The jEMaica Journal

2007-06-28T18:19:00.001-05:00

Hello. From now on please check out updates at www.eminguyana.blogspot.com
Thanks!

Jamaica

2007-06-25T07:51:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow I fly to Guyana. Yesterday I heard that within the past week, a pastor in Kingston was stabbed to death, another man was shot to death in my friend's neighbourhood and a local pastor and his wife were severely beated by an intruder who stole their cell phones. The pastor lost one of his eyes. I don't want to write about this but it is reality. I leave Jamaica with the national anthem on my heart...

Eternal Father, Bless our Land,

Guide us with thy mighty hand,

Keep us free from evil powers,

Be our light through countless hours,

To our leaders, great defender,Grant true wisdom from above,

Justice, truth be ours forever,Jamaica, land we love,

Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica, land we love

Teach us true respect for all,

Stir response to duty's call,

Strengthen us the weak to cherish,

Give us vision lest we perish,

Knowledge send us Heavenly Father,

Grant true wisdom from above,

Justice, truth be ours forever,

Jamaica, land we love,

Jamaica, Jamaica, Jamaica, land we love

Just What I Needed

2007-06-11T14:24:00.001-05:00

This weekend was one of the best weekends of my entire 2 years in Jamaica. I went to Kingston with Junior (Jamaican YWAMer and friend) to visit my friends in Majesty Garden, his home community. How do I describe such a place?

Majesty Garden is an inner city ghetto, a shanty town where kids play football in the streets in their underwear with a ball made of taped together garbage. As I walk around I hear comments like, “Yo, whitey. Yuh wa'an a black man? Go home an' get yuh own kind.” And the latest pick-up line:
Jamaican man:“Ey, psst. One minute. Yuh married?”
Em:“No man, but Jesus is taking care of that.”
Jamaican man:“I am Jesus.”

The hot, muggy air accentuates the pungent odour of marijuana and raw sewage and I'm not sure if that's what gives me my pounding headache or if it's the constant noise. Literally 24/7 of blaring radios and fuzzy televisions plus the night time dancehall music playing at the bar/shop next door as I try to fall asleep. The walls don't reach the zinc ceilings above so everybody hears everybody's entertainment. There's nothing that I could logically like about this place and yet there's something about it that gets my heart and of course, it is the people.

My friend Missy and I stayed in a 2 room “house” that belonged to her parents and is now just there for emergencies because the walls are made of cement so bullets can't go through it when there's a shoot out. Missy and her new husband Romi live just down the road in a one room house about 12 ft by 10 ft. It's amazing how much stuff they can fit in there! I felt so loved and welcomed and a part of their life this weekend, I actually had knots in my stomach when I had to leave.

Romi & Missy

It was refreshing to catch up and laugh with people, some of whom I hadn't seen since I did my DTS outreach there in 2005. Some still talk about it as if it was the biggest event of their lives when 24 of us moved into their community for a week. Junior told me had skipped school everyday just to be with us. Not exactly what we had been aiming for but it's good to know our presence made a difference to them.

The Kids
Everybody lives there without rent and gets electricty for free by wiring their place up to the nearest powerline. Kids are always roaming around and many don't go to school 'cause their parents just don't bother. I asked Junior what a lot of these kids hope for. The answer: guns and money. One particular little girl I can't get out of my mind is"Allie". She has an extremely bad skin rash, especially on her neck where her skin is cracked and crusty. She is 10 years old and has never been to school due to her condition. She doesn't have ointment anymore and her mom won't take her to the doctor because she thinks Allie's skin condition is a punishment from God for some covenant Allie didn't keep with Him. I can't imagine the rejection this beautiful little girl faces everyday from kids and even her own mother. The future looks so bleak for her. I planned to talk with her mom while I was there but didn't get a chance. It started pouring during church and we had to leave right after to catch our 4hour bus ride back to MoBay. I'll see if I can send any medicated ointment down to Missy to give to her.

Government Aid?
The current government started a building project in Majesty with the idea that the community will move into the apartments and make monthly payments to eventually own their place but the people don't want it. Most don't have jobs so they can't commit to pay for the new accomodations. A lot of people don't bother to look for jobs (receiving money from relatives overseas is the #3 source of income for Jamaicans) and those who do seem to look for work have a hard time getting anything steady. A couple of my friends were without work for 6 months until one of them recently got a temporary position at a paint factory because of a new deal with Cuba.

The Harvest is Plenty, the Labourers are Few...
I see such contrasts here. Yellow garbage bins painted “Keep Majesty Clean” while Patrick's building literally stands in sewage. Guys who sit around smoking ganja all day while others make chairs to sell at the markent and dream of having their own business and getting out. For Romi, it's a career in graphic design. The talent is incredible -from voices I hear at church to Romi's paintings that adorn the walls of his home. Patrick and I walk through the neighbourhood at night talking about what it would take to change things here. He says people's minds have to change; their outlook on life, otherwise the cycle will just continue. A verse I read in church that Sunday morning struck me as very fitting for this place. Moses tells the Israelites all of God's promises but they are not ready to receive them becasue of all the hardship they've endured.

Exodus 6:9 -“Moses reported this (the deliverance, redemption, being God's chosen ones, the promised land, etc.) to the Israelites but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.” Majesty Garden is a place of beautiful potential but the people are so broken in the cycle of negelct, abuse, poverty, violence and more.

This is where I realize anew that it takes a lifetime to see big changes; to disciple a generation. It takes years to build trust with someone to help them believe what is true about who they are instead of the lies Satan feeds them. It makes a difference when you can believe that you were created by God with a purpose; that He has intentions specifically for you. And it takes a lot of love to bring healing to wounded hearts. But God has enough love to give. And I think the way He chooses to show it the most is through us.

Looking at the children playing in the streets with a backdrop of colourful, rusting zinc panels that make up their homes stirs up familiar questions found in a song I sometimes sing:

Will you leave yourself behind if I but call your name?
Will you care for cruel and kind and never be the same?
Will you risk the hostile stare?
Should your life atract or scare?
Will you let me answer prayer in you and you in me?

“Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” -Jesus
Matthew 10:39

Rain & Meetings

2007-05-20T15:43:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

With people flying in from all over the Caribbean and even some from central America for the regional strategy/DTS conference, it is a good time to be on the base. Our campus is hopping with seasoned leaders who carry passionate vision to see nations changed along with young disciplers, zealous to serve and acquire adventures of their own. It's been super encouraging to see the veteran ywamers come together like a family reunion, reminiscing about the old days while strategizing like a team of expeditionists, mapping upcoming ventures. How cool to hear stories of God's faithful hand in crazy situations.

I've been meeting ywamers of all sorts, practicing my French with the Haitians and other islanders while brushing up on Spanish with Venezuelans and Dominicans. I'm thankful to be a part of all this and I have really become fond of this part of the world.

Kim (ywam director in Guyana) is here for a couple of weeks for this regional conference so she and Steve and I have had some productive and amusing meetings about the excitement ahead. I already have so much to tell you about the work in Guyana so stay tuned!

Other highlights include hanging out with my fabulous friend Amy who is visiting us as she recuperates from her work in Central Asia, playing basketball with the Haitians and dropping into a fresh water hole from a slippery swinging vine on our staff outing to Cranbrook.

Thank you for your love and prayers.

Hi...

2007-05-08T13:34:00.000-05:00

I arrived! I'm safe! I'm happy! Back to work...

Reflections, Poetry and Lougheed Hwy

2007-05-05T02:02:00.000-05:00

In seasons of brokenness when the fingers I've pointed from shameful corners of my mind become fingertips pressed into the mirror as my frailty stares me in face, I realize anew my desperation for God's grace. It is through this brokenness, after the necessary hammering and stripping, that the faithful Builder constructs a sturdier structure. He is committed to His masterpiece and He cares about detail.

In moments of surrender, when there is no comfort of control and it's inevitable that letting go is more loving than holding on, I find myself in a position to let Jesus lift up my head and remind me that He is here.

Somewhere along the Lougheed Highway this basic truth became my epiphany:
God loves the world. He loves you. He loves me. And He knows what He's doing.

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to Him be glory..."
Ephesians 3:20-21

Here are my thoughts packaged in poetry...

Take these planks from eyes 'cause they block my view of You
I hate comparing and measuring; so do You.
If You tally me up when the day is through
We'll see all the ways I'm incomplete without You.

Dig up all the rocky dirt,
Cut sickly branches from the vine,
Even if it hurts,
Make Your heart grow in mine.

And plant me by the water,
Make these leaves come alive.
Trust me with a little,
I'll give You all I've got.
Reprimand me gently if I lose sight of You
Keep Your arms wide open so I can fall back into you

Bust the seams of deprivation
In all the worst of me.
Your scars inspire my desperation
Saviour, make me clean
My Saviour rescued me
He rescues me.

And plants me by the water,
Makes my leaves come alive.
Lord, trust me with a little,
I'll give You all I've got
Reprimand me gently if I lose sight of You
Keep Your arms wide open so I can fall back into You.

Thoughts on Leaving

2007-04-30T02:06:00.000-05:00

As I begin my farewells again I cannot shake these questions:

Do I long for God as much as I long for the people I painfully miss?
Do I believe He loves me as much as I know they do?

Which leads me to a prayer I read a few years ago. I'm not sure who wrote it...

"O God, I have tasted Thy goodness and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need of further grace. I am ahsamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, that so I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, 'Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away." Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long. In Jesus' Name, Amen."

My new departure date is May 6th and I'll reach Jamaican shores in the afternoon on the 7th.

Please look under Prayer Requests for new prayer points.

Thank you so much for all your amazing support and encouragement. You are a blessing to me.

2007-04-23T18:03:00.000-05:00

Hello again, I'm still alive!

Amidst the reoccuring nausea that visits me as I approach departure time I have been thinking about some things...

1. It may be wise for me to stay in Canada a few days longer to spend time with family and get a little more organized since I spent my first 2 weeks here crashing and recovering. I decided I'll make a decision about that this Wednesday.

2.Man, I've got is so good: loving family, incredibly supportive church, amazing friends, the best place in the world to come home to and jungle adventures ahead. I am so astronomically blessed to have opportunities to see God's beauty in all these different people and places. He is beautiful and it's good to feel like my eyes are open again.

3. This last one takes a little longer to explain. Last week I went to Mt. Baker with my fabulous friend and snow-boarding instructor extraordinaire, Alissa. As we swished (and I tumbled) down the snowy slopes I couldn't help but realize how learning to snowboard is very much like falling in love. Read on, if you will.

Learning to snowboard is like falling in love because...

-It's terrifying and so much fun at the same time.

-You're bound to get hurt, but if you don't get up and try again, you'll always wonder, what if my next run would've been my best?

-I get kinda nervous when I start going too fast because I remember what it's like to crash.

-Even though you go home a little bruised and tender, you know you'll come back because you remember the moments when you just didn't want it to end.

The chairlift, however, is like a blind-date; you're never quite sure how it's going to work out. It could start out wobbly (fall over before even getting on the chair) and end real smooth with an "Oh yeah" smile on your face. Or it could begin without a hitch and end in an awkward faceplant.

Stay tuned for decisions and thoughts on leaving!

Em

Serving in The Gambia

2007-03-22T16:10:00.003-05:00

Finally, pictures of our outreach in west Africa! Thanks for your patience....

The Team

Jermaine, Judith, Lisa, Em, Bettina, Ashley

Our neighbours eating lunch in Serre-Kunda
The ferry from Banjul
Another ferry crossing up river

Our drinking and washing water spout
Bettina helping at the school

The next 3 shots are pictures of our typical afternoon meal in the village
The taylor's shop Mussa the taylor and his apprentice
Dancing with the girls after computer classKids club on Thursdays

Donkey at the ferry crossingThe market
Nurse Em getting ready for the clinic
Kids
On the road The last few days...

2007-03-16T10:14:00.000-05:00

Hi Everybody!

I finally arrived in Jamaica the day before yesterday after a long journey through London and the US. It was really difficult for me to leave Hungary and I wasn't sure how I'd feel when I got here but it really feels great to be home and I'm so thankful for my friends and "family" here. I'll be posting pictures of my Gambia trip as soon as I get the chance.

Cheers,
Em

2007-03-02T17:12:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone,

Just wanted to let you know I'm still in Hungary. My grandma's still in the hospital and not doing well.

The longest I could extend my ticket from London to Jamaica is the 13th so I fly out of Budapest on the 12th and end up in MoBay on the 14th.

Village

2007-02-10T03:36:00.003-05:00

A few of us spent week 3 in a remote village while the others stayed at the school...

This is a village of the Serahule people. Pastor and others have been reaching out there for some years now. They welcome practical help so we held a clinic there for 5 days. The students gave out numbers while the nruse and I set up in an unfinished hospital room. No electricity and the only water source was a tap coming out of the ground around the corner. We dusted off a makeshift table for our meds and set up some chairs.

It was a little overwhelming for me at first, unlike any nursing I've ever done. And it was about as frustrating as it was comical that when someone's number was called, they'd "sneak" up to 3 people in with themselves plus 4-6 children; nearly each of them had a health issue. The men wouldn't sit in the waiting area with the women so we had to squeeze them in between numbers which occasionally caused a ruckus with families who'd been waiting long.

We would ask questions via a translator and then give the meds that matched the symptoms. If we didn't have what we needed, we'd write a "prescription." The pharmacy is another story.

There were a lot of malnourished kids and preventable diseases. We treated people for malaria, worms, high blood pressure and various infections including syphilis and gonorrhea. The last 2 are tricky because men can have up to 4 wives (and girlfriends on the side) but we can only treat the person who comes to us and women can't really talk to their husbands about such things so if he doesn't come, the problem continues.

Girls get married off as young as 13 so it's not uncommon to see a 15-year-old mother of 2 like the one who came to us for vitamins. Many people have rotting teeth but all we could give them are painkillers and antibiotics. The nearest dentist is probably in Banjul and they likely can't afford him anyway.

One man came with a big hole in his armpit 'cause he'd just been stabbed by a cow's horn. We didn't have the means to stitch him up so I cleaned and bandaged the wound as best as I could, gave him something for pain and we sent him on the 3-hour journey to a hospital.

The people were grafeul and generous, bringing us rice and peanut sauce with fish every day.

The following week,the nurse was back at the school so Bettina and I ran a little clinic at Pastor's compound. The needs didn't seem as severe here and we got to pray with the visitors, some even requested it before we offered.

We leave for Banjul on Thursday and fly out on Friday the 9th. The team heads back to Jamaica and I'll be on my way to Hungary.

God has really blessed us with giving us the opportunity to serve in The Gambia. We even found a place that has icecream in Basse! And I got to see baboons and a warthog run across the road, looked just like Pumba. Of course that had us singing almost the entire Lion King soundtrack the rest of the way home, afterall, this is probably where it was filmed.

Please pray for a safe journey and no breakdowns!

Update from the Gambia

2007-02-03T18:44:00.001-05:00

So much has happened since my last update so beware this is an epic post. Feel free to read it in pieces...

My heart is heavy as my grandpa just died in Hungary in the past couple of days. I was praying so much that I'd see him again and was hoping to visit this spring. He took a turn for the worse in November but I really believed God would heal him and give him more years, or at least enough time see me once more. I still trust that God is good and just in all He allows even though I don't understand and I know Romans 8:28 is true even though I'm sad. And I know God doesn't mind my questions.

We have been in The Gambia 3 weeks now with one week to go. When we connect through London on the 9th I will leave the team and catch a flight to Budapest on the 10th. I'll meet my dad there and travel to Pécs to be with my grandmother and to be at the funeral. I was able to extend my ticket from London to Jamaica for a minimal fee and I'll fly back to MoBay on March 6th. The YWAM leaders in MoBay have released me from my responsibilities for the last week of DTS and have been very supportive.

Thank you for your prayers and words of encouragement, it truly means a lot to me.

Please read on to see what's been up in The Gambia:

Facts:
Banjul is the capital city.
# is a village where we're spending most of our time (about 380km inland).
* is a village about a 2-hour drive away.

an. 13th…
It took us about 3 1/2 days in Serrekunda (on the outskirts of Banjul) to get the paperwork and repairs sorted out for the vehicle we've rented (a rickety white van). We also used this time to buy supplies for the rest of the journey--food and stuff that's not so available or as cheap in Basse. On Saturday I was told they weren't expecting us to do anything in the Sunday morning service at church (four unfinished walls with a dirt floor, no ceiling). Over breakfast we were asked to share a song. Two minutes before we arrived, M turned to me and said, "I think you will be the main presentation today." The Holy Spirit was quick to inspire so it all worked out. The church has a small congregation and we were of course very warmly welcomed by everyone.

Jan 16…
We finally made the 12-hr journey to #, taking 3 ferries in total. Judith and I rode with M nd the kids and the others were in our van with Jermaine. The trip was dusty, hot, long and sticky as 2 year-old B sat next to/on me, showering me with an assortment of beverages.
I felt I was going to the middlest of middle-of-nowhere I have ever been as we bumped along the road, some paved, mostly dirt with potholes and divots of various sizes. I wondered who on earth would live all the way out here?

# is bigger than I expected with about 3000 people from the Mandinka and Foula tribes. Our team is staying at a school/boarding house about 30 seconds down the road. We are so blessed to have beds and a well right in our yard. Hooray for daily bucket showers!

Our team has been assisting in the school and teaching computer classes to kids and teens when the power is on or if the generator kicks in.

We eat our main meal in the village, about 5 to one bowl. Everyone eats with their right hand (always rice with some sort of sauce on it) and one cup of water gets passed around to drink from. I've gotten better at not letting the rice fall through my fingers so much and I try not to remember what I learned about germs in microbiology class.

There is much more to write, especially about K but I will save it for my next post which I hope to put up before we leave.

Peace,
Em

2007-01-12T15:53:00.003-05:00

Hooray, I'm in Gambia!

After about 30 h0urs of travelling and a lot of airport sprinting we finally made it to Banjul this afternoon. We are staying outside the city with Pastor and his beautiful family until we all leave for Basse on Sunday.

It feels so satisfying to be here, getting a different taste of Africa. The scents and sounds make me smile and so do the people.

Thanks so much for your prayers. We arrived with one less person as Shane decided to leave the team 2 days prior to our departure. It was a hard hit for us but we know that the Lord is faithful to work out everything for the best.

I've been humbled by how God is teaching me through all our circumstances and reminding me that He does not expect me to be perfect, He only wants me to listen and obey. I am thankful for those near and far who continually point me back to Jesus and tell me again that He's way better than I am at carrying my load.

Everyone on the team is doing great. Please pray that people will see Christ as we serve here.

Need to sleep now...

Em and the team =0)

Ready or Not

2007-01-06T10:58:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone...thank you for your prayers. Please keep praying, we definitely need it. We remain on the move as we leave for Spanish Town tonight, then Kingston on Monday until we fly out on Thursday.

God blessed us with an awesome time in Port Antonio last week. Kids got loved and had fun, the youth were strengthened and people decided to follow Jesus. The Lord strengthened our team and built up our faith as Shane and I went to the US Embassy to get his visa and got through without an appointment. It was seemingly impossible, but all things are possible for God!

For me, leading this team has probably been the most uncomfortable leadership situation I've been in so far beacuse of all the challenges that keep coming at us with the visas and tickets and finances, etc.

We're supposed to leave in less than an hour, I need to finish packing, this morning we found out Bettina's ticket from London to Gambia is waiting for her at her home in Switzerland (which causes me to wonder if everyone else's tickets are at their various homes around the world) even though I called the airline in London to make sure we could get our tickets at the airport when we get there. It would cost way too much to fedex all the tickets here so that's not an option not to mention that somehow 4 people on the team are still owing fairly siginifcant amounts of money (which I also just found out yesterday). I can't get ahold of that UK airline no matter how I try to call them AND yesterday Jermaine smashed his foot doing "a sweet lay-up" so now he's hobbling around in serious pain and moving very slowly. Not good.

But, God reminded us to give thanks in all circumstances and keep seeking Him. I am learning more than ever that being in God's mercy is a safe place to be and all this roughing-up is shaping my character as I must choose how to respond to each obstacle coming my way.

Please pray for wisdom and endurance for me and for Jermaine to be healed and for our team to stay strong and keep looking to the Lord.

Desperately depending on His grace,
Em

Hello Sunshine

2006-12-27T13:09:00.000-05:00

I made it back to MoBay! Thank you so much for everything, everyone! Especially thank you to Hyde Creek Church for being so welcoming and encouraging and for affirming me in my calling! I'm so blessed to be a part of such a great church family.

There's already so much to say but I haven't got a moment to spare as our outreach team is leaving in a matter of minutes for another week in Port Antonio.

Praise God, we have our tickets all the way from Kingston to The Gambia leaving on January 11th!

Please pray for favor with the US embassy for Shane! He needs a US Visa for travel through the Sates and both Shane and Jermaine need visas through the UK!

Thanks!
Em =0)

2006-12-06T21:53:00.002-05:00

Here we are, The Gambia team! Jermaine, sitting behind me, is the other leader. We did our DTS together in 2004 so we've known each other for a couple of years. He's a really laid back guy, wich is great. We seem to balance each other out well. Then to my left is Lisa (from Pennsylvania), Judith (from the Faroe Islands), Ashley (from California), Shane (from Jamaica) and Bettina (from Switzerland).

We begin our local outreach this Saturday in Port Antonio. This city is on the northeast coast and it used to be the tourist hub of Jamaica before Montego Bay and Ocho Rios got popular. It's also known as the most peaceful parish (that's like a province or a state).

It's pretty cool how God confirmed that He was calling us to this place for local outreach but it's a long story so I'll have to tell you when I see you or when we talk. Ask me about it!

We're going to be working with a Baptist church in the city center and they've given us both the morning and evening services on Sunday. It's been encouraging to see the students on the team rise to the challenge of getting involved.

After Christmas break we'll head back to Port Antonio for about 8 days to continue our outreach and then it's off to The Gambia for a month!

In Gambia, we'll be working with a pastor that we are well-connected with,, serving in his church and assisting in the little school near his house. They've also asked us to help out with a mobile clinic in a little remote village and to be involved in building a permanent clinic there. Time for me to brush up on some nursing skills!

Thank you so much for praying for us and for giving financially. I've got about $250 more to raise and different ones on the team are still raising funds, too and we've been asked to bring what we can to buy building supplies for the new clinic. It has been a blessing to see the generosity of people here giving to one another in obedience to the Lord's prompting. God is so faithful to provide.

There is more but I must go for now...Please pray for Bettina. She has a bad case of the flu and we need her to be better by Saturday so she can come with us to Port Antonio!

Thanks Everyone!

Em =0)

Last Weekend...

2006-11-24T19:17:00.000-05:00

After a 4 ½ -hour bus ride, we spent 2 hours at a dim clinic playing thumb wars with kids and dodging racial comments while waiting for our turn for outreach immunizations. At 4pm we finally headed up the narrow mountain road as far as our bus driver dared to carry us. It takes tremendous skill and guts to drive the road through those mountain villages with blind turns and drop-offs and potholes and crazy drivers. Most of the people who drive there disconnect their speedometers so they can claim that it’s “broken” and get out of speeding tickets.

Steve gave the final back-out option, pointing to the dark clouds overhead before we loaded off the bus and onto the dirt path near the river bed. And upward we trotted as the rain came down. Night fell on us within an hour.

It was a grueling four-something hours with hardly any stops until the ranger’s station at Portland Gap and it’s a good thing it was too dark to see the incline of the trail. No wonder my legs were screaming at me half way up. We reached the ranger’s station sometime in the night and crashed on the bunks until the dreaded alarm woke us up at 2:30 in the morning. More uphill.

And it was all worth it for this…

Lisa & Em (she's on the Gambia team)

Em & Shane (he's on The Gambia team, too).Then down amidst the coffee-growing slopes in daylight. We met some guys from Vancouver who were as high as a kite. We purchased coffee while they bought marijuana, the other thing Blue Mountain is famous for, great weed. Later, we met a Rastafarian who insisted that George Bush is the devil.

The trip was exhausting yet rejuvenating and thankfully just what I needed. I still feel I am in my element when I’m hiking. I see God’s might in a mountain and His tenderness in a flower. It was a sweet time to bond with the students who came. Every once in a while I remember that I’m like 5 years older than most of them and then I think, “Hmm. Weird.”

4 minutes

2006-11-16T16:21:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone!

Thanks for coming to my blog again...it has been a challenging couple of weeks. I am learning about grace and humility and Philippians 3:7-14 has come alive to me in new way. More on these later...

Our outreach team is doing well. We've been visiting orphanages, doing puppet shows and songs with the kids, etc. I'm eager for us to develop as a team, especially when we go on our local outreach in mid-December.

My fundraising is coming along for the Gambia trip with some gifts and some pledges, thank you so much! I'm still looking for people to commit to particular days for prayer. Oh, and since our dates have changed a little and all the flights from here to London are booked through mid-January, the last ticket an agent quoted me was $4896 per person, yikes! I'm confident we'll find something cheaper eventually.

Tomorrow we are taking the jolting, up-and-down journey to Kingston for those who need yellow-fever shots and then we're off to hike Blue Mountain over the weekend. It should be adventurous with 3 of us staff and 12 students trekking up the arduous road/trail from riverbed to peak with a chance of thundershowers on both days. I'm still banking on a spectacular sunrise.

I'll let you all know how it goes when I get back!

Peace,
Em =0)

2006-11-05T14:03:00.000-05:00

Here we are on our bus ride to Mandeville a couple of weeks ago. Someone usually has to stand up at the back and secure the luggage on the downhills. One time last year I was sitting at the back and a duffel bag came hurling at my head as the driver braked at the bottom of the driveway. It's always a tight fit but at least there's air conditioning!

Ian chased down this pufferfish and caught it with his hands in Negril! It looks normal until gets scared and then it blows up with all its spikes sticking out. Poor little guy must've been terrified with all of us peering at it. Ian is a student from Wisconsin who loves marine biology He knows all about all the creatures we find in the sea and he always manages to find the coolest ones. I poked this fish's lips. They felt gummy.

This is the view from the Great House at Stone's Hope around 5:30am. I have my best mornings up there.

Here is my smallgroup. Clockwise from the bottom: Kathryn, Ashley, Judith, Breanne and Nicoline. We get together to talk about what they're learning and going through. I also get to hang out with each of them one on one every week to process with them a little deeper.

Stone's Hope YWAM Campus in Mandeville. This is the place that got torn apart in hurricane Ivan in 2004. Still much to do but it has come a long way thanks to God's provision through the many teams that have come to help rebuild.

Kathy-Kay gets dunked. We had baptisms at the pool last month.

Check again soon, there are more pictures to come!

2006-10-31T14:31:00.001-05:00

It is late as I write this and the night critters are making their nocturnal noises as usual. The sounds remind me of the thoughts buzzing around in my head. So much has happened in the past week and a half and with all the up and comings it only gets busier from here on in!

Some highlights…mixed with some details…

·4 students were baptized in the pool
·Outreach teams & locations have been decided
·My plans for outreach have been turned around (in a North-East sort of way)
· There have been intense confrontations among some students as we've been around each other too long to hide behind masks now. Thankfully, these have led to a deeper openness and humility within the class. God is so good to give us instruction on how to live right with each other (Micah 6:8).
·We laughed ‘till our sides hurt during an evening of team building in Mandeville.
·Another soul was led to God’s kingdom during evangelism in Salmon Town. Her name is Almida. She’s the grandmother of a boy we met on a trail behind a cemetery as we trekked through the countryside (myself and 2 students). Almida looked somewhat suspicious but she was very honest saying, “to tell you the truth I’m not a Christian.” We listened to her views on God and Jesus and I shared with her from John 1 about having the right to become children of God when we believe in Jesus. I asked if she wanted to ask Jesus to be Lord in her life and to our surprise and glee she said yes! We led her in a prayer of repentance and commitment to Christ and by the time we opened our eyes her countenance had totally changed! She was smiling from ear to ear, giving us hugs and thanking us for coming to visit her. It was awesome! She said she had a Bible so I encouraged her to begin reading the book of John and to visit the church down the hill. Now I must call the pastor to let him know the good news so he can follow up.

Some more details…

About Outreach: I was all set to go to Guyana for the international outreach in January. I’ve been excited about the team I’d be leading there with Steve and getting acquainted with a place where (Lord willing) I’ll help start a DTS and other things next year, not to mention the myriad of adventures to be had in a place like Guyana! Even though I wanted to go to Africa again one day, I had my eye on Guyana and peace came with the preparations. THEN, Jermaine (another DTS staff) was feeling led to The Gambia. As a base, we have adopted a people group there called the Serahule. They live in a village way up river and we send a team there every year to work with a pastor missionary who lives an hour away from it. Seeing that The Gambia team needed 2 leaders more so than the Guyana team where our contacts are quite stable, I offhandedly said, “God, if you want me to go to the Gambia, I’ll go. But I need you to make it very clear to me.” To be honest, I didn’t expect to hear anything in response. Until later that day I was in the office after regular office hours and the phone rang. I wasn’t even going to pick it up because I was preoccupied with something but felt I should take the call. I could tell it was long distance because the voice on the other end sounded far away between faint crackles.
Says the voice, “Hello. Can I talk to John or Marion?”
“They’re not here. Can I take a message?”
“This is Pastor” ( a pastor I had met here a year and a half ago)
“Oh, Pastor from the Gambia! This is Emese. Do you remember me?”
“Yes, I do! So when are you coming to the Gambia?”

At this point I laughed nervously and told him I was praying about it. By the time I hung up the phone my heart was beating so fast as I remembered what I had promised God that morning. Isn’t God so creative in the ways He responds to us? I guess it doesn’t get much clearer than a random phone call from the Gambia asking when I’m coming.

So I surrendered my desire to take the team to Guyana this January and I continue to have peace and a growing enthusiasm about this Gambia team. I will tell you more about it soon.

Stay tuned!
Em =0)

2006-10-19T18:01:00.000-05:00

Hello Friends!

This is an exciting time here at YWAM MoBay! It’s nearly a month into DTS and the students continue to press in to God as they learn more about Him. Questions have ranged from, "Did Jesus have dreadlocks?" to "Why do we have to pray if God knows what we need?" to ponderings about theological interpretation.

It’s cool to see the desire these young adults have to know God and hear His leading for outreach and beyond. God remains faithful to give us guidance as leaders; to point them to Jesus in times of brokenness and revelation. I am learning to lean on Him, work with Him and enjoy Him. And I am realizing that He is my friend as Jesus tells us in John 15:15.

We’ve gotten through the foundational topics of God’s character, hearing His voice, the fear of the Lord, etc. This week’s teaching is on "freedom and restoration" so we’re praying for breakthroughs especially for those who need to address deep hurts.

Last Friday I got to teach a class on support-raising which I’m following up next week at our other base in Mandeville. We’re piling in a bus on Saturday to head up there, stopping at the beach along the way of course. We’ll be there to help out at the base and work on team-building between classes. I think we’ll all welcome the cooler weather in the hills and the slower inland pace after all the intensity of the past four weeks. I get to set up our times of evangelism in a nearby village.

· Praise God for an awesome DTS and for the growth taking place in all of us!
· Please pray for a safe journey to Mandeville and that we’ll be a help and encouragement to the people there.
· Please also pray for wisdom as we finalize the outreach teams next week.

Here's a picture from one morning when we dressed up like kids and prayed for children in Israel...I tried to post more but only this one's showing up...

Some of the DTS students and my roommate Cheryl

There's more to come, this is all I could post today!

2006-10-08T13:45:00.000-05:00

Here I am with my fabulous roomie Olivene.
She is from Kingston.

We introduced the Jamaicans on the base
to Dutch Blitz and they love it! Many could
out-blitz any Mennonite.

The last picture is of me and Steve at the DTS Welcome Party. We made up a song about being YWAMers and sang it to the new students.

A New Wave

2006-09-22T16:34:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

It is an exciting season! The students have started arriving for DTS and the school officially begins on Monday. I am so excited to work with this new wave of students and I am anticipating an awesome 5 months of stretching and growing for these newcomers as well as for myself and the rest of the staff. God is faithful to bring healing, wholeness and guidance and to show us where we have expected too little of Him: "For the LORD God is a sun and shield; The LORD gives grace and glory. No good thing does He withold from those who walk uprightly." -Psalm 84:11-

We, the DTS staff are being intentionally mentored by Dave and Nancy, the new Caribbean DTS directors, which is already helping me feel more confident as a leader. For the past week we've been praying about who would be the assistant director for DTS this fall. It's not so much a title as it is a new role and at our meeting today we came to the decision that I'll be the one stepping into this new role. Although I had an initial moment of trepidation, I have a peace and excitement in my heart about this responsibility and challenge. Please pray with me for wisdom.

In other news...

► I played my guitar and sang a song at a church in Montego Bay last Tuesday night, which was followed by a "firey" church service. The song went really well and I got a chance to encourage the church to pray for unreached people groups since the theme that night was "ready for harvest." The lady who had invited me asked us to come back twice with the DTS in October to speak at the church.

►The girl I wrote about in my last update has gone home but is keeping in touch with me and other staff at the YWAM base near her home. She did experience a measure of breakthrough here and I'm confident that God will continue to work in her life.

►Our first School of the Bible continues on base and it's going strong.

I tried posting pictures again but it didn't work! Don't worry, I won't give up!

Joy & Peace,
Em =0)

2006-09-05T17:06:00.000-05:00

As mango season slowly fades to an end, the avocados begin to ripen on the big tree behind the kitchen and that’s what reminds me that it’s September again.

Last weekend the men were hurriedly boarding up windows and sheltering blow-awayables as we prepared for Ernesto, who was heading our way. Thankfully, the storm turned north and we hardly even got rain. So we enjoyed a week of staff training which included lessons from the past year and asking the Lord to prepare us for what’s coming. We also got to welcome the new staff and have a fun day at the beach in Negril where some of us went snorkeling and later jumped off cliffs. This is such a beautiful island and I thank God I am here. I can totally tell the difference from last year. We have grown closer in relationships as a staff body, the cultural barriers are diminishing, and I think we all have a better understanding of the vision at YWAM Jamaica, I speak especially for myself.

Other than that, I’ve been in and out of the kitchen and mostlyworking on registration for DTS, which begins on the 25th. We now have 21 students from 6 different nations and more continue to apply. I am really looking forward to working with the new DTS leadership team, now headed up by Dave & Nancy Harper, a zealous yet humorous and easy-to-talk-to couple from Canada who have been missionaries in the Caribbean for many years.

One of the girls from our youth camp came to visit for the weekend and she's still here today as I found out some things that make me really uneasy about sending her home. Myself and the directors are working on finding a safe place for her to go and until then my roommate Olivene has graciously given up her bed to stay next door. Please pray that this gets sorted out soon so my young friend will have a place to settle and receive healing and love. I don't know everything yet but what I know is atrocious and sadly, she is one of many thousands in Jamaica.

Please pray for protection and healing for the women and children of this nation and please pray for the men, who need to know Christ and their identity in Him so they stop the violence and perversion that's happening here.

There are still so many people to reach in Jamaica though this country has been "evangelized" over and over again. For this, I am glad to be a part of things here at YWAM and looking forward to the ways we'll be expanding in ministry in this year and in the future.

I trust you are well. Please email me and let me know how I can pray for you!

I promise pictures in my next post!

=0) Em

2006-08-10T15:51:00.000-05:00

Hi. Here are some more pictures of Access Youth Camp in July. Hope your day is super.

This is the whole crew, minus Ingrid.

The Little London Outreach Team

Marion teaching in the student lounge.

A couple of the girls...

A few of the boys

Me and some of my dorm girls

Em & Mona

Saying goodbye

Staff wrap-up dinner at The Pelican (minus Nick).

Tired but Happy

2006-07-31T11:18:00.000-05:00

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)

2006-07-19T13:14:00.000-05:00

“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!

2006-07-13T18:02:00.000-05:00

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

2006-07-07T15:43:00.000-05:00

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

2006-07-02T10:06:00.000-05:00

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

I'm home I'm home I'm home!!!

2006-06-03T12:12:00.000-05:00

Man, it's great to be back in the Northwest again! The air is so fresh here and it's actually kind of cold which makes my big down comforter even more comfy. I love the feeling of coziness, being snuggled in my bed and walking around in sweaters.

I feel enormously thankful to have such a warm, loving, beautiful place to come home to, I really do. It is somewhat overwhelming though and I'm not yet sure how to express all I have been through and learned and all the emotions stirring in me now. I'm glad I have friends and family who are good listeners.

I can't wait to go hiking and take in more of this fresh rainy air. I seriously forgot how clean and crisp it feels up here. It is a different kind of beauty and it is God's beauty all the same. I love how creative and magnificent He is.

I'm so thrilled to see my family and my friends. I want to see everbody at once but then I wouldn't know who to hug first and I wouldn't want to let go of anyone so it's probably good that I'm seeing people in stages instead of all at the same time. Oh, I just want to see everyone!!!

I am so so so blessed to call this place home and to have my church, which is doing great. We finally got land and preparations are being made for a building!!!!!

Oh! And I got to meet a bunch of the kids in my mom's daycare...so precious! It's so fun having kids around all day.

I love it here so much and I AM LOVED.

Tickled to be home,
Em =0)

3 More Days!!!

2006-05-29T19:24:00.000-05:00

Just 3 more days 'till I'm back in Canada and I get to hug my sister!

Here are some pictures:

The Office Crew: When ever I'm in here, I work with Natalie and Tanya.

Chelsea & I at the DTS grad/FCD commissioning. I played a song that Mike wrote. It's called Disciple.
Barbara & Chels on Chelsea's birthday.
Kerone, my most recent running partner. He also likes to catch land crabs.
Teaching drumming lessons at the boys' home.

God bless you and I'll see you soon!

WISDOM & UNDERSTANDING

2006-05-12T22:13:00.000-05:00

I don’t like being up long after the sun has gone down,
Sleep was invited but it’s escaping me now.
My thoughts turn circles in the dark,
They flicker back & forth like my candle’s light
While I quietly pat the desk for a pen,
Trying my best not to wake up my friend.
I guess sleep feels more welcome on her side of the room.

These lines sound like songs I’ve heard before
And I don’t know what all the thoughts are for
Memories, today and make-belief,
A rear-view mirror and lines on the street.
A map rearranged and two missing feet
But You say I’m on track

At least You still know me on nights when I search for myself
I told You, You could have all of me and You are worthy of nothing less.

So I’m trusting in the words You’ve spoken,
Your peace comes over,
You overcome.
Ear inclined to understanding,
Lord, my food is Your wisdom.

You catch invisible tears that don’t roll,
Unspoken fears You gently console
With Your right hand.
Don’t let go of my hand.

I’m trusting in the words You’ve spoken,
Your peace comes over,
You overcome.
Ear inclined to understanding,
Lord, my food is Your wisdom.

The road goes on and landscapes change
Certain still moments only You could arrange…and I want more.

So Jesus lead me on
And help know that home is where You are.

3 Pictures and An Update

2006-05-09T21:21:00.001-05:00

Between last week’s teaching on community health evangelism and today’s teaching on HIV/AIDS I can see once again that there is no shortage of work to do anywhere in the world. I see children in orphanages and I want to adopt them. I hear about neglected AIDS patients and I want to take care of them. I meet youth without direction and I want to encourage them. God is a faithful guide. I pray that He will continue to show me my piece in letting His kingdom come on earth. "The mind of a man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps" (Proverbs 16:9).

Our speakers for the rest of the week are Don & Barb Johnson who are missionary veterans in Niacaragua. They are teaching on microenterprise. I’m not totally sure what that is yet, but I'm confident I'll know by the end of the sessions...

Highlights for these past couple of weeks have been working with children to fix up a garden at their school and hosting a youth night here at the base last Friday. It was the second event in a 3 part series on abstinence (a very important subject considering that AIDS was the leading cause of death in people aged 15-44 in the Caribbean last year). It was really cool to interact with the youth and I even got to hold a little Haitian baby in my arms. He’s the son of a local pastor and he’s as cute as a bug’s ear.

Finally, a picture with my fabulous housemates! From left to right: Yashen, Chelsea, Cheryl, and yours truly.
Here are Carly and I, cleaning dorm rooms in all our scrubby splendor.
Carly & Em & the Caribbean Sea...no, we never get enough of that view.

Mark Your Calendars!

2006-04-23T19:49:00.000-05:00

Hey Everybody!

Thanks for praying about getting my ticket sorted out. After seemingly endless hassles with a particular airline, I finally got a flight booked for June 1st to Seattle! Kudos to my bestest brother-in-law for spending 2 hours on the phone sorting it all out for me. It's a long story, I'll save it for when I see you.

These are my friends Steve, Tyrese, and Kristen. We helped paint a post office last Saturday in Tower Hill, a neighbouring community.

I have come to love Jamaica but I am so excited to come home for a month see my family and all the others I love in that corner of the world. It's gonna feel good to get some more wear on my hiking boots and gaze at big mountains again.

The community development school is well underway, I have a couple of projects coming up and our speaker this week is a firey Texan who has been living in Haiti for over 10 years. I hear he has incredible stories. Sometimes it's a lot to wrap my brain around but I'm learning and I'm enjoying it and I'm seeing God's faithfulness.

There's always more to write but I don't think I can express it coherently right now...I'll try again another time.

Oh yeah! And Carly arrives tomorrow. The Canadians here can hardly wait because she said she'd bring us some Tim Horton's donuts. Please pray that her visit will be all that she needs it to be.

Blessings to you all and don't forget to mark you calendars!
Em

Hope

2006-04-01T19:34:00.000-05:00

So this is another one of those times when I really don't know where to begin. I can imagine us sitting on a rock by a lake somewhere silently admiring the beauty around us and eventually I would start talking...

I guess one of the things I've been coming to understand more these past few weeks is the importance of intimcay with God. I can get so busy not only in my actions but also in my mind, thinking about all the things I want to do here and wondering if I'm meeting others' expectations or even my own expectations...and it's so easy to "do" and think about "doing" without realizing it and then one dayI find myself wondering whose agenda I'm trying to fulfill, mine or my Maker's? It's the kind of situation that reminds me that God is patient and slow to anger and I'm so glad He is.

These days are super busy in the community development class and I'm learning so much. It has helped me to understand more why Jamaica is the way it is right now. No doubt there's been plenty of evangelism on this island but in several areas, God's truth has not yet penetrated certain false beliefs. Thus there are some"Christian" churches that call on ancestral spirits to visit the Sunday service and Rastafarians who believe a man ought to have many women (which has led to a nation full of fatherless children).

I meet some of these children when I visit orphanages when ever I get the chance. The last one I visited hit me harder than the others. It was a home for 70 boys between the ages of 8 and 18. Some had run away from home, some were considered a danger to their families and therefore brought to the orphanage, and many were abandoned by their parents through death or decision. Most of the boys didn't have shoes and their living conditions were grim. I looked around that place and I asked, "Is this the future of Jamaica?" "What will happen with these boys?" and "What do they believe about themselves?" I'm so thankful that I got to go and hug some of them and tell them that their Heavenly Father has always wanted them, but I wanted to do more.

I've also been challenged in my faith lately, "Do I really believe that it's God's desire to transform a nation, that He is active in fulfilling His purposes, and that as long as I am willing, He will make me a world changer? Yes, I do believe it! I don't understand how He works but I understand that He is good.

And there are good things happening in Jamaica, too. Many churches here are recognizing a need for big changes in this nation and they are praying and different churches are even starting to come together. That's the good news.

So please continue to pray for Jamaica, and for me that I will continue to seek the Lord and yield to His leading.

Thanks, I miss you!
Em =0)

Happy Day

2006-03-30T13:43:00.001-05:00

Hi Everybody!

Here I am with some friends, Racquel (on my right) and Crystal.

Crystal turned 19 on the day I turned 24. It was a fun day.

I have more to write but don't have the time for it at the moment...

Have a super day!
Em =0)

This Season

2006-03-04T19:58:00.000-05:00

Hello Everybody.

I hope you all have a chance to enjoy the flowers as winter thaws into spring up there. The weather here is hot as always. It feels good to have the sunshine on my face.

This is Ruth-Ann, my friend in Kingston whom I stayed with for 5 days last week. It was such a blessing to be with a fun family and experience a part of Jamaica you don't hear about so often (families who stay together and do familyish things). Ruthie's a blast and since most of her friends are in college I also got to hang out at the University of the West Indies for an afternoon. I kind of felt like a freshman again. By the time Sunday came around it was like I was going to church with a bunch of friends, which was really nice.

This past week I worked in between the office(putting together the manual for the upcoming course) and the kitchen (accomodating visiting teams). Nothing super exciting happened except that the manuals had to get finished and by 9pm on Thursday Chelsea and I had gone through 6 printers in 3 offices because the printers kept giving us trouble (continuously jamming, running out of ink, spontaneously breaking down, etc.). It was a lesson in patience.

What's new is that I'll be a student in this upcoming school which starts on Monday. It's called Foundations in Community Development. I'm looking forward to learning more about longterm efforts (such as discipling) that change lives and transform communities. I'm also looking forward to having fun. Please pray that God will give me wisdom in balancing being on staff and being a student at the same time.

I have been doing well though having trouble sleeping for the past little while. I've also been feeling lonely but I'm still good and glad to be here in Jamaica. I know the loneliness is just a season to ride out and I'll be feeling better again when the school starts and there are more people to hang out with. I think I'm coming to a place where I'm ready to see more of the bigger picture of what God is calling me to do in life/missions and I guess thinking about that plus the weight of loneliness is why I've been having trouble sleeping. Please pray that I will be attentive to His leading and hear His voice like Samuel. And also that I would embrace this season. Thanks.

Soaking up the sunshine,
Em =0)

The Journey in Pictures

2006-02-17T16:18:00.000-05:00

Here I am in Panama with Cheryl, aslo a leader.

We even got actual cutlery on the flight, like the good old days.

Cheryl is now also one of my housemates since I moved (again) to a different apartment on the base. It's the same place I lived when I first got here and I even get hot water now, very exciting.

Crossing a street in Santiago, the capital city.
The cities we visited in Chile were like a mixture of Europe and Mexico. Cafes, boutiques, big buses, horsedrawn carriages, beautiful architecture and the odd cowboy here and there.

Santiago has an excellent transit system including buses, subways and cable cars.

This is the beach in Vina Del Mar where we had our first evening of evangelism. We played beach volleyball with some locals and tourists and ended up having a lengthy conversation with some English-speaking Jehovah's Witness guys from Poland.
Another night of evangelism at the pier with the youth group.
Vina Del Mar
Cheryl, Anastasia, Em, & Alejandra in Pichilemu. Alejandra lives and serves at the YWAM base in Santiago. She was our translator for our entire time in Chile and she became a great friend.
Worship session with King's Kids in Pichilemu. We helped with this kids camp for our first week at the YWAM base in Pichilemu. They were as fun as they look; we had such a blast with them and their leaders.
Mitch & Juliette Anderson, base directors in Pichilemu and hardcore surfers. Really rad couple.
Lifeguard Simon (black hat)
YWAM Pichilemu has a community swimming program, weight room, and small internet cafe.
Here I am with Evelyn. She's one of the girls I connected with the most.
Friends in Pichilemu: Patricio, Claudia and their daughter.
Secret agents Simon, Alejandra and Steve. On assignment at an undiscolsed subway station.
National surfing competion in Pichilemu. These guys were crazy, doing aerials and other potentially bone crushing maneuvers.
The road to town from the Santiago base. We would catch a bus at the end of this rocky dirt road and ride about 20 minutes to the central bus station where we could hop on a subway to the city centre.

There are so many more pictures I want to show you so I will download some onto my flickr account and you can check them out there at your convenience. I'm not sure when I'll get to it because tomorrow's graduation and then I'll be off to Kingston for a week, but I'll get to it eventually.

Buenas Noches!
Em

Warmer than New York

2006-02-15T14:45:00.000-05:00

Hey All,

The team arrived in Jamaica on Thursday night and our ride home from Kingston was thankfully uneventful (aside from the time a big truck came rolling at us from around a sharp corner while we were going up a hill). I was sitting in the front next to our driver and I actually gasped. Incidents like that are typical on the road between MoBay and Kingston but this was the scariest one I've experienced. Our driver didn't flinch, though. He's used to it.

Our last week in Chile was spent helping with swimming lessons, a day camp, and English classes at the YWAM base in Pichilemu. The guys on the team also worked on constructing dorms and classrooms. We had a bit of a last minute drama as one of the students realized his passport was in his backpack that was stolen 2 weeks before we arrived in Pichilemu. The buses back to Santiago were booked until our scheduled departure on Monday night which only gave us a couple of days to get it all sorted out. Then we had trouble communicating with the embassy but finally made contact on the day before we left. Thankfully (after an afteroon at the Canadian embassy and something like $150 later, he got a new passport). I'll save the details for another day.

I have so much more to say about being in Chile and leading the team and being back in Jamaica but I have no idea where to begin. I guess I'm still processing it myself. It's crazy how a person can be transported from one world into another in a matter of hours. I think my brain is just trying to catch up. Not to mention that this is the last week of this DTS, the students graduate and leave on Saturday. It will be hard to say goodbye but I am so thankful to have known them for this season. I am tired and this week is a challenge because I want to rest but there are evaluations to complete and graduation to prepare for but next week I'll be able to chill at my friend Ruth-Ann's in Kingston.

Thanks so much for your prayers!!!

Em =0)

PS. I tried uploading pictures but it didn't work. I'll try again later.

Buenos Dias!

2006-01-23T20:04:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone...not much time to write...I am in a little internet cafe in the small surfing town of Pichilemu. It´s the surfing capital of Chile and the waves are incredible but the water is super freezing!

We pretty much all decided to marry a Chilean so we can move to this amazing country. I´ll let you know if I meet someone. =0)

We are staying at the YWAM base just oustide of town with about 200 other people and only3 showers for the girls! We´re sleeping in tents and learning Español and meeting people from pretty much all ove the world.

Last week we were in the beautiful city of Viña del Mar working with a youth "camp" downtown doing evangelism on the beach and in the streets. I can´t even explain how awesome it was to hang out with these crazy Chilean youth. Only a few spoke English but we bonded so quickly. We truly got to experience how the Holy Spirit can bind us together despite differences in language and culture as we laughed, cried, ate and prayed together throughout that week. We will not forget.

Now, in Pichilemu we will be helping with a kids camp and today we worked alongside a group from Argentina and visited a home for people with disabilities, doing dramas, games, and songs with the people who live there.

As you can tell by my lack of vocabulary I am in hurry... the team is doing well. Please pray that we will continue to communicate well with each other and maintain attitudes of humility and servanthood (is that a word?) even though communication around us is fuzzy. We´ve been given 3 schedules, none of which have materialized as planned and everything´s pretty much last minute, but hey, we´re flexible. It helps that people here are so friendly and welcoming. Please pray that I will be able to hear God and lead well.

It´s really a blessing to be here in Chile. I am loving this warm culture.

Hasta luego!
Em =0)

PS. They have palm trees growing in the middle of cornfields here! There are also a lot of stray dogs around in every city but the weird thing is they´re all huge dogs, like german shepherds and mastifs. Weird.

Arrived!

2006-01-13T14:24:00.000-05:00

Hey Everyone!

Thank the Lord we arrived in Santiago safely with all our luggage in tow early this morning. The flights were smooth and we even got to use real cutlery between Panama and Chile!

We are leaving to help at a YWAM youth camp in Vina Del Mar for 6 days. The weather is hot, the air is dry, the sunshine is splendid, the people are friendly, the team is great and the Andes are incredible. I had my first glimpse of the towering giants this morning. We can see them from the base!

It's good to be here. Really good.

I am excited for what God will do through us and in us here in Chile. Thanks for your prayers.

Blessings!
Em

P.S. So this morning I was telling someone that we will be in Chile for a month and I accidently said, "We will be here for one table."

On the Church House Steps

2006-01-11T22:55:00.000-05:00

Here's the team!!! We are leaving early tomorrow morning for Kingston, then Panama, and finally Santiago. Praise God, we have all our team money, we are tight and we are excited to serve God in this beautiful nation. Please pray for us!

Isaiah 41:10:
So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

I'll Soon See the Andes

2006-01-08T22:32:00.000-05:00

Happy New Year Everyone! Before I tell you about my 2 weeks of local outreach, I'd like to finally introduce you to the beautiful people I call my teammates. I'm going to work on posting a picture or two tomorrow. We (The Chile Team) leave from Kingston to Santiago (via Panama)on the 12th...that's this Thursday!

Cheryl, 21, from Portland, Jamaica. She's co-leading this team with me and becoming a sister as we get to know each other more. Cheryl's a fun-loving dancer and budding sketch artist. She loves children, mischief, and the colour blue.

Paul, 27, Alberta. The gentle, soft spoken song-writer of the group. Most likely to be found strumming his six-string and belting out worship tunes. He also likes to snorkel.

Simon, 22, Stuttgart, Germany. Former fashion model and Mercedes Benz employee, with his 6'2" or something frame we refer to him as our giant. Simon came up with our team slogan, "Chile team:We don't miss a meal."

Anastasia, 24, Nova Scotia. This beautiful bride-to-be can make just about any song sound like a Maritime folk tune with her sweet rootsy voice. Her grandpa actually yodels at family gatherings. Stasia's getting married in July which gives us girls ample wedding details to discuss over and over again.

Steve, 21, Washington. He's kind, wise, witty and full of boyscout stories and useless trivia. Steve studied engineering so he pretty much knows something about everything and his passion for the outdoors is akin to mine. He even loves to go snowshoeing.

Idubin, 22, Pennsylvania. Proud owner of a 1986 jet black Firebird TransAm that he himself rebuilt, Dubi's oblivious to the hilarity he brings to the group with his off -the-wall comments and cartoon voices. Coolest Puerto Rican I've ever met.

I'm really looking forward to going to Chile and I feel so privileged to go with this team. The are fun and they are teaching me to lighten-up (a much needed lesson for me). We laugh a lot and Cheryl and I are one up on pranking the guys. =0)

Our first week of outreach was fabulous with our team of 7 in the little sea-side town of Hopewell! I so enjoy being out in the community and feeling like I really live in Jamaica.

We had a wild taxi ride up windy single lane roads with hairpin turns, assorted potholes, and random abandoned car chunks when we went to visit immobile elderly people in the hills. We were lucky when we only had to squeeze 2 people in the front seat! It was worth it to be able to meet and pray for incredible worshipful people who live tucked away in hillside shanties.

Pastor Brown and Hopewell's hoppin' Baptist church were super friendly and fun to work with. There is much more to tell but you but not enough time to elaborate...

Last Monday we joined the rest of the dts class for a week of outreach near the YWAM base in Mandeville (other side of the island). We worked with a church in a tiny town that was about a 10 minute walk through the bush and at a halfway house/correctional facility that was a 45 minute walk through more bush and small town roads. I'm amazed at how big God is; intimately acquainted with each person in tiny towns uknown to most of the world.

My favourite part of this week was doing dramas with the youth on Friday night at the church. It felt great to be all together again before we fly off to our various international locations.

Please pray for us! The prayer requests are on the right side of the screen.

Must sleep.
Em

Feliz Navidad!

2005-12-24T22:33:00.000-05:00

Well, Everyone, it's Christmas Eve! For some reason, I find it harder to be far from home this year than last year. Probably has something to do with saying goodbye to 2 very good friends yesterday and wanting to be at Hyde Creek's Christmas Eve service.

My 7 glorious days with Mike and Natalie were more than wonderful. It felt so good to laugh and talk and be known. They also came bearing a mountain of gifts, which was somewhat overwhelming but I am learning to receive well. Thank you so much for all your gifts and cards.

God really blessed the 3 of us with some unforgettable adventures and when my creative writing skills improve, I will write about them. It wasn't easy to leave Nat and Mike at the airport but I savour the memories and I thank the Lord for good friends.

Dave and Debbie (the pastoring couple on the base) invited me in for the next couple of days to spend Christmas with them. We made a big lasagna meal for the students tonight and I baked pumpkin pies. I'm getting better at that. I can also make dented muffins. Tomorrow we'll have breakfast at Marion's (DTS director) and maybe go to the beach.

On another note, the last day of the footballers ministry went really well. After drills and scrimmage we talked to the boys about identity and how God was intentional about creating them. I was sad to see some of the kids reluctant to go home, not looking forward to what would meet them there but it felt good be able to speak positive things into their little lives. I pray they will remember.

I have posted some new pictures on the flickr website (just click on the Em's Pics link), please feel free to have a look.

I am looking forward to spending time with people in the community as our local outreach begins on the 27th.

Merry Christmas, Everyone. Thanks for loving me.
Em =0)

The Friday Footballers TeamEm & Mario on the last footballers day

Staying Steady

2005-12-10T22:10:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone, it's almost time for Christmas holidays here and I am really looking forward to a break and some good times with Natalie and Mike. It's going to feel good to touch the sea again, it has been a while.

Last weekend we (the Chile Team) crammed 7 of us in a space designed for 4 and headed for Hopewell where we were very warmly welcomed by Pastor Brown's church. This little Baptist church on the hill seemed quite traditional with their choir robes, organ and hymnals until the bassist and electric guitarist showed up. Pretty soon even the pastor was jumping up and down, the lapels of his choir robe flailing. It was great. We are looking forward to serving in Hopewell soon.

Local outreach begins on December 27th and we'll likely leave for Chile on January 9th or 10th. I'm praying that my team will be able to purchase our tickets this week.

Please pray for me. It's crunch time; getting things sorted out for the different teams in terms of visas they'll need, etc. and trying to stay on top of things as a school leader and outreach leader. I'm tired and I want to finish this season well. I thank the Lord for sustaing me this far. We've had to make some tough decsions as a leadership team but this season has been good and I have grown a lot.

On a side note, Marion (dts director), Amanda(student), and I ran to the airport this morning! It had been our goal since September but there hadn't been time to train for the past month or so except maybe one run a week. The airport is about 11-12km away and we decided it was this morning or never. We planned to run at 4am (traffic gets crazy on these streets by 6:30) but Marion wasn't awake and then she had to turn her socks inside out 3 times because the crease was bothering her foot and we had some other minor mishaps but we eventually began at 4:45. We ran a steady pace the whole way and made it in 1hr and 15 minutes! We really had to pray going up the last couple of hills but we made it!

Thanks for reading. God bless you!
Em =0)

Counting Down

2005-12-03T18:59:00.000-05:00

Hello again Everyone!

Only 13 more days until I get to hug Nat and Mike and impress them with my Patois (that's the Jamaican language)!

Wednesday's Pastors' Breakfast was super successful. Thanks so much to all who prayed! Students and staff here all pitched in and worked hard to help make it happen. The final count was 58, including 15 Bible college students who showed up half-way through the program. It's the largest crowd we've had for this event and the coolest thing is that a lot of the pastors/ministry leaders stayed around and talked with each other at the end even though the program went 2 hours overtime (my brain is getting used to being event-oriented). It was obviouse that people left feeling encouraged. To God be the glory.

Sadly, my digital camera is nowhere to be found since that day. I'm hoping and praying that it's just tucked away in some nook or cranny where I haven't thought to look yet. This predicament makes it even more difficult for me to update my pictures but I'll see if I can show you photos from someone else's collection.

Things are going well with the Chile team. We'll be doing the first week of our local outreach in a town called Hopewell. It's about half and hour away and we're going to visit a church there tomorrow. When I asked the pastor for directions he said, "Tell da drivah to let you off at de playin field an den walk up da hill." Aparantly we can't miss it.

Good night Everyone and God bless you.
-Em =0)

Thankful for Grace

2005-11-26T22:50:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone, I'm going to try to make this a short update...

So, it's pretty much been decided that I'll be co-leading an outreach team to Chile in January, isn't that exciting?! I've been involved with the Chile team as they've been preparing to go and I must admit that every once in a while leading a team to Chile seems a bit daunting but I'm really looking forward to it and I know that God's grace is sufficient and Jesus is my strength. Cheryl, who is from Jamaica and is also on DTS staff, will be leading the team with me. That's another good thing because Cheryl and I haven't really gotten to know eachother very much yet and this will be a good opportunity to do that. I'm also looking forward to growing as a leader.

The annual Pastor's Prayer Breakfast happens this coming Wednesday. It's a chance for pastors in Jamaica (especially Montego Bay) to get to know each other and start working together. I'll be speaking about last year's DTS (the one I was in) and introducing the current school. Please keep this important event in your prayers.

This weekend the guys are all hiking Blue Mountain and some of us girls would've been there except we weren't allowed to go 'cause the guys wanted to bond. So us girls went to Val's house and watched Little Women. We enjoyed the wintry scenes while munching on caramel corn and wishing that Josephine had said yes to Laurie in the first place.

As for me personally, I'm really happy to be here. I think I'm past the worst of the transitioning phase and it feels good to be at a place in life where I'm not continually anticipating what's next (ie. When I finish highschool...When I gradute from TWU...). Soon after I got back here I was wanting God to give me vision for what's next and someday I realized it had a lot to do with finding security in some sort of future aim rather than being content in the present. I do so miss my family and friends but I am so thankful to be in Jamaica. I think it's pretty rad that I get to live in the Caribbean, meet fabulous people, and be a part of what God is doing in the lives of the students, staff, and some who pass through here. Plus, hanging out with the youth has been effecting my vocabulary as I find myself saying things like, "rad," "word," and "whoa bredda!"

Thanks Everyone, for loving me and for helping me to be here.

"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly." Psalm 84:11

A Long Rainy Season

2005-11-04T21:25:00.000-05:00

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

Much to be thankful for

2005-10-09T20:51:00.000-05:00

Hmmm, where to begin...

Last week, one of the American students accused Canada of copying the US by celebrating Thanksgiving. Naturally, I couldn't let him get away with such foolishness so I rounded up the Canadians on the base and we've come up with a little jingle that explains the history of our turkey feast. We're going to sing it to the tune of that old Clementine song and Paul will play the guitar. We also peeled a wackload of potatoes for tomorrow's meal and some of the girls and I baked pies yesterday. I felt slightly defeated when I got my knife stuck in the pumpkin but one of the guys managed to pull it out for me. The pumpkins here are green and white and more oblong than the ones back home but they taste just the same in pies.

I am truly thankful to be a part of the dts staff this season. It's a 24/7 position and I'm usually very tired by the end of the week but I'm ejoying it and I feel quite privileged to get to know these students and encourage them on their journies. There are 23 students in all from 5 different nations: Jamaica, Canada, USA, Germany, and Belize. They range in age from 17-33 and there's a couple with a 6yr-old and a mom with a 4yr-old. It's amazing how God can bring people together from various parts of the world at differing stages in their lives and somehow they all fit together and relate to eachother. They are fun. I am honestly impressed with this group as they embrace one another and strive for a deeper relationship with God. It's been an intense couple of weeks (I remember how my first 2 weeks in DTS smacked me in the face) but they are doing well.

The office work I've been doing isn't real exciting to write about, getting immigration papers ready for the students, contacting speakers for the school, etc. John (he's a dts leader, too) and I are working on the local community outreach with 8 students on Fridays. Right now we're getting to know the kids as they come to play football (soccer for us North Americans) and we're praying about where to go from there. Most of the kids in this area live with their mother and no father. Their moms work all day so they are often looked after by an aunt or grandmother. As you can imagine, all this instability in their lives doesn't leave much room for discipline.

I wish I could describe to you what I think about when I spend time with these kids. How often do they get hugged? Do they believe that they are valuable? If they don't really have a family, where are they going to find their sense of belonging? What can I possibly do today that is going to make any difference tomorrow?

I'm trying not to impose my own cultural values on the dire circumstances I see but some things are universal. Kids need families and families are supposed to protect kids. Sometimes the thought of how many wandering children there are in Jamaica alone overwhelms me and I have no doubt that it breaks God's heart a million times more.

Whatever the situation is, God does not change and He says He is able to do abundantly more than all we ask or imagine (Ephesians 3:20), so I'm asking Him to change things here, maybe you could, too.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. I am thankful for you.

So far in September...

2005-09-14T21:18:00.000-05:00

Hi Everyone!

This is a picture of myself and Nicolette when we had a staff fun day in Ocho Rios back in August. Nicky lives on the base with her mom, who is involved with community transformation stuff. I couldn't put this on the website where I post my other pictures because I reached my maximum for the month. I guess I'll have to be more selective next time.

Anyway, we're well into prepping the base for the arrival of the Dischipleship Training Scool students who are set to get here next weekend. I am really excited to be a part of dts, I think it will help me to see more of God's purpose in calling me here. It hasn't been as easy to see His intentions while scrubbing bathrooms and sweeping out dorms but these things must get done!

I am looking forward to learning from the students and I pray that God will use me to show more of Himself to them. The final numbers are 24 students and 6 staff. More details about that in my next update...

My other job here is to be a secretary of sorts for dts and to correspond with teams while the people who currently do that go on furlough.

In other news, I bought a package of envelopes so I could mail some letters. They must've been in the store since 1992 because they have that peach/light green Arizona pattern on them that was popular back in the early 90's. When I opened the package in my room I realized that all the envelopes were stuck shut, probably from the humidity and from being in the store since 1992.

Finally, a prayer request: I recently learned that my friend Patrick's mother died unexpectedly. Patrick lives in a very rough innercity neighbourhood in Kingston and he is left to care for his 2 younger sisters. I spoke to him today and it sounds like he's holding up pretty well, all things considered. So, please pray that the Lord will continue to give Patrick strength and peace and that he would not be alone as he grieves. Also, some of us are looking into going to Kingston this Saturday to be at his mother's funeral. Please pray for safety as we travel.

Thank you so much & God bless you.
-Em

"Faith is a confidence in the person of Jesus Christ & in His power, so that even when His power does not serve my end, my confidence in Him remains because of who He is." -Ravi Zacharias

As Summer Fades

2005-08-21T20:20:00.000-05:00

It is Sunday night and the base is calm and quiet apart from the usual stirrings of nocturnal critters. They must have a lot to say having been silenced earlier by the wonderful storm that took over these hills in the afternoon. The rain must have lasted at least 3 hours; constant heavy wet drops with the occasional torrential downpour, which was always either followed or preceded by a deafening thunderous clap and sometimes a flash of white light. It was very romantic. I enjoyed it.

The last of the summer teams went home last Monday and YWAM Mobay is taking time off for a week before we start preparing for the next phase. Most of the Jamaican staff have gone home and some are leaving tomorrow. My plans for the week include rest, reading, prayer, and a visit to an orphanage or two. Oh yes, and my friend Cynthia (the lady I met at a church in town last year) is coming for lunch on Wednesday.

Please continue to pray for the upcoming DTS. We had our first meeting this past week. So far there are 4 of us staffing the school and something like 28 students coming! Please also pray that God would give me vision in being here. I know, I know, I can't know everything about His purposes but I'm slowly sorting things out in my head and I'm confident that clarity will come. I need to be more diligent in listening to Him, so feel free to keep me accountable and ask me how I've been doing with that. Thanks.

Highlights of weeks gone by:

WhiteHouse

This is a little fishing village near the airport known for having an abundance of children, drug trafficking (cocaine, I think, is the main one), and obviously fishing. I accompanied one of the teams to WhiteHouse a couple of weeks ago to hang out with the kids in the churchyard. There isn't an actual church building, it's a cement slab on sand with a little unused shelter-type structure at one end. If you're facing the shelter, the endless blue sea is to your right. The kids dragged chairs and benches from a nearby cluster of houses/shanties to sit on while we sang with them, told stories, and played games. I didn't participate very actively because I had my arms full.

Shortly after we arrived, I spotted 3 little boys timidly walking toward us from a small, weathered seaside house. As the one in front caught my eye (tattered clothes, no shoes), he stopped and smiled as he began to turn back slowly. I walked over, introduced myself and invited the 3 of them over to the churchyard. I picked up the boy who had smiled at me and the other kids told me his name is Sutee, though no one knew how to spell it. Sutee held on to me for the entire duration of our visit, making no attempt to free himself from my arms and I wanted to bring him home with me. He was pretty expressionless the whole time and I wondered if he might have hearing problems because he wouldn't respond even when I spoke his name into his ear and he didn't flinch when a plane took off across the street but then again, these kids are used to that noise. A lady from the village told me his mother is gone to work all day which probably means from dawn until dark and I wondered how seldom he gets held and what he eats and what he does all day. There was mention of his grandmother being around. I would like to meet her next time I'm in WhiteHouse. We could certainly pray for the family and perhaps there are some needs we could help them meet.

A fight broke out on the street right beside us while we were there, one guy was yelling and beating another with the flat side of a large kitchen knife. Thankfully, they moved down the street and eventually stopped. No one got stabbed but my heart and mind were racing for a few mintues as we tried to keep the kids from watching. Later, one of the men walked right through the churchyard, knife in hand, as we were playing a game and a lady from the village scolded him for doing so. He threatened her as he walked away and the whole incident didn't seem to affect the kids much. It disturbed me that this is reality for these children. It made me glad that Jesus came and that because of Him, even this reality is not hopeless. It made me think that there is much work to be done. Jesus saves in an instant, and relationships take time.

Kingston & Blue Mountain

On August 12th, I headed to Kingston with my friend Michael and Marion (dts director) to sort out my work permit stuff. I had to wait in line-ups and sign papers at three different locations but thank God, it all went smoothly and I now have an official work permit so everything's "kriss," as they say in Jamaica.

The following day, some people from the base met Michael and I downtown for a last-minute trip to Blue Mountain. We got the phone call the day before in the immigration office that there was an opportunity to go and we were so delighted. I found it amusing that I have never been so unprepared for a hike before: no matches, no knife, no sleeping bag... Nevertheless, we had an amazing trip. Drove up as far as we could on this narrow, windy mountain road full of potholes, hairpin turns, and ridiculous inclines and then hiked about 2 km to the ranger's station where we "slept" until 2:30. It was one of the most beautiful hikes I've ever done and the first one I've done in moonlight. At certain clearings we could see the soft glow of the hillside villages/coffee plantations against the dark shadows of the mountains and the shimmering lights of Kingston farther off in the distance. The lights above were even more spectacular; I did not want to stop star-gazing.

It took us just shy of 3 hours to reach the peak and we made it in time for sunrise. They say that on a clear morning you can see all the way to Cuba. We had some clouds but I didn't mind because they complemented the hues from the waking sun.

Thanks for reading, I feel like you listened.

Until next time,
em

Cliff Jumping

2005-08-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

Today is Jamaica's Independence Day and after community worship this morning I was graciously given the day off. I lead worship with my guitar and 2 people sang with me. I generally feel rather inadequate to lead worship but they asked me to lead and it actually went well and I'm thankful for that.

I'm also thankful to have had the day off today because I've got a long week ahead, working through until next Monday. I didn't realize how tired I was until I went back to my apartment this morning and fell asleep for something like 2 hours.

I started reading a book on the history of Jamaica...actually, I've only read the title so far but I've been carrying it around and I plan to open it soon. So far, what I know is that slavery and piracy go back a long way here and have a lot to do with current issues/problems in the nation.

Speaking of pirates, Captain Morgan used to be leutenant governer in Jamaica at some point in time and I don't think that's something they say just to amuse tourists. I learned that in Negril (northwestern tip of the island). The Stoner family (who've been here for a few years) took me to Negril yesterday; it took a little over an hour to get there by car. Negril boasts over 10km of white sandy beaches but we didn't go to any of them because it was super crowded due to independence celebrations. So we went to this place called Pirates' Cave which is aparantly a place where pirates used to hide-out or something like that. It's a popular place to go cliff jumping. There's a 35ft drop into the ocean which is plenty enough for me considering that I am afraid of heights and jumping. I didn't think I would do it but I was feeling kind of old that morning and I wanted to be adventurous. Besides, Andrew said that he would jump if I jump and he's 12.

So Kenny (Mr. Stoner) jumped first and then Andrew jumped and I was terrified, glued to the cliff. The longer I stared at the water the further away it appeared. There were some Jamaican dudes there who get tourists to pay them to do back flips off of trees into the water and one of them came up to me and said, "Okay, girl. I count to three and then you jump." I told him not to count but he did and I froze. So Kenny and Andrew came to jump a second a time and then I was still terrified and the dude asked me what I am so afraid of and I said, "Dying." And he said, "You no a gonna die girl. Maybe if you jump offa dat tree you might die but from here, some people dem knock out but if you do, I a gonna jump in an' save you. I am de lifeguard." I wanted to run away but I also really wanted to jump because I don't like being afraid of things and when would I get the chance to go again?

It took about a total of ten minutes before I mustered up the courage to do it but I finally committed and lept off the cliff. All I remember is a lot of blue and then a surge of warm salt water rushing up my nose. Apart from the water in my nose, it was a blast and I jumped again twice. Danny jumped after me with hardly any hesitation and some of the bystanders looked over the edge in disbelief because she's only 9. I was impressed.

The best part is that you get to swim to cave in which there's a ladder and then some steps that lead back up to the bar at the top of the cliff. They warn you though, not to go into the wrong cave because the one on the left leads to some lady's house and her dogs will attack you if you go there.

So that was my adventure in Negril. The kids listened to an Adventures in Odessy story on the way home and I actually thought it was kind of funny and I didn't feel old anymore.

I hope you're having a good day.

Peace & blessings,
em =0)

Travel Airbags

2005-07-30T19:31:00.000-05:00

Hi Everybody,

I apologize in advance if this post is not very coherent. I'm trying to type quickly because our internet connection has been rather sporadic lately and the last 2 times I tried to post something, the computer froze by the time I was finished writing. Bah! That's also the reason I haven't been able to write a lot of email. Plus, there are only 3 computers in our internet "cafe" and over 100 people staying on the base right now and I am often tired by the end of the night. Nevertheless, I love hearing from friends and family, so please let me know how you are and maybe tell me something funny or amusing.

Life has been very busy here at the base with work teams and youth camps coming and going. It means that I get to meet a lot of really interesting people, though and I like that. I've been spending a lot of time working in the kitchen, which is quite arguably the most dreaded job on the base because something always goes wrong and how do you please hundreds of people from different cultures at the same time? It is, however, an adventure (I already had a hilarious episode involving noodles and "tortillas"). What I enjoy about the kitchen so far is talking to Ingrid while peeling massive amounts of potatoes. She has a lot of insight as to what Jamaica is about and the roots of the problems here. Did you know that the incidence of HIV/AIDS in the Caribbean is 2nd to that of Africa?

So I'm settling in slowly, getting used to that constant hot & sticky feeling and nearly everytime I go into town I think about how wild it is that I actually live here. It is so different from home that I can't even really describe it but I love the people and I'm glad that the Lord has led me to Jamaica. I'll be posting some pictures just as soon as I receive the wire-thingy that I need to download pics from my camera to the computer (I left it at home so my parents had to mail it to me).

The other thing I was thinking about in town (when my taxi driver nearly veered into a truck) was that travel airbags would probably have a high market value among tourists in countries like this one. I'm sure parents who send their kids to places like Mexico for spring break would buy them. My friend Michael and I came up with a slogan: "Travel Airbags: When transportation laws just aren't enough."

Goodnight, All. I miss you and I think of you a lot.

Em =0)

Traveling in Hurricane Season

2005-07-18T21:38:00.000-05:00

Hello up there!

Okay, I'll try to be brief (and that is a very difficult thing for me to do)...

I left home on Friday afternoon and I only just got here a few hours ago, but I am well and so is all my luggage. I finally left Seattle sometime after 2am on well, I guess that makes it this morning. Much to my surprise when my tickets were re-issued the seats assigned to me were in first class. Nice.

Since my first flight was late I missed my connecting flight to Montego Bay and was subsequently put on another flight. However, people had been moved around so much because of all the delays so they were asking passengers to volunteer their seats so that families and the like could travel together. They told me I could get on another plane destined for MoBay via Nassau, The Bahamas and it was leaving pretty much at the same time. So off to the Bahamas I went. There was no first class on that plane so I sat next to two kids from Georgia who periodically shoved each other and referred to me as "ma'am." I was delayed just twice more in Nassau until I finally boarded a plane for MoBay. Do you want to hear the best part? US Airways gave me a free roundtrip ticket for my troubles. Redeemable anywhere in the Caribbean and North America within the next year. Grin. God is a giver of good gifts.

I was pretty excited to arrive in Jamaica but I am rather tired. I forgot how loud the night is with all the assorted critter noises. It is however, strangely familiar.

Good night everyone and God bless you. -em

Welcome to Seattle

2005-07-16T12:31:00.000-05:00

Hey everyone, I'm still kicking around in North America since my flight got cancelled due to Hurricane Emily.

There were some long waits at the airport before it all got sorted out but now I'm scheduled to leave Seattle on Sunday night and arrive in MoBay on Monday morning...bah!

Not to worry, though. I'm staying in Shoreline, WA with my good friend Lauren and I am being very well taken care of. She came to the airport to see me off and ended up adopting an Emese for the weekend. I would really like to be on my way already (I'm leaving....I'm leaving...I'm still here...) but hanging out with Lauren and her fam is a total blessing (she made me palm tree pancakes this morning).

Thank God, the course of the hurricane appears to be passing south of Jamaica so there shouldn't be much damage to our island. Please pray that Jamaica would be spared from this storm.

Thanks everyone, and stay tuned... -em

I am loved.

2005-07-08T01:36:00.000-05:00

One last camping trip in good company and bad weather, waking up to my favourite scent and favourite view: subalpine forest, lakeside. One last time for a while.

One week to go until I find myself climbing almond trees over-looking the turquoise Caribbean, waking up to temperatures hotter than midday in Vancouver, and flagging down taxis in MoBay's bustling, narrow streets...a different kind of paradise.

As I contemplate leaving (and all that I don't want to leave behind) I cannot help but be in awe of my Heavenly Father. He is so involved and interested in the lives of His children. Who am I that He would call me to this unlikely place at this unexpected time? And who am I that He would bless me with all the beautiful people in my life whom I am so privileged to know? His goodness is greater than I can begin to describe.

So, while leaving people makes my departure difficult, I know it will make my homecoming that much sweeter and I am thankful to have so much to leave. I am truly excited to follow Jesus to Jamaica and serve His people there. God leads us to a land of promise and when we step out in obedience to His call, He draws us closer and shows us more of Himself. And I thirst for that intimacy.

Thank you all so much for your support, encouragement, smiles, hugs, and prayers! "I thank my God in all my remeberance of you," Phil.1:3

"God does not ask us to do the things that are naturally easy for us. He only asks us to do that which we are perfectly fit to do through His grace..." Oswald Chambers