Jamaica: Land of Reggae and sunshine...

Jamaica is one of those countries like Switzerland or Morocco or the Maldives, meaning that if you ask people if they would like to go there, 90% of the replies will probably be a firm “yes”.  I wonder why that is, though.  Is it because of the publicity the country received through mediums like Bob Marley or the Cool Runnings movie?  The fact of the matter is that Jamaica is not what most people would expect.  It is probably one of the countries that resemble Africa the most outside of the African continent.  Which did make it all the more fun to explore and pioneer...

I must confess that I was struggling to get excited about coming to Jamaica.  I think the uncertainty of what to expect played the biggest role in that.  That first drive through Kingston, which reminds me so much of Accra in Ghana didn’t exactly help the situation on a lot.  The traditions, the culture, the people, the mindset, everything just oozes Africa.  But yet, it’s so different. What I soon found was a country as unique as countries like Ethiopia and even India.  Jungles cover most of the island before being broken by the tropical scenery of the coastal regions, which truly make Jamaica one of the most beautiful countries I’ve ever been to.  The streets are always bustling with children on their way to school, street vendors, goats and of course the token dreadlocked Rastafarian. What touched me most was the large community of believers (I must add that Jamaica holds the Guinness record for the country with the most churches!).  Everywhere we went we were welcomed by a wonderful group of fellow Christians which really reminded us of the fact that we truly are family and part of one household no matter what part of the World you’re from.

I’ve never been so involved in kids ministry as here in Jamaica!!  Man, we visited like 13 school devotions during our time in Jamaica which means that our team is pretty fluent in dance, drama and children’s songs by now.  What a blessing to see the Lord’s seed being planted in hearts so young and fresh for the Gospel!

We were blessed to move around the island, and during our stay we visited Kingston, St. Ann’s Bay, Falmouth and the world famous Montego Bay.  We were able to establish long lasting relationships all across the island and we’re excited to see what God has planned for the future of Global Challenge in Jamaica.  

Thank you for all the prayer support that we’ve been receiving.  Please continue to pray for our team as we will be making our way to the Pacific Ocean next...