Tired but Happy

Hi Everyone! Here's an update on how the youth camp went. I tried posting more pics but it wasn't working so I'll have to try again later...

This was my fabulous outreach crew. Ingrid joined us when she wasn't at work, Sarah was a leader-in training who connected well with the youth and Junior was such a blessing, being serious and hilarious at just the right moments. I never felt like I was leading alone and they were great to work with.

Youth camp ended yesterday and God has been so faithful through all of it. I was sad to see the kids go but it’s not a bad kind of sad, it’s the kind where you realize that something that totally consumed your life for the time being is over and the hard stuff you just went through was completely worth it.

This was the most unruly group of youngsters I’ve ever dealt with but God really gave me wisdom, especially on outreach and after this, I’m not at all intimidated to have teenagers of my own one day. Sometimes I wondered if they know that I love them because I had to repeat myself so often about certain things and give a few lectures but the tears they shed and things they said to me as they left yesterday confirmed that they know that we love them and they love us, too. We really saw breakthroughs and growth in these teens in the past 2 weeks. Those who stood out among the others really shined and some still have such a long way to go, but at least they gained some tools and support from their camp experience. I realize that this is unlike any camp I would work at in Canada. There is so much to tell you, so many thoughts to unpackage...these kids are super talented and they have tremendous potential and they were so much fun and my hope is that they will continue in what they learned here, about being in right relationship with God and each other and themselves and they can begin to impact their friends in their communities and they won't be the same as the generations before them.

Outreach was awesome for my crew. We arrived in Little London on Friday night and on Saturday afternoon they handed us a wackload of VBS materials and said, “Here you go; it starts on Monday.” The youth did such a good job of taking on the VBS and reaching out to the kids in the community. This part I’ll have to tell you later, in pieces. It’s too much to try and talk about all the transformation at once. But this I will say, God totally used us in that community to bring inner healing to some very hurting people, mainly girls. We witnessed change.

Our home for the week was a little building behind the church, which was older than anybody could remember. We were prepared to sleep on the floor but the church ladies were so welcoming and accommodating, gathering foams, tables and sheets for us to sleep on. I was especially glad to have a few inches of ancient foam between me and the floor when Junior woke up one morning and noticed that a rat had chewed on his thumb in the night.

Every evening from Sunday to Thursday we participated in street meetings. By this I mean that we walked about 15 minutes in the dark along a road with no shoulder and crazy drivers to the district of Mango Hall where the church had set up a microphone, drum set, and speakers just outside a bar. I felt like I was living in the 30’s standing there while the pastor preached hellfire and brimstone and we shared testimonies and songs amidst shouts of amens and hallelujas. Plus, there was this weathered old man who came in his church hat and carried a stool all the way to the street meeting and testified like it was going to be the last thing he’d ever do. People came to the altar every night and we would gather around them to pray. One night I prayed with an 11-year-old girl named Athena. She committed her life to Jesus and came to VBS later that week.

We arrived back in MoBay on Friday and had a couple days of debriefing and of course, a party. Working with youth so stirs my passion and I'm looking forward to doing this more. I feel I could stay in Jamaica for a long time if I get to do more of this. However, I'm glad that God's guidance is so trustworthy and much steadier than my feelings. I'm learning to depend on His leading daily and in the meantime, I'm loving being in Jamaica. He has answered my prayer for friendships (though it was difficult to see my roomate go back to Canada on Saturday) and I am laughing a lot more, which means He has also answered my prayer for joy.

I'll soon write more and include pictures. Thanks for all your prayers.

God bless you,
Em =0)

“But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” 2 Corinthians 2:14

Five days into youth camp and I’m getting tired but I can keep going. These kids have a lot of issues which makes for a spiritually heavy atmosphere and there have definitely been attitudes to deal with. They are so talented and fun but so broken. Discipling young people is truly one of my passions and I’m so glad I get to do this in Jamaica. To be honest, the view of Montego Bay has become more beautiful since they arrived. Each one of these kids is so unique and loveable and they remind me that even though this is the Caribbean, the beauty of this nation is really in its people (I tried to explain that at Emerge when I was home and I think I ended up sounding kind of flaky).

This group of youth is unlike any I’ve ever worked with. In Jamaica, it is far too common for a child to grow up with an aunt or grandmother or neighbour instead of his parents. A large majority are born out of wedlock and don’t know their father. Earlier this week, my friend Nick taught on how God has the heart of a good father. At the end of the class we all stood in a circle to pray about our parents and ask the Lord to help those who weren’t taken care of to forgive their parents for neglect, abandonment and abuse. Kid after kid started weeping as they dealt with the pain in their hearts. A 16-year-old boy sobbing in Nick’s arms, a 17-year-old girl crying on my shoulder as she faced the fact that she’s hardly had a childhood; taking care of her siblings and cousins because their parents weren’t around enough. What does a 14-year-old turn to when her mother is dead and her father who moved abroad long ago doesn’t even call her on her birthday? Another girl shared how her abusive grandfather shot himself twice and died 3 days later, a week before she came to camp. These are just glimpses into the lives of a few of the youth with us and they all come from regular Jamaican neighbourhoods. These kids are so hungry for affection and some barely know how to receive it. And I can see that their pain is deep, it’s so deep.

But I am hopeful because they are here and for 2 weeks they’ll receive love and discipline that they desperately need. And as they learn that it’s possible to have a relationship with Jesus, who will never abandon them, this handful of youth can choose to be a different generation.

Thanks for your prayers! Please continue to pray for us and praise God that the camp leadership team is great and for the healing that has been happening so far.

PS. I taught the kids how to play ultimate Frisbee during early morning exercises! –Thanks for the suggestion, Sabrina!

Hi Everyone!

Just have a few quick minutes to write...youth camp starts tomorrow and there's still a ton of things to be done but we're progressing. I'm assistant to the camp director (Marion), which basically means that I'm supposed to be on top of everything and I also get to teach on "Intimacy with God" and maybe some other topics and I'm putting together the student handbook for the campers. It has taken me a couple of days to get back into the intensity of working with Marion and the usual last-minuteness of everything. The campers arrive tomorrow and there aren't enough beds in their dorms, nor do we know who will stay in which room, some of them don't have their registration forms completed, I have to go into town tonight to restock the first aid kit (it's in poor shape) ...I'm glad to be a part of this, though. Always a variety and not a dull moment.

This youth camp is going to be pretty intense, one week of "boot camp" where the day begins with exercises at 6:15 (Junior and I are in charge of that) and it's packed until lights out at 10. Those of us working with the camp will sleep in the dorms with the campers. The second week we split into 2 teams for outreach and all together it'll last 17 days.

So please pray that I will be able to communicate and connect with the youth (speaking Patois has been a challenge for me), that I will have endurance and energy and that we will all grow in the knowledge of Jesus Christ.

Thanks. Gotta go!
Em

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know I arrived safely....

I've gotten back into the swing of things very quickly as there is much to prepare for the youth camp that starts on July 14th. I also make breakfast for the teams from Monday to Thursday and I'm being trained as registrar for DTS and School of the Bible.

I went to the boys' home this morning and hung out with a couple of the kids I've been getting to know. I was glad to find out that there is now a counselor who meets with the boys on a regular basis, a case worker of sorts named Eric. He helps the boys talk about their experiences and is invovled in finding them homes. I chatted with him for a few minutes and it's obvious that he has a genuine concern for their well being. I thank God because this brings a lot more hope to the circumstances of those children.

In other news, one of last year's dts students is getting married tomorrow in Mandeville (you can find it on the map on the right) and a bunch of us are going to celebrate with him and his bride. Please pray for a safe journey.

Blessings,
Em =0)

It's July 2nd Already

One more jaunt around the corner to say goodbye to my neighbours and it's time to go again... The occasional nauseous pitt-of-the-stomach-I'm leaving people feeling also reminds that it's already July 2nd.

All the see-you-laters are not any easier this time around and the doubts have been knocking since last week...Can I do this again for another year? Will I change too much? Am I really sure I should be doing this? Will I even make a difference? Do I have what it takes? These questions were posing on my door step around the same time last year so they're familiar and I only entertain them briefly.

My time at home has been amazing! Thanks so much to all of you who listened and spent time with me and helped me gain some perspective. And thanks so much to those who wanted to but didn't get the chance. My family is wonderful, my friends are the greatest and my church is incredibly loving, generous and supportive. I am leaving refreshed and filled-up.

I didn't get to go kayaking but I did get to drive a tractor and I saw 4 bears this month (2 of them were cubs). And my last day here was glorious: canoeing with my sister and brother-in-law, paddles gliding while the hot July sun shone on our shoulders, gazing at a backdrop of green/snowy mountains and endless blue sky, jumping in pristine pools of creek water and wishing fellow hikers and canoeists a Happy Canada Day. I'll never stop loving the Northwest.

And I will miss you.

Please pray that I'll meet Jesus in a deeper way, be devoted to Him, and know what it means to abide in His love.

See you later everyone!
Em =0)

"For God, who said, 'Light whall shine out of darkness,' is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the Light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ." 2 Cor. 3:11