Blog Blackout

Hello all, this is Phil.

I know many of you were wondering what in the world happened to our blog. I fully understand your confusion and would like to quickly explain what happened.

Well, while at Fairhaven (our Jamaican residence) we were attempting to update the blog as frequently as possible. However, on Wednesday night we started to really experience some technical difficulties and we found it impossible to upload pictures and update the blog. We also were going through some trials as a team about the concept of being on a missions trip and being fully present wherever we were. We were in Jamaica and we all needed to realize this fact and to fully focus on the tasks at hand. Too often we found ourselves worried about the comings and goings of home and the preoccupation with the blog began to distract the team. So, God being good all the time, provided a way for us to gel as a team and to leave the distractions of home at home. He shut down the internet. Praise the Lord! I know it wasn't convenient for those of you reading this blog, but it was an essential need for our team and it proved to be so fruitful.

We won't leave you empty though. We have decided to update the blog with pictures and stories of our adventures with the Lord while in Jamaica; even though we are home it's still important to tell the story of what God has done. So stay tuned for forthcoming blogs and pictures.

Aug 12^{th (This is yesterday's blog that I wrote but unfortunately, we were having more technical difficulties. Hope you enjoy!)}

Hello all - Kathryn here! So today we started out today with VBS once again, although we organized our schedule to allot more time to stay for the whole session. We started out with songs (with crazy dance moves!) and then broke the kids up into different age groups. I was put into a group with Robert and Lisa with the kids from ages 9-12, and we got to learn about David being picked by God because He looks at our hearts and not our outward appearances. We then jumped into a craft of sheep masks and crowns (Thank you Burger King!) to represent David going from a shepherd to a king. The kids seemed to enjoy it by drawing sheep faces with their tongues sticking out. After that we just had hang out time with the kids. We didn’t really have a game planned but we didn’t waste the time. Two little girls showed Aaron and I this crazy little dance where you stick your “thumbs out, elbows in, knees together, butt out, head up, eyes closed” and you sort of wiggle your bottom to perform a very silly dance. Trust me, it’s AWESOME! Ask me when we get back, and I’ll show it to you - you will be impressed. J

From VBS we took a crazy twisty road through the jungle to Copse, a house for troubled teen boys. We unfortunately, had less than an hour to spend with them because the girls (including myself) were expected at Melody House, a home for abused girls at 2:00. The moment we got in the gate it was amazing to see all of the young boys, many of which were much younger than I thought they were going to be. The guys on our team started a soccer game with some of the older boys while the girls hung around just making small talk with some of the boys who didn’t feel like playing. We learned that there wasn’t much to do for them in the ways of entertainment, especially because school isn’t in session. They mostly spend their time making bead necklaces, bracelets, and rings from twine and small beads. They also have a TV with a DVD player but it sounded as if they had limited movies to watch. I met a boy there who was thirteen years old and had been at the facility since he was seven. I can’t imagine what he must have done at seven years old to be deserved to be sent to a facility where young boys are sent to be under government watch. The guys on our team are eager to go back to spend more time interacting with the boys, hopefully sometime this week.

From Corpse, we had to travel to the other side of the mountain to get to Melody House. We girls were dropped off there, and the boys were taken back to Fairhaven to paint second and third story exterior window sills for Mary. From what I heard, this involved a great deal of screaming on Geoff’s part, and in general many painted arms and legs. Meanwhile, we were led into a sitting room by a woman named Jean, and we were forced to wait for some length of time before she finally sent the girls in. At first, the girls came in and sat on the complete other side of the room and just stared at us. We tried to create a little bit of small talk, but it was a little awkward at first. To me it felt like there was an elephant in the room that nobody wanted to talk about, the elephant of abuse; during our short stay, however, it never really came up. We just tried to treat them like normal teenage girls. While we were chatting it up, I was just trying to put myself out there and be a little on the crazy side just so that maybe they would open up and feel more comfortable with themselves - hey, if she’s that crazy, I can’t be as bad as her. They seemed to really think there was something wrong with me at first (you should have seen their faces) but they soon began to think I was funny. Becky soon planted the idea of playing a game, and they jumped right in. We played a game somewhat like “Have you seen my Goat” (ask me when I get back if you don’t know) and that really helped to break down walls and get people to know more about each other. Then they taught us this awesome dancing game where you sing this song that goes something like, “There’s a brown girl in the ring- sha-la-la-la!” while a person in the middle does a dance move. The girls forming the ring then have to copy it, and then once the little rhyme ends the person in the middle has to pick a new person to be in the middle and the song starts all over again. I was the first girl out of our group to be picked to go into the middle and they started singing about a brown girl, but after a few moments they realized the words had to be changed to, “There’s a WHITE girl in the ring!” It was hilarious! It was an awesome game, we must have played it for what felt like hours. Watch out! Because I’m going to teach it to everyone I know! After that, we just walked around the yard for the bit talking about, you know, girly stuff: hair, boys, clothes, shows on TV, killing chickens for dinner. It was all good! We even tried some of the different fruit they had growing on their property. Sour plums are verrrrry interesting, let me tell you… but all in all, it was AMAZING! We all felt so happy and overjoyed as we left, and yet so very sad to leave our girls. We took a few pictures, however, and exchanged addresses so we could write to them. Unfortunately, we’re not going to be posting pictures on here of the girls, for safety purposes. We are hoping to squeeze in some more time this week, possibly tomorrow. It was a blessing to meet these girls and just hang out with them and have some girl time. J It was very rewarding because another woman named Clair who works there told us that these girls sometimes feel cut off from society being so far up in the hills without having many visitors. I just hope we can see them again before we leave. So far, Melody House has for sure been my favorite!

Just so you guys know, if you have any comments you can leave them here! We’d love to hear what you think of our adventures and labors here in Jamaica!

Jamaica Day Two

G-off Weakley and E to the Coupe here,

Today the team began by waking up. I believe this is the way that we will begin each day, but don't quote me on that. We ate breakfast which included a delicious ham, cheese, and egg casserole, which by the way, was a huge blessing from God through the working hands of the staff. After breakfast we packed up our lunches and we were off to a mysterious adventure into the unknown. The unknown it turns out, was just a little ole church on the side of a hill called OASIS. Vacation bible school was in full effect, we there just to help. About 840 kids showed up (JMD[Jamaican Money Dollar][Only about 12 USD[United States Dollar]]). 12 kids really showed up (sorry about the confusion), all of whom arrived in a 1990 honda accord. As soon as they arrived, we jumped right into an exhilarating craft session where we made coffee filter, pipe cleaner, marker written butterfly. All which was the brainchild of KELLY HAYES!

On a side note Mary J. Blige is playing from the club next door as we are writing currently. The significance of the butterfly came from Ephesians 4:21-24, read it if you haven't already memorized it. The children who we were ministering to were not too talkative, but very cooperative. After the craft and the message we sadly we had to leave, but gladly went to Blossom Gardens, a government orphanage.

When we arrived there we really didn't know what to expect and chaos followed. Not the bad chaos but the flexible chaos we as missionaries should come to expect. We stood at the gate having rang the doorbell but to no avail. We stood there in the awkward confusion for what seemed like 1 hour. As i was later told, we were really only standing there for about 2.5 minutes, but you know how that works. Finally a person came out asking what we wanted and let us in. We all were directed straight to the bathroom, and when I say all, I mean boys and girls, to the SAME place. Thas righ mon we us inda same batchrooom. After we were finished there we went right into the baby room where baby holding commence. Babies left, right, up, down, BABIES EVERYWHERE! Sometimes poop sometimes no poop, sometimes poop everywhere including Lisa's pants. Thats right a baby had some leakage aka blowout directly on Lisa's pants, YUCK! She was however a trooper and took it like a champ, wiped it off, and came back asking for more. This shows that God is definitely working with us on this trip. Lunch time hit, for the kids not for us, and we were handed just as many bottles as babies, when the babies were done some of us moved on to the kitchen to help with the older kids, about 4-9. Soup was the meal of choice and lets just say that the difficulty level was at 10. Imagine with me for a moment, a room full of young children with a bunch of hot soup. AHHHHHH! No problem though, we were throwing spoonfuls of hot liquid left and right and before we knew it we were all souped out. Soon after the lunch, it was farmer in the dell time, bingo was his name-o, ride that pony, and father abraham. We were just jumping around every which way singing this song and that with crazy enthusiasm that we didn't even know we had. After the final story of Daniel in the lions den, we had to leave to get back to Fairhaven for dinner. On our journey back home we stopped at a small stand and bought a few bags of sugar cane and pineapples which by the way were delicious.

After dinner we recapped the day, went over the crafts that we wanted to do for the week, and did some journaling time. After journaling time we headed out to a territory that was very unknown to some of us. Street ministries. After walking around for a while and meeting some people here and there, we came across a lady with about 4 kids or so. Chrissy and Janelle were the first to make friends with her and they began to talk about their beliefs. As things heated up between them some more of us became interested and entered the conversation. It turns out that the lady was a Jehovah’s Witness and refused to believe that God is three in one. Not only that but she would listen to what we were saying just enough to basically make us feel better and then she would completely refuse what we had to say. She couldn’t see the truth by herself but there is good news, we might be meeting with her again tonight, we will need all of God’s power to work through us so that she can see the light. So if I could ask for everyone back home to pray for us tonight when we are doing the street ministry that would be amazing. Sorry for the delay with the blog, we had some technical trouble. Until next time. PEACE OUT

Our First Day

Hello everyone! This is Phil!

Today was crazy. Matter of fact, I don't even know what day "today" I'm referring to. We boarded the plane in Sacramento at 10:30pm and arrived in Charlotte at 3:10am – by west coast standards, that is. Not a lot of sleeping happened during the plane ride; the seats didn't recline very far back, there were no complimentary drinks or snacks, nor was there a movie. It was simply a 4 hour, dark plane ride. However, it wasn't completely devoid of excitement.

Geoff and Aaron were seated next to each other with one seat open in their aisle – the window seat. The person occupying the window seat was a German college student who was visiting UC Davis. About 30 minutes into the plane ride I over hear a conversation taking place between Aaron, Geoff and the German student. Two and a half hours later the conversation was over and the three went to sleep. Aaron and Geoff discussed with the student the nature of sin and evil, the existence of God and the purpose of Jesus Christ; we hadn't even made it to Charlotte before Geoff and Aaron had shared the gospel with someone. Praise God for that opportunity!

We arrived in Jamaica 15 minutes earlier than scheduled - that was a great relief! While we didn't have any trouble getting through customs and immigration, we did encounter a small problem at the baggage claim. By the time the luggage carousel was completely emptied of bags team had all picked up their luggage; that is, except for Robert. Instead of his luggage arriving in Montego Bay, it had decided to take an adventure in Baltimore, Maryland for some reason. Luckily, I had made sure to tell the team in advance to pack a change of clothes in their carry-on luggage, so Robert is fine with what he has until the rest of his luggage arrives.

We were picked up by the Fairhaven driver named Chris. He was very welcoming and got us to Fairhaven safely. It is weird to see cars driving on the opposite side of the street but it was pretty cool to see all the Jamaican billboards and local attractions. Jamaica is entirely more tropical than I had imagined. There are great ravines and canyons and mountains; much more rugged than anticipated. We took some pictures on our approach to the airport.

Once we arrived at Fairhaven, the humidity got to us really quickly. We all loaded our luggage into our rooms, which is more like a Hume Lake cabin than a hotel, and we chose our bunks. Immediately, all the guys changed into their swim gear and headed out to the Ocean – a mere 40 feet from our front door. The water is about the temperature of shower water. We wasted no time; the guys just jumped in, swam out about 100 yards or so and stood in the white sand talking and getting refreshed. After a while of splashing around like mermaids, Elliot and Geoff decided that is was high-time to find some locals and strike up a conversation. When this decision came to fruition, the guys were joined by the girls and we all had a good cooling off. About 20 minutes later, I found myself finding rocks (or "stones" as the Jamaicans referred to them) and giving them to the local kids. Pretty soon we were surrounded by about 15 kids playing and splashing and doing front-flips and back-flips. We were throwing stones at a buoy. Some of the local kids introduced us to their families and we shared stories about food and travels. None of the people we met had ever been off the island, so it was fun to talk to them about California.

That having been said, our fun in the water wasn't without its downside – a number of the guys including Eli, Elliot, Aaron and myself were viciously attacked by black sea urchins, or "pokey things" as we dubbed them. Not to worry, though; their venom isn't particularly powerful, and what lasting pain they induce can be solved by urinating upon one's afflicted area. Hooray, pee!

Departure

Aaron here! We've just made it past security, and we're currently waiting for the time when we'll board and leave the comforts of our homes behind. As we made it to the airport lobby one by one, I had the distinct feeling that something big was happening; something great, glorious, and slightly frightening. But what made this truth even more evident was seeing my emotional response appear on the faces of my comrades, sometimes greatly amplified. You wouldn't know it from the pictures we took, though.

Isn't that the most attractive bunch of people you've ever seen? I thought so!

Saying our goodbyes only further intensified this feeling. The bittersweet taste of parting with our families a necessary evil that accompanies all such trips, and we know that it won't last long or interfere with the work that God has ordained for us. That having been said, we do so love our families!

Bye guys! MAY THE FORCE BE WITH YOU!

Joy, Excitement, Amazement, and Awe

Hello. Kelly here. I am writing because I am overflowing with joy, excitement, and...I guess you can saw awe. I am joyous and excited because after all the months of planning, Jamaica has come. Tomorrow night we set off into the wonderful experience that is ahead of us. But I am also in this state because of the support, love, and prayers of all those around the people of this team. I have seen and felt the prayers of all who are praying. I know that God is doing a mighty work in this team as a whole and through everyone as individuals as well. Thank you all so much for your dedications to pray for this team! Thank you for the all of you support and encouragement that you have given. It means more than you know.

God has done mighty things through the preparation of this mission trip which causes me to be in amazement and awe. It was back in March that Phil talked to me about the possibility of going to Jamaica in August. Back then it seemed a short amount of time to raise money and plan a trip but here it is August and we're going! We have been blessed abundantly in every way. God has already done so much in my life just through the planning of this trip that at times it feels like Jamaica is the cherry on top but I know that Jamaica is so much more than that. He has shown me that he will take care of all of our needs. It amazes me that going into our garage sale we needed $1300 and that at the end of the day we had made $1300. There is but one answer to how this happened and God is it. He has provide for us above and beyond. I have learned also about planning a trip and this is something that I know God has planned for me in my life. I had once seen someone plan a trip that I was going on in High school, and I thought "that is something that I want to do." From then on it had always been on my mind and something that I wanted to do and something I thought that the Lord would have me do. Then Phil talk to me and it felt so right and I thought, "Thank you Lord! My time to start has finally come!" I feel this is something that God has called me to and I am so blessed by Him to finally be able to do it. This team is also such a blessing. I have come to know them and see how well we work with one another. We have come across no problems and can laugh and have fun together and most importantly, we can worship God together. God has made this team. Everyone has a purpose and they bring something special that without it there would be something missing.

In everything about this trip I see God which makes me in awe of him. As you can see there is so much that has happened before this trip has even begun (and theres is more then I have written here). It makes me think...rather know, that this trip is going to be amazing. God has already blessed me so much that there is no way Jamaica will be anything less. In fact, I know that it will be so much more that the thought just blows my mind.

Thank again to everyone who has prayed and continues to pray. Thank you to those who have supported us financially. Thank you to those who have given and continue to give encouragement. Thank you to my team who has come together, everyone giving their time and talents. And most of all, thanks be to God. Without him none of this would happen. Let us continually praise him and bring glory to His name!

A Silent Conversation

Hello everyone!

One of the many requirements for those who wished to go on the trip to Jamaica was journaling. In addition to journaling, the members of our team (me, Phil Ward, included) were required to read John Piper's book, Let the Nations be Glad. Kathryn wrote about the book and her interactions with it in her blog post entitled, "Suffering to be like Jesus." I highly encourage you to read it. She does a fabulous job of articulating the crux of the book and its effect on the way we view missions.

The purpose of journaling about the Jamaica mission trip is complex and basic. First, I have always found it so beneficial to write down my thoughts and emotions and concerns and questions and blessings. For me, journaling has been a way to pour out my heart to the Lord. It's a way for me to write down, in black and white, all the gray, fuzzy stuff that goes through my head and heart. It helps me to discover what I truly think and feel about particular experiences. It seems at times that journaling allows me to take inventory of my spiritual progress in the faith as well as to examine where I need to beg God for more Grace. As the Word penetrates our very being and exposes our greatest needs, so to journaling provides a rich spiritual encounter with God. The Holy Spirit convicts me where I fall short and exhorts me where I have been faithful; God's perspective of my attitudes, actions, emotions, and thoughts are laid bare before me through the Holy Spirit as I reflect on the day I've lived.

Secondly, I have found that journaling allows me to better express my thoughts and emotions before God. All that motivates me and irks me, things that give me life and passion, thoughts that humble me and propel me to holiness are all poured out before the Lord. Journaling is a slow process; it's unlike typing in Microsoft Word. You have to be diligent and intentional about the topic to which you write. This helps us slow down and to begin to think deeply and to feel deeply about what God is doing in our lives and our obedience to His will.

Lastly, journaling enables us to recount the works of God in our lives. Francis Bacon once said, "If a man write little, he had need have a great memory." It is strange in our culture to keep a journal, but it appears so necessary if we are to recount what God has done in and through us. Great events and amazing moments where God woos us into His grace and empowers us with His love are lost in the potholes of our memories, never to be thought of again. This ought not to happen. How often would our faith be strengthened if we simply opened the pages of our journal and recollected the moments of when we fell to our knees, as the beggars we are, and implored God for His help to which God so bountifully supplied? Stephen Charnock writes, "How worthy is it to remember former benefits when we come to beg for new."

Upon editing this blog I had a friend say to me, "it seems as though you know God is going to do something worth writing down." The one thing that came to my mind was the words of Psalm 102:18, "Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the Lord." I don't know what will happen, but in the words of Aslan, from Prince Caspian – the book, "There is only one way to find out."

What we write in our journals will be a conversation with God. A silent conversation. May the silence be a deafening witness to the awesome works of God.

While in Jamaica

Hello everyone! I just wanted to give everyone a little glimpse into what we will be doing while we are in Jamaica.

First off, we are going through an organization called Jamaica Link Ministries (http://www.jamaicalink.org/). This organization was founded in 2001 with a purpose to connect Jamaican leaders and Christian organizations with churches around the world that are willing to come alongside them and support the work they are doing in their local communities. JLM is a non-profit organization that acts as an umbrella under which many ministries in Jamaica can get the assistance they need to flourish. I have been in contact with a lady named Mary who helps to set up itineraries for the people who are coming to Jamaica to serve. She has been so wonderful and I can't wait to finally meet her. Although we do not have a confirmation on anything yet (that will come later this week), we as a team feel a calling to help with the following things.

The one place that we as a team feel led to serve in would be with the trouble youth of Jamaica along with the orphans. The guys will go to a boys home called COPS where they will hang out, play soccer and whatnot, and help in any way that they need. The boys here are either orphans or are troubled teens. While the guys are serving there the girls will go to a place called Melody House which is a home for girls in their early teens who have been abused and/or are pregnant. At each place we will have the opportunity to spend time with these boys and girls and show the love of Christ. I think that it will stretch us beyond anything that we have done because there will be more opportunities for one-on-one time unlike the usual VBS sort of thing.

We will also go to a government run orphanage called Blossom Gardens and a disabled children's home called West Haven. Here we will serve by helping with the children, feeding them and playing games. We will also help the staff there with anything that they need whether it be doing laundry, dishes, gardening, taking trips to the store, etc.

I know that the most challenging thing for me and many people on the trip will be street ministry. Now, I know that many people get very apprehensive when we say street ministry, but just know that we have God on our side and these people need to see Christ just as well as those children that we will be serving. I have talked with a friend who has been to Jamaica (in fact she is how we found out about all of this. Her name is Lindsey). She has been three times and says that one of the most rewarding things was the street ministry. We will be staying is a place called Fairhaven and just down the way is where the local hang outs are for people around our age. The people of Jamaica are very friendly people and we are going to just get to know them. We are going to go into this as getting to know them as friends and show Christ through our actions.

If you are interested check out Lindsey's blog from her trip in 2007 www.teamjamaica07.blogspot.com. There you will find pictures of the place we will be staying and places that we will visit and children that we might see. We will eventually have our own pictures for you to see.

One week from today will we leave for Jamaica! I am excited and can hardly believe that it is almost here. God has truly been working through this team and is blessing us in so many ways. We have come together as a team to be able to contribute in the ways we best can, everybody doing their part with the talents that they have. We have grown closer together and I know that we'll only get closer while in Jamaica. God has taken care of us financially and I know that it's through God alone that we are. I have seen His amazing blessings in preparation for this trip and I look forward to what He has for us while in Jamaica!

Suffering to be like Jesus

July 27th 2008

Hello! Kathryn here! In preparation for our mission trip to Jamaica, Phil Ward asked us to read John Piper’s book, Let the Nations be Glad. We are reading it to get a better understanding of the supremacy of God in missions and to understand the purpose of missions. I’m not quite finished with the book, but it’s been an amazing read so far. It has been a challenge to get through because there is just so much good stuff in it!
I was reading today about the supremacy of God in missions through suffering. Piper notes that “Loss and suffering, joyfully accepted for the kingdom of God, show the supremacy of God’s worth more clearly in the world than all worship and prayer.” But what struck me the most is Piper’s explanation of the phrase “taking up our cross” (Mark 8:34). “To take up a cross and follow Jesus means to join Jesus on the Calvary road with a resolve to suffer and die with him. The cross is not a burden to bear, it is an instrument of pain and execution. It would be like saying, ‘Pick up your electric chair and follow me to the execution room.’ Or ‘Pick up your sword and carry it to the place of beheading.’ Or ‘Pick up this rope and carry it to the gallows.’” When I read this explanation, I was stunned. I had always thought that picking up your cross meant picking up your burdens, but when I read this, I really felt that Piper’s explanation was true. We are to be suffers right along side with Christ. Piper also explains to why we must suffer. “The call to suffer with Christ is not a call to bear our sins the way he bore them but to love the way he loved. We are freed to love as Jesus did because our sins are forgiven. Because he suffered for us, we can suffer like him.”
WOW! I sat in my room after I had read this and pondered Piper’s ideas. For less than a year now, I have felt called to be a missionary. The first part of Piper’s book was so inspiring that I was motivated to go out and save the world for God. But this section of the book made me stop and look at the flip side of the coin. Piper raises a huge warning sign that says, “SUFFERING AHEAD: Do not enter unless you can accept this”. I wondered, ‘Can I, literally, give my life to Christ?’ ‘Am I really willing to suffer, just for him?’ Missions work comes with the awesome and the not-so awesome. Was I willing to suffer for my Lord? Was I willing to suffer and die in the name of Jesus Christ? I decided yes. Or at least, that’s what I wanted to say, but there are still some doubts. I guess I won’t truly know until I face that situation. But hopefully, I will be able to stand up to someone and not forsake my God and King.
So, what does this have to do with Jamaica? We will be going to love on little broken boys and girls, as well as the adults of Jamaica. With God giving us the power, we will be able to be Jesus with skin on, and allowing his everlasting light to shine through us. Now, while I don’t want anyone to die, I do hope that maybe, we have a little suffering on this trip for then we will know we are truly being like Christ and we will have the opportunity to rely more on God’s strength than our own.