Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Monday, August 2, 2010
Penny's Jamaican Mission Trip Journal
Mission Trip 2010
July 22 – 29 Columbia Community Church group of 25
I packed up my beautiful home in College Place, WA on Monday, July 19th – my 54th birthday – and left for Larissa and James’ sweet home in Vancouver, WA the next day. On Wednesday I drove to Edmonds where I spent the day and night with my good friend, Leota Robertson, who lost her dear husband, Herb 3 months ago. We had a wonderful visit and were able to share the tears only widows understand. Thursday I drove to our old neighborhood in Arlington and spent the day with our cherished friends, Ernie and Terry Baus. I have to confess as time drew closer to leave for the mission trip, the less I wanted to go. I have ten thousand things to do – including getting a job – but God’s hand was in this, even on planning to have myself so committed financially and geographically that I couldn’t back out.
I can’t even try to count all of the blessings in my path this last week, but the first one was allowing me and the Bauses to get lost so close to the airport that we could almost see it! By the time we got there we were laughing hard, which eased my anxiety so much. The CCC group was already checked in and waiting patiently for me. I will say right now that between my lack of "promptness genes" and my low level of pushiness, this dear group of people spent a week knowing Penny would be "bringing up the rear". We had time at the gate for my bestest friend, Bev Thrasher, who had invited me on the trip, to teach us a silly game called "Rake em in, Scum". If you ever need a cute game that is easy here are the rules: One person is President, the one to their left is V.P., the next person is the People, the next one is the Vice Scum, and the last person is the Scum. ( you could probably create more titles if you have more people, of course) All cards are dealt out. The President gives their lowest 3 cards to the Scum, the Scum gives their highest 3 cards to the PRES. The V.P. and the Vice Scum trade 3 cards and any other People don’t trade at all. The President plays first. The object is to play all of your cards out first. As long as you can play a higher card than the one laid, the play continues going around. For example, you can follow a 2 with a 10 if you wish to try to make it harder for the others. If you can’t play you have to pass. The sequence runs from 2 to Ace high. When a sequence is completed, or no one can play a higher card, the President announces "Rake em, Scum", and the Scum removes the card pile. the last one to play gets to start the next sequence. You can play any card as long as it is higher, so the President has the advantage of higher cards. Your next title is determined by the order you play out all cards. First one out is the new President, etc. Sooo, we played this until the plane boarding began.
My seat mates for the flight were Kelly , a fun, sweet youth and Kathy, a reserved and serious but fun loving gal. Kathy and I were seat mates on all 4 flights. The 6 hour trip to NYC’s JFK airport was uneventful except for a toddler who cried louder and longer than I thought a human could! We got to JFK about 6 am Eastern and had just time to run to the potty and find our Delta gate to start loading. We landed at Montego Bay about noon and the first blast of Jamaican heat felt like a sauna! Nurse Bev and Dr. Gerry, our eye doc, were held up at customs about an hour with their tubs of supplies. Finally Jesus intervened and they were let through. I think the customs agent wanted to charge them for tax, thinking they were going to sell the supplies on the black market. One miracle was Bev’s syringes were on the bottom with toys loaded on top, which made the tub much less suspicious.
By 3 pm we finally crammed into a bus and met the 2nd team we would share the week with from Cirrus, CA. Kirk the young youth leader, his wife Beck, and 8 very nice teens. The Praying Pelicans leaders treated us to the Jerk Chicken Café in Montego where we got 2 pieces of chicken and 3 pieces of Festival, which is fried sweet corn bread. The four hour bus trip was amazing! Imagine the main highway with no straight areas longer than ½ mile for 200 miles that is no wider than a country road! Now imagine everyone going about 60 mph (80 kph) and passing even with oncoming traffic! Horns are used to give "all clear" and help each other out. No anger, and not one serious accident did we see all week on the roads. And pedestrians, dogs and goats are part of this fantastic mix of speed and curves and near collisions.
We arrived into little Port Antonio ( I estimate about 5,000 population), Portland Parish about 7 pm. A parish is like a state. After almost 24 hours of travel, my feet were swollen, and still are as I write this after the return trip! We were greeted by Sister Joy, young Pastor Grant, and a sweet 19 year old named Terry Ann. She lead us in some Jamaican worship songs that are great! At the moment the words" Lord, let it rain, rain rain" were sang, a torrential rain and thunder storm started! We knew God was welcoming us to Jamaica.
The church ladies fed us for 8 meals! Always smiles. Rice and "peas" which are really kidney beans, BBQ sauce, and some kind of chicken ( bbq, fried, jerk) every meal with produce that is in season ( watermelon called pumpkin, pineapple, cabbage, onion, and peppers). Some meals included battered "sea trout" which looked very much like carp to me. They provided juices and some sodas with wonderful ice at each dinner and supper.
After the meal we met in the church’s sanctuary for some worship and orientation from Emily, Dan, and Amy, our Praying Pelican hosts. The CA group’s 3 day assignment was to run a VBS program in a church Pastor Grant is also minister of that is about 15 miles east and in the afternoons they are helping to rebuild a porch on an old lady’s home. We only saw their group at breakfast and in the evenings.
I need to mention homes right now. In Montego Bay we say huge plantations and massive hotels, good roads and few loiterers. The farther we got from the big city, the poorer all conditions got. At Port Antonio and places beyond, many homes are one room that is a combination of aluminum sheets and scraps of wood. Everyone has painted their house with bright colors though. Most have no outhouse or electricity. Our hotel in Antonio, the Tim Bamboo, was as clean as possible and met our needs nicely. Some rooms had no A/C and sometimes there was no cold water, and we were asked not to flush more than needed. But after seeing the shanties, it was very nice. Bev and I shared a queen bed and Kathy had a single. Bev would strip naked as soon as we returned to our room, and I’d at least keep my undies on to try to get some relief from the heat and humidity. Kathy kept her head down a lot. :-) Each morning the hotel breakfast was scrambled eggs and pancakes with juice. The first day there was tea or instant coffee. But Emily got coffee served every following morning.
Our groups morning assignment was to visit a boy’s home that is about 40 miles from Port A. The road to the home is only ½ mile off the highway, but it’s just gravel and the bus could barely climb the hill. When we first got out of the bus we heard giggling and silly sounds, but could not see any of the boys. As we approached the main building they were all on the steps hugging us as we went past. We saw them drag a teen boy wearing diapers out of the room quickly, so we knew there were some very disabled boys there who we never got to visit. The ages are 8 to 18. Some orphans, some delinquents, some desserted. A few of our teen girls were greeted with boys touching their boobs! Needless to say the next visits the boys were sternly informed that was not appropriate. We gathered in a room the size of a living room with open air windows. It was their eating area. The worship team got out their guitars, tambourines and egg rattlers and started to sing worship songs. In no time the bongos and other rhythm instruments were taken over by the boy’s wonderful reggae rhythm. Lynnette, our worship lady spent all 3 days in this sweltering room with the boys who loved music. The house mother brought out the school’s electric keyboard. We were impresswed with one boy could play any song by ear! Such talent we saw there.
I wandered into the next room and found a teen reading a book. I sat down and met Ejay who had lived in Florida until his mom had left him in Jamaica with an aunt and abusive cousin who took him to the home one day and left him. He has hopes his mom will some day come and get him. But he had done something wrong and was waiting trial. He only has one more year of school. I wish I could bring him here for college! After about an hour of singing the healthier boys went outside and played soccer "football" with some of our group. One boy is so tall and athletic that we commented we thought he could get to college on a scholarship. The teens really connected quickly and time flew.
After another long and crowded and bumpy and crazy bus ride and lunch at the church we divided into two groups. One group was to help build a house and our was to visit the local Infirmary, or nursing home. I was in that group and that was where my reason for coming was waiting for me … Let me say that Jamaica is a beautiful country with beautiful dark skinned people. Work ethic and sexual monogamy are rare. But the government does provide for the elderly ( and for the boys home ) who have no one to care for them. That is who we met. I guess there were about 100 residents here and 20 care takers. Bev pointed out they were not care givers, though. The complex has 6 dorms with a common covered walkway between them. The blind, mentally damaged, and crippled are usually left in bed and the amputees are usually sitting in their wheelchairs all day.
The head nurse directed Dr. Gerry, Nurse Bev, and myself to the second dorm first. Gerry was to hand out reading glasses and Bev was to trim nails. I was Bev’s assistant. Well, our first "patient" became my favorite! Keith is a 6’6" Jamaican wearing a hemp necklace, few teeth, and a smile as wide as Texas. He sits up and Gerry asks him if he could use some new glasses. We notice Ketih’s eyes are shut, but he tells Gerry that "yah Mon. I’m a little near sighted though". As Gerry starts digging into his sack, the nurse walks over and says "He’s totally blind". Keith just grins and stole my heart at that moment. Gerry moved on with Charlotte, another wonderful gal from the CCC, to hand out glasses to people who can actually still see while Bev and I start to work on Keith’s long toenails. While waiting to assist Bev, I ask if I can use some of her lotions to massage his hands. When I ask Keith if he would like a hand rub, he replied "Yah Mom" . It had been 9 months since I last held Steve’s hands, and the moment I touched Keith’s hand to rub the lotion on, I started crying, because I heard Jesus say "this is why you are here".
After his hands I washed his legs and feet and rubbed them. Bev and I could see he would soon lose his long legs to diabetes as he had lost his sight, but he said it felt good. Bev moved on to others and I continued to meet people and massage their hands. Those with no hands got their feet rubbed. Jamaicans introduce themself by their Surname first, so it took me a while to realize I was calling them by their last name. I fell in love with each one! I met Thomas, no legs but the flirt of the wheelchair gang. Allan, no legs and losing his sight, but very distinguised even in this condition. He explained that it was "the suga" that took his legs. Samuel, no legs, one arm left and it only had the thumb and pinky left! Lola, the most regal, tall woman you’ve ever seen who went from not talking, to laying her head on my shoulder and by day 3 teaching us songs! Some were shy at first, some motioned for me to come to them next.
I met about 20 broken, lonely people that day. Always there were others at a distance who were so grotesque that I assumed they had no idea we were even there. How wrong I was! Bev’s last feet of the day were Tilda’s, an 80-something lady’s feet whose nails have not been cut in years! Her big toe nails were curled and so long that they were growing into her other toes! The security man who worked there actually said he was putting her feet onto You tube!
We arrived at the church for dinner then we debriefed as a whole team and sang songs in the hotel’s large dining hall where all guests could hear us. I fell asleep as soon as I laid down!
Sunday was a very unique day. We put on our dress clothes and rode about 20 miles to a Baptist church annual gathering of about 8 parish churches. The church could hold about 200 people and we arrived when all seats were taken. People immediately gave their seats up for us! Then the host pastor asked all men to give up their seat for women and children. It was sweltering in there! There were a few rain storms with thunder which was easing the heat, but they closed the windows to hear better! The communion alone took an hour – the best part was hearing them sing and seeing them dance in worship! Otherwise the 3 hour service was very serious.
It was announced that after 45 minutes the afternoon singing would start. Well, Jamaican time made that 90 minutes. We were served their special fish soup first. It reminded me of fishy egg drop soup, but when I discovered I had many large skeletal bones in my cup, I sipped the broth only and then we each strategically released the solid contents over the church’s outside platform into the jungle below. And the meal was – you guessed it – rice and "peas" and jerk chicken.
The song fest was replacing the annual business meeting just because of our visit. There were little girls who quoted scripture, youth groups that danced to music, ladies who sang loudly out of tune, and Terry Ann who out sang them all. Of course the CA group and the CCC worship team proved that we have no rhythm and that no one there knows our modern worship songs. But they applauded with love and pity anyway. I wish everyone could see Jamican elderly women in their white hats and fancy dresses get up and dance during a fast song. What a sight!
We arrived back at Port A. in time to take an hour walk. Even as a group some of the town men are quite bold and intimidating. Chris, one of the CCC men made it his duty to always walk behind us ladies for protection. We wish Jamaicans had the pride to pick up their litter and try to keep their markets clean. We wanted to shop there, but it is just too dirty and threatening. They even have people in uniform in each town Tourism Assistance Corp, to protect us if needed.
After supper we had worship with the youth and there were testimonies shared and some great worship. Back at the hotel we had a training session lead by Emily on how to start a conversation to meet people that will allow us to talk about the Lord. Then the CCC group met in the nicer, larger apartment part of the hotel where 8 of our gals are staying and we had a devotional before bed.
Monday our treat was to have lunch and dinner be American fare. Jamaican spaghetti and meat pies and potato salad are just not the same, but it was sweet of the ladies to attempt them. This was our hottest day. At the boy’s home I helped the ladies sweep their food preparation area, visited with Yvette, the laundry lady, and then helped pull weeds from a foundation to make a basketball court for the boys. I have never sweat like that in my life! No rain today and not even a breeze. I was sure someone would get sick with sun exhaustion- but only a few headaches. Some kids are getting to know the boys well and are intentionally finding more out about them.
After lunch I started my rounds of massages at the infirmary, but this time I started in the first dorm and met new people. I needed more time because there was one dorm I never even got to in all 3 days! Today some youth and Dr. Gerry are also giving massages! Remember those broken bodies that I presumed had no idea we were even there? Well, they knew it alright. I soon discovered that unless they were asleep, every person in every condition could respond in some way to touch. I met Clarence who was angry because after his leg was amputated he was expecting to return home to his daughter, instead of here. I met Joshua, a tall fisherman who had a stroke that destroyed the whole left side of his body. I met young Paul who looks like he has never spoken or walked in his life, but has the most beautiful smile you’ve ever seen. I met Cevan, a man with few teeth, unable to talk, wears a diaper, and pushes himself with his deformed hands. He actually forced himself to his knees and looked like he wanted to give me something from his pillow case that holds all of his possessions! But his attempt to say "thank you" was my gift. There was Milton, who if he was answering my questions right, is only 25 and was hit by a car. He loves to talk loudly and say silly things like "bikini" and "boom boom ride in Jamaica". But ask me to see my video clip of him singing "this Is My Story"! I was getting ready to go and Milton had used his crippled arms to scoot himself from his dorm floor out about 100 feet to see us once more. When I asked him if he was still telling stories, he started singing that song! I met Larick Pinnock ( I know because he spelled it out for me) who was "a manly man" who doesn’t wear lotion, but he will hug a woman with lotion on. :-)
There were 2 women there who were blind and possibly deaf also from birth. They just sit all day and eliminate anywhere they wish. There are bodies that just have mosquito netting over them and look like they are barely alive. But the most shocking discovery today was to find Samuel in a bed with just a shirt on. When I walked into his dorm I was embarrassed for him to be so exposed, so I turned my back and was massaging the hands of another man, Levi when the attendant came in and asked me to look at Samuel. I asked if he wanted me to leave while he put some clothes on him first. "No, look at Samuel". He proceeded to tell me how terrible he feels because the day before he had poured Samuel’s hot tea and with only 2 fingers on his one arm, he spilled it down his front and now has huge 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his torso! No pain meds, no bandage, no sanitation, and no way to move his body for comfort! When I went to pray for him, Samuel insisted on sitting up for prayer. I never imagined I’d ever be helping a naked stump of a human to sit up for prayer! Oh, how I asked Jesus to give him relief from pain, and to give him a special blessing in Heaven for all of his suffering. Before I left, Samuel had me hand him his urinal bowl and when he was done, asked me to empty the bowl. How I wish I could have eased his suffering!
We were all very tired after dinner. Our dinner tonight included also curry goat. Out of respect I tried it, but it won't be my favorite. Tuesday is our last day of mission work. All meals today were traditional Jamaican. Breakfast included the national dish: salted fish in ackee. Ackee is a strange fruit that looks and tastes like scrambled egg. At lunch we had meat pies and breaded fish patties along with the rice and beans and chicken. Supper was all of the above plus goat and fried fish and Festival bread and banana ginger bread. The ladies have worked so hard to feed us well.
The boys at the home were not all able to join in sports and songs today. It was chicken killing day. There was a full work party behind the complex with a long piece of aluminum at a slant about waist high. That is where they stand to pluck the chickens. First the younger boys catch them in the pen then hang them by their feet on a long wire. Then a couple of the older boys take flat boards and bat the chickens to death then chop off their head after their body is still. Of course, most of the CCC youth had never seen butchering before. I had plucked as a child, so I got involved with the work. Josh, the college student from our group killed a chicken and plucked it to experience the task. The worship team came down and we all sang as we worked. Although cruel, I was amused when one boy killed a chicken with his bare hands and tore the head off. The school mother was shocked, but one of the boys laughed and said "He just show off". when I commented that the chicken killing made me think of a bizarre form of pinata, one of the boys grinned and said "we broke a pinata in 6th grade when we learned about Mexico. It was filled with sweets". That told me their schooling is pretty broad and rich.
We stayed at the killing table the whole 2 hours we were there. The men and older boys from our group hung the new basketball hoop and painted lines on the court. It looks really good. The rest are visiting with boys and praying with them. Bev and I helped hang sheets up and there is one last soccer game before we had to say good-bye.
Our last visit to the infirmary will always stay with me. I went alone and tried to see every person awake in every room, but was unable to get to everyone. Samuel was taken to the hospital that morning, which was an answer to prayer. Keith made me promise to give him a kiss before I left. Roy and Cavan's door is bolted closed. the nurse said one of the men in there is causing trouble and they don't want him to get out. I wonder why they aren't worried about him harming the other frail men in there! she unbolted the door and said just to not let that man come to me and to bolt the door when I leave. Well, as soon as I put lotion onto Roy's hand the trouble maker starts toward me from across the room. He's smiling and asking for some. So I squeeze some into his hand and rub Roy's hands more rapidly than I want to. Before I'm done the man comes to me again and wants more lotion. This time I accidently squeeze too much into his hand and he starts rubbing it into his hair, and all over. I warn him not to get it into his eyes. Then I kneel down with Cavan and touch his crippled hands once more. He gives me that child-like smile in thanks and love. Then I have to leave them forever without being able to pray over them.
I wish I could describe each and every person here who I had the honor to meet. By now Lola is leading songs and the kids and Dr. Gerry are praying and reading the Bible to as many as possible. I realize the women's minds are diseased and with the men it's their body that disintegrates. Most of the people stay in the same place every day if outside - and those in the beds don't seem to ever be turned or sat up. Lord, have mercy on them. The last person I get to pray with is Larick. I have been holding a hand and speaking directly into one of each person's ear so they can hear the prayer. When I get done praying with Larick he is sobbing and saying "I have to hang on to God. I have to hang on to God." We both cry and I assure him and myself that this suffering is only temporary and all of us believers will be in Heaven with bodies that aren't broken and in a life much much more glorious than we can imagine.
After supper we have a wonderful worship service at Port Antonio Baptist. It was our good-bye with the locals. Lots of singing and a time to mingle before heading back to the hotel once more. We stayed up a little later to enjoy the last of our time here.
Wednesday is our day of play. We rode 2 hours to Ocho Rios where we have 3 hours at Dunn's River Falls. It is white skin territory - tourists everywhere. It feels like entering an American tourist attraction. We put on water shoes and walk down stairs to the beach. When Bev and I look up we see 1/2 mile of rock formation with water rushing at us! People by the hundreds are holding hands to keep each other from falling and to help each other up. I'm not good a heights nor climbing, so this doesn't look very possible. But thanks for those hands and to some of our men helping from "behind" Bev and I made it about 1/3 of the way before exiting. If I were younger I would have loved trying to make the climb all of the way up. Instead, Bev and I get our hair braided - I chose Boise State colors - just to do something wild and crazy. I hope the corn rows on an old white woman's head might help start conversations to let me talk to others about this trip and about the Lord.
From the falls we go back into Ocho Rios and shop for 3 hours. Jamaicans should lead the world in two things: formula racing and sales. I had no idea how aggressive Jamaican stall owners are! I buy things I really don't want, but I do get better at dickering. One CCC youth said he just announced "I'm buying bracelets, who can give me the best deal". He was surrounded by sellers trying to outbid each other :-) We have a couple of tropical downpours while shopping, but the wam rain feels great. I'll miss that, but not the sweating. Bev and I grab lunch before heading back to the bus. We hear later that just across from where we had been shopping a man had been attacked wiht a machete.
As in all cultures there are those you don't want to be alone with, and there are those who are a joy to meet. I can say that every Jamaican that I visited with at lengh was the latter.
Now for the final blessing: our night in Paradise. Moxey's east of Ocho Rios is everything you see in the movies. Most rooms had a veranda that looked down into the beautiful sea. I cannot describe what it was like to float in the Caribbean. I cried silently because I wish Steve was there at that moment with me, but i knew he was in real Heaven while I experienced heaven on Earth for a couple of hours. We then dressed and met for a wonderful time of reflection and worship by the Sea. We watched local boys play water ball, bats fly around, lightning bugs, and listened to whistling frogs fill the night air. We were treated to one last Jamaican dinner on the veranda with full table settings and formal waiters. What a contrast from where we had been all week! I had intentions of sipping a drink by the pool, but the kids beat me to it and were spashing and goofing off. So I and Shona sat on the cushions and watched the full moon and just soaked in the feeling of luxury.
Thursday morning we had to leave by 6 am. I was up at 5 to watch the sunrise. How glorious! The 2 hours to Montego were uneventful and many are sleeping. Our flight to JFK is late and we can't see how we will make the connecting flight, but God intervened and our flight out to Seattle was delayed. Our 2 hour delay became 4, but if you pretend to be on Jamaican Time, it's all good. Including packing, bus, and flights it takes 24 hours each way, but worth it.
Ian met me in Seattle at 2:30 am and let me crash at his Arlington home. He got the honor of taking me back the next morning at 6 am for me to fly into Boise. There I joined Caleb and Steve's sister, Marilynn and her husband, Dave Koelsh to celebrate Steve's mom's 82nd birthday with a dinner at the Ram. Sunday was Steve's 55th birthday. I am so thankful I was with family and loved ones to get through it. We had a wonderful worship hour at Caleb's church then Marilynn, Dave and I set across southern Idaho for Idaho Falls. My next plans are to drive with her to Butte, MT tomorrow to see my brother Rob, and his wife Trina for a couple of days. Then Saturday I get to fly to Seattle and ride with Ian to Vancouver. Caleb and family get to spend the week with all of us.
I am so blessed that I can't begin to thank God for everything. Thank you for reading this long and detailed journal of my memories. Please pray for these friends I have mentioned who are in hard conditions. Pray the Lord sends His peace and mercy and that we all walk with Jesus in this life until we are released into our promised life in His presence.
In Jesus' arms of love,Penny
July 22 – 29 Columbia Community Church group of 25
I packed up my beautiful home in College Place, WA on Monday, July 19th – my 54th birthday – and left for Larissa and James’ sweet home in Vancouver, WA the next day. On Wednesday I drove to Edmonds where I spent the day and night with my good friend, Leota Robertson, who lost her dear husband, Herb 3 months ago. We had a wonderful visit and were able to share the tears only widows understand. Thursday I drove to our old neighborhood in Arlington and spent the day with our cherished friends, Ernie and Terry Baus. I have to confess as time drew closer to leave for the mission trip, the less I wanted to go. I have ten thousand things to do – including getting a job – but God’s hand was in this, even on planning to have myself so committed financially and geographically that I couldn’t back out.
I can’t even try to count all of the blessings in my path this last week, but the first one was allowing me and the Bauses to get lost so close to the airport that we could almost see it! By the time we got there we were laughing hard, which eased my anxiety so much. The CCC group was already checked in and waiting patiently for me. I will say right now that between my lack of "promptness genes" and my low level of pushiness, this dear group of people spent a week knowing Penny would be "bringing up the rear". We had time at the gate for my bestest friend, Bev Thrasher, who had invited me on the trip, to teach us a silly game called "Rake em in, Scum". If you ever need a cute game that is easy here are the rules: One person is President, the one to their left is V.P., the next person is the People, the next one is the Vice Scum, and the last person is the Scum. ( you could probably create more titles if you have more people, of course) All cards are dealt out. The President gives their lowest 3 cards to the Scum, the Scum gives their highest 3 cards to the PRES. The V.P. and the Vice Scum trade 3 cards and any other People don’t trade at all. The President plays first. The object is to play all of your cards out first. As long as you can play a higher card than the one laid, the play continues going around. For example, you can follow a 2 with a 10 if you wish to try to make it harder for the others. If you can’t play you have to pass. The sequence runs from 2 to Ace high. When a sequence is completed, or no one can play a higher card, the President announces "Rake em, Scum", and the Scum removes the card pile. the last one to play gets to start the next sequence. You can play any card as long as it is higher, so the President has the advantage of higher cards. Your next title is determined by the order you play out all cards. First one out is the new President, etc. Sooo, we played this until the plane boarding began.
My seat mates for the flight were Kelly , a fun, sweet youth and Kathy, a reserved and serious but fun loving gal. Kathy and I were seat mates on all 4 flights. The 6 hour trip to NYC’s JFK airport was uneventful except for a toddler who cried louder and longer than I thought a human could! We got to JFK about 6 am Eastern and had just time to run to the potty and find our Delta gate to start loading. We landed at Montego Bay about noon and the first blast of Jamaican heat felt like a sauna! Nurse Bev and Dr. Gerry, our eye doc, were held up at customs about an hour with their tubs of supplies. Finally Jesus intervened and they were let through. I think the customs agent wanted to charge them for tax, thinking they were going to sell the supplies on the black market. One miracle was Bev’s syringes were on the bottom with toys loaded on top, which made the tub much less suspicious.
By 3 pm we finally crammed into a bus and met the 2nd team we would share the week with from Cirrus, CA. Kirk the young youth leader, his wife Beck, and 8 very nice teens. The Praying Pelicans leaders treated us to the Jerk Chicken Café in Montego where we got 2 pieces of chicken and 3 pieces of Festival, which is fried sweet corn bread. The four hour bus trip was amazing! Imagine the main highway with no straight areas longer than ½ mile for 200 miles that is no wider than a country road! Now imagine everyone going about 60 mph (80 kph) and passing even with oncoming traffic! Horns are used to give "all clear" and help each other out. No anger, and not one serious accident did we see all week on the roads. And pedestrians, dogs and goats are part of this fantastic mix of speed and curves and near collisions.
We arrived into little Port Antonio ( I estimate about 5,000 population), Portland Parish about 7 pm. A parish is like a state. After almost 24 hours of travel, my feet were swollen, and still are as I write this after the return trip! We were greeted by Sister Joy, young Pastor Grant, and a sweet 19 year old named Terry Ann. She lead us in some Jamaican worship songs that are great! At the moment the words" Lord, let it rain, rain rain" were sang, a torrential rain and thunder storm started! We knew God was welcoming us to Jamaica.
The church ladies fed us for 8 meals! Always smiles. Rice and "peas" which are really kidney beans, BBQ sauce, and some kind of chicken ( bbq, fried, jerk) every meal with produce that is in season ( watermelon called pumpkin, pineapple, cabbage, onion, and peppers). Some meals included battered "sea trout" which looked very much like carp to me. They provided juices and some sodas with wonderful ice at each dinner and supper.
After the meal we met in the church’s sanctuary for some worship and orientation from Emily, Dan, and Amy, our Praying Pelican hosts. The CA group’s 3 day assignment was to run a VBS program in a church Pastor Grant is also minister of that is about 15 miles east and in the afternoons they are helping to rebuild a porch on an old lady’s home. We only saw their group at breakfast and in the evenings.
I need to mention homes right now. In Montego Bay we say huge plantations and massive hotels, good roads and few loiterers. The farther we got from the big city, the poorer all conditions got. At Port Antonio and places beyond, many homes are one room that is a combination of aluminum sheets and scraps of wood. Everyone has painted their house with bright colors though. Most have no outhouse or electricity. Our hotel in Antonio, the Tim Bamboo, was as clean as possible and met our needs nicely. Some rooms had no A/C and sometimes there was no cold water, and we were asked not to flush more than needed. But after seeing the shanties, it was very nice. Bev and I shared a queen bed and Kathy had a single. Bev would strip naked as soon as we returned to our room, and I’d at least keep my undies on to try to get some relief from the heat and humidity. Kathy kept her head down a lot. :-) Each morning the hotel breakfast was scrambled eggs and pancakes with juice. The first day there was tea or instant coffee. But Emily got coffee served every following morning.
Our groups morning assignment was to visit a boy’s home that is about 40 miles from Port A. The road to the home is only ½ mile off the highway, but it’s just gravel and the bus could barely climb the hill. When we first got out of the bus we heard giggling and silly sounds, but could not see any of the boys. As we approached the main building they were all on the steps hugging us as we went past. We saw them drag a teen boy wearing diapers out of the room quickly, so we knew there were some very disabled boys there who we never got to visit. The ages are 8 to 18. Some orphans, some delinquents, some desserted. A few of our teen girls were greeted with boys touching their boobs! Needless to say the next visits the boys were sternly informed that was not appropriate. We gathered in a room the size of a living room with open air windows. It was their eating area. The worship team got out their guitars, tambourines and egg rattlers and started to sing worship songs. In no time the bongos and other rhythm instruments were taken over by the boy’s wonderful reggae rhythm. Lynnette, our worship lady spent all 3 days in this sweltering room with the boys who loved music. The house mother brought out the school’s electric keyboard. We were impresswed with one boy could play any song by ear! Such talent we saw there.
I wandered into the next room and found a teen reading a book. I sat down and met Ejay who had lived in Florida until his mom had left him in Jamaica with an aunt and abusive cousin who took him to the home one day and left him. He has hopes his mom will some day come and get him. But he had done something wrong and was waiting trial. He only has one more year of school. I wish I could bring him here for college! After about an hour of singing the healthier boys went outside and played soccer "football" with some of our group. One boy is so tall and athletic that we commented we thought he could get to college on a scholarship. The teens really connected quickly and time flew.
After another long and crowded and bumpy and crazy bus ride and lunch at the church we divided into two groups. One group was to help build a house and our was to visit the local Infirmary, or nursing home. I was in that group and that was where my reason for coming was waiting for me … Let me say that Jamaica is a beautiful country with beautiful dark skinned people. Work ethic and sexual monogamy are rare. But the government does provide for the elderly ( and for the boys home ) who have no one to care for them. That is who we met. I guess there were about 100 residents here and 20 care takers. Bev pointed out they were not care givers, though. The complex has 6 dorms with a common covered walkway between them. The blind, mentally damaged, and crippled are usually left in bed and the amputees are usually sitting in their wheelchairs all day.
The head nurse directed Dr. Gerry, Nurse Bev, and myself to the second dorm first. Gerry was to hand out reading glasses and Bev was to trim nails. I was Bev’s assistant. Well, our first "patient" became my favorite! Keith is a 6’6" Jamaican wearing a hemp necklace, few teeth, and a smile as wide as Texas. He sits up and Gerry asks him if he could use some new glasses. We notice Ketih’s eyes are shut, but he tells Gerry that "yah Mon. I’m a little near sighted though". As Gerry starts digging into his sack, the nurse walks over and says "He’s totally blind". Keith just grins and stole my heart at that moment. Gerry moved on with Charlotte, another wonderful gal from the CCC, to hand out glasses to people who can actually still see while Bev and I start to work on Keith’s long toenails. While waiting to assist Bev, I ask if I can use some of her lotions to massage his hands. When I ask Keith if he would like a hand rub, he replied "Yah Mom" . It had been 9 months since I last held Steve’s hands, and the moment I touched Keith’s hand to rub the lotion on, I started crying, because I heard Jesus say "this is why you are here".
After his hands I washed his legs and feet and rubbed them. Bev and I could see he would soon lose his long legs to diabetes as he had lost his sight, but he said it felt good. Bev moved on to others and I continued to meet people and massage their hands. Those with no hands got their feet rubbed. Jamaicans introduce themself by their Surname first, so it took me a while to realize I was calling them by their last name. I fell in love with each one! I met Thomas, no legs but the flirt of the wheelchair gang. Allan, no legs and losing his sight, but very distinguised even in this condition. He explained that it was "the suga" that took his legs. Samuel, no legs, one arm left and it only had the thumb and pinky left! Lola, the most regal, tall woman you’ve ever seen who went from not talking, to laying her head on my shoulder and by day 3 teaching us songs! Some were shy at first, some motioned for me to come to them next.
I met about 20 broken, lonely people that day. Always there were others at a distance who were so grotesque that I assumed they had no idea we were even there. How wrong I was! Bev’s last feet of the day were Tilda’s, an 80-something lady’s feet whose nails have not been cut in years! Her big toe nails were curled and so long that they were growing into her other toes! The security man who worked there actually said he was putting her feet onto You tube!
We arrived at the church for dinner then we debriefed as a whole team and sang songs in the hotel’s large dining hall where all guests could hear us. I fell asleep as soon as I laid down!
Sunday was a very unique day. We put on our dress clothes and rode about 20 miles to a Baptist church annual gathering of about 8 parish churches. The church could hold about 200 people and we arrived when all seats were taken. People immediately gave their seats up for us! Then the host pastor asked all men to give up their seat for women and children. It was sweltering in there! There were a few rain storms with thunder which was easing the heat, but they closed the windows to hear better! The communion alone took an hour – the best part was hearing them sing and seeing them dance in worship! Otherwise the 3 hour service was very serious.
It was announced that after 45 minutes the afternoon singing would start. Well, Jamaican time made that 90 minutes. We were served their special fish soup first. It reminded me of fishy egg drop soup, but when I discovered I had many large skeletal bones in my cup, I sipped the broth only and then we each strategically released the solid contents over the church’s outside platform into the jungle below. And the meal was – you guessed it – rice and "peas" and jerk chicken.
The song fest was replacing the annual business meeting just because of our visit. There were little girls who quoted scripture, youth groups that danced to music, ladies who sang loudly out of tune, and Terry Ann who out sang them all. Of course the CA group and the CCC worship team proved that we have no rhythm and that no one there knows our modern worship songs. But they applauded with love and pity anyway. I wish everyone could see Jamican elderly women in their white hats and fancy dresses get up and dance during a fast song. What a sight!
We arrived back at Port A. in time to take an hour walk. Even as a group some of the town men are quite bold and intimidating. Chris, one of the CCC men made it his duty to always walk behind us ladies for protection. We wish Jamaicans had the pride to pick up their litter and try to keep their markets clean. We wanted to shop there, but it is just too dirty and threatening. They even have people in uniform in each town Tourism Assistance Corp, to protect us if needed.
After supper we had worship with the youth and there were testimonies shared and some great worship. Back at the hotel we had a training session lead by Emily on how to start a conversation to meet people that will allow us to talk about the Lord. Then the CCC group met in the nicer, larger apartment part of the hotel where 8 of our gals are staying and we had a devotional before bed.
Monday our treat was to have lunch and dinner be American fare. Jamaican spaghetti and meat pies and potato salad are just not the same, but it was sweet of the ladies to attempt them. This was our hottest day. At the boy’s home I helped the ladies sweep their food preparation area, visited with Yvette, the laundry lady, and then helped pull weeds from a foundation to make a basketball court for the boys. I have never sweat like that in my life! No rain today and not even a breeze. I was sure someone would get sick with sun exhaustion- but only a few headaches. Some kids are getting to know the boys well and are intentionally finding more out about them.
After lunch I started my rounds of massages at the infirmary, but this time I started in the first dorm and met new people. I needed more time because there was one dorm I never even got to in all 3 days! Today some youth and Dr. Gerry are also giving massages! Remember those broken bodies that I presumed had no idea we were even there? Well, they knew it alright. I soon discovered that unless they were asleep, every person in every condition could respond in some way to touch. I met Clarence who was angry because after his leg was amputated he was expecting to return home to his daughter, instead of here. I met Joshua, a tall fisherman who had a stroke that destroyed the whole left side of his body. I met young Paul who looks like he has never spoken or walked in his life, but has the most beautiful smile you’ve ever seen. I met Cevan, a man with few teeth, unable to talk, wears a diaper, and pushes himself with his deformed hands. He actually forced himself to his knees and looked like he wanted to give me something from his pillow case that holds all of his possessions! But his attempt to say "thank you" was my gift. There was Milton, who if he was answering my questions right, is only 25 and was hit by a car. He loves to talk loudly and say silly things like "bikini" and "boom boom ride in Jamaica". But ask me to see my video clip of him singing "this Is My Story"! I was getting ready to go and Milton had used his crippled arms to scoot himself from his dorm floor out about 100 feet to see us once more. When I asked him if he was still telling stories, he started singing that song! I met Larick Pinnock ( I know because he spelled it out for me) who was "a manly man" who doesn’t wear lotion, but he will hug a woman with lotion on. :-)
There were 2 women there who were blind and possibly deaf also from birth. They just sit all day and eliminate anywhere they wish. There are bodies that just have mosquito netting over them and look like they are barely alive. But the most shocking discovery today was to find Samuel in a bed with just a shirt on. When I walked into his dorm I was embarrassed for him to be so exposed, so I turned my back and was massaging the hands of another man, Levi when the attendant came in and asked me to look at Samuel. I asked if he wanted me to leave while he put some clothes on him first. "No, look at Samuel". He proceeded to tell me how terrible he feels because the day before he had poured Samuel’s hot tea and with only 2 fingers on his one arm, he spilled it down his front and now has huge 2nd and 3rd degree burns on his torso! No pain meds, no bandage, no sanitation, and no way to move his body for comfort! When I went to pray for him, Samuel insisted on sitting up for prayer. I never imagined I’d ever be helping a naked stump of a human to sit up for prayer! Oh, how I asked Jesus to give him relief from pain, and to give him a special blessing in Heaven for all of his suffering. Before I left, Samuel had me hand him his urinal bowl and when he was done, asked me to empty the bowl. How I wish I could have eased his suffering!
We were all very tired after dinner. Our dinner tonight included also curry goat. Out of respect I tried it, but it won't be my favorite. Tuesday is our last day of mission work. All meals today were traditional Jamaican. Breakfast included the national dish: salted fish in ackee. Ackee is a strange fruit that looks and tastes like scrambled egg. At lunch we had meat pies and breaded fish patties along with the rice and beans and chicken. Supper was all of the above plus goat and fried fish and Festival bread and banana ginger bread. The ladies have worked so hard to feed us well.
The boys at the home were not all able to join in sports and songs today. It was chicken killing day. There was a full work party behind the complex with a long piece of aluminum at a slant about waist high. That is where they stand to pluck the chickens. First the younger boys catch them in the pen then hang them by their feet on a long wire. Then a couple of the older boys take flat boards and bat the chickens to death then chop off their head after their body is still. Of course, most of the CCC youth had never seen butchering before. I had plucked as a child, so I got involved with the work. Josh, the college student from our group killed a chicken and plucked it to experience the task. The worship team came down and we all sang as we worked. Although cruel, I was amused when one boy killed a chicken with his bare hands and tore the head off. The school mother was shocked, but one of the boys laughed and said "He just show off". when I commented that the chicken killing made me think of a bizarre form of pinata, one of the boys grinned and said "we broke a pinata in 6th grade when we learned about Mexico. It was filled with sweets". That told me their schooling is pretty broad and rich.
We stayed at the killing table the whole 2 hours we were there. The men and older boys from our group hung the new basketball hoop and painted lines on the court. It looks really good. The rest are visiting with boys and praying with them. Bev and I helped hang sheets up and there is one last soccer game before we had to say good-bye.
Our last visit to the infirmary will always stay with me. I went alone and tried to see every person awake in every room, but was unable to get to everyone. Samuel was taken to the hospital that morning, which was an answer to prayer. Keith made me promise to give him a kiss before I left. Roy and Cavan's door is bolted closed. the nurse said one of the men in there is causing trouble and they don't want him to get out. I wonder why they aren't worried about him harming the other frail men in there! she unbolted the door and said just to not let that man come to me and to bolt the door when I leave. Well, as soon as I put lotion onto Roy's hand the trouble maker starts toward me from across the room. He's smiling and asking for some. So I squeeze some into his hand and rub Roy's hands more rapidly than I want to. Before I'm done the man comes to me again and wants more lotion. This time I accidently squeeze too much into his hand and he starts rubbing it into his hair, and all over. I warn him not to get it into his eyes. Then I kneel down with Cavan and touch his crippled hands once more. He gives me that child-like smile in thanks and love. Then I have to leave them forever without being able to pray over them.
I wish I could describe each and every person here who I had the honor to meet. By now Lola is leading songs and the kids and Dr. Gerry are praying and reading the Bible to as many as possible. I realize the women's minds are diseased and with the men it's their body that disintegrates. Most of the people stay in the same place every day if outside - and those in the beds don't seem to ever be turned or sat up. Lord, have mercy on them. The last person I get to pray with is Larick. I have been holding a hand and speaking directly into one of each person's ear so they can hear the prayer. When I get done praying with Larick he is sobbing and saying "I have to hang on to God. I have to hang on to God." We both cry and I assure him and myself that this suffering is only temporary and all of us believers will be in Heaven with bodies that aren't broken and in a life much much more glorious than we can imagine.
After supper we have a wonderful worship service at Port Antonio Baptist. It was our good-bye with the locals. Lots of singing and a time to mingle before heading back to the hotel once more. We stayed up a little later to enjoy the last of our time here.
Wednesday is our day of play. We rode 2 hours to Ocho Rios where we have 3 hours at Dunn's River Falls. It is white skin territory - tourists everywhere. It feels like entering an American tourist attraction. We put on water shoes and walk down stairs to the beach. When Bev and I look up we see 1/2 mile of rock formation with water rushing at us! People by the hundreds are holding hands to keep each other from falling and to help each other up. I'm not good a heights nor climbing, so this doesn't look very possible. But thanks for those hands and to some of our men helping from "behind" Bev and I made it about 1/3 of the way before exiting. If I were younger I would have loved trying to make the climb all of the way up. Instead, Bev and I get our hair braided - I chose Boise State colors - just to do something wild and crazy. I hope the corn rows on an old white woman's head might help start conversations to let me talk to others about this trip and about the Lord.
From the falls we go back into Ocho Rios and shop for 3 hours. Jamaicans should lead the world in two things: formula racing and sales. I had no idea how aggressive Jamaican stall owners are! I buy things I really don't want, but I do get better at dickering. One CCC youth said he just announced "I'm buying bracelets, who can give me the best deal". He was surrounded by sellers trying to outbid each other :-) We have a couple of tropical downpours while shopping, but the wam rain feels great. I'll miss that, but not the sweating. Bev and I grab lunch before heading back to the bus. We hear later that just across from where we had been shopping a man had been attacked wiht a machete.
As in all cultures there are those you don't want to be alone with, and there are those who are a joy to meet. I can say that every Jamaican that I visited with at lengh was the latter.
Now for the final blessing: our night in Paradise. Moxey's east of Ocho Rios is everything you see in the movies. Most rooms had a veranda that looked down into the beautiful sea. I cannot describe what it was like to float in the Caribbean. I cried silently because I wish Steve was there at that moment with me, but i knew he was in real Heaven while I experienced heaven on Earth for a couple of hours. We then dressed and met for a wonderful time of reflection and worship by the Sea. We watched local boys play water ball, bats fly around, lightning bugs, and listened to whistling frogs fill the night air. We were treated to one last Jamaican dinner on the veranda with full table settings and formal waiters. What a contrast from where we had been all week! I had intentions of sipping a drink by the pool, but the kids beat me to it and were spashing and goofing off. So I and Shona sat on the cushions and watched the full moon and just soaked in the feeling of luxury.
Thursday morning we had to leave by 6 am. I was up at 5 to watch the sunrise. How glorious! The 2 hours to Montego were uneventful and many are sleeping. Our flight to JFK is late and we can't see how we will make the connecting flight, but God intervened and our flight out to Seattle was delayed. Our 2 hour delay became 4, but if you pretend to be on Jamaican Time, it's all good. Including packing, bus, and flights it takes 24 hours each way, but worth it.
Ian met me in Seattle at 2:30 am and let me crash at his Arlington home. He got the honor of taking me back the next morning at 6 am for me to fly into Boise. There I joined Caleb and Steve's sister, Marilynn and her husband, Dave Koelsh to celebrate Steve's mom's 82nd birthday with a dinner at the Ram. Sunday was Steve's 55th birthday. I am so thankful I was with family and loved ones to get through it. We had a wonderful worship hour at Caleb's church then Marilynn, Dave and I set across southern Idaho for Idaho Falls. My next plans are to drive with her to Butte, MT tomorrow to see my brother Rob, and his wife Trina for a couple of days. Then Saturday I get to fly to Seattle and ride with Ian to Vancouver. Caleb and family get to spend the week with all of us.
I am so blessed that I can't begin to thank God for everything. Thank you for reading this long and detailed journal of my memories. Please pray for these friends I have mentioned who are in hard conditions. Pray the Lord sends His peace and mercy and that we all walk with Jesus in this life until we are released into our promised life in His presence.
In Jesus' arms of love,Penny
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