Lane Memorial United Methodist Church

The team has arrived in Jamaica safe and sound. After getting through customs and immigration the team loaded a bus and traveled about an hour to the lodging facility. On the way we hit a familiar place (Burger King) to grab some lunch. Once we got to where we are staying, we unpacked, settled and then enjoyed our first Jamaican meal. After dinner we all met as a large group, 97 of us, and Marko shared in a devotion and thought provoking message to get the week started. Now it pretty quiet as the team is bedded down for a good nights sleep so they will be ready for their first big day tomorrow. Thanks for the prayers and continued prayers.

Today we spent the day in an elementary school and infirmary. I had such a good time hanging out with all the kids. They were very welcoming and fun to be with. We worked in second and third grade classrooms, and one group worked with the special needs classroom. This really stretched us, but God was with us. After a lunch of chicken and rice and peas, we drove to St. Ann's Infirmary. We had many experiences there. We talked with many people and one special lady whose name was Wendy. She liked fruit and cartoons. Many of us prayed and read scripture to them. They would request their favorite scripture and then would end up reciting it as we read it. We had an amazing day and are ready for tomorrow, where we will be back at the school and then on to a Prayer Wallk. Blessings to those back home!

Kathy and the team teaching the beautiful Jamaican children! They have done an amazing job and truly been sharing Gods love with the children.

This morning we had the pleasure of joining Duncans Primary during their end of the year awards ceremony! It was truly amazing to enjoy worship during a school function. What a blessing to stand with the teachers, students and parents. It was wondeful to see children that we have worked with all week receive awards for their hard work.

Yesterday we had an unexpected surprise, we were able to spend time with some beautiful children at El Shaddai Daycare Center. The children were beautiful and they absolutely loved having us drop in to play, share, hold and love on all of them. What a blessing it was!

William had a blast with the children! Over and over again they asked for him to let them jump off the tires into his arms. It was hot, he was sweaty and tired but he just kept putting smiles on the faces of the children. They loved him and he loved them.....and it showed!! Gods love in action!

?Over my seven years in youth group, I have been on so many mission trips and retreats that I have lost count of how many I ventured out on. This trip, however, was quite different from all the rest. Firstly, it was my first international mission trip, not to mention it was my first time out of the country. I have been introduced to a very different but very unique culture here that i would not have experienced if I stayed in Virginia all summer. The idea of traveling the world to build relationships and make connections with people of all ages and races is a mindset of a servant of the church. We are here to strengthen our own faith by bringing a little sunshine into other's lives. ??Twice this week we visited St. Ann's infirmary, a home to those who are elderly, disabled, or both. It is sort of like a "last stop" for people in their lives, which is a depressing reality. On the outside, it looked like we were a bunch of teenagers walking around the facility, waving hello and reading the bible to the residents, which does not sound like much. But in reality, it was much deeper and much more spiritual than that. I formed a connection with one of the residents, "Eicee." When I first saw her, she made eye contact with me from across the room and motioned for me to come to her. The thing I noticed right off about this woman was that her eyes were the most beautiful blue eyes I had seen. Even though she couldn't remember my name, she spoke beautifully about her faith and how God has led her this far in her life. It is not until now as I am writing this that I realize that those blue eyes were the eyes of God. I saw before me pure joy and serenity from a 70 year old woman in a infirmary in a small town in Jamaica. That's crazy. ??Everyday this week, we visited at a primary school in Duncans. I must say these are the most wild, insane, and at times annoying group of kids I have ever meet in my life. But, they were also the most loving and heart warming children I have ever seen as well. I got so many hugs from so many kids that it is a little bit ridiculous. After four days of coloring and singing camp songs, my favorite two things in the world, I ended up with two new favorite things. Two girls in the classroom I was in wrote my notes saying, "I love you Amanda and you are my best friend." I don't think I need to say more. ??That is just a few stories from the amazing week I had here, and I will tell more when I come back. I am going back with a different mindset about new cultures and countries. More importantly, I will go back wanting to change the way other people around treat each other, with love and kindness, or with the faith of God. Some might say that its just a millenial perception, but it is the way God wants us to perceive our world.