Friday, March 6, 2009

Greetings from Yamaica Mon!!!

Hello! I am posting from beautiful Montego Bay, looking out the window into the sunshine and the crystal blue ocean! I could stay here forever!!!!!

Keenan and I have now been here for 3 days getting all of the final loose ends tied up. Things are coming together and I think we are all set! Which is a good thing b/c the students arrive today! Their flight arrives at 2:15 and the week officially begins. And here's the really good news: my wife is on that plane!!!!!!!

We'll have a day to relax before the work begins, since we came down a day earlier this year (we usually come down on Saturday but the flights were about $200 cheaper if we came down on Friday...an extra day in Jamaica for less money??.....We'll take it!!). On Sunday we'll head to a Jamaican church and get a true taste of Jamaican culture. If you've never been to a Jamaican church before, it is quite an experience. Most Jamaican services last almost 3 hours!!! And you thought your service was long! There is lots of worship and singing and dancing, and the preachers get nice and riled up!! No 20 minute sermons here! If they last less than an hour it is a shock.

We have 3 elementary schools we'll be working with Monday-Wednesday in the morning time. We'll get to sing songs, tell Bible stories, and make crafts with the kids. Being with the Jamaican kids is always one of the best experiences of this trip. In the afternoons we'll be working on the work projects. One of the projects is something new this base is starting called Homes of Hope. We will be building a house for a single mom that has 5 kids and currently lives in a rundown, one bedroom house. She is a sweet lady and we look forward to working with her. We'll also be working on a church in Norwood, as well as some work here on the YWAM base.

Thursday we'll be visiting some infirmaries and orphanages, ministering to some of the people there. Often times, simply having a conversation with them and showing them you care has a huge impact on their life. The love of Jesus Christ is a powerful thing! We'll also be meeting in a spot that overlooks the island and spent a few hours praying for the island. There is so much darkness here, so much evil, and we just want to pray that the Lord will shed his light on this island!!!

Please continue praying for our group. This is an amazing experience for our freshmen as well as an amazing opportunity to share the love of Christ with the people of Jamaica. God is so good and it is an honor to serve Him in this way! God bless!

No comments: