Good Bye and Then Hello Again

I have never had someone close to me die before, until yesterday morning. This is a very difficult thing. I know what it feels like now. Maybe I can be a comfort to others one day, if I can ever stop randomly crying. 

Jordan Gautreau and I went to Elevate together. He was like a little brother. It really hurts to think that I won't hear his goofy laugh again, or see his sincere smile. Jordan was one of a kind. 

When we were in internship, he would eat other people's expired food with relish. He would watch it in the staff refrigerator until that fateful day when it would go out of date. And then...he would eat it. Yogurt was his favorite. I think he survived Elevate from eating other people's expired food...that, and Cooking for Christ leftovers. 

He was always ready to laugh. A giggle, a chuckle, or a full out belly laugh were always just right under the surface.

For most of the time I knew him he looked homeless. Long shaggy hair, giant beard, he wore clothes that didn't fit him...and had questionable hygiene...and then it was like the style button was finally turned on. I came back from Honduras to see that he had turned that ho-bo look into something fashionable, something all his own. 

We had a huge garage sale to support our mission trip during the internship. And I think Jordan tried on every item he thought was cool. Even if it was 10 sizes too small, or smelled really, really bad. He loved to dress up. He took it to the next level. He became whatever he dressed up as...he acted the part, looked the part and it was incredibly hilarious. His last exploit was Wolverine, and he WAS Wolverine.  

But, out of everything I remember about Jordan. I will remember his love of Christ and the lost. He was easy to read. If you knew him, you knew that you could read him like a book. He wore his emotion on his face. He was real. His love for God just jumped off of him. He took service beyond the second mile. He was always ready to do whatever anyone asked him...and with a great attitude. 

Mark and I got to see him last week when we were in town. I will cherish those moments. We were at HPC a lot, and of course we saw Jordan everywhere. Sometimes, I think he lived under a stairwell or something. Every time we saw Jordan, he would come over and hug us. He said, "We've got to get them while we can." He said that because Mark and I were returning to Honduras, but now I will remember those last hugs, because he has left us. 

I know that there will be tons of people in Heaven because of Jordan. 

Welcome home Jordan. We will miss you, but I am so glad that we will see you again one day. 

The Youngers Global DOT COM

I have been super busy around here for the past couple of weeks. It was like all of a sudden a "productivity bomb" dropped on me and there wasn't anything I could do about it. We reopened the outpatient clinic at HHGlobal, so that meant early mornings and visiting patients again. I have been doing tons of computer work trying to get a hold of our growing inventory of medicines, supplies and donations for the school kids. We are also trying to revamp the website, catch up on blogs for the ministry, and of course, shuffle things around in storage (our favorite rainy season activity).

On top of those projects, I am now a wife. 

Hey, no laughing!

So about 6 months ago, I could come home from work -dead tired at 9pm- and eat a bowl of cereal for dinner, shower and be in bed by 10pm...that wouldn't be much of a home life for our new family. Learning how to manage time is always on the top of the list. I am a planner...married to a non-planner. 

Learning how to live together is a lot more than figuring out where you are going to keep all of the socks, or not fainting at the grocery bill when you can't just by cereal and milk anymore. Marriage is about sacrifice. It is about dying to self all of the time...it is about being like Christ. I hope I get better at that.

As we combine our material things, we are combining our internet things as well. We are launching - drum roll please - theyoungersglobal.com. Our new internet home. I will still be here at hlstewart.blogspot.com, but now at one location you can link to both of our blogs, see updates that affect us as a couple, see pictures, donate, get prayer requests, and much more. 

So here's to getting married and starting life with someone else...together...even on the internet. 

No Weapons

I have been getting a lot of prayer requests lately. Most of them have been to health related problems, and I find that kind of interesting since I work at a hospital where our mission is to bring health, hope and healing.

It would be easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of suffering that happens in this fallen world...
It would be hard to read all of those requests...
There would be too many needs...

IF....there were not a God.

I am so grateful to know that my God is bigger than all of these prayer requests. On top of that...He knows each person individually, and can minister to them in a completely personal way. He has promised to hear our prayers, He has promised never to turn His back on believers, and He has promised that He WILL be there when we are united in prayer.

When you look at God through the clouds of your problems it may be easy to lose sight of Him. BUT if you look at your problems through the love of God Almighty you realize that no weapons formed against you will prosper.