Our Faith Bible Church Jamaica ministry team has safely arrived on the island mon!! We're settled in at the Calvary Baptist Church, where our youth team was four years ago as well and where a few of us were also. We're excited to again serve within the Calvary circuit of Baptist Churches and explore what God has in store as we serve him this week. It's hot, but not as hot as it was when we left Iowa!!! We're ready for a full night of rest followed by a full day of strong ministry serving a BIG God tomorrow!

Our team assisted with VBS at Calvary Baptist Church today! This is the church that we're staying at, and we'll be doing this every morning this week. We split into four different groups to work with the youth. It was great to get to see how quickly the kids became attached to us. It will be a fun week working with the kids and teachers!
(This photo is of Ben, Lydia, and Dave.)

Our first afternoon in Jamaica found us splitting up to help with a few different service projects. One group took a church bus to a different part of the city to assist with painting a picket fence around a school building. We joined another church youth group there. (This photo is of Whitney, Lydia, Kiera, Dave, and Mitch.)

The second group walked to a nearby home to paint the front porch and kitchen of a local family's home. The home was painted light blue and white, and it's a good thing we brought along paint clothes! It was a great time to learn about the neighborhood and some of the local fruit trees...including ackee, bread fruit, mango, banana, and cherry that they had in their front yard. (This is a picture of Zach, Claire, Josh, Carissa, Jacey, Rachel, and Janna.)

We started the day with VBS again. There were more kids attending today, which is just what we hoped for. The best part of the morning was when a young boy accepted Christ during a conversation with one of our youth!

After lunch, we loaded up the church bus to visit West Haven, an orphanage for disabled children and adults. The bus ride was memorable as we traveled up a mountain on a very winding, narrow, and pot-hole-filled road. Our excellent driver, Andy, got us there and back with no problem, mon!

The people at the orphanage were thrilled to see us pull in. They couldn't wait to greet us and show us around their home. Holding hands, taking pictures, dancing, and talking were the name of the game the whole time we were there. Our students were moved by the chance to befriend these people. It was an experience for everyone that won't be forgotten.

(This is Kiera, Rachel, Whitney, and Josh with some of their new friends.)

Anna, Jill, Rachel and Whitney with some of the residents.

Ben B. reading Bible passages to a new friend.

Ben E. with a new friend who spent all afternoon showing him around his home at West Haven.

Jacey with Jamal, a new friend in Christ!

Today we had another great group of kids at VBS. Each morning brings new faces. VBS time runs from 9:00 am to 1:00 pm, so we have lots of time to spend with the kids. They eat lunch at the church before they head for home at the end of the morning.

(This is a photo of Ben E, Cassondra, Josh, Claire, Jill, and Anna performing a skit for the 2-6 year olds.)

We spend time playing outdoors with the kids during our VBS time. Even though the weather is very warm, they don't mind playing in the sun at all.

(This is a photo of Sam, Ben B., Amanda, Claire, Anna, and Jill...entertaining or being entertained by the kids.)

Our group headed off in a three different directions today, but we all completed work projects. Anna, Halley, Joey, Ben E., Ben B., Whitney, and Paul stayed at the church to paint. Another group went to a family's home to do some cement repair and painting, and the third group took the church bus to an infant school to paint part of their school building. (This is a picture of Sam and Jordan working on the cement.)

A LOT of painting was going on here! It was an interesting drive to and from the school as some of the roadways had been almost washed away. The bus only had to turn around once, though!

The cooks here at Calvary Baptist have been awesome! They give us a great variety of food we know and love...and food we're not so familiar with. Tonight we had roast beef and mashed potatoes. Last night, however, was a bit different. We had curried goat and yams, and dinner was delicious! We've had slice fish, fried bread fruit, dumplings, collard greens, and Jamaica's national dish - ackee and saltfish. (The picture at the left is of the green curried goat. Good stuff!)

We are staying at the church with two other youth groups; one from Kentucky and one from North Carolina. We have different leaders from Praying Pelican and go different directions each day. But we do eat our meals and spend our evenings together.

After VBS, we ate lunch, then loaded the bus to visit some elderly Jamaicans at two different care centers. The kids had a great time talking, listening, and reading from their Bibles. Some residents would ask for specific verses to be read to them and sit silently while the kids read. It was a beneficial afternoon for everyone.

After that, we split up again. A few students stayed back to help paint a few rooms at our church while the others split up with some leaders to do street evangelism in our neighborhood.

Then we joined back together to go out for supper...a welcome surprise for all of us! We went to a restaurant that was on the water, and we ate jerk chicken and fish, fritters, salad, and more Jamaican goodies. Pastor Steve would have loved it!

A picture of Jill reading at the elderly home

Paul took Lydia, Kiera, Ky, and Sam on a walk through the neighborhood. This is one gentleman that they chatted with.

This was our final day of VBS. It was sad to say good-bye to the kids, but everyone was glad they had the chance to meet them. We all participated in the closing worship, and then loaded up the bus again for our afternoon of fun. We spent the afternoon at “Doctor’s Cave”, a beach near to our church. The students had a great time playing in the water, visiting the nearby shops, and just enjoying a beautiful day outside. After supper, (spaghetti and meatballs!), we joined our church for a Youth Rally. There were quite a few church members there, and we all had a good time. It was a fitting way to end our week in Jamaica- celebrating and worshiping a big God together with our brothers and sisters in Christ from the island!