Farming

Long day but such a blessing! I don’t want to forget anything.

It’s so different here than where I live. I’ve never been in the country for an extended period of time and I know it’s going to be a different and amazing experience. Only one thing I wish is that it was summer. I like being outdoors but not as much with snow and ice. But other than that I'm excited for my time here.

My uncle’s still in considerable pain, he said. I was able to pray with him which was a blessing. They’re not believers and so I need to make an extra special effort to guard my words around them to be a good witness.

I spent a lot of the day being shown around the farm by my aunt, then going around alone. I’m worn out from all the walking and effort and excitement but I think now I have a pretty good basic map in my mind of this place.

It’s a great old farm. The whole house is pervaded with the smell of fried ham and wood smoke; the floors creak and vibrate whenever anyone walks; there are deer heads on the wall; there are several rotten boards on the porch. Also, I heard different birds around the farm than I'm used to and more than we have at home even though its winter. I can’t wait to do some bird-watching around here.

I met most of the animals. I petted those that would let me – goats, horses, even some of the cows. A lot of warm, wet noses and soft ears. I love animals. I’d love to be a farmer, haha! Shadow was a little wary of them; he’s a city boy but he’ll get used to it. Either that or he’s jealous. He and A.J., my aunt and uncle’s Jack Russell, have been pretty unfriendly with each other so far although Shadow doesn’t seem to mind the cats. A.J. growls softly at Shadow every time he comes past. Shadow’s well-bred enough to ignore it. I’m hoping they’ll get over their initial distrust and get to be good friends.

I learned how to look after all the animals, where the food is, how to get water, where to check for eggs. It’s a lot to remember but that’s one of the few skills I can legitimately claim – a good mind for details. I spent as much of the day as I could stand (it is COLD) outdoors after my aunt showed me around, going over everything, wandering around, petting the animals, taking in the new environment. Lots to remember, lots to learn. One thing I learned: chicken, goat, horse, and cow crap all smell really, really different.

Goodnight, and God bless!
Jason

Trip

Great trip. God always blesses me by putting kind and helpful people in my path (literally).

First there was the man who befriended me in the lounge and kind of stuck by me and helped me out. I don’t fly very often so I was a little intimidated to make a go for it myself. I was greatful for his help because I did want to pre-board and the people responsible weren’t paying any attention to me, although I was standing around trying to look pitiful. It was aimed at the people behind the desk but I guess it worked since he took pity on me.

Then there was the guy who traded seats with me so that Shadow would have more room. (Shadow was awesome but I think the trip was a strain even on his unusual long-suffering personality.)

Then there was the guy who sat next to me in the plane – he had no idea blind people used the computer and he wanted me to explain how I do it. I was blessed for an opportunity to improve his perception of blind people but more than that I was blessed to be able to share the gospel with him.

Then, of course, my aunt and uncle, who were so kind and welcoming. It was a wonderful evening, catching up with them and I can’t wait for tomorrow to start work and explore the farm. Praise the Lord for his blessings today!

Goodnight.
Jason

P.S. Some guy came up to me as we were getting off the plane and asked me if my dog counted as carry-on! :)

"Thank-You, Lord"

At Bible study tonight we sang a song that’s stuck with me all evening – a little chorus that I can’t remember singing since I was a little kid. But it really meant so much to me when we were singing it tonight. I even stopped the guitar and we sang it unaccompanied a last time.

“Thank-you, Lord, for saving my soul,
Thank-you, Lord, for making me whole,
Thank-you, Lord, for giving to me,
Thy great salvation, so rich and free.”

Short, but profound.

Well, I’ve got a long day tomorrow so I’m going to go over some last minute packing with my mom and then I’ve got to get some sleep.

Goodnight,
Jason

Prayer Requests

Hi,

I’ll be leaving tomorrow mid-morning. I haven’t seen my aunt and uncle in over three years. I’m a little nervous.

Three things if you’d please pray for:

1. A safe and uneventful trip. Seems I’ve never flown anywhere alone without some incident. :)
2. That I’d be able to help a lot. I’m starting to be afraid I won’t be able to help as much as I thought especially with the cows. I don’t want to let them down especially after my over-confident attitude on the phone.
3. My aunt and uncle aren’t believers, as far as I know. Please pray that I’ll be a good witness to them with my words and my life.

I’ll try to update my blog as much as possible though I reckon I’ll be pretty busy too. Thanks for praying.

God bless!
Jason

Wisconsin

So it looks like I’ll be heading out to Wisconsin this weekend. Yes!!! I’m really excited to go! I'm heading out Thursday morning and staying for three and a half weeks.

I’ll be helping my aunt and uncle around the farm. At first they seemed surprised by my offer. I think they were doubtful I’d be much help. I'm kind of used to getting that though; i just have to smile politely and prove people wrong. You can't blame them. They haven’t seen me since I was 16. I’m glad they’re giving me the opportunity and giving me the benefit of the doubt; I just hope I won’t let them down.

On another note: I love horses and my aunt and uncle have three. I hope they'll trust me on their horses.

I can't wait! I hope I can be a real help and blessing to them. Please pray for me.

God bless!
Jason

Doing versus Hearing

I don’t know if this is way out or anything but I got to thinking: here I am praying that my aunt and uncle will get help on their farm and what am I doing? Sitting at home. There’s nothing to keep me from going. Most of my work is done on the computer. I could easily take three or four weeks to help out.

So I called and left them a message. We’ll see what God does with it.

I’m ashamed I didn’t think of that earlier. See, I’m still trying to learn how to serve others I’ve been on the receiving end for so long. First major opportunity to work on numbers 1 and 2 of my New Year’s resolutions and I almost didn’t recognize it. Stupid, selfish me... :)

As James 1:22 says,
But don't just listen to God's word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.

It's okay to make resolutions and know and say lots of right stuff but we've got to make good on all of it or our words are meaningless and our knowledge is useless. True servants of God are going to do the work.

Be praying that maybe God can use me to be a blessing to my aunt and uncle.

God bless!
Jason

Epaphrus

The other night, in our Wednesday night Bible study we talked a little about Epaphrus. One thing stuck out to me. From this passage that we looked at. (study was in Colossians 4).

Colossians 4:12, 13
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. I vouch for him that he is working hard for you and for those at Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Our study leader mentioned that Epaphrus was probably a prisoner at the time that was written! There wasn’t a whole, whole lot he could be doing for God and for the church. He could’ve thought he had a legitimate excuse for just kicking back and doing nothing. But no. He did everything he could. And he didn’t just pray – he ‘wrestled’ in prayer. That sounds like even in prison, with his limited abilities, he’s pouring his whole being into and doing everything he can for God. That really encouraged/convicted me. No excuses. If you can’t do anything else you can always pray.

On that note, please continue to pray for uncle’s recovery and my aunt – she’s got lots of work on her hands. Thanks!

God bless!
Jason

Prayer Request

Hi,

My Uncle Alan fell out of a deer stand yesterday and fractured his hip, hurt his back, and broke his wrist. I’d be grateful if you could pray for his speedy recovery with no complications. Also, he has a small dairy farm up in Wisconsin and he’s going to be off his feet for a while. My aunt is going to have a lot of work on her hands. Pray that they’ll be able to get the help they need.

Thanks so much for praying!

God bless!
Jason

Haiti

Hi,

Well, by now everyone’s heard about the earthquake in Haiti, helped, prayed (I hope). I hope you all – even now that the first shock of it over – are still praying for the folks in Haiti. We’re so far removed from everything that it’s easy to go on with our lives and not even remember to pray or care. Death toll in the tens of thousands? We can’t even wrap our minds arund that. It’s hard to care or understand as much as we should. Haiti seems so far away and the tragedy is honestly too great to comprehend. But if we stop and focus in on just a few of the stories, it helps.

I kno we’ve been shocked, too, when some people claimed that Haiti deserved this ‘judgment’. Well, that sounds so mean. Truth be told, though, there’s a small gleam of truth in what they’re saying even though it’s a gross misrepresentation. Yes, they deserved it. But so do we. That’s what everyone deserves. Anything short of death and hell is mercy.

Lamentations 3: 21-23
Yet this I call to mind
and therefore I have hope:
Because of the LORD's great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.

Psalm 130: 3-4
If you, O LORD, kept a record of sins,
O Lord, who could stand?
But with you there is forgiveness;
therefore you are feared.

We should be thanking God it’s not us. Because we deserve every bit of it and more. We’re a veritable Sodom and Gomorrah ourselves over here in the U.S.

Hopefully God will use this tragedy to remind us of both his mercy as well as his justice. He is in control and he’s good; we can trust that even when we don’t understand.

On another note: it’s an awesome opportunity to share the gospel with the Haitians. I hope Christian workers get the chance to do a lot of that while serving them in practical ways.

Be in prayer.
Jason

What To Do When You Meet A Sighted Person

Hi,

A friend emailed this to me and I thought it was pretty funny. Sorry if there are any formatting errors.

God bless!
Jason

What To Do When You Meet A Sighted Person
(Author Unknown)
People who use their eyes to receive information about the world are called sighted people or "people who are sighted." Legal "sight" means any visual acuity greater then 20/200 in the better eye without correction or an angle of vision wider than 20 degrees. Sighted people enjoy rich full lives, working, playing, and raising families. They run businesses, hold public office, and teach your children!
How do Sighted People Get Around? People who are sighted may walk or ride public transportation, but most choose to travel long distances by operating their own motor vehicles. They have gone through many hours of training to learn the "rules of the road" in order to further their independence. Once that road to freedom has been mastered, sighted people earn a legal classification and a "Driver's License" which allows them to operate a private vehicle safely and independently.
How Do You Assist A Sighted Person? Sighted people are accustomed to viewing the world in visual terms. This means that in many situations, they will not be able to communicate orally and may resort to pointing or other gesturing. Subtle facial expressions may also be used to convey feelings in social situations. Calmly alert the sighted person to his surroundings by speaking slowly, in a normal tone of voice. Questions directed at the sighted person help focus attention back on the verbal rather than visual communication.
At times, sighted people may need help finding things, especially when operating a motor vehicle. Your advance knowledge of routes and landmarks, particularly bumps in the road, tums, and traffic lights, will assist the "driver" in finding the way quickly and easily. Your knowledge of building layouts can also assist the sighted person in navigating complex shopping malls, and offices. Sighted people tend to be very proud and will not ask directly for assistance. Be gentle yet firm.
How Do Sighted People Use Computers? The person who is sighted relies exclusively on visual information. His or her attention span fades quickly when reading long texts. Computer information is presented in a "Graphical User Interface" or GUI. Coordination of hands and eyes is often a problem for sighted people, so the computer mouse, a handy device that slides along the desk top, saves confusing keystrokes. With one button, the sighted person can move around his or her computer screen quickly and easily. People who are sighted are not accustomed to synthetic speech and may have great difficulty understanding even the clearest synthesizer. Be patient and prepared to explain many times how your computer equipment works.
How Do Sighted People Read? Sighted people read through a system called "Print" this is a series of images drawn in a two dimensional plain. People who are sighted generally have a poorly developed sense of touch. Braille is completely foreign to the sighted person and he or she will take longer to learn the code and be severely limited by his or her existing visual senses.
Sighted people cannot function well in low lighting conditions and are generally completely helpless in total darkness. Their homes are usually very brightly lit at great expense, as are businesses that cater to the sighted consumer.
How Can I Support A Sighted Person? People who are sighted do not want your charity. They want to live, work, and play along with you. The best thing you can do to support sighted people in your community is to open yourself to their world. These Americans are vital contributing members to society. Take a sighted person to lunch today!

Hi,

I’ve been sick for the past few days but I’m feeling a lot better today. I missed the Wednesday night Bible study. Bleh.

Riley left yesterday morning. So now it’s just us again. Me, usually. My parents when they aren’t working, Ava when she’s not at school. The house is so quiet now – just Bertram, Shadow and I – except for the dishwasher running in the kitchen.

It’s sad to see them go. Especially Riley. It hasn’t been that long since he lived here, went to school, occupied the room down the hall. You grow up with someone then they go off to college and come back and they’re a different person. College changes people so much.

It’s been so good to talk to Riley over the past few weeks. Catch up. He talks a lot; he’s funny. He makes this household a more cheerful place. I didn’t realize how much I’ve missed having around.


Only one thing I didn’t miss: Mom and Ava are always so considerate I’d forgotten how Riley can be. I tried not to get frustrated. See, riley’s one and only fault is he’s messy. He doesn’t put things back where they belong. In the fridge, the cupboards – even little things like the hand-towel – and then I can’t find them. If the milk is out of place I can waste so much time searching through the entire fridge for it and it could be sitting on the table, or he might put the cereal on top of fridge instead of in the cupboard. People don’t understand the sinking feeling I get when I reach in a familiar place for something I need and my hand meets air.

My shirt has functioned it a hand-towel a lot over the past few weeks. :)

But I shouldn’t complain. I live with some unusually considerate people; I bet it can sometimes be annoying for them. That’s my family for you. They’re awesome, every one of them.

Sorry for the rant, earlier.

God bless!
Jason

Nervous!

So I’m going to a Bible study tomorrow evening, with some friends. They told me to bring my guitar. I can’t wait – I love to play guitar and I’m excited to be able to help – but I’m also a little nervous.

Please pray for me…

Jason

A Few Things I’ve Learned

Sitting here thinking back over this year and all the things I learned. God’s been faithful through it all and I just can’t help but be overwhelmed by how richly he’s blessed me

A lot happened, too, this year. Lots of changes. Riley went off to college. Amy got married. I turned 20.

I’m grateful to God for this past year. He’s convicted me about a lot of different things. I’ve prayed more, relied on Him more, and learned how hopeless I really am in my own strength.

So here’s another list. Just a few of the things I’ve learned (or relearned) in 2009.

1. Unselfishness.

There are no excuses for not obeying God and serving Him. No matter what state we find ourselves in He’s still given us all we need to live a life of godliness. We’re never exempted. When we look at other people’s problems the godly choice or action always seems obvious to us. But we think of ourselves – or at least I do – Well I have a legitimate excuse for not doing what I should. For me, “I’m blind. Nobody can expect me to, say, reach out to someone in need. I mean, shouldn’t people be reaching out to me?” But that’s a sinful and selfish thought. God commands us to: Philippians 2:3-7 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. That’s essentially the Golden Rule. So that means showing godly friendliness to someone at church even though I feel awkward or I’d rather not leave the safety and security of my seat. Hard but right. I’ve been working at this all year.

2. Edifying speech.

I’ve been convicted to try to have intentional conversations that build other people up. We so often just talk to say something – at least I find myself doing that all the time. Most especially because I don’t want people to feel uncomfortable around me so I try to say something – anything – just to put them at ease. But I really need to watch out against foolish words and worthless conversations. Life’s too short for that.
Besides, God’s been pretty clear with us about what he expects in that area: Ephesians 4: 29 Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.

3. Gratitude and Meekness

By this I don’t really mean ordinary thankfulness for all the things God’s blessed me with. I need that, too, but I was convicted about something even more specific. Other people may not struggle with this as much. Maybe I should call it (the fault) resistance to pity or aversion to help. Pride? Maybe? I guess pride underlies most sin. And I think the character flaw that fault reveals is a lack of gratitude and meekness.

Alright, here’s an example. Even if it seems patronizing, for instance, if I’m perfectly able to cross a street by myself and someone stops to help me, it’s still nice of them to stop. I should let them have their good feeling. I should be grateful. It’s nice of them to try to be helpful. I can at least appreciate the spirit of the thing even if the help itself wasn’t necessary. A lot of people would rather slink away. I know it. That happens all the time. Enough that I can appreciate people who quell their fear of people who are different from them and try to be kind and helpful. It’s pride and ingratitude that makes me rebel against help. That’s sin. It’s not sin to be helped.

So that’s another thing I’ve been working on this past year. It’s hard because lots of other blind people will encourage an attitude of arrogant independence. But that’s not right. My life’s goal is not to prove to the world that blind people are just as capable and independent as sighted people. My life’s goal is to grow in godliness and show the love of Christ to others.

So those are just a very few of the things God’s given me grace to work on this year. I’m so grateful for his love and grace and protection through another year and I know he’ll be faithful in this new one.

Lamentations 3:22-23
Because of the Lord's great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

God bless!
Jason