Day 14 - Aug. 3 - "See You Laters"

Today was a day of “See You Laters” – we began our day with a quick stop at Fontana’s for some last minute souveniers and snacks for the airplane then, we were off to Melody House.  We had planned on making friendship bracelets, tissue pom pom decorations for their rooms and to finish working on their tshirt rugs.  It is such a peaceful home – I’m so glad that those girls have such a good environment and Mrs. Purkiss seems like such a wonderful lady.  I think there are only 7 girls there right now and I believe that they can accommodate 12 girls – praying for the girls that will be arriving soon (hoping that it might be some from GV).  We all enjoyed our time at MH – the girls loved all of the things that we spent time doing with them but we wished that we had more time there - our relationships with them were just beginning.  We left around 1 and it seemed like our time was too short.  We brought some little gift bags to give them and we left several of the supplies for them to make more friendship bracelets, pom poms & rugs.  We took a group photo with them tooJ

Our next "See you Later" was at Blossom Garden.  Although, when we arrived there were TONS of people there! The other EO group was there but we were expecting that – in addition, there was about 30 people from another group, so… the ratio was about 3 adults to 1 childL but we had brought several things with us to play with the kids so we took it all outside.  Eventually, all of the kids recognized us and started to hang out with usJ  It was a nice turn of events for the afternoon.  I ended up with little Nicolas in my lap for quite some time – he is kind of new to BG and tends to be a trouble maker.  He was quite the troublemaker the other day and we kinda had our “moment” – since then, he has started to trust me a little bit and I was happy that he seeked me out for comfort today. After he was satisfied, I ventured over to my favorite toddlers – I think they are my favorite age groupJ   Tyrese saw me and instantly wanted up – we hung out and played together.  He is just so precious and I love his personality.  Next thing that I knew it I had 4 toddler boys playing with me at the slide – it was a blast! Then the time had come – we led the toddlers to the dining room. Tyrese wouldn’t let me put him down – I had to go – and he wouldn’t let me – I couldn’t bear to put him down and leave him crying.  Luckily Crystal walked in and tyrese recognized her and reached for her – so I quickly made my escape.  It wasn’t as hard for me to leave BG – at least I know that these kids get VERY good care.  The Aunties take very good care of them and BG seems to have several people interested in helping them.  My prayer for them is that someday they will get to experience the love from a mother and father and to have a familyJ 

Our last day ended perfectly with baked chicken and rice & peas and ya cant forget the icecreamJ we took a big group picture with the other EO group and then headed to our last team meeting.  It was great to hear what the result of this mission trip has meant to everyone.  I really love every team member – they were so awesome and really worked well together.

Well… we are all packed now – ready to head home. As I type this I’m listening to the party going on down at the city center again – the 50 year celebration begins on Monday and so Mobay must be celebrating early – great J  Our flight leaves Mobay at 12:40 and we will have 1hr & 15min to go through customs in Charlotte – PLEASE PRAY THAT WE CAN SPEED THROUGH CUSTOMS!  From Charlotte the team will travel to Seattle and then bus home.  Please keep them in your prayers for safe travels too.  I will be saying “see you later” at charlotte – I am making a detour to Prague where my son is playing in a hockey tournament representing USA Hockey. I’m sad not to be finishing the final leg of our journey together but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Thanks for following along our trip… we will be sharing at Calvary after we get home and will be able to share the sweet faces of the orphans of Jamaica that we've fallen in love with - we will post here when that will be so you can plan on joining us:)

Day 13 - Aug. 2

This morning we went to BG.  We were hoping and praying that the aunties were back and didn’t party too hard last night – haha – there was quite the celebration by the beach we could hear it going almost all night… and yeah they were there! J  Jess ran the VBS wonderfully with her helpers – it was cool today to see those that I thought were going to be only interested in holding the babies all week in the schoolers room these past few days– J it’s interesting to see how things have worked out and where people are finding their niche (or not).  I got to help make beds today and to hold the brand new baby girl that came to BG a few days ago.  Apparently, her mom is mentally ill and the govt would only release her to the relatives but then the mom tried to take the baby.  So the relatives had to bring her to BG – Bg is supposed to be a temporary safe house but many children have been there for quite some time and some not so long –not sure of the rhyme or reason… The baby girl (Reanna) is only 2 months old – so so precious!  She was very well taken care of – no signs of RAD – I’m hoping she finds a home soon.  I also had fun playing with the toddlers – still praying that we don’t get ringworm L they are too cute to not cuddle with – getting ringworm is well worth having the chance to cuddle & kiss on them!  WE were hoping to wash more feet today but all of the aunties that were there yesterday were the same ones – so we will try again tomorrow afternoon…

After BG, we took the boys back to VH to rest & to not have to go to Granville (aka prison).  It would allow us moms to not have to worry about them and to focus on the girls more.

I was excited to get to GV today.  Hoping and praying that Ashley was going to be there so I could see her but also a part of me hoped that she wasn’t and that she had gone home or to a better foster home.

It had been a raining so as we pulled through the first gate, I could only see 3 girls peering around the corner – I quickly tried to identify them and none looked familiar – no Ashley.  Would she be here or in her dorm? If she was still here, I hoped that she’d be one of the 20 or so girls in the dining room waiting for us to unload our van.  Because of the rain we would be limited to only visiting in the dining room and not the dirt courtyard. As I walked in trhough the locked gated dining room area, I quickly scanned the room and didn’t see her.  I immediately scanned it again the other way & that was when she saw me & waved for me to come. I was so happy to see her & eager to find out how she was doing.  I immediately made my way to her and gave her a big hug.  I remembered that she said that she enjoyed to play cards so I grabbed a deck and sat down with her, Polly & my new friend Natalie.  They taught us a few new card games but in the end, we ended up playing memory several times – boy is Ashley smart – she won every time!!  During this time I was able to ask her if she was doing ok – she hesitantly said yes – I feel that she wasn’t opening up with me and our time there was not long enough to allow for that… some of the sparkle was gone – my heart sank.  It was hard to hold back the tears – I honestly had to will myself NOT to cry and to not “go there” until later… until now as I write… I didn’t want her to see me cry for her but my heart was/is breaking for her.  She is so so so smart, beautiful on the inside and out – Lord – she’s only 13 – the same age as my baby boy – Lord please be with her.  She knows about Jesus and is a believer – I was happy to see her wearing a cross necklace today. Apparently an area church came and did a treasure hunt with the girls and gave them a tshirt & a plastic cross necklace  - I think the church was 7^th day Baptist church of Jamaica??? I’m not sure – I need to google it… I was just glad to hear that someone else cared to come to visit them! Praise God!

Ashley asked me to bring her some strawberries from America – I told her that I hoped someday that I could but not too sure how to transport them – she had remembered that strawberries are my favorite  - I was happily surprisedJ I would love to do that for her but think that it’s next to impossible to do that… I’ll pray about it thoughJ

After our card game, we made friendship bracelets and I listened to her sing – so beautiful.  I then asked her what was her favorite bible verse is – she immediately said Psalm 34 & Psalm 121.  I remembered that Candi brought her bible in so I borrowed it to look it up together.  As she read Psalm 34 to me with her sweet voice – I couldn’t help but smile and hope and pray that she turns to this passage to bring her hope and encouragement.

Psalm 34 “ The happiness of those who trust God”

I will bless the Lord at all times;
His praise shall continually be in my mouth.
² My soul shall make its boast in the Lord;
The humble shall hear of it and be glad.
³ Oh, magnify the Lord with me,
And let us exalt His name together.

⁴ I sought the Lord, and He heard me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
⁵ They looked to Him and were radiant,
And their faces were not ashamed.
⁶ This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
⁷ The angel^[a] of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him,
And delivers them.

⁸ Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good;
Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!
⁹ Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints!
There is no want to those who fear Him.
¹⁰ The young lions lack and suffer hunger;
But those who seek the Lord shall not lack any goodthing.

¹¹ Come, you children, listen to me;
I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
¹² Who is the man who desires life,
And loves many days, that he may see good?
¹³ Keep your tongue from evil,
And your lips from speaking deceit.
¹⁴ Depart from evil and do good;
Seek peace and pursue it.

¹⁵ The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their cry.
¹⁶ The face of the Lord is against those who do evil,
To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

¹⁷ The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears,
And delivers them out of all their troubles.
¹⁸ The Lord is near to those who have a broken heart,
And saves such as have a contrite spirit.

¹⁹ Many are the afflictions of the righteous,
But the Lord delivers him out of them all.
²⁰ He guards all his bones;
Not one of them is broken.
²¹ Evil shall slay the wicked,
And those who hate the righteous shall be condemned.
²² The Lord redeems the soul of His servants,
And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.

Psalm 121 “God the Help of those who seek him”

I will lift up my eyes to the hills—
From whence comes my help?
² My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.

³ He will not allow your foot to be moved;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
⁴ Behold, He who keeps Israel
Shall neither slumber nor sleep.

⁵ The Lord is your keeper;
The Lord is your shade at your right hand.
⁶ The sun shall not strike you by day,
Nor the moon by night.

⁷ The Lord shall preserve you from all evil;
He shall preserve your soul.
⁸ The Lord shall preserve your going out and your coming in
From this time forth, and even forevermore.

After she read them to me, she shared that her grandma would always read those to her, teach her the bible and take her to church (just like my grandma did for me) and it was those 2 passages that she read at her grandmother’s funeral.  You see, Ashley’s mother died when she was 2 and her grandma raised her until she died ( I can’t remember at what age that was – maybe just a few years ago).  I then gave her the verses Jer 29:11 and my other favorite Hebrews 11:1.  I found some paper to write her name down so that I can pray for her to get out of the “prison” and to write the verses down too – I did not want to forget!  She quickly urged me to write down the verses that I shared with her on a piece of paper too. 

It was then time to say our “See you Laters” – not goodbye… I gave her the bracelet that I had made and wished that I had a disciples cross that we make to give her – maybe next time…

I hugged Natalie and then turned to Ashley.  She asked if we would be back but I regretfully told her that I wasn’t certain and that our plane was leaving soonL  I asked if she had a specific prayer – a date for court or whatever but no answerL  She did say that she is a “fit person” and not a troublemaker so she doesn’t have a court date.  So I just prayed with her with what was on my heart.

I said “See you later” and slowly walked away – that was so hard to do.  I truly hope that I will SEE HER LATER!  If not in Jamaica in heaven.

My heart is truly broken – I’ve cried for her and the GV girls for about 45 min. today.  For the past 8 months, I haven’t been sure as to why I lead this group here and what “I” was doing here besides bringing others to see the plight of the orphan and to break their heart for what breaks Jesus’s heart but I know today that I am here to pray for Ashley and the other GV girls and if that is truly the only reason  - then it was worth it!

We had never planned on going to GV - we had always planned on going to The Father's House but it wasnt ready for us - i'm now wondering what He has planned for the GV girls and can only hope that it is BIG - i'm so glad that we got to go there and only wished that it was more...

Day 12 - August 1

today was our last full day at BG and it is Emancipation Day, which means it's a holiday, which means that many workers/aunties had the day off!  Boy does it make a difference in the children's behavior when the aunties are gone!  Needless to say that we were not able to teach our bible story today - we were able to pray, sing some songs and then all broke loose - i guess i can kind of laugh about it now but we had kids all over the place - the ratio of workers to kids was 1 to 2 but that didn't matter - we were outnumbered and with no power to do any discipline it was a lost cause - LOL. so... we just had a few different stations to do some activities to keep them busy for a few hours and it was all good.

we did our usual routine of lunch and then playing outside with the kiddos. since many of the aunties were gone, we didn't think that we would be able to bless them by washing their feet and giving them a pedicure BUT we were wrong!  At about 3:00 the director asked if we could go ahead and wash the aunties feet of the ones that were there.  We have been planning this for the past 6 months but now that it was time - we were a little unsure of how it was going actually happen... but we just did our best and it worked out perfectly:)  The aunties LOVED it!  We washed, scrubbed their feet, lotioned & massaged their feet and painted toe nails and of course we added cute little flower stickers:) and we thanked them for working so hard in caring for the precious children at the home.  We also were able to bless them with little gift bags of mini pedicure kits that they can use for themselves.  They were so so happy! and it blessed us so much that we could do that for them!  Many have never had that kind of treatment before :)  What an honor it was for us.  We were able to take some pics:

We are getting ready for dinner and then will have our team meeting - i might update some more later.  Thanks for everyone's prayers.  Crystal is much better since her asthma attack last night (scary:( ) and Caleb stayed home today and i believe is feeling better too:)

Day 11 – July 31, 2012

Please visit the EO blog - it is a private blog (you will need to register for a username & pw) and has some pics of us & kiddos:) http://www.embracingorphans.org/blog/

At our nightly meeting tonight, Julie shared a great verse of encouragement for the team – 1 Cor. 5:18 “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord”

As we are working hard at BG this week, this verse seems fitting… sometimes doing the menial “grunt” work does not feel very rewarding but knowing that it is the work of the Lord – He has each of us here for a reason – makes it worth it! He called us here to this mission field and boy is it big!

Again, we spent a wonderful day at BG – not sure where all my energy came from today! Maybe the Joy of the Lord!!  I got to spend the morning with the toddlers today.  It started out as the usual morning of hanging out on the veranda – having children sit in our laps to read or sing to, or refereeing any little squabbles about toys… today we were blessed with a Jamaican tambourine singing grandma – boy was she FILLED with JOY!  She came bounding in and all the kids were extremely excited to see her.  She asked for song requests and the little toddlers answered – so precious!  The next thing I know – I looked to my right toward the baby’s veranda and there were 5 little heads peering through the steel latticed walls enjoying the music as well – I so wished that I had my camera and could take a picture! L I will just have to picture it in my mind…  Soon after the tambourine lady left we took the kiddos outside – it was definitely a day to be under the trees – not very many clouds and thank goodness there was a somewhat of a cool breeze.  We tried to let the kids color sesame street pictures – we had to keep a close eye on those toddlers! Many of the crayons ended up in mouths or coloring on the outdoor furniture –oh well… at least they had the opportunityJ  the todds seemed a little crabby and tired this morning – it was a bit of a challenge to keep a few awake until lunch.  And that’s pretty much what we did the rest of the day… played outside with various toys etc…  Brayden enjoyed playing with his buddy Kwan (sp?) and begging me to adopt him – J I had a sad moment seeing Breanna dressed in her best – her and her brother had a court date this morning.  I’m hoping to find out what happened tomorrow – maybe I’ll get to see her again, maybe she’s with her parents or maybe she’s gone to a permanent children’s home??? We shall see…

Another mission group has arrived here to do work with EO.  They are meninites from the east coast – 19 of them and most are teens.  We had dinner with them tonight – tomorrow their boys are doing work at the Father’s house and the girls will join us at BG.  After dinner we had our devotion/team mtg with just our group.  Please keep Crystal in your prayer as she had an asthma attack tonight.  We were able to get her breathing ok with her inhaler etc…

Tomorrow (8/1) is our last full day at BG – we are planning on pampering the nannies with a little pedicure/spa treatment – we are hoping to bless them as they do those precious children every day!

Monday's project with schoolers

lunchtime in the volunteers breakroom

monday project - "He knows my name"

waiting for our vans to go to BG...

Day 10 - July 30

We began our day with an interesting breakfast - jamaican porridge (yum) and swordfish (no thanks - for me:) )  I think we all were wondering if we were going to make it through the day today - it was to be a long hot one!

As we arrived at BG, the toddlers were on the veranda excitedly chanting for us to come! what a sweet sound to our ears.  We quickly put our things down, prayed for God to carry us through the day and for divine appointments.  I got to go to the schoolers room today - it was a blast!  I had about 15 min. to figure out what devotion/story that i would do and it went great!  Brayden & I acted out David & Goliath - the kids loved it:)  We sang, did an activity, sang some more, had snack, sang some more, and then another activity to keep them busy for 3 hrs. - whew - we did it:)  The rest of the day we spent outside with all of the children.

Brayden has attached to a little 3 yr old boy named Quan - he's trying to talk me into adopting him.  I told him i'd pray about but just not too sure about that right now... however, i have fallen in love with a little girl that was abandoned last week and brought to BG - last week when we were there she didn't make a peep.  today, i got her to do raspberries and babble a little bit saying dadada or mamamama - so sweet.  Then she fell asleep in my arms  -as  i looked at her precious sleeping face, i wondered if her mom misses her and wondered if she will someday have 1 mother again to rock her asleep - i guess for today, i was that mom...

It has been sweet to see the team fall in love with all of the children at BG - we all tend to have our favorite:)

_________________________________________________________________________________

Blogged By Ronnie: It was a long day , Hence its Monday ;) So into Blossom Gardens to serve the Aunties and Love on these precious children with God's love. It was enlightening to have the lack of energy knowing that all that came out of me would either be my flesh fleeing to lay down on a bench or God showing up in a mighty way and holding me up.So forward on  I went to the baby room for the first 3 hours and just held sang and fed them.One little girl was getting her hair done all pretty and a brand new outfit was picked out for her along with a new pair of sandals. They got her all dressed and she left escorted away as one of the Aunties turned to release tears- there was a handful of children that left BG today with good promise to be adopted out which is so wonderful but at the same time so heart breaking for these Aunties who love these children and do such an amazing job at caring for their needs- these children are definitely loved by these women. After feeding time I was beginning to feel the lack of energy again and needed to eat to regain stamina. I ate and read from my Bible the Proverbs of the day. What really stood out to me was the verse from Prov.30:5 "Every word of God is pure : He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him. 8: " Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither  poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me; lest I be full and deny thee, and say Who is the LORD ? or lest I be poor, and steal and take the name of my God in vain." I have had this burden and fear that leaving Jamaica and returning back to my normal life would soon erase what I have seen and experienced while here and I feared the shame and guilt that I would have to live with- I made this verse my prayer and was just asking God to help me to serve Him and please Him with my response to what I have obtained through this that it wouldn't be vain. I left the break room heavy and began talking with the Financial Advisor of BG and was asking him how he was doing. He responded by telling me that he was heavy spirited and I told him how I was feeling that a couple days ago. I listened to him as he poured out his heart and burden for providing for his family and the trying to understand why he chose to put his faith in God. He serves the Lord, He loves him and has brought up his children in the Lord and while he struggles to provide he sees the evil prosper in their ways and it really dissuades him and leaves him feeling heavy. After just reading this chapter from the Bible I realized that this was very relative to what we were talking about. As we were both sitting very tired after such a long day - God showed up and encouraged us both. He was asking me where we were staying and he lit up and said he knew where we were because he goes to the Verney House once a month for meetings with the Gidions Bible Association. He brings Bibles to Nursing Homes, Hospitals and the Homeless etc. I was telling him how we were kicking ourselves about not bringing Bibles after their being a number of requests for them at the Granville Girls Home (Prison) He was quick to say that he will bring them Bibles - what an awesome encouragement to him to be reminded how he is making a difference and for us because we had been praying that God would provide Bibles for these girls wanting Bibles.Thank You Jesus! Please pray that as the girls receive these Bibles that they will grow and desire after God and His will for them and that His word would not return void- Oh how He loves them <3

Day 9 - July 29

Trying to get up to date...

Sunday - July 29 - we had another day of rest & relaxation.  We were able to sleep in a bit and then had our own worship and church/devotion/sharing service - it was GOOD!

After lunch, we headed back down to the hip strip to finish up some souvenier shopping and then to have our last chance to put our toes in the jamaica beach!

It was a time of GOOD relaxation - a time to charge our batteries for the week ahead.  We are supposed to spend the entire day at BG on Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday (9-4) and then Thursday morning at BG and afternoon at Granville and our final day on Friday we will spend the morning at BG and the afternoon at Melody House.

Keep us in your prayer:)

Day 8 - July 28

Today was a relaxation/fun day to rejuvenate ourselves.  We had to say good bye to Ryan yesterday and Carl today - they both had commitments back in Walla Walla.  They will surely be missed!!!

The team journeyed to YS Falls - about a 2+hrs. drive but definately worth it.  Taylor & Brayden are still not feeling 100% and Jane has come down with a bad stomach bug.  Jane did not come with us.  We had a great time - most of us did the zip line and played in the falls. i hope to post pictures soon but i wanted to get the blog updated.  Here's a link so you can see what it is...YS Falls website

We ended the day with delicious Jerk Chicken at "Jerkies" - YUM!

Day 7 - July 27 (sorry for the delay in posting...)

Part 1 - I didn’t get to go to BG (blossom garden) today – brayden woke up with a sore throat, headache & stuffed up head.  Taylor doesn’t feel well either & stayed back at the VH too.  Many of the team members are starting to have the same symptoms – Alyssa has been stuffy since the 2^nd dayL she’s been a real trouper and always smiling and ready to go!  What a blessing it has been to get to know everyone better on the team.

So… while back at the ranch – Debbie & I got some laundry done – yay! And  I finished reading 2 books that I had started about 2 months ago. I had read them a few years ago but since Tom Davis is going to be our keynote speaker in November at the orphan conference, I wanted to re-read them. I’m so glad I did – I love his books – definitely recommend you read them.  “Red Letters – living a faith that bleeds” and “Fields of the Fatherless”.  While refecting back to my post yesterday about as Christians and now knowing first hand of the plight of the orphan in jamaica – I thought that I would share a bit of what I read in “Fields of the Fatherless” that really resonated with me and thought it might too with you – so, here’s a little excerpt from the chapter: The Old Enemy: Fear – “ THE PADLOCK ON OUR COMPASSION: FEAR – There’s a common, very human reason for our resistance.  You see, the reason we don’t help the beggar on the road, or the single mother we know who is working herself to death, is the same reason we won’t help the orphan dying on the other side of the world.  We flee from the need in front of us because of our ancient, ruthless foe, fear. – When we see or hear about the atrocities happening to children in America or other countries, the fear of our lives being rudely interrupted enters in the equation of our attempts to help. We think, what if I became too involved? – We are afraid of changing what we’ve always done.  Our lives have become comfortable and manageable.  If loving the stranger, the widow and the poor have never been a part of our lives in the past (even if we know it should be) it’s much easier to keep on living the way we always have…The idea may cross our minds to sign up to take a meal to the elderly widow who broke her hip last week.  But then maybe we rationalize our lack of follow-through by telling ourselves someone else will do it. – What if these impulses are from God? What kind of joy might we be cheating ourselves out of? – Ironically, it turns out that fear is what prevents us from growing and changing.  Fear wants nothing to change; fear demands the status quo.  And the status quo leads to death. – Who wants the status quo?  It is stagnant and stymied living.  On the other hand, compassionate involvement is vibrant and fulfilled living.”

The moment in my life that I realized that fear was starting to hold me back was the moment that I decided that it would no longer!  It was about 8 years ago when we were praying about adopting for the first time and a dear friend of mine said to me “Is your faith stronger than your fears or your fears stronger than your faith?”  it was at that moment that I was determined to no longer let my fears hold me back.  Since then, God has totally changed our life – never in a million years did I think that I would adopt 2 times from china, start an orphan ministry (soon to be non profit) and go on 2 mission trips so far…  I love those dot, dot, dots… because I know I have no “plans” for my life but God does.  I’m just excited to do what He has for me to do –whatever that may be – I’m available and do my best to be obedient to His will.  My prayer for you is that you too will put your fears aside and if you are feeling compelled to do something for “the least of these” that you will do it.

Part 2 – the team returned from BG around 2:30 and they were wiped out!  I wished so bad that I could’ve been there to help.  We teach a bible lesson with the schoolers,  do worship and other “filler” activities.  The Aunties have them in their chairs from 9-12 with a snack half way through – next to impossible to keep them entertained/occupied for that long.  Usually a handful of us are with the schoolers and the rest split up between the toddlers & infants to help the Aunties J

We were invited to the “Fish Fry Fundraiser” at the Melody House – MH is a private home so I think they are doing fundraisers or willing to take donations more than others do.  It was an interesting night – enjoyed some of the entertainment of dancing and a fashion show.  Since it was a public event, we were able to take some pictures of the girls for personal non-public use – yay!  Thankfully, I was able to pry Brayden (Taylor & Debbie made it too) out of bed to come with us to get some fresh air and I think it helped.  I’m hoping everyone is  better tomorrow – (Saturday) we are planning on going to YS Falls for some fun and relaxation.

Day 6 - July 26

It was hard to roll out of bed this morning – we were up late last night with the MH girls. But it was definitely worth it!  To be able to love on those girls was THE BEST!!

Our first destination today was BG to take 15 “schoolers” to the beach!  I know that I’ve been looking forward to this day for that past 6 monthsJ  We had a bus to take all of the kids and a few team member s – the others team members were in the van.  While on the bus, Ryan sang some fun songs with the kids – BOY do they LOVE to sing!  They were really getting into it and it was a beautiful sound to my ears.  We had the amazing opportunity to take the kids to a private beach just for us!  It was perfect.  We lined everyone up and fitted them with a lifejacket (b/c jamaican’s don’t swim ;)  - and for safety ).  The team went out to the water with the buckets & goggles and then shortly behind us the kids came running down.  They had a blast – so did we!  We were actually right next to the airport and the kids loved watching the planes come in for landing.  We all had a wonderful time just swimming, scooping water & filling up buckets with sand, building sandcastles and searching for shells to collect – all the things “ordinary” kids should be able to do and to think that this is a once a year (hopefully) thing for them makes my heart sad and happy at the same time – happy that EO is here to love on them the way they/we are doing.  Our next surprise was  to take them for a ride in a glass bottom boat – it was exciting for them but scary for some too.  They loved watching the lion fish swim under & around the boat and even more fun was watching uncle carl swim under the boat – our teen boys got to do the same too – it will be a great memory for all! We got back to the beach with just enough time for a snack of fishy crackers & pineapple – yum! And another last minute swim… 

After taking the BG kids back home, we turned around and headed to Granville Girls Home.  I was able to take a picture of the outside – I hope it turned out & will try to post it… we didn’t get there until about 3:00 and many of the “good” girls were on a field trip.  So, when we arrived the court yard (made of dirt) was pretty empty – slowly the girls started to emerge to visit with us.  I brought UNO and was happy to meet “Ashley” – she had a Jamaican name but I had her repeat it about 3 times and then she finally said  - “just call me Ashley – that’s what I go byJ “ and she smiled – her smile lit up her beautiful face.  She didn’t look like the others when we were there the other day – she looked to “nice” – no scars and a fresh face with a twinkle in her eyes.  As we played THE LONGEST GAME OF UNO EVER, I began to ask her questions about her experiences at the home etc… Come to find out, she had just gotten there yesterday – I immediately asked her if she was doing ok to let her know that I knew that this was a rough place.  Throughout our conversation/game I discovered that her mom died when she was 2 (not sure how, yet) and that she’s been living with her older sister.  The social worker took her to the home b/c ashley’s sister can’t take care of her and needs a job L  My heart is breaking for this girl too – I’m worried about her there and if she is safe from the other girls – they are a very rough bunch in more ways than one.  We began to finish our visit around 5ish and ended with worship and a quick devotional.  We said our goodbyes and I prayed with Ashley – I just felt so strongly that she needed it.  She then asked me if I would be coming back and I told her that I sure hoped that I would be next week!  I’m curious to find out what I will see in her eyes then – I hope and pray that it is the same sweet sparkle – please keep her in your prayers too…

After dinner tonight we had a very short time of sharing (everyone is tired) but one thing that was shared that I think that we all agreed upon at our table was this: Now that we are here and have experienced and seen what we have with the plight of the orphan here in Jamaica -that as true Christians, we cannot not do anything.  As Christians we cannot turn our backs.  And you as a reader of this blog – it is my prayer that your heart has been pierced for the orphans too.  Please join us in prayer as to how we can best help. 

Another thing that I learned today is that there are NO child sponsorship programs in this country at all.  World Vision & Compassion do not have programs set up here – I’m not sure why… It seems this country isn’t really getting ANY outreach from very many organizations.  I’m so glad that Embracing Orphans is here and if you would like to help the children here, please pray about contributing to them – they could really use your help.  I’m pretty certain that they would be the first outside organization to own a home & to run a girls home.  Their connections and relationships with the officials here is amazing and I pray that they can continue the work God has planned for them.

Day 5 - July 25

WHAT A DAY!! 

If you haven’t noticed by now, we are not allowed to post pictures of any of the childrenL  As we are bonding & building relationships with these precious kids – it is TOUGH!  We want to share with you the faces of the children we are falling in love with but if we do we could end up in jail for 12 months – not a risk worth takingL

Today we began our day at BG – our team of 14 split up to visit with the schoolers, toddlers & infants.  I had the pleasure of going to the infant room today.  It is soooo easy to fall in love with these little guys – so so precious!! I had little Kimberly – she is about 10 months old but was born premature.  She is delayed developmentally and I kind of suspect Cerebral Palsy – she has a side that is very stiff but I’m not an expert & it’s not my job to diagnose her – just love on her and that is exactly what I did and it was a blessing to me to be able to do that.  So tiny…  While at BG, we’ve been trying to visit with the Aunties too – they really work hard and love these kids too – the home and children are spotless.  They put on a stern look but once you start visiting with them they really lighten up and start to smile a bitJ

We got to visit “The Father’s House” today – what a blessing that home will be for the children of Jamaica – please pray that God will provide the money very soon for this home so it can open!  We had time to worship & pray over the house today.

After 5 hours at BG, we came home to clean up to get ready for the party that we were throwing for the MH girls (and it is a girls bday too) an even better reason to celebrate!  We were delighted to treat them to dinner, dessert (bday cake with the candles etc..  – most children don’t get a celebration like this here in the children’s home) a little bit of entertainment/devotional, worship songs, a couple of games & they could choose to swim or a movie (6 out of the 8 swam).  WE ALL had a great time!  It was wonderful to get to know the girls better – they really loosened up and had a great time.  It was a great feeling to just watch them laugh and have a truly good time with nothing to worry about!

I don’t think anything too “deep” happened today but keep us all in your prayers as we minister to these 3 homes.  We are heading to BG in the morning to take the children to the beach! And then to Granville Girls home.

Oh – one more thing that I was thinking about the other day… as we drove to the Granville Girls home  (I think yesterday –it’s all becoming a blur) - was how poor this country really is.  There are many many homes that are left abandoned or unfinished, the roads are AWEFUL (it feels like we are 4 wheeling whenever we go somewhere) there are people out on the streets selling ANYTHING that they can to earn a dollar – it is poor. We drove by all of the “all inclusive” resorts on the way to the home and it got me thinking if anyone that ever goes to those places ever ventures out of the walls to really experience the real Jamaica??  So, I challenge you the next time that you come to Jamaica to get out and experience the country!!  I’ve heard so much about how wonderful it is in Jamaica and now that I’m here  - I’m trying to find out why it’s so wonderful? The beach is pretty but this country needs some serious prayer – not only for the children but for the people.  The churches here can’t even reach out to the orphans in their own country because they are needing to reach out & feed their own church family L And  - I could go on…– maybe next time…

Day 4 - July 24

Blogged by Ronnie...

I am not much of a blogger so much of what I wanted to share with you in this entry is directly from my Journal – I hope that it reaches you in some way as God has through just walking where He would lead me. It was a lovely Wednesday morning seeing Debbie arise and smile with no more migraine – Thank you Jesus!! And thank you Saints for praying! We were presented with a lovely breakfast including scrambled eggs, a collard green like substance and mango slices fresh from the tree outside and a cup of Jamaican Java and shortly after set sail for Café Blue and I got an iced Jamaican coffee brew and some hula hoops at the drug store next store for the kids at the Blossom gardens for 350 Jamaican dollars :O we got stamps, water and all the items to get through the week. Our first stop would be at the Melody House where we finished up making some aprons and t-shirt rugs and had a sweet day of victory with sewing machines working when they all decided not to work the previous day,  I was working with a young girl who really wanted to quit along with me with all of yesterdays frustrations – but we both managed to get through the project with restored sewing machines and had a victory in the completions of two aprons which she made for a friend and even stitched her initials into it- so sweet and thoughtful of her- The Melody House is having a fish fry for a fundraiser on Friday so you can be in prayer for  God to accomplish all that concerns the facility and move people to take action to support financially and prayerfully and however else the Lord would impress their hearts. We ate lunch in the vehicle on our way to the Grandville Girls “Home” around 1.With a lovely 45 minute drive and satisfied bellies I was feeling pretty confident in presenting the girls with a smile as well as Jesus love . As we drove up to the gate there was a security guard that authorized our entry in the court yard where we parked and were then enclosed by a maybe 12 ft. fence lined with bobbed wire. The girls were on the other side of the fence that looked more like a prison to me than any facility I have ever seen- they were ruff housing it and hitting and pushing and laughing, quite a mixed amount of emotion all at once. There were around 60 girls there ranging from the age of 10-17. We were all responsible to bring out what we had brought in . I brought a Uno game and a bag of color crayons for coloring- and before you know it the girls had all the crayons out and we were sitting at the picnic table playing uno and coloring. I was greeting and getting to know names and was sure to keep a smile on my face as to bring cheer and a merry countenance to the girls- I held that smile on my face and was sure to keep it there at all times. Then I began to notice things, such as dark sad eyes and scars over every piece of flesh I saw – I began to recognize in the midst of the clay covered ground marked with rubble was  where the feet of these hurting children would spend the next season of their life however long that would be I have no idea- but it was a dagger to think that these girls had never experienced a sense of love and acceptance. It was really hard to take in and I immediately grew sad with  hidden tears that the little 10 year old girl that called me Momma was around the age of my eldest daughter and  I imagined my Hannah behind these bars. This little girl wanted me to walk with her and play with her. We sat and played a round of jenga and then she just wanted me to watch her and tell her what a great job she was doing- I kept praising her and high fiving her and just watched her as she announced “ this is is fun” This is soo much fun Momma” I know that this is what a lot of the girls must call the Nannies or workers but I couldn’t help but respond in my heart “ I am willing,  I will be your Momma” I loved this little girl and I took her under my wing. I will never forget her and will pray for her as she were my own daughter for safety favor and Jesus to be in her and show her great and marvelous things and show her the plans that He has to prosper her and give her a future and hope. This was so hard especially walking away feeling helpless and at the same time accountable. There is no way that I can just turn away and do nothing . I have this awareness and responsibility for these girls. I know that the burden isn’t for me to carry because I also know that the love that I feel fades away in comparison to the love that the Father has for these girls.  I will just end this with this verse James 2: 14- 17 “ If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; which doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works , is dead, being alone.

Day 3 - July 23

Today I worshiped with the schoolers and Jessica, Ryan, Carl and Crystal@ Blossom Gardens .We sang old man Noah had an ark eieiO .  Jessica gave the bible study of Noah’s ark she acted it out with the kids help it was great! One girl got up she had asked Carl if she could sing her favorite song it went like this in a little Jamaican accent…”Jesus on the telephone tell him what you need, tell him what u need today ,some want silver some want gold, but I want Jesus in my soul” The words  were so sweet  they hit me hard .These children are so easy to love and make happy! Today I put on a mask and chased them around the playground today and held them and hugged them and sang to them. Just being with them makes them happy!I am blessed .I have a new nickname they call me mrs sweety because they call Candy Sweetie’s in Jamaica.It was cool!

Blogged by Candi

Today we went to BG & then to Melody House for the first time.  MH has about 9 teen girls - we taught them to make t shirt rug & how to sew aprons.  They LOVED it!  We are looking forward to going there tomorrow (tues)

  Blessings - Kirsten

Day 2 - July 22

Ahhh - - what a wonderful night sleep for almost everyone ;) some of us got to listen to the “Sumfest” concert that went ALL night long – it was good music, most of it I recognized which was bad b/c then I would lay in bed singing the tune in my head as I tried to will myself back to sleep – as soon as a foreign tune came on I was able to return to my sweet dreamsJ  anyway – enough of that!!

Everyone made it to breakfast this morning dressed in their finest for church– Praise the Lord that Caleb and Candi were well! We enjoyed scrambled eggs, fried banana, fried bread & toast = delish!!

After bkfst, we caravanned to “The Family on The Rock” church.  Everyone was dressed in their very best!  It was a fun experience – we worshiped for about an hour and really enjoyed the worship.  During announcements they had everyone stand up that had a birthday or anniversary and they were sung a special song and people around them would give them hugsJ  Then it was time for the children to go to Sunday school – they had all of the little children come up in front of the church to be prayed for before they left to their classes and the fathers in the church came to the front to also bless the children as they walked by them – very coolJ  After the service, We had a group picture and then headed back to VH.

Upon arriving at VH we got our lunch – corned beef sandwiches, cheese sandwiches & sweet bread.  We had a few minutes to change into our swim suits to get ready for 1 of our fun days of shopping & beach days.  As soon as we stepped out to meet everyone, the rain came pouring down!!!  It didn’t stop us though – the group was dropped off at Doc’s Cave.  We decided to dodge the rain drops as we ran into stores and got a few souveniers.  Low & behold the rain stopped!!! We enjoyed about 2 hours playing in the beach.  The kids had goggles to see under the water.  Apparently they saw a sting ray, fish & a star fish around the area we were swimming!! Cool!  They were pretty jazzed!!  One thing that we realized is that there is no surf in jamaica – no waves to ride etc… weird!

Around 4:00 the group headed back to VH where we cleaned up & sorted through the 14+ bags of supplies that we brought.  We got it all “somewhat” organized and now have a plan for what we will do tomorrow – it will be interesting to see if that is God’s planJ  We are planning on visiting BG in the morning and Melody House (MH) in the afternoon. Looking forward to that!  While the adults were sorting,  the teen boys (Brayden, Caleb & Jethro) went swimming and had a great time with a gecko that they found.  You will have to ask them about that!

Dinner was delish again! Jerk Chicken, rice/beans, potato salad & shredded vegetables (kinda like a coleslaw)  We had a time of worship with the team – Candi & Ryan (from EO) led us – they did a great job! And then a little devotional from Carl J

breakfast at VH

church

Please keep The Father’s House in your immediate prayers!  The loan that they were hoping for did not come through and EO is needing some MAJOR SUPPORT to get the value of the loan down so the interest won’t be outrageous.  Please join us in prayer for this desperate need.

Day 1 - July 21

Wow!  What a whirlwind of a day it was!  Praise goes out to God the Father for paving the path for us to get here! In addition to the bus & luggage fees, we pretty much went went unnoticed about the 10 matching army looking bags filled to the brim with stuff  - only 1 person was questioned about what we have in it and that answer was sufficient – Praise Jesus!  After we made it through customs – we then had to figure out how to get all of our bags/luggage out the door without our luggage carts (they were not allowed outsideL)  I’m sure the Jamaican men had some great stories to tell when they got home about how these American women tried to carry 2-3 50 pound bags 4 feet and barely made it!!  It was quite the sight!  But the best sight for us was to see who was waiting for us out the door – Julie & Carl!! Woo hoo – relief  - we had officially arrived!

After the short jaunt to The Verney house, we got somewhat settled in our new home for the next 2 weeks.  We are definitely not staying in a 5 star hotel (maybe a 2-3 star on the room but 4-5 stars on the hospitality!) But I think its good – we are here on a mission trip to serve Jesus not to be serving ourselves in worldly accommodations!  To confirm that notion – I was greeted with a dead 2 inch cockroach in my closet – suffice it to say that I will be zipping up my luggage every night and not getting up in the middle of the night to go to the restroom! J

WE only had about 30 minutes before we went to visit Blossom Garden’s children’s home.  WE had a short tour of the facility and then was quickly put to work feeding, bathing & playing with the kiddos! It was great!  The smiles on these children are precious and their willingness to be held & picked up by anyone is nice & helpful for us to feel comfortable but as I sit and write this I’m thinking about all of the other people that may have come in & out of their lives as quickly as we will be –it makes me sad.  So sad that they may never experience the constant love and compassion of a mother & father – I pray that they will someday have that and also know that they will always have the love & compassion of our heavenly Father.

It was a sweet sweet site to  look out at the team – each & every one of them engaged in a child’s precious life – playing with them, giving them the eye contact, human contact and attention they need.  I had to hold back the tears for a moment watching this and it will be etched in my mind forever.

The team did quickly start to fade after 2 hrs at blossom garden – we then headed to a market for snacks etc… it was then back to Verney House for some rest & showers before dinner. We had alovely meal at VH (verney house), reflection on our moments at BG (blossom garden) and some time of worship.  It was really cool to hear everyone’s reflection on BG J

Please keep Candi & Caleb in your prayers for healing of sickness – they came down with colds & icky stomach stuff after we got home from BG.

Team in Jamaica

The team made it safely to Jamaica! Praise God there were no issues
with customs. They are going to have lunch and then they are off to
Blossom Gardens to see the children!!

First Leg done!

Yay!  We made it to Seattle!  We had a few members meet us at the airport and we all got there at about the same time - yay:) 

We got all 14 people checked in - we checked in about 25 bags for 14 people and we were supposed to pay about $840 in luggage fees and the airline kiosk only charged us all about $300?? give or take... i'm still not quite sure who had to pay and how much but we give God the glory for all of that!!  Praying now that customs goes just as easy!!

Now we are chillin at SeaTac!