Author: simplyintentional

* Jedd Thoughts

Not a shameless plug

simplyintentional

JK

Well maybe…Justin

But seriously, a lot of you may or may not know Justin Klump. On Wednesday, July 8th at 7pm, Justin will be featured among rare animals like Asian elephants, pigmy warthogs, and the African rhino when he co-headlines a Zoo Tunes Concert at the Oregon Zoo. I’ve known Justin now for about 8 years, long enough to know that he shrieks at an incredible high pitch when he is scared (ask him about the winged bat incident), that he can play almost any Dave Matthew’s song (but won’t do it for a concert), that he is fiercely loyal to family and friends, that his jokes are terrible and yet fun to laugh at (him, not the jokes), and that people are drawn to him for who he is, not just because he’s a great songwriter. Of all the things I know about Justin, the most striking observation is his humility and commitment to be nothing but genuinely Justin Klump. He could have been another Jonas brother, or followed the path down formulaic music. Instead he intentionally chose to share his heart with others, stayed true to himself and not sell himself to the industry, and has found himself living his dream. Each of his songs tells a story, songs about hardships, hope, and love. The kind of real stuff that sometimes people forget about in the industry (sorry Britney Spears)

Wow, we were young once and I had spikey hair....
Wow, we were young once and I had spikey hair....

You see, when Justin get’s on that stage on Wednesday, the real story will be the one where a young man took a risk to pursue his passion, started off slow, battled against confusion and frustration, poured out his heart, shared his gifts, and in the end, singing and playing guitar on one of the biggest stages of his life to both humans and other animal species. I’m just saying that if you knew where this guy has been, know what he is about today, you would be excited for where he is going. Although he’s like a brother to me, I am also an inspired fan of Justin, for what he stands and plays for. So maybe this is just a shameless plug, but maybe this is way I can just say that I’m glad to know him and so freaking proud of him.

Imagine

Other Travels

The Land of Haiti

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Hey Everyone. So many of you have been asking us questions about our experience in Haiti (what did you do, what was it like, was it safe, etc…) Hland8 and we are going to try our best to answer and share as much about it as possible. It’s hard to truly capture everything that we experienced in a blog, but definitely feel its necessary to try (one of us could actually talk forever but thankfully, his better half keeps him grounded, or at least tries to). In these series of posts, we hope to share with you about the people (Tuesday), the land, the amazing services taking place everyday supported by local leaders and the Haiti Foundation of Hope, and of course, our thoughts and feelings about everything. But we might miss something  and we’d love to hear from you, especially if you have any questions or things you want to know about Haiti and our experience. Please leave a comment or email us. We want to help you know more about this special place. Back to the land….

Hilltop

I realized with the “people” post I did a lot of talking and in sharing about the land, I plan to let most of the pictures speak for themselves. The main thing to think about when you look at each one is the relationship between humans and the land. I’ve never been a true advocate for environmental issues and even remained a bit skeptical of the “green” movement and other issues raised. My friend Mike Abbate shares in his book (Gardening Eden) multiple examples of human impact on their local environment. How greed (both from foreign and local businessmen), and unsupervised monitoring and regulation of human activity caused devastating affects, not only to the land and the animals, but more specifically, to the people who called the land home. Haiti is such an example were deforestation obliterated, and literally washed away the land. In simpler terms, humans have cut or burned the trees to make charcoal (notice the coal part) for energy (fires and what not) without any reforestation plan.

Because of the geographical placement of the island (the Caribbean), rains are frequent (thunderstorms and annual hurricanes) which are normally good, but there are no trees (some),

Haiti from air
Notice there are hardly any trees, green from the rains, still no trees

which means the ground is saturated and flooding occurs. Floods lead to accelerated erosion of the land, especially top soil good for farming. There are some good seasons (we witnessed re-growth of plants and farms) but know one knows when the next major flood might wash out everything. The government doesn’t do enough to protect the trees. There are no incentives or alternative programs for people to get energy another way.  There is little in terms of education to teach people the importance of trees. Pastor Delamy shared with us a Haitian proverb, “Sometimes prevention is better than healing”. Proactive measures such as education are important and effective means to fight this battle in Haiti (and in the world). If not, life and land will continually wash away.

Once a road, now a river for constant floods until they can repair it permanently
Once a road, now a river for constant floods until they can repair it permanently
Water flows from the mountains but most are polluted from trash
Water flows from the mountains but most are polluted from trash
and here's why they are polluted. Notice the dump truck in the upper left corner
and here’s why they are polluted. Notice the dump truck in the upper left corner
Fields of Rice (only in one area of the country from what it looked like)
Fields of Rice (only in one area of the country from what it looked like)
See how close everything is built next to each other? Taken from the air by Janan
See how close everything is built next to each other? Taken from the air by Janan

NOTE:  I realized after looking over this post, you might think Haiti is not beautiful. That’s NOT true. These are just the major things that really stood out to me. I also didn’t want to duplicate using pictures I posted before. Haiti IS beautiful and I think that’s what makes these pictures important to me: if nothing is done, the beauty of this land and others will be swept away…

Related posts:
The People of Haiti
Haiti Recap Video

Other Travels

The People of Haiti

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HPeople4

When I think about the people of Haiti, I am reminded of their beauty both in spirit and in appearance. They are striking and hauntingly beautiful, particularly when they smile which is not their typical first glance impression. Most Haitians at first glance seem unapproachable and a bit irritable. It’s not that they look mean, just not inviting. However, after saying hello or making eye contact, this facade or assumption I had of their personality, quickly gave way to their true nature of warmth and joy. HPeople20

They are very strong and physically fit people, being very active in their day to day routines and walking as their main form of transportation. However, the most distinctive and beautiful thing about Haitians in regards to their appearance is their eyes. HPeople17Haitians have very large, engaging eyes and a lot is said through them. I often found myself drawn to the way they would look at us with such curiosity as I looked back with wonder. I wondered what many of them thought about us being there. Whether or not the sight of us, our clothes, our actions, or words that we used seem strange or even silly.

I was very surprised that most of the people we met in Terre Blanche had such an intentional desire to get to know us on a personal level. They wanted to build relationships with us, wanted to know about who we where and why we felt God had brought us there. We loved that they felt very comfortable with us asking questions to them about their lives and knew they wanted us to know more about them.

In Terre Blanche, as we walked around the village, people would come out of their thatched roof homes to greet us with joy, and children in groups of 10 or more would follow us asking us to take photos of them. Sadly, not of all Haiti is like this and it’s a true testimony of the miracles and wonders God is doing to instill hope in the people of this village and in many other parts of Haiti (where the people of Haiti are in partnership with aid workers).

Overall, life in Haiti is difficult. I’ve often complained here in the US about not having enough money to buy something that I want, or worried about what I don’t have, but the truth is, compared to majority of the people there, I am a very rich man and was humbled at what I witnessed.

HPeople11

HPeople2

The types of conditions that Haitians live in seem unfair, especially for how hard they work to survive on a day to day basis. It is extremely difficult to get access to clean water, most of the once fertile land (more about the land another day) has been washed away by floods (and continue to be damaged by floods), roads and buildings have been and are continuously devastated by storms, and the government is inadequately equipped or adept to deal with the massive needs of the people. Many do not have a lot of clothes or food, and then if something medically goes wrong, getting proper health care becomes a major issue (thank God for the clinic). But even facing all of this, I was inspired by their spirit and the countless stories of love and sacrifice they had for each other.

hpeople100

Before we went to Haiti, Pastor Delamy thanked us for the hope we would bring to Terre Blanche and the people of Haiti. Yet, when I was there, I learned about family members walking miles barefoot in 90 degree weather to bring love ones to the clinic, proud parents who try hard to feed their children and can’t, a woman around 80 years of age who walks 9 miles a day to conduct her business (and succeeds), and Haitian leaders who give everything of themselves (even facing dangerous situations) in the hopes that they can make a difference in the lives of their people.

If anything, I came away with hope from the people of Haiti, that even in the poorest country, life on a very rich scale takes place, where miracles abound, and a strong sense of God’s presence rests among the people. I guess a part of me is envious because their faith and trust in God seemed so real, being that their needs are great, whereas often times my prayers and requests to God of what I need seem so trifle.

Pastor Delamy thanked us at the end of our trip for loving his people, who he loves and thinks of as his children, and it reminded me how God as father loves us as children. Can I learn to trust and believe that God will provide for all my needs and quiet my worries and remember the hope and faith that the beautiful people of Terre Blanche have in Him?

HPeople7

HPeople21

HPeople12

HPeople8

HPeople9

HPeople26

Related posts:
The Land of Haiti
Haiti Recap Video
Learn more about Haiti Foundation of Hope

Other Travels

Pics!!! (Haiti)

simplyintentional

Bonjou,

It’s about lunch time here in Terre Blanche. While some of the team helped to run the clinic, a few of us had a great opportunity to visit with the neighboring communities (I would put their names on here but I can’t spell them). Just wanted to share with you a few pics from our trip so far. Can’t write much as the internet connection has been spotty (we are blessed to have internet connection at all). Thanks again for your prayers. You can see God working through the people and in this place. It’s nothing but amazing. Till next time,

J&M

Beautiful Terre Blanche
Beautiful Terre Blanche
Some of the children of Terre Blanche
Some of the children of Terre Blanche
Cooking rice for the feeding program
Cooking rice for the feeding program
Some of the children of the feeding program
Some of the children of the feeding program
Pastor Delamy leading the congregation in worship
Pastor Delamy leading the congregation in worship
Other Travels

Day 2 – Simple Joy

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Bonswa,

Around 4:45am we (the guys, the girls couldn’t wake up till 7) awoke to a beautiful glowing orange light that shone through the sky and into the bedrooms. After coffee and a group stretch on the roof and a quick instant oatmeal breakfast, we joined the people of Terre Blanche to worship God at Church. Inside the tiny hall, we were welcomed (sat in the front) and looked out at the beautiful smiling faces listening to Pastor Delamy lead the service. Michelle and Justin sang a couple of worship songs and our team leader Linda, gave a wonderful sermon about thinking on what is good, holy, and pure and as an example, asked them to consider the story of William Willburforce (Wikipedia it if you don’t know who he is, or watch “Amazing Grace” the movie, one of our favs).  Linda also encouraged me to share something about my experience so far with the congregation (she introduced me saying that I was the one on the group that liked to talk)

After lunch we toured the surrounding area which included a visit to a neighbor’s newly built home, watching kids play in the river, a mango grove, and greetings from smiling children and residents (pictures to come later, sorry). All in all, life here is simple, but joyful and we have felt extremely welcomed. One thing of special note is how extraordinary the care is for our team. Every detail is thought of from making sure that we have TP at a rest stop, to cleaning every dish and place with extreme care. They always watch out for our safety and go out of their way to make sure that we are comfortable and cared for.

Tonight Justin performs for the people of Terre Blanche at an outdoor concert and tomorrow we will observe the medical clinic in action with Papa Joe and Dr. Janan.

More to come…. Nou dwe ale (we have to go),

J & M

Other Travels

Beautiful Haiti

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Bonswa! (greetings in Haitian)

After a 25 hour trip (three planes & and six hour memorable drive) we finally made it to Terre Blanche, Haiti, where God greeted us through the people here with songs and love. So beautiful. I wish we could describe to you what we have experienced so far but this won’t do it justice (you’ll have to wait for further posts). We have limited time to blog but just wanted you all to know that we are safe and loving everything we are experiencing. Thanks for all your love and support and we’ll keep you updated throughout the week.

Na we anko,

J & M

Other Travels

Haiti – Here we go….

simplyintentional
Haiti
Haiti

In less than 24 hrs. Michelle and I will be heading out to Haiti (Terre Blanche to be exact, east and close to the city of Gonaives, north of the capital or Port Au Prince) and the one question that seems to be on my mind is “why?”. With all the busyness that has been happening in our lives, I haven’t really had a chance to really reflect on why it is that we are going to Haiti, nor do I feel I have a good or true sense of what the answer is. All I know is that I have a strong feeling that being there, I will find my answer.

I have mixed emotions about the trip. I’m excited (never been traveling to such a destination before), i’m nervous (never traveled to such a place before), and even a bit anxious for fear of my own safety and security (as I know what I am about too experience is nothing I can even imagine). To be honest, i’ve never really thought of myself as one who could ever see themselves travel outside the country to serve or seek this type of life experience. I’ve always used the excuse that I wasn’t really interested, but in fact, I was just scared. I love to travel, discover, and meet knew people. I also love my own comfort and safety and I think a part of me knows that going to a country with so much need would rock my world, shake my foundations, and change my outlook on life. I won’t be able to ignore what I know exists. It’s like seeing people holding cardboard signs on the side of the road. I want to do something but don’t know what and instead of doing anything, I distract myself with something that I think is important and do nothing.  Maybe that’s “why” I am going to Haiti, to find a way to do something in this world for others and not worry about myself….

J

—

We travel from Portland to Los Angeles, Los Angeles to Florida, and Florida to Haiti

Please keep the team and people of Terre Blanche (the area that we will be serving) in your thoughts and prayers.

Michelle and I will be updating this blog if we can, as well as my twitter account: jeddster

You can also track what our team is up at the Haiti Foundation of Hope’s news section found here. (The main page link can be found to the right)

To learn more about the Haiti Foundation of Hope and the amazing things they do, you can either read or watch their video

* Jedd Thoughts

Physical Strength Goal (seriously, but not too serious)

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As some of you know, Michelle and I try to set physical health goals. We’ve recently been running and using P90X (yes the infomercial, it’s not a drug or supplement) and it’s been going well. But just so you know (and maybe for some accountability), the video below shows you some of the things we’d like to be able to do physically at some point…..some day….enjoy

* Life Updates

No day better than today!

simplyintentional

Hey Family and Friends,

So the North Portland (NoPo) Changs, aka. Jedd and Michelle,_DSC8639have been meaning to start a blog/website/newsletter about our lives a long time ago. Of course this project took a backseat with everything happening in our first year of marriage. However, as the title says, there is no day better than today to start- anything- and so with this, we are going to try our best to fill you in on the latest.

To condense this past year and tell you what’s coming up, here’s a bullet point list of things:

This past year:

  • Michelle started a position at the Moreau Center for Service and Leadership at University of Portland
  • Jedd finished his second and final year as Hall Director at U.P.
  • Had a fun fall with new Portlanders Josh and Lins (Sellwood Changs)
  • Joined an amazing life group (not small group) of married couples from our church, Mosaic, and have enjoyed sharing life with new friends
  • Traveled to Arizona to visit brother Tyler and celebrate the New Year!
  • Traveled to McCall Idaho to hang out with the PLU crew
  • Traveled to Hawaii for spring break to visit family and participate in the H.I.M. conference
  • Ran an entire Half-Marathon together and not only survived but obliterated our goals (still recovering)
  • Saw Lon and Joel (Michelle’s and Jedd’s younger brothers) graduate from their respective colleges (we are just thankful they did 🙂 )

Upcoming?:

This past week?:

  • We said goodbye to Mom and Dad Chang and Joel who were visiting for a couple of weeks (we think we wore them out)
  • Went camping at Oxbow Regional Park to celebrate our anniversary
  • Moved out of our campus apartment! (almost…)

To sum up life right now:

Life seems a bit chaotic and discombobulated (I didn’t need spell check for this word). There are a lot of questions for us right now. Will Jedd be able to get a job soon? Where will we live? What does God want us to do with our lives? How does the Haiti trip impact our lives currently and in the future? Should we get a dog at some point? How can we balance our time?

Yet with all these questions we feel extremely blessed for this past year and for whatever lies ahead. There are many joyful things to celebrate in our lives and the lives of others: marriage has been a fun and exciting adventure (we both are realizing how much growth there is as individuals and as a couple), Michelle enjoys what she does at work, Jedd is getting a chance to look at new possibilities for a career,  a new cousin born this year in Seattle and more little ones to come in the lives of our friends and extended family, weddings in both our families. We know that God has and will always provide for us and our family and we both feel a strong call to figure out how He wants us to share our lives with others. We remain hopeful and faithful in whatever is to come, although honestly, it can be difficult at times. But it’s a lot easier with the love and support you have given us. Thank you.

Till next time, Love and Peace,

J& M

Chang Family Omaha - PDX