Totally worth it

As many of you know via Facebook, I made it to Jamaica…for the entire trip, from beginning to end.  The prayers of you all, along with God’s amazing grace helped me make it.  It was not easy, but it was worth it.  Listed below are a few highlights for which I am thankful and will also show that I could have never made it alone:

• the hotel completely renovated a shower to be walk-in accessible
• Johnny & Ryan helping me on and off the bus countless times
• Elliott dealing with my carry-on full of cans of formula for the feeding tube
• Robyn ably learning and handling all the money like a pro
• Chris, the bus driver, running the bus with the air on, when I needed to sit for awhile
• Uton, pastor of McField Baptist, praying for me
• Pastor Cooper & Calvary Baptist presenting a thank-you with a huge group photo
• Yolanda, Shelley, Dion and many others for a beautiful presentation of thanks filled with songs, poems and gifts
• all the students coming to sit and chat for a few minutes daily to see how I was doing
• the kitchen staff making me lots of soup and rice
• Everyone being patient with me as I speak slowly, quietly and am difficult to understand
• Devon Linton (former pastor of Calvary) calling from Trinidad to tell me how sorry he was he couldn’t be there
• Johnny cutting my food so Dena could sit somewhere else for a few meals
• spending time with the 3 youth leaders with whom I have had ties with for many years:  Ryan, who went through our high school ministries and had been to Jamaica as a student the first two years I led the group and now as a leader the last two years with me; Robyn, who grew up at Cornerstone and was away at college when I arrived, but her mom was a youth leader and we had her brother, Daniel, all the way through; and Johnny, who interned with me in ’02-’03 and now I am passing the baton of ministry over to him.
• Watching all our students step up, do their part by leading and serving all week
• serving alongside my little family of four for, most likely, the last time together.  Paige is off to college soon and I am no longer the youth pastor.  So, regardless of how long I live, things are changing.  Some people never get the opportunity to go on a missions trip with their family and for this I am truly grateful!

It was not perfect and there were moments of stress.  On Thursday morning, I fell on the hard tile in the bathroom.  Dena couldn’t get me up alone (again, Ryan and Johnny came through) and from then on, it hurt to sit and get up and down.  In fact, I am still in pain from that.  Another time, I flooded the new shower so much that the water entered three other rooms and even got a student’s suitcase wet (sorry Haley).  And I have to admit, I did get tired of all the soup.

Other moments made me laugh – After greeting a child I knew from previous years, he told me something was wrong with my voice and I needed to get to the doctor quick;  Zach letting me pretend to take him down in the pool; trying to sneak pork and chicken when Dena’s not looking is another way I humor myself!  Any moment that can make me laugh is a good one.

Humanly speaking, I know that this was my last trip out of the country.  It was the 11th time my passport was stamped “Jamaica.”  I count it a real privilege and blessing to have so many Jamaican friends and someday in Heaven, we will have a reunion like no other.

Revelation 21:4 He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.