Mi cyant dance.......

If you have ever been privileged to observe or be a part of a church service in the Caribbean, you will know exactly what I am talking about in this post. It is always amusing to us,( and HILARIOUS) to watch groups of lily white people who come here to visit try to dance like the Jamaicans when they sing. Our church services here in Jamaica always consist of a time of singing "lively songs". (That is actually what they call it!) During these lively songs everyone is clapping and moving from side to side and even the Pastors are doing a nice little "jig". I love it.....can't quite do it...but I love it. They "shuffle" ( I initially called it a sway and they quickly corrected me because sway has a sexual connotation here) from side to side and in perfect time and rhythm. We are in a different church with our students every weekend so I am always sitting in the pew with several of them during chorus time. I have tried and tried to get my white girl rhythm goin......it just ain't the same! They all laugh at me trying to "get my shuffle on" and just shake their head in disbelief. So now I stand between them and make them stand real close so they can "bump" me with their hips if I am out of sync. And...if you think I am bad, you should see my husband. He seriously can't even clap in sync! So, if you ever come to Jamaica...do yourself a favor in church.....please....just observe! This is just another rambling of one tired Jamerican......SELAH!

Our move into MoBay.......

For some it is difficult to picture what it is like to live in Jamaica. We have been here now six months and have already undergone some major changes. Our most recent change was moving into the city of MoBay after living up in a very rural mountain area for four months. So what is it like for us now?

I've posted three pics above to give you a better idea. We moved into the first floor of this three story house back in November. When we first came to look at it, it was filthy dirty and in need of some major work...therefore we got it at a fairly cheap monthly rent. We scrubbed grime out of grout, washed and scrubbed all cabinets and countertops and added light fixtures over bare lightbulbs. We are located in the Coral Gardens area, an upper middle class neighborhood to the east of the airport in Montego Bay. Above us on the second story is Dave and Mary Davison, missionaries with the Assemblies of God who have been here for over 20 years. Our Landlord, Brian, lives on the third story. Brian is Jamaican and drives a taxi. He also loves his liquor. Pictured above is his stash of beer bottles that he throws out at the wall when he comes in from driving his taxi all day. (that is fairly normal and accepted here unfortunately). He also has a fond affection for the security system on his taxi van so we get to hear it go off usually very early in the morning and very late at night. We will never need an alarm clock!

Our flat consists of two bedrooms and two bathrooms. We have "titusized" it to the best of our ability to make it feel like home. We have already been privileged to have guests here from the USA to occupy the spare bedroom and we have students here with us almost every weekend. In our housing subdivision (Jamaicans call them housing "schemes") lives at least four other missionary couples that we know of. It is always delightful to get together with them as often as possible.

We have asked God to help us use our home to be a ministry tool. We are looking forward to having some home Bible studies here, as well as hosting more friends and family from home. We feel our home is a valuable tool in our ministry and thank God for His provision.

So, though some think we are "suffering for Jesus", we prefer to think of it as "toiling for Jesus". Remember to pray for us down here doing God's work in Jamaica. These are just the ramblings of one tired Jamerican....SELAH!

My trip down memory lane...

For those of you who receive our monthly newsletter I have published a couple of the pics from our recent trip to Nassau, Bahamas. This is the place I still consider to be home. The trip was so heartwarming as I was able to see old friends and revisit all the familiar places of my childhood. We were so blessed to see the ministry of my father continuing on and doing well! As we visited Baptist Bible Church, New Testament Baptist Church, and Nassau Christian School it was clear to me that the vision my dad had for this island was not only continuing on in the hearts of the people but it was actually THRIVING! Although God chose to take my dad home to be with him at the age of 44 back in 1973, the work continues on and on and on. I was reminded again of the quote from martyred missionary Jim Elliott: "He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep to gain that which he cannot lose". To God be the glory.

Is anything too hard for the Lord?

Jamaica is a land of beautiful mountains, swaying palm trees, and breathtakingwaters. It is also an island known to be blessed with many churches and cursed with many bars. Rum, marijuana, and Rastafarianism have ravaged the people and many have found the devil to be a ruthless tax master. You can't walk very far without noticing the down and out, so consumed by their sin that they stumble to walk and some lie on the ground in their drunken state. We are indeed a country of contrasts between great grandeur and grave sin.

This last month has provided us with two opportunities for service that have burdened our hearts deeply here in Jamaica. One of these I will share in this blog.

Along with a group from Gospel Baptist of Greensboro, NC, we were privileged to go into Canterbury, considered to be the most violent area of Montego Bay. Our friends from Gospel have been to Jamaica twice previously to work short term in this squatters community. Their purpose in coming this time was solely humanitarian, to meet the physical needs of a people who seemingly have failed miserably at helping themselves. Cletis and I merely went along with them (as all the locals had many times warned us NOT to venture into this area alone) to meet some of the people and begin to establish an avenue of trust among them. To say that their plight is desperate would be an understatement. You can only enter Canterbury at the invitation of one who lives there and then only in daylight. The night hours are often riddled with gang warfare (three warring factions), gunfire, and useless killings. As we enter in we have to cross over the bridge where we pass the "wall of death". Here you find the pictures of those who have died painted on a cinderblock wall. The faces of the dead are strikingly young and your heart hurts for these families. At the entrance you also notice piles of trash and at times the smells coming from within the squatters homes rivals the odor coming from the garbage here on the outside. The stench is only made bearable by the sounds of the young children all around who are laughing and playing. As we walk in further we come upon some of the young men of the community who are glad we are here. They recognize their friends from Gospel and greet us warmly. All seems normal here except we immediately notice the unmistakable aroma of marijuana and the all too familiar smell of rum. A small crowd gathers as we begin to distribute the clothing, shoes, and toiletries and at once the grabbing begins, all trying to make sure there is something there for them. As we gaze into the eyes of the little ones our hearts are broken that we can't do more, anything just to make life one minute better for these little ones. We have quickly realized the monumental task it will be to meet even the slightest of their physical needs. As we hand out the childrens gospel booklets we stand back and watch as the adults also take the literature and lean back against the wall to read it for themselves. "Suffer the little children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdom of God" Matthew 19:14. Our hearts are then warmed as we walk up the steep hill to the house of a dear old saint of God who has for years interceded in prayer for the salvation of her people and the demise of the satanic forces at work to destroy them. We smile as she takes the pretty pink dress brought in for her, holds it up to herself, and says she will wear it to church. As we venture back down the hill and towards the entrance we can't help but wonder who will still be here the next time we come? Which of these young people will have their face painted on the wall at the entrance of Canterbury? This is the kind of day that leaves a missionary feeling overwhelmed, undone, and somewhat bewildered. We have heard from some that Canterbury is "unredeemable", beyond hope.

This sort of opportunity for ministry is all around us in Jamaica. There is a clear and present danger known all too well by the locals here in reaching out to those some consider to be the lowest of the low. Cletis and I have spent much time discussing our time in Canterbury and balancing their need for physical nourishment ("For whosoever shall give a cup of water to drink in my name..." Mark 9:41) with their need for spiritual food and ultimately regeneration in Christ. As missionaries we find ourselves always looking to find balance. Is Canterbury truly "unredeemable"? No doubt there are those who have stiffened their necks and hardened their hearts and have been turned over to their fleshly desires. There is also a generation of young children whose only hope for a future are those who dare to cross over the wall of death and bring the message of life everlasting. Is there anything too hard for God? "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men consider slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that ANY should perish but that ALL should come to repentance." II Peter 3:9

EVEN CANTERBURY!