Last Blog & Last Day For Me

Today is the last day before we leave to go home and it is very hard to be able to enjoy whats left of your time here when you don’t know when you will be back. I have built several relationships with Jamaicans here and it has been hard to say good bye. Well this past weekend and this week we have had a few meetings about going home and how to cope with things. I do not know how I will react to leaving and arriving back into the States. I had to start saying goodbyes last week when I went to the infirmary and I thought it was going to be a lot harder emotionally for me. I actually had a great time with my dear lady Beatrice, about half way through our time together she asked me when I was coming back and I told her I don’t know. She started to cry and after awhile I started to realized that its so dumb of me to sit here with her and cry over this when we have 45 more minutes together, so I totally put a smile on my face and started to enjoy every second that I had left with her. I will truly miss being able to go to the infirmary and spend time with her, she has a lot of wisdom for a old lady. The past couple of days this week have been awesome being able to spend time with my Jamaican friends and mento. I have gotten the chance to hang out with my mento more than I thought before I have to tell her good bye today. My mentos mom had told me that she has already gotten upset about me leaving. I didn’t realize that she was going to get upset. She is a very sweet little girl that will always have a special place in my heart that I will never forget. I can’t wait to see all my friends and family at home though but well never forget my expereince and the people here in Harmons, Jamaica.

Ashlee B

You Know You’re in Jamaica When…

 compiled by Ashley Winkler

-After a shower, you’re not sure if your hair is shower wet or sweat wet

-your clothes have mysterious bleach stains

-you’re refered to as a “whitie”

-you put tin milk (condensed milk) in your coffee

-your fish stares back at you

-goat head, hoove, and intestine soup is a delicious treat

-a popular song is played and people say “woop woop”

-lizards are as numerous as flies

-rainwater is warmer and has better water-pressure than your shower

-you get dirty looks if you don’t finish your food

-you bathe in baby powder

-your alarm clock is a rooster

-your torpedo fan tunes out everything

-your feet are never “clean”

-people are playing dominos on every street corner

It's going to be the hardest thing for me to leave. I have made so many friends here and it is going to be hard for me to get used to living in the states again.  One thing I know for sure is that this will NOT be my last time in Harmons. :) 

Happy Independence Day!

In case the title didn't give it away, today is Jamaica's Independence Day.  It was great getting to see our Jamaican friends celebrate it throughout the day.  Every street we walked down, there was music playing and large gatherings of people.  My favorite part of the day though was our courtyard activity for the night (courtyard activities are the nightly events that bring the Americans and locals together).  As customary for a Friday, tonight was Send-off.  Usually Send-off consists of dancing and a lot of goodbyes.  Tonight, however, we threw an Independence Day party.  It was so fun!  One of our Jamaican friends, Tony, started the night off by singing the Jamaican national anthem.  We also had a massive balloon drop and gave out a few hundred cupcakes.  All in all, the party went well and the turnout was great.  So for the last time this year, happy Independence Day!

MIke and Adam are HERE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hello

Sometimes perspective can be the most important aspect of ministry.  This week,  Adam and Mike, 2009 summer staffers have been visiting.  It's great to remember that people have come before us and people will come after us. One thing that we talk to the teams about is how they are building houses on the foundations the previous group had built.  Each week the group is literally setting up the next team to continue the work. 

It's easy to forget that God has come before us in Harmons, and that when we leave, God will remain.  Whether we can see fruit from what we've done or not, we have to remember that God has a plan for Harmons.  And that plan is so much greater than ours that we often can't see the full arc of it.  At the end of the day, we cannot rely on our own strength.  Our love alone will never be enough.  We will never be able to work hard enough to make a difference.  But we can trust that God is pursuing his children in Harmons, and we must trust that God is using us this summer as a part of the great story of the gospel. 

As he has been working in the past; he is working now; and he will continue to work.

John

Opportunity

     Hello everybody!  This is Tim and sadly the Summer Staff's time is coming to a close here in Harmons.  We are currently hosting Emmanuel Bible Church from Pennsylvania this week and then the next week we will spend saying goodbye to each other and all the friends we have made in Harmons.  For me, this summer seemed to fly right by.  I've tried my best to make the most of every moment handed to me and because of that, I've often found myself in situations where I may not be comfortable.  I always do remind myself though that being the hands and feet of Jesus certainly don't require your being comfortable but do require your faith and availability.  With those two attributes freely offered to Christ, He can mold you and shape you into the person He desires for you to be.  With that being said, I will make mention of my prayers this summer.   One thing that I prayed for was for God to grant me opportunity while serving in Jamaica.  I prayed for opportunities to let people know that I care for them and appreciate them.  I prayed for opportunities to let me speak a word of love and encouragement into people who need to receive it.  All in all, I prayed for opportunities for God to use me to be a blessing and show His love to people who need it.  Although these opportunities weren't always easy to see and I'm sure I missed them a few times, they were always there.   Ask and you shall receive!

Lessons Well Learned

                                                              Our God is so awesome!

As the summer is coming to a close, I sit here trying to fathom the last eight weeks of my life. All the things I've experienced, people I've met, and lessons I've learned would never have been possible if I had spent the summer back in small town Pennsylvania. Being stripped of practically all comforts of home, put into a completely new group of people, and immersing myself in a totally foreign culture really does something to a person. Something remarkable, something different from any other experience. Something beautiful.

My experience this summer has no doubt taught me countless lessons. Lessons that are continuously impacting my present, and will impact my future as well. I am amazed at how much I have been taught, not by anything of my own doing, but by the people I spend my days with. Here is a list of some important lessons I've learned throughout the past 2 months...

1. If your clothes don't have any cement on them, or any other visible signs of dirt for that matter, they can be considered clean and folded and put away.
2. Washing machines can save 3-4 hours of hard labor and prevent "pruney" hands.
3. It's not necessary to go to a grocery store to buy fruit; just walk outside to the nearest tree.
4. Baby powder actually does have a use... in fact, it works for pretty much EVERYTHING!
5. Two minute cold showers have never been so satisfying.
6. Finding random lizards crawling up the walls is nothing to freak out about.
7. Time is an irrelevant term; it doesn't matter and no one keeps track of it.
8. Life can never be too busy to stop and say "wha gwon" (hi) to a friend or neighbor.
9. Regardless of whether there is food for tomorrow or not, God will ALWAYS come through.
10. The beauty of love is far more splendid than one could imagine.

Ok, so some of these are quite silly I know. (And for the record, I do bathe and wash my clothes). Nonetheless, it is simple times like these that have taught me some of the best lessons in life. I now appreciate the little things in life, such as the value in close friendships. It's funny how small things like this turn out to be the very things that make life worth living. Who knew, right?

God put me in Harmons this summer for a reason. Not so I could come in here with my cape and save the world. Not by far! God put me in this situation so I could be His hands and feet. God put me here to show others His love. But mostly, God put me here to show me His perfect plan for my life. Although I do not always completely understand and know I never really will, this summer has taught me that God is always working in my life and in the world around me, and that His beautiful plan is perfect! :)

With love,

Sarah

I'm a Late Blogger

Well hi there folks. I was supposed to actually do this whole blog shmog thing on Friday, but I of course got distracted and forgot... who knew. Me distracted... psh... Well sadly my summer is coming to an end. We are on our final group here in the Harmons. It is crazy to think that time flew by like it did. This past weekend I went to Ochi as I do most weekends, but this weekend was different. There was a sort of magic in the air that caused several fun sea creatures to come out and play! Here is a list of what I saw... wait for it... wait for it... Ok here we go. I saw a sea slug, an octopus, a lobster, crabs, sea urchins, a lot of different types of fish, a squid, sea snake, cucumber thing, and many more! Isn't God so great! It is so amazing to see all the things he created! I loved taking it all in.  Oh, this weekend I along with the other lovely ladies on summer staff got purple hair weaved in! I am ready for another great week here, but sad to think it's our last group of the summer. I pray that God continues to move.