Jodi

Upon my return to One Way in 2003 (I left in 2002 to work elsewhere for a brief time), I was introduced to Jodi. At the time, Jodi was a junior in high school. My initial thoughts were not nice. I was dreading having to work with a high school kid as many times, they had proved to be irresponsible & have poor work ethics. Such could not have been further from the truth than with Jodi. Quickly, I saw in Jodi, a passion for people that I had rarely seen in anyone. This young lady had a heart for the lost & genuine desire to see others come to know Christ. While many (myself included) did not look forward to working in the Bible department, Jodi would immediately rush over to assist those looking in the area. As stock would come in & Bibles would be placed on the shelves, Jodi was picking them out for purchase herself. I wondered why she was continually buying Bibles. Though some were for her personal library, many were simply for her to give away to individuals she would meet along the way. After my mission trip to Taiwan in 2005 & Jodi's trip to Africa, we met for lunch at a local mall. We ate & then went in the mall's Flag Shop to look around. We could tell that the man working the counter was of Middle Eastern descent. Jodi struck up a conversation with him & wasted no time in telling him about Jesus. She carried around a number of different gospel tracts & happened to have one that related to Islam (which, he said he was Muslim) & left that for him. We left & I was just in awe of Jodi. For her, sharing with that man was a piece of cake. Unfortunately, I am ashamed to say, I would have been a nervous wreck & would probably have never opened my mouth. When a Middle Eastern grocery store opened next door to our work, Jodi was over there in a hurry & began to build a rapport with the staff. Still today, Jodi visits them & shares with them. After having spent time in Morocco last summer & then just graduating from college & studying abroad in Jerusalem, she has been accepted for Pioneers, a missions organization reaching the unreached. Jodi will spend the summer working as a missions intern at her church here in St. Louis & within the next year, will move to the Middle East to minister. I ask you to pray for this dear friend of mine that we could all learn so much from. Though younger than myself, I have the utmost admiration & respect for Jodi. Jodi is a true example of what Christ has called all of us to-loving as He loves & sharing His love with a lost world. I am pleased to call Jodi my sister & friend.