Sunday

What an awesome day! We woke up and Heather shared a devotional discussing our different gifts and we had ackee and salt fish for breakfast. We went to St Ann's for church and it was beyond powerful. I warned a few of the team members how long the services can be but most of them are used to a 1 hour service and I was nervous about how they'd handle it. We walked in and were walked up to the second row and all squeezed onto one bench. For anybody who hasn't been there, the seats aren't exactly lazy-boy's. The seat back's are at a 90 degree angle and the next row up is about 2 inches too close for comfort. I'm not saying any of this to complain- I'm painting a picture as to how bad this could have been with a non-flexible team, especially when the service ended up being 3 hours!

The message was from Jeremiah 29:11. Not-so-coincidentally, we've been talking a lot about this verse over the past few days. We talked about apprehension in following what God wants you to do and how that apprehension is okay as long as you're still following the path God has set for you. The church was packed to the seams and on FIRE. It still brings tears to my eyes to see the way the people here surrender in worship. The women in the choir were sobbing, people were brought to their knees and shouting to God. There is such passion and desperation and it makes me truly sad to know that it's so rare to see this in an American church. We have a way of "clocking in" to church on Sundays and even going days without prayer. Why is that? Why is faith an option to some people while it's a priority to others? I've been thinking about this a lot lately and have been questioning my own faith. What does it take to bring us to constant conversation with God? Why is it that a lot of us have to be at rock-bottom in a valley to cry out to God? Just food for thought. I also got to see Richard at church! It's always amazing to run into friends and realize that no matter how much time goes by, you can always pick up right where you left off.

After leaving church I was almost anticipating complaints about the comfort and length of the service. That is the exact opposite of what we had. I heard anything from "I think I fell in love with her, she was on fire!" to "I had chills the entire service...like God was talking directly to me." It was AWESOME. Every person left feeling like the message was directed right at them and the intensity and passion made it that much better! Again, not-so-coincidentally, we went to the infirmary this afternoon and everybody was apprehensive. My dad and brother had been there in the past and had no real excitement in going back. The other four felt like they were stepping way out of their comfort zone. I've never really seen a team skipping with smiles all the way to the infirmary but this group was especially apprehensive in going.

After having bun & cheese for lunch, we got ready to go to the infirmary. Most of the team playing sick (or dead) and it took extra time to get everybody loaded in the bus. When we arrived we prayed and went to see everybody. For anybody that's read my blogs from last summer, the infirmary has gone from my least favorite place in the world to the place that brings me more joy than you can imagine. I walked in and saw Wendy and Lauren and was immediately greeted with hugs. We walked over to the men's ward and Dolores spotted me before I found her and ran across the room for a hug. Donovan was almost in tears and words can't explain how I felt. As strange as it sounds, it was just one more piece of my heart that I got back and it gave me a sense of feeling home. Seeing these people that I love brings tears to my eyes. As we were walking through, "Drinking from my Saucer" started playing and I couldn't help but cry. I'm drinking from my saucer 'cause my cup has overflown was exactly how I was feeling. As I continued to say hello to old friends and make new ones, the team was having an experience of their own. Joey was unbelievable in connecting with the people. Everybody really did an amazing job! After walking around for 10 minutes I could not find Ryan anywhere! I walked around twice and finally heard my name from the courtyard. It was SO good to see him. We talked for a long time and he was more interested than ever in the Bible. I would read and he would ask questions. Dave was awesome in answering Ryan's historical questions and it was really just inspiring to see him continue to grow in faith. Ryan shared more about his family and I realize more and more everyday that he should not be in there. It breaks my heart to walk away knowing that his family lets him stay there- I can't imagine what that does to his self worth.

After the infirmary we had a meeting for everybody to talk about their experience. As usual everybody had a life-changing experience and a blog can't explain how they felt. There was a mix of overwhelming joy, sadness and a desire to do more. We sat on the porch and talked for hours. One of my (many) favorite parts about missions is the relationships that are formed from the conversation that happens when there aren't cell phone's, computers and tv's as distractions. As we were talking we looked out over the ocean and saw a double rainbow. It was another moment sitting here realizing I wish I could stay forever.

We came back to the villa to have an early dinner and I took a long nap. Tomorrow's their first day of work on the house. It's been pouring down rain so we're hoping for some sunshine. It's weird being here and wearing a sweatshirt outside... not quite June & July weather! Gregory's had a bad migraine all day and both Aaron & Gregory have been sick for a few days. They went to bed early and we're hoping they're better tomorrow for work! Please keep them and the team in your prayers.