DAY 5.....SEE-SAWS, JAMAICAN FOOD, AND CANDLES! (2006)

Woke this morning to another beautiful Jamaican morning. More cereal. Yummy!
Due to the schools we were visiting being closed and our work being completed, we decided to tak a trip to a local attraction called Dunn's River Falls. DRF is an amazig representation of God's handiwork. It is beautiful series of waterfalls that you can climb up in it's entirety. AMAZING! We then took a little time to scope some local shops. Interestingly, while there we ran into some friends from Westridge Church. Cool!
We did have on work project left open and several of the team members worked on it prior to going to Dunn's. It was a see-saw. Well, actually it was only the pivots for a see-saw. The team members put new wood on it, and bolted them down and then spent some time imagining...imagining the faces of the children when they play on it for the first time, the second time, and so on!
When we arrived back at the Manse, we began cleaning up for a reception and fellowship prepared for us. They had some more of the most amazing food. We then had a time of sharing with some of the people from the church. Then we got a special treat....the "choir" was coming in as we were leaving and we were invited to stay. Good times!
Finally, during team time tonight, we were encouraged to remember that were are the light of the World. No problem. The team then divided into groups and prayed for each other, the team, and more with a canldle in their hand. It was incredibly powerful.
We were once again reminded of how truly awesome God is and how much he loves ALL of us. Now, on with the team posts.....

Whit Hagemann…(student)
Respect Mon! Today was a very good day. We woke up and Michael Creighton (Sinbad) took us to a water park called Dunne’s River Falls. When we got there, we got to climb the waterfall, it was so fun. One night before, I shared my devotion. I just read the comments and didn’t realize it was such a big hit. I’d like to thank Melanie for writing about me in her blog. Anyway, after we got back from the water park, we went to the Beechamville Methodist Church across the street from the Mans. We were rehearsing the songs we were going to sing for their church and I picked up the conga drums and I got to play them during the service. These nice ladies fed us dinner and gave us presents. I got a hat, but I traded it for Rasta wrist bands. Then we went home and I spent some quiet time with my mom and the others spent their quiet time with their friends and family as well. Tomorrow we are going to Montego Bay. It seems like we’re leaving too early, but I am anxious to get home. Can’t wait to see my friends and family when I get home. No worries mon.

Jeff Reed….(adult)
Dear Hope Church, You are blessed beyond words (fat lot a good that will do on an e-mail)! Your extension in Jamaica is repping you proud. This trip for me might have started for selfish reasons ( I wanted to do good for some hurricane relief.), but have received a fresher confirmation through the image of your friends and loved ones here. The group here has touched me in a way that I have never felt in my 30+ years and many churches. Guys like a Murl don’t interact with kids like Whit but God loving men like Murl not only connect but can team up to work on projects with no generational differences and be so effective. Women don’t take time to talk to solitary men they don’t know. But God loving women like Joann take a few moments to chat and leave an impression that might last his lifetime. You have energized your foundation with programs like Fusion, Big Stuf, etc. and that has given your church body the fuel to grow not only closer but stronger so that a “ragtag” group could show up and not only work in Godly ways but to also have a chemistry that makes it (the Godliness) apparent. Even though this group might not have been considered “tight” before the trip, you couldn’t tell it now. I started this blog saying your extension is doing you proud and that is what we are; just an extension. Hope is creating missionaries in all of you. Go out in your “Jamaicas” and let God work. This group just happens to have gone to the island of Jamaica. We keep bringing up the fact that we’re impacting people we don’t see or know but truly that is the case with me. Not only is my level of excitement overflowing due to the trip but also by the joy that I am experiencing knowing that this is my church and these messengers in Jamaica, as different as they appear, are a small part of an entire congregation of “ragtags” waiting at home to further develop more “missions”. My joy bag is overflowing because of the gifts my family and I are going to experience at Hope. I’ll end with this: before we left we received a necklace from somebody. I think they were all Crosses. I didn’t see the reasoning in spending money on such a thing when it could have gone to a better cause. I kept it with me and tried to consider where it would go. I thought about giving it tour host (a God fearing man) but then it struck me. We had a driver named Lindon (Maroon) who has taken us everywhere (VBS, Bensonton, and elsewhere). He has an image of Bob Marley around his neck. On our last day with him, I decided to give him the necklace, not to remember us but to have another kid of reminder. Not to insult his favorite necklace, I told him He didn’t have to wear it. It was just a gift and he could just keep it at his house. He smiled his big special smile and said, “Now why wouldn’t I wear it?” It was something so simple and so obvious but I had to want to see it. He might not ever wear it but he might just remember the people who spent more time doing a little for others beyond their own concerns. Thank you Hope Church, now start missionariing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!