Jamaica ...

The sun is getting ready to rise on our third annual Jamaica Mission Trip! What started as a dream three years ago to take the love and passion of Williamson's Chapel UMC and GO into ALL the world has now grown into a dynamic partnership that is more than just a week in the summer, it goes throughout the year!

We will be arriving at the Deaf Village in Mandeville, Jamaica. Read the history and mission of the village by visiting: www.cccdjamaica.net/deafvillage.

Once there we will be doing construction, Vacation Bible School, Phonics lessons with the children, and visiting in the Infirmary and taking the residents of the infirmary a pair of shoes graciously donated by Samaritan's Feet. Also we will be taking NEW t-shirts generously donated by Jeff Nanney at Lakepoint Screenprinters! They will be so grateful to receive these things! We always "leave behind" our stuff but that has always bugged me. They don't deserve our leftovers even though they are so gracious to receive anything! And now I believe it's a God thing that we have BRAND new things to take to the families in the village.

Last year while we were there several of the folks in the village commented to us that we, from Williamson's Chapel, are different! "You are not like other teams. You have fun. You kid around and joke and you make it more than just work, you make it about being a true team. And you include us in that team. We always look forward to your coming because we are a part of your trip with you."

As I type these words I get a little "misty eyed" because I remember the bus pulling away last year and knew we would all miss the residents until we were able to fellowship together again.

So much has happened in a year . . . they've had new babies, some are getting ready to get married, they've finished new projects, they've grown, we've grown, and new experiences and memories are about to be formed!

We also will be going this time and finalizing details for our micro-business partnership. We will visit the ladies in the sewing factory, work with them on a t-shirt idea they will be making to sell in the stores in the tourist cities, and also hopefully meet the leading candidate for the factory manager that WCUMC will be sponsoring for a year. Our embarking on this partnership is going to enable the village to create more jobs for the residents that helps them be self-sustaining in a world that has no concessions for people with disabilities.

I hope you will follow our blog and be in prayer for us and the village as we work together to continue being the church throughout the world!

The Apostle Paul wrote to the church in Colosse these words in Colossians 2:6-7:

"My counsel for you is simple and straighforward: Just go ahead with what you've been given. You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him. You're deeply rooted in him. You're well constructed upon him. You know your way around the faith. Now do what you've been taught. School's out; quit studying the subject and start living it! And let your living spill over into thanksgiving.

Let us go now and LIVE it - let us be the church!

Grace and Peace,

Andrea