Posted in General Posts by Jordan Snellenberger on 3/6/2010
This is a video that our awesome squad leader, Weston (who happened to be with us, team Jubilee this last month) made about what "A Day in the Life" looked like for us this last month. Hope that you enjoy!!!
Posted in General Posts by Jordan Snellenberger on 2/25/2010
This blog was inspired by one of our awesome squad leaders, Weston.
The purpose of this blog is just to give you an opportunity to ask me a question...... anything that is going on here...... how I am doing, whatever you want....
I will then post a blog in about a week or so with the answers to your questions!!!!
Posted in General Posts by Jordan Snellenberger on 2/18/2010
So, as you may imagine with a trip like the World Race, this
life is full of lessons. Lessons
about yourself, lessons about God, lessons about others, lessons about
culture....etc. It seems like no
matter the season that you walk into, there is always something new to learn,
and I have to say, I quite enjoy it! My mom has always said " I want to die in transition", and I have come
to believe that living a life of learning lessons is just the way to accomplish
that.
The purpose of this blog is to share with you one of the
more recent lessons that God has been teaching me. This blog is about family!
As some of you may know, for the last 2 months I have been
taking a fast from any communication from all family and friends back home. Although this fast has made these last 2
months some of the hardest since I have been on the race, they have also been
some of the most rewarding.... God has shown through in so many different ways.
One of the ways in which God has been "about" me through
this fast is by teaching me the value of family. On the World Race we are placed into smaller teams, which
become our family for the duration of the race. We don't choose who we are with, and therefore we are asked
to trust the leadership who is earnestly seeking God about "who belongs with
whom". After "families" are
chosen, you are asked to do life together for the next 11 months... The Good, The
Bad, The Ugly, and THE AWESOME.
This, I began to realize, is very similar to the process in
which God places us into our biological families, and even, in some cases, our
church families. As I thought of
this more and more, and began to look at the people that God has placed in my
life, both for this season of the race, and beforehand... I couldn't help but stand
in awe.
I would like you to please take a moment and think of your
family, whether near or far, biological or not. Think about these people, and then think of this.... Of all
the people that God could place you with, He placed you with those people.
For me this train of thought has both challenged, humbled,
and brought me to tears of thankfulness. I have an amazing family, and as I began to think about the fact that
God could have chosen any set of people to place me with, and then ask me to do
life with, He chose the people that he has placed in my life. In that light of thankfulness, I began
to see that I have been taking for granted the people that God has surrounded
me with.
I have become too familiar... in the bad way....the way of not
realizing or appreciating exactly who God CHOSE to place you with.
This challenged me to love them better... not that this means
"rainbows and kittens" all the time, or that life with family should never have
its' problems. On the contrary I
have come to learn that healthy conflict can strengthen a relationship when
handled with respect, preference and honor. But it has challenged me to look at my family, both here on
the race, and back home in Michigan, with a new kind of respect, thankfulness,
and awe... for they truly are amazing... a gift from God, in which I have too often
have forgotten to say "thank you".
So to my family........I LOVE YOU! I'M SO THANKFUL FOR YOU,
and I'M PROUD TO CALL YOU MINE!!!!!
Posted in General Posts by Jordan Snellenberger on 2/14/2010
While much of Cambodia, for myself, was spent laying sick on
the floor or in a bed at a hostel, God did do some amazing things while my team
and I were there.
Upon coming to Cambodia we began ministry with local
churches, out in the rural villages. Working alongside of these churches we were asked to walk from home to
home praying for people. As you
may imagine, in being some of the poorest villages in Cambodia, many people
asked for prayer for healing. At
first it seemed that God was not going to answer those prayers in the timing
that we were asking for.
Well, every night since coming on the race, my team and I
meet to talk about the day and anything that we may be working through / what
may be on our hearts. During this
time, while in Cambodia, the questions seemed to stir forth....."Does God heal
anymore?" "Do our prayers really
make a difference in this area?" "What is the point?"
My team and I began searching and asking God for the answers
to these questions... well God answered!
First we were reminded of Pastor Michael Hindes' words at
training camp that
He mentioned to us that maybe out of all the people that we
would pray for, we may only get to witness only 10 or 15% get healed in that
moment (if that). However we will
miss 100% of the healings for the people that we don't pray for.
Second of all... we got to witness this healing first
hand.
In the first village that we went to, my team and I were
privileged to pray over a woman who, for most of her life, was never able to
walk. Upon becoming a Christian
she was able to stand up with the help of another person or stability
source. She was prayed for several
times and as time went by she was able to walk very slowly and for very short
distances with the help of a cane or person.
Well, we prayed for her, and walked away not thinking that
it had really made much difference, except for perhaps encouraging her heart...
well a few days later we went to church and a man came up to share a testimony
of a woman who struggled all of her life with being able to walk / use her
legs. He talked of a team that
came recently to pray for her and now she is able to stand and walk without any
help... later we found out... THAT TEAM WAS US!!!! YAY JESUS
In the last village that we went to, at the end of our three
weeks, we, like many times before, walked through the village stopping from
house to house to pray for people. During this time there was a woman with stomach issues who asked for
prayer. Immediately upon her
asking for prayer for her stomach, I felt Jesus speak to my heart that she
struggled with anxiety. I asked
her if I could lay my hand on her stomach and she said yes. I began to pray and ask God to heal
her, both physically and emotionally.. as we were praying for her... I heard God
say to my spirit " it is finished". After we were finished praying, the pastor asked her if she felt any
better physically, and she said that all the pain was gone! PRAISE JESUS
Almost directly after praying for the woman with the stomach
issue we went to a house where there was a little boy, maybe 8 or 10 years of
age. His mother told us that he "had
problems with his brain and couldn't control his body from time to time". Almost immediately God spoke to my
heart the word "epilepsy". I laid
my hand on this little boy's head and began to pray, along with the rest of my
team, for him to be healed. As we
were praying I heard the words again "it is finished". The pastor then asked the mother of
this boy how she felt, and she said I feel "peace, warm all over". Although I will probably never see this
little boy again, I have no doubt in my mind that he has been healed from "epilepsy"..
PRAISE GOD
GOD STILL HEALS... and I don't have all the answers to the questions
about timing and such, but I'm
standing on this... GOD STILL HEALS AND LONGS TO HEAL!!!
Posted in General Posts by Jordan Snellenberger on 2/14/2010
Hey Everybody,
First off I want to say Happy Valentines Day!!!! So much has gone on since I have last
written, and I apologize for not keeping up to date with you. I have good intentions, and horrible
follow through.
Well, my team and I are back in Thailand. Cambodia was a good month, however I
will say that it was not my favorite. I was sick for 2 out of the 3 weeks of ministry that we were assigned,
however God even worked through this. As I was not particularly fond of our ministry, which was teaching English
classes and visiting homes in rural villages, my ministry became my team. Whether I was laying on the floor sick,
or in a hostel, God continued to speak to me about my team, their gifts, the
things that He has planned for them, and etc. Let me tell you, it was amazing! I was able to spend those 3 weeks praying over my team, and
speaking life over them.
He is taking our team to a new level and I can't wait to
share it with you as it progresses.
After Cambodia we had debrief. It was sooo wonderful to see Mike and Patti Paschall and the
whole squad. There is a strength
that rests when our squad as a whole comes together, and I always pull so much
from it. It was truly a week of
rest, relaxation, and worship, as well as filling each other up, speaking life
over each other, and debrief as a team with Mike and Patti. Also we were very blessed to be by the beach. As Ms. Laurie once said to me, "It just
seems to be easier to hear God by the water", and I couldn't agree more. The 2 times that I have been by the
water on this trip, whether lake or ocean, God speaks to me in such a beautiful
and comforting way... I think that it reminds me of home!
Like I mentioned above, we are back in Thailand. We are leaving tomorrow to do ministry
with a church in the lower part of Thailand, on the Cambodian / Thai
border. Here we are supposed to be
working in the local prison leading bible studies and encouraging them. Also, we may have an opportunity to
work with the local hospital, meeting with patients that have HIV or AIDS. We will also work with the church in
other areas of ministry that are in need of help.
Thank you all for your prayers... I genuinely am seeking to be
better at this whole blogging / journaling thing, so I intend for there to be
several more blogs to follow up with shortly!!!
Blessings to you all, and remember this Valentines Day,
whether single, dating, or married, that you are the Beloved of God!!
Posted in General Posts by Jordan Snellenberger on 1/20/2010
Well, tonight was an awesome night of worship with the contact that we have met here in Cambodia. The contact is called New Life Fellowship and they have church services on Wednesday nights where the service and worship is translated into English, which is AWESOME. It has been the first time in four months that I have attended a church service where I understood what the pastor was saying. Also most of the worship songs are songs that we sing in the U.S.. For example, Amazing Grace (My Chains are Gone) by Chris Tomlin, and Inside Out by Hillsong... just to name a couple.
Over these last couple of days I have been processing through quite a few things and asking God for freedom in several areas of my life. This blog is a journal entry / the different revelations that I recieved during tonight's awesome worship time!
How could I want any other what I have you?
How could I need any other when I have you?
How can I be free when I have placed You in the box of my own thinking and understanding, and then ask you only to move within its perameters.
Foolish me... Foolish Pride!
Demanding and seeking approval from everyone else, when I already had it from the only opinion that turly matters.
Heart listen! Ears hear! and condemning spirit be silent!!!!
To walk as you would walk Lord is all that I seek, all that I desire
I keep asking to be set free, yet the only thing that keeps me in these chains are the illusions that the chains are still there.
For she who asks anything in the name of Jesus and in His will, it shall be given to her.
What father when hIs daughter asks for bread will give her a stone.
How much more have you given me!!!!!
Amazing Grace, truly how sweet
That breaks the chains with its very heartbeat.
Never to be held again, for who can be held by broekn chains
Breathe deep, Live tall, Smile Big... FREEDOM
Freedom is reality - Captivity the illusion, the lie!
For whom the King of kings, Lord of lords, MY DADDY, has set free, most certainly IS free indeed
For what can stand in HIs presence, and He stands in ME!!!
Therefore Everything else must bow, and confess that HE IS LORD!!!!!
Posted in General Posts by Jordan Snellenberger on 1/20/2010
So, I have been waiting to keep record of the "fun little things" about each country, and as I thought that you might enjoying reading a few of them, I decided to make a blog about it... so here we go:
1. There are very few, if any, trash cans on the streets in Asia, or in the buildings for that matter... not sure why this is or how they keep most of their city streets so clean with this fact.
2. In both Asia and Central America if you use a public restroom (that is not incorporated as apart of a restaurant, hostel, or hotel) you will more than likely have to pay for toilet paper. Not sure if this is just to make a "pretty penny" or because there is a hose next to the toilets (at least in Asia) and they truly do use that. I know that some people do, but I'm beginning to think that it is the norm.
(Also you are supposed to shake only using your right hand in Asia, as the left hand is considered "dirty" because if toilet paper is unavailable.... well I'll let you fill in the blanks)
3. The Guatemalan currency is called the "Q", the Nicaraguan currency is called the "C", the Thai currency the "Baht", and the Cambodian / Kamer currency is called the "Reel".
4. The Guatemalan exchange rate is 1/8 (U.S. dollar to "Q"), the Niceraguan 1/20, Thai 1/33, and Kamer 1/4000. So far U.S. money seems to be given the higher value in every country that I have visited. Also, Cambodia is the only country that I have visited thus far that uses U.S.D.
5. Cambodia doesn't have a coin. They use U.S.D. as their main bill and anything smaller than 1 american dollar is given back in Reel. For example: 10 cents U.S.D. is given as 4 100 "Reel" Bills.
6. It is unacceptable to play cards if you are a Christian, as it is seen as a form of gambling, however UNO is very popular in Asia, and especially Thailand.
7. You can get Thai Tea, a bag of cut up apples, a bag of popcorn, and a plate of food in Thailand for less than 1 U.S. dollar.
8. I have found Pringles, as well as hot dogs in every country thus far.
9. The word "favorite" doesn't seem to be translated into the Thai language.
10. People shower at least twice, but usually about 3 times a day in Asia.
Hope that you enjoyed these... will hopefully post more soon!
Posted in General Posts by Jordan Snellenberger on 1/13/2010
Hey Everybody,
I'm sorry that it has taken me so long to post... unfortunately, although God has been doing so much, I don't have a whole lot to throw up right now. To be honest, Thailand was a rather heavy month for me and I am still processing a lot of it. God is teaching me so much, and I absolutely fell in love with the girls in the bars there. On that note, thank you so much to all of you who gave money to spend on the girls. We raised close to 600 dollars!!! HOW AWESOME IS THAT!!!! So thank you to all of you, because of your support, we were able to take the girls to do things like bowling, go to McDonalds, go shopping, and such. Also, one of the girls is working with a contact that we have up in Chiang Mai to get out of the bars... which is a miracle with us only having been there for about 3 weeks.
Other than that, our squad has gone through a squad change. My previous team leader Katie Hannon has become one of 3 squad leaders, and my awesome brother Matthew has become the new team leader of team Jubilee. Please be praying for all of us as we transition into this next season. God is working in all of us and it has been awesome, but a lot of changes in very little time has led to feeling quite tired.
I will write more when I can! This month we are working in the rural areas of Cambodia, and will be going into 3 different villages working with the local churches to minister to the families there. For the most part we will be teaching English classes and church ministry, as well as just helping where needed. (Cross your fingers because there may be an opportunity to teach music classes, in which I will be incorporating some music therapy to help teach English.... YES!!!!!)
Thank you again for all your prayers and support!!!!
Loves to all and hopefully will have more to write soon!!!
Posted in General Posts by Jordan Snellenberger on 12/24/2009
Brokenness, the only word that comes to mind when I think of
the present state that I am in... Brokenness. My heart breaks for these girls that I have only known but a
week, and their faces flash before my eyes as if apart of some kind of bad
dream.... But this is no dream, it is their DAILY reality.
Beautiful girls, both young and old, living in a darkness
and a bondage both heavier and darker than anything I have ever perceived or
tried to conceive before.
These girls are not okay, and to be honest I am not okay
with them not being okay.
I have seen the valued daughters of The King devalued and
lied to.
I have seen them ripped and pulled in every which direction
BOTH physically and spiritually.
I have seen lust and greed so great that it will use a 16
year old, a 20 year old or a 43 year old mother to momentarily satisfy its selfish desire.... And then come back for
more, not caring who it crushes along the way.
I have seen the beloved of God mask their emotions in a
feeble attempt to be okay with where they are and who they believe themselves
to be.
They speak words like "I like my job" and they smile with a
happiness that is both false and forced.
Words fall short when trying to put into words all I have
seen, and my heart is broken. How
will these girls ever be free? How will they ever know real love when the very
word has been tainted with the stain of abuse and perversion? How can I explain
God the father, the lover, or the creator, when their fathers didn't want them,
the only lovers they have known have abused or left them and then condemned
them for the very things they commanded. Or God the creator, who allowed their lives to become what they
have? Hope seems both futile and lost.
This takes a faith greater than I have ever known, and at
times greater than I feel I have. But Jesus...... But Jesus......
These are the words that echo in my ear when all I can see
is the dismal end that these girls' reality revolves around....
I don't know how... I don't know what it will look like, but I
know beyond all shadow of a doubt, with the little faith that I can muster,
that He can.... Even when this reality speaks differently....
HIS reality is hope. HIS reality is perseverance and patience.. HIS reality is FREEDOM...and I
pray that it comes to pass... for the most heartbreaking reality of all, and it
is almost to great to bear, is that without Jesus these girls will never ever
know true love. My heart aches at
the thought that these girls would never know Jesus, not just now, but for
eternity....
Beyond what their culture has taught them, and what both men
and women whisper in their ears.... They are valued by the King of Kings... a value
that they have never known.
These beloved Daughters have greatness on them, and I long
to see them walk in it... for their chains to be broken off, and for the
forbidden words HOPE and EMOTION to become a life line instead of a death
sentence.
I have fallen in love with these girls.... And my heart breaks
for them. This is real... their
reality is our nightmare, but with JESUS and your prayers, your REALITY and
their Dreams can become their reality too....
They need you... they need you to fight for them to war for
them, for they do not know the armor that is offered to them, and I am asking
you to rise up.... To pray for them with vigor and fire.... To fight for these
girls, and for these confused and broken men, the customers and the Ladyboys,
because if we don't pray for them and speak life into them, I have learned
firsthand that no one else will!!!!
Posted in General Posts by Jordan Snellenberger on 12/17/2009
Hello Everybody,
I am writing this blog today for the purpose of informing you of an opportunity to serve along side of me here in Thailand, and also to shed some light on a very dark and real problem in our world.
As many of you know, this month I have been serving in the Red Light District of Chiang Mai Thailand, which is the 2nd largest city in Thailand. The other World Race girls and I have been spending several hours every night building relationships with the people who work, attend, and run the bars in hopes that an opportunity will present itself to speak life over them, and hopefully share Jesus, as well as give them an opportunity to leave the bars if they so desire. The atmosphere is very dark here, but even so the girls have welcomed us with open arms, and after only 4 days we have already seen tremendous victory. The girls look forward to us coming, and are sad when we can't. Even many of the bar owners, of which we are working to build relationships with, have asked us to return, even though many of the girls spend time with us instead of "working". (Can you say "favor"). It has been amazing to feel the anointing and power of God in such a dark and heavy environment. Although we are only 8 American girls, we always feel that we are safe and protected, covered by the blood of Jesus... it is truly AMAZING.
The girls that we have been working with range from ages 16 to 43. They are as sweet as can be These girls are daughters, moms, sisters, nieces and granddaughters. Many of them have families that they have to support, whether this be their parents or children.
Also, we have had the opportunity to work with some of the men who are confused in their identity, and therefore walk around dressed as women In Thailand this is a very prevelent thing for men to do, as they don;t understand the gift they carry in walking as men of God.
Although we are so enjoying building relationships with these men and women, and we can see God moving, it is getting very expensive. To be aloud to sit down in the bars costs the price of a coke, sprite or coffee. It costs 8 dollars to buy a girl to be able to take her out of the bar scene and spend time with her, which we desire to do. It costs a little over a dollar to buy a rose to add value to the girls and show them that they are loved. This is where I am asking you to help!
If you pray about it and feel so led, I am asking for your financial support in this area. There is no way for us to continue as we have been on our own budget. Even if its just a dollar, that will go a long way.
If you feel that you would like to help please call Dennis at
810 982 3924
or
810 689 8229
He will either give you an address where you can send the money, or will try and meet with you to get the money from you. All money will go into my personal bank account and will be set aside for the purpose of serving these girls. If there is a specific way that you would like your money to be used, such as buying a rose or a dinner, please specify to Dennis and I will make sure that your donation is used in just that way. Also, this money that you are donating will be divided up between the other 7 girls and myself to bless and serve these girls.
Thank you all so much for your help in this area. It is one that is very heavy upon my heart and it means so much to me that you would partner with me in this way. Timing is very important as we only have 2 1/2 weeks to work with these girls, but the money that is put into my account will be available to me immediately!