Tonight we are preparing for our return to Phx.
We have had an amazing trip and it will be bitter sweet to leave this amazing place.
Today we went snorkeling and had the blessing of taking one of the kids from VBS along with us. We were all excited to have the opportunity to share that experience with the young boy. VBS was an amazing time and we finished the week with 105 students!
We look forward to seeing our friends and family when we return.
Pray for safe travels!
One Love!
Friday, July 15, 2011
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
puppets, shopping and car rides.
today was a nice third day of vbs. the theme for today was that "God watches over you," the little kiddos respond, "thank you God!" everyday we have had a little phrase like that that we say and that they respond with their "thank you God!" it's really sweet to hear that phrase even though it's pretty much mandatory for them to say, its nice to be able to hear them thank God, especially when they can say it on their own without us asking for them to say it again. i do puppets in the drama section and my arms get tired really fast after like the 2nd round of kiddos passin through. its funny to see the little ones watch the puppets with their large mouths open so wide and the kids faces watch in awe. not gonna lie, when they put their little fingers up to touch the puppet i do kinda snap at them with the puppet and watch them laugh.
so today was a nice day with our theme and our team. the team is doing well, after vbs and having some amazing "tastees" (these little taco looking, enclosed sandwiches)we all went shopping. its funny, the jamaican shops all pretty much look the same inside and they are all selling the same things. one would expect shops to look different with different merchandise, not the case here. i went into one shop and i saw a lot of green, yellow, black and red hats with some shirts, candle holders, shot glasses and swim suits. i leave that shop, go into another and see the exact same merchandise. however, i loved the walk all of the honking horns kinda annoyed me. its funny, our driver, mikey, he'll honk to random drivers in other cars passing by! i asked him once, "hey mike, why do you honk at them? they aren't swerving or anything, what's the deal?" mikey goes, "yeah, i know them." i couldn't believe that, how did he recognize someone in another car and feel the urge to honk without alerting other drivers. in america if we were to honk at someone that we knew, we would most likely get those famous rude comments from the other cars.
all in all, it has been a fantastic trip so far. i can tell you of all of the funny times with all of the team members and all of the laughs we have shared, but that would be too many small stories for this blog and are better in person for sure. God has definitely been working in the vbs and in our team. keep us in your prayers as we wrap up the week! God be with you!
signin off,
maggie.
so today was a nice day with our theme and our team. the team is doing well, after vbs and having some amazing "tastees" (these little taco looking, enclosed sandwiches)we all went shopping. its funny, the jamaican shops all pretty much look the same inside and they are all selling the same things. one would expect shops to look different with different merchandise, not the case here. i went into one shop and i saw a lot of green, yellow, black and red hats with some shirts, candle holders, shot glasses and swim suits. i leave that shop, go into another and see the exact same merchandise. however, i loved the walk all of the honking horns kinda annoyed me. its funny, our driver, mikey, he'll honk to random drivers in other cars passing by! i asked him once, "hey mike, why do you honk at them? they aren't swerving or anything, what's the deal?" mikey goes, "yeah, i know them." i couldn't believe that, how did he recognize someone in another car and feel the urge to honk without alerting other drivers. in america if we were to honk at someone that we knew, we would most likely get those famous rude comments from the other cars.
all in all, it has been a fantastic trip so far. i can tell you of all of the funny times with all of the team members and all of the laughs we have shared, but that would be too many small stories for this blog and are better in person for sure. God has definitely been working in the vbs and in our team. keep us in your prayers as we wrap up the week! God be with you!
signin off,
maggie.
Yesterday we had a full day form vbs to robins nest! The high light of my day was seeing my dad interact with all the kids at Robins nest. This is my 3rd time at Robins nest but my first time on a missions with my dad. It was fun to play with the kids we knew from last year and to meet knew kids. Robins nest has been growing over the last 3 years and the family that has been running it is doing a great job. Please continue to pray for the kids at Robins nest and for the family that runs it because there is always a lot of work to be done. It has been awesome to work along side my family and our team for Gods glory and I cant wait to see how God will use us in the days to come!
Monday, July 11, 2011
Great first Day
We had a great first day! We were blessed with 48 kids at VBS this morning and then had the opportunity to serve at a Bible College in the afternoon. "I really enjoyed evangelism corner using real life examples of Christ's Love from Larissa," Melanie Contreras (Jamaica first-timer).
We look forward to another great day on Tuesday. We will be visiting Robin's Nest orphanage. That is always a moving and difficult visit for the team. Pray that God will use us and stretch us tomorrow.
We look forward to another great day on Tuesday. We will be visiting Robin's Nest orphanage. That is always a moving and difficult visit for the team. Pray that God will use us and stretch us tomorrow.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Church Day
Hey Everyone!
Hope you all are having a wonderful day! I know that we are. This morning we got up and went church all together in one big van/bus thing. It was comfy and cozy with some good air conditioning.
When we got to the church it was such a great feeling! Right away we started meeting people. To some it was great seeing old friends from last year. We set up in a room with a lot white chairs and spread out so we weren't together as one big group. The people were very friendly. At one point during the begining they had a song going and we all went around and welcomed each other and introduced ourselves. I have never seen so many warm smiling faces.
Everyone broke up into groups based on ages and we went into whatever group we wanted. There were little kids, older kids, and adults. After we broke up for a short time and did a Bible leson we all gathered back together as one big group and had a service. There was a lot of worship and hyms that were sung. A few people from our team at one point also lead a few songs of worship (J.D., Amy & Jessica). The pastor also gave a great message on II Samuel chapter 13.
We are about to go eat some great lunch and then go off and do some VBS orientation for the week.
Please keep us all in your prayers and esp. Courtney who is not feeling well!
Thanks,
The Jamaica Team (Larissa)
Hope you all are having a wonderful day! I know that we are. This morning we got up and went church all together in one big van/bus thing. It was comfy and cozy with some good air conditioning.
When we got to the church it was such a great feeling! Right away we started meeting people. To some it was great seeing old friends from last year. We set up in a room with a lot white chairs and spread out so we weren't together as one big group. The people were very friendly. At one point during the begining they had a song going and we all went around and welcomed each other and introduced ourselves. I have never seen so many warm smiling faces.
Everyone broke up into groups based on ages and we went into whatever group we wanted. There were little kids, older kids, and adults. After we broke up for a short time and did a Bible leson we all gathered back together as one big group and had a service. There was a lot of worship and hyms that were sung. A few people from our team at one point also lead a few songs of worship (J.D., Amy & Jessica). The pastor also gave a great message on II Samuel chapter 13.
We are about to go eat some great lunch and then go off and do some VBS orientation for the week.
Please keep us all in your prayers and esp. Courtney who is not feeling well!
Thanks,
The Jamaica Team (Larissa)
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Falls and Thrills
Today the team took time to visit Dunn's River Falls and Glistening Waters. The falls are always a refreshing time and fun.
After that we visited Glistening Waters, this is an amazing lagoon where the ocean meets fresh water from a river and causes an organism to grow in the water. When agitated the water lights up from the organism. The water lights up and then dims to nothing again. Rich recognized this is like when Moses entered in the presence of God, his face would shine from God's glory and then fade over time. However, the glow of the water is so enticing that once it dims, we would move around more to make it shine more. Then we would move faster and more to keep the light shining as much as possible. We hope that this week we are able to see God's light shining through us as we try to move for Him. We hope that we don't just move while we're here, but that as we return home we will be enticed to move more and greater so that His light may shine brighter just as in the water. When Moses returned from God's presence his face would shine so bright that startled the Israelites. What if we could shine such light that it startled central Phoenix?
I think we can.
One Love
After that we visited Glistening Waters, this is an amazing lagoon where the ocean meets fresh water from a river and causes an organism to grow in the water. When agitated the water lights up from the organism. The water lights up and then dims to nothing again. Rich recognized this is like when Moses entered in the presence of God, his face would shine from God's glory and then fade over time. However, the glow of the water is so enticing that once it dims, we would move around more to make it shine more. Then we would move faster and more to keep the light shining as much as possible. We hope that this week we are able to see God's light shining through us as we try to move for Him. We hope that we don't just move while we're here, but that as we return home we will be enticed to move more and greater so that His light may shine brighter just as in the water. When Moses returned from God's presence his face would shine so bright that startled the Israelites. What if we could shine such light that it startled central Phoenix?
I think we can.
One Love
Friday, July 8, 2011
We Have Arrived...
After an arduous journey across the country, the Jamaica Team has arrived in Montego Bay. We are getting settled in to Fairhaven and preparing for tomorrow's adventure at Dunn's River Falls and Glistening Waters. We can't wait to enjoy the food at The Ultimate Jerk! One Love.
Sunday, July 3, 2011
Fly Away
We will be leaving on Thursday July 7th. That means we only have 4 days! Please pray as we prepare for the trip, pack and arrive in Jamaica. Follow our team on our adventures throughout the trip and see what we're experiencing while we're in Montego Bay.
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