Day 8

Hello all! Please forgive me for being so absent-minded and neglecting my blog. It's just that we had our Easter production at my church this weekend which we performed on Friday night and then again for all of our Sunday morning services. So as you can imagine, being that it was an all-out production, we had practices every night this week, and therefore, my blog suffered in the process. But have no fear! Day 8 is here!

But before I launch into that, I would just like to give a shout-out to my friend Shenna and her daughter, K, who came all the way down from her hometown to see our Easter production and have lunch with me! There were great times had by all: make sure to stop back for the play-by-play of my visit with these two wonderful ladies!

So anyway, without further adeiu, I give you... Day 8!

*****************

Oh how I didn't want to leave. I didn't want to leave despite the mutant cockroaches and the "squiggly leezards".

I didn't want to leave despite the cold showers that I took all week: and yes, even despite the one that I had to take out of a water bottle on this particular morning because while there was water in the bathroom sink, there wasn't any in the shower.

I didn't want to leave because of the beauty of the landscape.

I didn't want to leave because of the serenity and peace that I found on this mountain.

I didn't want to leave because of the amazing relationships I made while I was there.

But more than anything, I didn't want to leave because I found God everywhere in this place: in this ministry, and in the hearts and lives of every person and every child that I met there. It was so hard to leave and let go of something that I never really had in the first place. I never thought it would be this tough.

The tears began to fall as I sat here and prayed for the last few precious moments that I had on the compound, thanking God for the whole experience: an experience that, rather than cherishing only a few precious moments and forgetting the rest, I would bottle up all together as one amazing and incredible moment - a moment that will have changed my life, my perspective, my vision, and my heart forever.

I think a part of me stayed in this spot overlooking this view, almost hoping, praying that I wouldn't be found: that they would forget me and I would be able to stay. But alas, I was discovered, and after a few more goodbyes with the staff, soon found myself taking one last bus trip down the Blue Mountains, heading back to Montego Bay to catch our flight home to the states.

As we made our way down, I couldn't help but feel as if I had left a little part of me behind...

And as I looked up toward the place that had so captured my heart over the last week, I realized that I already missed it: it almost seemed that there was a place within my spirit that was just not going to let go of this. It was a stirring: and at the time, I didn't quite understand it, but it would only be a matter of one day, and I would actually start to "get" what God was trying to say to me that day....

We had passed this place a few times heading up and down that mountain... I still haven't figured out what, if anything purchased from that store could honestly be considered, "Premium Quality". Yeeesh!

As we passed through Kingston, heading back towards the Fern gully, we saw more poverty that would literally make me catch my breath: it was as if it pierced me to the core of my spirit.

As we were passing more and more devastating scenes like the one pictured above, I was chatting with a friend and shared with him that I was rather disappointed: that I didn't feel like God taught me anything on this trip. And then it hit me. I looked around myself for a moment, and then suddenly turned to him and exclaimed, "I just realized what He taught me! You how people come back from these trips and say how it 'really made them appreciate everything they have here at home', you know, the conveniences, the cleanliness...? Well, while yes, I do appreciate those things a little more now, I realized something even greater about myself. I realized that I don't NEED all those things that I have at home to survive! I could happily live in a place like this, and be perfectly okay! I did it for a whole week, and to be completely honest, it didn't really phase me when we didn't have water (although I DID appreciate the showers when we could get them!), it didn't phase me that we would just lose electricity once in awhile. I didn't even mind the creepy crawlies that would have normally sent me screaming in the other direction. God showed me that I am much stronger than whatI had been giving myself credit for all along! I mean, why do I get to have all the conveniences that I have at home when these people might not even have clean water to drink from one day to the next? I could totally live in a place like this..."

It was right then that I made a connection: "could this possibly have something to do with that "stirring" that I was feeling a little ways back...?"

Naaaaah! It couldn't be!

*******************

We stopped in Ocho to do a little "speed bargain shopping", which was such a treat! "Hey pretty lady! Would you like to take a look at my jewelry? I give it to you for a veeeeeery nice price! Come on pretty lady! Come take a look!" If ever I had self-esteem issues, they were washed away with all the "pretty lady's" I recieved while shopping in Jamaica. I did discover some great finds though! I got a couple of necklaces, t-shirts, and a great jewelry box that was carved out of bamboo. Very pretty!

The rest of the trip home was rather uneventful. A couple of flight delay here, some 'customs action' there, one looooong bus ride home from Chicago, and we were packing up our cars and heading home at 2am Sunday morning.

Goodbyes are never easy: especially after spending such mass quantities of time together, and developing awesome relationships with people that you might have otherwise never known. But we did it as quickly as we could, seeing that we all had to be back to church in six hours: and it was sad. I hate goodbyes. Even though I knew I'd see them all the very next day, I just knew that it was never going to be quite the same as it was in those Blue Mountains...

... sipping some of the world's best coffee, playing with the world's greatest kids, and making some of the most incredible friendships; all while doing God's work. There truly is nothing quite like it.

Goodbye Jamaica, I'll miss you...

...but not for long...