8 Jamaican Coins.

Anticipation hung in the air as thickly as freshly brewed coffee. The fatigue of the day was evident by everyone's dropping eyelids yet the excitement of adventure was present in everyone's attitude. The week loomed ahead with countless unknowns.

But, we were back in Jamaica. We were excited & overwhelmed with the goodness of God.

We had just finished our first Jamaican meal when the missionary stood up. He was holding a bag containing Jamaican coins. "I want everyone to take 8 coins from this bag" he said. As the bag made its way around the room, he went on to explain that we each only had 8 days in Jamaica. Alot would take place during those days; both on the worksite, and in our hearts. He said, "These coins are like your days here; after they are spent, you can never get them back."

Each day, I held a different coin in my hand. The days felt full and rich; worth far more than the money value of the coin. It seemed that each day passed more quickly....But, they were days full of the goodness and mercy of my Savior. They were days full of His faithful love, poured upon us over and over. ---

It had been only one year since we had last been in Jamaica. God opened the doors so that our family was able to go together this year, instead of leaving Rosy & Tommy at home. If you would like to read about our trip last year, it can be found in our blog's archives under March 2010.

We went to the Jamaica Deaf Village which is a part of the organization C.C.C.D. The vision & heart of this mission is to evangelize to those who are unable to hear with their physical ears. Without a deaf ministry like this, many of the deaf would be considered "unreached" because they have no way to receive the gospel....more info about it can be found at http://www.cccdjamaica.com/ . Definitely worth clicking on & being inspired by. :)

Pray for this ministry. They are in the midst of church planting, which has not been easy. Satan is trying to prevent the spreading of the gospel to the deaf people.

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A few tid-bits & FAQ about our trip~ Our trip to Jamaica started at 5:30 am & we arrived at the village at 7:00pm that evening. Our time on the plane was actually only a few hours, but we had one lay-over and a 4 hour drive from the Montego Bay airport to the village. It was a day of excitement and anticipation! ---

Once in Jamaica, most of our transportation was on "coasters". ---

Our team included a large part of our church family here in the south, with the addition of a sweet homeschool family we know & a few dear souls from Francesville, IN. ---

Sleeping arrangements; ---

The village water supply is dependent on the rain. ---

The food was prepared for us by 3 sweet cooks within the village. Everything tasted wonderful. There was some unusual Jamaican food, but also quite a lot of familiar things...No, we did not eat dog or goat. ----

Jamaican laundry methods; (no, we did not wash our clothes while in Jamaica, but when we visited one of the deaf schools, we were told this is how all the children wash their clothes.)

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Words are not able to describe the friendships renewed and created both within our work team and with the precious people who live at the village. ---

A few of us girls hosted a small vbs for the children who live at the village. They are such precious little sweeties! ---

Our workdays were fun. :) Some helped with concrete and foundation laying. Many of us girls sanded and painted concrete walls. Some painted their faces as well. :)

My dear mom, along with 3 other ladies helped in the factory located in the village. In the factory, there is a sewing room. A few of the deaf ladies who live in the village work in the sewing room. They sew purses and other adorable tourist items. They brought along some new patterns & project ideas to share with the deaf ladies. ---

The beauty of the country was so refreshing ~ (can you see the banana's in the tree above?) ---

We have been back in the U.S. for over 2 weeks. Somehow, the days over here do not seem to be worth as much as they are in Jamaica. :) But they are.

It is a great blessing to go somewhere far from home & be completely refreshed by a brand new perspective of my own life. As our plane landed back in the "land of the free" I was reminded again; America is a mission field. There are hurting people everywhere in this country.

So many more pictures & stories of different individuals from our trip remain untold. Livy has posted of some of our experiences on her blog. ( living4him-4ever.blogspot.com)

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What manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us!! 1 John 3. So overwhelmed with His great love.