yeah man.

Well I got back from a week in Jamaica on Sunday so I figured its high time I dust of my blog and share whats going on... but now there's so much going on that I don't know where to begin!

Firstly, Jamaica changed my life, melted my heart again and messed with my ethics. The organisation we stayed with was  http://www.wonbyonetojamaica.com/ which is run by a couple of Americans who have seen a need in Jamaica and wholeheartedly surrendered themselves to being the hands and feet of the Lord in meeting that need.  The area we visited in the Harmons had an unemployment rate of 90% with the main sources of employment being the Won by One organisation and a destructive Bauxite company that has scared the landscape and filled the village with false promises of improvement. Many children don't attend school as although it is technically free, parents have to provide lunch, a uniform, school supplies, take them to school etc and by the time it adds up, it would be a choice between the family eating that week, or one child attending school. This is devastating as I truely believe in the power of education to break the cycle of poverty and hopelessness... but on the up side there were hundreds of adorable Jamaican children, only too eager to help us out as we completed our daily service projects.

Our projects included the complete construction of two houses (still only the size of Holly and my bedroom, but the opportunity for security and a new start for two very appreciative families), the building of two foundations for the next team in to build on, work in the greenhouses, 'digging the pit' (I'm not sure exactly what this was all about, all I know is it was all men that were assigned this and they came back exhausted!) and then last but not least was the 'maul haul.'  The man who informed us on our work assignment introduced the maul haul as 'justice work' and though slightly back breaking, it was an incredible thing to be a part of.  Basically, when somebody saves up enough money to buy the rock to mix with cement to work on their house, the company drops it off in a big pile at the roadside at the bottom of the steep paths up to their houses.   Now if this is a single mother this will mean weeks of exceedingly slow and hard work just to get the materials up the hill to even begin work.  So we swept in with our crazy song singing and mission trip motivation and formed long lines and passed the maul up to the houses. One of the leaders with the Nac group we went to shared at our debrief how for him the maul haul served as an illustration of what the early churched looked like, with its simple service, each member getting no glory but that the Lord's work is being done.

My highlights of the trip were three events I shall never forget. Firstly the afternoon we spent in an infirmiry where hundreds of Jamaican had basically been sent to die.  All week we had been prepped for how this visit was going to mess with us then they sent us in with our bibles and the girls took in nail polish and lotions as a way to love on the ladies there.  At first everybody went in super cautiously, preparing themselves for the sight of adult diapers and rows of metal beds and people that couldn't speak but would hold onto you desperate to communicate with you.  Honestly, it was hard on the soul but you got past it and found somebody you could settle beside and love on.  These people shared about how their family doesn't visit and how they don't know how they ended up back in diapers but also about how much they love one another and the Lord.  They were so eager to be read scripture to and with nowhere to go all day, they would have no distractions from just spending the day speaking with their saviour. Our team coordinator talked about the importance of this visit as firstly he believes it is holy ground, with these people just waiting to step into heaven and secondly he believes that if Jesus was to come to Jamaica, this is the first place he would come..."whatever you have done for the lowest, you have done for me."  My quiet time after that visit was pretty incredible and I hope to keep revisiting my journal so as to not forget what the lord was teaching me. I had been praying, asking the Lord for vain things and the Lord just stopped me and made me take a good look at what I saw in the ladies at the infirmary.  These beautiful, inspiring women and the lord challenged me with wether I could see myself as these things if I was trapped in the same room, unable to walk and wearing a diaper.  It was a huge awakening to me as to where I find my value and whether it is enough to me to be a daughter of the king.

My next highlight was 'meals on heels' which was a night where our time of around 50 split off into groups of around four and had dinner with different families in the community.  Not only did we have the most delicious fried chicken EVER but just the fellowship and laughter was incredible.  It really spoke volumes to us about the bond of the body of Christ.  The joy of having just met a family and being able to leave after dinner, viewing them as your own family.  At one point in that dinner, they sang us the Jamaican anthem, then Del and Morgan sang the American anthem and Hol and I finished with the God save the queen.  It was just a truely precious evening.

And finally at the last night in the Harmons (we had one night afterwards in a hotel at the beach) we were led into the main meeting room in silence where they had lit it with candles and there were three bowls of water and towels.  Then one by one we washed each others feet, hugged and encouraged one another.  The sign of service and a reflection on the pure nature of our Jesus.  I was so thankful for the team that went, how they immediately loved one another and how they sharpened me into increasing Christ likeness.

So it was a week of cold two minute showers and hard, hard work but also a chance to join with the Lord with what he is already doing in Jamaica. I could talk forever about what I experienced there but I hope this gives an insight into what we were doing there. Thank you to all who were keeping us in your prayers.