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