Houston, We Have Bunk Beds
I love setting foot in the Kingston Ministry Centre. It's filthy and literally falling apart but oozes potential. That's not to say that the magnitude of the renovation project doesn't threaten to overwhelm, though, especially with a deadline looming. Walking by faith and not by sight, we're pressing on toward being able to house a 2nd missionary by September 1.
Bit by bit, the checklist is growing shorter. I mentioned bunk bed building in my last post. Thanks to John and Jim, members of Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston, TX, and personal friends of Area Facilitator Charles St-Onge, the short-term team housing portion of the building is just about ready (now we just needs some teams!).
Pastor Obot Ite getting in on the action.
One change we made from how the Hope team did things was to leave a rim around the plywood decks so the mattresses wouldn't slide off. Jim came up with a nifty way of making the supports underneath level that involved minimal measuring.
Speaking of mattresses...it was exciting to see them delivered while we were there.
Many hands meant a number of ancillary tasks got taken care of. Jamaican evangelist Claudious and I moved the LMJ sign from the gate to the fence, where it's now visible even when the gate was open!
The guys installed a new water heater (requiring a custom base and hood) and replaced three doorknobs.
Celebrating John and Jim's last night with pizza. Mine was "The Jamaican": ackee and callaloo. Ackee is a yellow-fleshed fruit similar to eggplant in texture and flavor, and callaloo is a dark leafy green like collard greens.
The beds meet the approval of Sophia's 11 and 7 year old sons. The family of three began attending St. Andrew Lutheran Church three months ago.
Bit by bit, the checklist is growing shorter. I mentioned bunk bed building in my last post. Thanks to John and Jim, members of Memorial Lutheran Church in Houston, TX, and personal friends of Area Facilitator Charles St-Onge, the short-term team housing portion of the building is just about ready (now we just needs some teams!).
Pastor Obot Ite getting in on the action.
One change we made from how the Hope team did things was to leave a rim around the plywood decks so the mattresses wouldn't slide off. Jim came up with a nifty way of making the supports underneath level that involved minimal measuring.
Speaking of mattresses...it was exciting to see them delivered while we were there.
Many hands meant a number of ancillary tasks got taken care of. Jamaican evangelist Claudious and I moved the LMJ sign from the gate to the fence, where it's now visible even when the gate was open!
The guys installed a new water heater (requiring a custom base and hood) and replaced three doorknobs.
Even still, four bunk beds in three days! Yeah, mon!
Celebrating John and Jim's last night with pizza. Mine was "The Jamaican": ackee and callaloo. Ackee is a yellow-fleshed fruit similar to eggplant in texture and flavor, and callaloo is a dark leafy green like collard greens.
Partway through our stay, Charles and I swapped John and Jim for Erin Alter, LCMS Director of Short-Term Missions. Today represents the first time I've been in Jamaica over a Sunday, and I still have one more full day. More soon on the adventures of the Erins, worship at both Kingston congregations, and the conclusion of my longest stint here to-date.
Until next time, blessings!
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