Thursday, January 17th Journal

Thursday (January 17, 2013)

Journal Entry

I think today was one of my best! I worked at house one putting the second layer of cement on the inside and outside walls. I was with Eric, Sam, Jeff, Josh, Kerstyn, and Olivia, and Pucci. I loved the Jamaicans we were working with (Big Man, Dirty Man, and Nicky). The woman whose house we were working on is called “Cutie”, and she’s been waiting four years for this house.

One of the discussions I had with the Jamaicans I think really impacted me. Big Man said he is thankful for God because no matter what, he always provides. He only has a job when groups come on mission trips to Harmons, which is only about 20 weeks out of the year. The rest of the year, he is unemployed and has no income. He said he is thankful to God because the money he makes during the 20 weeks he is working, lasts him the entire year, even when he is not working. He said he never goes to bed hungry.

It was a great reminder that God will give you everything you need, and that you should not take that for granted.

Another thing that happened was the Jamaican workers, Kerstyn, and I had a discussion about how some people believe you can only be baptized once in your entire life (even if you were a baby when you were baptized, and did not have a say in the matter), and how some people believe you have to be baptized again as an adult, once you accept Christ. It was an interesting topic to discuss because there are good points on both sides, and truthfully I’m not sure I have a solid opinion on the issue. I remember discussing this same question in high school when I would go as a guest to St. Paul’s youth group Bible studies.

Jeff said something really cool when I was talking to him. We were talking about what we’ve enjoyed about the trip, and how we both love hearing what everyone else has enjoyed and experienced. I said I liked hearing about other people’s God moments because I wasn’t sure I had really had my own yet. Jeff said he thinks hearing others people’s God moments are his God moments, which I think is really cool and powerful way to look at God moments!

Thursday Night

By far my favorite night so far!!! Went to another Jamaican’s home for “Meals on Heels.” Won by One provided the food for us to eat, and the hosts worked all day to prepare it. We had fried chicken, rice, green beans, and brownies. We also took Jamaican pop for everyone to drink. I took a Pink Ting for myself because I love it.

My group at the house we went to was Litz, Logan, and Zach Nicols.

The family of the house we went to is an older, married man and woman, their adult daughter, and her five year old daughter. The older couple has been married 50 years! They have six daughters and two daughters. They also have 28 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren!

It was a very nice house for Harmons, with a family room, small kitchen, small bathroom, and two decent sized bedrooms. The older couple share one bedroom, and their daughter and granddaughter share the other bedroom. Their shower looked like a time machine, very modern and cool. It had a seat in it, and a backlight! I was shocked to see it in a Harmons home since they have such little water. The adult daughter (Pamela) said it has both hot and cold water, and that she prefers the hot water for showers.

The mother’s name was Adella. I cannot remember the man’s name. Pamela’s sister lives just up the hill behind their house, so she brought over her Meals on Heels group after they were done eating.

Later Thursday Night

Tonight we got in a circle and did shout outs to each other. I was the first one to volunteer to share. I prefaced before sharing by saying I had not spoken to the group a single time this whole trip, not even to just the girls. I said how thankful I am to all of them for sharing their God moments. I said was getting discouraged about not having my own yet, but that Jeff helped me realize that hearing others’ God moments is a God moment. I did a shout out to BK for being there for me all week to talk to, and to make me laugh because she’s so funny.  Also did a shout out to Eric for sitting by me on the bus to and from the infirmary, putting his arm around me, and letting me cry on his shoulder! I told them about how I told Eric something that I had previously only ever told one person. Grandpar died the day after my 18^th birthday, and I have carried with me a lot of guilt for not visiting him on my birthday. I was being selfish by picking up my senior pictures, Momentum practice, etc. Opening up and sharing that with Eric, and then the whole group, I think really made me feel a lot better about it.

Then, after a ton of other people had done their shout outs to people, Kayley and Brewer both went in a row. It was weird because when Kayley started to speak, I had my mouth open to speak, just waiting for the words to come out, but she beat me to it. After Kayley, Brewer gave her shout out, so I decided I had to go after them since I was the only Sigma left.

I shared with the group that I thought I had just had a mini God moment right then. I was sitting listening to people give shout outs to other people in their chapter, and it made me think about my own experience with Tri Sigma. Suddenly I remembered that Brewer was the person who walked me in at Sigma on pref day (Friday) when I was going through recruitment freshman year. I mentioned that she probably didn’t remember that, but she said she did which I thought was cool (hopefully she remembers it for good reasons, and not bad!)

I realized that if I had not stuck with recruitment (I wanted to drop on Thursday, but didn’t) I would not have gone to Sigma on Friday, been walked in by Brewer, gotten a bid, joined, and would not have gotten to know Brewer and found out about this trip. It was a crazy “a-ha” moment that reminded me God has a plan for me! A plan that involves me joining Tri Sigma, meeting Brewer, and God using her in my life as part of His plan, to get me on this trip.

 It’s like being here brings me full circle from the day we met during pref day of recruitment, to today where we’re sitting in the same room in Jamaica with 60 other Greek students, on a mission trip, serving God.

After we were all done sharing, we were over by the kitchen and I decided to tell Leighton (what I had wanted to tell her Wednesday morning) that I loved her testimony, and that I think she is inspirational. We also talked about how we both had been concerned that we weren’t feeling something we were supposed to earlier in the week, and about how we need to have patience to let all the experiences come together to change us.

BK hugged me and thanked me for the shout out, so did Eric. He said he’s always here (that he’s just across the street because he lives in Delt, and that’s right across the street from Sigma) if I ever need anything.

I think the coolest thing was Justin hugging me, telling me he had noticed I had been quiet so far all week, and that he was proud of me for sharing!

John 15: 12-17

¹² “This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵ No longer do I call you servants, for the servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you. ¹⁷ These things I command you, o that you will love one another.