Today’s breakfast (did I mention how well we ate?) was omelets, potato wedges, fruit, cereal, and orange juice.
As I said, today is our “tourist” day. We started by going to a market. I found gifts there for my family, except for Krista. When I was in Haiti, I found a really cool Haitian looking nativity scene, and I was hoping to find something similar here in Jamaica, but no such luck. I’ll have to keep looking to see if I can find something worthy of her.
After the market, we went to the Bellefield sugar plantation for a tour. We got to sample sugar cane and coconut, and see all of the things they did and do with them. We toured the mansion and the grounds, and had a fruit and rum cake snack.
Then we went to experience Jamaican culture by eating lunch at Tastee Pattie, a fast food restaurant that is big there. It was a bit spicy, but quite good. After lunch, we went to Doctor’s Cave swimming area. It was fantastic—lots of sun and swimming. We met a couple from Argentina who were on a cruise ship, and had a nice talk with them out on a float in the middle of the swimming area.
I stopped at some shops on the way back to Fair Haven, but still didn’t find anything for Krista.
Supper tonight was barbecued chicken, rice, salad, fried bread sticks, and chocolate cake.
In tonight’s devotions, Jon and Ethan gave their testimonies, and Pastor Ken gave the lesson on forgiveness and Joseph’s example of doing it. Afterwards, I prayed with Chris.
We planned our presentation service at our church back home for January 31 evening service.
Before going to bed, we played a little Dutch Blitz and Spoons. It was nice to goof around and just have fun with these people, since we’ve been working so hard all of the rest of the time.
Home tomorrow!
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
I slept a little better last night, praise God! We had another fantastic breakfast, today of pancakes, bacon, fruit, orange juice, and cereal. Today we went to Bethel Primary and Junior High School, where we did our skits and Christi’s dance like we did yesterday at the other school.
We had some open time today, so we went back to Hopewell Baptist to do some more work on the bathroom. We finished the floor and have two toilets and a sink fully installed. All of the plumbing is in too for the urinal. They need to finish the septic pit and the sewer line to it (we started both of these). Pastor Desmond is planning a cement landing above the drain line outside of the new door.
After lunch, we went to another orphanage: this one was called SOS Children’s Home. We did our skits and dance there too.
Then we went back to Fair Haven for supper: fish, pork roast, potatoes, and cheesecake with strawberries. During devotions, we spent some time praising God for what He has been able to accomplish through us. Christi and Ken gave their testimonies. I did the study on Timothy and his diligence with the Word of God in his own studies and in his passing it on to others. After devotions, I prayed with Pastor Ken.
Tomorrow is our last full day here, so we’re being “tourists”. We discussed and decided on what we wanted to do. I got to call home again before going to bed.
We had some open time today, so we went back to Hopewell Baptist to do some more work on the bathroom. We finished the floor and have two toilets and a sink fully installed. All of the plumbing is in too for the urinal. They need to finish the septic pit and the sewer line to it (we started both of these). Pastor Desmond is planning a cement landing above the drain line outside of the new door.
After lunch, we went to another orphanage: this one was called SOS Children’s Home. We did our skits and dance there too.
Then we went back to Fair Haven for supper: fish, pork roast, potatoes, and cheesecake with strawberries. During devotions, we spent some time praising God for what He has been able to accomplish through us. Christi and Ken gave their testimonies. I did the study on Timothy and his diligence with the Word of God in his own studies and in his passing it on to others. After devotions, I prayed with Pastor Ken.
Tomorrow is our last full day here, so we’re being “tourists”. We discussed and decided on what we wanted to do. I got to call home again before going to bed.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Today we had to get up earlier than we usually have while we’ve been here, 5:30AM. We had a great breakfast again: eggs, bacon, fruit, cereal, and orange juice. Somehow I missed that we needed more dressy clothes to wear to the schools and orphanages. I thought we only needed slacks and collared shirts for church yesterday. So, I don’t have any clean ones. Several of the guys offered to loan me some, but we decided that since we’ll be doing the skit where I’m supposed to be a track athlete, it would be OK if I wear shorts and a T-shirt. Whew!
This morning we went to the Merlene Ottey High School, where we did their opening assembly. We did both the Sin Chair and Burdens skits, and Christi danced to “I Will Praise You in this Storm.” All of the students here wear uniforms to school. I think they look really nice! Too bad Americans are too independent to wear them.
On the way down the mountain from the high school, we saw Pastor Desmond on the side of the road, and he flagged us down. He asked us to come in where he had stopped at a pre-school. It wasn’t on our agenda, but we’ve come to expect God to bring things to us on mission trips that we hadn’t planned, but He had. The school didn’t have any power because they had not been able to pay their electric bills. But we had a great, however short, time with them. They did a song and dance for us, and we did the Sin Chair skit for them. Then Pastor Desmond had us sing with them for a while. It was great fun.
Then we climbed a different mountain to get to the Robin’s Nest Orphanage. The drive up (and down afterwards) was very interesting! The road was narrow and winding. Several times, Michael had to sound his horn as we approached a corner that we couldn’t see around so we’d be sure not to collide with someone coming the other way. Lois suffers from carsickness, and she had a bit of a rough time, but she didn’t complain. What a trooper!
We did some work for Robin’s Nest. Scott and I worked together again—we seem to do that a lot. Jon helped the two of us sweep their roof (they collect rain water, so they need a clean roof), and then Scott and I whitewashed some trees. Whitewashing trees is a Jamaican thing. Almost all of them do it, some just to palm trees, others to all of them. We asked several people why they do it, and most of them didn’t know. One woman at Robin’s Nest said it is for beautification. My theory was so that the trees are easier to see at night. Others worked on moving rocks for a spring, fixing scooters, and other projects. Tony did some drawings for others to paint later in one of the boys' dorms. I love watching him work!
Then we did our skits and Christi’s dance for the kids. We also had opportunity to hold some of the younger ones and play with the older ones.
Tonight’s supper was chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, and caramel brownies. We were hoping the chicken we were eating was the rooster that woke us up every morning, but he was still crowing the next morning, so no such luck.
In tonight’s devotions, Ed and Steve gave testimonies, and Pastor Ken taught us about the steadfastness of Daniel and his three friends in Daniel 1. I don’t think I mentioned yet that Pastor Ken gave us all booklets with choruses, personal devotionals, and place for devotion notes and journaling. The devotionals related to our trip and challenges we might face here, so I used them while we were there instead of my usual morning devotions.
After our evening group devotions, I prayed with Charles before heading to bed.
This morning we went to the Merlene Ottey High School, where we did their opening assembly. We did both the Sin Chair and Burdens skits, and Christi danced to “I Will Praise You in this Storm.” All of the students here wear uniforms to school. I think they look really nice! Too bad Americans are too independent to wear them.
On the way down the mountain from the high school, we saw Pastor Desmond on the side of the road, and he flagged us down. He asked us to come in where he had stopped at a pre-school. It wasn’t on our agenda, but we’ve come to expect God to bring things to us on mission trips that we hadn’t planned, but He had. The school didn’t have any power because they had not been able to pay their electric bills. But we had a great, however short, time with them. They did a song and dance for us, and we did the Sin Chair skit for them. Then Pastor Desmond had us sing with them for a while. It was great fun.
Then we climbed a different mountain to get to the Robin’s Nest Orphanage. The drive up (and down afterwards) was very interesting! The road was narrow and winding. Several times, Michael had to sound his horn as we approached a corner that we couldn’t see around so we’d be sure not to collide with someone coming the other way. Lois suffers from carsickness, and she had a bit of a rough time, but she didn’t complain. What a trooper!
We did some work for Robin’s Nest. Scott and I worked together again—we seem to do that a lot. Jon helped the two of us sweep their roof (they collect rain water, so they need a clean roof), and then Scott and I whitewashed some trees. Whitewashing trees is a Jamaican thing. Almost all of them do it, some just to palm trees, others to all of them. We asked several people why they do it, and most of them didn’t know. One woman at Robin’s Nest said it is for beautification. My theory was so that the trees are easier to see at night. Others worked on moving rocks for a spring, fixing scooters, and other projects. Tony did some drawings for others to paint later in one of the boys' dorms. I love watching him work!
Then we did our skits and Christi’s dance for the kids. We also had opportunity to hold some of the younger ones and play with the older ones.
Tonight’s supper was chicken, rice, sweet potatoes, and caramel brownies. We were hoping the chicken we were eating was the rooster that woke us up every morning, but he was still crowing the next morning, so no such luck.
In tonight’s devotions, Ed and Steve gave testimonies, and Pastor Ken taught us about the steadfastness of Daniel and his three friends in Daniel 1. I don’t think I mentioned yet that Pastor Ken gave us all booklets with choruses, personal devotionals, and place for devotion notes and journaling. The devotionals related to our trip and challenges we might face here, so I used them while we were there instead of my usual morning devotions.
After our evening group devotions, I prayed with Charles before heading to bed.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Today’s breakfast was egg lasagna, cereal, fresh fruit, and orange juice. Yummy!
After that, we got ready and Michael took us to Hopewell for church. Pastor Desmond taught Sunday School. His lesson was about caring for our spiritual bodies as much as we do our physical bodies: being careful about what we put in our minds through what we watch and listen to, and so on.
We mostly led the worship service. Pastor Desmond introduced us, then Steve led a couple of songs. Tony gave his testimony, and the men’s quintet sang “Heaven’s Joy Awaits.” Pastor Ken preached from 2 Corinthians 5:9,10. He reminded us that our deeds will be judged by God to see if they are eternally valuable.
We were told we had to be sure to be done by noon because there is a Pentecostal church right next door (less than 10 feet separate the two buildings), and their service starts at noon. Pastor Ken was done before noon, but then Pastor Desmond proceeded to lead about 30 minutes of singing. And this is not sedate American singing; this is energetic Jamaican singing! But the other church was singing at about the same time, so we weren’t disturbing them. I guess it was almost a competition!
After church, most of the team met people from the Robin’s Nest orphanage at a swimming beach called Doctor’s Cave, which is right near where we’re staying. They had fun helping the kids play.
Scott, Ed, George, and I stayed at the church to work more on the bathroom. Again, it was sort of quieter work because of the church having their service right next door. But we heard their whole service very clearly! Their preacher was definitely loud. He must have a really sore throat every Sunday night. We were able to get the sub-floor completely down and the tiles under where the first toilet will go. The sink is all ready too.
Then the four of us went back to Fair Haven, met up with the rest of the team, got cleaned up for the evening service, and had supper. We had beef with gravy on beans and rice, green salad, potato salad, and cake for dessert.
In the evening service, I led singing, Ed gave his testimony, our men’s quartet sang “Peace Like a River,” and Pastor Ken preached. His message was from 1 Peter 4:10, and he challenged us to use the gifts and abilities God has given us for His service. Again, Pastor Desmond led about 30 minutes of praise and worship after PK was done.
For our devotions tonight, George and Scott gave their testimonies, and Steve taught us about the importance of faithful fellowship, and the example the early church was of that. I prayed with Scott afterwards.
Before bed, we practiced the skits we will be doing tomorrow in the schools. I’m in a “Burdens” skit that talks about the sin burdens we bear, and how Jesus can take them away. I’m supposed to be a really macho dude that struggles with pride, bullying, and acting on anger. It’s fun to act that way, because that’s really not me. I’m more the skinny old man type. We’re also doing a skit called “Sin Chair.” I’m not in that one, but it is a wordless skit that parallels getting stuck on wet paint with getting stuck in sin, and how Jesus is the only way to be free.
After that, we got ready and Michael took us to Hopewell for church. Pastor Desmond taught Sunday School. His lesson was about caring for our spiritual bodies as much as we do our physical bodies: being careful about what we put in our minds through what we watch and listen to, and so on.
We mostly led the worship service. Pastor Desmond introduced us, then Steve led a couple of songs. Tony gave his testimony, and the men’s quintet sang “Heaven’s Joy Awaits.” Pastor Ken preached from 2 Corinthians 5:9,10. He reminded us that our deeds will be judged by God to see if they are eternally valuable.
We were told we had to be sure to be done by noon because there is a Pentecostal church right next door (less than 10 feet separate the two buildings), and their service starts at noon. Pastor Ken was done before noon, but then Pastor Desmond proceeded to lead about 30 minutes of singing. And this is not sedate American singing; this is energetic Jamaican singing! But the other church was singing at about the same time, so we weren’t disturbing them. I guess it was almost a competition!
After church, most of the team met people from the Robin’s Nest orphanage at a swimming beach called Doctor’s Cave, which is right near where we’re staying. They had fun helping the kids play.
Scott, Ed, George, and I stayed at the church to work more on the bathroom. Again, it was sort of quieter work because of the church having their service right next door. But we heard their whole service very clearly! Their preacher was definitely loud. He must have a really sore throat every Sunday night. We were able to get the sub-floor completely down and the tiles under where the first toilet will go. The sink is all ready too.
Then the four of us went back to Fair Haven, met up with the rest of the team, got cleaned up for the evening service, and had supper. We had beef with gravy on beans and rice, green salad, potato salad, and cake for dessert.
In the evening service, I led singing, Ed gave his testimony, our men’s quartet sang “Peace Like a River,” and Pastor Ken preached. His message was from 1 Peter 4:10, and he challenged us to use the gifts and abilities God has given us for His service. Again, Pastor Desmond led about 30 minutes of praise and worship after PK was done.
For our devotions tonight, George and Scott gave their testimonies, and Steve taught us about the importance of faithful fellowship, and the example the early church was of that. I prayed with Scott afterwards.
Before bed, we practiced the skits we will be doing tomorrow in the schools. I’m in a “Burdens” skit that talks about the sin burdens we bear, and how Jesus can take them away. I’m supposed to be a really macho dude that struggles with pride, bullying, and acting on anger. It’s fun to act that way, because that’s really not me. I’m more the skinny old man type. We’re also doing a skit called “Sin Chair.” I’m not in that one, but it is a wordless skit that parallels getting stuck on wet paint with getting stuck in sin, and how Jesus is the only way to be free.
Monday, February 15, 2010
Saturday, January 16, 2010
This will be our second and last day totally dedicated to working on the bathroom at Hopewell church (HIBC). We started the day with another fantastic meal at Fair Haven: I had French toast, sausage, fresh fruit (I love the fresh fruit everyday!), and orange juice.
Scott and I worked on the cutting again. We figured out I can hold my own cutting the PVC pipe with the hack saw, but he’s much better at getting a good, straight cut with the circular saw on the wood, so that’s how we’ve divided the cutting work. We help hold and double-check measurements for each other.
We were hoping to at least get one toilet and the sink installed, and the pipes and wall mountings in for the rest by the end of the day, and we pretty much did it. We’re trying to see if we can find more time to get them further along before we have to leave.
Tonight’s supper was pizza from Pizza Hut, so that felt like home.
After supper, we returned to HIBC. Our ladies had prepared a ladies meeting for the area women. It was very well attended by women not just from HIBC, but other area churches. Annette, Lois, and Christi all did some of the teaching, as well as Pastor Ken. While they taught, Tony painted a picture, and they used the painting process to teach how God works on and in us to develop us into the person He wants us to be. The picture turned out beautifully, and Pastor Desmond was very proud to display it in their church.
While they were teaching, some of us guys worked on the bathroom some more. We tried to do the quieter work—no loud sawing, for example. Right before they were due to start, we had one quick saw job to do… and we tripped the breaker. Suddenly, the whole church was dark while all these ladies were expecting to start a Bible study! We quickly got the power restored and were a bit more careful after that.
I got to call home again tonight. That’s been one of the hardest things on other missions trips I’ve been on—the long time with no communication with my family—so that made this trip a bit easier on me.
For tonight’s devotions, Lois and Annette gave their testimonies, and Jon taught us about Jesus perfect example of the importance of prayer to a believer. Steve and I prayed together after the devotions. Then the five of us that are singing the quintet, Steve, Ed, Scott, Pastor Ken, and I, practiced a bit for tomorrow morning before going to bed for another good night’s rest after a long day of working.
Scott and I worked on the cutting again. We figured out I can hold my own cutting the PVC pipe with the hack saw, but he’s much better at getting a good, straight cut with the circular saw on the wood, so that’s how we’ve divided the cutting work. We help hold and double-check measurements for each other.
We were hoping to at least get one toilet and the sink installed, and the pipes and wall mountings in for the rest by the end of the day, and we pretty much did it. We’re trying to see if we can find more time to get them further along before we have to leave.
Tonight’s supper was pizza from Pizza Hut, so that felt like home.
After supper, we returned to HIBC. Our ladies had prepared a ladies meeting for the area women. It was very well attended by women not just from HIBC, but other area churches. Annette, Lois, and Christi all did some of the teaching, as well as Pastor Ken. While they taught, Tony painted a picture, and they used the painting process to teach how God works on and in us to develop us into the person He wants us to be. The picture turned out beautifully, and Pastor Desmond was very proud to display it in their church.
While they were teaching, some of us guys worked on the bathroom some more. We tried to do the quieter work—no loud sawing, for example. Right before they were due to start, we had one quick saw job to do… and we tripped the breaker. Suddenly, the whole church was dark while all these ladies were expecting to start a Bible study! We quickly got the power restored and were a bit more careful after that.
I got to call home again tonight. That’s been one of the hardest things on other missions trips I’ve been on—the long time with no communication with my family—so that made this trip a bit easier on me.
For tonight’s devotions, Lois and Annette gave their testimonies, and Jon taught us about Jesus perfect example of the importance of prayer to a believer. Steve and I prayed together after the devotions. Then the five of us that are singing the quintet, Steve, Ed, Scott, Pastor Ken, and I, practiced a bit for tomorrow morning before going to bed for another good night’s rest after a long day of working.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Friday, January 15, 2010
This is our first full day here, and we plan to begin work on the new bathroom at Hopewell Independent Baptist Church (HIPB).
Our day started off with a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon, cereal, fresh fruit, and orange juice. There was always coffee available too, but I don't drink that. They took excellent care of us. I probably would have gained weight, if we hadn't been working so hard.
After we finished breakfast, we loaded ourselves and all our tools into the bus and Michael drove us to Hopewell. It was our first look at the church, for everyone except for PK, Steve, Chris, and Ethan, who had been here for the teen trip in 2008. Right now HIBC has no bathroom facilities—if they need them, they have to go next door to Pastor Desmond’s house. Pastor Desmond is a high-energy and passionate man of God. He and his wife, Simone, were in a serious car accident at the end of last May. He has mostly recovered, but Simone still is in a lot of pain most of the time. They have two children, a daughter, Brianna, who is about 8, and a son, Joshua, who is about 7.
The room we will be building the bathroom in is about 10 ft. square, with a cement floor and cinder block walls. Before we got there, a Jamaican man named Audley, turned a window into a door (you can see some of this in the pictures on my Xanga site http://www.xanga.com/kmomgdad). We were trying to figure out how to get the plumbing in the floor, when Charles came up with the brilliant idea to build a wooden floor over the cement and put the plumbing in there, instead of trying to dig up the cement. That idea saved a lot of time and effort!
Ed, George, and Charles had the most knowledge about how to do the work, but they had many willing hands to help them. Several of us started working on digging the septic hole. We initially heard it needed to be about 8 feet deep, and that Pastor Desmond had arranged with some men from his church to dig it. He priced out having it done professionally, but it was too much. However, after we started, someone came by and told him it needed to be 18 feet deep, 8 feet in diameter at the bottom, and about 10 feet in diameter at top, with stone and cement walls. So, anyway, we worked on it, and some men from Desmond’s church did help. We got it (mostly Desmond’s church men got it—kudos especially to Cole) about 6 feet deep by the time we left.
Scott and I did the cutting of planks for the guys to put in as the floor joists, and the plywood for the floor. We also cut the PVC pipe for the plumbing. It was fun to feel like I could contribute even though I’m really not Joe-handyman. I learned a lot, though, by watching and helping. I helped some with the digging, but not very much.
We took some time out to practice the songs we’ll be singing on Sunday: a men’s quintet in the morning service “Heaven’s Joy Awaits”, and a men’s quartet in the evening service “Peace Like a River.” We ate the peanut butter sandwiches and other things we got for our lunches.
When we returned to Fair Haven in the evening, several of us went across the street to the beach for a quick swim before supper. They fed us fantastically again: spaghetti, rolls, salad, and brownies.
During devotion time tonight, Chris and I gave our testimonies, and PK taught us about David and his example of showing God’s kindness to Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9. Christi and I prayed together afterward, and then I headed to bed.
Our day started off with a wonderful breakfast of eggs, bacon, cereal, fresh fruit, and orange juice. There was always coffee available too, but I don't drink that. They took excellent care of us. I probably would have gained weight, if we hadn't been working so hard.
After we finished breakfast, we loaded ourselves and all our tools into the bus and Michael drove us to Hopewell. It was our first look at the church, for everyone except for PK, Steve, Chris, and Ethan, who had been here for the teen trip in 2008. Right now HIBC has no bathroom facilities—if they need them, they have to go next door to Pastor Desmond’s house. Pastor Desmond is a high-energy and passionate man of God. He and his wife, Simone, were in a serious car accident at the end of last May. He has mostly recovered, but Simone still is in a lot of pain most of the time. They have two children, a daughter, Brianna, who is about 8, and a son, Joshua, who is about 7.
The room we will be building the bathroom in is about 10 ft. square, with a cement floor and cinder block walls. Before we got there, a Jamaican man named Audley, turned a window into a door (you can see some of this in the pictures on my Xanga site http://www.xanga.com/kmomgdad). We were trying to figure out how to get the plumbing in the floor, when Charles came up with the brilliant idea to build a wooden floor over the cement and put the plumbing in there, instead of trying to dig up the cement. That idea saved a lot of time and effort!
Ed, George, and Charles had the most knowledge about how to do the work, but they had many willing hands to help them. Several of us started working on digging the septic hole. We initially heard it needed to be about 8 feet deep, and that Pastor Desmond had arranged with some men from his church to dig it. He priced out having it done professionally, but it was too much. However, after we started, someone came by and told him it needed to be 18 feet deep, 8 feet in diameter at the bottom, and about 10 feet in diameter at top, with stone and cement walls. So, anyway, we worked on it, and some men from Desmond’s church did help. We got it (mostly Desmond’s church men got it—kudos especially to Cole) about 6 feet deep by the time we left.
Scott and I did the cutting of planks for the guys to put in as the floor joists, and the plywood for the floor. We also cut the PVC pipe for the plumbing. It was fun to feel like I could contribute even though I’m really not Joe-handyman. I learned a lot, though, by watching and helping. I helped some with the digging, but not very much.
We took some time out to practice the songs we’ll be singing on Sunday: a men’s quintet in the morning service “Heaven’s Joy Awaits”, and a men’s quartet in the evening service “Peace Like a River.” We ate the peanut butter sandwiches and other things we got for our lunches.
When we returned to Fair Haven in the evening, several of us went across the street to the beach for a quick swim before supper. They fed us fantastically again: spaghetti, rolls, salad, and brownies.
During devotion time tonight, Chris and I gave our testimonies, and PK taught us about David and his example of showing God’s kindness to Mephibosheth in 2 Samuel 9. Christi and I prayed together afterward, and then I headed to bed.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Thursday, January 14, 2010
We're leaving today! I'm excited!! I woke up at 3:30AM to get ready, and caught a ride to the airport with Tony and Annette Barry who are also going on the trip. Their daughter Colleen, and her fiance, Tristan, rode along to take the Barry's car back home. Tony and Annette are both retired from the Holley school district in New York. Tony was an Art teacher, and Annette was a librarian.
Our flight left Rochester at around 7:00AM, and we were there in plenty of time. Everyone got through security with no problems, and we had time to relax a bit at the airport and/or get some breakfast before we left.
Our first plane was relatively small with just two seats on each side of the aisle. I had a window and sat next to George Lee. He and his wife, Lois, both went on this trip (she sat across the aisle from him), and this was the first mission trip they had gone on. They've been interested for a while, and now their kids are old enough that they could get away.
We had a stopover in Philadelphia, but it was too short to see my girls who live there, unfortunately. Our next flight was a slightly larger plane with three seats on each side of the aisle. This time George and Lois got to sit together, and I was next to George again by the aisle.
We landed in Jamaica and went through customs again with no hitches. One customs agent, who was interviewing Steve Miller (I was right next to him being interviewed by a different agent at the time) couldn't believe that a bunch of Americans would give up their vacation to help a poor Jamaican church, and he seemed a little antagonized, but Steve got through OK anyway.
We got our luggage and went outside to look for our bus, but it wasn't there. There were, however, dozens and dozens of other people who would willing help us or give us a ride (for a fee, of course), but we had previous arrangements. So our Pastor, Ken Phillips, made a quick call to Fair Haven Guest House and Jamaica Link Ministries, and our bus and drivers, Joseph and Michael, were there in minutes.
The first thing we did when we arrived at Fair Haven was find our rooms and change our clothes! Most of us had already shed the hoodies, sweatshirts, and long sleeves we'd worn down, but now we needed to put on shorts! It's a wonderful thing to be too warm in January.
Fair Haven will be providing us two meals a day, so we needed to go grocery shopping for bread, fruit, chips, etc. for our lunches. We brought peanut butter and jam with us in our suitcases. Jon Burghardt, Christi Miller (Steve's daughter-in-law), Tony and Annette, and I went to a MegaMart with our driver, Joseph. It reminded me of StuffMart in VeggieTales. The fruit there was fantastic, of course, since it was all fresh and locally grown.
On our way home from the MegaMart, Joseph drove us to a downtown street market to look for fresh papayas, but we couldn't find any. We did see lots of local culture there, however! There was one man who was driving a bed through the busy street and yelling at all the people in their cars to get out of his way!
We had our first meal that night at Fair Haven: fish with orange sauce, curried goat, salad, green beans and carrots, and chocolate cake for dessert. I was brave and tried everything (even the curried goat!), and it was all excellent. Maybe I was just really hungry.
Fair Haven has a U.S. line phone that we paid a fee so we could use it as we wished. I called home and talked briefly to Krista, just to let her know we were all there safely.
Every night we will have a devotional time. Our format is that we sing a couple of songs, two of us each night will give a testimony, then there will be a lesson, and finally we will break up into groups of two to discuss the lesson's impact on us and pray for each other. Tonight, Charles Curle and Tony gave testimonies, and Pastor Ken taught the lesson.
He developed a series he titled "Lifestyles of the Righteous and Faithful" (think "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" with Robin Leach) where we will look at faithful people from the Bible and what we can learn from them. Tonight Pastor Ken (PK) taught us about the courage of Joseph of Arimathea, who, although he was a member of the Jewish ruling council, publicly identified himself with Jesus. We talked about the things we need to have courage to do.
Ethan Cornell and I prayed together that night. This is one of the things I love about our adult mission trips. It puts people together who normally wouldn't run in the same circles, like Ethan and me. He is a young college student, and I'm not. But, it was great to talk seriously for a few minutes and pray together.
That was about all we could handle for one day, so we went to bed shortly after the devotional time. I am rooming with six other guys: Steve, Charles, Ethan, Scott Anderson and his son, Chris, and Ed Haight. We thought we might have a real snoring chorus in there, but I didn't notice it too much—maybe because I was snoring too loudly to hear the others.
The rest of the team was in two other rooms: one for the women and one for the men. So, Lois, Annette, and Chrisi shared one room, and PK, George, Tony, and Jon shared the other.
Mostly the sleeping was fine. We had "white" noise from a fan and air conditioner that blocked out a lot of external noise. And we were really tired every day because we worked hard. We were right across the street from the beach, and almost every night, people would be there partying into the wee hours of the morning with loud music blaring. To me, that was the worst thing to try to sleep through. We were also right next to the airport, but that never bothered me. The roosters in the morning were a bit irritating, but not too much. We kept hoping we'd have chicken for dinner and then be done with them, but it was not to be.
Our flight left Rochester at around 7:00AM, and we were there in plenty of time. Everyone got through security with no problems, and we had time to relax a bit at the airport and/or get some breakfast before we left.
Our first plane was relatively small with just two seats on each side of the aisle. I had a window and sat next to George Lee. He and his wife, Lois, both went on this trip (she sat across the aisle from him), and this was the first mission trip they had gone on. They've been interested for a while, and now their kids are old enough that they could get away.
We had a stopover in Philadelphia, but it was too short to see my girls who live there, unfortunately. Our next flight was a slightly larger plane with three seats on each side of the aisle. This time George and Lois got to sit together, and I was next to George again by the aisle.
We landed in Jamaica and went through customs again with no hitches. One customs agent, who was interviewing Steve Miller (I was right next to him being interviewed by a different agent at the time) couldn't believe that a bunch of Americans would give up their vacation to help a poor Jamaican church, and he seemed a little antagonized, but Steve got through OK anyway.
We got our luggage and went outside to look for our bus, but it wasn't there. There were, however, dozens and dozens of other people who would willing help us or give us a ride (for a fee, of course), but we had previous arrangements. So our Pastor, Ken Phillips, made a quick call to Fair Haven Guest House and Jamaica Link Ministries, and our bus and drivers, Joseph and Michael, were there in minutes.
The first thing we did when we arrived at Fair Haven was find our rooms and change our clothes! Most of us had already shed the hoodies, sweatshirts, and long sleeves we'd worn down, but now we needed to put on shorts! It's a wonderful thing to be too warm in January.
Fair Haven will be providing us two meals a day, so we needed to go grocery shopping for bread, fruit, chips, etc. for our lunches. We brought peanut butter and jam with us in our suitcases. Jon Burghardt, Christi Miller (Steve's daughter-in-law), Tony and Annette, and I went to a MegaMart with our driver, Joseph. It reminded me of StuffMart in VeggieTales. The fruit there was fantastic, of course, since it was all fresh and locally grown.
On our way home from the MegaMart, Joseph drove us to a downtown street market to look for fresh papayas, but we couldn't find any. We did see lots of local culture there, however! There was one man who was driving a bed through the busy street and yelling at all the people in their cars to get out of his way!
We had our first meal that night at Fair Haven: fish with orange sauce, curried goat, salad, green beans and carrots, and chocolate cake for dessert. I was brave and tried everything (even the curried goat!), and it was all excellent. Maybe I was just really hungry.
Fair Haven has a U.S. line phone that we paid a fee so we could use it as we wished. I called home and talked briefly to Krista, just to let her know we were all there safely.
Every night we will have a devotional time. Our format is that we sing a couple of songs, two of us each night will give a testimony, then there will be a lesson, and finally we will break up into groups of two to discuss the lesson's impact on us and pray for each other. Tonight, Charles Curle and Tony gave testimonies, and Pastor Ken taught the lesson.
He developed a series he titled "Lifestyles of the Righteous and Faithful" (think "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous" with Robin Leach) where we will look at faithful people from the Bible and what we can learn from them. Tonight Pastor Ken (PK) taught us about the courage of Joseph of Arimathea, who, although he was a member of the Jewish ruling council, publicly identified himself with Jesus. We talked about the things we need to have courage to do.
Ethan Cornell and I prayed together that night. This is one of the things I love about our adult mission trips. It puts people together who normally wouldn't run in the same circles, like Ethan and me. He is a young college student, and I'm not. But, it was great to talk seriously for a few minutes and pray together.
That was about all we could handle for one day, so we went to bed shortly after the devotional time. I am rooming with six other guys: Steve, Charles, Ethan, Scott Anderson and his son, Chris, and Ed Haight. We thought we might have a real snoring chorus in there, but I didn't notice it too much—maybe because I was snoring too loudly to hear the others.
The rest of the team was in two other rooms: one for the women and one for the men. So, Lois, Annette, and Chrisi shared one room, and PK, George, Tony, and Jon shared the other.
Mostly the sleeping was fine. We had "white" noise from a fan and air conditioner that blocked out a lot of external noise. And we were really tired every day because we worked hard. We were right across the street from the beach, and almost every night, people would be there partying into the wee hours of the morning with loud music blaring. To me, that was the worst thing to try to sleep through. We were also right next to the airport, but that never bothered me. The roosters in the morning were a bit irritating, but not too much. We kept hoping we'd have chicken for dinner and then be done with them, but it was not to be.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Introduction
Most of you know I recently returned from a missions trip to Jamaica with a group from my church, Grace Baptist, in Brockport, NY. I’ll be typing up my journal in this blog from that trip.
If you want to see them, I’ve posted pictures from the trip on my Xanga site http://www.xanga.com/kmomgdad. Click the Photos link (right under “The Chronicles of Gregia” title), then the Albums link at the top, then the Jamaica 2010 link to see that album.
Here’s a really brief summary of the trip. We left Rochester on 1/14 and flew to Montego Bay, Jamaica, with a stop in Philadelphia. We stayed at Fair Haven Guest House, which is run by Jamaica Link, a ministry that helps facilitate others’ ministries in Jamaica. I stayed in a room with six other guys. The accommodations at Fair Haven were fantastic. It was right by the airport, but that never bothered me. We got more noise from the beach right across the street, as people would be there late into the night with loud music playing. Usually, I was tired enough and the white noise from our fans and air conditioners blocked out most of the beach party noise. Then there was this rooster…
Anyway, we spent all day Friday and Saturday, 1/15 and 16, working at Hopewell Independent Baptist Church, installing a bathroom for them. They had no bathroom facilities before that and would go next door to the pastor’s house if needed. Our goal was to at least get them a toilet and sink installed.
Sunday, 1/17, we worshipped with them. We led singing, did special music, gave testimonies, and our pastor preached, both morning and evening. In the afternoon, some of us worked more on their bathroom, while the rest helped some kids from Robin’s Nest orphanage play at the beach.
Monday and Tuesday, 1/18 and 19, we visited schools and orphanages where we did a program and interacted with the kids.
Wednesday, 1/20, was our “tourist” day, when we shopped, took a tour, and played at the beach. Thursday, 1/21 we returned home via the Charlotte, NC, airport, after finishing what we could on the Hopewell church bathroom that morning. We were able to get two toilets and the sink all installed, we got the floor put down and tiled, and we got the wall studs installed for the partition walls, and brackets installed for a urinal. They are working on getting the septic dug and prepared, and they’ll be good to go.
It was a great trip, and I know God used us to bless many people.
Stay tuned to this site for more...
If you want to see them, I’ve posted pictures from the trip on my Xanga site http://www.xanga.com/kmomgdad. Click the Photos link (right under “The Chronicles of Gregia” title), then the Albums link at the top, then the Jamaica 2010 link to see that album.
Here’s a really brief summary of the trip. We left Rochester on 1/14 and flew to Montego Bay, Jamaica, with a stop in Philadelphia. We stayed at Fair Haven Guest House, which is run by Jamaica Link, a ministry that helps facilitate others’ ministries in Jamaica. I stayed in a room with six other guys. The accommodations at Fair Haven were fantastic. It was right by the airport, but that never bothered me. We got more noise from the beach right across the street, as people would be there late into the night with loud music playing. Usually, I was tired enough and the white noise from our fans and air conditioners blocked out most of the beach party noise. Then there was this rooster…
Anyway, we spent all day Friday and Saturday, 1/15 and 16, working at Hopewell Independent Baptist Church, installing a bathroom for them. They had no bathroom facilities before that and would go next door to the pastor’s house if needed. Our goal was to at least get them a toilet and sink installed.
Sunday, 1/17, we worshipped with them. We led singing, did special music, gave testimonies, and our pastor preached, both morning and evening. In the afternoon, some of us worked more on their bathroom, while the rest helped some kids from Robin’s Nest orphanage play at the beach.
Monday and Tuesday, 1/18 and 19, we visited schools and orphanages where we did a program and interacted with the kids.
Wednesday, 1/20, was our “tourist” day, when we shopped, took a tour, and played at the beach. Thursday, 1/21 we returned home via the Charlotte, NC, airport, after finishing what we could on the Hopewell church bathroom that morning. We were able to get two toilets and the sink all installed, we got the floor put down and tiled, and we got the wall studs installed for the partition walls, and brackets installed for a urinal. They are working on getting the septic dug and prepared, and they’ll be good to go.
It was a great trip, and I know God used us to bless many people.
Stay tuned to this site for more...
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