A Long Rainy Season

So I was wondering the other day if you really know what I do here. I mean, if someone were to ask you, "So, what does that girl you know really do in Jamaica," how would you answer?

I'll try my best to enlighten you on the matter but I think even an explanation of my schedule won't be an adequate description. When you write things out in steps it always seems less than it actually is, know what I mean?

Okay, here goes: On weekedays I wake up at about quarter to 6 and spend some time talking to Jesus and reading my Bible and sometimes I play my guitar. Lately I've been doing that on the deck where I can see the bay and feel the sunrise on face. Somehow that's just better than staying inside.

At 7:30 we have dts staff meeting, then worship at 8:00 which is either followed by small group or intercession group depending on the day. I co-lead a small group with another staff member. There are 4 girls in this group and we usually talk about how they're doing and what they think of what's being taught in class and the books they're reading, etc. It's also a great excuse to bake.

The intercession groups are the teams that students will be doing overseas outreach with. The team I am currently leading is going to Chile. I'm not totally sure I'll be going with them but it's definitely a possibility and I should find out this coming week. I'm trying not to think about it too much because I would be so stoked to go to Chile and I don't want to have false hopes.

So after those sessions, we have class until lunch time and then I head to the office at 1 until about 3:30 or so to do office stuff. I am currently in charge of organizing our annual Pastors' Prayer Breakfast on November 30th and I have a list of about 300 pastors to call. More on that later...

There's class again at 4 until supper and my evening are usually spent in meetings or going over the students' homework or hanging out with students in my kitchen/room. That's also when I get a chance to use the computer or play my guitar. I love it that people come over all the time in the evening. I think it means they like hanging out with me. Or maybe it just means they like my microwave. Probably both.

We play with the footballers on Friday afternoons but it was cancelled today because of the rain.

Saturdays are for jogging, groceries, and sometimes the beach and on Sundays I got to church in the morning.

Of course, this is Jamaica, and on top of that it's YWAM, so even though there's a schedule it's subject to change and one has to expect the unexpected.

Weather
We're not quite through rainy season yet and this year it's been a particularly wet one. There's barely such thing as a light drizzle here, it's always that thick rain with heavy drops that are sometimes so loud you have to speak up when you're talking to someone in the same room. People often make a mad dash for the clothesline in a desperate attempt to keep their clothes dry when we see the clouds rolling in.

DTS
All of us DTS crew crammed into a bus last week and headed for the hills to the other YWAM base. We more or less continued with our regular schedule and helped with construction and clean-up (damage still remains from last year's hurricane Ivan). Some of the students also helped with the children's reading program at the elementary school on the base. I really enjoyed being up there even though it rained every day. The air is much cleaner and it kind of feels like being at summer camp because we slept about 1o people to a room and I got use my red sleeping bag.

Jamaica
Some areas got quite flooded from the recent storms but the biggest problem is still the violence in this nation. Murder and rape make headlines nearly everyday; it's common news. We learned this week that in all of history the breakdown of the family hasn't been as severe as it currently is in the Caribbean and that the role of the father has virtually disappeared. Sad, isn't it? Please pray for Jamaica. There is always hope in Jesus for lost identities and broken lives. He is the only hope.

Em
Personally, I'm learning to trust God more these days and believe that He really truly likes me. I miss people a lot and hiking but I'm glad God has me here. I really never thought much of the Caribbean before I came here last year and now I can see that this place, the people here, mean so much to the One who created them.

Thanks for all the ways you support me. You mean a lot to me. -Em

"May your unfailing love rest upon us, O Lord, even as we put our hope in you." Psalm 33:22