Tuesday, April 26, 2016

Portland Memories



This past weekend, two of my daughters and I had an amazing time in Portland with Jordan, and we made some memories that I will always treasure. Yes, it was rainy and I was desperately in need of a vitamin D exposure fix, but Jordan made it a memorable experience and was the perfect host.
Oregon is so beautiful and green, and it reminded me of North Carolina. It had the same feeling as the Smokey Mountains. We drove around and saw some of the sights and took lots of pictures. Then I was privileged to speak at a fireside hosted on by the Beaverton Stake, along with Jordan and President Allen Oyler. The fireside was centered on the atonement of Christ and I was so grateful to be invited to participate.
During the fireside- which was Jordan's last in Portland- he told the congregation about the new direction in which he is now inspired to shift his focus, and that direction is to help shed light on the problem of child trafficking. After speaking on same sex attraction for so many years, God is leading him in a new direction now. I am so proud of him and will support him fully. In fact, I will be creating a separate blog for him to share his thoughts and updated info on his work in this endeavor.

Sunday, we drove to the coast and attended church at the Seaside ward. We were invited to dinner by an
acquaintance of Jordan's but Jordan had already planned a picnic dinner for us. And what a dinner it was! We picnicked in the Seaside resort town, dining on baked spiraled ham, potatoes, rolls, French silk pie, and muffins. He fed us well and we were completely stuffed. We walked around for a bit and took more pictures before driving up to a view spot overlooking Cannon Beach. It was a wonderful ending to a great weekend.

It was hard to say goodbye to Jordan and I miss him already, but I'm really looking forward to supporting him in the new direction God is taking him. I'm so proud of him for how far he has come, and though I know there will always be challenges in his life, I'm so grateful to know that God will always be watching over him and the Savior will see him through until his work on this earth is done, and then beyond.

To view Jordan's Voices of Hope Video, visit Voices of Hope
About Embraced
It is hard times that change the course of our lives. In this book I reveal these moments to show my own fallibility. This book is far different from what I originally envisioned. It reflects what I've found not what I predicted. This book does not follow a conventional outline because as you all know, real life is not conventional. Each experience can become embraced in our life.
About Out of the Closet Into the Light
After living a life of abuse, abandonment and homosexuality, Jordan Jantz made the ultimate choice. Leaving his old life behind, Jordan came to know and understand God's love for him, as well as discover his own part in the eternal plan. But this book isn't just about his Christian conversion and lifestyle change, it is also about all the things he suffered that helped to bring him to this point. It's about everything he was, everything he is, and everything he is on his way to becoming. Simply put, this is the story of his journey from the painful, cold darkness into the light. A portion of the proceeds from Out of the Closet Into the Light will be donated to The Christmas Box International to support abused and neglected children.
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2 comments:

  1. I have been so looking forward to your post, Jewel! I LOVED the fireside and wish I could have thanked you for the world-of-experience-and-new-ideas that you opened to my view that evening. I felt comforted and uplifted. THANK YOU for all that you and Jordan did.

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    1. Thanks so much, Marni! And thank you for the chocolate. I wish I'd had the chance to visit with you. I appreciate you being there and I'm grateful for your support:-)

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