WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN THE LORD COMPLETELY INTERRUPTS YOUR LIFE?
“I LEARNED A LOT AND GAINED A LOT OF EXPERIENCE. I HAD A LOT OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR GROWTH AND COULD HAVE BEEN MAKING DECENT, STABLE MONEY, BUT I DIDN’T FEEL AT PEACE.”
Jordan Bermudez had all sorts of plans for his life. Starting a family lawn care service at just twelve-years-old was just the beginning, and his love of business took off from there. “I’ve always been a big vision, big picture kinda guy. I’m always thinking 5 to 10 years down the road and planning the steps to get where I need to be to make it happen.” After the lawn service job, he began learning the ways of business by buying and selling cars. This past spring, he graduated from the University of North Florida with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration with a focus in management.
While he was still in school, Jordan began working at his dad’s used semi truck dealership. “I learned a lot and gained a lot of experience. I had a lot of opportunities for growth and could have been making decent, stable money, but I didn’t feel at peace.” Unsure of what to do next, he decided to spend the summer exploring his options and seeking wisdom from men that he looked up to and respected as husbands, fathers, businessmen, or ministry workers. One of those men was Matt Losee, the former Assistant Dean of Men at the Word of Life Bible Institute in New York. “We grew up together in the same cul de sac, literally four doors down from each other. He actually taught me the correct way to throw a football. We would play together all the time in our neighborhood. I hadn’t talked to him in 2 years, since his wedding day.”Jordan called him up out of the blue and asked to come visit and catch up, hoping to shadow Matt and see what life in full-time ministry was like. At the time, Matt was working as
the Counseling Coordinator at the Word of Life Island Youth Camp.
Change of plans
“[I showed up at The Island and] was able to meet all the leadership and hang out with the Unit Leaders, who were all handpicked Bible Institute students that were really seeking out God and diving into His Word and just loving people.” Because of the way these students talked about God, Jordan questioned whether or not they were just “extra religious or trying to impress me.”
As he got to know them throughout the week, he began to see that it was not a facade; they were not trying to impress anyone. “This is innately who they are. They just love God and love people and it overflows into everything they do, everything they talk about and think about. It really struck me.” Passion like that is contagious, and Jordan knew he had some decisions to make.
“THEY JUST LOVE GOD AND LOVE PEOPLE AND IT OVERFLOWS INTO EVERYTHING THEY DO, EVERYTHING THEY TALK ABOUT AND THINK ABOUT. IT REALLY STRUCK ME.”
“Before that trip to Word of Life, I had some things going on in my family that shook my foundation. I always told people to rely on God, don’t hold onto anything temporary. I thought I [understood that] until my foundation started to shake. I realized how much I leaned on the temporary when I needed to lean on the eternal. It was like God said, ‘Look Jordan, I love your drive and motivation, but let’s see if you can actually trust me for once and take it one step at a time without knowing what the next five steps are. And it’s stinkin scary.” A few weeks (and a lot of prayer) later, Jordan took a huge step of faith and applied to the Bible Institute.
Taking a step of faith
“Basically, I knew [God] wanted me to draw closer to Him. And I couldn’t think of a better way than by coming to a place with no distractions, where [the main] focus is studying Scripture, surrounded by people heading in the same direction.”
Once he was accepted, he began working through the details of
moving from Florida to New York to spend a year at the Bible Institute. Two specific needs became clear: tuition money & a car. The drive from Jordan’s hometown of Jacksonville to his new “home” at the Bible Institute was approximately a 20-hour drive, and time to purchase a car was running short. One Saturday, just two days before he had to leave for New York, a family friend called Jordan to tell him that they wanted to bless him with the gift of a car. A few weeks later, his first tuition payment was due. Though he had been working hard to raise money and had received some scholarships, he brought the payment before the Lord in prayer. “God just kept making it clear, ‘Trust me, I’m leading you here, I’ll provide.” That day, he received a text message from someone who wanted to give him $2000 to put towards his school bill.“I knew the Lord was saying. ‘Jordan I’m here. Trust me. I will provide in my timing’. All I have to know is that He’s in control- apart from Him I can do nothing, but with Him, I can do all things.”
“GOD JUST KEPT MAKING IT CLEAR, ‘TRUST ME, I’M LEADING YOU HERE, I’LL PROVIDE.”
Now, two months into his first year at the Bible Institute, Jordan is still relying on the Lord as he sits through classes and learns what serving the Lord really looks like. “Serving just becomes a part of who you are. I am forming habits now that will transfer over into the rest of my life.”
As he continues to learn and grow, Jordan is living in the blessings of walking in obedience. Though the Lord has
drastically changed his plans, he knows that taking this step of faith has led him exactly where he needs to be. “Even though I had a good foundation, what I’m learning now will set that foundation and will be an incredible springboard into any area of life I go into, whether that’s ministry or a career. God calls us to be disciples above all, and to make disciples, and this year is a huge training ground for that and for the future.”
