Day 8 - Time of Fun and Reflection

Tomorrow is officially our last day in Jamaica L. It’s incredible how God has changed our hearts and taught us many lessons that we can bring back to America. Our eyes were opened to the differences Jamaica and America have when it comes to the way people interact with one another. Now that we have experienced a week in Jamaica, we have realized that our country’s people need to show much more love and appreciation for one another. We get caught up in our sports teams, the TV, celebrity gossip, and a great number of materialistic things. Often times I have feelings of sensory overload!

While being in Jamaica, we have noticed the patience the natives have. Some of us met OB, a deaf child. He showed patience when trying to communicate with those of us who didn’t even know sign language. Never once did he get frustrated with us for not knowing what he was talking about. He just kept finding new ways to get us to understand, and eventually communicating became much easier! The Jamaicans also showed patience on the road. In America, the drivers on the main road have the right away and sometimes we even go out of our way to ensure that they can’t get into the flow of traffic. A couple days ago, we witnessed a man trying to back up onto the main road, and traffic completely stopped to let him in! Patience is definitely something God wants all of us to have, and it will make our lives much more enjoyable.

During our week, we have also learned that it is extremely important for us to constantly love one another. As American citizens, I think we forget to show love and affection at times. The orphanages we visited on this trip made us realize that we should be grateful for our families! As teenagers we have taken our parents for granted! We looked at all the kids who no longer have parents. The kids broke our hearts because they longed for so much affection. They would do anything to have someone to love and care for them, yet we have a hard time thanking our parents for the things they do for us everyday. Some of us even find it painful to hug our own parents.

This week God has showed us all the hurt, pain, sorrow, and poverty that the Jamaicans go through everyday. They go through this, yet many of them are still grateful for what they have. As Americans, we have so much and we complain about the littlest things. Despite the things the kids at Vacation Bible School went through, they still managed to smile and give thanks for all that they were given. This made us realize that we shouldn’t complain about insignificant things. We need to always thank God for what he has given us, even if we don’t like it!

As a team, we want to take what we have learned and improve our lives in America. We want to use ourselves as an example to our peers, and anyone we encounter. Throughout the trip, God has truly brought to our attention the difference in lifestyles between Jamaicans and Americans. We hope that we can continue to keep our eyes on him and live the way he wants us to live! As a team, we thank God for this amazing opportunity. Yes, we will miss Jamaica dearly, but we are excited to impact those back home. God Bless. See ya tomorrow J. -Courtney Milon

Day 7 - Last Day of Ministry

Today was our last day of ministry. We again went to the Deaf School, Vacation Bible School and the Orphanage. Here are three stories from 3 students:

Jackson Seedott

Today, the second VBS was absolutely incredible. Even more so than the previous days, you could truly witness the presence of God in the excitement and joy of the kids. From being bombarded by hugs and "jamaican" handshakes upon our arrival, to the time we had to leave. I say "had" because all of the students, especially myself, wanted to stay there as long as possible. It was truly an amazing and humbling experience for all. After playing an intense game of "bully in the pen," a popular jamaican game that the kids actually taught us, we conducted a puppet show. Our story today was from John 6:16-21, the story of Jesus walking on water. After that we were off to small groups, where we collectively analyzed and discussed the story. Afterwards, for arts and crafts time, the students decorated and colored crosses made from popsicle sticks; the students really seemed to enjoy the craft. Following arts and crafts was more time for personal connection and playing with the kids. Today I personally had the blessing of meeting and interacting with a little girl named Amanda. She was nine years old, and has an incredible, one of a kind story. At the young age of nine, she had to experience the death of her father and live with her grandparents because her mom was in jail. Despite these horrendous trials no one of this age should ever have to face, she was arguably one of the most faithful 9 year old I have ever met. She truly trusted in the Lord with all her heart, and was, in every meaning of the word, fearless. Needless to say, the most difficult part of this time was leaving, as we all were having a God-given and blessed time. Unfortunately, the time came for us to depart. However, the staff of the school where the VBS was held requested to take a picture of our team to keep at the school as a memoir of our time spent with the children. After giving hundreds of final hugs, piggyback rides, and more hugs, we all loaded the bus and made our final departure from the school.

Kaylee McDougall

Today was another beautiful day in Jamaica. Today me and about 11 other people got the chance to head back to the orphanage for a 2nd time. Now if you think that leaving those cute little kids once was hard, try leaving them for a 2nd time! Do not get me wrong it was so great to get the chance to go back to see them again, but I felt this time it was harder to let them go. We actually got the chance, this time, to get to know the kids and learn why they were there. Today we learned the story behind these two little girls, Julia and Kristina. While we spent our time with them we noticed that Kristina had marks on her stomach. We found out that their mother used to beat both of them, so much it left scars on Kristina and broke Julia's leg(who by the way is 6 months old). Just hearing this story broke our hearts. Thinking how someone could put their children in that much pain is just astounding. Many kids in that orphanage are either in similar situations as Julia and Kristina or their parents are not around at all, like my friend Mackabee who I spent most of the day with. It really makes me appreciate having both of my parents so much more. Well, after a long, fun day of hanging with the kids it came time for us to say our last and final goodbyes. For many of us it has been the hardest thing to do on this trip. We all loved these kids so much we just wish that we could take them all home with us (but I don't think that AirTran would let us do that ) haha. Today marked the end of our days of ministry which means we only have 2 days left here in paradise. I know as a whole team we can't wait to see what the next days have to bring. Have a great day and we will see you all Saturday!

Jordan Filipowski

God has truly blessed all of the members of the 2010 Mission Trip to Jamaica. Personally, my eyes have been opened to observe all of my surroundings for anything that has God's blessing. Although I am not a man of words, my actions have praised God all the same. I had the opportunity to spend two of my ministry days at the Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf, where I got to finish what I started. My first day there, on Tuesday, was the first day for any member to work there this trip. We started tiling the children's bathrooms, as the children are currently at home on Spring Break themselves. I'd like to say that tiling is very hard work, and my admiration goes out to those who do it for a living. Kudos on professionally doing such a tedious and delicate job that requires so much patience, of which I do not have much of. The progress that was made over the three days that we worked was something I will not forget. With at most three people working on the floor at once, the groups that worked cranked out two full bathrooms in three days, grout and all. I was not part of the Wednesday group, but I got to see the amazing work they did when I went to grout on Thursday. Oh how God was amazing today. Trying to finish the job, our materials were dwindling and uncertainty was sure to follow. Always having the opportunity to pray to our omnipotent, always listening God, I took a few seconds to ask that our materials would last out the job so we could successfully complete the tiling for those who knew God even with the inability to hear. And how our God comes through. He allowed the grout to last, which allowed us as a group to successfully serve Him through good deeds. Never in my life have I felt such an indescribable feeling as noticing the answer to a prayer in a short period after praying. I continue to thank Him for the opportunity He has presented and blessed me with that allowed me to make His name known through me. What's not to love about our Lord? Everything about Him is to be praised from the ends of the Earth by all tongues and all nations that He has created.

I ask that you would pray for safety as the team travels to spend a day together debriefing and loving each other. I also ask that you pray for the safety of our travel home, as we all return to our loving families who cannot wait to hear all of our stories. Glory to God forever and praise to Him in the highest!

Day 6 - Something Like Yesterday

We once again broke into 3 teams and did a VBS, worked at and orphanage and tiled at a deaf school. Here are some more stories:

Lisa Rice

Today about 12 of our team had the opportunity to go to Blossom Garden Children's Center, an orphanage not far from our hotel. We ran a VBS for all the toddlers and young pre school kids. The kids loved to sing and to play the parachute game. It was so much fun playing with all the kids and connecting with them. It was amazing that all you had to do was hold the kids or just stand near them and they were happy. You can tell that all the kids needed was love. They were all so welcoming and wanted to be held. When you would hold the kids they would start laughing and get a big smile on their face but the instant you tried to put them down they would grab on to your clothes and start screaming. Leaving the orphanage was the hardest thing I had to do on this trip. I wish I could've spent more time at the orphanage with the kids.

Olivia Booth

Hey what up, mon?? Today we bob-sledded down to our first VBS and played with all the little tikes from the neighborhood. As our usual day goes, we had games, music, a puppet show, more music, a craft, and then went outside with the kids and played soccer, football, and all sorts of games. At our second VBS, as soon as we got there we realized, due to a miscommunication, that our puppet team forgot the puppets which was going to be our whole message for the day. So Jack told everyone to just go and play with the kids and left it to me to figure out what our message was gonna be. I looked around at what we had to work with and I saw a bucket and some sponges, asked Kenton if he was ok with washing feet, and decided on the Jesus washing the disciples feet from John 13. The program actually went really well for how short of time we had to prepare. The kids seemed to really enjoy the fact that Kenton had to wash a bunch of stinky sweaty feet! After that we just played tons and tons of soccer, until magically all most ALL of our soccer balls disappeared. Jack tracked one down by chasing a group of kids down two streets into an alley way, pretty crazy stuff. But this whole trip has been an awesome growing experience with God and with my group. God has really showed me how to be grateful for everything I have and for who he has put in my life.

Kari Shaw

Today was our second day at the deaf school, Jamaica Christian School for the Deaf, JCSD. It has been nice to see how well kept up the school is and how nice the facilities are. They definitely have a great deal of need though, including new swings, computers, school supplies as well as funds for a new building for the staff. Currently the staff lives in the dorms with the children. There are 37 children at the school, which is one of 12 deaf schools on the island. The families of these children could not afford the cost of boarding school, so JCSD depends on support from individuals and churches.

We were able to finish setting tile in the two bathrooms and will send a few people to grout tomorrow. We also spent time with O.B., Matthew, Amanda and another deaf girl named Shawna May. It has been a little difficult for us to communicate with the two deaf children (O.B. and Shawna May), but our team members have been very diligent to keep trying and have had some quality time with these children. The girls, Allison G., Kaylee, Kelsey, and Victoria did crafts and chalk with the kids. The Mike and Connor played frisbee and soccer with O.B. All of them helped on the work project with great attitudes as well. It has been a privilege to serve with them. It was hard for all of us to leave today. We have met new friends that we will never forget. We hope that the bathroom tile, toys, and crafts we left will be a reminder to them of the people who love God and love them.

Day 5 - One Team . . . 3 Different Places

Our team split up into 3 different groups today to ministry in 3 different places. Here are the perspectives of students from each team:


Kristina V.
Today, about twelve of us got the opportunity to go down to Blossom Garden Children’s Center, an orphanage about 20 minutes from where we were staying. We had a great time playing with the kids and connecting with them. They were infants to age seven and they seemed to really enjoy us being there. Some of us just sat in the shade holding the kids the whole time while others of us pushed them on the swings, ran around with them, or played with toys with them. I’m fairly sure I can speak for all of us when I say leaving the kids to come back was one of the most difficult things that we had done on the trip.

Mike M.
Today, we had the amazing opportunity to take eight kids to the school for the deaf and tile floors in the boys and girls bathroom. We were there from about 10 am until about 5:30 pm working on the floors and caring for three amazing kids. One of those kids, Obrian, was deaf and we quickly had to learn how communicate to him through sign language. As we grew closer to him, we realized that not all of the things he was saying in sign language were English… it was sooooooo awesome playing with the three kids and making them laugh! Another one of the kids, Matthew, was so easily entertained with me as I was going cross-eyed and making funny noises with him. ☺ Children got two toys to take with them. Matthew picked a motorcycle and a small bouncy soccer ball. As I sat with him, it made me realize how much we take everything in life for granted. All he wanted to do was jump the little motorcycle off of the little soccer ball, it was amazing to see that kind of joy in a little kid’s face. We planned on tiling only one room at the school, but we ended up starting on the other bathroom since we were moving so fast. All in all, it was pretty much the most amazing day. But then again, I said that everyday this week so far…

Perry D.
As you may have heard already the first VBS we went to was an amazing experience and a great opportunity to be a witness for the kids. Going to the second VBS left us without an idea of what to expect, but once again God showed up and showed us what it meant to love a group of needy kids. They welcomed us with open arms and I got the chance to sit down with some young boys and tell them about the love of Christ! It was such an amazing experience and the kids actually gave us the love we were supposed to give them! Everyone got back on the bus thankful that they could influence the kids there while being influenced themselves. God led us through every second in that VBS (except for when I played soccer with them, I think he left me alone for that moment . . . LOL).

Day 4 - First Day of VBS

I am so proud of our students on this trip! They have done such a great job. It has been such a blessing to be a part of this team and experience what God is doing in and through them here in Jamaica.

Today's adventure included a VBS, some beach evangelism and team bonding. Our VBS took place at the church we went to yesterday morning. The pastor was only expecting 15 kids, but we had over 50 show up! Our students told the story of the Great Samaritan and challenged the kids to be good neighbors to everyone they meet.

Because today is a national holiday, the beaches were full with people. Our team met on the beach and watched Natalie get baptized and then split into two groups and went to two different beaches. It was nice to get in the water, but our main goal was to meet new people and share the love of Jesus. The kids were amazing. There is no way we could have had so much contact with these children in America. I hung out with 2 little girls for almost the entire afternoon while their aunts sat directly behind me and watched our entire interaction. Neither one of them knew how to swim, but I did teach both of them how to float on the water. They were so excited every time they did it. I asked the girls if they knew Jesus and they said that they asked Jesus to come into their heart at church. We spent a lot of time talking about Psalm 23. They were able to tell me what it meant that the Lord was their shepherd. It was sad when they had to leave.

There was also a man that tried to sell Kevin and me a very large star fish and some aloe vera. We declined, but were able to overhear a conversation between him and Kari. Shawn told her that he believed in Jesus and knew that he was not living how he should, but the culture makes it hard to live right. He has to take care of his family. We were able to get him a New Testament and he asked us to pray for him to do the right thing. Kari prayed for him on the beach and Kevin bought some aloe which is helping my sunburn very nicely!

The team was also able to experience the Amazing Creator tonight at Glistening Waters. The lagoon has a microscopic organism that glows when agitated, so our team got to swim in the water and watch it glow all around them! How did God think of things like this?!?

Tomorrow is another exciting day. It's hard to believe that we only have 3 days of ministry left and one debrief/rec day. Thank you so much for praying for our team. Our experience would not be the same without you! -Sarah H.

Day 3- Easter Sunday

"Don't be a wimp; be a warrior." This was the brilliant teaching of Pastor Williams of Hopewell Baptist Church, one of the two churches we attended today. Throughout the week, acting as servants of God in Jamaica, every student and leader is displaying the true qualities of a warrior- spreading hope and Christianity.

This Easter Sunday, we arose early to eat breakfast and change into the best looking shirts, dress pants, dresses, or skirts we had crammed into our suitcases. After breakfast we traveled a short distance to First Baptist Church, led by Pastor Campbell. We arrived early to help with Sunday school for younger and teenage children. The plastic chairs and single piano that accompanied the light, breezy atmosphere of the church was completely dissimilar compared to our conditions at Oak Pointe. Despite the lack of large sound systems and technology, the love from the locals and the spirit of God was bigger and more alive than ever. Our whole group sang "Prince of Peace" and Perry Dunlap was able to share his testimony. The local hymns along with Pastor Campbell's message about the Resurrection of Jesus created an unforgettable, uniquely Jamaican service.

Next up we travelled about 45 minutes down the coast to Hopewell Baptist Church. This church was located within the center of a slightly underprivileged town, where stray dogs were roaming about and houses were poorly built. Nevertheless, most of the people were willing to participate in conversation with us. Conversation was indeed part of our mission during this time because we split into groups led by leaders to walk around the town and not only invite people to attend church, but also spread the word of God. We met with people young and old, and spoke with both believers and non-believers. In the group that I was in, we approached two little boys who looked to be under 10 years old. When we first went up to them, one of the little boys seemed really interested in going to church, however the other boy told him that there was no way they would be attending. We continued to speak with them about God, and kept reminding them about church at Hopewell Baptist. No one in our group knew whether or not they would show up. After Pastor Williams spoke, Derek shared his amazing testimony, songs were sung, and students performed their "Everything" skit (which shows how Jesus can save anyone from the grip of sin), the young boys that our group talked to earlier finally showed up. Only God knows what the future holds for the little boys, but the spirit of the church and just being surrounded by the love of the people tonight brought a light to their eyes that was not previously present. After the sermon, the one boy who did not want to attend church in the first place thanked me for bringing him and seemed extremely excited when we mentioned we would be returning. Gabby held the boys' hands as she prayed that they would accept Jesus as their Savior. We were all able to see the impact that our ministry had on the local people of Jamaica. It was an eye-opening experience and really pushed students to break out of their comfort zones.

Today we were all "warriors" of God. We were pushed to instill the hope of Jesus and were introduced to a different world of church that was unlike anything than most of us had ever experienced. We were able to share the love of God with locals at two churches during this incredible Easter Sunday. -Lindsey Pehrson

Day 2 - The Ministry Begins

Waking up to the ocean breeze is definitely something I could get used too! Our morning started off with a great breakfast and we got the awesome opportunity to pray with the other ministry team from Canada that is staying in our compound. Through talking to the Canadians and the Jamaican pastors it was so incredible to see how Christ unites people from every background and color for the purpose of sharing His love.

Today our ministry was at the West Haven Orphanage for special needs kids. It was very clear once we left Montego Bay that we definitely were not in America anymore. As our bus climbed up the mountain side I felt like I was transported to another world with overgrown foliage, sharp cliffs and goats on the sides of the roads! We were all very tentative when entering West Haven, it was clear these weren't kids that we normally get to be around. Seeing some of them unable to move, sprawled out on their mats made me want to break down and cry. It was the kind of thing you see in slideshows about poor African children, not something you'd picture in a tropical paradise like Jamaica.

I was horrified when noone was there to help as a paralyzed boy strapped to a wheel chair began to have an attack. As I attempted to comfort him by wheeling him around I only made it worse by not noticing that I was cutting the arm he couldn't move on his turning wheel. I began to bawl when I realized that I caused his pain filled screams, and I took him out of the wheel chair to go find help. His name is Donald, and for the next two hours I sat with him in my lap ticking him, singing songs my mother sang to me as a baby and clicking my tongue because that was the only way he could seem to communicate with me. I can't express how I felt holding this beautiful, helpless boy but I can say that in that short time I truly fell in love Donald and I know it was the love of Christ pouring out of me. All I could think of was this might be the first time he has ever been loved this way, and who knows how long it will be until he is again. I can't say enough how grateful I am for everyone who is praying for this team, without your full support none of this would have been possible! This is only the beginning and I can't believe how much I have already learned and can only imagine the amazing things that God is going to do this week.

-Natalie Allyn

Side note to this story by Sarah H: Donald is one of two kids in the orphanage that are in the process of being adopted by two American couples. When they found out that our group was coming today, they asked that we make contact with him and give him the love that they would give him. I was able to see several people share that love with Donald. It was such a blessing to watch our students share the love of Christ with these kids!

Day 1 - We are here! (Well...almost)

(From Jack Janigian)

Well, we are glad to tell you that we are here in Jamaica - the journey has been quite interesting, already - but challenges in the journey only make us stronger, right?

For the parents reading this - you know that we arrived at the airport at 3:40 AM today. Unfortunately one of our team members, Kuni, overslept and missed our flight (actually only missed it by about 10 minutes). I share this not as a point of giving Kuni a hard time, but more so to ask for your prayers. He will be traveling Sunday morning to meet up with the team. He will be on his own traveling from Detroit, to Atlanta, to Montego Bay where he will meet up with us on Sunday afternoon. Please pray for his journey on Sunday.

We were quite the pack traveling together as we had 114 bags among the 35 of us. Amazingly enough, 114 made it to Jamaica! However, upon arriving, some of our students were stopped at customs and 27 bags of supplies for the orphanages were confiscated. After sticking around for a little while, it was obvious that they were not going to release these bags, so we went to Fairhaven to check in and start getting moved in for the week. After a short time there, the director of Jamaica Link ministries drove me back to the airport, along with two students - Jordan and Mike - in hopes of getting our bags back. The customs officers started by telling me it would cost $500 in fees to get the bags because they were going to tax our donations. After much negotiating, and a couple hours sitting together in a small sweaty room - they gave us our bags for $136 dollars in taxes.

Tonight, a pastor from Kingston, Jamaica who is also the director for Jamaica Link came and shared his heart with us. We asked him to share the passage of scripture that has affected his life and ministry the most - and he shared Matthew 6:33, and Galatians 2:20. He shared his passion for ministry and his desire to be used by Christ for greatness, and he encouraged our students to pursue Christ with that same passion - and to seek the righteousness of God!

So now we are here - our luggage is here - and we anxiously await our first day of ministry. Tomorrow we will spend the day at West Haven Orphanage. Teaching the kids about Christ, and working on various projects around their campus. Pray for our students to be the hands and feet of Jesus Christ, and for God to really use them as they seek after Him.