Jamaica

Rodger and I were taking a memory card out of one camera and putting it into another camera.  Actually, we were "swapping" out the bigger memory card out of Josh's camera and putting it into our camera.  OK, we are just too cheap to go and buy a bigger memory card for ourselves.  Well that, and Josh doesn't use his camera that often.  Boys are like that.  While the female population has on average, about 1,075,000,000,000 words a day, boys have about 1075 words a day.  That also translates into pictures with a camera.  I mean really, a boys job is to grunt and make noises with trucks, cars, guns - I dare you to give a boy a whole banana.  It'll become a gun in about .0075 seconds.  Give the camera to Josh and he'll get a few pictures.  I might say, "Did you get any good shots?"  His response, "No.  Forgot the camera.", or, "Yea, I got like three really great pictures!"  But honey, you were gone two weeks!
Meanwhile, as girls go, give Sophie or Chloe the camera and you get a blow by blow description of every emotion they felt in a three hour period.  I'M SO HAPPY!!  There is a picture for that.  I'M SO MAD AT MY BROTHER!  Oh look!  There is a picture for that...  It's true.  I have witnessed this phenomenon myself.  I think that would be a great study on here.  Compare pictures from a boy and girl from one day! 

Anyway, we put all the pictures from Josh's memory card on the computer and LO!  There were actually some pictures that I had never seen. 

We sent Josh and his buddy Nathan off to Jamaica last summer for their very first mission trip on their own!  We are huge supporters of mission trips for many reasons. 

One being that it allows a young person the opportunity to go out in the world and see that not everyone gets to live like we do here in America.  Appreciation.  We have opportunities galore in our wonderful country.  Heck, we have paved roads like no other!  I remember coming home from my very first mission trip from Haiti and the absolute THRILL of coming into the Florida area was overwhelming.  There were street lights people!  I'm not even joking!  That was one of the first things that went through my brain.

They have an opportunity to share the love of God with others who feel hopeless.  That is the heart of going on mission trips.  Sometimes there are beautiful things to see in other countries, but it is not intended to be a vacation.

Going on mission trips also gives our kids the opportunity to travel and navigate their way ON THEIR OWN!!  Talk about a little scary.  The boys left from Columbus and went to the Atlanta airport.  They had a six hour layover in Atlanta.  OH. MY. STARS. We were so nervous.  I wasn't concerned they were going to get hijacked and whisked off to some jungle and ransomed.  Nope.  I was more concerned that they were going to leave their bag with passport and all lying on the ground while they were stuffing their faces with a Krispy Kreme donut.  They have Krispy Kremes at airports ya know!  And I know Josh and Nathan.  Krispy Kreme would be the first stop.  Then a Starbucks triple espresso...  Pity the leaders that were getting our boys.  They ended up doing great and with a little fear planted in their brains about spending their lives behind bars for loosing their passports, they kept their bags on their person the whole time.

When the boys returned we had them do a presentation at church that included pictures of their trip, but I had never actually seen all the pics he had taken.  So in one fell swoop, my ideals of boys and girls and their difference in picture taking received a crushing blow!  But just this once.

There are some pretty good pics and I'll show you what our boys did while they were in Jamaica!  They went to a Salvation Army compound where there was an orphanage for visually impaired and blind children.  They did many projects over the week to be a blessing to others ~ giving of themselves instead of always taking and receiving.  However, I would challenge from what the boys said upon returning that they did indeed receive many heartfelt blessings!  The relationships and friendships formed.  The thankfulness of others who needed help.  Giving without the expectation to receive.  Great rewards!

         This is a team project they did at training camp before heading out to Jamaica.

These are the boys on the team.  Josh second from the right, Nathan, far right.

A wall mural from inside the Salvation Army compound where the team stayed.  I guess the barbed wire keeps them in?

A view that they had.  There were several pictures of this same shot... variety is the spice of life!

One of the children from the school they were at.  It was a school for visually impaired children that were orphans.  The team spent the day painting, hence the white stuff all over Nathan.

Our kids playing with the children.  Building relationships and having fun with them!

Josh and an older Jamaican woman.

These next pictures represent the food chain.  Josh had to get his own food...  Sort of.  This is why he thinks he can process our own broiler chickens.  Well, he can do it, but I don't have any desire to do our own chickens.  But hey, if the end of the world comes and we need to do our own chickens, you can guess who is on THAT job!

At the end of the trip the team got to spend one or two days at a beach area.  They were able to swim in the beautiful, clear waters of the Caribbean!  Can you say JEALOUS?  What a fun reward after a very energy giving trip!

 

We are really very thankful for the opportunity that the boys had in going on this trip.  They learned much and were challenged in so many ways!

Next up is to send Sophie on a trip.  She likes her food, so we are going to have to send her on a trip that involves food.  Maybe she could be the cook at a camp?