Change Off

Normally, right now, you would be reading a letter from Jason McFarland. However, today, like most days in Amsterdam, neither the normal nor the typical will occur, but that’s pretty standard. What is not standard (happily for us all) is for Jason McFarland to refer to himself in the third person. Much can change in the course of eleven months, but that is not one of them. One change is that I get to write an update for Jason while he writes one for me. We decided to see if and how it would work out for everyone.

Hi, I’m Neal McDonald. You might know me from cameo appearances in other “Nother Update/Prayer Requests” such as “Easter in Amsterdam,: Blue Shirt, Blue Chair.” “High Point/Low Point: Café v. Coffee Shop,” “Bearded Guy with hat next to a Canadian (photo only),” “Photo Archives 3, 4 and 5,” and, more recently, “Christmas at the Shelter: Cooking with Gas.” What follows does not attempt to glorify or boast about what God is doing in another person’s life. What follows are a few brief observations. I am not trying to paint a picture of Jason that is a field of roses as seen through similarly colored glasses that are half full. I have lived with Jason long enough to know he is definitely not perfect - yet.

Change of Pace

Throughout the course of a Shelter year, one witnesses a great amount of change – both big and small. Seasons change. Staff members change. Roommates change (in every sense of the word). Sheets change. Cleaners change. Guests change. Everything changes. Within this world of controlled flux, a person gains a greater appreciation for consistency.

European Change is like American Dollars

What can I tell you about Jason that he himself has not or does not tell you? As many of you know from reading these updates, there is a lot about himself that Jason shares with those around him. You have had the benefit of being able to see the world through Jason’s eyes and experiences. He shares with each of you his life, his thoughts, his observations, and his portion of the picture that God allows him to see. Who Jason McFarland is in his updates is who he is in life.

In one update letter, he said that he enjoys sharing with you his excitement about what God is doing in him and other people in the world and that he hopes that you want to walk alongside him in his journey. Jason consistently strives to paint pictures for you of what God does in his life and in Europe. He gives you all glimpses into his life through his updates. He does not give you a static image of what God did in his life. Rather, he allows you to see several snapshots of his life over the course of a larger period of time that show how God has changed him and continues to change him. Sometimes the change may not be obvious, but enough change collected over a period of time adds up.

Change of Venue

As many of you well know by now, Jason’s time working with the Shelter in their ministry to backpackers and travelers ends soon. Currently, his long-term plans are not fully realized. He has not made plans and then asked the Lord to bless them. Instead, he continues seeking to know what the Lord has in store for him and go do it. Thank the Lord for His faithfulness in Jason's life and for His leading in Jason's life. May God continually bless you as you bless others.

Grace and peace,

Neal McDonald

"And we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord." - 2 Corinthians 3:18

P.S. If you would like to read the update that Jason wrote for me, click here.

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