No pics tonight...we took some but I don't have them uploaded yet...I'll try to get some from Dennis when/if we have some downtime tomorrow afternoon....

Tonight was fun...we drove about 15 minutes to a site that was literally in front of a little hole in the wall convenience store and post office, facing a busy street...we literally backed the the equipment van right up the driveway and set up on the sidewalk. There was some expected confusion as most of the team really didn't know what to fully expect.

On the way to the show, we made known to the guys which girl they were each "responsible" for, basically to be able to know where they were at all times, for the duration of the trip. Safety in numbers. We also assigned everyone a number to "count off" once we are on the bus so that we know where everyone is.

The show started with two local songs ("my my my" and "fire fire")...very simple chords and I got to play the bass for both of them! And I don't think I missed a note! I gave Kris Hanson the harder 2nd set, lol...and he did great...

We performed a puppet song, and the Rusty gave a testimony. Dick's band then played a couple more local songs and then another puppet song, which the kids really liked.

Jenn gave her testimony, she did a great job! After that we did the "Champion" skit, in which Marquis played the role of the victorious Jesus over Satan in a "battle of the ages". That was followed by Dick giving the Gospel. The crowd was actually pretty small, like maybe 20 people that were actually close enough to see their faces. There were probably another 30 or 40 within seeable hearing distance. Although the offer was given, we don't know of anyone who committed their life to Christ tonight, but the Word was preached.


There was one young girl that Kalena and Charlotte were able to talk to who said she had accepted Christ, but that she didn't think she was going to heaven yet, because she hadn't been baptized yet...they shared the story about the criminal on the cross, who Jesus promised would be with Him that day in paradise, and he was never baptized...

We're back at the hotel now, kids have free time for about another 25 minutes, then I'm asking them to be in bed by 10:00, cuz we're seriously thrashed, and we've got an early breakfast in the morning (7:30am) before heading out to an infirmary and children's home.

Speaking of food...our dinner tonight was already about 3 times better than anything I ate the entire trip two years ago! Spaghetti, some type of chicken in sauce, and awesome mashed potatoes...drinking tons of water, glad I bought that Camelback, what a great invention...

Great first night, tomorrow will be busy with two shows, changing hotels, and a two plus hour drive to what will be our home for the next 5 days, in "Ochie"...

My understanding is that they have internet there, so Lord willing, I'll be posting again sometime tomorrow afternoon, with at least 3 or 4 pics...

Troy

ps...one of my joys tonight was going around to many of the students, putting my arm around them at various points in the show and saying, "Can you believe we're in Jamaica! Sharing God's Word and love for these people!" It was, and is, pretty cool!

Yay God!!

We are in Jamaica! We have arrived at the hotel...that we are staying in only for tonight...it is called the Hotel Gloriana in Montego Bay tonight. We will eat dinner at 5:00pm and then head out to our first show already! As will typical, we have no idea where we are going, but Dick Dietrich told us to be ready to go. It's 3:30 our time, about 2 hours ahead of AZ time (we are in Central Time Zone)...

Our first flight was uneventful, and we landed just fine in Detroit at about 1:30am. After about 90 minutes we were on the plane for leg #2 but had to sit on the tarmac for about 20 minutes while the ground crew double-checked what the pilot described as a "strange noise that the wing walker didn't like in the landing gear"...awesome! But we were on our way without much further delay and a few of us were able to see a cool lightening storm out of one side of the plane. It's honestly one of my very favorite things to experience, watching a lightning storm from above the clouds. I don't know how anyone ever watching that could say there is no God...simply breathtaking

After landing in Memphis for and hanging out for about 90 minutes, we were loaded onto plane #3 and were again delayed for about 15 minutes because a groundcrew person discovered "a scratch on a maintenence door"...seriously...oh well...a few more bumpy-bumps than the first two trips but we were also pretty tired...I was able to get about 45 minutes of sleep somehow...

After landing in Jamaica, we had to go through customs, our official in line was a pretty uptite fellow and was a litte perturbed about something...this was no time for joking around and we were able to get through it with lots of smiles, though he never seemed to warm up to us...

At stage two, we had to have all of those school supply boxes (that we were asked to bring down at the last minute) opened up and inspected...I felt myself getting a little annoyed, because it wasn't part of our plan, and had to already ask for an extra dose of patience and grace...it took about an extra 40 minutes or so, but we made it through...our transportation was pretty much there to meet us, and we made it to the hotel...

We will get up tomorrow and head to our main ministry point Ocho Rios and we'll be staying at the Sunflower Villas, where I hear the rooms are a little bit of a downgrade, but apparently the food is the best that any of the teams will get, so we're looking forward to that...

I've seen some old faces from when I was here two years ago, so that's refreshing.

I'm just ready to be used however God would use me, and at the same time I'm still in ultra "dad mode"...things are VERY laid back here, from the culture to the group of people we've partnered with. While I really enjoy that (or I wouldn't have come back after being here two summers ago with the same group), it will probably take me a day or two to relax and trust the situation...It's not in my nature to NOT be in charge of every detail, so it's a good growth experience for me :)

Kids' attitudes seem great, some are in the pool as we await dinner...I'll try to write once more after our show in the next few hours, before a much needed trip to Sjleepville, Jamaica

Thanks for your continued prayers! Let's go GOD!!!!

TN