Wow! Where has the time gone? In just 6 short days, our time in Jamaica will be over. It doesn't seem possible...or fair. To date, the Mighty Lions are leading the summer competitions, followed by Powerstrikers, then Starfire. Last week we played a game similar to the show "The Amazing Race". It was awesome. On the final event, it came down to a running match between Lions and Starfire, with Lions coming out on top. It was great. Only 2 more days of competition left. Tuesday evening will be our ice cream sundae night. Everyone is getting two scoops with all the toppings. That night we'll announce the winners who will go out to eat with Mama Penie and Papa Jim. Then it's off to the airport on Friday.
This past week was one of our highlights. A team of 12 from our own church, Freedom House, came for a week of ministry. It was powerful. They came charged up ready to make a difference and leave an impression, and that they did. I was so proud of each of them...especially the teenagers. Rarely did I hear a complaint when asked to do chores, or perform a task. Their spiritual readiness and maturity surpassed that of any other group of teens I've met. (Keep in mind I was a youth pastor for 10 years!) As a whole, the group focused on deliverance. Their testimonies and devotions, as well as one on one conversations and skits were all about being set free from the chains that bind us spiritually. They laid hands on and prayed for every child in My Father's House, as well as Jim and Penie. They spoke the Word on the streets and in the church, passed out clothing, spoons,and bowls, prayed with the elderly and infirmed, and genuinely loved people. Many people were ministered to. It was not about what they could get out of Jamaica, but what they could give to Jamaica. Many times, they were in the right place at the right time with the right word for specific people. Their hearts were right and their attitudes pure. Oh, I'm sure within their group they had some issues...no one is perfect, but after having been on 10 mission trips myself, I must say I was especially proud of them, and glad to have been a part of what they did. Dulcie and I did have the pleasure of ministering along side of them all week. Freedom House...you did an OUTSTANDING job! (you can see pictures of their week at www.jaminjamaica.com by clicking on the Freedom House folder under the Photos option.)
On a different note, the reflection of the summer and our time here has begun. We've learned more than can be told here. More than we can share in a 20 minute window of a church service. Much of it is personal. God has definitely brought us here to teach us about ourselves...our strengths...our weaknesses...our likes...our dislikes. We are grateful to have been able to serve in such a place as My Father's House. Our hosts have been so generous to house us, feed us, provide us with transportation to "get away", and cause us to feel like a part of their family for the summer. The children have opened up and made us feel welcomed...making us feel at home with them. We are going to miss their smiling faces and bright eyes; their constant hugs or tickles or jabs when they pass us by; their wanting us to play games, watch a movie, go for a swim or go for a walk. Our lives have been touched by 26 Jamaican children, and we, as a family, will never be the same. Thank you, My Father's House, for a wonderful summer experience. We will never forget you!
Please continue to pray for us as we continue to seek God's will about the future. We want to be where He wants us, when He wants us. Also, please pray for My Father's House, as they currently do not have any interns for the coming school year. This will mean Mama Penie will have to home school 25 children by herself! She will need much prayer, as you can imagine! Please pray that God will provide for them and give them the grace and strength to make it through. There have also been some changes in the home...please pray for Daniel (8 years old) who has been moved to another home for the time being. He has been at My Father's House for 7 years. Please pray for his protection and that God may open the doors for his quick return. Also, please pray for the kids and adults here who love and miss him. There are many needs here at any given day, and God seems to provide for each one. After having been here for 2 1/2 months and seeing what goes on here, I know they could use your prayers.
Thank you for joining us in this amazing adventure. Your love, prayers and support have been so appreciated. We love you all and look forward to seeing you soon. ...until then.
Saturday, August 12, 2006
Monday, July 31, 2006
Impressions
It's hard to believe that June and July have come and gone so quickly. In only 18 days, our time here will be over and we'll return to life in the States. That life, however, will not be what it once was. So much has happened here, and we've experienced so much as a family, that we will never be the same. At least, I hope not. Hopefully, we have grown as a family because of our time here at My Father's House.
I know this time will leave a lasting impression on the lives of our children. They will never forget spending the summer in a beautiful land, surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. They have learned about new cultures, new foods, new animals, new ways of doing things, new people, new challenges, new answers. Hopefully, we have taught them to trust God in the middle of new surroundings and circumstances. They've had their up times, getting along with new friends, doing exciting things. But they've also had their down times, feeling different from everyone else, fighting with new friends and having to learn how to make things right again.
For us (mom and dad), we've learned a lot too. We've learned that full time missions is much harder than we ever imagined.(We never thought it would be easy.) We've learned to give a little more of ourselves, to figure out what to deal with and what to let go (sometimes!). That there is more to life than our little world in Ohio. We've had to trust God a lot more than ever before. To believe that He knows what He's doing, even when we don't think He does, or that He is listening when it feels like our prayers are hitting the ceiling. We've learned that we have to keep doing what He's asked of us even when we're tired and don't want to. We've also learned that He blesses abundantly when we do His will, and that He rewards us for our faithfulness to Him; that there are wonderful blessings that come when we pick up our cross and deny ourselves (even in the pain of doing so). We've bonded together as a family, and appreciate each other more than before. We've served as a family...ministered as a family...worshipped God as a family. We've even fought as a family and reconciled as a family should.
Hopefully, we've left an impression on the 25 children in this home, too. Oh, I'm sure they'll remember some of the harder times, but our prayer is that they'll remember the love we've shown them. The times they were hurt, and we comforted them and fixed the injury. The times we sat and played cards when they were bored (even when we were really tired of playing cards!) The times we tried to teach them to talk or act in a way that would make Jesus proud. The times we reached out to them when they were upset by someone (maybe one of us) or something. I hope they'll remember the tickling sessions, the fun in the pool, the walks around the neighborhood and the days at the beach. Mostly, I hope they remember Jesus in us.
All in all, we are grateful for the time we've spent here, and we look forward to the next few weeks. A team from our church arrives on August 4th, so seeing some familiar faces will be great! I know that will be an awesome time. We don't know what the future holds for us or what God will have us do, but we do know He's brought us here this summer for a reason. I just pray we've accomplished that goal.
I know this time will leave a lasting impression on the lives of our children. They will never forget spending the summer in a beautiful land, surrounded by the Caribbean Sea. They have learned about new cultures, new foods, new animals, new ways of doing things, new people, new challenges, new answers. Hopefully, we have taught them to trust God in the middle of new surroundings and circumstances. They've had their up times, getting along with new friends, doing exciting things. But they've also had their down times, feeling different from everyone else, fighting with new friends and having to learn how to make things right again.
For us (mom and dad), we've learned a lot too. We've learned that full time missions is much harder than we ever imagined.(We never thought it would be easy.) We've learned to give a little more of ourselves, to figure out what to deal with and what to let go (sometimes!). That there is more to life than our little world in Ohio. We've had to trust God a lot more than ever before. To believe that He knows what He's doing, even when we don't think He does, or that He is listening when it feels like our prayers are hitting the ceiling. We've learned that we have to keep doing what He's asked of us even when we're tired and don't want to. We've also learned that He blesses abundantly when we do His will, and that He rewards us for our faithfulness to Him; that there are wonderful blessings that come when we pick up our cross and deny ourselves (even in the pain of doing so). We've bonded together as a family, and appreciate each other more than before. We've served as a family...ministered as a family...worshipped God as a family. We've even fought as a family and reconciled as a family should.
Hopefully, we've left an impression on the 25 children in this home, too. Oh, I'm sure they'll remember some of the harder times, but our prayer is that they'll remember the love we've shown them. The times they were hurt, and we comforted them and fixed the injury. The times we sat and played cards when they were bored (even when we were really tired of playing cards!) The times we tried to teach them to talk or act in a way that would make Jesus proud. The times we reached out to them when they were upset by someone (maybe one of us) or something. I hope they'll remember the tickling sessions, the fun in the pool, the walks around the neighborhood and the days at the beach. Mostly, I hope they remember Jesus in us.
All in all, we are grateful for the time we've spent here, and we look forward to the next few weeks. A team from our church arrives on August 4th, so seeing some familiar faces will be great! I know that will be an awesome time. We don't know what the future holds for us or what God will have us do, but we do know He's brought us here this summer for a reason. I just pray we've accomplished that goal.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Still Alive
Well, we find ourselves still alive and well after a week of being "in charge". We had quite the eventful week. (No the kids didn't tie us up, thanx for your prayers there!) :) We did have a few kids challenge us, but that's to be expected. The week started off with the commercial size freezer not working before Jim and Penie left. The repair man came the day they left, Tuesday. He told us not to use the freezer and that he'd be back the next day. He still hasn't come back! The next day, it seemed to be working, so we used it...After all, there are over 30 people here; we need a freezer! Since we weren't sure it would stay working, I had to go to the store every day for chicken and chicken back. (yes, they eat the back...the bone) Anyway, going to "Paul's Market" is not one of my favorite tasks. It's no problem doing the shopping, it's parking the bus. (their 15 passenger Toyota van is called a bus here) The local taxis like to park forwards and backwards and sideways, keeping you from getting in or from getting out sometimes. I started parking in the lot across the street. It's just less complicated.
On Saturday, the electricity went out about 4:30 p.m. over the entire island. It came back on around 1:30 a.m. We were concerned about all the food in the refrigerator and freezer, so we tried to start the generator up. For some reason, it wouldn't keep running (no, it wasn't out of fuel...we checked) so we went without lights. Now it gets dark around here between 7 and 7:30, so imagine keeping 30 kids occupied until bed time. After the little ones went to bed around 8:30, the older kids conned us into playing "Murder in the Dark". That was fun...for a while. I got murdered everytime! So, the lights came back on at 1:30 AM, nice wake up call. I had to get up, wake up Adrian, the handyman, and find all the breaker boxes to turn everything back on. (No fans at night make for a LONG night!)
So around comes Sunday...off to church, that was good. I had to make two trips to get everyone there and back. On my second trip home from church a woman I've never seen and her child climb in...okay, I guess I'm dropping her off at home. It was like 2 blocks away, but sure, not a problem. After lunch, we get this killer rain storm...Miniature hurricane if you ask me...the garage floods. Yep. Floods. Remember we just had a container arrive and the garage is full. The main worry was all the bags of cement and chemicals for the pool. Sure they were sitting on a pallet, but the water is rising to almost the top of the pallet. Yep. 60-100 lb bags. Guess who got to lift all those - Me and Adrian. After about half way, I had one of the teenage boys help me as I lifted the bags UP to where Adrian was standing. Dulcie and the rest of the kids were running around sweeping water and getting boxes up off the ground. Finally, I plopped myself down in the middle of the garage and went for a little swim. Why not? I was already wet. Then it turned into a water fight and playing in the rain. It really was quite the ending to a rather "busy" weekend.
Tuesday found us cleaning, as Jim and Penie were to come home that day. The afternoon was spent...at the beach! There were stressful times, and there were a few really unpleasant times, but we made it. We survived.
It's really hard to believe that we only have about 3 1/2 weeks left. Part of me is ready, part is not. It will be hard to leave these kids after all we've been through with them this summer...the games, the fights, the discipline, the tickling, the loving, the walks, the talks, the laughter, the crying, the screaming, the chores, the pranks, and yes, even the floods and power shortages.
On Saturday, the electricity went out about 4:30 p.m. over the entire island. It came back on around 1:30 a.m. We were concerned about all the food in the refrigerator and freezer, so we tried to start the generator up. For some reason, it wouldn't keep running (no, it wasn't out of fuel...we checked) so we went without lights. Now it gets dark around here between 7 and 7:30, so imagine keeping 30 kids occupied until bed time. After the little ones went to bed around 8:30, the older kids conned us into playing "Murder in the Dark". That was fun...for a while. I got murdered everytime! So, the lights came back on at 1:30 AM, nice wake up call. I had to get up, wake up Adrian, the handyman, and find all the breaker boxes to turn everything back on. (No fans at night make for a LONG night!)
So around comes Sunday...off to church, that was good. I had to make two trips to get everyone there and back. On my second trip home from church a woman I've never seen and her child climb in...okay, I guess I'm dropping her off at home. It was like 2 blocks away, but sure, not a problem. After lunch, we get this killer rain storm...Miniature hurricane if you ask me...the garage floods. Yep. Floods. Remember we just had a container arrive and the garage is full. The main worry was all the bags of cement and chemicals for the pool. Sure they were sitting on a pallet, but the water is rising to almost the top of the pallet. Yep. 60-100 lb bags. Guess who got to lift all those - Me and Adrian. After about half way, I had one of the teenage boys help me as I lifted the bags UP to where Adrian was standing. Dulcie and the rest of the kids were running around sweeping water and getting boxes up off the ground. Finally, I plopped myself down in the middle of the garage and went for a little swim. Why not? I was already wet. Then it turned into a water fight and playing in the rain. It really was quite the ending to a rather "busy" weekend.
Tuesday found us cleaning, as Jim and Penie were to come home that day. The afternoon was spent...at the beach! There were stressful times, and there were a few really unpleasant times, but we made it. We survived.
It's really hard to believe that we only have about 3 1/2 weeks left. Part of me is ready, part is not. It will be hard to leave these kids after all we've been through with them this summer...the games, the fights, the discipline, the tickling, the loving, the walks, the talks, the laughter, the crying, the screaming, the chores, the pranks, and yes, even the floods and power shortages.
Sunday, July 09, 2006
Keepin' on
Well, it's been a while since I've posted anything, as you can imagine we've been soooooo busy. The container finally arrived from America after being tied up in Jamaican customs for quite some time. Although we weren't here when it arrived, (we were in Negril on a family day) we have been helping to put things away. The day the team from Texas left, a group of 28 from Cincinnati came. The first day they were here we set up a tent in town for a 3 day VBS. Since the van only holds 15, we had to make multiple trips into town taking the team and the kids here to VBS and back. One day it rained like crazy and while the team was trying to keep the tent from falling down, Dulcie, Penie and I (along with a few teens) were trying to unload the boxes in the garage that was flooding! Luckily we were able to move everything onto crates and nothing was majorly damaged.
On Wednesday evening we set up a projector and screen at the tent. The projector was just donated to KBM and really blessed them. The screen was a sheet. Since we'd been having VBS there all week, everyone was told about the movie night with popcorn and kool-aid. The main feature was Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They loved the movie, but I learned something I never knew...Narnia is a comedy. They laughed at things I never would have, but found myself enjoying their sense of humor. It was fun to see them reacting with enthusiasm.
The team leaves tomorrow and on Tuesday, Jim and Penie leave for the states for a week, so Dulcie and I will be in charge. Please pray that the kids don't tie us up and feed us crackers! No, really, they are great kids who are just that...kids. It gets a little nerve-racking once in a while, but we grow to love them more and more everyday.
It's hard to believe that our summer is half gone and we'll be returning home in just a few weeks. We are really looking forward to a team from our church coming down the first week of August, but we also know that a week after they leave, we go home. We're still praying that God will show us just how we fit in to the grand scheme of things here. We want to do His will for our lives, and are willing to follow Him where ever He leads us. Until next time...God Bless us every one!
On Wednesday evening we set up a projector and screen at the tent. The projector was just donated to KBM and really blessed them. The screen was a sheet. Since we'd been having VBS there all week, everyone was told about the movie night with popcorn and kool-aid. The main feature was Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. They loved the movie, but I learned something I never knew...Narnia is a comedy. They laughed at things I never would have, but found myself enjoying their sense of humor. It was fun to see them reacting with enthusiasm.
The team leaves tomorrow and on Tuesday, Jim and Penie leave for the states for a week, so Dulcie and I will be in charge. Please pray that the kids don't tie us up and feed us crackers! No, really, they are great kids who are just that...kids. It gets a little nerve-racking once in a while, but we grow to love them more and more everyday.
It's hard to believe that our summer is half gone and we'll be returning home in just a few weeks. We are really looking forward to a team from our church coming down the first week of August, but we also know that a week after they leave, we go home. We're still praying that God will show us just how we fit in to the grand scheme of things here. We want to do His will for our lives, and are willing to follow Him where ever He leads us. Until next time...God Bless us every one!
Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Feeling at home
As I sit here looking out the window at the sun setting over the Caribbean Sea, I'm reminded just how awesome God truly is. He is a God that is so amazing that it seems impossible to know Him, yet I feel as if I'm coming closer to Him everyday. As we are praying for God's perfect will for our lives, I'm blown away by the fact that He knows everything about me, even what is yet to come. We are beginning to feel more and more at home here in this quaint town of Whitehouse, Jamaica. The customs, though different, are coming more into view. (Though it will take a long time to understand them all, if ever!) The people are friendly, and the country so beautiful. The kids at My Father's House are becoming more comfortable with us and beginning to trust us more and more. We've both had some opportunities to minister to the kids here in tangible ways. The teenage girls are beginning to open up to Dulcie and ask advice. And God is using her to help reinforce some of the lessons Mama Penie has been teaching them. We've been challenged as their competiveness comes out during summer camp activities, and as typical kids, the arguments fly. Helping them remember to act and talk as Jesus would is something we do everyday...Especially with our own kids. But this has been a great week overall.
We may not be doing the type of ministry that is in your face evangelism or doing skits on the streets, but we are helping to instill Godly principles in the lives of 30 kids. Day to day life-living ministry is much harder to do than one day events, in my opinion. Even when I'm tired and frustrated, I must teach and live Godly standards. Jesus impacted the world by impacting 11 men day to day for 3 years. Those men in turn, took the world for Christ. Some may look at what we're doing as "fun stuff", and in a sense it is, but it is also a lot of hard work. The devil recently tried to discourage me by telling me we weren't doing much, but God has reminded me that we are impacting the lives of 30 children.
I'm beginning to see different doors that God may be opening for us to minister to some of the adults in the neighborhood. A few weeks ago, we walked through the house across the street that some Jamaican men have been renovating and we met a man named Elvis. The house has been empty for about 5 years, so it needs a lot of work. Anyway, Elvis and his friend were kind enough to show us through the house. Every time that he is there, he makes a point to stop and talk to us. Sometimes it's just a simple hello or to ask for water, but I believe there's a reason. I am praying for an opportunity to talk more significantly. Only the Lord knows.
Currently we have a team from a Four Square church from the Dallas, TX area with us. There are 20 of them. What an awesome group! Dulcie and I had the privilege of driving to Montego Bay to help pick them up. They have been a real blessing to the house, and have such a heart of servanthood. We are hoping they will be able to help us unload the container, as it STILL has not come. Jim is having to go to MoBay several days a week to work on releasing it. Please pray they will release it soon, as the drive is very tedious, over the mountain on very narrow and windy roads. Not to mention the stress of dealing with corruption in the governmental departments. But God is working, and we are praying it will be here soon.
We had the honor of attending a sport's day on Saturday. One of the local churches hosts this every year. There were over 400 people split into 4 teams: red, white, blue and purple. We were on the purple team. They do foot races, bag races, egg and spoon races (for all ages, even us adults). They also play football(soccer), cricket, cheerleading, volleyball, food eating contest, pop drinking contests, etc... It is an all day and night event. Our girls helped the girls from My Father's house in the cheerleading event. They won first place! We were so proud of them all. A few of the kids won some of the races. It was really a fun day, but was too long for us to stay the whole time. Plus, it was really hot!
Our kids continue to amaze us. They are doing great. When asked if they miss the states, their reply is always, "just my family and friends". Alyssa said she missed McDonald's, but only sometimes. Jaycee misses air conditioning. Overall they are adapting very well. Levi really made us proud this week. On Sunday morning before church, Penie passes out tithe to the kids based on what their allowance is. Levi did not have any chores this week as it was one of his off weeks. Dulcie asked him if he had gotten his tithe and his reply was, "Mom, I didn't think it was fair for me to get tithe when I didn't work." Remember that he is only 5 years old and already has a concept of: I didn't work so I shouldn't get paid. He received double tithe. What a kid!
As you can tell, we're having a great time. Please keep praying for us and check out our pics on www.jaminjamaica.com. See ya soon.
We may not be doing the type of ministry that is in your face evangelism or doing skits on the streets, but we are helping to instill Godly principles in the lives of 30 kids. Day to day life-living ministry is much harder to do than one day events, in my opinion. Even when I'm tired and frustrated, I must teach and live Godly standards. Jesus impacted the world by impacting 11 men day to day for 3 years. Those men in turn, took the world for Christ. Some may look at what we're doing as "fun stuff", and in a sense it is, but it is also a lot of hard work. The devil recently tried to discourage me by telling me we weren't doing much, but God has reminded me that we are impacting the lives of 30 children.
I'm beginning to see different doors that God may be opening for us to minister to some of the adults in the neighborhood. A few weeks ago, we walked through the house across the street that some Jamaican men have been renovating and we met a man named Elvis. The house has been empty for about 5 years, so it needs a lot of work. Anyway, Elvis and his friend were kind enough to show us through the house. Every time that he is there, he makes a point to stop and talk to us. Sometimes it's just a simple hello or to ask for water, but I believe there's a reason. I am praying for an opportunity to talk more significantly. Only the Lord knows.
Currently we have a team from a Four Square church from the Dallas, TX area with us. There are 20 of them. What an awesome group! Dulcie and I had the privilege of driving to Montego Bay to help pick them up. They have been a real blessing to the house, and have such a heart of servanthood. We are hoping they will be able to help us unload the container, as it STILL has not come. Jim is having to go to MoBay several days a week to work on releasing it. Please pray they will release it soon, as the drive is very tedious, over the mountain on very narrow and windy roads. Not to mention the stress of dealing with corruption in the governmental departments. But God is working, and we are praying it will be here soon.
We had the honor of attending a sport's day on Saturday. One of the local churches hosts this every year. There were over 400 people split into 4 teams: red, white, blue and purple. We were on the purple team. They do foot races, bag races, egg and spoon races (for all ages, even us adults). They also play football(soccer), cricket, cheerleading, volleyball, food eating contest, pop drinking contests, etc... It is an all day and night event. Our girls helped the girls from My Father's house in the cheerleading event. They won first place! We were so proud of them all. A few of the kids won some of the races. It was really a fun day, but was too long for us to stay the whole time. Plus, it was really hot!
Our kids continue to amaze us. They are doing great. When asked if they miss the states, their reply is always, "just my family and friends". Alyssa said she missed McDonald's, but only sometimes. Jaycee misses air conditioning. Overall they are adapting very well. Levi really made us proud this week. On Sunday morning before church, Penie passes out tithe to the kids based on what their allowance is. Levi did not have any chores this week as it was one of his off weeks. Dulcie asked him if he had gotten his tithe and his reply was, "Mom, I didn't think it was fair for me to get tithe when I didn't work." Remember that he is only 5 years old and already has a concept of: I didn't work so I shouldn't get paid. He received double tithe. What a kid!
As you can tell, we're having a great time. Please keep praying for us and check out our pics on www.jaminjamaica.com. See ya soon.
Tuesday, June 20, 2006
Back to routine?
Wow! What an awesome week we've had. As I've said in the last post, we had a team here from the Eastgate, Cincinnati area for a week. They left on the Saturday before Father's Day, and Jordan, Jim and Penie's daughter came home from an extended stay in the states. It was good to see her again. Hannah and Alyssa have connected with her and are having a blast.
On Wednesday, we had the privilege of going to Negril with Jim and Penie for dinner and a visit to the chiropractor. Negril is 7 miles of beautiful white sand. Dad, you would LOVE it there! We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant overlooking the beach, and then took a stroll up and down the beach. It was sooooo relaxing.
Father's Day was great for me. My four kids all gave me a homemade card, and my lovely wife wrote me a beautiful letter. Then the church here recognized all the fathers (a total of 4) with a pen and our choice of two gifts. I wasn't expecting anything, so their token was really special. The gifts weren't much in American standards (I got a comb and shampoo), but the idea and love that came with them is what touched me. Then to top it off, they had a cake for us! YES! After church, we just kinda laid around and rested after having the team here. I was going to take my family to a nearby pay beach, but the weather turned nasty, so we'll put that off for another time.
Yesterday was a bit of a rough day in the house for all of us. We were ALL tired and a bit grouchy, so we took time out of our day to pray and ask the Lord to help us show the love of Jesus. After that, we went to the other extreme of being loud and silly! Boy, the power of prayer! We all were in bed earlier than usual.
Today was great, though. During team competition, the teams did two major games. While one team was doing an obstacle course, the other two went on a scavenger hunt at the beach looking for conk shells, sea urchin shells, hermit crabs, etc... They had to find 1 lizard, 2 crabs, 3 clam shells, and so on up to 10. They had a great time and it kept us busy all day! Every team did the obstacle course, but the Mighy Lions came out on top. StarFire won the scavenger hunt, but PowerStrikers are still in the lead overall!
Dulcie got to go on an adventure with Penie today...grocery shopping. As you ladies know, shopping for an entire family is alot. Imagine a family of 26 plus the 6 of us! They went to another town called Savanna-la-mar. Dulcie said that one man approached her and began to rub her arm over and over while saying, "hello, whitey". She replied "hello" and pushed the cart away from him. I guess he got the hint, cuz he left her alone. That was a first for her. Thank God he was with her. I was in charge of the house most of the day while they were gone, because Jim was in Montego Bay. One of the social workers showed up...I was a bit nervous at first, never having had to deal with that before, but it went great. He was only here a few minutes to see a few of the kids.
Tomorrow is a really big day because the container from the states is supposed to arrive. It is a tractor trailer filled from front to back, top to bottom with supplies for the home and some to give to other ministries. When it gets here, we only have two hours to unload it. I guess I'd better get my sleep tonight! All of us here at the house (kids included) will have to help, as well as a group of college boys from Taylor University who are down. We've been getting the house in order so that all available space can be used. We've been getting rid of old clothes and shoes, and skates, etc... to make way for the new. The next few days will be really busy!
On Friday, we have another team of 20 coming down for a week from Texas. They will be giving us a little "break", as they will take over team competition for us. Perhaps we'll get some new ideas from them as well. Hopefully, we'll get to see more of the island while they are here. The day they leave another team of 20 arrives from Cincinnati, so the next two weeks will be busy.
We're still loving it here, but a few of our kids are beginning to get homesick. Please pray for them. We know we're where God wants us, but that's hard for kids to grasp sometimes. I know they'll be fine with the prayers of the saints covering them. We are still battling the bug bites, but Praise God it has not been as bad as when we first arrived. I guess they're getting tired of us! My driving is getting better as well, but I haven't driven in the city yet! I'm really enjoying everything about Jamaica. To my mother's surprise, I don't really miss the fast pace of city life. These kids keep me too busy to think about it. All I really miss about the states is my friends and family.
I have posted some pictures on KBM's website. www.jaminjamaica.com click on the photos link, then click Bushhorn internship. I will post more pictures periodically. Please keep us in your prayers. We need them! Love you all. See you soon.
On Wednesday, we had the privilege of going to Negril with Jim and Penie for dinner and a visit to the chiropractor. Negril is 7 miles of beautiful white sand. Dad, you would LOVE it there! We ate dinner at an Italian restaurant overlooking the beach, and then took a stroll up and down the beach. It was sooooo relaxing.
Father's Day was great for me. My four kids all gave me a homemade card, and my lovely wife wrote me a beautiful letter. Then the church here recognized all the fathers (a total of 4) with a pen and our choice of two gifts. I wasn't expecting anything, so their token was really special. The gifts weren't much in American standards (I got a comb and shampoo), but the idea and love that came with them is what touched me. Then to top it off, they had a cake for us! YES! After church, we just kinda laid around and rested after having the team here. I was going to take my family to a nearby pay beach, but the weather turned nasty, so we'll put that off for another time.
Yesterday was a bit of a rough day in the house for all of us. We were ALL tired and a bit grouchy, so we took time out of our day to pray and ask the Lord to help us show the love of Jesus. After that, we went to the other extreme of being loud and silly! Boy, the power of prayer! We all were in bed earlier than usual.
Today was great, though. During team competition, the teams did two major games. While one team was doing an obstacle course, the other two went on a scavenger hunt at the beach looking for conk shells, sea urchin shells, hermit crabs, etc... They had to find 1 lizard, 2 crabs, 3 clam shells, and so on up to 10. They had a great time and it kept us busy all day! Every team did the obstacle course, but the Mighy Lions came out on top. StarFire won the scavenger hunt, but PowerStrikers are still in the lead overall!
Dulcie got to go on an adventure with Penie today...grocery shopping. As you ladies know, shopping for an entire family is alot. Imagine a family of 26 plus the 6 of us! They went to another town called Savanna-la-mar. Dulcie said that one man approached her and began to rub her arm over and over while saying, "hello, whitey". She replied "hello" and pushed the cart away from him. I guess he got the hint, cuz he left her alone. That was a first for her. Thank God he was with her. I was in charge of the house most of the day while they were gone, because Jim was in Montego Bay. One of the social workers showed up...I was a bit nervous at first, never having had to deal with that before, but it went great. He was only here a few minutes to see a few of the kids.
Tomorrow is a really big day because the container from the states is supposed to arrive. It is a tractor trailer filled from front to back, top to bottom with supplies for the home and some to give to other ministries. When it gets here, we only have two hours to unload it. I guess I'd better get my sleep tonight! All of us here at the house (kids included) will have to help, as well as a group of college boys from Taylor University who are down. We've been getting the house in order so that all available space can be used. We've been getting rid of old clothes and shoes, and skates, etc... to make way for the new. The next few days will be really busy!
On Friday, we have another team of 20 coming down for a week from Texas. They will be giving us a little "break", as they will take over team competition for us. Perhaps we'll get some new ideas from them as well. Hopefully, we'll get to see more of the island while they are here. The day they leave another team of 20 arrives from Cincinnati, so the next two weeks will be busy.
We're still loving it here, but a few of our kids are beginning to get homesick. Please pray for them. We know we're where God wants us, but that's hard for kids to grasp sometimes. I know they'll be fine with the prayers of the saints covering them. We are still battling the bug bites, but Praise God it has not been as bad as when we first arrived. I guess they're getting tired of us! My driving is getting better as well, but I haven't driven in the city yet! I'm really enjoying everything about Jamaica. To my mother's surprise, I don't really miss the fast pace of city life. These kids keep me too busy to think about it. All I really miss about the states is my friends and family.
I have posted some pictures on KBM's website. www.jaminjamaica.com click on the photos link, then click Bushhorn internship. I will post more pictures periodically. Please keep us in your prayers. We need them! Love you all. See you soon.
Monday, June 12, 2006
June 13, 2006
Hello again! What a wonderful week we have had! We began our summer camp program with three teams of kids. Paul's team is called "The Mighty Lions", Dulcie's team is called "Starfire", and Miss Yanique's team is called "Powerstrikers". (Yanique is a young Jamaican lady who works for the Koch's) After a week of competition, Powerstrikers are in first place! The kids are accumulating points to win an ice cream sundae, but the winning team will get to go out to dinner with Papa Jim and Mama Penie. What an awesome treat for them! The kids are very excited and doing great with the games. In the mornings, after family devotions, we go outside to play active games for about an hour to an hour and a half, if it is not raining. After lunch, we have an hour of quiet reading time, followed by another hour or so of inside games. Most games allow the teams to earn points. We also have a weekly Scripture for them to memorize to earn points. We are currently learning 1 John 4:9-10 (last week was 7-8). The kids have amazed me with their enthusiasm in learning Scripture!
On Saturday, June 10th, a team from the Cincinnati area came down for a week of ministry. So Saturday was cleaning day! We worked hard until after lunch, then it was pool time! Once the team arrived, we spent time getting to know their names. Fortunatley, we already knew four of them; two of them are students of mine from CCA! Today, Monday, the team went to some local schools for ministry, while we had camp, and then after lunch, they put on a VBS program for some of the local kids here at the house. Dulcie and I were in charge of snack, while our four kids particpated in the VBS.
Our four kids are doing so well fitting in with the kids at My Father's House! Jaycee has started a friendly "pranking" with some of the teen girls. Hannah and Alyssa have got friends galore, and when Levi isn't playing with the boys, he's with the teenage girls! Of course, there has been lots of pool time and Sunday afternoons seem to be beach day! I'm loving that! (sorry dad!)
Dulcie and the girls have had an on going battle with the bugs! Please pray for them as they have been eaten up pretty badly. At times, it looks like they have broken out in hives, due to all the bites. Luckily, our deet arrived with the team from Cincy.
The food has been really good. Lots of rice and lots of chicken. The kids have been challenged in this area alot, but they are doing great! Today we had chicken foot soup, and yes, it has chicken feet in it...lots and lots of chicken feet. It also has dumplings, green bananas, corn and chicken noodles. I did break down and try a chicken foot, skin and all...I felt like I was on Fear Factor! I did it, but probably won't do it again.
Other than that, things are great! God is good and we are loving our time here. It's hard to believe its been two weeks. We are feeling right at home, except for the driving. I'm still getting used to being on the wrong side of the car and the road! But I'm getting better.
Please keep praying for us! We'll write again soon!
On Saturday, June 10th, a team from the Cincinnati area came down for a week of ministry. So Saturday was cleaning day! We worked hard until after lunch, then it was pool time! Once the team arrived, we spent time getting to know their names. Fortunatley, we already knew four of them; two of them are students of mine from CCA! Today, Monday, the team went to some local schools for ministry, while we had camp, and then after lunch, they put on a VBS program for some of the local kids here at the house. Dulcie and I were in charge of snack, while our four kids particpated in the VBS.
Our four kids are doing so well fitting in with the kids at My Father's House! Jaycee has started a friendly "pranking" with some of the teen girls. Hannah and Alyssa have got friends galore, and when Levi isn't playing with the boys, he's with the teenage girls! Of course, there has been lots of pool time and Sunday afternoons seem to be beach day! I'm loving that! (sorry dad!)
Dulcie and the girls have had an on going battle with the bugs! Please pray for them as they have been eaten up pretty badly. At times, it looks like they have broken out in hives, due to all the bites. Luckily, our deet arrived with the team from Cincy.
The food has been really good. Lots of rice and lots of chicken. The kids have been challenged in this area alot, but they are doing great! Today we had chicken foot soup, and yes, it has chicken feet in it...lots and lots of chicken feet. It also has dumplings, green bananas, corn and chicken noodles. I did break down and try a chicken foot, skin and all...I felt like I was on Fear Factor! I did it, but probably won't do it again.
Other than that, things are great! God is good and we are loving our time here. It's hard to believe its been two weeks. We are feeling right at home, except for the driving. I'm still getting used to being on the wrong side of the car and the road! But I'm getting better.
Please keep praying for us! We'll write again soon!
Friday, June 02, 2006
Arrival
Well, we're finally here! It was a great trip! We flew out of Indianapolis at 7:30 am, which meant getting to the airport at around 5:30. We flew to Atlanta and then on to Montego Bay. Thank God our flights went perfectly. Customs in Jamaica went very smoothly and without a hitch. We spent the night in Montego Bay at a beautiful hotel called Hotel Gloriana. We swam at the pool and even made it to a nearby beach for about an hour. On the plane from Atlanta, the pastor's wife (Christine) of Lighthouse Evanglistic church sat right behind me. (This is Jim and Penie's pastor's wife!) She also stayed at our hotel and showed us a quaint little place to eat dinner. God had already started hooking us up with key people!
On Thursday, 6/1, we met up with Jim and Penie and thier intern Steve and made the trip over the mountain. The kids did great sitting cramped around luggage (no seat belts here!)for over an hour and a half. When we got to My Father's House, the kids all came out to greet Momma Penie and Papa Jim. It was great to see them all again. A few even remembered us! We spent the day just playing with the kids.
Today 6/2, we have orgainzed our kids bedroom (we're all 6 in the same room until Sunday, when a few guests will leave), played, swam and just got to know the kids. Paul went to town with Adrian (a Jamaican worker at the House) and Alex (an American who is on KBM's board and here until Sunday)to try and located some reverse and blikner light bulbs for Jim's truck.
The kids are having the time of their lives and already have a ton of friends. They are doing great in the heat and eating new foods. They are so excited about being here and are looking forward to spending the whole summer here. The Jamaican kids are really accepting them well. WE'RE HAVING A GREAT TIME! The real work starts on Monday, so we have a few days to get acclamated. Please keep us in your prayers!
On Thursday, 6/1, we met up with Jim and Penie and thier intern Steve and made the trip over the mountain. The kids did great sitting cramped around luggage (no seat belts here!)for over an hour and a half. When we got to My Father's House, the kids all came out to greet Momma Penie and Papa Jim. It was great to see them all again. A few even remembered us! We spent the day just playing with the kids.
Today 6/2, we have orgainzed our kids bedroom (we're all 6 in the same room until Sunday, when a few guests will leave), played, swam and just got to know the kids. Paul went to town with Adrian (a Jamaican worker at the House) and Alex (an American who is on KBM's board and here until Sunday)to try and located some reverse and blikner light bulbs for Jim's truck.
The kids are having the time of their lives and already have a ton of friends. They are doing great in the heat and eating new foods. They are so excited about being here and are looking forward to spending the whole summer here. The Jamaican kids are really accepting them well. WE'RE HAVING A GREAT TIME! The real work starts on Monday, so we have a few days to get acclamated. Please keep us in your prayers!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
My family and I are preparing to go to Jamaica for the summer to work in a children's home called My Father's House. We will be leaving on May 31, 2006 and returning August 18, 2006. The purpose of this blog is to update people who are sponsoring this endeavor on what we are doing while we are there. I hope this touches your hearts.
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