In LA

After a relaxing morning and sad goodbyes at the YWAM base we were off to the airport. We found out that our flights was delayed by 2 hours, this meant we would miss our connection flight in Dallas. Dallas is  a huge airport and there was a lot we had to do in little time in order to catch our next flight. After many prayers we all got on the next flight in Dallas! Praise the Lord. When we landed we flew through customs, got our  bags, then checked them in again, went through security again, rode the sky-train and even had time to run to MacDonalds!  The Lord is GREAT! Praise HIM! We even had a few mins to spare.

We got to our hotel around 12 am which Jamaica time was 3 am, HOT showers for the first time in 9 days and clean sheets never felt better!  

It is raining this morning in LA, it is 12c which feels very cold to us! I think it is a good preparation for coming home.  We enjoyed a continental breakfast we are going to start more debriefing of the trip; Alyssa and Omar (they used to host teams at the YWAM in Belize) are going to lead our debrief. 

The team is doing well, but they look tired! Hopefully today will be relaxing and a good time of reflection. Be patient with us as we come home as we have a lot to process! Are extremely grateful for all of you and SO excited to see you all!

Our flight arrives at 12:20 am (WESTJET 0944) 

Hope to see you there!

Thank you for being apart of our Journey!

So I thought I posted this post this am. But I didn’t work. 

We just finished a wonderful day of  chilling at Rendono Beach, exploring shops and eating at Rubys dinner. We did debrief sessions this evening with Alyssa and Omar (who are former missionaries from YWAM Belize). It was wonderful for us to spend the day with them and for them to lead us through reflexions of the trip. And how to answer the question when we get home, “how was your trip.” 

My heart is so  blessed, there were lots of tears of joy as we talked about how God moved on the trip. We finished the evening with “Words of affirmation” it was such an encouraging time as we affirmed the things we have seen God doing in each team member. Wow. I LOVE this team!

Thank you for being apart of our team!

We are heading to bed now, see you tomorrow!! We love you all! BLESSINGS!!!

Love Hannah

Last Days in Jamaica

Wow... here we are sitting on the pool deck for the last night writing our blog, looking over the lights of Mobay. It is hard to believe that our time here is almost over. 

We did our normal routine of 6:30am breakfast! The students are going to be in a great schedule by the time we get home! Then we joined the YWAMers for worship. It was creative worship day so we all got to join in telling stories through pictures and song, very different but fun and a good experience for us to worship outside of our North American box. 

Next we went to Blossom Gardens. It was apparent right away that this was a very different children's home Robins Nest. It seemed very institutional instead of anything resembling a loving home. They gave us a very brief tour. There were no toys in sight, just rooms with many cribs and beds. We walked into the age 0-1 year old room where there was one women talking care of all of the babies(all of the babies, one was 7 days old). They instantly wanted to be picked up. Some of the team went outside to where the 1-2year olds were. They were having snack but in a matter of minutes they where in our arms. They so desperately wanted to be held, and loved. It was heart breaking. These children are a ward of the state, and are only allowed to live there until they are 8. From what we could see there seemed to be nothing resembling a family or love. It even seemed hard to make some of them smile. It took a while to hear any laughter. When we had to go to the other part of the building some of them would not let us let them go. It was hard to take emotionally.

 We also got to go and sing songs with the older kids aged 2-8. As well as doing our skit, they loved it so much they wanted us to do it again. Then  we did a craft with them. They asked us when we where coming back, and gave us hugs. The children are used to people coming and going in their lives, if they grow up there. After we left the Blossom Gardens it was the first time the trip home in the van was a silent ride, no singing or laughter. It was silent. There was a heaviness in the team members hearts, aching for these children and just feeling exhausted.

 The  worship song that kept resonating is my head was “break my heart for what breaks yours.” In conversations with the student that afternoon, I kept telling them that it is ok to be sad, and to be moved by what we experienced. As a good friend always tells me this is not the end it is just the beginning. That evening in our team meeting we listened to a song by Brooke Fraser called Albertine (check it out on youtube), a line goes. “Now that I have seen I am responsible, Faith without deeds is dead.” It was really challenging to see the students and how the Holy Spirit is speaking to students as they are starting to ponder the “now what.”  We will keep asking, now that we have seen all this and experienced all of this poverty, lack of love and huge possibilities.... now what. How is God calling us to keep serving and reach out? We will keep talking about this in the days to come, and in our debrief. 

Today, we went back to Reading School for morning devos. It was great to see them really want to sing all the songs. In fact the teachers were trying there hardest to memorize the songs(at the end of the devo time we gave them the music sheet:). This school accepts all teachings and religions. So we planned a new skit for them.... aka bible overview. It was a fantastic morning and Reading school ended by asking loudly “PLEASE COME BACK!”

In the afternoon we did work projects around the base. Some of us got to learn how to make a Jamaican meal, worked on the grounds, and cleaned rooms. The YWAM staff made a special Jamaican lunch to show us how much they love us! It was very special and one of the BEST meals I have ate! We sang fill up our cup for them!

We spend part of the afternoon at Hope Hospice (Which is a palliative care home). The students were nervous at first, but it didn’t take long to start visiting with the patients. We heard many stories, were sang to, prayed over and danced with (Mike and Sam had a few long slow dances with a very admiring blind women, who also sang love songs to them). You will have to watch the video if you get a chance! Wow so funny! We were amazed about the positive spirits many of them had, and how grateful they were to have visitors. It was a good experience.

Tonight, we had our last community meeting with the YWAM staff and students. We shared testimonies of our time here, and sang them the song (Beautiful by Phil Wickham). The Barker family came! It was a great to see them again and for them to hear how blessed we where by being apart of building God’s Home. Everlad prayed a blessing over us, which was amazing. He prayed for safe travels and was thankful to God because we were "a blessing and so much fun."  We were also blessed to hear the testimonies of the Discipleship Training Students(DTS) who just returned from Zambia, and Trinidad. It was really cool to see how God worked in their lives and in their trips, what  a blessing to be a part of that. 

We are all packing now and getting ready for bed. I have had a few requests to lose passports so that the student can stay here forever! Are you all ok with that???

I do not think so we love them to much, not have them back with us in Saskatchewan at this time. We will bring them all back home soon don’t worry!   

We will be off the airport in about 14 hours!  Then off to California for a day of debriefing on Friday. Pray for us as we travel and keep asking "now what?"

Thank you once again for loving us and praying for us we feel it and are extremely grateful! 

Blessings, 

Hannah and team

Rich and full days.

Saturday night Mel and Mike spent a few hours in the middle of the night awake with our poor students; Andrew and Tyson, who had picked up some sort of stomach flu. The rest of us where ok, and slept quite well :). Although we felt really bad for the boys who where a mess, but within a few hours, prayer, and some solid rest they were back to being themselves, PRAISE THE LORD! Sunday morning we had our first Jamaican church experience. AND MAN OH MAN was it an experience. “Can I hear a HALLELUJAH!” 

4 hours later, and after some of the MOST amazingly talented expressions of worship that we had ever experienced, there was no question in our minds that Jamaican’s have a huge dose of extra soul! wow! They truly live life AND church to the fullest, and loudest. We were able to contribute to the service by singing a song as a team, and then Tyanna sang a song, and Mike gave his testimony. It all went extremely well!

We spend the afternoon at Doctor’s Cave Beach and then walked to the Craft market. There we learned all about how to hold our ground even when they tried to convinced us that we were getting the best deal, we also learnt how to say “no thank you”. The students where all very excited to share their experiences and show each other their great deals.

Monday morning...

Up ‘n’ at em’! Today we got back into the early morning routine of breakfast at 630am. After enjoying a hearty helping of Oatmeal, oranges off the tree, and pineapple that is  literally grown in our front yard, we walked to Reading Prep Kindergarten and High School to join in their morning devotions. We were able to share a David and Goliath skit that we had prepared, and sing a few worship songs (with a lot of actions and creative movement!) The kids loved singing along and learning all about snow and Saskatchewan. THEY WERE ALL SO CUTE!!!!!

Next we went back to the new Barker homestead, where community members started gathering around for the time of dedication. As has become our custom we sang some worship songs, and then moved inside the house where each person gave Everald and the family a blessing as we passed around the keys to his new home. This was a very special and moving time. As each team member, YWAM staff, and local pastor spoke, Everald took the time to look right into our eyes, and really received everything we spoke. After closing in prayer, Hannah handed over the keys as we presented him with a homemade memory plaque, decorated with our team picture, signatures, and a bible verse and prayer. It was hard not to be very emotional as his eyes filled with tears of deep and genuine gratitude. After many thanks and handshakes he told a testimony of his life as a kid on the streets of Montego Bay. He talked about how he got into a lot of trouble, “Trouble that you can’t even understand” were his words.  He said that finally, one day, through seeing the pain in his mothers eyes he knew he needed to change, and began searching and praying for a new beginning. It is very uncommon for a young man his age in Jamaica to be committed to one woman and to start a family. It’s clear to see that God has answered his prayers and is indeed moving in amazing ways in his life and the lives of his family members.

Because of your generous donations we were also able to purchase a stove, and after the dedication of the Barker house we were able to present it to one of the very first Homes of Hope families. Jannel is a single mother who has 5 kids and lives in the same community as the Barkers. She did not have a working stove, and we were so blessed to be able to use some of the extra funds to provide her with one. She was very excited to show us her home, after the boys carried the stove up the side of a mountain(literally).

After some jerk chicken and rice for lunch we took a very interesting and bumpy ride through the jungle, up a mountain to Robin’s Nest Children’s Home. There we were able to cuddle and play with some very cute and hyperactive Jamaican children. It was obvious that they were all yearning to be held and loved, and after a short but sweet visit, it was hard for us to slowly peel them off and say goodbye. A highlight from this part of the day was singing worship songs, as the kids were all exploding with energy and deadly dance moves.

After making the treacherous trip home, we enjoyed a delicious dinner with the staff and students of the Youth With a Mission base, which is always a wild time. From there we proceeded to the pool, where we enjoyed a variety of activities including synchronized swimming, diving lessons, and wrestling the fully-clothed party-poopers into the pool, and finally concluded the long but wonderful day with some reflection and prayers of thanks for the amazing work that God has continued to do both in us and through us. In all of our team meetings and everything we do there is joy. The YWAM staff have made several comments on how great this group of students is; how you can see there Jesus smiles! Every student is doing SO well; serving, loving eachother, and being a blessing! What a blessing to be apart of such an amazing team! God is working!

We can’t wait to see what tomorrow will bring! Thank you all so much for your love and support.

Much love,

The Joyful Team Jamaica               

God's House.

We finished the home for the Barker Family!!!! On friday the weather was fantastic working weather, a nice breeze allowed us to finish up! We are returning  to the house on Monday to bless and dedicate the home. Every morning at the work site we sang a worship song, shared testimonies, prayed for the Barker family and for safety in our work. On Friday a team member’s prayer stands out in my memory “God, let this be your house.” This sums it up.... this is God’s House, and it is amazing that we are blessed enough to be a part of building it. 

 Because of the generous donations we received through you all we were able to furnish the home with a table, chairs, and a bed...(this is still a surprise to them).

 On Monday, while we are doing the dedication the appliances should arrive. We are also going to bring a house warming gift of kitchen utensils at the time of the dedication! We are all very excited about that! 

Another neat experience on Friday was walking home from the work site, which is entirely down hill (in a vehicle it feels like a roller coster ride), having a lot of us walking was a good witness for the whole community to see a very happy group of students walking in grubby clothes down the mountain. One of the YWAM staffers said it is a great testimony to the surrounding community of God’s love for them to see other nations come, see a need, and be able to help with joy.  One Jamaican said he was so encouraged and blessed by us coming. I think we would all agree that we are the ones being blessed every morning at the worksite.

After 3 days of hard work at the Homes of Hope site, today (Saturday) we were able to take a break and an hour long bus ride out to Dunn’s River Falls. Along the way our bus driver (Pastor Gibbons, aka. Junior) was kind enough to point out some interesting milestones and tourist attractions, such as the point where Christopher Columbus landed, as well as the locations and dates of both Spanish and British influence in Jamaica throughout history.

Upon our arrival to Dunn’s River Falls, we quickly locked up our packs and extra clothing and began hiking up the middle of a series of waterfalls! No, not beside them, not above them, but IN them! It was a great experience to work as a team as we made our way over the big rocks and through the thundering water ( dont worry it is  safe many people do it.:) The last few hours we spent relaxing on the beach (where some of us had the privilege of observing a “rap battle” between Sam and an anonymous middle-aged woman...too funny). From there we concluded our day by stopping at a Jamaican restaurant called “Scotchies”, where we enjoyed a plethora of Jerk Chicken, Roasted Fish Fillets, Festivals (like breadsticks),  Coca-Cola, and Pineapple Soda. YUM.

Finally, with great pride and joy we can announce that yesterday the valiant efforts of our Canadian boys paid off as they became THE FIRST TEAM of outsiders to defeat the YWAM Jamaica team in basketball! (not without a lot of grunting and sweating, but a win nonetheless).

Pray for us as we are preparing to do ministry in a church tomorrow; Andrew is sharing his testimony, Tyanna is signing/playing a song, and the team is singing.

Monday we will be doing devotions in a school, dedicating the house, and going to a children's home.

Thanks again to all of you who have been keeping us in your prayers, and following along as we continue to experience new and amazing things during our time here in Jamaica, God is so good! We love you all.

Hannah and Mike and da team!

P.S. today we learned two new Patois (Jamaican slang) phrases...

“How you look so chuka chuka??”- “Why do you look so scrubby?”

and

“Why yo bodda me fa?”- “Stop bothering me.”

Ehhman Wagwon! (Hey Man, What’s going on?)

We have been having an amazing time so far! Praise God that we have been very healthy and safe besides a few sunburns(The Jamaican Sun likes our Canadian skin, even though we wear LOADS of sunscreen).

In our team meeting today we talked about our first impressions in Jamaica, I will share a few with you:

-"SO many hills and rocks! NOTHING like Saskatchewan"

-"Very passionate people!"

-"Jamaicans are very competitive and can be very loud!:) Who would have thought a game on hopscotch could be intense!?!"

-"Jamaicans are very welcoming and hospitable people!"

-"In our community, which is close to the base, there is garbage everywhere." And most of the houses are what we would consider shacks made of almost anything. 

We have WORKED HARD on the home for the Barker family! Emerald the Dad in the Baker family plus many members of the family, and people from the community have come out to help us work on house. Today a women was panting with a baby in one arm and a paint brush in the other. We have had LOTS of help! We are ahead of schedule! We will be done the building project tomorrow in the afternoon. Followed by a day of rest!

We have been very blessed by the people in the community yesterday at the work site we ate 4 LUNCHES is that even possible... YES! It happened! Barker Family members have been very gracious to make us hot meals everyday. WOW. WOW. We are humbled.

A few High lights this far:

-The people of Jamaica

-Eating Goat for supper/ Eating in general

-Singing at the worksite

-Seeing the Students work SO HARD!

-YWAM community meeting, we performed a song for them. Had an amazing dance party with them.

-Lots of prayer, everywhere we go and everything we do!

-Played a  new version of Dodge Ball with the Jamaicans

-Had a Team Canada Boys Basket Ball game verse the Jamaicans. We did quite well, but did not quite pull off a win, maybe tomorrow with better lighting (it was dark).:)

We have so many exciting things to look forward to!Thank you so much for your prayers they are being answered, keep praying!

Blessings,

Hannah and team

Safe and Sound!

Hello EVERYONE!

WE arrived safe and sound here in Mobay, Jamaica as the locals call it!!!

The team had a very relaxing morning and afternoon of flying! We had a great time in the Toronto airport playing cards, eating too much food, and hanging out! 

We saw a fantastic sunset as we came upon Jamaica, which was an awesome reminder of how great the creator of the universe is! By the time we landed it was dark, so we got to see the city lights! I can’t wait until everyone wakes up in the morning to see the amazing creation around them!

About 1 minute after stepping outside we were sweating! It was 26c outside but with the humidity and more than 1000 lbs of luggage we had it seemed WAY hotter. Also, not sure that they locals have ever seen such a thing as Michaelas fuzzy boots! It was a great first ten minutes in Jamaica.

When we arrived at the base we had a super of soup and sandwiches waiting for us which was nice surprise! Next we did our base orientation! It a good time of learning really what YWAM Mobay does and is!

Right now everyone is showering and getting ready for bed! There is lots of excitement, and I think there will be even more after we have a real sleep!  We are waking up nice and early to get started on the Homes of Hope project!

We will update again soon! 

Thank you for your prayers and support, we could not do it without you!

Blessings,

Hannah and team

Here we go!

Welcome to the Project Serve 2011 BLOG!! Follow our blog throughout our trip! We will keep you updated in how to pray, and the things we are doing! Feel free to comment in the space provided!

We have worked very hard to come to this point of our journey! Thank you  to all of our friends and family for all the support in our desire to follow God! I am excited to see how God is going to use us to minister to the people in Jamaica!

We fly out bright and early tomorrow am! And will be in Jamaica by tomorrow evening! We had our last team meeting yesterday; we packed worth 560 lbs of donations! Thank you for donations!

Can you pray for:

-Safe travels

-Wisdom for Hannah directing the trip and for the trip leaders Mel and Mike

-That God would keep giving us a heart for the people of Jamaica

-Health and safety

-God would use this trip to change all of our lives, and fall more in love with him.

THANK YOU for being a huge part of this ministry through our fundraisers, financial support, prayer and donations. We are excited and wait in anticipation for what God is going to do in and through us!

Blessings,

Hannah