Jamaica 2013 Video
Here’s the video I made for our trip to Montego Bay, Jamaica. Thank you to Cletis and Tammy Titus for inviting us and thank you to our church, Vienna Baptist Church, for sending us.
Category: Ministry
Jamaica – Day 7 and 8
We’ve had a wonderful weekend in Mo-Bay. Yesterday we went into Bogue village with Pastor Andrew to tell people about Bay-Life Baptist. It was nice to spend time with him and we had several good contacts as well. One of them was a man who had a friend who is trying to sell a piece of land in Bogue. Who knows, maybe that contact will work out well for the church. They are praying about buying land and building a building.
Today was another great day at Bay-Life. I enjoyed so much preaching this morning. We also met some new friends to add to those we’ve already met. There’s a team here from Michigan to help on the CCCD campus this week. Tonight was AWANA at Bay-Life and I was asked to speak to the kids. The best part was at the end of the evening when I had got to lead a little Jamaican boy named Jared to Christ. That was worth the entire trip!
Here’s a pic of the AWANA kids at game time:
There’s all kinds of things I could tell you about this weekend; visitation, worship and lunch at Dr. Brown’s house again. I can also tell you that what is happening to our hearts in Jamaica. We’ve met so many that I’ve already told you about: Andre and Michael, the Daniel family, the Otto family, chef, Mr. Shim and Beverly, Dr. Brown and many others whose names I can’t remember. Tammy told us that once we came here, Jamaica will always have a part of our hearts, Laura and I are finding out how true that is.
I’ve mentioned Pastor Andrew and Tanesha. Here’s a picture of them with us:
Please pray for Andrew and Tanesha. There are doing such a great job here with Bay-Life Baptist church. The church is growing which means they are under the same spiritual attack as the rest of us who labor for the Gospel. Laura and I are committed to pray for them, will you join us?
Tomorrow is our last full day here in Jamaica. The trip has gone by so fast and we’re going to be sad to go. But, we have a beautiful 15 year old daughter at home we miss terribly (I think she may miss us a little) and we are ready to see her.
Jamaica – Day 6
Laura and I woke up with the sun this morning which was fine since the day was to begin fairly early anyway. After a bacon and egg breakfast prepared by Cletis, we headed to “First Step School” where I was asked to do a devotional with the kids. I knew I was to speak at a school, but I found out this morning it was preschool age. Yikes! Not exactly my normal age of audience.
Never the less, the kids were so cute! You should have hear them sing! My favorite song went something like, “Not knowing Jesus is like a donut, you’ll have a hole in your heart.”
Like I said, they were adorable:
I guess I should mention too, the drive into downtown Mo-Bay on Friday morning was very busy; people everywhere!
After the school we took about a 70 kilometer drive to Negril. This is a major tourist area on the Island. As a matter of fact, many of the people who come to Jamaica for vacation, land in Motego Bay and then travel by bus to Negril. This made the road from Mo-Bay to Negril the nicest road we’ve traveled on.
We went to a place where people cliff dived first. Don’t worry, didn’t even think about it. But, the scenery was spectacular:
After that we went to a market place where Jamaicans have their businesses selling items to tourists. Here we met a woman who ran one of the places and haggled over the prices of some keepsakes. It felt a little like we were a part of American pickers for a minute. I even said, “meet me halfway and give it to me for $7.50.” (If you’ve ever seen the show you know one of their favorite lines is, “meet me halfway.”)
After buying a few things we headed to Margaritaville for lunch and a couple hours on the beach. Needless to say, it was very relaxing. The day ended with a trip back by the Bible college to collect the final exams from the class and back down the mountain home.
Great day!
Tomorrow we’ll be going into Bogue village with Pastor Andrew from Bay Life Baptist to tell people in the neighborhood about the church. I’m really looking forward to that!
I’ll finish off this post by asking you to pray. If you’ve been following, I’ve introduced several families and villages that need our prayer. Would you consider pausing for just a few moments right now to pray for Jamaica, the Titus’, the Daniel family, The Otto family, for Bogue village and for Bay Life Baptist church?
Jamaica – Day 5
Day five was the conclusion of teaching at the Bible college. What a great week it was! I realized at the end of this day that I had the privilege of teaching young preachers whom God will use to reach many people in Jamaica. Chances are, I will never see them on this side of heaven again. But, how awesome it is to spend time pouring into someone so far away from my home. The thought is almost over whelming. My prayer for them is that God use them to do great things for the Gospel in Jamaica.
This morning we spent some time at the Jamaica Relief Mission. This is an orphanage up on the mountain about twenty minutes drive from where we’re staying. (Here twenty minutes is just a few miles away.) There we met the sweetest family from the states who are here for a two-year commitment to oversee the orphanage. Their names are Phil and Teresa Otto. They along with their children, and several other “nannies” from the states, take in children who have no parents.
The campus of Jamaica Relief Mission is a beautiful place that used to be a hotel and restaurant. Cletis told us that Johnny Cash even stayed here back in the day.
Here’s one of the main buildings:
Here’s the view they have looking down onto Montego Bay:
The Otto family are still trying to get adjusted to life here in Jamaica. As I said in and earlier post, living here is much different from visiting. Just getting used to living in a place where all your doors and windows have steel bars locked over them and living in a gated compound is difficult. (Tammy told us earlier tonight in a conversation that you never feel you can let your guard down.)
Laura and I are committed to pray for the Otto family and I want to ask you to pray for them too.
Tomorrow morning we head to downtown Montego Bay. I’ve been invited to speak to the students in a school there. This will be our first trip downtown, except a drive through one night earlier this week. After that, we’re going to a town called Negril for some R and R.
Jamaica – Day 4
Today was another great day in Jamaica!
Of course we began with some breakfast which, for me, consisted of a Jamaican apple and some sugar cane and some roasted bread fruit that Tammy made; and of course coffee:
We began the day with plans to go to an orphanage but we found out that that trip needed to be postponed until tomorrow. So, we decided to head up to McField early, where the Bible College is, and have lunch at “Border Jerk.” This is a place where they make jerk chicken and pork. It was awesome! Here’s a couple of photos of the place and what we ate:
This is how the food was cooked:
Here’s the best part, the pork I had for lunch:
We also had some unexpected fun today. After we left for the college, Cletis received a call from a couple of Jamaican friends who were at the deaf school who came to see them. So, we turned the van around and went back. We then met two guys named Andre and Michael. Cletis and Tammy invited them to come to the college with us, so we all piled into the van and headed toward McField for some jerk chicken and pork then to go to the college.
On the way to the college, one of the guys began to sing, and the next thing you know, Michael, Tammy, Andre and I are singing as a quartet. Then it was suggested that we sing at the school so after a little practice we went and sang a couple of songs for the students. That was so much fun!
Here’s a pic of us all in the classroom singing:
The day ended with supper with the Titus’ and Daniels consisting of “yardy wraps,” another authentic Jamaican food, which of course were awesome like most everything else I’ve eaten down here.
I wrote yesterday that I would show you Bogue village today. Bogue is the village where Bay Life Baptist is and it’s also the community that they’re trying to reach here in Montego Bay. It just so happens that we have great view of Bogue village from CCCD where we’re staying. It’s pretty cool to see it this way. Of course, when I look at the village from this vantage point I can’t help but think of Psalm 2:8, “Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” So many times that verse has been used to speak of missions, so my prayer for Bay Life Baptist is, please Lord, give them Bogue village for the sake of the Gospel that they may be saved. Will you pray for Bogue village with me?
Here’s a day and night picture from my vantage point:
Forgetting Forward 