PAINT, TURTLE HATS & COMPANY FOR DINNER

Tuesday we woke up to another amazing
Jamaican morning! Steven Hotze shared the
morning devotional from Psalms 100 in the
message which begins....on your feet now
applaud God. After another walk up the hill,
which seems to be getting easier, we arrived
at the church & school. For VBS, we led the
children in making turtles out of plastic
bowls. It wasn't long before many of them
were wearing them as hats! We explained how
Gods love is like a turtle shell and that we
are never without it!
After VBS, we continued working & painting.
Lots of Painting!!!! Knowing that Easter
Sunday is coming is more than enough
motivation to make the church to look as
beautiful as possible. The return walk home
was filled with reflection's on what God has
done & friendly waves & smiles from our
neighbors.
For dinner we had a special treat - some of
our new friends ate supper with us and then
stayed for singing & the evening devotion.
It was "INCREDIBLE".
A theme that has emerged is "NEVER THE SAME"
and each day we have more & more experiences
that will truly leave each of us "NEVER THE
SAME".

Wednesday - Children, worshipping, stickers &
cement
The usual....breakfast....the walk..... &
daily preparations. This morning however, we
received a special treat - approximately 125
of the children gathered together and sang
worship songs before school, they then read
responsibly from scripture. It was a
powerful experience for the team. For VBS,
the craft included stickers & making a
stained glass cross. I will never forget the
sight of Mark Redd standing with his arms
over his head giving out stickers while 25
children surrounded him - "Good Times"!
Work included more painting and
finally....."CEMENT". We are pouring a
handicap ramp and a long length of stairs.
All the cement is mixed by hand and delivered
by buckets. In the mean time Mark Redd has
been wiring a building to be used as a
kitchenette. Work is going great, we will
post pictures when we return home.
Unfortunately our technology does not allow
it at this time.
The evening was another amazing God
experience. More guest for dinner & worship.
Morgan Dyson reminded us we need to stay
connected to the vine....which is Jesus.
We will be traveling to Ocho Rios on
Thursday, can't wait to tell you all about
it. Keep the comments coming - they mean
more than you will ever know!!! Your prayers
are felt & truly empower the team! Please
read from 2 team members! Team Jamaica. PS.
Happy Anniversary Doug!

Kelli Richard (Student)
So what a great day Monday was!!! The clouds
have cleared, revealing sunny blue sky's to
background these fabulous Jamaican Mountains!
Even better it was breezy day so even though
the sun was hot we were comfortable. With
the exception of a few doors, the interior of
Bensonton UMC has been completely repainted.
The children we host VBS for seemed to love
us more & more. We taught them like a turtle
shell God is always with us and always
protects us! They made some awfully cute
turtles out of styrofoam bowls and tissue
paper. After hardcore game time, we set to
work & were successful then. We had some
delicious dinner made by Ms. Beverly & Ms.
Carrie Ann, and after a few "Human Knots" we
began our devotion/worship/reflection time.
We sang 5 songs, one led by our Jamaican
go-to-man & leader, Maxie. Talk about
amazing!!!
All your prayers are being felt and it is so
obvious that God is moving, working and
thriving here in Bensonton. Thanks for all
your prayers, care & love as we continue to
shine these little lights of ours to the
wonderful people of Bensonton. We love you
and oh we miss you!!! Looking forward to
sharing more with you in person. Love Kelli
and Team Jamaica. P.S. Mom & Dad - for real
- no one really believes the passport story!

Molly Richard (Student)
Humble is a BIG word for this trip and the
best to describe it here!!! Start to count
your blessings because they are more than you
could think of. A little girl showed us her
house - and it was as big as my room!!! But
the kids here are so polite and sweet - they
could teach the kids in America a lesson or
two!

SORRY FOR THE DELAY.....

April 5, 2007 8:00 AM

Sorry for the delayed blogs. While Jamaica is
a very laid back country it can be hectic at
times. We are all fine and experiencing God
in a ton of ways. I'll be sending a longer
blog later this morning. Until then know we
love and appreciate ALL OF YOU!
TEAM JAMAICA

RAIN, WORK AND WONDER.......

April 2, 2007

First - let me tell you the names of all the
Jamaican Team members - please pray for us
daily!

Michael Creighton (Adult)
Linda Creighton (Adult)
Alan Ewing (Adult)
Mark Redd (Adult)
Emily Shipp (Adult)
Laura Waggoner (Adult)
Martha Hendrix (Adult)
Steven Hotze (Adult)
Denise Hotze (Adult)
Melanie Ewing (Student)
Whit Hagemann (Student)
Morgan Dyson (Student)
Kelli Richard (Student)
Molly Richard (Student)

Sunday night closed with a great time of
singing with Maxie Drummond, the local lay
pastor and get-it-done guy, and the team. We
were reminded that we are "moved creations in
Christ" then..... We slept!

Monday we woke to a wonderful cooling rain
shower. God closed the valve just before we
began the 1 1/2 mile walk to the church &
school. Upon arrival we saw our first 4
"talking parrots" (a wild parrot that is
stunning in beauty). Following team prayer
we prepared ourselves for VBS. Approximately
175 children joined us for the 1st VBS and we
had a great time. After singing a few songs
(at ultra high volume) we did some crafts and
actually made it "snow" in Jamaica!!! The
whole experience is one that is impossible to
describe but over the next few days we will
try.

The work......After VBS and a short break we
began to work. Work included scraping &
painting as well as some began to replace a
tin (called zinc) roof. The team did an
amazing job and got quite a bit accomplished
on the 1st day - needless to say when we
returned to the Manse the team was pretty
tired!!!

We had some Jamaican fish for dinner that was
delicious - the students really loved the mac
& cheese!!

God is doing a lot of work in each of our
hearts - we truly serve an amazing God!!!
Love you all and greatly appreciate all of
the wonderful comments.

God Bless - Team Jamaica Following are
comments from an Adult team member.

Emily Shipp (Adult)

Today on the Jamaica countryside it was
overcast & cool. However, the team was
greeted w/the heart warming love of 175
children who's eyes lit up w/the light of
Christ. In true Hope Fashion, we shared two
crafts that reminded the children that they
are amazing & wonderfully made. We also
experienced a Jamaican first-a snow storm!
Or, if you forgot your imagination, a huge
group of very excited children waving their
shiny blue snowflakes.

As a team who set out to share Jesus w/this
Jamaican community, we have already received
much more than we thought possible. Tomorrow
is a new day that we can claim will be as
God-filled if not more so than today. Thank
you for all your prayers & encouraging words,
they mean the world to us!! Love to all.
--Emily Shipp :)

PLANES, BUSES, BEETLES & GRECO'S PART 2

April 1, 2007 10:35PM

I realized I forgot to mention the beetles
and the greco's. Last night we found out
exactly how many beetles you can attract when
you leave the door open with the lights on -
LOTS!!! We also realized that greco's are as
comfortable inside the house as they are
outside! After an initial greco scare, we
have grown comfortable with their presents in
most rooms in the house.

And this just in..... We've just experience a
bug that when you squeeze its hiney, it
lights up on the side like a lighting bug!
God sure does create in an unique & wonderful
way! Read on from 2 Team members:

Laura Waggoner (Adult)

Hello everyone - we had an awesome day!!!!
The countryside here is so beautiful, the
locals are so friendly & welcoming. They
really appreciate us being here.

All of Gods creatures have been here to
welcome us - from goats, donkeys, beetles
and the largest greco ever!!! The mountains
& flowers are breath taking and I feel so
blessed to be here doing God's work in such a
beautiful setting.

I miss & love you all, I'm looking forward to
hearing from you. Mom - have the sweet tea
ready for me!! - Love Laura Waggoner

Linda Creighton (Adult)

Our 1st full day in Bensonton has been
wonderful! We woke up to semi-cool weather
and took a walk to church surrounded by
evidence of God's amazing creativity. Church
in Bensonton is not like church at Hope - as
far as the way the service goes and the songs
that are sung. Imagine our confusion when we
were told to open our hymnals!!!! Although
different it was very obvious that we worship
the same God, an amazing God who provides all
of our needs, rescues us, cares for us and
loves us beyond our ability to comprehend.

A precious moment to me happened when the 14
of us on the team went up to the alter to
take communion together. We were all on our
knees with our hands open in front of us
ready to receive the symbolic bread and wine
that represents the uncomprehenable love of
our Savior! As I looked at the beautiful
faces of each team member, I was reminded
that that same love is why each of us is
here. It was an amazing moment that I will
cherish forever.

Other things: We fond out today that a
Jamaican mile, which we were also told
equaled 8 furlong (whatever a furlong is) is
probably more like 1 1/2 to 2 miles in
America. It does not even seem that long as
you take in the beauty of the Jamaican
Mountains.

Jada: Winston Shanks has moved up here to
Bensonton and lives in the Manse - not out on
the porch.

Thanks everyone for your comments, they touch
our hearts and encourage us so much. Love
and hugs to each of you! Linda

PLANES, BUSES, BEATLES & GRECO'S

April 1, 2007 7:35AM

Wow!!! We are finally here in Bensonton,
Jamaica!!! After a LONG 16 hour journey from
a van to the airport - to a plane and then a
bus - we arrived yesterday evening at our
final destination. The team was tired but
excited to be here. God's majesty is evident
here as we traveled over the amazing
mountains of Jamaica and saw the Oceanside
from spectacular heights.

This morning we are going to worship at the
local church and then spending the afternoon
resting and preparing to meet the children in
the morning and finalizing work plans.

We can feel your prayers already and know you
will be continually lifting us up. We LOVE
your comments and they mean so much to the
team.

Team Jamaica

LEAVE A COMMENT FOR THE TEAM!!!

While the TEAM is traveling and serving in Jamaica, you can comment to them on this site. You can leave a word of encouragement, a prayer for the team, or anything you like. These comments will be shared with the team while they are serving. Last years trip was made even more powerful as a result of the comments left on the site for the team. Comments to the site are a powerful reminder of the many prayers and thoughts that people are having for the team while they represent Jesus to the people of Bensonton, Jamaica. PLUS, it is super easy!

STEP 1: CLICK on the word "COMMENTS" which appears at the bottom of ANY previous post. This will open a new window with a comments box.

STEP 2: TYPE your comment in the "LEAVE YOUR COMMENT" box available. If there are previous comments, you may need to scroll down to view the comments box.

STEP 3: PUBLISH your comment! You may either post annonymously or if you wish to leave your name, simply click "OTHER" and leave your name in the box. Once you have read your comment and are satisfied, click the "PUBLISH YOUR COMMENT" button.

That's it!

Happy Commenting!

TEAM JAMAICA!

Getting Closer!!!

The 2007 Jamaica Mission Trip is fast approaching. The team of 14 adults and students have been meeting and preparing to be used by God in the town of Bensonton, Jamaica. This year we will once again be hosting a Vacation Bible School for over 100 students and children at the Bensonton Basic School. We are also excited to be doing some construction on the Bensonton United Methodist Church as well as the school building. Last year was a powerful experience for all those who made the journey and God really impressed upon our hearts the meaning of Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Please continue to lift up not only the team members that will be traveling form Hope, but their families as well. Also, please pray for the people we will be serving in Jamaica, including the school children and the members of the local community of faith at Bensonton United Methodist Church.

Michael Creighton