Whats Up, It's Wednesday!!

Hello All,

Tonight was men’s night in the courtyard. Each week we have different activities for the guys, and this evening, like many others, we enjoyed playing dominoes. We also had an intense championship “strong man competition,” which basically consisted of arm wrestling. In the end my American friend, Anthony, and my Jamaican friend, “Bigga,” were the final two contestants out of 20, with the crowd intently watching every move. It was pretty sweet to see the guys so excited.

I just want to encourage all of you reading this blog to seize every moment you have as an opportunity God has set before you. In every circumstance praise Him and glorify His name. Work, school, or play, it is important to always let your light shine for Christ, and also remember that our actions and words influence others. Why not constantly be feeding others a Godly influence through your own self? I share this because this is what I have been challenged with throughout this summer.

I thank you all so much for all of your prayers and support and I am excited to share my experiences with many of you when I am home in the States. Love you all!!!!

Seth

BONJOUR!!

Hey every one!! It’s Seth here. How are you doing? I am well. Our time will soon come to an end and I have to say it is going to be bittersweet leaving Jamaica and going back to the States.
Any way, I just want to share a story about tonight. If you did not know, McKenzie and I are in charge of the Courtyard activities for each evening here at the Harmony House. Tonight we tried to do something new that hasn’t been done all summer. We planned a crazy games night for the kids! There were several stations for the kids to play different games. They are as follows: Pin the tail on the donkey (I drew the donkey, just so you know), throw the ball into the bucket, fish for a prize, bowling, beanbag toss, and the pin drop. Overall the night was awesome. I would say there were about 50 kids in the courtyard tonight. After those exciting games, we played musical chairs, three legged race, and a relay race which went something like this: the kids spin ten times with their forehead on a bat, then run across the room to put on some XL adult size clothing on, then crab walk backwards to their team members. It was a riot!!! The children were spinning and falling to the ground from dizziness. It was so hilarious.
So that’s the evening in a nutshell. I hope you all have an awesome rest of the week and I will see you soon. God bless.

Happy Birthday Henry!

After almost a week of plotting and planning, we pulled it off. We threw Henry the biggest Jamaican surprise birthday party ever. If you don’t know, Henry Shaffer is the founder of Won by One to Jamaica. I’m sure if you check out the history of the ministry on the webpage you can find out all about it, but the short version is that a really long time ago Henry followed God’s call to a little town called Harmons, Jamaica. His servant’s heart was blessed with a ministry that has literally multiplied ten-fold. While starting by coming down only once a year with his family, there are now groups that come down almost every week of the year, continuing to build houses and relationships and showing God’s love to the people here.

So today was Henry’s 61st birthday. Another key piece of information is a little tradition that happens here in Jamaica. Whenever it’s your birthday, there’s a good chance that you will be floured by someone during the day. Being floured is as simple as it sounds, someone will sneak up behind you and dump a bunch of flour on your head. Plain, simple, messy, and definitely unwelcomed; so unwelcomed that many Jamaicans won’t even reveal the day of their birth.

Anyway, in all the years that Won by One to Jamaica has been in the Harmons community, Henry Shaffer has somehow managed to never be here on July 23. So, being the first time he was able to celebrate a Jamaican birthday, we figured we’d make it a huge bash. While Henry has had the chance to flour many, many Jamaicans, none of them have ever gotten the chance to get him back. Through a ton of preparation and scheming we came up with some great plans to make his birthday memorable. Seth and McKenzie, as Courtyard Coordinators, kind of took charge of the project and came out doing a marvelous job.

Last week flyers were secretly posted all around Harmons letting people know of the surprise party, and Justin managed to have a lot of people in the community wish Henry a happy birthday on film. Then we somehow got Henry out of the Harmony House for about two hours this afternoon. In that time we quickly got together and blew up almost two hundred balloons (and trying to get that accomplished with Jamaicans kids grabbing at balloons and attempting to help can be quite the feat). Seth climbed up into the rafters of the Courtyard and rigged up a box full of flour. A previous staff member, Rachel Schomaker, also assisted our birthday scheme and made an incredibly huge and amazing cake shaped like one of the hands that the teams sign when they come every week. After Henry returned, we had until evening to figure out how to get everything set up.

Once the time came, we managed to get Henry to go into the nightly team meeting while the rest of the staff quickly got things ready. A table was situated under the impending flour-doom, a tarp was set up in the rafters where we placed the balloons, and the courtyard was decorated. Very soon after that the entire room was packed with Jamaicans and Americans, there had to have been at least five hundred people there. Henry was somewhat suspicious, but had no idea of the surprises we had in store. The evening went wonderfully well. Henry was covered in flour, cake was eaten, the video was shown, and happy birthday wishes were granted.

It was almost overwhelming seeing so many Jamaicans come just to wish Henry a happy birthday. As I stood there in the doorway watching the chaos of kids running after balloons and cake, I was hit with the reality of the impact that Henry has made on this community. I can’t even being to imagine what he was feeling tonight. I bet that when he first started coming to Harmons, he never in a million years thought that he would build so many relationships and help so many friends. As I watched I couldn’t help but realize that this is the result of following after God’s heart. Such a simple thing like going where God sends you can give Him so much glory. Henry is just an ordinary man. The thought that perhaps God could use my life in such amazing ways is awe-inspiring. But that’s how God works, isn’t it? He uses plain, commonplace people to move mountains in His name. It’s encouraging to see such a great example in Henry Shaffer, and it’s an honor being a part of the work that he began in a little valley in the middle of Jamaica. I wish him the happiest of birthdays and many more years to come.

Nichole- signing off for now.

Hey, Prayer Works!

Hello there our dear readers! We, the staff, just got back to Harmons after picking up another team from Independence, MO and we’re really excited for this new week. Last weeks team was from Carmel Baptist Church in North Carolina, and the time they were down here was amazing, even though we got rained on for most of the week. Their spirits were high and their work ethic even higher. I know as work-site coordinator they sure made my job (and I’m sure everybody else’s job) much easier with their attitudes. I know I speak for the rest of the staff when I say “thank you” to everybody who came down.

Well, being a soccer nut, I can’t help but telling you that the Harmons U-15 soccer team won their season opener 2-1 last Tuesday. I was only able to stay for the first half, but I heard about it later that evening when the kids on the team came to the Harmony House to tell me how it went. Like before the dress parade, I was asked to give a talk to the kids before the game (Justin also talked) and after that we prayed with the team. So when the kids came to the Harmony House that evening to tell me how it was, they began it with “Your prayer worked!” and then went on with the details of the game. After they were done, I told them, “Hey, prayer works.” So, that being said, I would like thank all who prayed for the soccer team and I would ask you to continue to pray for them (their next game is Thursday, July 24) not only for their safety and possible victory, but also for their hearts to be opened more to this “prayer thing.” Hopefully it will become more to them than just a thing to do in church or before games, but something that they will do all the time to a Person who always listens and always gives, and that of course, is Jesus Christ!

Well, that’s a short recap on what’s going on here these days. Again, I would like to thank all of our readers for their support and please keep reading…much more good stuff to come!
Well, see ya later!
Timothy : )

Rain

Hello everyone! Justin here. I hope you all have enjoyed the videos thus far. I have enjoyed hearing that the some of the videos have touched people’s lives in ways I never would have expected. If you haven’t seen Tim’s dancing video, I recommend it to all. It is truly life changing. :)

I wanted to take a few minutes to tell you all a short story. Yesterday morning, I decided to head to a work site after doing some things around the Harmony House. It was a normal day in Harmons, except that it started raining. Pretty hard. This was the first time we had seen a rain like this since the beginning of the summer. The first reaction from everyone in the group was frustration. Here we are, trying to build this house that is close to entirely built out of cement, and the rain comes now?! How are we ever going to finish three houses in one week with rain like this? The cement is never going to dry, we won’t be able to continue working, etc.

We continued working and the rain continued to pour. When it was lunch time, we started to walk back to the Harmony House. Right when we started walking back the rain came down the hardest it had been all day. Seth and I decided to run back so we could shower in the rain. There is a place in the back of the Harmony House where the roofs come together. When it rains, the water pours off of the roof and creates a natural shower. We hadn’t been able to do this since the beginning of the summer (this was in the middle of our nine day stretch without showering), simply because it hadn’t rained.

As I stood there in the rain, I felt complete joy. There are a lot of things in the world that make me happy. My family and friends, listening to my favorite music, watching a good movie, my mom’s homemade fajitas, Seth’s beard, just to name a few. But never before have I felt so much joy over something that happens so frequently. Before this summer, rain was just an inconvenience. But after being engulfed into a community with no running water, rain is so much more. It is tomorrow’s shower water or used to clean dishes the next day. Every last drop is caught from the roof and savored to the fullest extent. As I stood there with rain water being poured on me, I truly sensed its importance. It is so easy to take little things for granted. The fact that we can turn a knob and water flows out of a faucet can be something that seems so miniscule in the grand scheme of things. But when that water is taken away, or comes with a price, every drop seems that much more important. It is cool to see the way that God provides for each of us; even it is through ways that we may not notice at first.

Little experiences like my shower in the rain make me realize the big things I have, without even noticing it. I am excited to see what other experiences are in store in my last few weeks here in Harmons.

Fried Fish and Festivals

Time for another blog by Nichole! Alright, so I think a common question that we, as a summer staff, get asked a lot (after “What do you miss the most from home?”) is “What do you like the most about being here this summer?” After reflecting on the question and spending over half the summer in Harmons, I think that one of my favorite things about being here for so long is the difference that the prolonged time has on my relationships with Jamaicans. When I have visited in the past for week long trips, I got to meet a lot of people and experience a different culture, but being here for so much time has allowed deeper friendships to form. I feel that, in a way, the summer staff is now a part of the community here. We have been living life with the residents of Harmons and have had the blessing of learning more about their lifestyles, joys, and struggles. An important part of our ministry is building relationships, and so part of our job as summer staffers is simply spending time with our friends. One advantage to this being in our job description is that we get a lot of opportunities to experience Jamaican life. A great example of this that I would love to share with you happened last week, as my friend McKenzie and myself spent an afternoon learning to cook dinner the Jamaican way.

When I visited Harmons with Allegheny College last January, I met a woman named Nicole, whom everyone calls Nancy, as I was working in the store one day. Since we share the same name, I feel that we had an instant bond. We traded addresses and have communicated through snail mail since then. It has been a great joy to continue our friendship this summer face to face. One day, Nancy invited me to learn how to cook dinner and share a meal at her home with her and her 3-year-old son, Shalom. So last Friday, McKenzie and I ventured to her house after lunchtime. Our dinner menu was fried fish and festivals. (Festivals are a popular Jamaican food that are basically fried dough made of flour, cornmeal, and sugar.)

Nancy scaled and prepared the fish as we talked with her and played with Shalom. Then it was time to cook. On a small gas burner we placed a skillet with some oil. McKenzie volunteered to fry the fish. I must admit it was quite comical at first, watching her try to avoid the splashing hot oil, but she quickly got the hang of it. As she fried, I got the chance to mix the dough for the festivals and later experienced frying them myself. Nancy complimented us on our “natural” cooking skills, but we definitely could not have done it without her expertise.

The more time I spend with the people living in this valley, the more impressed I am with how they make do with what they have, whether it’s scarce or plentiful. It was a simple meal that made for a wonderful afternoon. We got the chance to fellowship and work with a friend, learning more about her and the Jamaican lifestyle. I am so incredibly grateful to have this memory to cherish and I pray that in the weeks that we have left God will continue to bless us with simple afternoons and deeper relationships.

Learn about Tayler!

Name – Tayler Sonshine Longo

Age - 19

Hometown – Pittsburgh, PA

High School – Greater Works Academy
College – Geneva College
Major – Human Services

Hobbies – Writing, Coming to Jamaica, Laughing, Having fun

Favorite Color – Yellow or Orange

Favorite Sports Team – Pittsburgh Steelers
Favorite Books – The Irresistible Revolution, Praise Habit, Tale of Two Cities

Favorite TV Show – Seinfeld

Favorite Food – Chinese and Leftover cold pizza (not at the same time though!)

Favorite Jamaican Food – Callaloo, Any and All Fruit (mmm especially mangos and pineapples!), Rice and Peas, Stew Chicken, Peanut Punch

Favorite Music – Little bit of everything, but some favorites include: DMB, Jack Johnson, Jack’s Mannequin, Something Corporate…basically anything acoustic.

Favorite day of the week and why – Thursday because we get to visit our friends at the infirmary
Favorite Board Game – Trouble!!
Favorite Number - 11
Biggest Dream – Learning how to truly love everyone around me and inspiring others to do the same.

My job in Jamaica – Working in the store with my friend Klarissa
Biggest thing I have learned lately – The true meaning of 1 John 4:11-12: "Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us."

A Note From Josh

For those of you who don't know me, my name is Josh Shaffer. I work full time with Won By One To Jamaica. I am married, have three children and although I live in Pennsylvania, I reside in Harmons about 1/3 of the year. I have been coming to Harmons since 1989, shortly after Hurricane Gilbert. I love the Harmons Valley; so much so that my family and I have dedicated our lives to working with the people of this Community.
Many people in Harmons call me "Bossy." Although the nickname is partially accurate in that I do payroll for the large number of people we have the privilege of being able to employ, I sometimes wish that I could still be in the role I was many years ago when I was younger and played with the area boys (all of whom are now young men and some are even fathers themselves.)
I would like to say some things about the eight students who have given up jobs in their hometowns to come to Harmons for the summer as Summer Staff. They do not get paid for what they do this summer, AND they all had to pay for their own expenses. I have had the chance to get to know each one of them and I want to say that I am very proud of every single one. I believe it says a lot about the character of someone who is willing to give to others whom they don't know very well and are not related to them.
Now the staff is admittedly not perfect. They make little and sometimes big mistakes like we all do. They are learning to act and speak without offending, which can be a challenge when you are living in a culture that is different than what they have always known.
It has come to my attention that many have read this summer's blog where the students have been writing about what they have been experiencing. Unfortunately, some have been offended at how transparent and brutally honest they have been. A few readers were disappointed that the staff carelessly chose words or phrases that may have been callous or naïve.
Without trying to defend some of the mistakes that were made, I would like to add that I know, without a doubt, that not one of the Summer Staff intentionally said or wrote anything that they intended to be demeaning or show disrespect. In fact, if you read all the posts in their entirety you will see that the Staff is sharing all that they are learning from the Jamaicans and their culture.
It would have been much easier for them not to have done the Blog this summer. They are willingly putting their personal thoughts and feelings on the internet for all to see, and even print off and read to others. It takes a lot of courage to write what you are feeling to total strangers. Some might even decide to believe the worst about them instead of giving an ounce of grace and understanding.
In this Blog, the students are practicing what we as a ministry, which is committed for the long term to Harmons, want to be about. Transparency; Authenticity; Vulnerability; Desire to learn from others; Willingness to help others: Availability to whatever God has in store for our lives. Yes we will make mistakes. Have in the past. Will in the future. But we will continue to ask for forgiveness from those we might have offended, as Christ urges us to do.
We hope to continue to see lives changed as our own lives are changed for many more years to come.
I hope you continue to read and enjoy the Blog this summer.

Josh Shaffer
Won By One To Jamaica
Changing Lives By Changing Lives

Weekend In Harmons

Hey Everybody! This is Tim coming to you from Harmons, Jamaica and I’m going to tell you about my amazing awesome weekend. Ready? Let’s go!

So, the weekend began like any other, getting up and getting the team ready to leave for Ocho Rios. The only difference was this time, I wasn’t going with them. This weekend I stayed behind in Harmons to support the Harmons U-15 soccer club, which I help out (with the help of the gear the groups of Americans bring down.) I help get them gear such as boots, shin guards etc…so they can play not only well, but safe, and look well doing it. So anyway, one of the stipulations was that I couldn’t stay in the Harmony House that night, I would have to find a Jamaican to stay with. I first I asked Little John, who works for Won By One to Jamaica, who at first said “No” but, he said he could help me find a place to stay. He ended up finding a place for me at a very nice lady named Gloria’s house, who also works for Won By One to Jamaica as a cook. After the team left, I made my way up to Gloria’s place with Little John and I was welcomed with open arms. Gloria was so accommodating to me that it made me a little misty eyed to be honest. She made a breakfast which I did not really expect, but I’m glad I got to get it because it was DELICIOUS! It was a meal consisting of mackerel, fried plantains, and bananas. After breakfast we sat around and talked for a while about numerous subjects. We got caught up talking about hurricanes for a while and Gloria told me about preparations they make to their houses and what happens after hurricanes…it was all very interesting. So, after that, Little John and I made our way to Porus, where the event for the soccer teams was being held. Porus is about ten miles from Harmons so we got a ride there in a Taxi. When we arrived (which was about 11:30, and the event didn’t start until around 2:30) Little John showed me around Porus. He was very familiar with the area because he went to high school there so, of course, he gave me a tour of his old high school. I was surprised to find that it was very similar to an American classroom, I don’t know why that surprised me…a classroom is a classroom I guess, but nevertheless, I was surprised. It was really cool to see Little John give me the tour, he got really excited about showing me it and he had a sense of pride about showing me around telling me what classes he had in this room and what teacher taught in that room. He even gave me a brief lesson in Jamaican history when I saw a mural on a wall with past Prime Ministers on it. Again, it was very interesting. We then went to a small restaurant where I had my first experience with curried goat. It was very good food! I found goat meat to be really sweet and tender…I wouldn’t mind having more right now…I better stop, I’m making myself hungry.

So, after all of that, the soccer event finally started. The league that Harmons plays in starts their season with a dress parade where every team is present and they get judged by which team looks the best. I’m very proud to report that the Harmons team won, and they did so with tons of dignity too. In the hall where in was held, all the teams were lined up and waiting to be judged. A lot of the other teams there were very lackadaisical in their lines. The kids were talking to one another and being very unorganized. Our Harmons boys were quite the opposite. They stood there like professionals; hand’s behind their backs and eyes forward. More importantly there was no talking. After they were judged they relaxed and sat down of course. After that I was asked to give a speech to the team. I was very taken off guard and stumbled over my words for a few sentences but after I going, I started saying how this (winning the dress parade) was just the beginning to a great season. I just want to add that their first game is Tuesday July 15th, so say a special prayer for them when you get the chance. After all the festivities that go along with the dress parade, Little John and I came back to Harmons where we stayed up for a while watching the Jamaican news channel and a little bit of the Miss Universe Pageant.

So, that was the gist of my weekend living in Harmons. I just want to add that soccer to me is the universal language. Any language barrier, any culture differences can be absolutely demolished by a soccer ball and 4 willing feet to kick it around, and I find that absolutely amazing.

Timothy : )

Slowing Down

Hi everyone! Nichole here. It’s been a little while since I’ve written one of these, so I thought I would talk to you about some of the things God has been showing me about the every day Jamaican life, especially the life of the women here.


At times, Jamaican women here can be unfortunately much neglected. Many feel especially threatened by the American women that come down, since a lot of Jamaican guys are often more interested in talking to us. When I’ve come down here for week trips in the past, I always remember feeling extremely awkward in the presence of the girls. There are a lot of awkward silences, which often times make me feel uncomfortable. One thing that I have grown to realize, though, is that the lack of conversation is okay, it’s simply a part of the culture down here. The more time I spend in Harmons and with the people here, the more I understand that their lives are fairly different from ours.


I feel like in the States everyone is always moving, always rushing, always busy, always completing their to-do lists. In Jamaica, if you don’t work, there really isn’t any busy work to do during the day. When I ask my friends what they do when there’s no team down here, the response is usually “nothing” or “just stay at home.” As I’ve spent more and more time just visiting the women and spending time with them, I have started thinking about how the women I know from home would survive in a world like Harmons. The day of a Jamaican female usually begins early in the morning. For those that have families, they usually spend time cooking. Otherwise, there is often cleaning and laundry to do. Time is then spent walking to a friend’s house to sit and talk or help with their laundry. Sometimes they’ll watch a movie or take a nap. Even when sitting together there is a lot of silence and time spent being in the presence of someone else. I don’t think many Americans would deal well with having nothing to do the majority of the time.


However, being able to experience this slow-moving life has been a blessing in disguise. While at times I feel like if I just sit and watch the clouds go by with another Jamaican I might go slightly crazy, I have learned to appreciate that time as fellowship. God has been showing me that in those moments of silence with no distractions and no list of things to get done is when He works the most. There’s no telling how God will use me to show His love to others just by existing and doing life with them and slowing down enough to simply sit with them and demonstrate that they are important. I feel that spending my time with them is a great way to show how much I care.


This summer has given me a chance to reduce the speed of my life and be thankful for moments to just live with others. The difference in culture has taken some time to get used to, but I’m finally beginning to understand that we were not created to be so busy that we can’t stop and talk with our neighbors or help out a friend. Doing life with others is often more important than cramming it with meetings and schedules. It can get dangerous when I’m too busy to notice the opportunities God gives me to build relationships with others. Hopefully I will be able to take this “Type-B” personality home with me and continue to value people over lists.


One last thought to ponder comes from a book that our staff is reading together called “Chasing Daylight,” by Erwin Raphael McManus. The first chapter of this book focuses on the importance of a moment and how we shouldn’t underestimate the power of what God can do in one. He writes, “One of the Greek words from which we get the English word moment is atomos. You can easily see that the words atom and atomic come from atomos. This is the perfect picture of what is hidden in a moment. The image of an atom reminds us of how easily we could miss a moment or even underestimate it… At the same time, we have the image of the atomic hidden in the moment… When you seize divine moments, you instigate an atomic reaction. You become a human catalyst creating a divine impact.”


I’m excited to see how God will use us in this culture of “no problem, mon” to create divine impacts for His glory throughout the rest of the time we have here.

Crazy Taxi

Well hello everyone! This is Justin. I am pleased to announce that after a long and gruesome battle with technology, I am victorious. Kind of. After many tries, the Infirmary video is FINALLY posted without skipping. It is probably my favorite one of the summer, so be sure to check it out. The Extreme Home Makeover video is up and two of the three parts don’t skip. Unfortunately, that is how it is going to have to be. So, I apologize for the inconvenience there, but enjoy the videos how they are. You can find the link to the right of this blog page or just click here. This week, we are going to make a video describing our weekly experiences in Ocho Rios. Should be fun!

I have a short story to tell you for the day. On Monday, while half of the summer staff was in Montego Bay picking up our team for the week, Seth and I took two Jamaicans, John and Neal (Fridgy) into town. They both love pizza and we pretty much had the day off, so we decided to take them for a feast at Dominoes. We took Creamy’s bus for most of the trip there, and then walked about three miles until we arrived. When Neal took his first bite of pizza his words were, “God Bless America.” I thought that was pretty funny.

The real story comes when we were ready to leave to go back to Harmons. We went to the taxi station and hopped in a taxi. The taxis in Jamaica are pretty small. Definitely smaller than in the States. It was Seth, John, and I in the back seat and Fridgy in the front seat. To me, the stupid American, this seemed like a pretty full taxi. We drove about 100 yards and the taxi stopped and talked to a lady outside of the backseat window. She said she needed a ride to Porus, which is where we were going. Let’s just say this lady was not skinny by any means. In fact, she was probably the biggest Jamaican I had ever seen, other than Sean Kingston. So you can probably guess what happens next. The driver asks John to move up in his seat, so he is practically straddling the middle console of the front seat and Seth and I get squished up against the window as we drive our 10 mile adventure to Porus.

When we finally reach Porus, and I can finally breathe, we get out to go to another taxi station to go from Porus to Harmons. In Jamaica, taxis are like subways. You can’t just go anywhere in the taxi. The all have limitations to their destinations. So we get to the station from Porus to Harmons and there is only one taxi, which appears to be full. In the back seat is a mother with her three kids and in the front seat is a pregnant woman. Remember, these taxis are small. I think to myself, “Okay, we'll have to wait until another taxi comes.” But, the stupid American was wrong again. Before I know it, I am in the taxi with a random Jamaican boy in my lap, another random kid next to me, followed by her mother, with her child on her lap, and then Seth, smashed against the window. And that’s just the back seat. In the front was Fridgy with his arm around the pregnant girl in the passenger seat.(John stayed in Porus to do some errands. Thank you Jesus.) And we continued on to Harmons.

This experience just opened my eyes to the culture differences here in Jamaica. Can you imagine getting into a taxi, throwing some random person’s kid on your lap or putting your arm around a pregnant woman in the front seat, and continuing on your way as if nothing was going on? Well a few days ago, I would have said no too. But I think I will try it when I get home. Just kidding. Once was enough.

Insight to John's Life.!

Name – John Terrana

Age - 23

Hometown – New Kensington, PA

High School – Kiski Area High School

College – Duquesne University Graduate/ Marymount University

Major – PSYCHE!

Hobbies – Drumming, fishing, swimming, playing games

Favorite Color – Green

Favorite Sports Team – Pittsburgh Penguins and Dallas Cowboys

Favorite Books – The B-I-B-L-E, Unquenchable Worshipper, Blue Like Jazz, Mere Christianity, LOTR

Favorite TV Show – M*A*S*H, McGyver, Bob Ross

Favorite Food – Food is good

Favorite Jamaican Food – Bag Juice, Jerk Chicken, Pineapple, Grapefruit, Oranges, Mangos, Tangerines, Cashews, Calaloo, Coconuts

Favorite Music – lots!!1!

Favorite day of the week and why – Sunday because we get to go to Ochi

Favorite Board Game – Dark Tower

Favorite Number - 7

Biggest Dream – World Peace.

My job in Jamaica – Co-Work Site Coordinator with Tim. Having a blast.

Biggest thing I have learned lately – You can't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes you might find you get what you need.

LEARN ABOUT KLARISSA!!!!1

Name – Klarissa Lynae Lash

Age - 21

Hometown – Lee’s Summit, Missouri

High School – Lee’s Summit High School (GO TIGERZ!)

College – nope

Major – N/A

Hobbies – having fun, sharing, helping, cleaning, C#minor, talking to John, eating, sleeping, music (playing or listening)

Favorite Color – gray

Favorite Sports Team – I hate sports.

Favorite Book – Blue Like Jazz, Irresistible Revolution, Mere Christianity, Evasion, The Giver

Favorite TV Show – America’s Funniest Home Videos is good. Not a huge television watcher to be honest

Favorite Food – Tomatoes and anything that my mom makes
Favorite Jamaican Food – Papaya, Pineapple, rice and peas, sweet and sour chicken that Gloria makes, oh and her French fries are sooo good!

Favorite Music – Justin Harlan.

Biggest Dream – Just to live my life and show God’s love and make an impact on other people’s lives!

My job in Jamaica – I work in the store with Tayler and make sure everything runs smoothly in there!

Biggest thing I have learned lately – The most important moments rarely come at a convenient time and if you let them come and go the opportunities that lie within them leave with them. (From “Chasing Daylight” By Erwin McManus)

The Church

Hey everyone! It's Seth. We have returned from our staff retreat and I just wanted to share a little insight to something that happened yesterday.

Most weekends we travel to Ocho Rios on Sunday with the team that is here for the week and then on Monday we take them to the airport and pick up a new team for the week and it all starts over again. This Sunday was a little bit different. We had just returned on Saturday from our retreat in Negril, which was a very relaxing time to catch up on our sleep and catch our breath. Anyway, this morning we didn’t have the hustle and bustle of waking up a team and trying to make our way onto the bus to ship them off. No, today we had the opportunity to experience church in Jamaica. This was a real eye opener for me. You see, back in the states, if you don’t like a church because of its preaching techniques, worship style, age group, etc. you can just go somewhere else most times and feel comfortable in a church that you enjoy. But here in Harmons, Jamaica options of a “good” church are slim. So if you speak to a Jamaican about not going to that church down the road chances are that they aren’t going any where at all. On the island I have seen Seventh Day Advent churches and Baptist churches and a few others. This morning I went to church down the road called Open Bible Church in the community called Green Pond. I had no idea what to expect really.

One thing you have to realize about Jamaica is that being on time isn’t really an important thing. It is just part of the culture to be late for everything. So when we heard church started at ten we wanted to leave on time to be there right when it started. Well, it’s a good thing we got there a couple minutes early for church to start right at ten thirty. It was a good opportunity for us to meet every body that was attending church. We were the first ones there. Even before the pastor, who was an old woman named Pastor Wallace.

So we are sitting in our pew. Six white people in a small and very hot building worshiping side by side with the Jamaican people. The service started out with some music. This is how it went. It started with a woman who stood up in front of the congregation (at this point there were only about seven other people in the building) and she was singing very loudly into a microphone. I will admit that I cringed a little bit because she was so off-key with the keyboard player and it was pumping so loud out of the speakers right above our heads loud enough for the entire community to hear and know that it is time to throw on your suit and tie, or dress, and make your way to church. So the singing went on for a few hymns that I didn’t recognize but were easy to pick up so we sang along and clapped any way. Eventually the people started filling in and shouting “Hallelujah” and “Thank You Jesus” which created an atmosphere of spontaneous shouting praises to the Lord through out the rest of the service. After we sang the hymns a few times another woman stood up in the front of the congregation, about 40 people total or so, and began to announce what was going to happen in the service: “songs, introductions of special people in the church today, offering, the sermon, and one of the Americans can come up and speak.” As soon as she said this I had a feeling it was going to be me. Plus, when I looked to all the other staffers they were all staring at me so that was a pretty good indication of who was going to be standing in front of every one I don’t know and preaching some gospel. Wow.

So when it came to be my turn to go up they said will an American come and speak and the team looked to me, the congregation clapped, and there I went. I only knew about one or two Jamaican boys in this church and every one else lives on the other side of the community where I never really ventured before so this was a little intimidating. I was about to speak about God to people who rely on him daily to survive. I spoke in their native tongue to say hello and I got a chuckle back from the crowd which was nice and it calmed any nerves that I might have had. I opened up to the book of Colossians in chapter three and read that. I tried to relate it to them in plain life. I explained how the passage was for everyone all around the world. I expressed that lust, greed, sexual immorality, impurity, slander, etc. is not just a Jamaican sin but the whole world sins. And most importantly, that we are forgiven for these things and because of Gods compassion and forgiveness we are to put to death those things and clothe our selves with righteousness and compassion, kindness, humility and most importantly love. Then I prayed for the congregation and the community and the sermon and gave thanks for God’s Grace and Love and for his amazing gift of eternal life and for Jesus’ sacrifice.

I think it all went over pretty well. In the end I wasn’t really worried about how well it went over. I was just so excited to share gospel in a church full of Jamaicans. Straight up Gods word to a group of almost 50 people who had my undivided attention and I was just feeding them what they need and I know it wasn’t me, but God using me. That’s all I want. I just want to be used, a tool for God. And even though many times it’s not as obvious as this morning, I am so thankful that I can have the opportunity to do these things and trust that I am in Gods will. And that every thing I do I strive to do it for his glory and not my own.

McKenzie's Summer Staff Profile!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Name – McKenzie Sauser

Age - 20

Hometown – Anthon, IA

High School – Maple Valley Anthon Oto High School

College – University of Iowa

Major – I’m not sure yet... I just got accepted into the U of I’s nursing program, but I don’t know if I’m meant to be a nurse or if God wants me to be a nurse.

Hobbies – Running, eating, sleeping, going to Chicago with my fam, reading magazines, hanging out with cool people :)

Favorite Color – PINK!!

Favorite Sports Team – Cubs, Packers, Brett Favre, Hawkeyes and if I liked hockey, I would like the Pittsburgh Penguins

Favorite Book – reading is for the birds...and I am not a bird...but I do enjoy reading the Bible. Favorite TV Show – American Idol, Oprah, Today Show and the news, Full House, Fresh Prince, Grey’s Anatomy, What Not to Wear...anything on TLC.

Favorite Food – homemade macaroni, watermelon, chocolate.

Favorite Jamaican Food – bag juice, patties, rice and peas.

Favorite Music – country and other good songs. I’m in the process of getting musically educated by Justin.

Biggest Dream – learning how to love all people…even those who are really difficult to love.
My job in Jamaica – Co-courtyard Coordinator with Seth Roush. We plan all the nightly activities for the Jamaicans and Americans at the Harmony House.

Biggest thing I have learned lately – realizing the love that I show the Jamaicans can be taken home and be shown to the people I encounter everyday.