Joy heals. Praise binds wounds.
8) God actively restores. Just look at me!
9) The only way to practice patience is to wait. It is easier to wait with headphones on, though ;)
10) It is hella hard to ignore cute puppies wrestling.
11) Cats can talk.
12) The sixth love language is chocolate.
13) Beer before liquor, never been sicker. Oh the truth in that.
14) There are 2 kinds of people: those who bring you closer to God, and those who don't. Look at where you are, and then look at who's around you. It's not a coincidence!
15) Joy is a gift from God. No one or nothing can take it away unless you allow it.
16) There is a reason for the season. God brings us through hardships intentionally. Grow.
17) Asians don't speak Spanish, no matter how hard you try!
18) I don't have to understand something in order for it to be right.
19) Ladies: never start or end a relationship on the day before your period starts. Shoot, don't leave the house. Don't use your phone. What a wretched day!
20) Fountains are upside-down water falls. (I'm so deep!)
21) Never fall in love with a crazy person. Here's my how to blog.
22) Killing a scorpion is easier than it seems.
23) Cesteiro que faz um cesto faz um cento. Means a basket-maker who makes one basket can make 100 baskets, so if someone was able to do something one time, they have the ability to do it again and again. Careful with the basket-makers.
24) If you know what you want, by all means, go for it. Love in action! Be brave!
25) It's not about me. It's really really not about me!
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Posted in Nicaragua by Helena Jordao on 4/15/2012
“And if you wipe out, get in the fetal position and cover your face with your hands.”
These wise words were spoken by the Volcano Boarding instructor, minutes before I began my descent on Cerro Negro.
This is Cerro Negro. It’s a very active volcano in Nicaragua. It’s actually the most active volcano in the world, since it’s only 160 years old and has erupted 23 times… or so said our guide. Who knows.
All I know is that God and the fetal position saved my life.
I got on my little board, and held on to the pipe on the rope with both hands. I had my giant goggles in place, and my orange jumpsuit buttoned up.
Push off and here I go!
The beginning of the ride was a little scary. Manageable. I thought “oh, this is fun.”
I picked up speed. Lots of speed. Crazy speed. Then there was a sharp, 41 degree decline.
The guy at the bottom clocked me at 75 kph, which is almost 47 mph. I was going fast.
Then I lost my board…
I remember covering my face and getting in the fetal position as quickly as I could.
I started to scream, but there were rocks everywhere, so I closed my mouth and prayed.
I began my descent sans-board, rolling downhill at 25 mph, thudding onto the rocks with each airborne bounce. I rolled about 50 yards.
After what seemed to be a long time, I stopped. I lifted my head, and the mountain kept spinning. I sat up and found myself safe.
I thought “wow, I didn’t get hurt at all!”
People at the bottom looked alarmed. I yelled “I’m okay!” and chuckled.
Looked down at my hand… uh oh… I’m bleeding. Hmm. Other hand, yep bleeding. My chin hurts, I bet it’s bleeding too. And my forehead. This should be interesting.
I scooted on my butt all the way down (hilarious) and finally got helped to the very bottom.
Shaky is a good word.
Took off my orange jumpsuit to find rocks on my forearm, rocks in my hands, tiny rocks in my lower back, and sure enough, I was bleeding on my head.
I looked super hardcore because my knuckles were bleeding, along with my forehead. I looked like some kind of action movie explosion survivor (who definitely didn’t look back, the more I ignore the explosion, the cooler I look) and I had volcanic ash all over. It was legit.
I asked my friend to go ahead and help me clean up now, since I still didn’t feel any pain (Thank Jesus and adrenaline) so I got the rocks out. After I was all cleaned up, I felt the “holy moly I just rolled down a volcano in the fetal position” fear and acknowledgement hit me, and I burst into tears.
I kept crying and laughing and crying and laughing. It was super funny, but also super scary.
I praise God I’m okay, and I got to witness to the guys who had the radar gun, tell them that Jesus kept me safe. They nodded. They proceeded to tell me horror stories about broken collarbones and bleeding body parts. Yep, I was definitely spared.
The verdict: I sprained my right wrist and I currently have 2 bandaids on my face. My knuckles are still sore.
Yes… I’m that girl… the one who rolled down an active volcano in the fetal position.
I also got a new nickname, and it’s so fitting: Hot Rod.
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Posted in Thailand by Helena Jordao on 4/15/2012
I woke up sweaty on my mattress on the floor.
To my left is my Bible, journal, and pens.
To my right is a tangle of cords, my headlamp, and my dwindling reserve of chocolate. Along the side of my bed are my toiletries, in Ziploc bags: soap, deodorant, contacts solution, toothpaste, toothbrush, limited makeup, vanilla smell-good stuff. My towel is hanging on the curtain rod. I put on more deodorant. Can’t ever have enough deodorant on, ever.
I lay in bed thinking “my God, my life is so messy.”
Some days, it’s fun. I mean, I get to explore a foreign country. I find a cool place to read my Bible. I learn from the Lord by literally depending on Him, since I never really know what’s going on.
I can see the freedom. I can see how He’s working in me in this season. I can see how God is using us to bring good and move forward His Kingdom in each country I’ve been to. I can see the good in ministry. I can see the light in people's eyes as we speak to them about Jesus. I feel the love as I hold a little child. I see the difference when we clean, paint, build, plant, etc.
Yet some days, I close my eyes and wish I were in my happy place. Feel free to laugh, but my current happy place looks like this: a dark little cave, with a cold breeze blowing in, with a comfy couch, a soft afghan, a kitten, and Jesus on the couch with me, just holding my hand. Oh and silence. There’s just silence, except for the very quiet, cute meows of the kitten. That is my happy place. God, cold, comfy, quiet, and there’s a random element of cuteness.
God has equipped me to endure any hardship I will face on this trip.
The abandonment of my plans, the limited stuff, the distance from my comfortable places, and the absence of my family… rough. It’s a constant state of surrender.
It’s a constant choosing of Jesus over everything else.
My appreciation for the littlest things escalates. Example? I bought a new pen, and it has a pirate bunny on it. Made my day. It’s the best pen in the entire universe as far as I’m concerned, and it makes me smile.
Then I have to get up. I have to get up. I have to make the conscious decision to get up and face my day with joy. Sometimes I have to chant a few things to pep myself up. “God is good. God is good to me. God has good for me. God made this day. Today is a good day. God I am thankful for this good day.”
And now here I go. Getting up :)
Good morning!
Pirate Bunny wishes you a good morning!
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