I hope all of you (that have started) are enjoying your Thanksgiving break! I wish I could say that I was enjoying mine... if only the Pilgrams landed in Jamaica too. Oh well.
I never put up anything about my trip to Kingston... so here is a little update :)
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| Country Bus to Kingston |
Eddie, William, and I got to go up to Kingston a day before everyone else to scope things out and make a few preparations. We took a "country bus" on the 4 hour ride, which was definitely an experience. I learned two things on this journey. The first thing I learned about was the closeness and sense of family that the Jamaican people share and express. Apart from being physically close, something happened that showed the camaraderie of these people. As we were recklessly driving along (which, first off, is an understatement), I glanced out the window and saw what looked like some kind of police checkpoint. A couple of cars were pulled over and there were a good 15 heavily armed JCF officers. When I say heavily armed... I mean helmets, bullet proof vests, and AK-47s. As I continue to watch, I see one of the officers step out into the road and wave the bus to pull over. All I was thinking was, "Great. We're all going to get thrown into Jamaica prison and I'm never going to see my family again." Thankfully, that was not the case. They did, however, evacuate the whole bus and search everyone's bags. A few of the men wondered up a ways to use the facilities (bushes), and then we all got back on the bus. Suddenly, there was a stir. As one of the officers was searching a box full of bananas and oranges, he stumbled upon $50,000 J worth of ganja hidden beneath. The man to whom it belonged managed to ditch the crowd while the other men were using the bushes, so the officers began pursuit. Everyone then got back on the bus, and we went off. No harm done. We drove for about 5 minutes, and out of nowhere, people started yelling and pointing out the window. Turns out, the man who owned all of the weed had escaped, caught a taxi ahead of the bus, and was trying to catch the bus again! As I began to think, “there is no way we would ever pick up this criminal,” the bus slams on its breaks, flips it in reverse, does a J turn, and goes and picks the man up! When we picked him up... everyone cheered like he was a hero? This was the second thing I learned about Jamaica: People are more willing to help out a criminal than submit to the authorities. Its one of the reasons why every single window in the nation has to have iron bars welded over them.__________________________________________________________
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| The lights of Kingston |
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| Tastee Patties. Delicious. |
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| "Studying" at UWI |
One of the things we did a lot in Kingston was hang out on the university campuses. Our goal was pretty much just to talk to people. Most people we talked to were really open with us and we were able to speak encouragement and truth into their lives. A few of us also had an opportunity to sit in on a spanish class at the University of the West Indies. I thought we were going to just sit in with them and observe, but we ended up running the class. Eddie is from Mexico, so the professor called him up and the whole class was able to ask him questions. Eddie got to share his testimony... in Spanish... and all of the students were genuinely interested. The professor then called me up and let the students ask me questions. I tried to answer everything in Spanish... but I ended up just making a fool out of myself like always. It was really fun though. We took up the whole hour of class and were able to talk to some of the students after.
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Beautiful Sunrise
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One thing I loved about Kingston was the morning time. Since I didn't have to make breakfast, I was able to get up and relax. I woke up at 4am every morning, made some coffee, and had the best quiet time. It was easy for me to wake up because we were staying on a concrete floor in a church. Everyone else would wake up around 6:30, we'd have our morning meeting, breakfast, and be out on the road by 8:30.
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Just a normal fish, boiled banana, and
yam breakfast. |
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| Prayer walk to UWI |
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Our team also did a lot of street ministry. We would go to a park, public square, or shopping center, and just strike up conversations with people. At some places we would find a place to sit and start jammin.
Have you ever heard of a Rasta? I'm sure you know of Bob Marley, the most famous and influential Rasta in recent Jamaican history.The trem Rasta describes someone who is a part of the Rastafarian Movement, a religious movement that started in the early 1930's. They pretty much believe that a man named Haile Selassie is a direct descendent of David, just like Jesus, and that he is the Messiah. Most, however,
either don't believe in Jesus, or believe that Selassie and Jesus are brothers. We talked to many Rasta men in Kingston. They love to talk and reason with people. It is sad because though a lot of Rastas live by the "one love" motto, many of them are lost, alone, and depressed, so they turn to weed for comfort.
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My favorite days in Kingston were when we got to go to primary (middle-high) schools. The first school we went to is called School of Hope. It is an alternative school for kids with mental and emotional problems. I was able to sit in on a music class, and man some of those kids are talented. You could tell that they all had problems, but once the music started, they were the happiest kids in the world.
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| School of Hope |
The second school we went to was a small Christian school in Trenchtown. Trenchtown is where Bob Marley grew up, where reggae and rocksteady music began, the birthplace of Rastafarianism, and is pretty rough in some areas. We sang some songs, did a drama, then some of us played a nice hot game of futbol. These are the kinds of things I LOVE to do.
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| Operation Restoration Christian School |
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Those are just a few small glimpses of what I experienced in Kingston. I could have spent more time there though... maybe someday I can go back :)
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This is really cool. Some of the local Christian reggae and hiphop artists are having a huge concert event this Saturday, and they are involving our YWAM base. They are called A Betta Tomorrow, and every concert they do is free. Friday night they did a little pre-concert teaser in the city square, and it was awesome.
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Sorry this was such a long one... but a lot is happening! Thank you all for your prayers and support. It is not going unnoticed. If you haven't had a chance to give one of my update letters to everyone you know, here is the link to download it
Please stay in prayer for Gram. Also, I am applying to Wake Forrest University in North Carolina... so pray that I can get accepted and that I can get a bomb scholarship or something.
I hope all is well and I love you all!
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| No food goes uneaten with Sean and John |
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| Expelliarmus! |
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| Our bed / wrestling arena in Kingston |
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| Not posed at all... |
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| It's a bee... :D |
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| Pro photographer... nbd. |
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| Stacey-Ann and Jodie |
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| Tired after playing guitar for 2 hours at street feeding :) |
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