JAMAICA!! Monday, July 2, 2012

Our work site

 This shack is actually two homes... we worked on the one on the left with the blue paint.

Today has been a tough but good day.  It was physically challenging, primarily because of the heat, but also had a few unexpected treats along the way!  

We began at PABC at about 7:30.  We waited, watched, and finally helped several of the ladies of the church prepare a breakfast meal for some of the homeless people of their city.  This is a regular project that these ladies do every Monday morning.  They have a regular clientele, and seem to know where to find the men and women who need them.  We walked downtown with them, located several of the recipients along the way.  Our kids carried the thermoses of chocolate drink and baskets of breakfast (beans and franks cooked with onion, tomato and peppers and several pieces of delicious ‘journey bread’).  They also handed out the breakfasts and poured the beverages.  Most of the recipients were in a local park.  After serving them, we stayed around to visit and talk with the recipients and the ladies of the church.  You would be so proud of our youth as many of them eagerly initiated conversations and got to know these people of Port Antonio. 

Then we walked back to the church and awaited our “Home Care” assignments.  Pastor Dayne had designated two home that we would visit to do whatever cleaning and home repair we could manage.  We split into two groups, and were intended to spend approximately 3 hours on the job.   I can only speak for the group I was with.   After a 15-20 minute walk, we arrived at the home, and I think it is safe to say that we were shocked by the depth of poverty that confronted us.  Honestly, my first thought was that there was really nothing that we could do that would make a difference in this 8x8 home for an elderly women and her 35 year old son.  They lived in one room, with 2 beds and a dresser.   They cooked and used the restroom outside, but there wasn’t even an outhouse.   But the kids went right to work, making do with limited tools and supplies and maintaining a great attitude.  They swept and raked trash in the tiny yard surrounding the home and we wiped down the one piece of furniture, folded some clothes that were hanging across the room, and swept the 4x4 section of exposed floor.  A member of the church accompanied us and assisted with cutting back some of the overgrowth and gathering the trash.    After a short while, we had accomplished all that was possible and we headed back to the church way ahead of schedule.  It took us a while to really process the poverty of that situation, but we know that we did the best that we could, showed that we cared, and hopefully were the hands and feet of Jesus in a difficult situation. 

We had sandwiched served back at the church, and spent an hour or so eating, resting and recuperating.  Several of our group have made fast friends with some of the young boys who live near the church.  They spent this free time with us and joined us for the rest of the afternoon’s activities. 

In the afternoon we walked back downtown to the marina where we visited an ice cream shop and soaked in the beautiful views.  Then our local friend Jodie took us over to the other side of the marina for probably the most amazing views of the bay.  There is a beach there and we agreed to let the kids have a little time to get their feet wet and splash around a little.  That wasn’t good enough for most, and so we ended up staying about an hour and they went all the way in, clothes and all!  It was a blast and a great way to beat the heat and exhaustion we were all feeling.

Then we walked back up to the market, and spent about an hour shopping and purchasing a great variety of souvenirs. Some of the kids were experts at bargaining!   Then we walked to KFC and waited while they got our large order together.  Our bus picked us up and brought us back to the hotel where we enjoyed our KFC takeout on the pavilion.   

We had a couple hours of free time before meeting for devotionals where we shared stories about how we had seen Christ today.  They talked the breakfast feeding program, the work at the houses, the fun time at the beach, and the way that Jay befriended the local kids and poured his time and energy into them today.  He used his own money to buy them ice cream and soccer balls at the market.   Josh  McCraven and Josh Brubaker led our devotional tonight by sharing some scripture and thoughts based on “This Little Light”.   All in all…. A hard, fun, and very meaningful day.