We've been so busy, so it's been hard to find time to check in - my apologies! The team is alive and well :)
The student team spent the morning holding VBS at a school for students age 6-15 (quite a range!).... and then did it all over again in the afternoon! It rained in the afternoon, so we had to quickly come up with a plan B and move all the stations from outside into one room with 150 noisy, unruly students (a formula for sheer pandemonium!). The team was incredible - flexible, creative, and fun. Alex and Trevor spoke at the first school assembly - I was so proud of them for stepping up to that challenge! They were great!
Back in 8 Mile, the guys made incredible progress on the building! The walls are now up and the windows are in! The girls did their part in construction by forming an assembly line to move the wood pile, and got a bit muddy in the process! Andrew Wiles managed to unclog the baptism tank (which we found out has be come a bath/pool for the locals), which means we're having our baptism service on Sunday morning to baptize the new believers!!!! SOOOO exciting!
Pastor CJ and Brandon stayed back at Teen Challenge to lead a devotional, preach at the chapel service, and counsel with the TC students. I figured they would be good, but it was confirmed when Brother T called me to rave about Pastor CJ and ask if we could have someone speak in their evening chapel!
We had the most incredible family time tonight! I feel like words can't possibly do it justice. We met on the roof for our typical "hero of the day" and instructions for the next day of ministry, but we started off with a time of worship. That time of worship went from being a 2-song sing-along to a 2 hour prayer time, with the whole team crying out to God from the bottom of their hearts for the town of 8 Mile. Our prayer echoed the words of the song, Hosanna :
I see a generation rising up to take their place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith.
I see a near revival, stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees, we're on our knees.
Heal my heart and make me clean.
Open up my eyes to the things unseen.
Show me how to love like you have loved me.
Break my heart for what breaks yours.
Everything I am for your kingdom Lord,
As I walk from earth into eternity.
Our hearts are heavy for this village, but excited for what God is going to do. This village has been blinded by the false teaching of the Rasta religion... It's been turned off by the legalistic teaching of the Jesus-Only church... It's been lured by the power of voodoo. We believe that it will take signs and wonders for people to really come to recognize and know the one true God, and we're believing for it this weekend. In fact, there is a boy in the village who is deaf, and we're praying and believing for his healing. It would mean so much to us if you would join with us in prayer.
That's all for now! We'll report back tomorrow!
*Pastor Courtney
The student team spent the morning holding VBS at a school for students age 6-15 (quite a range!).... and then did it all over again in the afternoon! It rained in the afternoon, so we had to quickly come up with a plan B and move all the stations from outside into one room with 150 noisy, unruly students (a formula for sheer pandemonium!). The team was incredible - flexible, creative, and fun. Alex and Trevor spoke at the first school assembly - I was so proud of them for stepping up to that challenge! They were great!
Back in 8 Mile, the guys made incredible progress on the building! The walls are now up and the windows are in! The girls did their part in construction by forming an assembly line to move the wood pile, and got a bit muddy in the process! Andrew Wiles managed to unclog the baptism tank (which we found out has be come a bath/pool for the locals), which means we're having our baptism service on Sunday morning to baptize the new believers!!!! SOOOO exciting!
Pastor CJ and Brandon stayed back at Teen Challenge to lead a devotional, preach at the chapel service, and counsel with the TC students. I figured they would be good, but it was confirmed when Brother T called me to rave about Pastor CJ and ask if we could have someone speak in their evening chapel!
We had the most incredible family time tonight! I feel like words can't possibly do it justice. We met on the roof for our typical "hero of the day" and instructions for the next day of ministry, but we started off with a time of worship. That time of worship went from being a 2-song sing-along to a 2 hour prayer time, with the whole team crying out to God from the bottom of their hearts for the town of 8 Mile. Our prayer echoed the words of the song, Hosanna :
I see a generation rising up to take their place
With selfless faith, with selfless faith.
I see a near revival, stirring as we pray and seek
We're on our knees, we're on our knees.
Heal my heart and make me clean.
Open up my eyes to the things unseen.
Show me how to love like you have loved me.
Break my heart for what breaks yours.
Everything I am for your kingdom Lord,
As I walk from earth into eternity.
Our hearts are heavy for this village, but excited for what God is going to do. This village has been blinded by the false teaching of the Rasta religion... It's been turned off by the legalistic teaching of the Jesus-Only church... It's been lured by the power of voodoo. We believe that it will take signs and wonders for people to really come to recognize and know the one true God, and we're believing for it this weekend. In fact, there is a boy in the village who is deaf, and we're praying and believing for his healing. It would mean so much to us if you would join with us in prayer.
That's all for now! We'll report back tomorrow!
*Pastor Courtney
30 comments:
God Bless you all for who you are and what you do. This message is for Juan Munoz. Hi Gabi, I wanted to say that I have being following the blog and seen your pictures. Please be safe and know that mami loves you and miss you very mucho!!! Tali says Hi Gabo Labo...LOL. Cuidate mucho mi amorcito, mami te quiere....Dios te Bendiga!!! With love always, Mami
I love the video. How exciting to see what God has done in such a short time. We're believing signs and wonders will follow. The deaf will hear, the blind will see. Jesus is Lord!!!! Jess - i can see you're having a great time. Can't wait to hear all about it. Everything is great here at home. Eagles' Wings is ministering here this weekend. It's awesome. Love ya Dad & Mom
Trevor i'm so proud of u! tell me all about what u said when u get back ok? haha and the video makes me want to go next year!! can't wait :) I miss u alex, melissa, and Sami!!!
Hi Jake!!! I am so proud of you. I just love seeing you helping and singing, and I just love seeing you. I can't wait to hear about your experiences , don't forget anything I want all the details.I loved the video, and the song it made me cry. You are all awesome!! Have fun !!! love you lots, mom
some jokes u might like
A guy goes into a bar, orders twelve soda's and starts drinking them as fast as he can. The bartender says, "Dang, why are you drinking so fast?" The guy says, "You would be drinking fast if you had what I had." The bartender says, "What do you have?" The guy says, "75 cents."
Why did the blond tip-toe past the medicine cabinet?
She didn't want to wake up the sleeping pills.
What did the dog say when it sat on sandpaper? Ruff!
What do you call an illegally parked frog? Toad
What do you call a cow that won't give milk? A milk dud!
There was an Englishman an Irishman and a Scotsman....
One day they came across a ladder and climbed up it... as one does...
At the top of the ladder there was a genie and she said: "As you go down this slide, shout out whatever you want to land in..."
So the Englishman shouted "Beeeeeeer"
The Scotsman shouts "Whisssskey"
And the poor old Irishman shouted"weeeeeee ee!"
If money doesn't grow on trees then why do banks have branches?
Since bread is square, then why is sandwich meat round?
Is there another word for synonym?
When sign makers go on strike, is anything written on their signs?
When you open a bag of cotton balls, is the top one meant to be thrown away?
Why do they report power outages on TV?
What do you do when you see an endangered animal that is eating an endangered plant?
Would a fly without wings be called a walk?
So here it is, a rainy, chilly Saturday morning in Berks County. Just finished up a 70+ hour work week and had to cut a hayfield-height lawn last night. One would think I would be in a blah mood. Yet, my heart bursts with joy as though it were a bright sunsplashed 80 degree day. Wonder why?!
I am so amazed at the great work being done by everyone...
"Makes me wanna holler shooby,doobee, doobee, doowop"
With all the smiles and the visible love shining through the pictures and video, I can only say
"Hosanna, hosanna, hosanna in the highest"
With all that Jesus is doing through each of you, I am reminded
"There is none like you, Jesus"
To borrow a phrase from my favorite sport, the net result of all of your work will be like hitting satan with a high-amplitude-throw! (ask Zach to explain that one; maybe he'll even demonstrate one for you!!)
I pray that God continues to pour blessings through each of you and that lives are changed as a result of your efforts; the lives not only of those IN Jamaica, but also of each of you who has chosen to give of yourself to go to Jamaica.
For Lydia and Zach: I miss you both SO very much, but am thrilled that you both look so happy in what you are doing. xoxo
Until we blog again....sabbadwee, mon :-)
Hi Trevor,
How I wish that I could've been there to hear you speak to the kids! When you were 5 yrs old, you had your first experience in front of a crowd, singing with the kids club at church. You kept your back to the audience the whole time b/c you were so shy!!! Now, to think of you actually addressing the crowd makes me so proud of you! I hope this is the beginning of something new and wonderful in a life lived for God! I love you! Mom
p.s. Ava and Nathanael say Hi!
Hey Lydia and Zach, you look like you are having fun!!! I stayed in Ocho Rios when I was in Jamaica. Enjoy your trip, I can't wait to hear all about it when you get home!! Aunt Maggie, Uncle Tyler, and Lucy
Hi Missy, Were u the Melissa that was injured playing the duck-duck-goose game? I think there r 3 Melissa's on this trip(which is y u wanted to use Missy)Aunt Maureen thinks it was u. Hope ur ok. Sounds like u guys will be having some major defining moments 'till the Lord is completed His work in u. God bless all of u for following His path. He is doing a great work in u. Keep up His work,He is so pleased with u. It's been raining her all day.ru getting much rest? Keep safe and God bless everyone!Our prayers r with u always. Love bunches,Mom
wow. You are pretty amazing group of people. Love you all. Just wanted to stop by and let you know. Sounds like a blast. Encourage one another and always be there to lift each other up! Be blessed (and Safe!!!)
Moe
p.s.--Sami...Smokie norful came out with a new song...oh my goodness. It is awesome. Cant wait to listen to it with you!!
Trevor,
We're having turkey croquettes for dinner tonight in your honor!
Wish you were here,
Mom
Hey Lex-lex! Would you come home already?! We almost had a productive small group time! Please tell us if you meet anyone by the name of "Ta-boinka" in Jamaica.
We are so proud of you- praying, sharing your testimony, and just being joy.
We love you,
Amanda (Celeste Madu) and Dre-dre
Dearest Zachary and Trevor, thinking of you in Jamaica makes me smile because you both are a secret weapons on that team. I bet you are showing skills no one knew you had...I hope you even surprise yourselves! I'm sure you are taking good care of each other.
Be iron for each other because the Bible says, "iron sharpens iron."
9th grade misses you both !
Love you Wheels and Jelly-Nips,
Andrea D.
hello jamaica team! it seems like you guys are having an amazing time and are really blessing the people over there.
becca-we miss you and cant wait to see you. mom & tim say hello too, they have been trying to get on but are having computer trouble. we all love you so much and are praying for you and your team.
keep up the good work guys!!!!! your all in our prayers!
Way to go team, the church looks like its coming along really well. What an thrill it is to see those walls going up and to hear that windows are in!!! I can just see the smiles on all the faces of the people in the village and sense the excitement they must be feeling as completion nears. Way to step up Trevor, I was very proud to hear about you speaking to the kids,keep up the good work and we are all praying for you back home.May you all find the strength in the Lord and continue to bless the people of Jamacia, God isn't done yet with them or you. May you hear Gods voice in those times of quietness and truly hear the calling He has for you.May God bless you and keep you!!
Oh my goodness how amazing it is to hear how God is working in your hearts for that town. We will definetly pray with you on the young boy with hearing loss.
I just wanted to say how much I miss you Melissa. There is not a day that goes by without us praying not just for you but the whole Jamaica team. We are truly proud of all of you.
Melissa I thought of you when I was shopping at the grocery store and over the speaker came on Michael Buble singing "Home". I miss you playing that CD all day loooong. Wow! How I missed you then but how proud I am of you and your love to do work for the Lord. Counting down the days til you come home.
Oh sooo funny we Just watched "Bride Wars" you would have liked it cause I could see two sisters act like that (you and Jess) sooo cute. A must see when you get home. Miss you much. I love you! Mom
Hey Gaby!!!!!
All I can say is we miss you mucho mucho!
Dad says HI!
Sarah sends FIRE POWER!!!
The video was great!! Thank you so much for keeping us so informed..
Stay safe and sleep well <3
P.S>
Mugsy jumped on the counter and ate half a chicken!!!!
We Love you!!!!!!
Hey team, Hi Sassy,
I read once again, and I am in awe of an awesome and amazing GOD, and of each of you!!! What an experience for you all!! Marlee I CANNOT wait for your stories, I can hear you start. . " OK so let me just tell you about this one day. . ." I will sit for hours to hear it all. We may even get your brother to sit still for a little. He MISSES you, can you believe it!!!
I cannot believe you are over halfway and soon coming home.
I pray for continued safety and that God will continue to poor out his blessings on each of you, and those precious, and perhaps some resistant people you are ministering to . Rmemember, Gods' word will NEVER go void!! He is GOD and worthy to be praised!!
I love you Sassy (PC, PETER, DOS, IESHA, Gabby, Sami, Lydia Big and little D*LO, Jake, Juan, Trevor, Joey, Alyse, uh oh metal plate, and all the rest of the team!!)
Love Mama Kelly
HEY GABO WABO... IT RAINED ON AND OFF HERE TOO. WE MISS YOU ALOT AND PAPI WILL FOR SURE BE THINKING OF HIS BOY TOMORROW.
DO YOU REMEMBER A TIME WHEN YOU WERE FIVE AND PAPI WAS CRYING OVER LOST LOVE? YOU ASKED HIM, "WHY ARE YOU CRYING PAPI?" HE REPLIED "BECAUSE I'M LONELY." YOU SAID WITH YOUR LITTLE HAND AROUND HIM, "NO YOU'RE NOT, I'M RIGHT HERE." DO YOU KNOW THAT THAT MOMENT CHANGED EVERYTHING FOR YOUR FATHER AND HE GREW 100 TIMES AS THE BEST FATHER EVER AND HE PROMISED HIMSELF HE WOULD NEVER LET HIS CHILDREN DOWN... I WISH I COULD HAVE BEEN THERE ON THAT DAY. I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW SWEET AND PRECIOUS THAT MOMENT WAS. IT IS BEAUTIFUL TO HEAR YOUR FATHER TELL THE STORY. WE LOVE YOU. GOD BLESS. DAWN AND PAPI
HIIIII,,,,,its danielle just showing love tell everyone i said hi
<3
CJ,Brandon,dave,and all the dads,HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!!!!!!!!!! I know you aren't able to be with your families back home,but if you think about it you all are celebrating fathers day in jamaica with your heavenly father.To the jamaica team, picture the: GOD our Father is celebrating with a Big Big smile on His face watching His children and the amazing things you all are doing for him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!The best Fathers Day gift of all is pleasing our heavenly Father!!!!Matthew25:40 The King will reply,"I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me." P.S. Melissa we miss you and can't wait to hear all about your experiences!!! Love Dad & Mom!!!! just to let you know melissa, this is your dad and it took me a long time to type all this. ha!ha!
Praying for an 'AMAZING' day for you all...
...amazed at His love
...amazed at His signs and wonders
...amazed at His plan...
Jeremiah 33:3
'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'
Have an AMAZING SUNDAY! Looking forward to hearing all about it!
~janine
this is for sunday
Another list for all of you
Why is a carrot more orange than an orange?
When two airplanes almost collide why do they call it a near miss? It sounds like a near hit to me!!
Why are there 5 syllables in the word "monosyllabic"?
Why do they call it the Department of Interior when they are in charge of everything outdoors?
If vegetarians eat vegetables, what do humanitarians eat?
Why is it, when a door is open it's ajar, but when a jar is open, it's not a door?
Tell a man that there are 400 billion stars and he'll believe you. Tell him a bench has wet paint and he has to touch it.
How come Superman could stop bullets with his chest, but always ducked when someone threw a gun at him?
Did they name the fruit or color orange first? And if so what did the people coming up with the names think when they came to the carrot?
What disease did cured ham actually have?
How is it that we put man on the moon before we figured out it would be a good idea to put wheels on luggage?
Why is it that people say they "slept like a baby" when babies wake up like every two hours?
There were 3 guys walking in the woods and they came across this huge hole in the path.
The 1st guy says "Lets throw some rocks in the hole and see how deep it is." So thats what they did only they didn't hear it hit bottom.
So the 2nd guy says "I saw a log back there lets get that and throw that in." So thats what they did.
Then this old farmer comes walking up and says "Have you seen my goat go by here?"
The 3rd guy replies "We saw one jump down in that hole."
The farmer replies "That couldn't have been my goat. He was tied to a log."
Why does a round pizza come in a square box?
If you drink Pepsi at work in the Coke factory, will they fire you?
Why are you IN a movie, but you are ON TV?
I love this blog! Courtney, thank you for taking the time to post. I'm so proud of you guys. Can't wait to read more about all of the amazing and supernatural ways God shows up while you are there and in your abscence as well. You are planting seeds that God will grow when you're gone. You are impacting generations-it's a ripple effect. I pray that the ripple not only impacts the people in Jamaica but that you would come to know, in even greater ways then ever before, that God wants you to be a world changer- you already are- Keep it going!!
Many Prayers and Blessings!
Christine Kreisher
Hi everyone !!!! Hope you have a great church dedication today. I was thinking of you all of you today while I was sitting in church, the last sunday in the old sanctuary , lots of room here we come!!!!!!! Pastor Eran said a prayer for the Jamaica team.You are all such awesome servants!!!! I pray that this week has been as life changing for you all as I sure it has been for the people you have ministered to. Watched the video again, and again, and again.....it is so beautiful. Jake I can't wait to see your beautiful smiling face!!!!!!!!!!! I miss you, we all do!!!Zeke was missing you so much that Dustin took pitty on him and let him sleep in his bed the last two nights. Has the monster energy drink worn off yet???? Love to you!!! Mom(Jodi)xxxxxxxxxxxxoooooooooooooooooooooooBy the way I am sending this from Nikkis laptop because our computer decided to crash and dump (its words not mine) and the geek squad is fixing it. (Dustin will try to tell you that shorty broke the computer but its not true) he is just going through shoddy withdraw
Hi Maddi!
I know it's getting close to you coming home and I'm sure it's mixed with many different feelings. Those of missing home and those of not wanting such an amazing trip to end. Just know that you are planting so many seeds that will grow in all of those hearts that you have all touched in such a short amount of time. I am so happy that you were able to go on this trip and cannot wait to hear all of the great stories. I told Cameron that he better talk a lot before you come home because he won't get much of a chance for about 2 weeks when you get back:-) Hope your day was great today. Nothing could have made me happier on this Father's Day than to know that my baby girl is doing wonderful and selfless things for others. Thank you for being such an awesome daughter.
Love Dad
Hey baby,
Sounds like you guys are having an awesome time, I wish I were there with you. I miss you and can't wait until you get back. I will continue to pray for all of you. Be careful and make sure you look out for each other. Hugs and kisses.
Love ya, DAD
All glory is for our Father above...God bless you all!! Melissa K. we are so very proud of you. Wow, seems not to long ago you were 4yrs old in our wedding party and look now a beautiful young lady doing the Lords work. May you continue to be a blessing in Jamaica and be blessed. Saw the pic of your booboo:( Will pray for the teams' safe return home. Lots of OXOXOXO
Hi ya Gabo, It's Father's Day and it just was not the same with out you. Papi kept saying things like "It just doesn't feel like Father's Day with out him." or "If Gabi was here right now he'd be saying 'How was your day Pa, did you have fun?' " He misses you. I video taped him watching your powerpoint... I got every single tear on film for you to watch later. We love you and miss you a lot. Can't wait to see you and eat alot of meat... Take care, God Bless, and keep saving lives. Papi, Dawnie, Tali, Isaaquito and the animals
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