Thursday, November 13, 2008

Jordan's Missionary Trip

Jordan and Jeff went to the Philippines over 3 weeks ago. Jeff preached at the Region 1 Conference in Manila. Then stayed for a crusade where awesome things happened.
Jeff came home and Jordan stayed there to do 'missionary' work. He loved it and was able to go up north to Baguio, all by himself. Pastor Banez and the church family up there were so hospitable and Jordan was so impressed with all that they have going on up there.
He played golf, basketball, and they even got him to go bowling. He sang, played the piano, and even spoke a few times. They took EXCELLENT care of him while he was there and for that I am very grateful.
Then he came back to Manila and the Rios family went above and beyond the call. They were SO thoughtful and generous and Jordan will never forget his days with them.
The Martinez family, such dear friends, took Jordan around and fed him at their son's restaurant and coffee shop. He said the coffee and food was wonderful.
Then Jordan stayed a few days at the bible school in Manila and ministered at the Pestano's church. Jordan spent a lot of time with the Pestano children when we lived in Manila back in the late 90's and he really appreciated restoring the friendship with them.
His schedule there was almost non stop. And of course he didn't get enough sleep. He called from Manila the night he left and said he was very sick. He had a fever and was week/dizzy. Well, we get a call from Guam saying they were taking him off the plane because he was too sick to fly. I asked if he could make the 7 hour flight to Honolulu, at least his Papa and Granny Mallory could be with him. They said he couldn't do it. He was taken by ambulance to the ER and spent the whole day there. There was a period of a few hours that we didn't know where he was, where he was going, or who was with him. We had a contact of a local pastor there and Jeff called and immediately he was up at the hospital with Jordan. After Jeff talk with Pastor Deguzman, he felt better. Jeff's first impression's of him were very positive. His actions and kindness that followed validated Jeff's impression's. He is a 'take charge' kinda guy. He and his wife have 4 kids around the same age as Jordan. They made sure Jordan's passport, Macbook, Ipod, and other things were secure. We called up to the hospital and talked to the Filipina nurse that was taking care of him, she told us he was 'stable", and he was hooked to an IV. They took blood and he waited while they hydrated him. Pastor Deguzman kept us very informed. I'm not sure what I would have done if we didn't have that contact. Well, I DO know what I would have done.....I would be writing this from Guam right now. The diagnosis was the flu and severe dehydration, he was realesed and checked into a hotel there. All he did was sleep and drink. The Pastor kept us informed on him. THANK GOD FOR PASTOR DEGUZMAN AND FAMILY. Pastor Deguzman's daughter works for Continental Airlines so she was able to confirm the rest of his itinerary. As I am writing this he is at the airport checked in for the 7 hour flight to Honolulu. He is there for an hour or so and then on to IAH (Houston), then home to AEX (Alexandria). I'm praying that he can make it all the way HOME!! God is faithful. Even though Tuesday was a rough day for me, I still felt a calmness and a peace. I thank God for my close friends and church family. TS & MBS----what would we do without you????



The Hospital in Guam