Hey Everyone!
I think the theme for me this summer has been obeying God despite not seeing any fruit. It has been very difficult for me and I've learned that I rely way too much on seeing the final results of things for my joy. I think I talked about this in an earlier post, but I'm realizing more each day how I need to find my joy in the act of obedience rather than the fruit that sometimes comes through it.
As it often seems to be the case, when we start finally learning our lesson God blesses us beyond belief. As I'm finally starting to be content with the act of serving, God is just now revealing some fruit from my work this summer.
Our staff received an e-mail the other day from one of the students that came down this summer to let us know how his life was completely altered after this trip. He mentioned that he was struggling with depression and questioning his faith but that his relationship with Christ has been renewed after going home. I received a note on Tuesday from a student thanking me for the time I put into the devotionals. In the past, affirmation like that would have been essential to my ability to continue doing what I'm doing. But once God has weaned me off the need to hear others' approval, I finally got to hear that I've been doing a decent job. Mos tof the summer it's been tough to talk about spiritual things with my mento, but the other day he seemed to be listening closely to something I had to share and he said that he would carry it with him in the future.
I know that my summer in Jamaica is not about me. Although I wish it was many of the times (consciously and subconsiously), I need to remember even as I go home that this summer is about obeying God's call on my life and allowing him to use me as an instrument to worship him.
Thanks to everyone for you prayers and support!
I love you all,
AdamE
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Chill weekend and Carmel Baptist!
Hey everyone!
Not much time but here it goes. The weekend was really awesome because I got to stay in Harmons with Tayler, Mac and Krista while the John and Mike went to Ocho Rios with the team. On Saturday I got to hang out with my mento a little bit, then played some dominoes with my friends Barry and Pops while having a pretty cool discussion on what it really means to be a Christian, then spent the evening hanging out with the girls. It was really cool to be here for a full day without responsibilities, when I could hang out with my Jamaican friends as much as I wanted without thinking about the next task at hand. Sunday morning I woke up to go to church with Pops. We went to the Open Bible church in Greenpond. It was an experience, extremely different from American churches. At one point the minister looked out into the crowd of about 30 and asked if "our white brother would like to share a word" with the congregation. I was taken a little off guard but he told me to talk about what i love about God so I talked about how his love is unconditional and his grace can overcome all my inadequacies and weaknesses. I'm not sure if what I said made any sense but I got a reassuring look from the minister as I sat down. There was a lot of charismatic worship and the sermon was off the cuff which is a huge difference from the churches I've attended in America.
After church I caught a taxi to go to Porus to see my mento play in a soccer game. It was the Harmons U-15 team that he's been playing on the past two years. The coach asked me to give a motivational speech so I talked a little about teamwork and working as hard as you can as if for God and not for men but again, I was not exactly prepared for it so I'm not sure if I got my point across. They tied 1-1 in a game they probably should have won but my mento played really well.
This week I'm hanging out with my former youth group which is a real treat. But I'm tired so I'll catch ya later.
AdamE
Not much time but here it goes. The weekend was really awesome because I got to stay in Harmons with Tayler, Mac and Krista while the John and Mike went to Ocho Rios with the team. On Saturday I got to hang out with my mento a little bit, then played some dominoes with my friends Barry and Pops while having a pretty cool discussion on what it really means to be a Christian, then spent the evening hanging out with the girls. It was really cool to be here for a full day without responsibilities, when I could hang out with my Jamaican friends as much as I wanted without thinking about the next task at hand. Sunday morning I woke up to go to church with Pops. We went to the Open Bible church in Greenpond. It was an experience, extremely different from American churches. At one point the minister looked out into the crowd of about 30 and asked if "our white brother would like to share a word" with the congregation. I was taken a little off guard but he told me to talk about what i love about God so I talked about how his love is unconditional and his grace can overcome all my inadequacies and weaknesses. I'm not sure if what I said made any sense but I got a reassuring look from the minister as I sat down. There was a lot of charismatic worship and the sermon was off the cuff which is a huge difference from the churches I've attended in America.
After church I caught a taxi to go to Porus to see my mento play in a soccer game. It was the Harmons U-15 team that he's been playing on the past two years. The coach asked me to give a motivational speech so I talked a little about teamwork and working as hard as you can as if for God and not for men but again, I was not exactly prepared for it so I'm not sure if I got my point across. They tied 1-1 in a game they probably should have won but my mento played really well.
This week I'm hanging out with my former youth group which is a real treat. But I'm tired so I'll catch ya later.
AdamE
Thursday, July 23, 2009
A full day at the infirmary
Hey everyone,
So today I got the opportunity to go to the infirmary for the whole day. If you've been reading the blog regularly you may already know what the infirmary is but let me explain it anyway. The infirmary is a home that houses around 200 patients that have various physical or mental ailments that make it difficult to care for them. People can be sent there as early as their 18th birthday although most people there are elderly. The only thing everyone has in common at the infirmary is they were dropped off their by someone who was able to "prove" that the individual has no one to take care of them. Many of them don't have any family, others have family that can't support them, and a few actually have family that COULD support them but have convinced someone that they cannot. Once people are sent there they almost never leave-- except in the rare case that an obscure family member pops up saying they would like to care for them. The people there that are mentally sound know that they will be at the infirmary until they die.
The conditions at the infirmary are pretty bad, but it would be difficult to explain in detail without actually experiencing it for yourself. It smells bad, the people and facilities are constantly dirty, the nurses are not always the most compassionate of people etc. To be honest, at the beginning of the summer the infirmary was the one part about coming to Jamaica that still made me nervous. We take each group there Wednesday afternoon for about an hour and the first two weeks of the summer I would get a knot in my stomache on the way there.
This summer Tayler (one of my awesome fellow summer staffers) is taking smaller groups from the teams to the infirmary for full days. As the summer has gone on I've become more and more comfortable at the infirmary to the point where Wednesday afternoons are one of the highlights of my week. It was hard to find a day when I didn't have any personal responsibilities but today worked out perfectly for me to go with Tayler and the kids from the team.
I spent the whole morning hanging out with my friends Raphael Richards and Geraldine Thompson. We just sat and talked about life for a few hours. I asked them more about their pasts and I asked them to share some words of wisdom with me (which were quite powerful). Then I played dominoes with Raphael, which is like the national game of Jamaica. I visited with another friend of mine, James Reed, and he also blew me away with some of his words of wisdom. He told me about the importance of serving God while you are young and he narrated the stories of Samuel and Joseph for me. There was something kinda cool about hearing the stories as he narrated them in that situation rather than sitting at home and reading them for the umpteemth time and notting getting a whole lot out of them.
God continues to reveal himself in amazing ways to me at the infirmary. I know it's gonna be really difficult to say goodbye to my friends there which is something that I never would have expected at the beginning of the summer.
Thanks to all for the love and support!
AdamE
So today I got the opportunity to go to the infirmary for the whole day. If you've been reading the blog regularly you may already know what the infirmary is but let me explain it anyway. The infirmary is a home that houses around 200 patients that have various physical or mental ailments that make it difficult to care for them. People can be sent there as early as their 18th birthday although most people there are elderly. The only thing everyone has in common at the infirmary is they were dropped off their by someone who was able to "prove" that the individual has no one to take care of them. Many of them don't have any family, others have family that can't support them, and a few actually have family that COULD support them but have convinced someone that they cannot. Once people are sent there they almost never leave-- except in the rare case that an obscure family member pops up saying they would like to care for them. The people there that are mentally sound know that they will be at the infirmary until they die.
The conditions at the infirmary are pretty bad, but it would be difficult to explain in detail without actually experiencing it for yourself. It smells bad, the people and facilities are constantly dirty, the nurses are not always the most compassionate of people etc. To be honest, at the beginning of the summer the infirmary was the one part about coming to Jamaica that still made me nervous. We take each group there Wednesday afternoon for about an hour and the first two weeks of the summer I would get a knot in my stomache on the way there.
This summer Tayler (one of my awesome fellow summer staffers) is taking smaller groups from the teams to the infirmary for full days. As the summer has gone on I've become more and more comfortable at the infirmary to the point where Wednesday afternoons are one of the highlights of my week. It was hard to find a day when I didn't have any personal responsibilities but today worked out perfectly for me to go with Tayler and the kids from the team.
I spent the whole morning hanging out with my friends Raphael Richards and Geraldine Thompson. We just sat and talked about life for a few hours. I asked them more about their pasts and I asked them to share some words of wisdom with me (which were quite powerful). Then I played dominoes with Raphael, which is like the national game of Jamaica. I visited with another friend of mine, James Reed, and he also blew me away with some of his words of wisdom. He told me about the importance of serving God while you are young and he narrated the stories of Samuel and Joseph for me. There was something kinda cool about hearing the stories as he narrated them in that situation rather than sitting at home and reading them for the umpteemth time and notting getting a whole lot out of them.
God continues to reveal himself in amazing ways to me at the infirmary. I know it's gonna be really difficult to say goodbye to my friends there which is something that I never would have expected at the beginning of the summer.
Thanks to all for the love and support!
AdamE
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Quick turn-around
Hey Everyone,
Not much time to write today but let me give a quick update. This week is the first time we've had a "quick turn-around;" these will become the norm for the rest of the summer. We dropped off the last team at the airport Sunday morning, went to eat lunch, and then picked up the next team at the same airport in Montego Bay. It was kinda difficult saying goodbye to so many kids after a week and then immediately attempting to learn 51 new names on the bus ride back to Harmons. But this new group has been great, and I'm really enjoying getting to know them and hearing what they have to say in devotional times.
I'm trying to not do this too much, but I'm already starting to look forward to next week when my home church Carmel Baptist will be here. I'm pumped to be reunited with some old friends.
Besides that I'm just grinding away as usual-- spending a decent amount of time on the worksites building houses and foundations and hauling marl, hanging out with my mento, and getting to know the teams and other Jamaicans. It's a busy life but I love it here because it's so much simpler.
That's all for now,
Mucho amor,
AdamE
Not much time to write today but let me give a quick update. This week is the first time we've had a "quick turn-around;" these will become the norm for the rest of the summer. We dropped off the last team at the airport Sunday morning, went to eat lunch, and then picked up the next team at the same airport in Montego Bay. It was kinda difficult saying goodbye to so many kids after a week and then immediately attempting to learn 51 new names on the bus ride back to Harmons. But this new group has been great, and I'm really enjoying getting to know them and hearing what they have to say in devotional times.
I'm trying to not do this too much, but I'm already starting to look forward to next week when my home church Carmel Baptist will be here. I'm pumped to be reunited with some old friends.
Besides that I'm just grinding away as usual-- spending a decent amount of time on the worksites building houses and foundations and hauling marl, hanging out with my mento, and getting to know the teams and other Jamaicans. It's a busy life but I love it here because it's so much simpler.
That's all for now,
Mucho amor,
AdamE
Friday, July 17, 2009
Great week!
Hey Everyone,
This has been such an amazing week. God has been so faithful in giving me peace after a very difficult few days, and He has helped me get back in the swing of things in Harmons.
Let's start with laundry. I've been dreading having to do my laundry by hand again and having to dedicate a full afternoon to arduous labor. On Wednesday I was hanging out with my mento at his house and his mom, having heard my horror story about the last laundry day, offered to help me wash. So Thursday morning I went over to her house and we completed all of it in a little more than 2 hours. It really was a blessing to get it done so quickly and to spend that time with my mento's family.
This week has also been great in terms of getting to know the team that is here. I don't feel like I know everyone as well as some teams this summer, but I have definitely connected with a few students really well. I was talking with one student the other night who lost a cousin of his in a car accident a few years ago and after he shared that we have really gotten to talk about some cool stuff. Keep praying that I keep my eyes open to the students that need an ear or a word of advice.
This morning I had a bible study with two Jamaicans in their early 20s. We read the first chapter of Ecclesiastes and talked about what it means when Solomon says "Everything is meaningless." This was one of the first times I've ever studied the bible with a Jamaican friend.
It's amazing how God continues to provide and gives me, a broken vessel, opportunities to speak truth and love in to others' lives.
Thanks again to all my supporters and my prayer warriors.
I love you all!
AdamE
This has been such an amazing week. God has been so faithful in giving me peace after a very difficult few days, and He has helped me get back in the swing of things in Harmons.
Let's start with laundry. I've been dreading having to do my laundry by hand again and having to dedicate a full afternoon to arduous labor. On Wednesday I was hanging out with my mento at his house and his mom, having heard my horror story about the last laundry day, offered to help me wash. So Thursday morning I went over to her house and we completed all of it in a little more than 2 hours. It really was a blessing to get it done so quickly and to spend that time with my mento's family.
This week has also been great in terms of getting to know the team that is here. I don't feel like I know everyone as well as some teams this summer, but I have definitely connected with a few students really well. I was talking with one student the other night who lost a cousin of his in a car accident a few years ago and after he shared that we have really gotten to talk about some cool stuff. Keep praying that I keep my eyes open to the students that need an ear or a word of advice.
This morning I had a bible study with two Jamaicans in their early 20s. We read the first chapter of Ecclesiastes and talked about what it means when Solomon says "Everything is meaningless." This was one of the first times I've ever studied the bible with a Jamaican friend.
It's amazing how God continues to provide and gives me, a broken vessel, opportunities to speak truth and love in to others' lives.
Thanks again to all my supporters and my prayer warriors.
I love you all!
AdamE
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Back in Harmons
Hey Everyone,
Thanks for your prayers this past week, I have definitely felt God's presence in an amazing way. I flew back to Jamaica on Sunday just in time for the next team which arrived the same day. It's been a tough transition readjusting to life in Harmons but God has definitely sustained me through it (read more about that on the summer staff blog that I updated yesterday; summerstaff09-harmons.blogspot.com). I think the hardest thing about coming back has been reaching out to the new team. It's been a lot easier for me to hold back and spend more time alone (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). The best part about being back is seeing the summer staff again who gave me a royal welcome in the airport and seeing all of my Jamaican friends. It did my heart good to see my mento after such a long time.
This week has already been pretty awesome as I've gotten the chance to have some cool conversations with Americans as well as Jamaicans. It's funny how these conversations always seem to happen when I'm not trying to force them like I was earlier in the summer. Tonight I talked with one of the students about their life and he mentioned that his cousin was killed in a car accident at the age of 20. I know God brought him into my path for a reason and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better as the week goes on.
Today I tried to watch my mento play a soccer game but I ended up getting there late and I missed it. He has another game on Thursday so hopefully I'll be able to catch that one.
Tomorrow is infirmary day which I'm really excited about. I miss my friends Raphael, Myrtle and Geraldine. We've been having a great time hanging out this summer singing songs, reading scripture and just talking about life.
Sorry for such a scatter-brained post, that seems to be the condition I'm in right now.
Until next time,
AdamE
Thanks for your prayers this past week, I have definitely felt God's presence in an amazing way. I flew back to Jamaica on Sunday just in time for the next team which arrived the same day. It's been a tough transition readjusting to life in Harmons but God has definitely sustained me through it (read more about that on the summer staff blog that I updated yesterday; summerstaff09-harmons.blogspot.com). I think the hardest thing about coming back has been reaching out to the new team. It's been a lot easier for me to hold back and spend more time alone (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). The best part about being back is seeing the summer staff again who gave me a royal welcome in the airport and seeing all of my Jamaican friends. It did my heart good to see my mento after such a long time.
This week has already been pretty awesome as I've gotten the chance to have some cool conversations with Americans as well as Jamaicans. It's funny how these conversations always seem to happen when I'm not trying to force them like I was earlier in the summer. Tonight I talked with one of the students about their life and he mentioned that his cousin was killed in a car accident at the age of 20. I know God brought him into my path for a reason and I'm looking forward to getting to know him better as the week goes on.
Today I tried to watch my mento play a soccer game but I ended up getting there late and I missed it. He has another game on Thursday so hopefully I'll be able to catch that one.
Tomorrow is infirmary day which I'm really excited about. I miss my friends Raphael, Myrtle and Geraldine. We've been having a great time hanging out this summer singing songs, reading scripture and just talking about life.
Sorry for such a scatter-brained post, that seems to be the condition I'm in right now.
Until next time,
AdamE
Friday, July 10, 2009
Tragedy and prayer
Hey Everyone,
This week has been our staff's retreat week. The staff spent a few days in Ocho Rios, a few days on the west coast in Negril, and they just got back to Harmons today where they will stay until the next group arrives Sunday. I will be arriving on Sunday as well. I have been in Baltimore since Wednesday night for my cousin's funeral.
John died on July 4th at the young age of 19. He was one of my closest cousins because of the proximity in age. My dad called me on Monday to let me know that John was killed in a four-wheeling accident. Right away we started making the arrangements to fly back for the funeral. It was no easy task because I was in Ocho Rios and my passport was locked in a safe in Harmons, nearly 3 hours away. We sent the key with a taxi driver to Harmons and my friend Suma met me at the Montego Bay airport Wednesday afternoon with my passport. While the key was traveling, I left with the team Tuesday morning to spend one day with them in Negril. The staff has been so supportive through it all-- a special thanks to Mike, John, Mckenzie, Tayler and Krista.
It was tough being away from my family while I tried to make sense of John's death. Coming back has presented it's own challenges as the tragedy became much more real and I had to deal with some culture shock. There was a wake Thursday night which was a very emotional time. Over 400 friends and family came to the funeral home to support my Aunt Rose, Uncle Dan and my cousins Corey (rising junior in highschool) and Julia (rising eighth grader). I had a few emotional moments myself but God's definitely given me strenght to spend most of my time reaching out to others that are hurting more than me.
This morning was the actual funeral service which was still tough but much less emotionally draining. The service was really well done and had both somber moments and uplifting moments. What has really helped me and others this week is sharing our favorite stories about John. I haven't gotten to spend as much time with him in recent years but we basically grew up together. Every summer we would go to Syracuse to visit him and he would come to Rochester to visit us.
There's so much more on my mind and heart that I wish I could share but I think the most important thing right now is that I ask for prayer. Pray that I would find the time to grieve for myself. Pray that as I have one more full day in Baltimore that I would be sensitive to the Spirit in knowing who needs to be encouraged and who may need nothing more than to hear the gospel. Pray for my family, especially Rose, Dan, Corey and Julia. Pray for our staff as they have been having some intentional conversations this week. Pray for me as I try to transition back into life in Harmons for the rest of the summer. Pray for strenght Sunday as I arrive in Jamaica and begin getting acquainted with the new team-- the bus ride back to Harmons is such a crucial time in getting to know them and I'm probably going to be exhausted after a 7:30am flight. Most of all, pray that we would all trust God in this tough time and that He would make it very evident how He is using this tragedy for good. I know He has a plan and there is no guarantee that I will understand it while I'm alive, but it would be such an encouragment to tangibly see God at work through this.
Thanks everyone for your prayers and support. I love you and miss you all.
In Him,
Adam
This week has been our staff's retreat week. The staff spent a few days in Ocho Rios, a few days on the west coast in Negril, and they just got back to Harmons today where they will stay until the next group arrives Sunday. I will be arriving on Sunday as well. I have been in Baltimore since Wednesday night for my cousin's funeral.
John died on July 4th at the young age of 19. He was one of my closest cousins because of the proximity in age. My dad called me on Monday to let me know that John was killed in a four-wheeling accident. Right away we started making the arrangements to fly back for the funeral. It was no easy task because I was in Ocho Rios and my passport was locked in a safe in Harmons, nearly 3 hours away. We sent the key with a taxi driver to Harmons and my friend Suma met me at the Montego Bay airport Wednesday afternoon with my passport. While the key was traveling, I left with the team Tuesday morning to spend one day with them in Negril. The staff has been so supportive through it all-- a special thanks to Mike, John, Mckenzie, Tayler and Krista.
It was tough being away from my family while I tried to make sense of John's death. Coming back has presented it's own challenges as the tragedy became much more real and I had to deal with some culture shock. There was a wake Thursday night which was a very emotional time. Over 400 friends and family came to the funeral home to support my Aunt Rose, Uncle Dan and my cousins Corey (rising junior in highschool) and Julia (rising eighth grader). I had a few emotional moments myself but God's definitely given me strenght to spend most of my time reaching out to others that are hurting more than me.
This morning was the actual funeral service which was still tough but much less emotionally draining. The service was really well done and had both somber moments and uplifting moments. What has really helped me and others this week is sharing our favorite stories about John. I haven't gotten to spend as much time with him in recent years but we basically grew up together. Every summer we would go to Syracuse to visit him and he would come to Rochester to visit us.
There's so much more on my mind and heart that I wish I could share but I think the most important thing right now is that I ask for prayer. Pray that I would find the time to grieve for myself. Pray that as I have one more full day in Baltimore that I would be sensitive to the Spirit in knowing who needs to be encouraged and who may need nothing more than to hear the gospel. Pray for my family, especially Rose, Dan, Corey and Julia. Pray for our staff as they have been having some intentional conversations this week. Pray for me as I try to transition back into life in Harmons for the rest of the summer. Pray for strenght Sunday as I arrive in Jamaica and begin getting acquainted with the new team-- the bus ride back to Harmons is such a crucial time in getting to know them and I'm probably going to be exhausted after a 7:30am flight. Most of all, pray that we would all trust God in this tough time and that He would make it very evident how He is using this tragedy for good. I know He has a plan and there is no guarantee that I will understand it while I'm alive, but it would be such an encouragment to tangibly see God at work through this.
Thanks everyone for your prayers and support. I love you and miss you all.
In Him,
Adam
Friday, July 3, 2009
A week in the life
Hey everyone!
Well, I followed through on saying I would update this thing more often. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to write any more next week because it is our staff retreat week. No group is coming to Harmons and the staff will be spending 3 nights in Ocho Rios, 2 nights in Negril and then 2 nights in Harmons before we have our next group. I'm really looking forward to this week as an opportunity for our staff to grow tighter. It's tough to get much time to ourselves while groups are here.
This week has been going really well, although the dynamic has been a little different because there are two groups here this week and one of them is a public high school from Virginia. The kids have been great but there is definitely a different atmosphere than when everyone is from church youth groups. I've tweaked the devotional times this week to fit better with the group we have.
So I promised to let you all in on a sneak peek on a normal week in my life. I feel like there is so much I can say so I'll try to cut some details but here we go. Let's start by explaining a few things about the ministry here. Every group that comes down builds two houses start to finish. In addition, groups are supposed to build two foundations to be ready for the next group that comes. Another place where students serve during the week is the store. The store is full of clothes, school supplies, medicine etc. and people in the community get the chance to "shop" once a year. The cost is 100J which is about $1.50, but if someone can't afford it they usually make an exception (the main reason is so that people feel like they're not just getting a handout). Another area of our ministry is the infirmary. The infirmary is a government-run home where mentally and physically handicapped people are sent to when their family cannot or will not take care of them anymore. Many people there are pretty incoherent while others are simply a bit older and have physical issues. Our group is one of the only group that ever goes to visit these people. The infirmary is a really tough place for me to go although it's been getting more enjoyable as the summer goes on.
When the team arrives on Sunday we have a long, windy, bumpy bus ride back to Harmons. We reccomend people take dramamine-- I've started getting used to it but I still get sick sometimes. The bus ride back is crucial in starting to learn names and getting to know the teams. Once we arrive in Harmons dinner is usually waiting for us. We eat really well here although it's a pretty simple diet of chicken and rice. Afterwards the team puts all of their 50-pound suitcases in the middle of the meeting room and we separate everything they brought into different categories for giving away in the store. Monday morning they have an orientation and then our staff takes the team on a bit of a tour around Harmons. They come back to the house to eat lunch and then work half of the day at houses, foundations, the store, the infirmary, and various other worksites. I try to go the worksites as often as I can to get to know the teams better but usually I can't stay the full time because I have to prepare for devotionals in the morning and the evening as well as hang out with the kid I'm mentoring. Every night after our devotional we have "courtyard." Mike is the staffer in charge of courtyard so he plans events like dance night, movie night, game night, mens/womens night etc. It varies every night but there can be as many as 100 Jamaicans that come to courtyard. It's a great place for the Americans and the Jamaicans to hang out apart from the worksite (I forgot to mention that Jamaicans are employed by Won By One to help on the houses). Tuesday is a full day of work so I usually work half of the day and use the rest of the time to plan devotionals and hang out with my mento. Wednesdays the team works in the morning and then we all go to the infirmary. That is always a very powerful time and most Wednesday nights our devotional is more like a debrief from the afternoon. Thursday is another full day, and then the teams go to Jamaican's houses to eat dinner (while we have staff meeting...). Friday they work in the morning and then the afternoon is like a structured free time. They have a few options to choose from like playing soccer or taking a hike up a mountain. I always lead the group up the mountain to see a man named "stick man." He carves really cool walking sticks that the team can buy at the end of the week. It's a pretty tough climb but the view is definitely worth it, and I really enjoy walking up with a few Jamaican kids that usually tag along. Saturday morning we leave with the team for Ocho Rios where we all hang out to get some much needed rest (case in point- I will be getting 3 hours of sleep tonight). Most Sundays we would take the team to the airport and then wait there for the next team and repeat everything.
So there's my life in a nutshell. I'll try to pass on a few more specifics and some stories next week. I hope everyone is doing well!
Oh, one quick story-- this week when we met the group at the airport I pretended like I was from London and used a British accent. Everyone believed me and so I let the joke continue for about 6 hours until we unpacked the suitcases. It was pretty hilarious when they realized I was an American.
Peace out!
Adam
Well, I followed through on saying I would update this thing more often. Unfortunately, I don't think I'll be able to write any more next week because it is our staff retreat week. No group is coming to Harmons and the staff will be spending 3 nights in Ocho Rios, 2 nights in Negril and then 2 nights in Harmons before we have our next group. I'm really looking forward to this week as an opportunity for our staff to grow tighter. It's tough to get much time to ourselves while groups are here.
This week has been going really well, although the dynamic has been a little different because there are two groups here this week and one of them is a public high school from Virginia. The kids have been great but there is definitely a different atmosphere than when everyone is from church youth groups. I've tweaked the devotional times this week to fit better with the group we have.
So I promised to let you all in on a sneak peek on a normal week in my life. I feel like there is so much I can say so I'll try to cut some details but here we go. Let's start by explaining a few things about the ministry here. Every group that comes down builds two houses start to finish. In addition, groups are supposed to build two foundations to be ready for the next group that comes. Another place where students serve during the week is the store. The store is full of clothes, school supplies, medicine etc. and people in the community get the chance to "shop" once a year. The cost is 100J which is about $1.50, but if someone can't afford it they usually make an exception (the main reason is so that people feel like they're not just getting a handout). Another area of our ministry is the infirmary. The infirmary is a government-run home where mentally and physically handicapped people are sent to when their family cannot or will not take care of them anymore. Many people there are pretty incoherent while others are simply a bit older and have physical issues. Our group is one of the only group that ever goes to visit these people. The infirmary is a really tough place for me to go although it's been getting more enjoyable as the summer goes on.
When the team arrives on Sunday we have a long, windy, bumpy bus ride back to Harmons. We reccomend people take dramamine-- I've started getting used to it but I still get sick sometimes. The bus ride back is crucial in starting to learn names and getting to know the teams. Once we arrive in Harmons dinner is usually waiting for us. We eat really well here although it's a pretty simple diet of chicken and rice. Afterwards the team puts all of their 50-pound suitcases in the middle of the meeting room and we separate everything they brought into different categories for giving away in the store. Monday morning they have an orientation and then our staff takes the team on a bit of a tour around Harmons. They come back to the house to eat lunch and then work half of the day at houses, foundations, the store, the infirmary, and various other worksites. I try to go the worksites as often as I can to get to know the teams better but usually I can't stay the full time because I have to prepare for devotionals in the morning and the evening as well as hang out with the kid I'm mentoring. Every night after our devotional we have "courtyard." Mike is the staffer in charge of courtyard so he plans events like dance night, movie night, game night, mens/womens night etc. It varies every night but there can be as many as 100 Jamaicans that come to courtyard. It's a great place for the Americans and the Jamaicans to hang out apart from the worksite (I forgot to mention that Jamaicans are employed by Won By One to help on the houses). Tuesday is a full day of work so I usually work half of the day and use the rest of the time to plan devotionals and hang out with my mento. Wednesdays the team works in the morning and then we all go to the infirmary. That is always a very powerful time and most Wednesday nights our devotional is more like a debrief from the afternoon. Thursday is another full day, and then the teams go to Jamaican's houses to eat dinner (while we have staff meeting...). Friday they work in the morning and then the afternoon is like a structured free time. They have a few options to choose from like playing soccer or taking a hike up a mountain. I always lead the group up the mountain to see a man named "stick man." He carves really cool walking sticks that the team can buy at the end of the week. It's a pretty tough climb but the view is definitely worth it, and I really enjoy walking up with a few Jamaican kids that usually tag along. Saturday morning we leave with the team for Ocho Rios where we all hang out to get some much needed rest (case in point- I will be getting 3 hours of sleep tonight). Most Sundays we would take the team to the airport and then wait there for the next team and repeat everything.
So there's my life in a nutshell. I'll try to pass on a few more specifics and some stories next week. I hope everyone is doing well!
Oh, one quick story-- this week when we met the group at the airport I pretended like I was from London and used a British accent. Everyone believed me and so I let the joke continue for about 6 hours until we unpacked the suitcases. It was pretty hilarious when they realized I was an American.
Peace out!
Adam
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Obedience
Hey Everyone,
I haven't been able to update this blog nearly as much as I've wanted to this summer. It's been hard to find the time when a team is here and it's also really tempting to spend all my time responding to e-mails because I appreciate receiving them so much. But I'm going to try to make a better effort to make longer posts more often; so here it goes!
Let's start with what God has been teaching me this summer. I think the main thing right now is obedience. It's so easy for us to get disappointed with our circumstances and feel like we are somehow failing. There have been times this summer when I've felt like our summer staff is not bonding well enough, I've had trouble connecting with the boy I'm mentoring, and I've struggled to get past surface level relationships with both the high school students and the Jamaicans. Some days it all seems in vain-- like I'm not making a difference and somehow I must be missing what God has for me this summer. God's been teaching me that we care WAY too much about results. All that God calls us to is obedience. It's that simple. When I'm leading devotionals and I feel God tugging me to ask certain questions, those are the ones I should ask. And when the room goes silent or it doesn't seem like that question leads to any meaningful discussion, I have to trust that God knew what he was doing. It can be frustrating when I'm loving someone the best I know how and yet they don't really want to have a deep relationship (sounds a little like how we are with God). God tells us to love people and to leave the rest up to Him. I think God is most glorified when we obey Him despite a lack of fruit from our efforts.
Another thing I've realized is that I haven't done a very good job of explaining what life is like in Harmons. So over the next few posts I'll try to catch everyone up to speed that's never been or talked with me about it before. Harmons is a rural valley of about 2,000 people. There is no running water and electricity is scarce and very expensive-- thus, the rule about using 2 minutes of water to take showers and always turning lights off in rooms that are not being used. Harmons is a pretty tightly knit community where most people know each other. Everyone lives in some degree of poverty, although some people have more than others.
It looks like my time is already running out. In the next blog I'll give you a sneak peek to "a week in the life of Adam Salloum." I know you are all in suspense.
Much love,
Adam
I haven't been able to update this blog nearly as much as I've wanted to this summer. It's been hard to find the time when a team is here and it's also really tempting to spend all my time responding to e-mails because I appreciate receiving them so much. But I'm going to try to make a better effort to make longer posts more often; so here it goes!
Let's start with what God has been teaching me this summer. I think the main thing right now is obedience. It's so easy for us to get disappointed with our circumstances and feel like we are somehow failing. There have been times this summer when I've felt like our summer staff is not bonding well enough, I've had trouble connecting with the boy I'm mentoring, and I've struggled to get past surface level relationships with both the high school students and the Jamaicans. Some days it all seems in vain-- like I'm not making a difference and somehow I must be missing what God has for me this summer. God's been teaching me that we care WAY too much about results. All that God calls us to is obedience. It's that simple. When I'm leading devotionals and I feel God tugging me to ask certain questions, those are the ones I should ask. And when the room goes silent or it doesn't seem like that question leads to any meaningful discussion, I have to trust that God knew what he was doing. It can be frustrating when I'm loving someone the best I know how and yet they don't really want to have a deep relationship (sounds a little like how we are with God). God tells us to love people and to leave the rest up to Him. I think God is most glorified when we obey Him despite a lack of fruit from our efforts.
Another thing I've realized is that I haven't done a very good job of explaining what life is like in Harmons. So over the next few posts I'll try to catch everyone up to speed that's never been or talked with me about it before. Harmons is a rural valley of about 2,000 people. There is no running water and electricity is scarce and very expensive-- thus, the rule about using 2 minutes of water to take showers and always turning lights off in rooms that are not being used. Harmons is a pretty tightly knit community where most people know each other. Everyone lives in some degree of poverty, although some people have more than others.
It looks like my time is already running out. In the next blog I'll give you a sneak peek to "a week in the life of Adam Salloum." I know you are all in suspense.
Much love,
Adam
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