Jamaica: Day 1&2

What an amazing trip. I'm in love with Jamaica. Thanks so much for your prayers & support - here's just a taste of our experience. I learned so much from our short time in Jamaica and will hopefully be able to put words to my thoughts in a future post. Until then, here is the beginning of our time in Jamaica.

Saturday (7/11): We departed from Detroit in the morning...

... and arrived in Montego Bay that afternoon.

Stepping outside the airport was a shock - as I wrote in my journal, "It's insanely hot & humid here." We took a bus to Sandy Bay, where we stayed at a school. Upon arriving, we set up our beds in the classrooms and went outside & were immediately flocked by children.

That evening we had a big orientation meeting where we met our team leaders from Praying Pelican Missions. We played some more with kids & turned in for the night.

Sunday (7/12): We woke up & took showers... outside in our bathing suits. I actually loved these showers - the temperature was always cold at first, but then you got used to it & it was so refreshing. Plus, showering at night under the stars is unbeatable. 

Next, a winding bus ride about a mile through the mountains to church in Mt. Pelier. It was awesome to experience worship in another culture. 

On the way to church...

Doug & Stephen.

That afternoon, we went to a local "semi-pro" soccer game. There, we were again swarmed by children and ended up barely watching the game.

That night we had our first "Crusade," as the local pastor calls them. We had these every night, Sunday - Friday. Basically a church service with an altar call each night. This church, Fletcher's Grove, was about a block away from the school where we stayed. 

After the service each night, we had a team meeting and then hung out some more with kids before going to bed. The good thing about staying at the school was that the local children were always congregated in the yard outside, just waiting for us to emerge & play. 

Duck Duck Goose with goats on a leash in the background...

A word about pictures: I took 1,135 pictures. I could have easily taken more, but I wanted to be able to play with kids and interact with people and not have a camera swinging around my neck the whole time. These pictures are either unedited or very roughly edited. Editing and choosing which to put in my blog is proving a daunting task. I will post a link to all the pictures as soon as possible and will also feature one a day in my photo blog.