Jamaican Fun In The Sun

It's hard to believe that today was our last full day in Jamaica. After a great week of service and activities, we departed early for our cultural/free day in Ocho Rios. The main highway runs parallel to the Caribbean Sea so it was a beautiful drive. About halfway, we stopped at Columbus Park in Discovery Bay. This is the location where Christopher Columbus made landfall in 1494. We also viewed the monument commemorating the opening of the Queen's Highway...named after Queen Elizabeth I of England. There were numerous artifacts, an old ship, and a killer view.

Once we arrived in Ocho, we headed to the Straw Market. This is where tons of Jamaican vendors sell touristy goods and our students can work on their haggling/bargaining skills. They did a great job for the most part! Our 5 boys found a lady who made them hand-woven bracelets that say "Maica 5". We then headed to Mystic Mountain for the Sky Explorer and Jamaican bobsledding experience. The Sky Explorer was a 15 minute scenic ride up the side of the mountain in a chair lift. We had an amazing view of the Ocho Rios port where a Carnival cruise ship was docked. Upon reaching the top, we then did the bobsledding course. This was a THRILLING ride for sure. We took the Sky Explorer back down the mountain and headed back into town for a healthy Burger King lunch. 

Our final stop was the famous Dunn's River Falls. We had unlimited access to the falls and a private beach area. There are over 600 feet of rock and falls to traverse. This was a great way to end our time in Jamaica. The team REALLY enjoyed our time in Ocho Rios, and it is hard to believe our time in Jamaica is coming to a close. 

Thank you for following the blog over the week, and I'll be updating over time and hopefully for more trips to come. Thank you for allowing your son/daughter to be apart of the JAMAICA 2012 family...See everyone at the airport on Friday evening...yeah mon!

Child-Like Faith

Today, we traveled back to the town where we played volleyball and painted the church. We visited the Canaan Primary School and got to hang out with students in Grades 1-5. Upon arrival, the students lined up and walked to the assembly area. The principal welcomed us and we shared a few worship songs with the students. Dave (SCORE rep) shared with the students and then we headed to the field for games and activities. Our students used a giant parachute, frisbees, soccer balls, kites, and rhythm games for entertainment. I've included just a few pictures below...but this was such a memorable experience for our entire team. The kids were incredibly respectful and wanting to give us tours of their classrooms. It was very tough to leave them.

After lunch, we headed back to Deeside to participate in a soccer match and host an Easter egg hunt. A afternoon rain shower hit and made a mess of the field, and it definitely hampered our abilities on the field. The team competed hard, but lost to the host team 3-1. After de-mudding, the students went to hide eggs in the field and then supervised the scavenger hunt. It was a great end to the service opportunities on the trip. Our evening concluded with another amazing meal and some quality team time. We huddled around the pool with the evening sky above us. Most students shared memories/experiences from the trip that impacted them while adults offered words of encouragement. Celine and Zoe led us in some worship songs, and Landon ended our time with a word of prayer. It is amazing to see how the Lord is working in our team. Everyone is resting up for a big final day in Ocho Rios tomorrow!

God's Touch Can Be Felt In Many Ways...

The morning began with us taking a tour of downtown Montego Bay and experiencing the local culture. We visited the Anglican Church of St. James, which has been around since the English controlled the island of Jamaica. After seeing Juicy Patty stores and the National Soccer Stadium, we ventured to the MegaMart for some snacks. The best comparison would be an American Costco/SuperWalmart. The students got good practice at converting their American money into Jamaican dollars. After buying some snacks, we drove along the Caribbean Sea back to the house for lunch.

Our afternoon was packed with more excitement than anticipated. The team headed back into downtown to visit the St. Mary's Parish Infirmary. The island of Jamaica is divided into parishes/districts, and each one has their own infirmary. In America, we have retirement and nursing homes. In Jamaica, the elderly and mentally disabled are dropped off to be taken care of by the government. Unfortunately, there is not a lot of financial support and the nurses are overwhelmed. Our students visited various women's and men's dorms, playing music, singing songs, praying for, and loving on these people. 

Our final activity for the afternoon/evening consisted on heading to a small community for a basketball game. It was an amazing outreach experience because many members of the town came out to watch the games. We played a girl's team with our co-ed group, and lost a close game. Our 5 boys though played hard in the nightcap and tied the Jamaican men 37-37. For those who didn't play in the actual games, they had their hands full with the children...and did a great job of loving on them. 

The weather has been wonderful down here. Praying for a great last few days...will update later tonight about today's activities. You don't want to miss out!

We Do It Better Than Michelangelo...

It wasn't the Sistine Chapel...but we returned to Bethel Baptist Church today to paint the walls of the church, which is also used as school classrooms. Special thanks to donations from Home Depot in Lawrenceville, we brought paint trays, brushes, rollers, and mats down to Jamaica for this task. SCORE International provided 2 5-gallon buckets of paint, and the mission began. In approximately 3 hours, our team painted the inside of the sanctuary altar, 4 outside walls of the church, and the inside of the top floor of the school. The walls were transformed from a pale blue to a clean tan. Brother Jerry kept complimenting our team for their efforts in getting the job completed.

We headed back to the villa for lunch and then soon departed for Doctor's Cove beach in downtown Montego Bay. There was a nice, overcast sun...but the Jamaican sun still shone through. As of now, no one got sunburnt (that will be saved for Thursday in Ocho Rios). The team enjoyed 2 hours at the beach, full of sand, clear water, and water apparatuses. It was a great afternoon, as the next few days will be full of more work and sporting events in various towns.

Thanks to all our family and supporters following the blog. I've enjoyed sharing with you the experiences we have had so far. Now, a few students will briefly share some thoughts from the trip so far...

Andy Irwin, 11th: "We have room for improvement with volleyball against the Jamaicans...but we found some Asians to whoop up on on the beach, never mind, we lost to them also."

Mayla McCray, 10th: "Being in church with the kids really made me feel good helping them learn more about Jesus though our Sunday school class."

Niah Humphrey, 10th: "Painting the church was a memorable experience. I felt a sense of accomplishment after seeing the finished product."

Sunday is the Lord's Day

This is the day that the Lord has made...

After a long day of travel on Saturday, I think everyone was ready for a good night's sleep. The sun rises early here, and our team was ready to get our first full day underway. We traveled roughly 1 hour to Harvest Church in Deeside (15 miles away) and got to see the geographical difference between the coastline and the countryside. A group of our team led some worship songs with the congregation, and another group of students led a children's Sunday school class on Salvation. I was very proud of our students for being great mentors to the 25 children from the community. Pastor Vernon gave a memorable Palm Sunday sermon about Welcoming the King, in which we should do this through faith, obedience, gifts, and praise. After some final songs of worship, we departed the community of Deeside. We will return here later in the week for a soccer match.

We then drove through the countryside to Bethel Baptist Church located in Dumfrees. Eating lunch along the way, our team was ready for an afternoon of volleyball. Thanks to Jay Foxworthy, the sleeveless jerseys looked sharp in the mid-80 weather. After several strategy talks, practice drills, and an intense cheer...the team was ready to take the court. The community brought out some tough competition, and let's just say that next year we will be doing some more practice games before coming to Jamaica. The final game count was 3-1 Jamaica home team...but everyone was a winner today because we shared love with all those in the church community. Everyone played a special role today, from volleyball to cheering section to kid patrol to photography. We returned to the house for dinner, and the kids enjoyed a nice evening at the pool after a long day in the sun.

Some of the students wanted to pull some April's Fools Jokes on their parents/families, but that didn't sound like a good idea since we are a plane flight away and in a different country. They can save those for when we return. It has been a successful Day #1...looking forward to starting the week out strong tomorrow. Yeah mon!

The journey begins now...

We have successfully arrived to the island of Jamaica, but there were definitely some stories to share about our journey. Everyone arrived at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport amped and ready to go. After getting check-in completed and bags sent thru, we had a team prayer, celebration of Celine's birthday, distributed t-shirts, and bid farewell to our families. Security was not a challenge and everyone got a nice snack before we met to board the plane. Our group had a block of seats together and this particular Delta plane had in-seat tv monitors...so everyone enjoyed trivia, music, free movies, and tv shows. About ready to push back from the gate, we discovered the left engine had a problem, and so we waited approximately an hour on the plane for it to be serviced. Despite some turbulence, we arrived safely to...rainy Jamaica. The rain and clouds broke, and the humidity set-in. After a challenging hour getting through customs and immigration, one mistakenly claimed suitcase (which was just found/returned), and some intense interrogation, our team met up with the SCORE pastors and we are safe and sound at the villa.

Pastor Doug and Brother Jerry briefed the team and then we were treated to a great 1st meal (pork chops, stuffing, corn, spinach, mashed potatoes, Jamaican sweet potatoes, coleslaw, rolls, every type of juice desired, and chocolate eclair cake for desert. The team is getting unpacked into their rooms, several students have opened up the pool with a ceremonial cannonball, and we are following the NCAA men's semifinal. The students have a tremendous opportunity tomorrow to teach a Sunday school class, lead worship for the congregation, and compete in a community volleyball match against the town.

Our journey has begun.....

Friday, March 30, 2012...It's GO time!!!

In less than 24 hours, we will finally begin this experience that we have been planning and praying about since October. It is so hard to believe. As much as I wanted to lecture today and entertain grandparents, I couldn't help but think of how the months have passed so quickly. I remember when our countdown chain was incredibly long, and upon leaving school today, there is 1 ring left. As you all are strategically packing your suitcases and spending a final evening in your own bed, I ask you to visualize the people that we will encounter in the upcoming week. Think about your role on the team and how each individual is a valuable part of our Jamaica family.

My intentions are to update nightly from Jamaica. Parents, thank you for your support and all your efforts behind the scenes. See you all at the Delta counter in Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackon International Airport at 9:30am!!!!!!!

Sunday, March 25, 2012

What a great meeting time today!!! I continue to realize how blessed we are as a team by your outpouring of support and generosity. Today at the meeting, we went over final preparations and information for getting through customs, packing tips, and divided up all our athletic and activity supplies! And how could I forget the sleeves of 5 cans of chicken...yummy :-)

It was such a gorgeous afternoon that the team went up to the soccer practice field and tried out the massive parachute, which Coach Shelton and the Elementary PE Class is letting us borrow for the trip. After coming up with some games we can play with the Jamaican children, we had a "friendly but competitive" intra-squad kickball game. After ending in a tie, the team decided to go into extra innings and we had an exciting 5-4 finish!

It is so hard to believe we are finally under 1 week until leaving...yes, 6 days! We will be meeting on Thursday during Growth Period in my classroom (I will be supplying Dunkin Donuts) and Friday after school gets out for Grandparent's Day (half-day). I'll be completing on-line check-in, and calling Delta to ensure they are ready for our group on Saturday morning. Be in prayer this week as we make final preparations for this journey!

Reminder: Mission Trip Commissioning in Chapel on Tuesday!

Sunday, March 11, 2012

What a gorgeous afternoon!! We were incredibly blessed to meet as a team and enjoy some outside sunshine. Today's meeting allowed us to recap all the sporting equipment that we need to bring with us and practice some games/activities that we will play with the Jamaicans. The airline tickets have been purchased, and we are in the final stages of fundraising. Please make every effort to be at your goal by Monday, March 19. A few students need to bring me a photocopy of their passport, and let me know their intent on the # of suitcases they will be bringing. I have suggested that everyone carry a backpack and carryon (free) and then split a big suitcase with someone. The reason for this is that Delta is charging for bags this year. To check a suitcase is $25 each way. I am finalizing packing list and parent contact sheet with the phone # and address of where will be staying in Montego Bay. Communication is going great with our pastors on the island, and they are finalizing our schedule for the week. I'll be sharing that with you all once I receive the plan and activities for our free day in Ocho Rios. It's so exciting to think that we will be on the island in 19 DAYS!!!!!!

We missed Taylor, Landon, Morgan, and Kayin yesterday, but had a great time practicing our competitiveness against each other on the booster field. This is a very special group!!!!

Welcome!

I have officially broken down and gotten into the world of blogging. I used to write my thoughts and reflections in a journal, but we are all so media/technology driven now that I figured this would be the best way to share with all my family and friends. The purpose of this blog is to share with you about my mission team through Greater Atlanta Christian School. We will be returning to the Caribbean island of Jamaica for the second year, and we are excited to see how our students share their gifts and passions with the Jamaicans.

Be on the lookout for more blog entries during the preparation phases as well as during our trip. I intend to post pictures for our parents to view while we are on the island. The trip dates are March 31-April 6, 2012. We are currently at 24 days until departure....these students and trip chaperones couldn't be more excited! Thank you for joining us on this journey!

                                                                     -Coach K-Mart