October Newsletter

GOD  Chicago  DEAR FAMILY AND FRIENDS.... I've successfully completed my first month in Chicago!!! And in the month that I've been here, I recognize that it is hard to ignore this simple fact: WHEN GOD MADE CHICAGO HE WAS... SHOWING OFF!...HARD!!! When I wake up in the morning and travel the one hour to my service site my eyes are constantly moving.  My brain is constantly taking in everything that my eyes see.  And my heart is continually smiling as I see the beauty in my own neighborhood (East Garfield Park) and everything from there to Little Village which is where I work. My teammates, the culture, the community, the fellowship the architecture, the way of life and movement here, the smiles of the children we pass, the kindness of my neighbors...all of these things that are present in this city are a constant reminder that GOD IS HERE. ________ This past Saturday (Neighborhood Outreach Day) I had the honor to serve with 2 of my teammates to pick up trash on our block.  I say honor, because even though sometimes we may see picking up trash as a less than honorable task.  But in that task, there was so much beauty. Many of our neighbors thanked us for taking care of the neighborhood.  One young neighbor made the promise to to come out and help next week. ________  Even though the weather here is getting colder and colder outside, I find constant warmth in the beauty and love found in East Garfield Park.  There have been so many small victories during this short time here and I'm excited to see what God has in store for my team, the neighborhood, and myself in the months to come. I'm ready for God to keep on being amazing and continue toSHOW OFF!! BLESSINGS AND LOVE, TASHA   While in Chicago I am working with Tolton Center, a nonprofit organization who's programs include GED preparation, basic skills and literacy, job preparation, family literacy, early childhood education, and English as a Second Language (ESL).     I am working with the Beginner Level adult ESL students and I couldn't be more excited!!! The students are such a joy to work with and I couldn't have asked for a better group of people to be serving and serving with.   The Chicago Mission Year has been making great strides in our fundraising efforts!!   Please consider donating online by clicking on the picture above.  You may also send a donation by mail to: Mission Year PO Box 121158 Chicago IL 60612 with fund id# 14-9001 in the memo line.   We are currently at 48% of our fundraising goal for the entire year and 71% to our goal for the first trimester. Our hope is that you continue to support us through prayer and help us to meet our financial goal!!, GOD Bless You!!!   "For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” ~Matthew 18:20   My team member Arlicia and myself on our very first day at our service site Tolton Center.   Having fun before we picked up trash on our block for Neighborhood Outreach Day. (left to right) Emily Burton, myself, Kaylee Shields

This email was sent to << Test Email Address >> why did I get this?    unsubscribe from this list    update subscription preferences Tasha Jordan · 2719 W. Monroe Street APT #3 · Chicago, IL 60612 · USA

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Why I am Doing Mission Year

I'm doing Mission Year because I've always felt that God was calling me to serve in the community. I've worked at a non-profit called The Pittsburgh Project which is in Pittsburgh, PA since I was 14 and I've always felt like that was where I was meant to be and what I was meant to be doing: being a servant leader and serving my community. I grew up poor. I grew up in a single parent home. I grew up in communities similar to the ones that we will be working in during our year in whatever city we are placed. Neighborhoods filled with addiction, latch key children roaming the streets, gang violence and drugs. I've done countless hours of volunteer and community service doing the same things we will be doing during our year. And at the end of service my heart has always been pulled to stay...or has made the promise to return to help those in need. I want to do mission year because for me Loving God and Loving People isn't something that I want to do for a couple hours a day maybe once a week. I want it to be a lifestyle. I want to go to school for Social Work (I changed my mind from medical school) to do some of the same things we will be doing in Mission Year. I think I avoided the idea of doing community justice and service for a long time because I felt that it wasn't as "legit" of a career as being a doctor. But you can't ignore what God is calling you to... And I feel as though Mission Year is the first step of many where I stopped listening to my own thoughts about what I want, and started listening to the desires that God has implanted in my heart.

God didn't make me bulletproof...

In 64 days, I start my 5th summer at The Pittsburgh Project.  It's the place that I've worked since I was 14 years old…my very first job.  This past week, I started my prayers for the summer that is to come.  I prayed for the hearts of the amazing staff, the youth, patience, leadership, and the ability to see God's work in each individual's life.  I think of the youth that I've encountered there. The family of 10…all but one can swim in the deep end now.  But that is soon to change. I think of the swimming and diving meet that was hosted at the pool last summer.  The beautiful faces of the middle school men and ladies who braved the swim meet.  The chaos.  The hectic task of organizing.  The proud face of the one parent that showed for a sea of excited youth at their very first swim meet.  The overwhelming joy as they each received their awards for their amazing accomplishments.  For many it was a first, but it won't be the last.  

Darkness cannot drive out darkness; 

only light can do that. 

Hate cannot drive out hate; 

only love can do that.

~ Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

And as I pray, I reminisce on the less than amazing times. I am reminded of the little girl riding her bike over the hill. We held on to her for dear life as she slipped further and further down the slopes in hope that the rescue squad would come soon. The gunfire. The shootings of little boys I once taught to ice skate. The sadness in my heart when I had to  permanently dismiss a 16 year old boy from the pool because he tried to recruit an 11 year old to sell drugs for him.  I had taught that 16 year old how to write his name when he was in the 3rd grade.  And I will never ever forget the time that a 12-year old asked me to walk him the remaining four blocks home because he was afraid that he would get shot.  The same boys that I taught to ice skate are the same ones that he spent hours with playing "Hunter" (Sharks & Minnows) at the pool and football in the park. "God didn't make me bulletproof," I thought as we approached his house.  In the 8-9 years that I've been associated with The Pittsburgh Project, God has guided and led me to become a lot of things.  A leader, tutor, mentor, coach, friend, disciple.  But the one thing that I haven't become--and probably never will--is bulletproof.  At least not in the literal sense.

I live less than 10 minutes away from one of the most crime and drug infested areas of the Northside.  When the bullets go flying, the sounds of cops' shoes running invade the dark streets, the corners where deals are made, and young boys walk scared, the "other" world ceases to exist to me. I'm a part and apart from the "other" world all at the same time.  I am fortunate. And in the same breath that I speak of how "lucky" I am to be apart of the world that many so desperately want to escape from, I am also honored.  The moments I've shared and the time spent serving the youth 10 minutes away have been some of the best moments ever.  These memories will stay with me for a lifetime. Some good.  Some bad.

Looking back, I am always intrigued on how the little boy chose me to walk with him.  He could have asked my then boyfriend who was standing right next to me.  You would think he'd ask the 6-foot, 200 pound ex-football player to be his protector of choice. But no, he chooses the woman that has been working at the pool for the past 3 years to be the person that walks him home when he's afraid.  The person that he trusted and hopefully whom he knew loved him. What could I do to protect him in the instant that a car sped by spraying bullets? Or if a stray bullet intended for someone else crossed our path? Guns and violence are used as a form of power. To hold superiority over another being. To win in a sense.  

I'm not bulletproof.  But I'd like to think that in some way the little boy saw love, trust, and faith as being a bulletproof force that would protect him as he braved the walk home. I hope that in some way we can spread this idea of bulletproof love in our own community, in our streets, and in our lives. My hope is that at some point in time, youth won't be scared to walk home. That the boys that they once visited at home to play games don't become the boys they visit in the hospital wing. But until then, let's resonate this bulletproof force in the lives of everyone that we encounter.  I'm not bulletproof. They don't win. But love does. Love wins.

Bahamas Mission Trip (Day One)

What Should I Pray For?

First day in Long Island Bahamas.  I am so excited to be here, and I already feel as though God is allowing me to better understand His purpose for my life.  It's something that I've been wrestling with since I stepped off of the plane in Guatemala last year.  Who am I supposed to be?  What am I supposed to do with that?  How do you find joy?  And not the simple joy of finding a 20 dollar bill in an old jacket.  But the pure joy that lasts all day long... for the rest of your life.  

The pastor in Nassau talked to us about how you find joy.  How God is not stingy and is extremely generous.  How when we pray, we should not be selfish and only ask for things for ourselves, but more importantly, to ask: "What can I do for you, Lord?"    

The possession of Christ's joy is the bi-product of doing what Christ has designed for us to do.  We all are on a pursuit of joy.  When we do what God has designed for us to do, that is when we find His joy.  When you answer the call from God to fulfill your purpose in life, that is when you find the purest joy that you could ever imagine.  

In CCO, CCF bible study at Chatham, we talked about planting seeds and how God makes them grow.  We are the lucky ones.  When you can be a witness to the breathtaking view of Long Island, Bahamas, scenery, you may think: "This is what happens when you love Jesus."  But as we are serving throughout the week and experiencing God's love, hopefully we will think: "This is what happens when you find Christ's joy."  Guatemala planted a seed.  Bahamas will be much-needed sunshine.  A much-needed watering.  A vital part in my growth and blooming process.  

I've learned that life is worth more than money and getting a degree.  Life is about loving God, loving people, and pursuing His joy.  Period.

Tasha Jordan, Chatham University '14

Pursuit of Joy.

"We are all called to be missionaries. 

  We are all called to make a difference in the world around us. 

  Your mission is where your feet are. 

  God has a specific plan and role for us in this adventure. 

  If you don't do what you are meant to do, 

there is an empty space out there.

  God needs you. He needs you to play your role."

   ~ G. Swing

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Spring Break 2014 I went on a missions trip to Long Island Bahamas. I had absolutely no idea what to expect when I got there, but when I left the island, I felt myself in complete awe of how God was moving in the people there. How God was moving in me. The entire week God nudged me nonstop.  The questions that I had had about purpose, direction, and life were given guidance this week. The doubt and lack of faith that I had finally subsided allowing me to find validation in the words of the missionaries there.  God spoke through the missionaries and intern there and this week finally gave me the strength and the guidance to answer the call that has been waiting for over a year now.  

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Excerpt from my journal entry March 13, 2014 Stella Maris Long Island Bahamas:

I'm so glad that God is working in my life the way that He is. I have so many questions about my faith and about Gods purpose for my life that I can barely keep my head on straight. I know that God designed me for a purpose. That he created and manufactured me with a servants heart. There is no doubt about it. However, I'm still struggling with the question of in what capacity does God want me to serve others? What leap of faith do I need to take? Do I give up working at The Pittsburgh Project this summer? Or do I not go to graduate school and become a BYN intern like Josh? This is confusing and amazing all at the same time. Even though I'm still at this fork in the road in my life He's allowing that fork to be an amazing party full of awesome people, opportunities, and life experiences that I will never forget for as long as I live. Even through all of the hardships I've faced in my life and am still facing I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I wouldn't change who I am for a minute. I believe that we all have a purpose in life and that we all have a journey, a path that we are on. I may not always know where I am going but I know that I am not alone. I'm amazed at how far God has brought me. 

And on the last day of service here in Bahamas, I find myself asking the same BIG question that I asked myself and God on my last night in Guatemala...what is Gods plan for me? I've come to the conclusion that I'm supposed to be a missionary. That's set in stone. But HOW? Where am I supposed to end up? I've been praying about this literally every day since that last night in Guatemala, and I really feel as though this week in Bahamas was eye opening. It was earth shattering.  Every moment, every conversation, every devotional, I felt as if God was speaking to me.  He nudged me all week long.  

Sometimes I feel like I'm a flower...with every step in my journey being another growing point for me. I know that certain events in my life have watered me but I know that it is God that is responsible for my growth. God needs me. He needs me to live out my purpose and to fulfill the plans that He has for my life.  I have to figure out where my spot is in this world. Where should I be. Maybe it's in Guatemala. Or maybe it's here in the Bahamas. Wherever it is I hope I can feel Gods presence radiate like the sun. I hope that I find God's joy...

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…and I have. My one week in Long Island has been the most earth shattering God experience that I've ever had. It gave me the confidence and faith to follow His plan for my life with reckless abandon. To stop worrying and letting fear decide the course that my life goes on.  This has been thee most liberating experience of my life.  And while it is almost terrifying to realize that the plan(s) that I once had for my life are no more, it gives me a sense of ease and contentment knowing that I have a better understanding of what life is.  And how you should live your life. And what life is.  What it's about.  Life is about loving God, loving people, and pursuing His joy.  Period.  

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"The possession of Christ's joy is the byproduct of doing what Christ has designed for us to do."

~ Rev. Bryn MacPhail