The day we danced in the rain

I must say that as time goes on we are slowly becoming more and more brain-numb by the time we can sneak away to the computer. I have tried throughout the day to make mental notes to pass on to you, but I am a bit slow in finding those notes now.


This morning we had our first group devo time. One of the leaders from the other team talked through Matthew 5, and asked some stem questions about what it means to be blessed, especially in light of what we are seeing throughout our work day. The kids all had an opportunity to share with one another and really spark some interesting thoughts to carry into their work day today.


We set out for our work sites right after we finished breakfast, with several of us working at the house sites and the rest of us hauling marl for future foundations. A few of the girls stayed at Harmony House to help out in the store by folding clothes and organizing school supplies. The houses had reached the skeleton phase yesterday, so today was spent applying the first coat of concrete. Our boys completely outdid themselves as they sifted the marl to remove big rocks, and then hauled the marl up the hill to the house site. There, the marl was mixed with a bit of cement and water to create concrete, and then slathered all over the wire mesh walls to create a stucco-style look. This is done all over the inside and outside of the house, and is definitely harder to do than what it looks. The Jamaicans that are working alongside us make the technique seem really simple as they slather it all over the walls, but apparently we haven't mastered the swivel-wrist technique yet, because our mixture has a tendency to fall off the walls before it dries. We have successfully finished the first coat of concrete inside and out on both houses. Tomorrow we will do coats two and three and finish off the roofs. We are right on schedule to complete both houses before we come home!

We also spent a huge chunk of today hauling marl up the side of the mountain to a new home site. This particular site will be completed by the next group that comes through Jamaica, so we are just doing the prep work for future teams. Good old American ingenuity kicked in and we formed an assembly line up the side of the mountain and passed the marl up in huge flour sacks. One of us would break up the marl with a pick axe while two would shovel the pieces of it into the sacks and start the chain. There were several little Jamaican children who helped us by running down the mountain to return the sacks when they were empty. This was a great time to get to know each other since you were standing in line for a while. After each break, we would rotate sections so everyone would get the chance to work at the bottom filling the sacks.

Coby was also able to work with the young boys of the community during a soccer camp this afternoon. Coby says it was soccer minus the goals and the grass, but with a wondrous view. Skylar schooled them all with her killer kicks, and all the kids seemed to really enjoy their time on the "field".

So you are wondering about the comment of rain. Apparently Jamaicans do not like to get wet even though rain is a HUGE blessing here. They quickly sprint for cover under the closest shanty roof or lean-to and watch the skies for a clearing. We, on the other hand, experienced a new level of gratefulness when it began to rain today. All the work that we were doing was conducive to rain, so we just kept trucking. But the gloriousness of it was that the rain was so refreshing and cooling, especially after spending several hours in the sun developing gigantic sweat stains on our clothes. As it rained, some of the girls that were working with me just started belting out the chorus to "Singin' In The Rain" and spinning around. It definitely made me stop to wonder when the last time was that I celebrated in such a joyous way over the rain.

We returned home for a TERRIFIC dinner of pepper steak and mashed potatoes. We all rotated for our 2 minutes in the shower, which has surprisingly turned into a fun game for all the kids to see how fast they can accomplish their mission. The boys right now are record holders since they are completing their showers in under a minute according to Ryan and Chase. But don't worry! We have enforced a strict "everyone must shower" rule!!

Tonight is group time, where we will spend time discussing the role of poverty in the Christian world and how do we think God feels about poverty. This time has proven to be really enlightening for all of us because of getting to see from our teammates' perspectives and have them speak into our lives throughout the day.

Well, as I finish this, there is a wicked game of dominoes going on in the courtyard, Americans versus Jamaicans. Apparently it is a full contact sport down here, but our guys seem to be catching on just fine! Check on the website for pictures of today's adventures!!

Keep us in your prayers. Two of the girls from Missouri are dehydrated and feeling the effects of it. We are chugging our water as much as possible, but still pray for health and safety throughout the week.