Mid-week update

Hello All!

I hope all is well in Michigan. Everything is going well here in Jamaica! The work project really picked up yesterday and today. The students have moved huge piles of stones and sand, and bags of cement, at both the church and college where we are staying. They are helping move these things to rooftops, to make new concrete roofs. One group began pouring the concrete at the church today. They will finish tomorrow. The other group got supplies in the right place and will start moving it as concrete to the roof tomorrow. The students have been spending the second half of the morning and all afternoon at the work sites.

In the mornings both groups have been going out to schools, nursing homes, and children's homes to do their presentations and spend time with people in need of love and attention. The students have done so well at adapting to each sitation. Often when we arrive, they don't know the sitatuation until we get into the school. The groups have performed outside next to highways, inside classrooms, for groups of 200+, at high school, elementary and little nursery schools. So they have adapted for each time.

The schools here have a devotion time each morning, so that is when we have been going to the schools to share our programs. We think we have it all prepared when we leave in the mornings, but that isn't always the case! Group one got to our first school on monday morning and realized they forgot the curtain for the puppet stage. We were able to borrow one from the school. On Wed morning, the same group turned on the CD player at the school and the batteries were dead, and the spares were not to be found. So they sang accapella and did soooooo great anyway! Group two performed at a high school for their first event, and decided to totally change the program to meet that audience, so they improvised and did great. They also went to a disabled children's home, and had a really impacting experience. They played cricket with a boy in a wheelchair, and pushed crippled children on swings, and just spend time with kids who needed love. Both groups also visited a nursing home already this week, and were able to sing to the residents and talk with them. Ultimately, we've really seen God working in these places, with working out the kinks, and in the responses from the students in the schools as we share with them. We're praying that our testimonies are making impacts on these students.

The evenings have been a really neat experience for the GCS kids too. Pastor Kingsley is our bus driver and coordinator for our ministry time. He also is the pastor of Independence Hall Baptist Church, where we have been doing the concrete roof. In the evenings, he has invited his youth group, and local teens, to come to the church and spend time with our group. They Jamaican teens lead some songs for us, which we are learning, and some we already know. Then the GCS teens lead some songs and teach them to the other group. Dr. Kohns speaks after that, and finally we play a game to get to know each other better. Monday night was a rock paper scissors tournament, last night was a beach ball war. For some of the GCS kids, it's been a highlight of the trip so far.

Here are some prayer requests:

- Dr. Eggebrecht hurt his foot on Sat. He went to a doctor in Montego Bay and got medicine and treatment. It is feeling better but still needs to heal more. It is hard for him not to be able to fully participate in everything. Pray that his foot will heal quickly.

- Carter Brown got a particle of metal in his eye yesterday and went to an eye doctor today to get it removed. He has medicine and should be healed soon. Thank God that we were able to get him treatment in a timely way (and didn't have to go to the ER).

- For safety on the worksites tomorrow since the students will be exerting alot of energy in the roof project. Since they are so busy with ministry in the morning, work in the afternoon, and teen time in the evening, they have the potential of burning out. So pray for energy and using their freetime to get rest and recover.

- For the ministry times, as these seem to be excellent opportunities for the kids to use their gifts of singing, speaking, and sharing. That God would plant seeds through these times in the lives of kids and adults.

- For our relationships with the Jamaican college students. It has been fun for the GCS kids to get to know the college students here, that they are living in the dorms with. The Jamaicans have been so hospitable. We are trying to be considerate also, considering we took over their campus with 40 more people :) Pray that we can consider others.

- Relationships on the team - it's hard to "live" with everyone for almost 2 weeks, and we've had our share of conflict resolving to do. Pray for the students and adults to be willing to continue the process of caring for each other, and working together on the trip.

Overall it's been great so far. The weather is awesome! We're looking forward to a "fun in the sun" day on Saturday at a river tour and waterfall, and hopefully a trip to Montego Bay to the market on Monday.

Love to all -
The mission team
and Meghan