{"id":205,"date":"2018-10-03T16:50:28","date_gmt":"2018-10-03T20:50:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/?p=205"},"modified":"2020-08-08T17:16:05","modified_gmt":"2020-08-08T21:16:05","slug":"el-lovo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/el-lovo\/","title":{"rendered":"el lovo: a support letter"},"content":{"rendered":"

To my family, friends, coworkers & acquaintances\u2014\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As I’ve been walking along my personal journey as a human being, I’ve learned that the Christian life is not easy; it’s not black and white; it’s not always defined.<\/p>\n

Being in my twenties, I’ve abandoned all previous misconceptions that in order to have an intentional, purposeful life, all I simply needed to do was pray ceaselessly, daily devote myself to scripture, go to service every Sunday and do good deeds.<\/p>\n

But life is still difficult. Going through the motions isn’t enough. Being optimistic and calling upon a being I can’t see isn’t always my number one go-to.<\/p>\n

Yes, you read that correctly.<\/p>\n

On the contrary, in order to live a fulfilling, Christian life, I’ve \u00a0learned to\u00a0experience God in absolutely everything, the good and the bad; the obvious and the subtle.\u00a0Rainy sunshine, spilled milk, a\u00a0punctual Metro train,\u00a0The Twilight Zone, a<\/em>\u00a0flat tire.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

As of recently, I experienced God in a bag of coffee beans: Nicaraguan El Lovo:\u00a0Caturra varietal, washed process, notes of chocolate and maple syrup, smooth body, lingering finish.<\/p>\n

This seasonal gem entered my life not long after praying for a sign regarding whether or not to return to Nicaragua<\/a> this January: the poorest country in Central America, one of violent political unrest, unclean drinking water, starved children, a\u00a0depleting economy.<\/p>\n

When I ask and seek God in this wild rhythm of life, I’ll certainly receive and find the sweet melody. I need only be still and listen.<\/p>\n

I think this concept goes hand in hand with humility.<\/p>\n

The scary part of that is admitting that I’m not self sufficient; I’m not in total control. Just when I catch my footing, an invisible rug can be pulled out from under my soles.<\/p>\n

Another uncomfortable part of humility is minimizing my significance in this world, and shifting my focus on humanity’s greater good; realizing that my menial inconveniences are microcosms of the real problems of the world.<\/p>\n

With that, I want to invite you along on my journey, in any way you see fit.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Words of encouragement, prayer and even performing some random good of your own are all appreciated: pay for a stranger\u2019s latte, help the elderly carry groceries to their car, wash dishes without being asked.<\/p>\n

Additionally, if you feel so called to support me financially, you can do so by following this link<\/a> and choosing my name from the list of team members.<\/p>\n

In exchange I promise to take plenty of photos and write another piece upon my return to the States, to provide you with a glimpse into the lives we\u2019ve<\/em> impacted.<\/p>\n

Together.<\/p>\n

Much love,<\/p>\n

jordan<\/p>\n

Feature photo taken by Me.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

To my family, friends, coworkers & acquaintances\u2014\u00a0 As I’ve been walking along my personal journey as a human being, I’ve learned that the Christian life is not easy; it’s not black and white; it’s not always defined. Being in my twenties, I’ve abandoned all previous misconceptions that in order to have an intentional, purposeful life, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":826,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[50],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=205"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":827,"href":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/205\/revisions\/827"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.jordanstovka.com\/steepedinsound\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}