So much has happened in the last few days! Our days start super early and end super late, so it's been difficult finding time to blog - my apologies to all the blog addicts :)
On Friday, we changed things up a bit. The guys all went to the construction site in Eight Mile, and the girls stayed behind in Ocho Rios. We made an impromptu visit to the Parrytown Basic School with Miss Wynters!!! They are the brightest and sweetest children, and the teachers show so much sincere gratitude - they really consider us friends! I was amazed when I walked up to the school and one of the girls started calling out my name! I was even more surprised when they showed us the picture board they put together with all the photos from last year's team members! They mentioned memories from some of last year's team members, and they took photos of all the new team members for their board. As we were leaving, Miss Wynters insisted on giving a blessing and prayer which was absolutely beautiful and encouraging.
In the afternoon, we went to the Windsor Girls Home, a home for teenage girls who have been abused and/or abandoned. Jessica did a great job leading the devotional, and Sami totally let me put her on the spot when I had her sing for the girls. We spent the rest of the time there doing a craft and sharing our dance.
In the evening, we went to Rock Teens, where Pastor CJ shared a powerful message. Alyse and Sami sang a song they learned that morning, and Brandon shared an awesome testimony (it's obvious he's a preacher in the making!).
Meanwhile the construction guys made progress on the church, but not as much as they hoped because materials were not delivered on time. We knew we'd have a ton of work to do to catch up if we wanted to get the building done in time for the dedication service.... This team is more than able!
Love and gratitude,
*Pastor Courtney and the Jamaica family
23 comments:
Hey, Allea! It's Mom on Sunday night. I sure miss you. So does Rupert. Saw your picture and it made me miss you even more. You look tired but happy. Hope you're wearing your sunscreen. Can't wait to see you sweetie. God Bless and protect you and the whole team. So awesome to hear the work that you all are doing and the lives you're touching. Love, Mommy
Alyse it was great to hear your voice tonight. Please take care of yourself I'm sorry to hear you were ill the other day, maybe too much sun, but I do so appreciate the people that took such good care of you.We love you and miss you like crazy. You are a very special person that is really making a difference. I love you.
Maddi, it was so great to talk to you, if even for a minute (sorry we kept having to say, "huh?" "what??" since it took up most of our time, but dad appreciated you calling to say happy dad's day! Also so glad you liked your package... I hope the letters made you cry... i mean, smile :)
We love you so very much, and again, are so proud of you and can't wait to hear the amazing testimony's of everything that's happened.
xxoo
mom and dad :)
Oh my gosh!!!! The suspense was killing me. It's like I've been reading this fantastic book for the past four days and I wanted to read the next chapter. Thank you Pastor Courtney for the update. Lydia and Zach, it was sooooo great to hear your voices tonight. I have to admit, I really am missing you and can't wait for you to come home. Have fun in the sun tomorrow. Lydia, I know you think it is boring but if you have time would you please look for shells for me. You know how much I enjoy collecting shells! Zach, maybe you could find a heart-shaped shell like the heart-shaped rock you found me when you were 2 years old. Sleep well tonight!!! I'll talk to you tomorrow. I love you!!!
Love,
Mom
Aw that's so cute how the kids kept the pictures and even put new ones up! And Sami you alwaz do great when you sing so you should of had no problem cuz u sound so AMAZING as alwaz! =)
Melissa i thought of you saturday cuz i got Star Bucks!I got the vanilla bean frappuccino =) (YUM!) but 2 things i remember is when i drank out of yours and then we both got the Flu (ha) and how you love Star Bucks ha. And we r waiting till you get back 2 have father's day (well not relly but we didn't have the ice cream cake cuz dad wanted 2 wait till you get back). And Melissa I'm so glad that you went on this mission trip cuz your doing so amazing in jamaica and I can't wait 2 hear everything!!! An now that i kinda know from the blog how amazing jamaica is i want 2 go next year!!! And Maddi I'm so proud of you 2 cuz your doin so great as well and along wit everyone else!!!!!
Love
Jess =)
P.S Idk if wen u read this father's day is over but HAPPY FATHER'S DAY! to any dad's on the trip =) ha
p.s Alyse please use sunscreen on fun day. Don't get too much sun, I love you so much mom
Brandon,
Amazing job on sharing how god has changed you and your life for the best by sharing your testimony.I'm sure you touched alot of people's heart and maybe even won them to the lord.I wish I was there to experience it who knows maybe next year.Anyways two more days till your home can't wait :) Have a good time later today during free time.We love you and miss you.
love Jasmine
What an impact you have made over the people there. Eternity will tell how many lives were truly touched. I'm sue all are exhausted but your labor has not been in vain. Our prayer support continutes to be with you. Jess- i knew you would do a great job with the devotional. You better take care of those ankles!! Drink lots of water (bottled!). See you soon. Love Dad & Mom.
What an impact you have made over the people there. Eternity will tell how many lives were truly touched. I'm sue all are exhausted but your labor has not been in vain. Our prayer support continutes to be with you. Jess- i knew you would do a great job with the devotional. You better take care of those ankles!! Drink lots of water (bottled!). See you soon. Love Dad & Mom.
Hi Everyone!
Thank you, Trevor, for your phone call! Sorry I missed it, but we got your voicemail and it was really good to hear your voice! We miss you so much!
It is now Monday morning and Eric has just gone into surgery...he will stay overnight at the hospital one night. Please keep him in prayer. I want you all to know how sad he was that he couldn't go on this mission trip with you! It was even hard for him to read the blog b/c he wanted so much to be there with you all! He watched the video the other day and was very emotional and teary eyed (don't tell him I told you)!
Brandon, I know he is very proud of you and would've loved to hear you preach! And Joey, God had other plans this week to stretch you in a different direction, didn't He? Trevor, one thing Eric kept saying was how he had wanted to be with his step-son for his first mission trip...But sometimes we need to let our little birdies open their wings and fly on their own, and boy, did you guys soar!!!!
God proves to us over and over that He knows what He is doing and we just need to put our lives (and our kids' lives) into His hands and trust in HIM!!!
Love to you all, and hope you have a wonderful day in the sun today!
Can't wait to see you all at 3 am on Wednesday morning!!! LOL
ik its longer but it is going to b the last one before all of you guys get back
just some more things all of u might enjoin
One day a blond office worker comes out to the warehouse to walk around. As she is walking she looks up and sees a co-worker hanging upside down from an I-Beam in the ceiling.
She asks "What ARE you doing"?
The co-worker says "I need a few days off but the boss won't let me have them so I'm hanging upside down from this I-Beam acting crazy.
The boss will see me, think I need rest and send me home for a few days".
The blond says "That won't work...uh ohh...here comes the boss now, you're in for it".
The boss spots the blond looking up and sees the man hanging up there and asks him "Just WHAT do you think you are DOING?!!"
The man says (in a "crazy" voice) I'm a light bulb...I'm a light bulb"
The boss says "Buddy, you need some rest..take the rest of today and tomorrow off and get some sleep".
As he is climbing down he winks at the blond showing her it worked.
The blond thinks about this for a moment and starts to follow the man out the door.
The boss asks her "WHERE do you think YOU'RE going?"
The blond says "I can't work in the dark".
If a turtle doesn't have a shell, is he homeless or naked?
Should vegetarians eat animal crackers?
If the cops arrest a mime, do they tell him he has the right to remain silent?
When companies ship Styrofoam, what do they pack it in?
How come we choose from just two people for President and fifty for Miss America?
If a 911 operator has a heart attack, whom does he/she call?
Why do they lock gas station bathrooms? Are they afraid someone will clean them?
If a stealth bomber crashes in a forest, will it make a sound?
hey Brandon its your mother again,troy said hello i guess you will be on your way home tuesday i will be really glad to see you.well there really aint much to say but i love you and GOD BLESS ALL OF YOUS.....
Hi Missy, This will probably be the last comment from me since u will soon be home. I did not take ur car for a service. This way it's there no matter what time u want to come home(hope it's still where u left it)!I'm very anxious to hear how God has worked in ur life on this trip.I'm certain there have been some miracles seen in Jamaica(and hopefully many more to come).Haven't seen or heard anything about u since ur down there(unless ur the Melissa that fell early on)I will believe that no news is good news:) Looking forward to seeing u in a couple days. Pleeeas STAY SAFE!! Praying u all have a safe flight home.Many blessings to everyone! Love bunches,Mom
I MISS YOU GUYS SOO MUCH!!!!! I feel like a lost puppy right now because i miss all of my friends:( Ha mar, sami and esh i gotta tell yaa something really funny hahaha ok so i was walking from the church to a friends house and as i'm walking i realized tht i heard some growling behind me haha and i thought it was my tummy because i was s=really hungry ha so i turned around and there was this huge dog behind me and it stepped upp to me and kept growling soo ha i got scared and it chased me for about two blocks and then i saw a fence and i tried to hop it but when i jumped my foot got caught in the wire so i fell on the dog ha and it ran away hahaha soo now my vack hurts but i was laughing and running at the same time hahaha i really wish you could have been there butt i'm glad you guys are where you are because what you are doing down there is a blessing and i know you are all touching the lives of many people hahaha. And marlee me and troy came up with the idea of coming down there and snatching you and esh upp and just bringing you both back but it wouldn't work because we would have to act like we were slaves and i would have to be MUTE and we all know that would never work hahaha. I love all of you soo very much and i'm going to continue to pray for everyone! Be Safe and god bless you all:)
hey jake and everyone else, I was happy to hear that you are are still well andhappy. I must admit I am soooooo ready to see you. Enjoy the rest of your time and make it count for God. I am just bursting with joy every time Isee wat yo all hv been up to. I love you!!!!!!!!! We are al at crestwood today allie,marc jr,camerom,spencer,aaron,amy,and ben all say HI Jake!!!!!!! xxxxxxooooooooxxxxxooooooooxxxxooo
IeSha I was so happy to hear your voice even though I only heard every other word, daddy was sad that he missed you but I told him you called to wish him a Happy Father's Day and that made him happy and so did the card that you left him.
I'm sure your sad that your week went by so fast, but we are so happy your coming home and we can't wait to hear all your testimonies.
I hope everyone had an amazing time and I'm sure you all made a difference through the Lord's work in Jamaica. May the Lord be your
pilot on both your flights home. I will keep all of you in prayer for a safe return.
IeSha we can't wait to see your smiling face bright and early at 4am on Wednesday!!
WE LOVE YOU
SEE YOU SOON!
The Rodriguez Family
hi jake, i can't believe that it is monday night already. soon you'll be on your way home. i can't wait to hear all of your stories. ....... this message is from ben....i beat the elite four. jakeie, miss YOU. love you, ben .... we are at joanne and frank's because our computer is at best buy..... joanne says that she and frank love you and miss you. keep up on your mission every day...god bless you all. i'm praying everyday that god will work amazing things through you all. .... love, dad....................oh did i mention to be safe.....
Maddi, I miss you!! I miss you really bad! Dad is in Fla getting the younger kids to bring them home, so I'm all alone... just me and the dogs... can't wait to see you!!!!
I guess you could say I am becomming a blog addict. I don't like being on the computer at home especially after being on it all day at work. But I can't resist. From work I call home and ask "anything new yet?" Guess us blogger's will need rehab. Naaaah the only rehab I will need is to see all of your faces Wed at 4 am:)
I was shocked when I picked up the phone and heard a familiar voice say "Ma" on the other side. I know you were calling for Father's day but I felt as if it were mother's day. I was thrilled to hear your voice Melissa. If you could have seen me today I was smiling all day.
I truly enjoyed reading the updates and when I read them, Courtney It's like I can almost hear your beautiful voice:) Really do miss you too. You are such an amazing example for our Youth. Thanks for all your hard work.
Well I know everyone has worked so hard and all of you are such an amazing example to all of the youth back home.
Sami I miss you too!! OOhhh small group slumber party 7/24 I know how much you love them. Swim, food and movie. Can't wait to see you when you get back. So proud of you. Well I'm proud of all of you!
Can't wait to see you Melissa. I'm driving the girls at work crazy. Telling them all about the wonderful stuff that the team is doing in Jamaica. Letting them know how proud I am of you and how much I miss you. Love you and see you soon.
I will be praying for a safe trip home. God Bless you all.
Mom
Gabo is Papo hope the week has been amaizing by reading the blog I see you guys have been doing an amaizing job. I miss u so much and cant wait to see you. Gabo sorry I missed your call. But I was still exited when I heard your voice on the answer machine that completed my fathers day on a great note. Dawn and I cant stop wondering what your going to tell us when we see you again its been along week for us.We will keep praying for you and the team and cant wait to give you a hug and a kiss.
Love Papi, Dawn, Tali and Isaac
PS: you can tell me everything I misspell when you come home w/o you my english stinks.¡¡Te Amo!!
Alyse hi honey it's Monday night and I can't wait to see you. I miss the updates on the blog I must check the computer 20 times a day, oh well you are coming home Tuesday, and I can't wait to catch up with you. You are amazing .
Sassy(aka Marlee),
I cannot believe what great WONDERS God is doing with and through you all there. Pastor Courtney said something that reminded me something that your Nana(and P.Cournteys') used to say. . 'GOD will do EXCEEDINGLY adn ABUDANTLY what we could EVER imagine, when we allow him to work in and through us'. He is doing that through you and the team.
I miss you very much, and CANNOT wait to see your precious and groggy face Weds at 4AM. By the way, Troy and Michael will be there too. WILD HORSES won't keep Troy away, he and Michael are counting down the hours and minutes until you arrive home!!
I am so proud of you, and thrilled that you had this experience. I pray you bring it ALL home with you, and continue your 'mission' here. . .
Big hugs and 100 kisses!!
xoxo
Mama
Hey Maddi
In Florida now and wishing there were some new pics to see. Can't wait until you get home. I know you have to be ready for a real shower by now. And a real bed. Nana and Pop Pop say "Hi" as well as your brothers and sister (sort of). Sara is swimming like crazy and Luke looks like a bronze model with his dark tan and muscles. Cameron is ready to come home and play with his friends and video games. We all miss you so much. Thanks for the call yesterday for Dad's Day. That was totally unexpected and really appreciated. Looking forward to seeing you and hugging you again soon.
Love,
Dad
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