Happy Sunday from Jamaica!  Today our team worshipped in 3 different churches over the span of a 5 ½ hour period.  That’s a lot of church. But no one complained.  One of our team jokingly said, “If God keeps track of how much we go to church, we really gained ground today.”

Our first church experience started at 8 AM at the Uprising City Church, the church housed on the Jamaica Link facility, Fairhaven.  Jamaican men and women in their Sunday best came to loudly and enthusiastically proclaim the faithfulness of God.  Jamaican worship services can be very interactive… almost call and response between those on the platform and the congregation.  So, we heard regular exclamations of “God is good, all the time!” and “All the time, God is good!” with a generous sprinkling of “AMEN”(s)!  And “HALLELUJAH”(s)!!  One of our boys said, “I was surprised by how loud people worship here.”  It was a chance to explain that here in Jamaica, many Christians are facing challenges- unemployment, underemployment, poverty, injustice, and hardship.  For them, church is a vital and necessary realignment.  Jonathan observed that Jamaican worship really focuses on God- his holiness, power, strength, and character.  When your circumstances are this difficult, focusing on God is an essential way to maintain hope. And since it was Father’s Day, God as our Father was a prominent theme.

After our worship at Uprising, our team divided into two groups.  The larger team went with me to Faith Baptist Church of Flankers, where I preached, our boys did a skit and our girls did a teaching/craft with the children. Our team will be doing daily devotions in the Flankers elementary & junior high school on Tuesday through Friday.

The smaller team, composed of Isaac, Jonathan, Paige, Connie & Jess went to Redemption Chapel in Canterbury where we’ll be doing our after school program and several work projects this week.  Isaac preached, Jonathan, Paige & Jess sang and Connie gave a testimony.  Canterbury is a rough neighborhood.  Five children in the church have lost fathers due to violence.  Nutrition is a big problem, so the ladies at the church will be preparing a full meal for children in the community each day at the conclusion of our after school program.  Your generous giving will be satisfying some little children with big appetites this week.

After our 5 ½ hour church marathon, we returned to Fairhaven for a delicious meal of stewed beef, cheesy mashed potatoes, fresh salad, green beans and carrots, and fresh watermelon. After lunch, we debriefed a bit about our day.  Then, Isaac & Jonathan, with a team of 7 boys went over to do a painting and door project for a local preschool.  This was the only time we could do the project, since painting the ceiling while school is in session obviously wouldn’t work.  But we are going to get the boys back to the school later in the week so the preschooler can say thank you.  The rest of the team prepped for the rest of the week by sorting our supplies, getting crafts ready and walking down town to purchase a few forgotten items.  I’ll show you a few pictures of the painting.

Tomorrow the whole team will be working on our 2 work projects- one working on some needs at the church and the other, residing a home in the community.

Thanks for your prayers!  More to come.

Steve