Jamaica ~ ♥

"If our definition of being a Christian is simply to enjoy the privileges of worship, be generous at no expense of ourselves, have a good, easy time surrounded by pleasant friends and by comfortable things, live respectably and at the same time avoid the world's great stress of sin and trouble because it is too much pain to bear it - if this is our definition of Christianity, surely we are a long way from following the steps of Him who trod the way with groans and tears and sobs of anguish for a lost humanity; who sweat, as it were, great drops of blood, who cried out on the unreared cross, 'My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?'

Are we ready to make and live a new discipleship? Are we ready to reconsider our definition of a Christian? What is it to be a Christian?

It is to imitate Jesus. It is to do as He would do. It is to walk in His steps."

(Charles Sheldon; In His Steps.)

Wow --. I am sorry for the lack of posts lately. So much has happened since I last up-dated! :)

First of all, I have been reading this book untitled, In His Steps. I would highly recommend this book to everyone - no matter where you are in life. It is awesome.

The above quote from that book convicted me so much. I know that I personally often simply enjoy the privileges of worship, and think it is enough to be generous at no expense of myself. I am constantly surrounded by pleasant friends and by comfortable things and live respectably.

I have truly never known what it means to live in want. ~

About 2 months ago we received an invitation to go to Jamaica on a short term mission trip. God opened the doors in such an awesome way, that we were able to go ~ we really had no idea about what kind of ministry we were about to become involved in....

There are about 40,000 deaf individuals in Jamaica. Sadly, there is only 3 deaf churches and very little resources for the deaf people. There are many deaf people in Jamaica who have never heard of the love of Jesus, b/c they cannot physically hear. But, God has not forgot them - in fact, quite the opposite!
The Caribbean Christian Centre for the Deaf (CCCD), is a ministry committed to carrying the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ to the deaf of Jamaica! They operate 3 schools where the deaf are taught sign language, the love of Jesus, and vocational training.

After graduating from school though, it isn't easy for the deaf to find fellowship, encouragement, or even a job. God Almighty has given CCCD 100 acres on the island of Jamaica for the purpose of a deaf village - a place for deaf families & singles to live. It is a beautiful place!

Nestled deep in the mountains of Jamaica, this village is soaked with the power of God! It is so evident in the lives of the missionaries, deaf individuals & families, and the constant expansion of the village.

There is only a small number of families currently living at the village, because of the limited amount of living space. So, we were given the opportunity to help construct a new building. We joined a group of about 30 from Indiana and mostly poured concrete.

The building (above - front; below - back) that is currently being constructed.

Every evening, the sunsets were almost unreal. ~ There are presently 7 families & 8 singles living at the village.

The adults of the deaf families are deaf, but their children are not deaf...

So, after working all morning a few of us woman & young girls were given the opportunity to lead a VBS for the children. They are all under the age of 10, and the most adorable things you have probably ever seen. :)

I taught the 2 & 3 year olds with another lady - I am positive we had the cutest class. :)

On the last day of VBS, we took the children to an orphanage about 20 miles from the village. I had never been to an orphanage before and didn't really think ahead about it would be like....and actually it seemed very clean, and children were evidently very cared for.

But it broke my heart. Their little lives have never known the love of a parent or even a family member. They live in a home with 30 other children under the age of 10 and wait for someone to adopt them. As I held a dear little curly haired beauty, I looked around the room, picturing each child in my own house. Then I turned toward the wall so they wouldn't see my tears...


When I was about 6 I went through the "Life isn't fair!" stage. Looking back, I was more blessed than my mind could imagine. I still am.

But at that moment, I felt like a 6 year old again. All I could think was "This isn't fair! How can I have everything I will ever need plus the love of my family when these dear little children do not!"


I wanted to adopt them all.


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Our last full day in Jamaica, we were given off so we choose to visit one of the CCCD deaf schools. We went to the Kingston campus. We got to meet our sponsor child and made so many friendships with the beautiful deaf students!

This little darling especially befriended us... She found her way into our hearts. :)

Only a small group of our team went to the Kingston Deaf School and here we are (above) with just a few of the students. They were so precious!!

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We arrived home Saturday night & had been gone for only a week....none of us were ready to come home.

There are so many stories I could share...so many ways I was encouraged to be more like Jesus ~ but here are a few questions we have been asked since coming home that might interest you;

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What was the food like? CCCD has 3 full-time cooks at the deaf village. They cooked basically all day and the food was very good ~ different, but good. :) My favorite meal was the famous "Jerk Chicken." Everything was spicy to an extent, but it really was not that hot. (I do not deal well with hot food, so I'm not just saying that either... :D)

Where did you stay? We stayed at the village in bedrooms with 4 sets of bunkbeds in them. (The men were in one building & the women in another).

Did they have the same necessities we have? Yes and no. Necessities - yes. We were in no way struggling to survive. :) A few things were hard to get used to (such as no hot water) but eventually they seemed little compared to everything else.

Do the deaf people at the village have jobs? Yes - many of them work off campus, but there is even a factory at the village offering jobs to many of them. In the factory, there is a sewing room 3 of the women presently work in (Mom spent a lot of her time down there, going over patterns with these wonderful ladies) and also a woodworking part... One of the deaf men is an amazing artist, so he has a section of the factory for his work as well. The other people who work on campus oversee the construction the work teams do when we come... :)

Did your whole family go? No, not this time. We want to take everyone next time, but Rosy and Tommy stayed home with some very dear friends.

What was the weather like? We went during their coolest season, so it was in the high 70's/80's....we were soaking in the warm weather while the Jamaicans were freezing in jeans and sweatshirts. :)

Did you interact with the deaf people much? I knew alittle sign language before leaving, but doubled the amount I knew while we were there....so yes and no. It was hard to really get a conversation going, but they loved teaching me signs! One night, they had a "Thank You" evening and "sang" (doing sign language to songs) for us, along with doing (wordless) skits and sharing testimonies. It was so touching! The missionaries know sign language, so they interpreted for us if we ever needed them too as well...

If you have anymore questions you are welcome to ask them in the comment section. :)

Also Livy is posting about Jamaica more detailed on her blog as well....

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One thing that amazed we about those at the Jamaica Deaf Village was their joy for the Lord. They were overflowing. It was beautiful. It made me want to stay there with them and never leave ~

People have asked me what my favorite thing about Jamaica is, and that is so hard to answer!! But, something that I loved about the Christians in Jamaica is the way they worship. When they worship God, they aren't just singing a song by moving their lips. Their entire body is moving. They aren't just singing, "God, You are my shelter from the storm!" They are physically making a picture of a storm & then demonstrating how a shelter will rise up.

I think that it so awesome.

"What is it to be a Christian? It is to imitate Jesus. It is to do as He would do. It is to walk in His steps."

I love how visual the deaf in Jamaica make walking in the steps of Jesus!

Our God Reigns.

-n