Today we enjoyed ourselves on the beautiful island of Jamaica. After a full week of work, several of our Jamaican brothers took us to the parish of Portland. Portland is on the Eastern/North Eastern coast of Jamaica. We left this morning around 9:00am and headed straight to Port Antonio. We shopped at the market for a few hours before turning back and going to Boston for Jerk Chicken. Next, we arrived at Long Bay Beach. Our intention was to take a momentary stop for pictures and then continue to Reich Falls; however, it was obvious that everyone wanted to simply stay and relax on the beach, and so that's what we did. We had a great day, and we ended the evening with a night of games and fellowship. The Big Boy and Girl winners for the day were Jeff and Halie.
It is hard to believe that the week has come to an end. In a month's time we hope everyone is still thinking about this week in Jamaica, and maybe even planning to return next spring break. For those of you reading, thank you for your prayers this week, and please continue to pray for our safe return home tomorrow.
It is difficult to believe, but we have already finished our last work day in Jamaica. The work week was filled with tremendous projects -- and some of the projects we didn't even have on the agenda until we arrived here! Today we were all over the Morant Bay and SoHo areas. The Soho roof crew continued their work all day today and all but finished it. There is only a small amount of work to be done by Brother Thompson next week. Matt's crew went back to Sister Pearl's house to complete the porch and floor renovation. They finished the work just before dinner time tonight. Brother Michael took another group to deliver food in the Soho area, and the rest of the group members went to a local private school, named Providence. One of the church members, Tamara, is a teacher there. What started out as a small art project in Tamara's classroom turned into a school-wide painting day. With Patti's artistic help, we painted rainbows, ackee, flags, aquarium scenes, office signs, gardens, and the list goes on. Hopefully all the teachers and students are happy with what we created. After dinner tonight, Brother Michael took a small group of team members to a Bible class at the Soho church. It was very encouraging to see so many women and children there tonight. We ended the evening with a terrific devotional. Gregory led singing with Jamaican songs, and everyone had a chance to share their favorite memories of the day. Congratulations to the Big Boy and Big Girl winners tonight: Caroline M. and Chris!
Tomorrow we will relax and spend some time in Port Antonio and Reach Falls. Please keep us in your prayers as we travel tomorrow and prepare to come back to the United States.
Happy St.Patrick's Day from Jamaica! (Although none of the Jamaicans seemed to understand this day of green and pinching!) Today was a day of many accomplishments. We finished painting the church today. This huge job included the inside, outside, 2 classrooms, all the doors and iron gates, and even the church lettering. It was quite the feat! The group at SoHo continued to work on the roof and are coming very close to finishing. Today we also sent a group to work on Sister Pearl's home. The plan was to redo the floor, but what the group found was a lot more work than expected. They spent the day removing the old floor, the support beams, and even bits of concrete! The group will return tomorrow to continue their hard work. The group had a late, but amazing, lunch in Yallahs! Everyone enjoyed their Jerk Chicken and Festival bread. A few people were even brave enough to try a Juice Patti. After returning from lunch the group spent time relaxing, playing with some of the local children and having a soccer game on a sand field that overlooked the sea. Tonight we enjoyed a wonderful church service lead by Daniel's singing and Steve giving the lesson. The night was made perfect by our dear Jamaican friends teaching us Jamaican games that everyone enjoyed! We ended the night with a short devo and a tired group of hard workers. Congratulations to Big Boy Farron and Big Girl Patti!!
Our second full work day in Jamaica has come to a close. We are all taking showers and drinking another water or Gatorade, eagerly looking forward to bedtime. Today was filled with hard work. The church group continued the work by finishing the exterior paint and painting the entire interior of the church building. We also finished painting the murals in the children's classrooms. Everything looks fresh, bright, and inviting. The Soho group continued working on the roof project, and will probably finish by tomorrow or Thursday. Finally, Brother Michael took seven group members around the Morant Bay area and delivered much needed food to various church members. According to the members who went, the experience was awesome. The plan is to deliver more food tomorrow. We had an early dinner and played a few games afterward. We tried to call it an early evening (since everyone is filthy and tired), so we wrapped up the evening with a devotional. Congratulations to the Big Boy and Big Girl winners of the evening: Matt, Hope, and Amanda!
Today started with a great breakfast of fresh fruit, eggs, bacon, dumplings, and several more delicious treats. Once the breakfast was finished, we loaded up on sunscreen and began our first full work day. Eleven of our group members plus Brother Thompson and Marlon went up to Soho to begin removing the roof of a home. They spent the entire day taking turns working; the group members who were "taking a breeze" spent time with the local Jamaicans and played with the children. The majority of the group stayed at the church building today. We painted the outside of the church building, cleaned and painted the two children's classrooms, and started painting a mural in one of the classrooms. Thanks to group member Patti Ross, she and several other team members have created an awesome wall mural that the children will surely love. The work ended for the day around 5:00pm. After a quick clean-up, the group came together for dinner and relaxation time. Of course, four square was the game of choice this evening. During our devo, the Big Boy award was given to Marlon, and the Big Girl award to Erica. Tomorrow will be a lot of the same: continue the work in Soho and continue painting the interior of the church.
Our first full day in Jamaica was a busy, yet relaxing one. We started out the day with church. Half of the group went to SoHo to attend Bible class and service while the other remained in Morant Bay. Both services were very uplifting and the Jamaican singing was wonderful, as always. After service, lunch and some down time we traveled to the private beach to enjoy the sea. The day continued with Sunday night service with the two groups switching locations for worship. We enjoyed 4 Square, soccer and many other games before ending the night with a devo. Tomorrow will be our first work day in Jamaica. We are planning on having two groups for the work projects. One group will be going to Soho to remove and replace a zinc roof. The other group will remain at the church for a major paint job including the inside and outside of the building. We are all ready to begin and excited to serve.
We have arrived in Morant Bay, Jamaica! Our exhausted group of 30 has been on the go since 2 am, so it is time for bed. We arrived in Jamaica at 1:30 this afternoon. After renting the vans and meeting Brother Michael at the airport, Daniel and Adam finally got to prove themselves as Jamaican drivers. They both did an excellent job getting us here safely. The wonderful ladies of the church greeted us with a great dinner, and we spent the remainder of the evening relaxing, playing soccer, and enjoying dominoes. Tomorrow our group will be going to both the Soho and the Morant Bay church services. Several of our group members will have the opportunity to lead worship and children's classes.
It's all too familiar that the week has come and gone so very quickly. Our last day was spent enjoying the beautiful island. The Blue Lagoon was still closed from hurricane damage from a few years back so we went to Winifred beach instead. It was pretty cloudy but we still got to spend a few hours at the sea - a much deserved break.
Tonight's devo we all talked about our experiences and what we learned throughout the week. God truly blessed this trip with a deverse group of people with servant hearts. It's been an absoultely fabulous week with God at work throughout all of it. It's almost 1 am and we are meeting in 3 hours to pack up our luggage and head to the airport for a 7:15 flight back to Miami and then to Nashville. Please keep us in your prayers for safe travels. We are all extremely grateful that you kept up with us this week and we can't wait to share more!!
We wrapped up our last work day in Soho. We got started early and worked late trying to accomplish as much as possible. There were basically 3 projects that were going on - the church bathroom, painting a house across the street from the chuch and painting / sanding the church. I don't believe we mentioned the "sanding" project before now. We painted the first coat on the building and with the second coat, we threw sand from the beach on the walls (a very dirty process). This will help preserve the plywood from the weather. It still needs a final coat of paint before it's complete, but it's looking great. There is still some work left to do on the bathroom, but the Jamaicans will put the finishing touches on next week.
Here are a few thoughts from Amy....."Today was our last work day in Jamaica. It is a weird feeling to almost be finished with our week. The week has flown by. Today as we were wrapping everything up, rain blew in and everyone gathered in the church because of the rain. Seeing everyone, the men who had been endlessly working on the bathroom, the women braiding hair and even the tireless children gathered in the church gave me a feeling of accomplishment. Now all of the people we had been working with have a place of refuge when life gets tough.
As we were getting ready to leave, all of the team members began to pass out the last of their items to give the community of Soho. Shirts, shoes, watches, school supplies, 'sweeties' and everything else we had to give was being passed out. The people of Soho were overjoyed to have new gifts and were swarming all the 'whites'. Leaving, the vans were surrounded by Jamacian smiles. The work week has ended and despite not completly finishing the work we have made a difference in the lives of the people of Soho."
Tomorrow is our last day in Jamaica and we'll be taking a breeze and enjoying the island. We are driving over to the Blue Lagoon and to the market in Port Antonio. It's about a 2 hour drive so please keep us in your prayers for safe travels.
Each day this week we've been able to learn / try new things and strengthen our relationships with the wonderful people in the Soho community. We've been working in this area for the past three years. During our time in Soho we've held street meetings, door knocked and done humanitarian work. Each of these things have shown how much we care about these people, and ultimately the love that God has for them. With prayer and continued work, the seeds that have been planted will grow and develop a strong foundation of christians in the area.
Here are some thoughts from Adam.... "Today the team continued to build the outhouse and paint the church building in Soho. A few members crossed the street to paint the house of a neighbor. We also finished a set of stairs at the church building and began working on another- of course the Jamaicans helped and directed us in these projects.
It was cool to see more of the community come out to help or just watch today. The team members who "take a breeze" take part in hair braiding, dominoes, playing with children, and futbol. It's neat to just spend time with the people of Soho and get to know them."
Tomorrow will be our last day in Soho, so we'll be working very hard to complete as much as possible. It will be hard to say goodbye to our friends, but we'll see them again next year and hopefully at that time they'll be attending the Soho Church of Christ!
Our group of 21 rockstars are great at multi-tasking - we continued working on the foundation of the bathroom, got the first coat of paint up on the church, and strengthened our relationships with the neighboring Jamaicans. God has definitely been working this week through our group and each person has taken away something different. Here are some thoughts from Lee......"Hello. We are in Jamaica. It is hot. It rained yesterday but not today. The children here are so wonderful. I want to keep one. But just kidding about that. But they are wonderful also.
Today we continued to build a foundation for the 'throne-room' behind the new church building up in SOHO. We were also able to put down the first coat of paint on the exterior of the building. Finishing touches of a project are fun and fast. We are all looking forward to keeping up the good momentum through the rest of the week and hope to tackle many more tasks. We have also discussed in our team meetings how we all appreciate having the opportunity to build new relationships with our friends down here as we minister to them. People seem to be much more receptive to hear about Christ's saving power from someone they love and respect.
We're all so thankful for those of you out there that are reading this blog and keeping up with our efforts. We appreciate your continued support through your prayers and continue to spread the word about our work down here in Jamaica. Bless, Mon!"
After a good nights rest, we made our way up to the Soho building and started to mark off the area where the bathroom will be located. At this time we're not exactly sure the details of the building, but it's large enough to have multiple stalls. We had to dig out a trench 18 inches wide and 16 inches deep in order to pour the foundation. Everyone worked extremely hard either breaking up the ground and rock or shoveling out the mud. Our intention was to begin painting the building today but it rained quite a bit so we are holding off on that til tomorrow.
Not everyone was able to participate at the same time so we took shifts. When someone wasn't physically working they were talking to the people in the area. Many have mentioned that they can't wait for services to start because that's where they plan on worshipping.
We ended the evening with a group devo where everyone shared their thoughts on the day and how they saw God at work. Here's one comment from Hailey...."I am in awe of the people here in Jamaica, especially those of the church. They are living a life truely devoted to God serving every minute they can. Some don't have much but they still give everything they can and are so happy."
Today was a great start to the week - worshipping with our brothers and sisters here in Jamaica. We had bible class at 10:00 am, followed by an uplifting song service and then a "powerful" lesson on the word of God from Brother Medley, the preacher at the Mona congregation. He spoke about how the word is living, active and alive in our lives. We have to have physical power to live, but our focus should be on God's power which is essential and eternal.
After church we fellowshipped with the members and visitors. For all of the first year people on our team, it was a great way to meet everyone that we'll be spending time with this week. We also had some time between services to take a quick drive and become familiar with the area. Of course we had lots of delicious meals today as will be the case for the entire week. The ladies of the congregation will spend their entire day cooking for us and we're very thankful for their servant hearts.
Our plans for tomorrow are to start building a bathroom for the Soho church. Last year we built the sewage pit and this will complete the project. The main focus this week will be to finish the building so that they can start having services in that community. After 3 years of planning and building, it's really exicting to see this final stage in the process.
After a long day of traveling, we finally made it to Morant Bay. We were supossed to arrive in Kingston around 6:30 pm but we were delayed for a couple of hours waiting on a missing passenger whose luggage was already on board the plane and then an issue with the toilet. We landed around 8:45 and made it through customs quickly, rented our vans and then headed east (Morant Bay is about an hour drive from Kingston). We stopped in Yallahs to pick up jerk chicken for dinner - definitely a great way to start the week.
It's very late and we're trying to get settled so that we can get a little rest. Tomorrow will be an awesome day filled with worship with our brothers and sisters here. It's always a highlight of the week. Usually our days are packed and we're not able to blog until the evenings, but stayed tuned as we keep you updated on our week. We appreciate your prayers for safe travels and ask that you continue to pray for our efforts here!
We're hours away from our next effort in Jamaica. Please check back and stay tuned to monitor our efforts / progress.
Thank you!
We're back. We spent most of Saturday and part of Sunday morning making our way back to Nashville. Our flight was delayed in Miami so we got back later than expected, but we all made it back safely around 2:30 am. It's hard to leave the laid back environment of Jamaica and come back to our busy lives, but we hope to take everything we learned and incorporate it into each aspect of our lives. Thank you for checking in on us during our trip and for your prayers. We know that your prayers kept us safe and allowed the Lord to work through us to build and strengthen his kingdom.
It's hard to believe how quickly this week has passed. Today was bitter sweet because we were able to relax and enjoy the island, but it was hard knowing it was our last full day.
We started off the morning with breakfast at a restaurant in Morant Bay. This was the first time we have ever been to restaurant in all the years we have come so it was a great experience and wonderful food. Then we headed off for a few hours at the sea. We drove a little past Kingston to Hellshire Beach. No one had ever been there besides Dave, not even our Jamaican friends. It was a beautiful beach where a lot of the locals hang out. We all feasted on fresh snapper, lobster and shrimp that had been caught just minutes before. It was great to "take a breeze" and enjoy the cool water and warm sun. We headed back to the church and had our last meal prepared by the wonderful ladies of the church. They truly have sacrificied a lot of themselves to spend the whole week in the kitchen like they have. We finished the evening with some Jamaican games and then singing and a devo with our brothers and sisters. No one wanted to say goodbye, so we just said see you next year.
We have another long day ahead of us tomorrow. Please keep us in your prayers for safe travels!
Today was our last work day in the Soho community. We had two groups building small shops, one in Whitehall and one in Middleton. Both of these shops will benefit two families that are in finanical need. The shop in Middleton was begun yesterday, having most of the stucture complete allowed us to work on mixing cement this morning. The group in Whitehall spent the morning gathering materials and clearing out an area for the foundation. For lunch today we were able to take a trip into Yallahs. We had a feast of jerk chicken, jerk pork, festival fread and beef patties. It was a nice treat to experience this part of Jamaica's culture.
After lunch we returned to Soho. Both groups returned to their sites with some group members returning to the church. Once arriving at the church the group walked across the street to the local infirmary. There are around a hundred people that live there ranging from ages 23 to 100. Sadly most of these people will never leave the infirmary and rarely have any visitors. It is a place that leaves an impact and truly makes you thankful for what you have. Once the work day was over we all came back to the church where we enjoyed playing some games with our Jamaican friends. Overall we had a very productive and successful day today.
Our Jamaican brothers and sisters always want us to be able experience the beautiful sights of their country and take time to relax. Tomorrow we will be able to do just that. Please keep us in your prayers for a safe trip!
At the end of every day this week we have all been exhausted from the hard work and long days we've been putting it. However, it's all worth it and we're very thankful for the opportunities that we've had so far. This morning we went to a local school and cheered on the students in their Sport's Day which is basically the same as our Field Day back home. Each team had a cheer and was so proud of their team colors. We only saw a few races, but it was a great experience!
We then headed up to Soho to complete the pit project. After the stone had been laid, they closed the top of the pit with bamboo, tin sheets and steel rods. The final layer was conrete which we completed pouring this afternoon. We also moved the partitions into the school. Yesterday we painted them green so when we put them in the school it added a lot of color to the room. A second coat of paint was given to Ms. Hope's house and that project was also completed. We started a new project today; building a small shop for Ms. Michelle so that she could have a source of income for her family. Since this went up quickly, paint and all, we will probably be putting another one up tomorrow.
Tonight we had our last street meeting in Middleton, which is right next to Soho. We drove all of the Morant Bay church members up to attend and we ended up have a large group of visitors from the community. The same speaker from Sunday night brought a wonderful message and nine people responded for prayers. All of these individuals will be kept in contact with in hopes that they will set up a bible study and eventually become christians and members of the Soho congregation.
Tomorrow is our last work day. We're hoping to wrap up all of our projects and tackle any others that we can.
Today was our second full work day in Jamaica, and it was even busier than the first. After another great breakfast of pineapple and pancakes, we all headed back to the Soho community to continue the projects.
The first group continued working on the sewage pit for the soon-to-come Soho church. We finished the digging and then began laying the stones. There was also time to visit and play with the kids around the area. Everyone seems very excited about the church and we have already met quite a few people that have said they will be members when the church is built. The second group continued working at the Whitehall School and a nearby house. The house is 75% finished; we just need one more gallon of Morning Glory blue to complete the job. We finished building and painting the partition walls for the Whitehall School. Tomorrow we will move them into the school building.
In addition to the two main projects, there were a few other things we did today. We delivered nearly 200 school supply boxes to students at the Whitehall School and the Lyssons School. The supply boxes are filled with pencils, pens, markers, glue, erasers, chalk, etc. We also sent a small group to a lady's home to paint. It was a quick and easy job for us, but to Marie it meant so much. She was very appreciative.
Today was a very full day of work, so we took it easy after dinner. We played games -- dominoes and scrabble are current favorites -- and enjoyed "taking a breeze." We had a great night of singing and talking.
We've just come to the end of another wonderful day. We woke up early to get started on the many projects we are trying to accomplish this week. The first is working on a pit for the new church building site in the Soho. Over the past year, this area has shown a great interest in having a church in the community so the Morant Bay church has decided to plant a church. They have leased some land but before they can start building, they have to complete the pit where the septic tank will go - you can only imagine what kind of work environment this was. Two Jamaicans got in the pit which was about 12 feet deep and loaded the buckets and our team pulled the buckets up, emptied them out and then sent them back down again. This step is almost complete and then they will line the pit with stones and mortar.
Another group went door-knocking to invite people to our street meeting Wednesday night. There were so many people who remembered us from last year, some even by name. The impact that we are able to make is truly God at work.
The final two crews were working in the same area - one at a local school and the next at a neighboring house. The school is a primary school (1st through 6th grade) and needed partitions made since everyone is crammed into one large room. Brother Thompson, a member from Morant Bay, helped us get started on this project. So far, they've finished three partitions...only six more to go. Needless to say, while this was going on we got to play with tons of kids from the school. During every break there were given, they ran out to play. The group that is working on the house was able to remove the old boards from the house and put up the new plywood. After they finish fixing the window, they'll be able to give the house a new coat of paint.
We finished the evening with a devo, singing and talking about where we had seen the Lord at work today. He is definitely providing opportunities for us to share the good news!
There isn't a better way to start a week than worshipping with our brothers and sisters in Jamaica. The church building was packed and we even had to pull out extra chairs to fit everyone for worship. The singing was uplifting and Brother Alanzo, from the Mona congregation, preached a great lesson about the potter and clay. After services, we ate lunch with the church members and then played with the kids.
Tonight we had our first street meeting in Whitehall - this is an area in the country near Soho, where we'll mainly be working. We went up early to invite people to the meeting. Thanks to one of the store owners in the town square that was kind enough to let us use their electricity, we were able to set up speakers so that people in the community could hear us from their homes.
Tomorrow will be our first day of projects. Since we have such a large team, we'll be splitting up into four different groups to tackle a few work projects and door knocking. Please keep us in your prayers as we start our busy week.
We made it! After a long day of traveling, including caravaning to Atlanta, getting a few hours sleep (thanks to Greater Atlanta Christian School) and two flights, we made it to Morant Bay about 24 hours after our journey began. We are very thankful to have made it here without any problems, especially with the storms we avoided in Atlanta. It was truly answered prayers!
When we arrived, there were members of the congregation waiting to greet us. It always feels like you're coming home even if it's your first trip to Jamaica. The wonderful women of the church fed us our first meal and then we put together 200 school boxes full of supplies that we plan on handing out to the kids. We're calling it an early night to get some much needed rest. We're looking forward to an awesome week ahead and can't wait to see how God is going to work.
As you well know hurricane Dean slammed Jamaica on Sunday. We have been in contact with our friends there and they said it was pretty rough. It's just a fact of life for them there and they're used to it, but there was a lot of destruction. Most families lost their roofs and their entire possessions were ruined in the downpour. Healing Hands International is taking tax deductible donations to help those effected. Any amount you give will go towards helping someone put the pieces of their lives back together... click here to help.
Today was our "fun day" in Jamaica. The members of the Morant Bay Church always want us to be able to spend at least one day as tourists. This year, we decided to go somewhere new -- Ocho Rios. This area is filled with tourists and resorts, which is very different from where we have been all week. At 7:30 am, we piled into two vans, accompanied by several of our Jamaican friends, and headed to Ocho Rios. Once there, we hiked up Dunn's River Falls and relaxed on the beach for a few short minutes. Next, we ate lunch in town and spent a few hours shopping for souvenirs. On our way back home, we stopped in Yallahs one last time for some delicious jerk chicken!
We returned tonight around 8:00pm. After spending time cleaning and picking up tent chairs, we all gathered together for one more devotional. Everyone had a chance to talk about their favorite experiences from the week. Needless to say, this trip has made a tremendous impact on all our lives, and the memories we all made will not soon be forgotten.
Big Boy and Girl awards for the day went to Cara and Paul! Please pray for our group as we head out bright and early. Thanks for checking in on us this week!!
We ended our campaign in Soho on a great note. It was hard knowing that this was the last day we would be up in the community spending time with the people that have become our friends. We spent the afternoon in Bible studies, finishing painting the school, and inviting anyone that didn't know about the tent meeting to come out. We had plans of going to a track meet at one of the local schools to see Marlin, one of the boys that attends Morant Bay, race but it got rained out. We ended up driving into Yallahs for a late lunch and had the best jerk chicken on this side of the island.
We got back just in time to get ready for the tent meeting. It was a little muddy but we still had a great turnout. After it was over we said goodbye to all of our friends and told them we'd see them next year. Hopefully this time next year there will be a congregation established. Big Boy and Big Girl winners were Rob and Laura!!
We're heading out bright and early tomorrow morning for Ocho Rios. We normally go to Port Antonio but they've had really bad weather so we're going to the other side of the island. We'll be spending the day at Dunn's River Falls and the local market. Please prayer for our safe journey!!
We've had a long but great day!! We started off by going up to Soho and splitting up into our door-knocking and work crews. Today's project was painting a room in a primary school in Soho. While painting the room we were also able to play with all of the kids that attend the school. We plan on finishing the project tomorrow morning. The rest of the group walked around the neighborhood to talk with new individuals. Everyone in the community has become accustomed to having us around and enjoy our visits. Brother Goode came over from Spanish Town to work with us today. He also collected the wrapped gifts that we brought with us to take back to the children in his community.
This afternoon we walked across the street to the local infirmary. There are 104 people that live there ranging from ages 22 to 100. For the newcomers of our group this was a eye opening experience. Most of these people will never leave the infirmary and will rarely have any visitors. You could tell by the expressions on their faces that they were excited to see us.
We also had some time to relax by the sea before our tent meeting. Tonight Brother Webster was the guest speaker. He'll also be speaking tomorrow night to wrap up the campaign. Our other two speakers for the week were Brother Terry and Brother Kadu. All of these men, including Brother Michael have attended the Jamaica School of Preaching in Kingston. After the meeting we headed back to the church for our devo. We spent most of our time singing together and sharing our favorite moments of the day. It's so wonderful to hear how God has been working in everyone's lives.
Big Boy and Big Girl winners for the day were Matt and Sam!!
It's hard to believe, but our trip is already halfway over. It is sad to think that we will be back to our busy schedules and cool weather in less than a week. Today we had great weather while door-knocking and finishing the roof. There were several Bible studies held in various places in Soho this morning, and it seems that there are many people who are interested in knowing more about the Lord. One Bible study has been going on for the past two days, and it will continue tomorrow as well. The work crew finished the roof project early this afternoon. The owners, Miss Jean and her mother, Miss Sara, are so thrilled just to have a lock on their door!
Soho has been a wonderful community to work with this week. We have all had great conversations with people in the stores, homes, and streets. Everyone has welcomed us and God's message into their homes. Please keep this community in your prayers so that once the church is planted that everyone will continue to be receptive.
This afternoon we spent an hour at the sea. It was nice to be able to relax for a few minutes and enjoy the beauty that is surrounding us. It was a well needed break. We also forgot to mention that Soho is surrounded by the Blue Mountains. We have been amazed and awed by God's creation. After our meeting tonight we came back to the church for our devo. Congrats to Hannah and Dave for wining today's Big Boy and Big Girl award!
Today we had much better weather in Soho. Just a few sprinkles, but the ground around the tent is finally starting to dry. Today, we split into two groups: a work crew and a door-knocking crew. The work crew began and nearly finished a roof project in Soho. They took off the existing roof, which was in very bad condition, and put up a new one. They will finish this project in the morning. The door-knocking group continued the campaign in the Soho neighborhoods. There was at least one Bible study today, and hopefully more will be done throughout the week.
All of the members of the church have welcomed us with open arms. Some of the men door-knock with us, others help with the roof project, and the women are in the kitchen cooking for us all day. We've had every fresh fruit you could think of, from pineapple to plantains. We've also enjoyed delicious chicken, pork, and fish -- all made just for us!
Tonight at the tent meeting, four different people came forward to ask for prayers and Bible studies. We had a great turnout of people tonight, and we hope for more tomorrow. After returning to church we had a group devotional, where everyone got the chance to talk about how they had seen the Lord at work. We also gave out "Big Boy" and "Big Girl" awards for the day. George and Carrie won the awards for today.
This is the year of firsts.....it has rained all day today and normally we don't see any rain. If we do it's only for a few minutes, but this time it's nonstop. Fortunately we were still able to begin our door-knocking campaign. We walked around one of the neighborhoods in Soho and also looked at a house we'll be working on the roof. During our door knocking, we met Derek, who helped set up the tent the night before, and guided us to meet his neighbors. Everyone was very receptive and eager to come out to the meetings.
After door-knocking we came back to the church and had lunch. After resting we traveled back to Soho for the second night of the meeting. Because of the torrential downpour there wasn't as large of a turnout as the night before, but we still had a great speaker and night of worship. Today was Jessica's birthday so once we got back to the church we celebrated her birthday Jamaican style!!
Hopefully the rain will hold off tomorrow as we go back out into the Soho community. We will continue door-knocking tomorrow and begin fixing the roof for Miss Sara.
We're here!! We had an early start to the day with a 6:00 flight, but made it to Kingston by 10:45 - probably the earliest we've every landed. We got our bus very quickly (also not normal) and after an hour drive from Kingston to Morant Bay we were at the church saying hello to old friends and meeting new ones. After lunch we got settled and relaxed for a little while before our first night of the campaign.
We're going to be working this week in a community called Soho which is about 20 minutes from Morant Bay. We had our evening worship at the tent where we'll be having nightly meetings. More to come on that. Everyone is exhausted from a long day so we're hoping to get a good night's rest. Thanks for your prayers and checking in on us!
We're less than a month away from our 2007 spring break trip!!! Everyone is so excited to get there and work with the church in Jamaica. We still have some last minute things to take care of, but it will get done.....it always does. Thanks for checking in with us and keep praying for our team.
Over the past few months we've gathered up our team for this year's mission trip in March. We'll be going back to Morant Bay to do work projects in the community and help start a new congregation. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to prepare for this great work.
Words cannot adequately convey how awesome this past week has been. We hope to have photos and video online soon for you all to view. We appreciate your prayers throughout our trip and look forward, with great anticipation, to returning to Morant Bay soon.
We had a great day visiting Port Antonio today. We started off by going to Winifred beach for a couple of hours. Some of us snorkeled, others enjoyed the fresh water spring, while the rest soak up some rays. Then, we drove into town to go to the local market for souvenirs. On the way back we stopped off for some Boston jerk chicken and a group picture at Long Bay, one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. It’s hard to believe it’s the end of the week. It seems like we just got here and it’s already time to go home. It will be hard to say goodbye to our Jamaican brothers and sisters, but we’ll have next year to look forward too. Our group was able to come together and accomplish great things for God. Through all of the projects and tasks we were uplifted by all of the love that we were shown. There were so many lessons to be learned from this week, so please feel free to ask any of us and we’ll be happy to share. We’ll be getting off to an early start tomorrow. We will attend the morning church services and then head straight to the airport. We appreciate all of your prayers throughout the week and especially for our safe travels tomorrow. Congrats to tonight’s winners….Philip and Lindsay!
Today was our last official work day. We’re excited to say that all the projects we started are completed and finished! The fence group finished by mixing one last bag of cement and pouring it along the base of the fence. Their job was finished early, and so they spent part of the afternoon playing football (soccer) and cricket with some of the kids. The house group spent most of the day putting on the roof and fixing the door and window. The house looks great, and the roof went up much quicker than anyone expected. The family we built the house for is very excited and thankful for our help. Since the painting jobs were finished yesterday, the “painting” crew was assigned various jobs for today. They started off by visiting shut-ins from the church and were given a warm welcome by all and even got to try coconut jelly and mangos. Next, they went to the infirmary, a nursing home/hospital/mental ward to visit with everyone there. That was such an unbelievable experience since many of those people never have visitors. Then the groups got back together and went to the local hospital to see Brother Johnson, who we built a house for last year. He’s been in the hospital since last September recovering from a stroke. He recognized all of the builders from last year and was glad for our visit. Finally, we made our way to the sea for a very quick swim. Tonight we came together to play some traditional Jamaican games, such as Hanky Panky, Fruit Basket Turnover, and Mafia. We all had a blast! The church members stayed for our devotional and taught us some of their songs. Tomorrow we will be enjoying the tourist side of Jamaica and going to Port Antonio and a local beach. It should be a wonderful way to wrap up the week. Tonight’s awards went to Shae and Tammy!!
Today was a scorcher! The sun must have been taking it easy on us so far this week, but it definitely was in full force today. We were up bright and early and began working right after breakfast because we only had half a day to work. The fence group completed their project and it looks great due to the awesome teamwork. Blue, one of the Jamaicans, has been teaching everyone a thing or two about fencing and construction and has become part of the team. The house group is ready for the rafters and the roof and will have it knocked out tomorrow. The paint group was able to finish Brother Michael’s house in record time and it now has a fresh coast of gleaming white paint. After lunch we took a break from working and drove to Spanish Town, which is on the other side of Kingston. It was a long and hot drive, but really neat to see the other side of the island that we normally don’t get to see. We visited with Brother Goode from the Spanish Town Church of Christ before heading back to Morant Bay, just in time for dinner. The ladies at the church have slaved in the kitchen from morning to night to keep us fed well. Everyone has treated us just like family and it has been a wonderful week getting to hang out with our brothers and sisters in Jamaica. After our devotional we called it a night and are getting ready for another full day tomorrow. Please continue to keep us in your prayers for safety and that we’ll be able to finish all of our projects tomorrow. As always, tonight’s winners were Will and Kacy.
What another unbelievable day. All of our projects are being completed. After breakfast, our three groups split up once more for another day’s work. The fence group continued rolling out the fence, while the house group finished the frame and began nailing up plywood. The painting crew door-knocked half the morning, and then after lunch began a new paint job at Brother Michael’s house. We stopped working a little earlier today to enjoy a well-deserved break on the beach!! We relaxed on Lysson’s Beach for about an hour – the boys tried doing back flips in the ocean and most of the girls enjoyed the sun from the shore. After the beach trip, we cleaned up and prepared for Wednesday night service at the church. Brother Michael taught the Wednesday night lesson, while Lon and Lee helped lead singing. We had a few visitors join us for worship, and afterwards we all enjoyed cake, ice cream, and a few games of dominoes. Everyone seems to really be enjoying the week so far….meeting new people, trying new things, and working hard to serve. Tonight’s recipients of the awards…..Matt and Elizabeth. If you’re wondering what the “Big Boy” and “Big Girl” awards are, we have tried to nominate someone each day that has gone above and beyond to serve. Everyone on this trip truly deserves the honor, so it’s a fun way to end the day. Until to tomorrow!!
It was another successful day. We started off the morning with a great breakfast...delicious pineapple and watermelon. The ladies at the church work so hard to keep our stomachs full. After breakfast, we split up into 3 different groups -- fence crew, house crew, and a painting crew. The fence crew connected the posts that were set yesterday and we're hoping to have this finished by tomorrow. The house crew mixed cement in order to complete the foundation and then began framing. The paint group went to a school in Lysson's Beach that had pre-kindergarten to first grade students. We painted the outside of the school gray and the inside pink to match their uniforms. They were the most adorable children that we all had so much fun playing with. Tomorrow we plan on continuing to work on the house and fence and also invite locals to church for the Wednesday night service. Shout out to the "Big Boy" and "Big Girl" of the day, Brandon and Carrie. Congrats!!
What a perfect first full day in Jamaica. The weather was pleasant. Not too hot and a great breeze to keep us cool. After breakfast, we started to pick up the church and surrounding areas that were littered with trash from an event last weekend. Meanwhile, supplies were being gathered from the local hardware store for the fence that we're building behind the church property. We began this project by putting up the fence posts today and plan on finishing this project tomorrow. The site of a home that we are going to add on to in Yallahs, a small town outside of Morant Bay, was also visited. After a delicious dinner we wrapped up the evening with a devotional, all sharing about our most memorable moments of the day. Congrats to Adam and Tessa for winning the first "Big Boy" and "Big Girl" awards for the day!!
After a REALLY early start, we've finally arrived in Morant Bay. It's great to be back at our home away from home. Aside from some van rental holdups, we made it in around 7:30, just in time for dinner. We are all exhausted but very ready to begin our work tomorrow. Thanks for your prayers for our safe travels. We'll keep you updated!!
We'll be heading down to Jamaica in a few days! Stay tuned to read our daily activities as blogged from Jamaica!
To view the blog from last year's trip, simply click here.
Erik Tryggestad, at The Christian Chronicle, has recently published an article about short term missions. Mr Tryggestad contacted Dave Culbreath for information about his mission efforts in Jamaica and included some of that information in the article. Click here to check it out.