http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org Rusty Jackson - Be the Blessing en-us Tue, 7 Oct 2008 01:40:33 GMT 30 http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=doing-it-thai-style http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=doing-it-thai-style      Greetings folks from Manila, Philippines. I got in early yesterday morning. I'm here to help with the launch of the October World Race team. So I'll be teaching, preaching, encouraging and working one-on-one with a lot of the racers and sharing with them my experiences from the last year and a half.      I just finished up two weeks of ministry in Northern Thailand. My time was incredible. Have a look:)          This is the church we did some work on while in one of the villages. We spent a few days painting, varnishing and moving dirt. Here's the final product.            Then we spent ALL day Sunday inside preaching and sharing the love of Jesus with the villagers.          Now this is the same place I came last August. So here's a picture from last year. We had just spent a week clearing land by hand using hoes. Thing is, at Sat, 27 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=back-with-ray http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=back-with-ray What's up ya'll! I'm back in Northern Thailand and loving it! I was here last August and it was life changing. So I'm excited about being back. Here's some photos by MARK STRATMANN - not me, but MARK STRATMANN!!!!!!!!     Candace, Ray, Maile, Me and Rapee hanging out after church.     Preaching at a Buddhist school. Last year when we did this we only saw maybe two or three kids come to the Lord. This year - more than 30! God is doing some amazing things here in Northern Thailand.     Ray jamming out. Thanks to you guys on the team last year Ray was able to get more musical stuff. Now he rocks out at these schools. Its so cool to see how the Lord moves when we worship Him with all our heart, soul and strength.           In two days we preached at four different schools. It's been so much fun. I love sharing God's love with these kids!     My team, Mark and Matt.     Rapee Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=this-is-it http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=this-is-it This is IT!   This is what the World Race is all about! This is my heart for our generation. WE ALL NEED A DESERT EXPERIENCE!   The following is an email I got from one of our contacts in China.   Hi Everyone, Prayed that all of you were blessed with the sharing on Isaac and Ismael. I was going through Luke Chapter One this morning and a verse caught my thoughts and stayed there. It was in the last verse of the chapter that said John the Baptist was sent to the desert to live till the time of his ministry had come. Desert. When we think of desert, it is a place of torment. The temperature is so hot in the day that some said you can fry an egg on a rock and so cold in the night. It is a harsh place live in. Only the toughest will survive. Water is scarce. There is hardly any shade from the sun. It is just miles and miles of sand with high possibility of getting lost and die of thirst. Yet, we see here that John the Baptist was sent Fri, 12 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=walk-with-me-part-2 http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=walk-with-me-part-2      Alright so let me get to a couple of the main reasons I'm moving to Michigan. Obviously, I'm getting a great chance to continue my ministry with the World Race. It's something I'm extremely excited about and confident I'm called to do.             But I'll also get a chance to continue this community living thing I'm doing on the race. I'm going to move in with our team coaches, Michael and Kathy Hindes, and just do life with them. It's a great discipleship opportunity - to learn about how to walk this life of faith out as a husband and father. And to be honest, Michael is really one of the few Christian men I can follow. We've got a lot of the same type of background and bottom line is - he's upfront, real and raw, things I love.          Now, the other reason I'm moving to Michigan is I'm getting married.          To my sweet Er Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=walk-with-me http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=walk-with-me      I've been sitting around for days wondering how in the world I'm supposed to write this blog? How can I communicate all that's been going to you? I just feel I have so much to say and express. So it's going to take a couple blogs, but I can at least get the nuts and bolts of it out to you now.      Alright so bottom line is this, the Lord has called me to "prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up." (Ephesians 4:12)      OK, so just follow me on this for a moment.      Michael and Kathy Hindes have been our squad coaches since we left the states back in January. Now not only are they our coaches, but Michael also runs the World Race. And his goal is to make this thing a movement a way to bring young people into who God called them to be. Which is to say, to show people God is much bigger than just four walls and a Sunday morning service and that the Lord Sun, 7 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=thailand http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=thailand      Hey folks, greetings from Thailand, I want to take a minute and catch ya'll up on what's been going on in my ministry these past couple weeks.       The last time I posted I was on a scouting mission in Northern India. I got a chance to meet a wonderful man of God, Brian, who will make a great world race contact in the future. This man is a church planting machine.      After that I flew up to Kathmandu, Nepal to meet with Pastor Gophal Adhikari. Not only is he the pastor of his local church, but he's also been a part of planting nearly 20 more. Gophal started a bible school and he runs his own publishing company that translates Christian books into the Nepali language.     Hanging out with the students I had a chance to teach at a Bible school in Kathmandu, Nepal.     Pastor Gohpal        Next year at this time there will be four squads in the field that Sat, 6 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=scouting-mission-and-new-role http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=scouting-mission-and-new-role      Well I'm back in Northern India. This time on my own and in a different location than I was three weeks ago. My purpose this trip is to scout out ministry locations and to develop new contacts for future world race teams. Basically, I'm trying to break open new ground up here so we can get some world race teams plugged in.      Now, if you are asking what about the rest of my squad back in Delhi - who's watching over them? That's a great question AND it gives me a chance to tell you about my new role on the world race. Right now the squad is under the leadership of Patrice Deaton. She's been one of my top team leaders and she's a rock star - so the squad is in good hands. Now with Patrice at the wheel, I'm getting a chance to make a couple scouting trips this month. Of course I'm on one right now and then next week I'll be in Nepal for a few days Sun, 24 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=dying-aint-pretty http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=dying-aint-pretty I turned 33 a couple days ago. Apparently it's the "crucifying year." Jesus was 33 when he was nailed to the cross. "For we know that our old self was crucified with Him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin..." Romans 6:6 "Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires." Galatians 5:24           Just to give ya'll a heads up this blog is raw, raging and real. Leave your expectations of what a "Christian missionary" should say or feel at the door.      The bottom line is this my friends dying ain't pretty.      In my head I get that my "old self" was crucified with Christ. I get that I've been raised to new life with Him as well. And I realize that's a one-time deal. I don't have to keep going back and killing the old Rusty. That dude is dead.      However, th Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=BD9C640FDA0A44A0B03F1C764DCE68 http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=BD9C640FDA0A44A0B03F1C764DCE68       A few days back my sister Tracy and I were talking about routines and how we get so wrapped up in our daily doings that if anything happens to upset that routine then we just go nuts. This was definitely the case in my life. You folks out there that know me know that I am a creature of habit. I mean come on, I ate salmon and rice nearly everyday for lunch for 4 years. I'm just the kind of guy that if I find something that works I stick with it. Here's a look at my life from May '03 til April '07.   9A - Wake up and eat breakfast 9:45 - Hit the gym 10:50 - Head home in time to watch "Young and the Restless." Go ahead and laugh! I got hooked back in the summer of '87 right before 6th grade. I never missed it. I taped it in junior high and highschool and I planned my college classes around it. 11:25 - start preparing my tasty fish and rice. 11:50 - eat lunch Noon - shower and get ready for work 12:45 - Head to work. Now even though I Wed, 13 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=pictures-from-india http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=pictures-from-india Here are some photos from this past weekend. Me, three of my leaders, Jake (former WRer), and Michael and Kathy (our squad coaches) went up to northern India for a pastor's conference.     Gretchen, Patrice, me and Jake at the foothills of the Himalayan Mountains. The place we were at in northern India was about 100 miles south of Tibet and a 175 miles west of Nepal.     Kim, me and Michael, to the far right, having some fun during worship.     Preaching the love of Jesus     Indians love getting their picture taken with Americans:) This picture and the next couple were taken in Dehli.     Yes that's a REAL COBRA!     This is me standing in front of some Indian war memorial.   Alright, so let me just update ya'll real quick on what our ministry looks like this month in India. First off, we are all back together as a squad again. So that allows us to minister to a wide variety of pe Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=team-arrives-safely-in-india http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=team-arrives-safely-in-india Ericka here - posting this for Rusty, since it's around 2am in India and he and the squad don't have internet access. (The time difference is 9 and 1/2 hours ahead of Eastern Time, if you're wondering.)   We just wanted to let you all know that (after a few delays) the first half of the squad made it safely to India tonight. That would be: Rusty, Magen, Caroline, Patrice, Meredith, Nate, Sarah, Jen, Kim, Kelton, Gretchen, Teagan and Laura.   I just got off the phone with my good friend in India (who's our American contact there) who had the team with him. Half were already at the house for the night - the other half were in the car with him, about 15 minutes away from 'home'. We've checked and double-checked - everyone is accounted for and will be locked - safe and sound- into the house for the night soon. I know they all need a good nights sleep after their day of travel.    The rest of the squad will leave from South Africa later today. That group is Sat, 26 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=alive-and-safe http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=alive-and-safe Two nights ago my squad and I were robbed at gunpoint in the hostel we were staying at in Johannesburg, South Africa. First and foremost nobody got hurt! Praise God we are all alive and safe! However, we got tons of stuff jacked from us. So here is the email I just sent out to the parents of my team. Dear World Race parents, First off I want to apologize to ya'll for just now getting in touch with you. The last couple days have been hectic and stressful to say the least. And my TOP priority has been getting the squad moved out of the hostel and into a location where the folks can feel safe. Not to mention, some of us have been scrambling to get new passports and visas for our upcoming trip to India. So thank you very much for your patience in all this. I can't even imagine the worry ya'll must have been going thru and are still going through. I'm sure you have heard all sorts of things about what happened two nights ago, so let me just give you the facts. Tuesday after Thu, 24 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=spent http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=spent      I'm spent!        I don't really know any better way to put it. I'm SUPER dry spiritually. It's day 200 of THIS race, but for me, since i did nearly half this trip last year, I've been out of the country for a solid year. I miss my family. I miss my friends. I'm about flat out done. Now yes, I can continue to do the basic things that keep this squad getting from one place to another. However, on the spiritual side of it - I'm useless.        I can't tell you how hard it is not to look to end of this trip. To be honest, I'm in love - the problem is, she is back in the states. But, Ericka is supportive of where I'm at right now. And we both agree the Lord has more to teach us while we are separated. Thing is though, that's only part of it. Bottom line - I'm getting to a point in my walk with Christ where I just have to flat out chose to keep going. For so long I was Mon, 21 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=swaziland-video-nsoko-project http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=swaziland-video-nsoko-project If you feel led to support the Nsoko project in Swaziland  click here  and donate today! Or if you're interested in finding out more about Swaziland, visit here: http://swaziland.myadventures.org/ Sun, 13 Jul 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=update http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=update      Alright, so first off I want to give a HUGE thanks to God and to my supporters! WOW! Thats all I can say. Thanks to you guys, nearly my entire support need has been met. The Lord brought in the immediate need of $4600 plus about two grand more. Basically all I have left to raise is about $2000. So I thank you and I know my team thanks you as well.      I want to update you folks on what I got going on this month. Right now Im in Swaziland working at some Adventure in Mission care points. During the next four weeks we are going to build covered cooking sites at three of the care points. You see, the GoGos (the name of the ladies that take care of the kids) cook the kids food outside over an open fire. So, if its raining or the wind is bad that day obviously its harder to cook. Were going to make it easier on them by constructing a three-meter by two and a half meter concrete building that will protect the cooking process from the outside ele Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=back-home-in-south-africa http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=back-home-in-south-africa      Well folks after a quick trip to Cincinnati to bring to my teammate Rachel Hunt home for her father's funeral I'm back in Johannesburg, South Africa. Please continue to keep Rachel and her family in ya'lls prayers. I know they are very appreciative of all the support they have received from AIM and all the January 08 racers.        Also I want to say thank you to my great friend from last year's world race - Josh Daniels. He lives in Cincinnati and on short notice he took me in his home and treated me like a king for two days. We ate steak, steak and more beef. I got a chance to meet his family and dominate in Nintendo Wii bowling:)        Brother, it was great seeing you again. Thank you so much for your love and hospitality. You were truly Jesus to me this past weekend.   "For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=prayers-needed http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=prayers-needed      We've had a death in our world race family and we need your prayers.        Rachel Hunt just found out her father passed away. Right now we are in the process of getting her home. She and I will be flying out of Johannesburg, South Africa Thursday and landing in Cincinnati the next day. Once Rachel is with her family, I will stay in Cincy for a couple days with a great friend of mine from last year's race - Josh Daniels. (Hope AIM has called you brother. HA!) And then I fly back to South Africa on Sunday.        Please pray for safe travels and for Rachel and her family to be covered in God's love.        Let me just tell ya'll, Rachel Hunt is such an awesome lady in the Lord. She has truly embraced all the ups and downs this trip has thrown at her. And we've had great talks during those rough times. However, this is completely different. I can't imagine the hur Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=watch-me http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=watch-me Thank you to Kim Daniels who came up with this idea and then spent hours bringing it all together. I love you sister! And of course thank you to all my lovely, sweet and awesome teammates! Support Need: $4600 by July 1st Then an additional $3200 by October 1st. Total need: $7800 Sat, 31 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=no-concerns http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=no-concerns An awareness of Jesus leads to a concern for others. God is quickly showing me my "concern" for others just ain't cuttin' it folks. "Concern" doesn't inspire, doesn't move people - it doesn't call anyone to action.A relationship with the living God through His Son leads to a real LOVE for others. This kind of love inspires, moves, touches, sparks a fire that can changes a people, and even a country. God is showing me its going take this kind of love to change Swaziland. "Concern" cripples. Love empowers. "Concern" gives handouts. Love solves problems. "Concern" gives a man a fish. Love teaches a man to fish. The difference is massive. Sometimes as short-term missionaries we can do more damage than good. I'm learning there is a fine line between empowering people and crippling them. In Swaziland, Adventures in Missions is first and foremost meeting the immediate needs of thousands u Thu, 22 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=happy-mothers-day http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=happy-mothers-day Happy Mother's Day momma! I love you and I miss you. I'm so freakin' blessed God chose you to be my mother. I will NEVER be able to thank you for all your love and support throughout the years. I love you. Sat, 10 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=role-out http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=role-out      OK, so if you've read my last few blogs then you can see these past few days I've been trying to wrestle down this whole concept of "receiving God's love" - getting totally naked in front of Him. And what do you know; in my nakedness He exposed something to me.        I still find my joy, worth and identity in what I "do" or in my role.        Roles! Geesh! Man, roles can kill us, and they will enslave us if we let them. Thing is though, we all have roles in our lives. Some of us try to obtain them, like jobs, being a mom or dad, husband or wife; other roles people give us - labels. Obviously there are tons more, but I only have a limited amount of your time. Either way, as soon as we enter in to a role, whether intentionally or unintentionally, we are in danger of that role defining us.         For example, growing up in my small town I gained the reputation for being a wild Tue, 29 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=naked http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=naked      In my last blog I told ya'll how the Lord said I must be like Adam and Eve and get naked in front of Him to receive His love.        Alright, so here I am - naked!        In September of '06 I broke up with my girlfriend because I came to the conclusion I could never be the committed man she deserved. I felt like a failure. So, I decided I would "let go of the rope." Which meant since I couldn't be faithful, and I would never be married, I might as well just date as many woman as possible.        And it was this promiscuous life-style that brought me to the point of begging God to make me a man of integrity. I guess it only took about five months, because I started making that my prayer in January of 2007. Anyway, around that time, I found the world race on the Internet and the rest you would say is history.        Great story, right?! I'm cured! I'm h Sun, 27 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=wheres-the-love http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=wheres-the-love "And a voice from heaven said, This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.'" - Matthew 3:17        Then the VERY next sentence says this:   "Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil." - Matthew 4:1        And this all happened BEFORE Jesus began His ministry. According to Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus didn't preach a single word until He, one, received love and affirmation from His Father in heaven; and two, was led into the desert to be tempted by the enemy.        So, Jesus needed to know the Lord loved him, and that love had to be tested before He began to live out the call God placed on His life. In this blog I want to focus on that first verse.        Now, if that's how it had to work for Jesus, then don't you think that's going to be how it has to work for us. Too many times I feel like all of us try to do God's work be Sat, 26 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=my-empty-nest http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=my-empty-nest      Let me tell ya folks, I got a case of the empty nest syndrome going on. All five of my world race teams have shot off in different directions across southern Africa and here I sit in a missionary home all alone in Nelspruit, South Africa. Which, actually I'm fine with after spending the last four months surrounded by 26 other people.        Obviously, these next few months are going to look quite different for me. Here's the deal, ever since we started this journey back on January 5th, we have done everything as a squad - lived, traveled, worked, worshipped - EVERYTHING. In case you don't know, including myself, we got 27 folks on this squad and they are broken up into 5 teams. And this is the first time the teams will function independently of the group - and me. So, naturally my role has changed. Yes, I'm still going to serve my squad with all my heart, soul and strength. But right now the best way to lead this group is by stepping Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=3-continents-in-3-days http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=3-continents-in-3-days Thu, 17 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-day-off-in-bolivia-2-weeks-ago http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=a-day-off-in-bolivia-2-weeks-ago http://meredithdinsdale.theworldrace.org/index.asp?filename=ive-never-been-this-high Mon, 14 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=support-my-teammate http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=support-my-teammate My teammate, Rachel Hunt, is still about $4,000 from her goal of $13,800. Maybe some of ya'll know folks who could help her out. Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=our-work-in-the-rainforest http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=our-work-in-the-rainforest What up everyone, I want to update ya'll on what's been going on the past couple weeks. Right now me and the team are back in Cochabamba, Bolivia taking it easy after an intense ten days of work. Let me tell ya folks, we blew it out while we were in the rainforest. All we knew going in to it was that we'd be working on an orphanage. Here it is, check it out. So we varnished this whole sucker by hand! Plus we painted EVERY single room in the house. And we, well not me, but Mark and some of the other guys, mainly Mark built a staircase. My main job was clearing land. I loved it! Oh yeah, it was also my job to catch dinner:) And we always finished our days of hard work with a group bath. HA! Community living is great! As you can see we've been having a blast here in Bolivia advancing God's Kingdom. But believe it or not it has come to an end. In two days we're flying to Africa. I can't believe it's already time to leave South America. Basically we'll be trave Sun, 13 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=my-family http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=my-family Check out this amazing video my teammate Kim Daniels put together. It's a tribute to the beautiful folks on the January 2008 world race team. Wed, 9 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=feed-my-sheep http://rustyjackson.theworldrace.org/?filename=feed-my-sheep EDITORS NOTE: YOU MUST GO TO MY HOMEPAGE TO SEE THIS VIDEO. Sun, 30 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT