The Sandy Bay VBS Team after their last day.  I guess the departure was more bitter than sweet.  Check out the bus driver’s music selection though… I think it totally went with the occasional sniffles!

SAM HUDSON

Hey y’all!  I can’t believe the trip is 80% over and I miss American food and my country music.  But I will walk away from Jamaica with a texas-sized heart and an attitude of a servant.  These children have impacted my young life in a way I never thought possible.  Keidi, one of the girls in the village tore at my heart when she wrote me a note telling me how much fun it was singing Mariah Carey and that she wishes her parents could afford for her to visit America.  In the note, she also gave me the only recent picture of her that her parents had.  One thing is for sure, this is my first trip to Jamaica, but it will certainly not be the last.

AMANDA SLEDZ

Today was such a fun day!  I loved seeing the smiling faces on the kids when we got off the bus, it was pure joy!  When we left there it was really hard though.  I never thought it would be so hard to say good bye, but it was.  We all got pretty emotional when we left but it was all worth it.  My heart is definitely broken for these kids and I love them so much. 

ALLISON ORF

Hey guys!  I miss everyone so much!  Today was our last day at VBS.  We all can say that it was pretty hard to say good bye to all the kids we bonded with.   One little boy asked me to go home with him and didn’t seem to understand why I couldn’t.  Well, I gotta keep it short so bye and I will see you guys soon!

MANDY MELLEMA

I miss you all much too much.  I not only feel more of a love for all these people here in Jamaica but my eyes have really been opened to how much I really miss you.  The great joy that these children have when we smile and wave at them is tremendous.  You can literally feel the love that they have for all of us, it’s truly amazing. 

MICHELLE SHIMROCK

Thanks to everyone for all the comments.  They’ve been really great to listen to.  Also, thanks for the prayers.  This trip has been great.  Even as it comes to a close God is showing me new things.  I’m so glad I’ve had the chance to come show the Jamaicans Jesus’ love.

TIM SUBA

Hello everyone in my family who has not left the Subas a message.  This has been another exciting week in Jamaica.  The work team is where I was again and we worked with a lot of cement, that’s right Uncle John if you’re reading this.  I still can’t get away from making concrete.  Love you all and miss you.  (Oh yeah, there was no trench digging to get me out of the concrete making!)

REBECCA SKLEDAR

Today was the last day of VBS.  It was heartbreaking to leave the kids, but I know I left a part of me with them and maybe I will have a chance to see them again.  I’m coming back changed and pray I will never go back to my old self.   P.S. Hope you guys are having fun without me at the family reunion. 

RYAN PIERCE

I’m having an amazing time in Jamaica.  Can’t wait to tell all of you about it.  Today (Monday) was our last day of VBS.  See you guys on Wednesday.

LANIE STEIGNER

I miss you all!  This has really been a trip to remember.  Mom, I got lots of pictures and know most of the kids names.  Can’t wait to see you all.  Oh yeah, Derek BURN CHARLIE. 

RACHEL SHIMROCK

Hello everyone.  Thank you all so much for all of your thoughts and prayers.  They have been such a great encouragement to us all.  God has been working in some amazing ways, and I can’t wait to be able to share what He has done here with you.  To my family, I love and miss you all so much.  Please continue to pray that God will continue to work through us as we wrap up our time in Jamaica.  Thanks again for all of your support. 

MACKENZIE MCCREARY

I know you haven’t heard much from me, but I wanted to tell you the kids have changed me.  I have showed them the love of God.  I know they will be forever changed, I know I am.  I love you guys and miss you (Dad, Sky, and Ben.)

MELISSA PUMPHREY

It’s so nice to hear from you guys and it’s great to know that you love me and miss me too.  Can’t wait to see you guys (Sam, Nikki, T.J. and Kalee!)

BEN AKUCEWICH

Hello everyone.  We are all thinking about you often.  The church that the work team worked on all week is looking very snazzy and the people seem to be enjoying it.  On Sunday we went to a Jamaican church service and learned how to worship the Lord in different ways.  See you soon!

ELIZABETH NUNNALLY

Hi everyone that loves me and those that don’t know me.  Today was by far the most depressing day b/c it was the last day of VBS and I’m gonna miss all those kids SO much.  We pretty much cried the bus ride home.  Oh, and don’t worry, you’ll prolly get to see that since Pastor Mark video taped us all balling… Thanks Pastor Mark… haha.  Hugs and Kisses

P.S.  Family, stop telling me what you’re doing, it’s making me jealous and jealousy is a sin!

My turn to give you an update on our mission trip in Jamaica!  First of all, thank you to everyone who has been keeping track of our trip via the website and leaving us messages.  Though we have not seen the website yet, we are encouraged by your love, prayers, and messages – keep them coming, except those to Lanie and Shawn as they seem to have A LOT of people who leave them messages (I’m kidding, of course!)

We finished our last day of VBS and work team projects today and we were sad to say good bye to all the children, adults, and families we have had the opportunity to be with this past week.  I have been at New Life Church and watched our teens minister to over 60 people, sharing the love of Christ in a 30×30 foot room!  Today we were also able to share crayons, markers, candy, rice, and construction paper – meaning, we were able to give away all of our supplies today to the children and church as well as much needed rice and beans to the families from the community. 

The work team at New Life Church also finished their work project and were able to complete all the cement block work for the office and bathroom addition.  The guys, who all decided to wear white shirts today, had plenty of sweat, dirt, and cement on themselves to show for their hard work.  Shawn and Mandy did a great job completing the paint work on the front of the church as well; a complete transformation from when we arrived!  On a funny side note, we were all tired, dirty, and anxious to get home for showers from New Life today, but were only slightly delayed when our bus overheated and broke down half way home!  Luckily, we were able to get on a new bus shortly, but then had to wait for Pastor Jim to get his traveler’s checks cashed.  45 minutes (and an extra $30) later, we finally made it back to our villa and shared stories of our week at the church.

The Sandy Bay VBS team returned to the villa as well after a tearful goodbye to their children.  From the stories shared, it sounds as if our teens have impacted these children’s lives but found themselves were impacted too.  God is working powerfully in and amongst our group and several have said their lives will never be the same after spending time here in Jamaica.  I know, personally, it was still a shock to travel to New Life today and see the community in which these people live – tiny shanty houses built on top of a landfill.  We are reminded how much we have in Ohio to be thankful for and reminded how much people go without every day. 

I mentioned in a brief message before that the mission trip is my favorite part of being a youth pastor.  I was blessed beyond measure last year in New York City (and here too) by the time I have here with the teens outside the Cornerstone walls.  I am continually blessed to see how hard our teens work when they are on these trips – they take the work of Christ seriously.  At the same time, our teens play hard too when the work is done and the play time has been a blast!  (As a matter of fact, I think Cheslea Frey was just thrown in the pool as I type this message!)  I hope everyone is encouraged, though, to know our teens do not just join these trips on a whim – they are serious in their desire to serve the Lord and I know He is honored by their attitude and work ethic.  I know the Jamaican people have been blessed by them and I hope you are all honored and blessed by them too. 

Other Highlights so far:

-          Jamaican church is a blast!  We worshipped for hours, singing, clapping, sharing, and DANCING!  Believe it or not there are some Friends churches who do dance during service. 

-          Pastor Mark was the only one who sustained injury after climbing up Dunns River Falls.

-          Dan Osborne’s goatee extensions (well worth the money!!) 

-          Between the work and the heat, everyone has lost a pound or two (though some of our teens have no weight to lose!) 

-          The truth came out about who pranked Pastor Jim’s van the night before the trip!

I put the correct pictures up… these are actually Sandy Bay photos… my bad!

[Show as slideshow]

First of all I’d like to share that I’ve been very impressed with how the Cornerstone and Willoughby Hills kids have worked together and have had fellowship together.  Both the VBS and work teams have been very successful thus far.  It has been fun to see everyone use their gifts and abilities.  The teens from both churches have been chipping in and making sure the work gets done each day.

I have been with the New Life VBS team and work team up in the mountains.  Everyday we have seen new kids come to VBS with smiles on their faces.  They are always excited to see us show up and get off the bus.  I’ve seen many of our kids already connecting with the kids who have been a part of the VBS here.  The ministry has gone very well there and as we hop on the bus to head back into town again to see these kids not wanting us to go just shows how well things have gone for us.  I know there will be a lot of tears shed on our last day of VBS because of the love that has been expressed both by our VBS team as well as the children.

Shawn and Keith (our adult leaders) have done a great job leading our teens with the work team at New Life.  They have all worked very hard at painting the inside of the church as well as the outside of the front of the building.  New Life had no sign or reference that this was their church building, so one of our teens, Mandy, is in the process of painting the name of the church on the front of the building:  NEW LIFE EVANGELICAL FRIENDS CHURCH.  The work team has also done alot of cleanup around the church and school buildings.  They have also been working with block and mortar to erect an office for the pastor as well as a restroom. 

I had the opportunity to walk with Pastor Martha Stewart (nope, not joking) as well as a couple of our leaders up into the hills to some of the church members’ homes to find that their living conditions were very poor.  A couple of the homes that we visited were literally on a mountain side and some of them had only 3 walls.  One in particular had 1/2 of the floor missing, no running water and very dangerous electricity.  As I moved on from that place I thought of my trips to Haiti and Mexico.  I felt like these conditions are as poor as any other third world country that I’ve visited.  As much as these people are in serious need they still have hope and a positive outlook on life which is a testimony to God.  My hope is that we won’t forget these people and their living condition, but we’ll also be in prayer that God will continue to bless this community.

Right now as I write this note to you I’m listening to Peter, our police officer/security gaurd, teach 7 of our boys some new gospel worship songs.  What’s happening out there right now these boys will never forget.  They are having so much fun.  It’s amazing the things that you will learn on a mission trip, but who would ever thought that it would be the police officer who would make such a huge impact on the lives of these boys.

This morning we trecked out to Ocho Rios for a chance to climb Dunn’s River Falls.  It’s about an hour and forty five minute drive with a quick stop at an historic location where Christopher Columbus stopped in the 15th century for a brief time.  It’s a nice ride along the coast of the Carribean.  The falls were amazingly beautiful, refreshing and were exciting for the whole group.  We hit a few shops in Ocho Rios before we headed back to Montego Bay for a spaghetti dinner.

Tomorrow morning half our group will be going to Sandy Bay Friends Church and the other will go to New Life Friends Church to lead worship, share testimonies and lead children’s ministries.

Yeah, Mon!

SHAWN STEIGNER

CFC-Hills Family:

Pray for us, and the people we touch.  To be used by God for such a purpose as this is a blessing.  Your letters to us are needed.  We miss you all.

P.S.  The lizard did not taste like chicken

MORGAN, ISAAC AND LUKE

Hey mom and dad, what’s going on?  Well the week is going pretty well and super fantastic.  Isaac and Luke are fine and so am I.  Well we (meaning Isaac, Luke and I) love and miss you guys.

MIKE ROBERTS

Hey everyone, it’s Mike.  I just wanted to tell everybody thanks for the prayers and keep them coming.  God is using us as his hands and feet in amazing ways.  Keep looking at the pictures and writing us on the blog, it is much appreciated.

Here are some notes from some of the kids.  They were all given the opportunity… right before a pool party :  )  Hopefully more will write in the next couple days.

___________________________________

JONATHAN DAVIS

Hey everybody, Jamaica has been amazing!  There are so many things the people here do differently.  VBS has been great.  The kids are wonderful.  Hope everything back home is great.  Bye!

RYAN PEARCE

Hey guys, it’s Ryan.  I just wanted to let you know that I am doing great, having an amazing time, and growing and learning more about myself each day, it’s an honor to serve God here, and I thank you guys so much for loving and supporting me.

MICHELLE SHIMROCK

God’s been showing me how it’s truly NOT ABOUT ME.  These kids at VBS are amazing and it’s great to do all this for them.  They’ve touched my heart so much and taught me to take the focus off myself and put it on others.

BETHANY DAUTERMAN

This trip just keeps getting better and better.  God keeps showing His face in our team and the children we are ministering to.  I’m learning a lot, staying cool, and am not ready to leave.  Love you all and keep on praying!  Love, Bethany

LIZ BRAINARD

After all the planning, fundraising, and preparations, we are finally here!  I forgot how much I enjoy this annual mission trip with the teens.  The opportunity to see our teens serve, love people, and share Christ is amazing.  Our teens work so hard and take serving very seriously (we have fun too!)  I am just blessed to spend this time with our teens, adults, (and Willoughby Hills)!

NATHAN BRAWN

So far so good.  The trip has turned out much different than I expected and I’m really having an amazing time.

LANIE STEIGNER

On day 2 I was feeling down because I hadn’t bonded with a kid yet, then like 10 min. later this little boy named Lamark was playing with Michelle’s hair and wanted to play with mine as well then the next day we sang together and pretended to be lions and just started really good friendship and I hope to be able to be a light to this little boy.

BECKY SKLEDAR

VBS has been amazing!  My main job is crafts, but I work and play with all the kids.  They have taught me soooo many things in the 3 days I’ve been with them.  I hope God continues changing my life and the life of the Jamaican children.

AMANDA SLEDZ

Wow!  VBS is nothing like I expected!  The kids there are so amazing!  They cling to you like you’re going to leave or something.  I have to say I have never had so much love for kids before.  No matter how they look, dress or smell, you just have to love them!