Jodi and I went to school together as teenagers, but I hadn’t seen her since high school when we met up on the beach last month. Thanks to the magic of Facebook, I have been able to follow her family’s missionary work through the years, always admiring her fearlessness in raising four kids without some of the luxuries we take for granted here in America.
You can see how different her kids’ upbringing has been compared to many of ours, here in the states, by her post on her daughter’s 18th birthday. She wrote: “What a treasure you are and I could not me more proud of you. Living in three different countries and going to five different schools? Not a problem. Civil unrest and military with machine guns all over town? Didn’t bat an eye. Racial unrest and riots in town? Didn’t skip a beat. Our mountain coming down and washing away the neighborhood? She gets out there and helps feed and comfort the wounded, hungry and homeless. Pandemic circles the globe and have to say goodbye to your home and leave lifelong friends without even a goodbye? She grieves but continues to keep her eyes on Jesus. Working 14-hour shifts at two different jobs and only a rare day off so she can pay for college? Not a single complaint. This girl is a rockstar, and I’m humbled to be her Momma.”
I also saw photos of her kids in the country where they grew up:
Jodi’s kids are gracious, kind, and fun, and her family embodies faithfulness to the call to “go into all the world and preach the Gospel.” I loved that I could honor them with a photo session when they were all in San Diego this summer for four brief days. I think God honored them, too, with perfect beach session weather and a shiny, glassy shore. As Eric Liddell said, “I felt God’s pleasure.”