8.6.08 - Happy Independence Day

    July 4th?  August 6th?  I guess they are just days, but they obviously have serious significance.  Like the US, Jamaica received its independence from Britain 46 years ago.  The day was largely normal for us as we have a team and we worked with the team.  But, for the rest of Jamaica, many people go on picnics, go to the beach, and just relax.  It has been neat viewing an Independence day from a different perspective.  Jamaica has obviously had its struggles and as a country celebrate both Emancipation and Independence.  We rejoice with our Jamaican friends as they celebrate their Independence. 

    Also today, entirely unrelated to Independence Day, we had our first “team meeting.”  As I have reported earlier, our team has been largely separated due to us being in Montego Bay, in the states, or just busy.  So, we have started putting our heads together and we are putting together some weekly meetings to assist us in staying connected.  We had our first meeting tonight.  It was only interrupted about 10 times by different things.  But, we caught up on a bunch of things and were blessed by the time we were able to spend together.  We are thankful for our team and we rejoice.  Please pray for our continued unity and effectiveness as a team.  Praise the Lord!

8.3.08 - Goodbye Leo

Leo left yesterday and we were so blessed by their service.  We had many laughs, great devotions, and blessed fellowship.  The team was comprised of a unique blend of the Leo church and featured many different personalities.  Ultimately, the grouped worked together well and got a shocking amount of work done.  I will put pictures up of the team.   After dropping off Leo, we picked up about 40 from a big church in Detroit.  We are wearing down with the busyness of teams and are starting to yearn for things slowing down.  The teams continue to bless us with work, things, and fellowship and our prayer is that we never take them for granted.  Thank you Leo for all of your love and support.

7.28.08 - Hello Work Permits, Hello Leo

    WE HAVE OUR WORK PERMITS!!!  On Friday morning, Chad, Erin, and I packed up and drove to Kingston.  This being my 6th trip to the immigration office, I was hoping that it would be my last.  We had a bit of a battle getting in the door, but we convinced them that we were told that we could come at that time.   After getting in, we walked out about 30 minutes later with stamped passports.  We took our stamped passports and went down to the Ministry of Labor.  At the Ministry of Labor, we got right through and received our work permit.  It was exciting to hold the work permit in our hands and feel like we are finally legitimate.

    On Saturday, we were able to welcome the Leo Apostolic Team.  There are about 20 people on the team and my brother Clint is on the team.  It has been fun to have Clint and Tyler here and we have enjoyed the fellowship from home.  We pray that the team will be blessed through this experience and it is our heart that this experience will continue to deepen the sense of connection we have between Jamaica and Leo.  We rejoice in the support of those we love and in the faithfulness of His comfort.

7.21.08 - Rough, Rough, Rough with a bit of sunshine

    We arrived in Montego Bay this past Tuesday to lead two work teams. Along with our luggage we brought runny noses and incessant coughing (both boys) and before long Truitt began a fever for four days along with Drew complaining of ear ache. I stayed home from church today with 2 sick boys, while Kirk took the team to church.

    By God's good providence Kirk walked into this MoBay church and who happened to be there but our Pediatrician, Dr. Jim Bollier from Ft. Wayne Peds!!!! He is on a missions trip with the youth group from Grabill Missionary Church. Isn't that crazy!! We met him in town after church with the boys so that he could check them out. He also evaluated Truitt's gross motor progress and made us feel encouraged about that. This saved us at least a half day finding an unfamiliar doctor in town and money. God is good!

7.17.08 - Back to MoBay and Welcome Warren

    We are back in Mobay.  Through an unexpected series of events, we are back in MoBay for 2 teams.  We arrived on Tuesday to work with a team from Tennessee.  The coordinator that was in MoBay had to return to the states for a few weeks and we were asked to help with a couple of teams.  While this does involve us moving, we have become more open to the idea of this constant moving as we enjoy the MoBay campus.  We will be here for this week and next.  On the 26th, Leo AC will be coming for a team at Knockpatrick and we will return with them to Knockpatrick.

    We also are excited to welcome Warren Kloter to CCCD.  Warren is from Central Illinois and is coming down to work at the Jamaica Deaf Village.  Warren has often been to Jamaica and is excited to be back to work on a more fulltime basis.  Warren’s addition to the missionary team at CCCD will be an asset of experience and relationship.  

7.14.08  - Good News/Bad News

Which do you want first?

    The bad news is that we still dont have our work permits.  We remain convinced that we just have formalities left, but we went to Kingston today and we didnt get through.  We got approved at the immigration department, but they had to keep our passports to process everything.  We could have gotten our work permits, but we didnt have our passports.  So, we will need to wait a week to go pick up to our passports and then return to the Ministry of Labor to pick up our work permits.  I guess it is not actually bad news, but things continue to not go as planned.

    The good news is that we drove our van off the lot today.  It is exciting as it is a further step towards the development of ACWR’s ministry in Jamaica.  It has been a learning process and has had its own share of bumps.  But, we have the van now and we are excited about it.  We bought the van without seeing it and are pleased with what we got.  We pray that it is not a lemon.

7.10.08 -- Wonderful People

    Deaf camp is about over and we have been blessed by this week.  Our sign has been improving as we have been able to communicate with many people.  We have also been introduced to many people who work with the deaf and in deaf ministry.  We have been able to ask questions and learn more about deaf ministry.  It has been exciting to sense the passion that many of our new friends have for reaching the deaf around the world.  It is our prayer that the work of this week has touched the heart of many of the kids who have attended camp.  We also hope that the passion for deaf ministry that we have encountered this week will remain and continue to burn in our hearts. 

-- To His Glory!

7.6.08 - Deaf Camp

Over the past two days, people have poured onto the Knockpatrick campus.  Two American teams from the states, a group from St. Vincent, and a group from Grenada.  They are all coming for deaf camp.  For chapel service this morning, the room was packed and was standing room only.  Students are coming back and excited for a week of learning and fellowship.  Deaf camp brings in people of all ages and attempts to address the needs of each group.  There will be classes for kids, teens, single adults, and married adults.  We are excited to see how all of the activities play out.  We are also very excited because we sense that we will have lots of opportunity to use sign with good signers.  It is sometimes hard for us to sign with the kids as they are more sloppy in their sign and not as developed in the “rules of English.” It is beneficial to learning sign to sign with those who do it well.  We are excited for this week and hope to put up some pictures later in the week.  Blessings!

7.4.08 - Happy 4th and Goodbye Ohio Team

    Today is the 4th of the July?  We woke up and went about our business today not even processing that maybe we should be thinking about hamburgers, beans, chips, and fireworks.  It was half way through our morning that I looked at my phone and realized that it said 7.4.08.  That still didnt entirely ring a bell, the 4th is simply the day after the 3rd and the day before the 5th, right?  I go through eleven other 4ths in a year without epiphany, but, alas, this 4th is different and we do want to acknowledge the important remembrance of this day.  It is only in living outside of the US that we more aptly come to realize our gratitude for the solid principles that built the US on a solid foundation.  In no way am I interested in lifting the US above where it should be because it is also after living outside of the US that we have come to more clearly see its various problems.  But, for today, we will put all of that behind us and “celebrate.”  We will not be eating any hamburgers and I sure do miss those beans, but we will remember and be grateful.

     We said goodbye to the AC team from Ohio this morning.  This was a unique team for us and we are very thankful for this opportunity.  While it was an AC team, we did not know anyway well previously.  So, in many ways we were very familiar with the people while not knowing them well.  I think this was a blessing as we had no preconceived notions about the team.  We were able to start with a clean slate and we pray that the slate remained clean throughout the week.  The week was filled with several obstacles, but I feel like the team adapted well.  We remained without a steady supply of water all week which made showers and cleanup difficult.  This is rough after a long hard day of dirty work.  But, the team dealt with the problem, took some cold showers, and became aware of how thankful they are for consistent water.  Thanks Ohio team and we pray that their experience will continue to bless them for years to come.  It is always our heart that the teams will try to accept the challenge of looking for ways to allow this opportunity to continue to yield fruit in theirs lives after the excitement has worn off.  We pray this for the Ohio team.   Be Blessed and Be a Blessing!

7.2.08 - In Jamaica

We live by grace!  And, by grace we have arrived back in Jamaica.  What a shock!  We have gone from beginning to process plans to stay in the states for a few months to being back in Jamaica.  We got back on the 28th of June.  It is a shock that half of 2008 is already gone.  The first 6 months of 2008 have been memorable enough for us and we are ready for some boredom.  There are times when January seems like years ago and other times our hours feel like seconds.  Our boys are doing well and we rejoice for His continued provision.  We are currently hosting an Apostolic team from Ohio.  What a blessing.  We will post pictures shortly. 

6.22.08 - Tickets Bought

    We have bought our tickets and are planning, Lord Willing, to fly out next Saturday morning.  It is crazy to step back and look at our situation from afar.  It seems that everything that we thought would not happen, has happened.  From how long we have stayed and now to how long our paperwork has taken to be completed.  We have received a shocking amount of support.  Along with all of our support we have heard from many people who have confidently expressed a purpose in this bump in the road.  While we have at time lacked this confidence, we have appreciated all of the expressions of love.  We are excited to have this sense that we may have the opportunity to “begin.”  In a sense, we now feel the necessary mandate that often accompanies a task like ours.  This causes us to tremble and feel a sense of excitement.  We pray for grace!

6.16.08 - Paperwork Accepted

Last Wednesday we received a call from Jamaica saying that our paperwork has been approved.  We were beside ourselves.  This is the email we received from Erin Davis explaining the situation:

apparently we have had our work permits since the 28th of Feb. BUT since this information was locked in a drawer somewhere and we were never informed.... we didn't know. So when we went for the work permit exemption and they got our files out they realized O you don't need that you already have a work permit! NEWS TO US! So Praise GOD that the ball is rolling. Since I am the only one here on the island I need to go back to the states with the paper granting us visa's and work permits so that we can go to the Jamaican Consulate in Chicago to get our passports stamped. God is so good and after a year plus we are finally okayed to stay ! The process is now moving but we still don't have the stamp so please continue to pray that things keep moving forward and that we don't hit any major bumps. Thanks so much for all your love prayers and support.

    We are trying to manage our expectations through this process. Ultimately, we hope to meet with the consulate on the 27th of June and fly out the 28th.  We are thankful for these developments.  We have spent time with our parents, we have taken a little vacation, and now we are in Leo.  After the last entry, we were expecting to wait and wait and wait, but now our paperwork is through and our schedule is filling up.  We are thankful for how this process has gone and we are ready to get back down to Jamaica.  Thanks for your prayers and support.

6.8.08 - Back in the States

We made it back to the states.  It all feels kind of “wrong,” but we are trying to keep perspective.  In many ways, we understand that there is opportunity in this time and we are praying that we can recognize all of the blessings.  We have not planned out more than the next few days.  The plan is to see our parents for a few days and then take a little retreat.  Keri and I hope to get away to have some focused time of conversation and prayer.  The kids are doing great and we are so thankful for their flexibility.

6.2.08 - And the Lord said “STOP”

On the 6th of June, we will be flying back to the states.  No, not by choice, but by order of the department of immigration.  While trying to swallow the news, we remain thankful. 

5.28.08 - Sea Container

We just finished delivering the two ACWR sea containers that recently arrived in Jamaica.  Ron Hodel and Clyde Knobloch came down to help with the delivery process.  This is a job that will eventually be handed over to us down here and so this was a great opportunity to learn the ropes.  The process is interesting although much of the paperwork/dirty work is now handled by a broker.  But, the containers still need to be received at the dock, unloaded, reloaded, and delivered to the various locations.  The docks are interesting and surprisingly stereotypical.  I dont know what I had “the docks” pictured like but when I saw the large warehouse, crane, stacked containers, and security guards I was not surprised.  Once through the gate, there are numerous workers waiting to help and offering their services.  So, once the container was cleared, we began pulling off the items and loading them onto a delivery truck.  Once on the truck, we would drive out to a school, community, or infirmary and unload the truck.  It is an exciting process as the gifts are received with such gratitude.  The past few days have been a great learning experience.  Not just in regards to learning about how to deliver a sea container, but the whole process allows for lots of interaction with a wide variety of Jamaicans.  The broker and his associates are “upper class”, the dock workers are “lower class”, and those the aid is delivered to are “working class.”  So, the opportunity allowed for some good observation and learning time.  I feel like we are just beginning to scratch the surface of our understanding and workings of Jamaican culture.  Ultimately, we are thankful for the opportunities of the past few days and we pray that there is some way that we have ministered Christs love.

5.23.08 - Random Update

We have now begun our time of busyness.  We have been so blessed by our most recent team.  The power in so many young kids being excited about growth in their relationships is awesome.  On Tuesday, I spent the majority of the day trying to figure out the best method to approach us getting an extension to our passport.  This was a maddening process as I made phone call after phone call that yielded bad news.  I learned that we couldnt go to MoBay, we had to go to Kingston, we couldnt leave the kids with a babysitter, they had to come as well.  So, we did throw together a plan and we headed off to Kingston for a whole day on Wednesday.  Our meeting went well, but we did not get an answer.  They said that it is protocol for them to keep our passports and call us with a decision in 5 days.  So, we rejoice that we will be able to stay and assist in distributing the sea containers next week.  And, we think that even if we get denied our extension, they will give us enough time to stay through the Princeville team.  In conclusion, things remain up in the air but we feel thankful for the provision in the little things.  We have been reminded again this week at how consequential life is.  We live our lives as best as we can to the glory of God, but we remain blinded by our limited perspective that is bound by our humanity.  Maybe I will get more time to explain that later.  Be blessed!

5.19.08 - The Melting Pot Team

Praise the Lord!!  The Melting Pot team has arrived.  There is no good name for this team.  Ted Hirsteins team, the team of many different AC’s, the young adult AC team, etc.  So, I am going to call them the melting pot team.  The teams is an AC team, but there is about 40 people from maybe 15 different churches covering the entire US.  Oregon, California, Alabama, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio, Indiana, Kansas, and I think that is about it.  So, with 8 states, 15 different churches, and 43 unique individuals, we will stick with the Melting Pot team.  Ted Hirstein from Morton, IL has been leading this type of team to the Jamaica Deaf Village for many years.  We are doing this team at the Deaf Village for this week.  We are staying in Chad and Pam’s house and we are enjoying the country living found here at JDV.  It is a very different style from our place at Knockpatrick and it is a nice change of pace.  On Sunday, the team had AC church, then  went to Deaf Church, and then went to the Infirmary in the afternoon.  It is powerful to see a group of committed young people minister at the Infirmary.  I worked at a nursing home in college and I still cant believe I did it.  I am just not very good with the elderly, but I was moved by the love that was shared among the team members and the residents of the infirmary.  The most telling picture was a team member spinning around in circles dancing with two older ladies.  These ladies were having the time of their lives and their laugh was contagious as they relished the moment.  It was a joy.  The work started again today and the team is doing the standard tasks of laying blocks, painting, digging, hauling rocks, etc.  It is a joy to work and fellowship with this group.  Praise the Lord!!!

5.11.08 - Happy Mothers Day

Just this past week, Jamaicans have celebrated teachers day and childrens day.  What novel ideas.  There are things done in the states for teachers, but childrens day?  For childrens day, the teachers did various things to celebrate the children.  They had a special assembly, fed the kids special snacks, and simply tried to make the kids feel special.  There were multiple times throughout the day that a student would ask me or my kids about childrens day.  I would go on to explain that we do not celebrate any such thing in the states.  And, when my children would look up at me wondering, I would promptly remind them that we are Americans and we dont celebrate such holidays.  Anyways, I found it all rather funny and maybe even a good idea.  I am torn because I often think that every day is childrens day in many households and we are raising a bunch of self-centered ego maniacs.  But, we can leave that discussion for a different day.  For today, lets celebrate moms.  Just think how inadequate a dictionary would do on the definition of a mom.  It may say something like “ones mother.”  Let me tell you, there is far more to it than that.  There could be an entire dictionary dedicated to that definition for my mom and I am guessing that Keri would say the same thing.  So, we are thankful for our Moms and we rejoice in this blessing.

5.7.08 - The Hubers flew today

    The Huber Family was able to fly out today.  Last evening, we were able to go over to their house to say goodbye.  We will be staying at their house to host two teams at the Deaf Village.  So, we got our instructions and hope we can keep the home fires burning for them.  Thankfully, all of the plans came together.  I think we have tales to tell from traveling with 2 kids, wow, how a different perspective changes things.  6 kids trapped on a plane.  The Hubers have 2 things that remedy this well, great personalities that seem to be able to keep perspective, and two grandmas traveling with them.  Still, I probably would not want to do it, but they are the types that will get through.  Anyway, we will feel there absence even though we still have not gotten to spend as much time with them as we would have wished.

    This week, the shop teacher is gone and I am “subbing.”  Subbing is a really loose term to use.  The class is utter chaos.  The kids come and go as they please and the language barrier doesnt help that situation.  The teacher does a good job with the kids and they respond to him.  But, there is so little structure in place that they do not respond well to him being gone.  It is not like there were lessons left for me to teach and so my main purpose is to prevent major injury.  I do this by shooing away little kids who should not be in the shop and reminding the older kids to remain safe.  The kids have full access to the shop and do as they please with all of the equipment.   Miracles happen daily as kids walk out of the class with all of their fingers.  I have been working on a special project myself, but I will discuss that at a later time.  We are enjoying this week and we remain thankful for His provision.

5.1.08 - Is it really May?

Say it isn’t so.  By my calculations, it feels like it should be February 20th or so.  It seems that time flys.  We are adjusting back to our life here in Jamaica.  With no teams here, life has been very normal.  We have had meals together as a family all week long.  We have had time in the evenings to hang out, play with the kids, and get to bed on time.  These little graces have made our transition easier.  The busyness will pick up soon as we have a team coming in about 2 weeks.  It remains encouraging that the Hubers plans for returning to the states are coming together.  They received all of the necessary paperwork and are now just waiting until May 7th to fly.  Their plans came together smoothly for which they are rejoicing.  We continue to lift them up in prayer as they return to the states and have the funeral.  Thanks for all your support.

4.27.08 - Back in Jamaica

We made it.  After a long time of agonizing decisions and searching for good ticket prices.  We did it.  We bought our tickets on Thursday and left early Friday morning.  We flew from Chicago, to Indy, to Miami, to Montego Bay.  Everything went well through immigration and we were soon breathing the warm Jamaican air.  The flights went well, but we did have some trouble with Truitt.  He is at the age when he wants to be active and he doesnt understand when he is trapped.  It does feel good to be home and we are looking forward to getting settled.  Through the last few weeks, our hearts have been with the Hubers and it was good to be able to spend some time with them today.  Little Lucas is very little.  It was neat seeing his older siblings dote over him.  Thanks everyone for your love and support.  Our time back the states was blessed with a refreshed understanding of community and the Church.

4.22.08 - Stuck in the States

Should we stay or should we go now?  The worst thing for indecisive people is a decision involving multiple factors.  As we continue to balance our desire to support the Hubers, with trying to plan our trips efficiently, with wanting to go home, with wanting to be with family, we are struggling.  We are going back and forth in a very frustrating cycle.  We were able to deliver some things to the sea container that will be sent to Jamaica.  The sea container will be arriving in Jamaica towards the end of May.  It is a blessing to be able to assist with the delivery of a container.  This part of our work involves a very practical meeting of needs.  The delivery of food, clothing, and other necessities remains a critical aspect of the work of World Relief.  We continue to praise the Lord for His faithfulness in spite of our confusion and doubts. 

4.18.08 - Mourning

    Our teammates in Jamaica, Chad and Pam Huber, had twins on Wednesday.  The babies were about a month and a half early.  Lucas and Lauren were about 4 lbs. and were doing ok in incubators.  Yesterday, Lauren took a turn for the worse and they were hoping to move her to a facility better capable of handling the situation.  This morning we received a call that she had passed away.  We do not know many details.  We simply ask for your prayers for little Lucas, Pam, and the family.  Our hearts are so heavy as we are unable to be there with them as we are still in the states.  We understand that they are trying to work through the many details of being in a different country and working through this difficult time.  We ask for your prayers.

    We remain in the states.  There have been numerous little issues that have delayed our return to Jamaica.  We had concern over some health issues with Truitt that we wanted to get checked out.  We would have loved for our work permits to have been completed.  And, we have been working on some timing issues regarding work teams throughout the summer.  Now, we are waiting to see how we can best be of support to Chad and Pam.  We would like to get back to Jamaica next week, but we will wait and see.  It is difficult being in limbo, but we desire the Lord’s will for our plans.  So, we wait, ready to go, but feeling like we should stay.

4.12.08 - Rejoicing in Reflection, Relaxation, and Relationships

Our time in the States has been a time of joy.  We have been thankful for the many opportunities we have had to see friends and family.  We just finished our time in Leo and it was good be at our home that is not home or that home, but is still home.  Leo AC church is our sending church and we rejoice to sense the support from our Brothers and Sisters in our home church.  We were able to catch up with many people and had tons of appointments.  While we have had lots of time for reflection and relationships, there have been times were we have wondered where the relaxation has gone.  But, we are not complaining.  We have found clarity to our vision and we have felt affirmed in the faithfulness of many of our relationships.

4.7.08 - Home Sweet Home

After arriving at O’Hare late last Tuesday night, we have been in a very refreshing whirlwind.  We are not only enjoying the newly discovered luxuries of carpet and smooth roads, but also the sweet fellowship of family and friends.  Since arriving, we have been very busy.  On Wednesday we took Drew and Truitt to play with their cousins in Bloomington; Thursday we went back down to Bloomington to go to the Discovery museum; Friday we went shopping and out to the lake house to be with the Plattners; Saturday we hung out with the Plattners and then went to a St. Jude charity auction; Sunday we went to church in Princeville and had supper with the Plattners, Sunday night we took off for Leo with a stop in Indy for the night.  On Monday morning, we are rejoicing at how blessed we feel with our visit to the states.  We have a busy few days planned in Leo and we are excited to get back to our Indiana home.  We continue to think of our friends in Jamaica and pray for CCCD.  We would love to hear from you and/or see you on our visit, the best way to contact us is via email.  Praise the Lord!!!!!

3.27.08 - Morton Apostolic

We are wrapping up our week with the Morton Apostolic sunday school.  It has been fun working with this team.  It brings back a ton of memories of my trips in Sunday School.  It is such a powerful experience to “go to war” with classmates and teachers.  The camaraderie found in working along side each other creates a unique dynamic that is important in a sunday school environment.  It has been fun being able to observe the development of relationships and most importantly, various people hearts soften to the message of the cross.  It seems that we all have some ice that needs melted and working in a poor country generally provides the heat needed to melt our hearts.  We are approaching our day when we fly back to the states.  We continue to look forward to seeing family and fellowshipping with friends.  We rejoice again the message of the Cross.  Easter was great in Jamaica as we were able to go the whole season without seeing a stupid bunny.  It is also refreshing to realize that Easter is not anything American, but all peoples claiming Christ have equal access to celebrating this holiday.   Hes Alive! Hes Alive! and I’m forgiven and heavens gates are open wide!

3.21.08 - Saying Goodbye Again

    Saying goodbye has become a regular aspect of our lifestyle.  That is not to say that we have gotten good at saying goodbye or that it is easy.  But, every week we welcome a team, get to know them a bit, and then say goodbye.  This week was a team from Hope College in Michigan.  The team was comprised of college kids and we loved their life and enjoyed getting a taste of that college  vibe again.  The team blessed us with a night out as they offered to take our kids for an evening.  We have not got as many dates in Jamaica, but when we get a date we have been able to do some really cool things.  In Indiana, we could go out to eat and go to a park.  On Wednesday afternoon, we were able to go down to the beach and go snorkeling.  We just kind of laughed at the opportunity to just run down and go snorkeling on a date.  After snorkeling, we walked down the street to a restaurant, had some shrimp and lobster and then went and picked up the kids.  We try not to take these little graces for granted.  We were graced by the team who enabled our date, graced by being in Jamaica where we can do things that are not ordinary for us, and graced by our marriage that we could celebrate on a date. 

    We are now preparing to say goodbye to the Montego Bay campus.  The kids have already left for Easter break and we were able to host the staff for a dinner on Tuesday night.  The staff at CCCD are super-dedicated and are the real missionaries.  The teachers put in tons of time for very little money.  So, we say goodbye again to new friends that we have made and we rejoice in the fellowship that we could share in Christ.  We hope to never ceased being shocked at the universal commonness and fellowship that can be had in Christ across cultures.

3.13.08 - Sweet Fellowship

We just finished a time with our first AC team.  We had sweet fellowship and we really enjoyed our time in Kingston.  The Kingston campus is sort of the forgotten campus.  Our hearts really poured out for the campus as it has a lot of kids on the smallest campus.  The kids are beautiful and the staff is supremely dedicated.  Regarding the team, we have really enjoyed all of our teams, but there was something different about being with a team from “home.”  We are back in Montego Bay for a team from Hope College in Michigan.  We are excited to be back in MoBay to wrap up our time here.  It will be difficult to leave as we have developed relationships with the kids and staff.  While we were slightly overwhelmed when first asked to come to MoBay, we now rejoice as this opportunity has been a huge blessing.  The MoBay campus has a completely different vibe than the other campuses and it has been very educational for us to experience the differences.  We feel like we will go back to Knockpatrick better equipped for our work.  We rejoice as the Lord has led us down unexpected roads that have led to His expected goal, our growth in His glory.

3.8.08 -- Off to Kingston

We have had 5 teams back to back.  This typically means that we drop off a team at the airport on Saturday morning and pick up a new team on Saturday afternoon.  We have thoroughly enjoyed the teams, but back to back to back to back to back keeps us moving.  We have a break next week in MoBay and so we are going to be with a team in Kingston.  While you may call us crazy for taking our week off to go be with another team, we will not be responsible for the team.  The team going to Kingston will be an AC team from Gridley, IL.  We are looking forward to the fellowship and the opportunity to just do work rather than coordinate work.  While I am not sweating as hard as the teams as they do much more physical labor, sometimes coordinating is more exhausting.  Anyway, we are excited to get a week off and to fellowship with the team in Kingston.  We may or may not be able to email and phone throughout this week.  Blessings.

3.4.08 - BACK FROM VACATION

Praise the Lord, our internet and phone are back from vacation.  They took about a week or so off and left us here.  It is always a healthy but frustrating experience to unplug from the world.  We were very frustrated as there were things we were trying to get done and people we were wanting to talk to.  But, this is life and we have a renewed appreciation for these blessings.  We are thankful that the internet and phone allow us to stay so closely connected to friends and family.  Praise the Lord

2.27.08 - Never know what you got till its gone

Kirk has been slightly ill and our internet/phone has been entirely dead.  These two blessings have again been under appreciated by us.  It seems that it is always difficult to remember the blessing of our health, but suffice it to say I have been reminded.  We also use our internet/phone to stay connected to home.  Our internet has actually worked shockingly well since arriving in Jamaica.  We have had more problems with our computers, but the internet has been a huge blessing.  So, during this time of remembrance of our blessings, we will be praying for health and waiting for our internet to return.  Please continue to feel free to try to call, but you may not get through the first time and we will also be trying to check email in the office on occasion.  We are thankful for our blessings.

2.22.08 - Farewell Harmony Bible, Hello 2 days off

While what we are doing is not intense, high stress work, it is 7 days a week.  So, due to the teams struggles with scheduling Saturday flights, Harmony Bible left on Friday and Rosedale Baptist isn’t coming until Sunday.  This means that Friday and Saturday will be time for family, catching up on things, and enjoying some Sabbath rest.  We thoroughly enjoyed the Harmony Bible team.  There were multiple times throughout the week that jokes were made about the guys being strong corn fed Iowans and I think it was true.  The team, with maybe a few less people than was needed, put down a lot of concrete, fixed a few problems, and had a lot of fun.  Thanks Harmony for the great work and may the Lord Bless your efforts to His Glory.

2.18.08 - Harmony Bible Church

We have welcomed Harmony Bible Church from Iowa to the Montego Bay campus.  It has been good to have some fellow midwesterners here working at CCCD.  We have had folks from California, Tennessee, Maryland, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, Alabama, Delaware, Iowa, and Ohio in just 2 months.  The Harmony team goes to a girls school and an infirmary on Sunday afternoon and we were able to join them.  In spite of living here in the face of some serious poverty, these experiences were still shocking.  In both places, the groups sang songs of praise to our Lord.  The reality of the great physician, the provider, the comforter, the counselor, etc. becomes very real in these places of desolation.  We continue to wait on the Lord, resting in His promises.

2.14.08

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!! 

We hope this note finds you well.  Our Valentines Day was spent as a normal day and we had the pleasure of having our friend Amy Blough over for dinner.  Amy is from Peoria, IL and is working at the Montego Bay campus as a teacher.  Amy is deaf and is teaching sign to the staff and also teaching some classes.  We have thoroughly enjoyed her company and she has been very patient with teaching us sign.  We do plan on celebrating Valentines Day maybe later in the week.  Everyday is Valentines Day, right?  We do rejoice at the blessing of our marriage and pray that God will receive glory through His work of our marriage.

2.10.08

Life rolls on here in Montego Bay.  We just said goodbye to a wonderful team from Perry Hall, Maryland.  This team consisted of people also from Delaware and Pennsylvania.  They replaced the roof over the staff housing and got loads of work done.  We enjoyed their fellowship and learned alot from their experience.  Parts of the team have been coming to CCCD for close to 2 decades.  On Saturday as we said goodbye to that team, we said hello to a team from Knoxville, TN.  What a joy to get to meet all of these wonderful people.

2.3.08

February!  Is it really February?  Time flies when life is crazy, that is what I always say.  We are beginning a new work team and saying goodbyes to Keri’s parents.  We have been so blessed by their visit.  Today was the funeral for the CCCD student who passed away from Dengue fever.  It was a sad day for the students but all seem to be doing well.  I have appreciated the eternal perspective that has been held by all involved in the situation.  It was another necessary reminder that this life is but a vapor and we live by faith.

1.30.08

We are currently in the midst of Keri’s parents.  They came in last Thursday and spent a few days with us in Montego Bay.  We then went up to Knockpatrick to show them that campus.  We took time there to do some painting in our apartment and show them around the campus.  It has been a huge blessing having them here and we have thoroughly enjoyed their fellowship.  We are now back in Montego Bay and we will spend a few days here before our next work team comes. 

1ST MONTEGO BAY WORK TEAM

1.21.08  -  We have begun hosting our first work team in Montego Bay.  A group from Bowling Green, KY is here and this morning we began painting and some concrete work.  The fellowship is a joy and we are slowly working our way into this new role.  We are mostly settled in our new home and we have enjoyed many of the perks of being on this campus.  Being near Montego Bay, we have more access to tourist things and that means more American things.  Therefore, in the past week we have indulged on the delicacies of both ice cream and a burger with fries.  What a joy!

PRAISE THE LORD!  Our passports were extended!!!!

This means that we are able to stay for the next three months.  Lord Willing, we will be flying back to the states on April 1st.

OUR VONAGE PHONE WORKS IN MONTEGO BAY -- PLEASE feel free to call us anytime at 260-627-7778.  This is a US based phone number that will allow you to call as if you were calling Leo, IN.  I know its hard to believe, but it works.  If you still dont believe me, then just try it.

WE HAVE MOVED!  again.

1.16.07 - We arrived in Montego Bay yesterday.  We are thankful for our flexible kids as it wasn’t even minutes after we arrived that Drew said “Drews House?”  It seems that Drew has laid claim to every place that he has slept as “Drews House.”  Leaving our home in Knockpatrick ended up being harder than we had expected and we ached as we left our teammates, the kids, and the other people we have come to know as friends.  We are thankful to be in Montego Bay and there are evident blessings to this campus, but the joy is in the relationships and we feel like we are starting over.  And we hope, in spite of the pain, that we will be able to build positive relationships.  We learned about “choosing suffering” in our missionary training and we will again “choose suffering” as we allow ourselves to develop loving relationships in this place that we will soon leave.  We do this because this is what our Savior did, He choose suffering for us.  He loved us knowing that His love would result in His pain and therefore we try to do the same. 

THE WORK TEAMS HAVE BEGUN

1.14.08 - We have recently hosted to work teams.   A group from Cedarville University and the other from California State Northridge.  Both teams did a great job and we were blessed by their work.  It was refreshing having the teams here and we enjoyed getting to know them.  Due to our first two teams being from universities, we also received a refreshing dose of the optimistic ideals that can only be found in post-secondary education.  We really enjoyed the fellowship and the learning that came from hosting our first two teams.  There were multiple times that I had to sheepishly inform the team, “umm, that was the first time that I have done that.”  We praise the Lord for His provision and look forward to the next team.

THE COMPUTER IS BACK!!!!

1.10.08  We are thrilled to have our computer back!  It was sent to the states and brought back in two weeks.  It was under warranty and it was sent to Apple on January 2nd, it was returned on January 4th.  We hope to get the site updated with some pictures, new blog entry, and a podcast.  We have had two teams here the past couple of weeks which have been a real blessing.  I hope to be updating the site more regularly again.

UNBELIEVABLE!!!

12.27.07 - You may not believe this, but our “new” computer now has problems.  I think that it is simply a problem with the screen, but being a laptop, it is rendered unusable.  This means that we will probably be without a computer again for awhile.  I guess there is a big lesson to be learned in this that I didnt learn the first time.  If you have any ideas, please let me know because I need help.  Anyway, I think we may have a good plan for getting it back and forth.  It is still under warranty and so Apple should fix it for free and hopefully fast.  If everything works as planned, I could have the computer back in 2 weeks.  Such is life and I think again, Praise the Lord for a computer that can break, the majority of the world would love to have my problem.

Merry Christmas!!!!

12.25.07 - Merry Christmas from Jamaica.  We rejoice with you in the birth of our Savior.  Our thoughts today go to the real meaning of Christmas as well as being away from our family and friends.  We hurt being away from you all.  But, through this time, we have come to the realization that we only hurt because we are loved.  In the grand scheme of life, what a great reason to hurt.  So, thank you for loving us so much that it hurts.

Technology

12.21.07 - Praise the Lord for Technology!  While technology is often twisted by us humans for negative purposes, we want to praise the Lord for how it can be used for positive purposes.  On 12.20.07, we were able to join in on the Plattner family Christmas.  We were able to be there for the meal prayer, we fellowshipped after supper, we watched the kids open gifts, and we laughed together.  This felt remarkably comfortable and we were so thankful to not miss out on precious family time.  Now, the rest of the story is that we did not get to taste the prime rib, eat the bread, or give hugs to our family.  But, we were able to share in the moments from miles away.  We praise the Lord for His goodness and mercy in and for the moments.

The Computer Has Arrived

12.17.07 - Praise the Lord! Our Computer has arrived and we are very thankful.  Hopefully, you will soon benefit as well with an improved website, improved podcasts, and more timely emails.  We just got back from a trip to Montego Bay and we will be explaining more about this development in our podcast.  Thanks for stopping by!

December?  Is it really December?

12.2.07  -  I have thought about putting on a long sleeve shirt and my spring jacket and sitting in our refrigerator for awhile to remind myself that it is winter.  The problem is our fridge is not below freezing and I cant fit in our freezer.  We are trying to do what we can to remind ourselves that this is the holiday season.  Jamaica actually begins celebrating Christmas earlier than the states because they do not have Thanksgiving.  This means that the Christmas music has started and "decorations" are going up.  But for us, it seems like the person who loves holiday music too much and insists on playing it in June.  So, I guess we will accept this plight and enjoy the warmth.