So I am just now writing a letter to all of those who supported my trip... just a couple months late but whatever haha. I have found myself trying to telling them more about the people we met than anything else. I really miss everyone down there and I want to encourage you guys to keep praying for them.
A while ago I was trying to sleep and kept thinking about Jamelia, one of the girls who I was constantly attached to and asked me the night before we left when we were going to come back. I started crying knowing I will most likely never see her again and I won't know how her life will play out. Then God made me feel really stupid and I could feel him asking me, " And what would you do if you were still there? Do you really think I'm only with her when you are?" Then of course I started crying harder because I knew that God had never left Jamaica and he will never leave her.
He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
When all of a sudden,
I am unaware of these afflictions eclipsed by glory,
And I realise just how beautiful You are,
And how great Your affections are for me.
And oh, how He loves us so,
Oh how He loves us,
How He loves us all
Yeah, He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves us,
Oh! how He loves.
We are His portion and He is our prize,
Drawn to redemption by the grace in His eyes,
If His grace is an ocean, we?re all sinking.
And Heaven meets earth like an unforseen kiss,
And my heart turns violently inside of my chest,
I don?t have time to maintain these regrets,
When I think about, the way
Dont ever forget it Jamaica team! I love you and miss you!
Hey Jamaica Team!!! I miss you guys all sooooo very, very much!
A few nights ago, I happened to be talking to the most awesome Keri LaBrant and we got to talking about what God was doing in our lives. There were some AMAZING stories going on! And we just felt that God may be calling us to turn this blog into a place where we can share "God Stories" over the next year and even longer. It's just a place to post how God worked in your life that day or how He showed up, etc. It's a place for all of us to come when we are going through trials and tribulations so we are reminded and reassured of God's power and love! He works all the time and somedays we need that reminder. I know I do on my rough days. Let me know what you think about turning this blog from our trip into a blog about "God stories" and how HE is moving!
While the majority of our team spent more time working at and around the School for the Blind, the mornings usually found me and a few of our team at the home for the aged, a nursing home/assisted living facility for 20 or so women in varying conditions of health.
One morning, I was playing my guitar outside on the small porch by the sick bay along while Elijah played his cajon and Sam sang along. Ms. Malcolm and Ms. Taylor (or Ms. Florence if you go by first name) were in their usual chairs and Ms. Taylor was gleefully clapping along with “I’ll Fly Away,” singing when she knew the words and adding in a “Praise God!” or an “Amen” when she didn’t. Two verses and a couple of choruses into the song, another voice joined with mine, strong and rich. I looked up and through the slatted windows, I could see the outline of the woman in the bed against the wall. Lying down but with her hand lifted to God, she sang out, “I’ll fly away, o glory, I’ll fly away. When I die, Hallelujah by and by. I’ll fly away.” Just for her, I sang the chorus a few more times, smiled to the ladies on the porch and went to find out to whom this glorious voice belonged. I walked around the corner and met Ms. Pansy, a woman confined to her bed but full of Life. Her eyes were lit up with the Joy only God can give and it was only later that I found out she was completely blind. I complimented her voice, and she asked me how I liked Jamaica and Jamaicans. She told me she had written some songs and sang a beautiful one that she had written about her beautiful country. It was time to leave only a few minutes later and I asked what I might be able to pray for her about before we left. She asked for health and strength and I wish to God that I had had the faith after our prayer to suggest she put her feet on the floor in belief of the Lord’s healing. When I finished praying, she sang a departing blessing over me. I don’t remember the words, but it was one of the sweetest prayers I’ve ever heard.
In one 5-minute interaction, Ms. Pansy has become one of the icons of this trip for me. God, may I be so rich in Your Spirit that You bless others through me the way You blessed me through her.
This is what started our trip. :-) In Clarissa's own words:
Oh my goodness!! God is sooo good all the time! And all the time, God is good! This trip changed my life in so many ways. I think everyone knew going into this trip that our lives would be changed forever, but none of us realized to the capacity that they would change. Those kids in Jamaica touched each and every one of us in different ways and I saw every single person on the trip change and grow so incredibly much! God worked through all of us and really taught us to rely on Him for everything. He can do anything, and I personally learned this so well while at Training Camp, throughout the trip, and even now as I am back at home in Oklahoma.
Going into the trip, I was worried about eating the food of the locals and at Training Camp because I am highly lacktose intolerant. I knew I would have to eat a lot of foods that I would get sick from due to the dairy and that frightened me quite a bit. I tried my best to stay away from the food with milk products in it while at Training Camp, but sooner or later, I ended up having tomato soup...with lots of cream in it. One of the ladies serving the food came and found and told me, as I was eating my sixth or seventh bite. Luckily, I hadn't had a lot, but I knew I would still get sick. I was looking forward to the next night being sick in the port-a-potty. I started to freak out, which is an understatement, so Connie (the wife of the head of the Ambassador program-she is also on staff) came over and asked my team to come over and pray over me. Connie also prayed a complete prayer of healing over me from my allergy FOREVER. I felt better and calmed down after the prayer, and then the waiting began to see if the prayer had worked. That night, I didn't get sick. I praised God so much!!! Once we got to Jamaica, I started having come other food with cheese and other milk products in it and I didn't get sick! How incredible!! and then the real "test" came-ICE CREAM!!! I had the most gigantic scoop of cookies and cream ice cream EVER! (well-that's how I felt) :) and I ate it and DIDN'T GET SICK!!! God HEALED ME!!! God healed me of my allergy completely and now that I am home, I've had ice cream and cheese and still don't get sick!! HALLELUJAH! GOD IS GOOD!!
Aw man, Leah beat me to a new post! She's the organized one, so go figure ;-)
Can it really be that we've been back over a week already?!? I've been in recovery mode ever since I had to bid farewell to you who are carrying part of my heart with you, whether you know it or not. I'm just starting to emerge! There's been so much to process.
Since I'm not sure who to write this post to, I'm going to take a cue from Leah:
Parents - Thank you for sharing your son or daughter with us. I have come home in awe of the incredible group of high schoolers we were blessed to work with. They have stretched me in my faith, and I pray they will stretch you as well. Thank you for raising them up in this Christian faith and for encouraging them in their relationship with God.
Friends, family, and other supporters of our team - Thank you for your prayers, your encouragement, and your support! I cannot tell you what this means to us as leaders or to me personally. Thanks to ALL of you for encouraging the relationships with God that we are continuing to build and grow in. Thank you for showing interest in our lives and for letting us share with you at least a piece of what we saw, learned, and experienced on this trip.
And now, the team: Oh friends, I miss you all so much! I didn't know how much God was using you to encourage my relationship with Him. I can't wait to hear what God has begun carrying you through in your days home, whether joy or struggle or both. You have blessed me beyond words. I love you all, and I'm praying for you all the time.
I - and we all – want and need to share stories - stories of what God did, what God taught us, how God provided, and who we met along the way. Team, the stories we share are reminders for us in the weeks to come. The whole book of Deuteronomy calls God's people to remember. Remember what God did, remember who you are, remember God's faithfulness. Let's do the same, shall we? :-) Can't wait to read what you all post!
God is good! We had an amazing trip. We went through a lot and worked hard. We had some hard conversations, but good. God did a lot of amazing things during our trip.
To the Parents: Thank you! I, and the other leaders, could not have asked for 13 better students to be on this trip. I was so blessed through the interactions that we had and I will never be able to explain the lasting impact that each of these students has had on my life. They truly are an amazing group of kids, and I miss each one of them dearly.
To our supporters: thank you for your paryers! Many of times we needed prayers on this trip, and time and time again we felt them coming through you. You will never know how much we coveted those prayers. You have helped us furthur God's kingdom in Jamaica.
To numbers 1-13: count off :). I love each and everyone of you. Each of you has left an impression on my life. You each brought something special to this group, and it helped us to do God's work. Know that you are missed. I miss you, Keri and Richard miss you, and the lives that you impacted in Jamaica miss you. God is going to continue to do great things through each of you! Listen for God's calling everyday and do His will.
Now, can each of you either write a post, or a reply to this one about your perspective of the trip. Try to leave a God story, or just a story...something that will help everyone who has been reading this blog to understand more about our trip. Share with them the good things that happened!
The Jamaica team is safely in Atlanta! They have all of their luggage and are currently at the hotel eating pizza. We look forward to hearing their stories--and we know you do too!
Hello! It's hard to believe our trip is nearing its end. While we're all excited to come back home, I think we're all in denial about the trip being over as well. We've had so much fun together!
After seeking the Lord's direction, we arrived a day early at our originally planned debrief site to do some ministry at Dunns River Falls in Ocho Rios. What a stunning sight! We were able to pray with and for some employees and guests and to speak Life over the people there, praying God's love over all we saw. We'll be staying at a hotel here tonight, enjoying the beach and the market tomorrow, and will be returning to Kingston tomorrow for a last-night talent show put on by the kids at the school.
What a gift it's been to enjoy this beautiful country with such an incredible group of high schoolers! Our drive this morning was spectacular and we got to enjoy an authentically Jamaican meal tonight with rice and peas (rice and beans), jerk chicken, jerk pork, fried chicken, and curried goat, along with some delicious fruit juice.
Can't wait to share more stories with everyone. Thanks for your prayers!
Hello everyone back on the home front, all the students say hello. We have been having a great time the last few days seeking Gods direction. You have truly blessed us as leaders with great kids. We could not have asked for a better team.
As I write yall this letter I am sitting in an office with a roster crowing every two seconds so bare with me if I run off course. The Spirit has been moving in our group a lot the last few days. We have been spending time listening to what he has to say, and it has been very sweet. God is good. Yesterday we headed out of The Salvation Army Compound to do some prayer walks and to talk to people on the street. A few of our students were able to talk to some people about Christ. Nothing has come of it yet, but we are very positive because God has been moving in great ways. During our ATLs (Ask The Lord) times, God has been showing us how faithful he is, and confirming the words that he has been giving us.
Through doing these your students have begun to grow in Christ. I have seen God do as much or more work in transforming your students lives then anything. They have a burning passion an desire to seek God, which is something that really excites me.
On a milder note, we have been having fun here at the school too. The other night we enjoyed a pool party here at the school alone with some of the students. It was a great time together. The students got a little taste of home when we broke out the Oreos. You would have thought they turned into pigs, but I guess I can't exclude myself in that cause I joined in too.
Please be in for our next few days. The weather here has been off and on raining, and we would really like some sun shine. I thank you for your prayers, and please keep praying them. They are being heard. Praise be to God.
