Hurricane Hurricane Stay Away

The Atlantic Hurricane Season 2K9 is coming upon the halfway point... so far so good. There have been 3 named storms (one hurricane) as of today, but there has been no effect here in Jamaica. That is a great thing. But, since there are still 3 months left in the season, the chance is still there for a storm to stop by and say "Hello". Well, the invitation is not open and it would most definitely be an intrusion. So, stay away storms... please.

SLOW DOWN!!!

Okay, so, yesterday I drove Jamie to MoBay so she could "go foreign" til the end of September, while Nick and Jody took our final team of the summer to Ocho Rios and then to MoBay to spend the night before leaving today for home. The drive to MoBay is one I have made now MANY times, and I pretty much know where all of the areas are where cops hang out. Plus, I am usually very aware of my speed, but yesterday all of the right ingredients came together for a pot of "Are You Serious" stew.

Let me just say that sometimes...
talking + driving = not paying attention
not paying attention + driving = speeding
speeding + cop = ticket

72 kmh in a 50 kmh zone.... I could see the 80 kmh sign from where the cop was parked, 2 stone throws away. I never thought I would ever get a speeding ticket for driving the equivalent of 45mph on the open highway. On the up side, both officers were very polite.

Maybe I will just ride while Jamie drives to the airport next time and I will drive the car back...
Well, maybe I will just slow down... that sounds like a better idea (sorry Jamie).



(Paid that ticket this morning, Aug. 24... $5,000... Jamaican that is.)

A Bit Behind

Ever have good intentions of doing something? Of starting something new and sticking with it? Like, maybe, uh, posting blogs... Well, I thought I would post at least once a week when I first started, but it has been 2 weeks now and I don't even know if I feel like posting this one. We'll see how I feel once I get it written.

My birthday was AWESOME with my parents and church team coming in. They brought me Dr. Pepper, Dove Dark Chocolate, beef jerky, deer jerky, movies, cards, a book and other stuff. Even without the gifts it was one of my best ever b-days!!!!

The week that followed was full of God working through the Dover team at the worksite and at VBS, getting work done, but more importantly building relationships with each other and the Jamaican people. I got to spend time with Mom and Dad (just having them make the trip was blessing enough). Dad had a tough time as the week went on but he made it through and did really good helping with crafts at VBS. The kids really liked him. The house that was built was finished on Wednesday morning and dedicated that afternoon so the team working on the house could be a part of the last day of VBS on Thursday. What made the week even better was to hear words of compliment from our Jamaican staff concerning the Dover team. I had no doubt that they would be a good team, but Pinto tells it like it is and she told me a number of times how much she enjoyed them... so, GO DOVER!!!! You passed the Pinto test.


Dad, Mom, Me.

This past week we had visitors from Muncie. Jody, Jodi, and Evelyn Kress joined us for a few days. Jody is the new Director of Operations at CSI and came to see what CSI Jamaica is all about. They flew home Thursday. It was nice to have them with us.

Nick and I will be headed to MoBay in the AM to pick up the team from Grove City. They will be doing a VBS and a house, and will be our last team for the summer. That is just crazy. It has flown by... and at the same time it feels like a long journey through the last few months. God has done some really great things this summer and will again next week I am sure.

Santa Claus UMC is coming October 10-17, we are praying for Marggy Hensley and The Black Family as they all prepare to join us in the coming months, and the CSI Staff Retreat is November 12-15.

So, that is what's been going on since my last post, and a small bit of what's coming up. Guess I will go ahead and post it.

Until Next Time!!!

Oh, by the way, I will be celebrating one year on the mission field on Sunday.

Birthday Thoughts

I was thinking today about how I will be celebrating my 36th birthday, in Jamaica. Pretty cool. Most of my 36 birthdays have been spent in Oklahoma. I did celebrate my 12th birthday in Branson, Missouri, and my 16th birthday in Guadalajara, Mexico, but other than that, all have been celebrated in OK.
(Not that any of you may really even care... I just thought I would share.)

Anyway, I will be celebrating tomorrow by driving 3 hours to the airport in MoBay to pick up 20 people from the Dover Christian Church (my home church)... my parents being 2 of those. Of all the birthday gifts I have gotten over the years, having my mom and dad here on the mission field, having the chance to show them the things and introduce them to the people that they have only heard about, and to have them be a part of the ministry that I have been called to is probably my best gift in 36 years.

When It Rains...

Late last week part of the roof was taken off of the mission house so the addition can continue. Floor joists have gone in, steel was set in place for concrete block, a footing was poured yesterday, and blue tarps were put in place just in case it rained. Well, it DID rain... hard! The tarps happened to have a few holes, or there were gaps or openings between and around them, which allowed the rain water to make its way inside the mission house. Not just IN the house, but through the ceiling, the light fixtures, the dining hall, the bathroom, and the front bedroom. Some plaster fell, the globe on the ceiling fan is full, a ton of towels were used as dams and to soak up the water... Let me just say that it was a mess. At the same time the electrician was trying to get the power back on in the laundry room and dining hall... another mess all its own.

Today, things started out hot and sunny. Cement block started going up, I was painting on the balcony, Sharon and Brad were painting the grills on the front doors, busy people were all around doing work... Then... RAIN!!!!! Light at first... then a brief downpour! Out came the tarps once again... and once again it rained inside the house. Not quite as bad as yesterday, but wet it was all the same. What a deal.

We wish for rain for a month... No sign of it. Then, when we don't need it we get it. Kinda like God's answers and blessings. We will pray for God to answer us or bless us, and when He does, it happens at an inconvenient time for us. If only we could put God on OUR time schedule. Well, we can't "control" God and when He blesses or answers us any more than we can control when it rains. All we can do is just dry out and thank Him for the rain.

Have you received a blessing lately that was at an inconvenient time? Well, dry up and give Him thanks because His timing is always perfect.

Down In The Dump

Oney, Eli and I went to the dump this afternoon. Its a beautiful drive to get there, but like another world when you arrive. Blue waters along the coast, green mountains inland, jerk stands, fish stands, and cook shops beside the road... and flies and stink at the destination. We had the joy of parking next to a garbage truck as it unloaded... Yummy! There were dogs looking for scraps, flies trying to fly up the ol' nose, and about 8 people digging around in various piles of rubbish looking for some sort of "treasure" that they can use or sell for just a little bit of cash. As Oney and Eli began unloading our truck it took no time at all for a few treasure hunters to come our way. There were a few pieces of aluminum siding that they latched onto quickly. I thought one lady was going to come to blows with a man who tried to take her "treasure".

What an existance. How spoiled are we as Americans? I have been to a number of landfills in Oklahoma and have seen some pretty good stuff... children's toys, kitchen utensils, plates, bowls, cups, bags of clothing, that people have just tossed out because they no longer wanted it or it did not sell at the garage sale. I even saw a guy one time unloading a trailer of living room and bedroom furniture. Somebody asked him what was wrong with it. He said nothing was wrong. His wife had just redecorated and painted the house and wanted new furniture that matched, so he was making room by getting rid of the old furniture. Seriously? Today I saw nothing of value as I looked around the dump. No toys. Nothing for the kitchen. Nothing for the bedroom. All I saw was rubbish. But in all those acres of trash, a small handful of people found something more than trash. They saw potential.

Isn't that what Christ does with us? When we are at a point that we have no value to the world. When we are no better than a big pile of garbage, when we waste what He has given us, when everything in life seems hopeless, Christ comes too us. We may not be a treasure when He picks us up, but He dusts us off, polishes us up, makes us shine like a city on a hill. He turns us into a treasure. Do you ever look at others and place a lesser value on them because of the way they look or act, how they dress, where they live, what they drive, where they work? Remember that the Lord sees the potential in them that we can't see. Christ is just waiting to turn them into a treasure.

Are you down in the dump? Let Jesus make you shine!

Building Projects

As of today, July 15, there have been 22 houses built, a 40X25 school room built, and a set of school restrooms begun by teams since the first of the year. There is also a VBS going on right now, a VBS and house to build the week of July 27, a VBS and house the week of Aug. 10, and a house the week of Oct. 12. There are also a number of things in the works right now that could possibly (hopefully) expand the ministry of CSI in Jamaica. God has opened some doors and we are in the process of walking through them. Pray that we as a staff continue to seek after His perfect will.