I have a lot of thoughts and a lot of stories that I could share, but then this post would get extremely long. If this post gets extremely long, then you all will get bored. If you all get bored, then you will stop reading. If you all stop reading, then you won't get to read about my adventures! And I want to share my adventures, so I am going to focus on one aspect of my trip. The question.
When I left for Belfast two weeks ago, I left with a question. The question was simply: what does the face of Jesus look like around the world? I feel like a had a feeling what the answer would be, but I definitely didn't expect the answers to be so clear.
First, the face of Jesus in Belfast took the form of two lovely Irish blokes. One is a future church planter who loves Jesus and has allowed me to crash in his house multiple nights. In him, I saw this deep love for The Lord that was rooted in theological understanding and aspiratioins. He had asked the tough questions, walked away with more questions, and still loved Jesus. Through him, Jesus whispered to me that I should be confident in my convictions to be a church planter. Just because we don't know when the call will be fulfilled, it doesn't mean we shouldn't be confident in our call. Along with him, another Irishman discussed with me his passion for community. He truly believes that Christ called us to community, and that our Christ-centered communities should impact the the communities we live in. I have seen this play out in Ethon often, and it was incredible to hear the same convictions being stated across the pond. Along with this, both of these gentlemen showed me that Jesus doesn't mind a good drink. He created beer, with all of its different flavors and designs, and it was cool to enjoy the craft that goes behind beer with two Jesus-loving dudes.
London brough many different pictures of Jesus. There was the aspiring church-planter who I stayed with for a couple nights. His passion for The Lord was overwhelming. It is rare to meet someone so quick and confident to pray over anything and everything. He demonstrated the true intimacy one can find in prayer with the father, and showed me a picture of Jesus that starts in the scriptures and manifests itself in wonderful people around the world. He would often just stop and start praying over my life, my family, and my journey. Along with him, there were three Nashvillians who became my community for several days. They were from Belmont, and were taking a class in London. They were the face of Jesus when I desperately needed people to spend time with. We explored the city, talked about life, and tried as much coffee as we could. It was incredible to see that the community you make in one part of the world can impact you half way around the world. I saw the face of Jesus in the diversity and masses of people around me. He was in the drunk masses at an Eminem concert. He was in the different cultures of people on the streets. He was at the World Cup bar. He was in the thriving, multicultural HIllsong church. He was in Jane, a Romanian immigrant who was trying to make money to get his family out of of Romania. He was in Helainah, a Jewish immigrant who was on her own as a university student. All she wanted was to talk to people, and she firmly believed that English accents were far superior to American accents. Honestly, it is hard to disagree with her.
In Oxford, he was in all the people around me. He was in the tourists, the college students, and the elderly intellectuals. He was in the girl wearing the Vanderbilt shirt, and the guy who quickly followed her in a Taiwan baseball jersey. He was in a friend from Vanderbilt who I literally walked into while looking in one of the colleges. That friend was the friend I needed in that moment. A friend with a golden heart for service, and a passion for Jesus. He was Jesus whispering that he knows my needs and will always take care of me. Jesus was in the constant support from Ethos throughout the day. From texts and emails, to skyping into a meeting full of guys I love, Jesus was showing me that people support me and love me from all over the world.
In Amsterdam, one place I did not expect to go, Jesus was everywhere. I saw Jesus in the face of my host for YWAM (Youth With a Mission) who recently fell in love with The Lord. Upon meeting him, she gave up her job and went to study the word in Cambodia. She is trying to get to Africa to serve him, and she is a firm advocate of the Spirit. She was Jesus whispering to me that he will always open the right doors, as she talked about the peace she got in prayer when deciding to allow me to stay with YWAM. He was in the Red Light district, a place of such blatant and obvious darkness that it is overwhelming, yet Jesus was there in the middle of a prayer room. There women were on their faces crying out to The Lord for freedom and light in a dark place. Once they finished praying, they would go serve ladies stuck in prostitution and trafficking because that is what Jesus does. Jesus cries out to his father, talks with his father, and then he goes and loves those who need love. Jesus was in the random dutch guy I passed who was wearing a small cross on his neck, showing me that there are people in Amsterdam that care. He was in the church that had a huge sign reading, "all are welcomed in this place." He was with me in the streets leading me through out the city when I was alone the most. Jesus was there.
Jesus was there. I took the second star on the right, went straight on till morning, and he was there. I sought a Great Perhaps, and found that he was seeking me. I had an adventure, and my companion was Jesus, in a variety of ways. I traveled random places and saw that he is moving, he is loving, he is chasing, and he is there.
Now I prepare for the next phase. I prepare for three weeks of class before the start of my senior year of college. I prepare for ministries, relationships, more adventures, hardships, and life, and one thing I am absolutely certain of, Jesus will always be here.
Alleluia.
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