Day 1 and 2

Day 1 (March 5):

We met at the church at 2:15 am MN time and despite slight engine trouble with the van (it wouldn’t start) we were able to leave soon after with a packed van. We arrived at the terminal and checked our bags before zooming through security. We had nearly a half an hour before our flight boarded and before we knew it we were off. The flight took only an hour and we were on our next plane within fifteen minutes. The second plane leg was four hours long but it was on a larger airplane and we had more open seats. We arrived in Jamaica at 2 pm and had a quick lunch since most of our party had missed breakfast before continuing to our temporary home. The weather was significantly warmer than in Minnesota (85F) including humidity and a very bright sun. There are beautiful foliage and trees, roads are bumpy and winding, and the people are very friendly. Driving is packed and liberally sprinkled with honking horns and street salesmen. The Christian Fellowship Church was prepared for our arrival and welcomed us with open doors and a hot meal of chicken stew, rice, and vegetable mix. We set up our sleeping arrangements since we all were feeling a little worn from our travels and almost everyone turned in early for bed.

Day 2 (March 6):

We woke up to the sound of roosters crowing. Near six in the morning, the sun was bright and there was a slow cool breeze. After a brief devotional, a breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bananas, and coffee was served. Today was Ash Wednesday, which is a national holiday here in Jamaica (meaning no work for us), so we discussed what to do with our day. John gave us a tour of his earlier projects which he had completed with prior teams. Upon our return, we had a lunch of grilled cheese and watermelon. We agreed to stay in playing card games and relaxing in preparation for the upcoming week’s work. Supper was rice and pasta topped by mystery meat and vegetables on the side. This was then followed by devotions and singing as a group before all retreated to bed.

Sincerely,

Andrew Fast
The Jamaican Mission Team