One Heart: January 2015

Thursday, January 22, 2015

A little about our weekend and a video for you!

Here is a link to a video Caleb put together that shows some of our life here! Enjoy!
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0BxrsUGXKb2cWV3JueTduc0h4ekk/view?usp=sharing

So last we left off we were on our way to Good Tidings Mennonite Church in Kingston. We left Saturday afternoon and stayed at a Catholic Hostile Saturday night. It was really nice! They had a sweet swimming pool and there was a high dive to jump off with no diving board. They had a ladder going up about 20 feet to the top and the ladder was definitely the hardest part for me! Caleb had no problem at all but after facing my fear of climbing the ladder the jump was AMAZING and the second time up was even better! As I was climbing the ladder I remember praying that God would help me face this fear and I was willing to face it with him, so I climbed. My heart was pounding so hard and I was holding on for life but when I was at the top I just sat and had to thank him. It reminded me that sometimes I pray and want the things that are hardest to just disappear or go away but that's not how God works. I had to face this fear taking action, believing and knowing he would give me the strength to conquer it with him at my side. I know it might sound silly that climbing a ladder like that would be so scary but if God can carry me through a fear like that he can carry us through anything and it's amazing! Also staying at the Hostile there was a college group of about 40. We got to chat with them and it was really nice! We were blessed to be able to spend time talking and eating dinner with them. The next morning we were off to Good Tidings Mennonite Church and we were so thankful we didn't get lost on the way! We got to be a part of an awesome service. It was loud and very energetic! One thing that I love about church here in Jamaica and that was really cool about Good Tidings is that they are not afraid to express themselves through clapping and most people were using Tambourines as well. It is a beautiful sound when everyone is worshipping, clapping, and playing the tambourines the way they feel and how it just blends together. It sounds amazing! They also had a keyboard, piano and drums which was great in the blend too! We both had a wonderful time visiting there and were challenged by the sermon. The pastor ended the sermon with the questions, "What is your focus on?" Is our focus on God alone and spreading his word to everyone around us? Or are we distracted by the things of this world and life? It's a good thing to reflect on in my own life especially to begin this new year! After church we went over to Pastor Dougie's house for lunch with him and his wife Sydna. Pastor Dougie is one of the pastors that comes to preach at our church in Ridge and we had a great Jamaican meal and a great time! We also got to see there grandson who is adorable! We felt so refreshed after spending Sunday with them and felt ready to take on the new week!

Saturday, January 17, 2015

Catching up!

So I know it has been a little while since I wrote a post and I am sorry! Things have been so busy and today I finally have some time to sit, focus and write! So I will start by telling you all about our Christmas here in Jamaica! I know I had talked about Grand Market in my last post and it was so much fun! We drove into Junction around midday and it was packed with people! The streets were lined with people selling everything! There were D.J.'s set up everywhere blasting music, lots of food and lots of shopping. It was like an outdoor market. It was fun to walk around and see all the people and everyone truly looked so nice! People really dress up nice! We were there for a couple hours walking around and checking out all the little shops everywhere and then went home! That night we watched the movie, "It's a Wonderful Life" which is the best Christmas movie of all time and also a tradition with my family to watch every year on Christmas Eve. It wasn't the same watching it just the two of us. I remember while I was watching I could picture our family sitting around together and laughing at the same parts we always laugh at and we both felt a little sad after it was over. It was neat though to experience Christmas Eve in a new way together. Christmas day was fun! We got to facetime with our families which was awesome but also made us miss home! It was great to celebrate with them and enjoy their company! We got invited to our friend Dwayne's house who lives here in Ridge and we had a wonderful time fellowshipping with him and his mom. She made an amazing meal and we were so stuffed! It was nice to relax with them and celebrate Christmas with some great friends! After we left from their home we had some of our other friends from Ridge over for diner at our place. It was really nice and we feel so thankful that God has provided us with some wonderful friends here in Jamaica! We ate together and then played games! It was a really special Christmas. It was also special because our dog who lives outside had puppies! There are 7 in all and they are so cute! She had six boys and one girl. So that was a really great way to end the day! I have been taking lots of pictures of them and will post some! Everyday I can't help myself I have to go out and hold them. So that was our Christmas here in Jamaica! After Christmas things slowed down a little bit and Caleb and I enjoyed some relaxing time together to finish up our break. School started and it was back to craziness! Teaching is going much better for me and I feel like its getting easier for me to plan my lesson plans! I am really enjoying working so closely with the three youngest girls, Cavel, Britney and Quacian. Although they can be challenging they are lots of fun and I can see the progress in their work! I am so thankful for God's strength and presence each day in everything he really carries me through when some days I just want to give up! This is all I have time to write about for now as me and Caleb are headed out to Kingston to visit one of our pastors churches this weekend! I will write again soon!