There’s just something about Larry and work pants.

Dear Aisquith,

Let me start off by thanking each and every one of you for the prayers and support you’ve offered over this past year and especially for those while we were in Jamaica. As many of you probably know, this particular trip had its fair share of mishaps but we made it through them all because the Lord was with us and guided us in every way. If I could speak on only one way this trip impacted me personally, I would have to say that I really learned to rely on God and His will to guide me. I thank God that I wasn’t one of those who became sick, but I saw it as it happened and helped to take care of some of those people on the plane to Charlotte. Just the fact that I was on the plane to Charlotte was a true blessing from the Lord as I was one of the three who were put on stand-by as we attempted to check-in at the airport in Jamaica. Needless to say, walking out of the terminal and into the airport in Charlotte was one of the most pleasant sights I have ever seen! 18 of us had to spend the night in the airport so that we could catch a 7am flight to BWI while the other 6 headed to the hospital so 4 of them could be attended to. They got nice hospital beds, liquid food injected into their veins, and some much needed rest. Part of me wonders if I should have pretended to be sick! The other 18 of us did get a 2am Wendy’s dinner, however, as 2 flight attendants from our plane who were husband and wife graciously brought us a meal and would accept nothing but our thanks.

That was the end of the trip and I’m sure you can see how God was present through it all. Believe me when I tell you that we all had Him in our thoughts and hearts as we were guided safely home. The beginning of our week was also quite interesting. We had to travel across flooded roads, around sharp bends, and more and that was just to get to the deaf village! Once there, we settled in and waited for the other team from Philadelphia to arrive. The village is nestled in the middle of the mountains and it is beautiful. I think I took about 800 pictures of the clouds. Thank God for digital cameras! I stayed in a dorm room with 3 bunk beds along with Andrew, John, Ken, Josh, and Ray. Most nights had a nice breeze blowing through our room as we slept. That was especially nice. On Sunday, we were able to worship with the deaf villagers. The excitement with which they praised God was amazing and it is something I will never forget. The pastor spoke on praising God no matter what the circumstances. It was the perfect message because it rang so true throughout the week as we had the opportunity to praise Him in every situation. We also visited an orphanage that day to spend some time with the children there and to simply show them the love of Christ. Please pray for these kids as the orphanage may be the only home they ever know.

Throughout the work week, we were all sent out to different sites. I was one of those working at the main site where the new Dining Hall/Dormitory will be built. The interesting thing about all of our different tasks was how many of them related directly to the work being done at the dining hall site. By the end of the week, we poured cement; mixed using measuring boxes built by Andrew and Lydia; and laid the cornerstone of the new building using the rebar supports Mrs. Gayle and others had formed earlier. It was tough digging the trenches for the building because of the incredible amount of rock spread throughout the dirt, especially when our only jackhammer broke in the middle of the week. But, once again, God provided us with endurance, patience, and a new jackhammer.

There was just so much that happened on this trip that it is impossible for me to speak about it all so I won’t even try. Just know that I am grateful for all of your prayers and, most importantly, that we all owe our successes; and there were plenty; to our God. There were plenty of differences between this trip and others in the past that make it stand out, but there were some definite similarities as well. For one, it was hot and I got the nicest farmers tan I have ever had! For another, I managed to rip my pants working. As the saying goes, “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” There’s just something about me and work pants. But lastly, and most importantly, we spent a week working solely to glorify Him and follow His will and I feel like we did a very good job.

As I end this, I just ask that you continue to pray for the deaf villagers in Jamaica. Please pray for Mike Rudd and the other missionaries there. Please pray for the children at the orphanage. And lastly, please continue to pray for our Impact team as work begins for another trip next year. Thank you again for all of the support.

Larry Komenda

They sing with their hands, they sing with their hearts...

This was the first missions trip I’ve gone on. I really was not sure what to expect. I had planned on not planning. Just trusting that God was in charge, and would show me what to do. There were so many unique and interesting experiences along the way, that it is difficult to describe them adequately.

Many events stand out. The bus ride to the village; meeting the orphans; the hard physical labor on the work site; getting to know the deaf residents better; the mountain hike; the devotion time; the food; new friends and strengthening existing friendships; the marketplace; a Pepsi costing $45 (Jamaican dollars); the plane ride home. One thing was constant, God was using this trip for His purpose.

So how do I decide which experience to elaborate on? I will share with you the one that impacted me the most. On Sunday morning we went to the chapel and attended the service with some of the deaf residents, and other deaf visitors. The pastor was a deaf Jamaican. Martha interprets for us during the service. What a wonderful experience to sing with our deaf brothers and sisters. They sing with their hands, they sing with their hearts. We try to keep up. There is so much enthusiasm and such a spirit of praise. Praise is the main topic of the sermon. Praising the Lord, all the time, any where, in any conditions. I am amazed by the wonderful testimony of the pastor. Giving praise to God, and not blaming God for his deafness. I wonder if I have faith strong enough to do the same, or would I wallow in self pity? He continues his message of praising the Lord with your hands, with your mouth, and with your body. The message he preaches is very moving. He is funny too, telling funny stories, usually at his own expense. When he asked us a question we all raise our hands to say “yes”. The pastor seemed stunned. There was a slight translation error. We though he was asking who was having a good day. He really had asked who was having a birthday! That would be a lot of candles. We enjoy more singing, and prepare to leave the chapel. The pastor is so very energetic while he preaches and sings. His signing is nowhere near conservative, more like an aerobic exercise. By the end of the service the pastor is drenched with perspiration on this warm summer day. I know that for the rest of the day he will be praising the Lord. I hope that I have come closer to that attitude too. Anywhere, anytime, any circumstance, PRAISE THE LORD!

Ray Horst

A Ceiling Fan, a Diet Pepsi, and a Phillips Head Screwdriver...

My second missions trip was quite different from my first trip. My first trip was full of many things to make a pampered urban dweller as uncomfortable as possible. This one? Well, as I later told John, there was what I perceived to be a "stunning lack of adversity". In fact, it was because of this that I initially found it difficult to write a compelling report .

Mind you , it's not that there was nothing on this trip which moved me; instead of working at the Deaf Village all week, I could have easily stayed at the orphanage, which we visited on Sunday. The other group who worked with us, from a PCA church in Philadelphia, got to work on a VBS at a separate orphanage, and I was just a little envious of them for it. So many children with no parents; some of them with health issues. One in particular, a little boy named Michael, had some sort of skin disease. Ken remarked that it looked like an ailment known as progeria, which causes premature aging. We never did find out - but I could have taken that little boy home with me.

The thing which really haunted me about that orphanage was not the younger children, but the older ones. Try as I might, I simply could not connect with any of those who appeared to be over 13. They seemed to be content to simply stand in the shadows in a group and watch us play with the younger ones. I looked around at the teens from our group, and I thought, do any of them realize how blessed they are to have families and a youth group in this, the most confusing time of their lives? Here were some who would never know such a carefree life, one which our teens take for granted.

Monday was my first real "work" day - but as I watched everyone else head up to the hill, ready to dig trenches in what turned out to be rock, I felt really guilty. In terms of physical labor, I had the easiest job. The staff at the village had learned of my skills, and had my week planned out before I even arrived. My tasks: day one and two, run off mailing labels and create a template for the new JDV newsletter. Wednesday and Thursday were "server reconstruction" days. (The humid climate in Jamaica must not agree with electronic equipment; the missionaries told me that they had chronic computer problems.) As I headed down the unpaved road to the offices of JDV, my prior thoughts about the lack of adversity were rewarded: a small rock, strategically, providentially, lying in a spot on the path which was already slick from a light rain and the red clay which, we had been warned, was slippery.

Clunky workboots and an altered center of gravity (my backpack) provided the physics for a spectacular pratfall. Gerald Ford would have been proud of the ensuing tumble that I took down the hill. As I bounced to a stop, bruised, muddy, and bleeding, my first thoughts were of John's laptop, which was in the aforementioned backpack. Once I was convinced that it was undamaged, I looked up and noticed one of the deaf residents, watching me from the door of the chair factory. He had obviously seen the whole thing. Humiliated, and, forgetting he couldn't hear me, I yelled to him, "I'm OK". He just shook his head and walked away.

After the pain subsided, I limped to the office. I had only gone down there to get a cable, and already, the young morning had not been kind to me. The final insult? After my harrowing trip down the hill, I found the office door locked. I knocked, and there was no answer. I pounded, and was met with silence.

Trudging up the same hill which had assaulted me earlier, I entered the chair factory and was met by Ionda, the fellow who had seen me take my tumble. I asked him if he could let me in the office. He shook his head, pointed to his ears, and walked over to get the attention of the other person in the spacious building: a slight, bespectacled, soft spoken man. The man saw me, and said, "Yes sir, may I help you?" I explained that the office door was locked, and asked him if he could let me in. He looked a little surprised that nobody was there, and it was then that he must have realized that he was dealing with someone (me) who didn't quite get it. He asked, "You didn't knock, did you?" Still not getting it, I said, "Yes". I was also thinking, "What else would I do?" Incredulous, the man said, nearly yelling, "She's deaf, mon! She can't hear you!"

He explained that I should go to the third window (they were all at ground level) and just stand there. The JDV secretary would eventually notice that I was standing there and let me in. I followed his instructions, and sure enough, after about ten seconds, the curtain stirred and a woman stared out at me. I pointed to the door, and she let me in. Of course, they had every type of cable except the one which I desperately needed to complete my work.

I would not return to that office until Tuesday afternoon. I had finished the work on the mailing labels and the newsletter, and was ready to tackle the Big Problem. I was pointed to a dim little room, and told, "Here it is, make it work". The server was lying on its side, inert, every bit as useful as a paperweight. The office was full of spare parts, and I was to use those to effect a solution.

It took the rest of that day, plus all of Wednesday and Thursday to find the parts necessary to get the server running. Aside from the occasional visit from John or Julie, I had little interaction with anyone else while I was working. From my sheltered spot in the office, with a pleasant breeze blowing in the open window, and a ceiling fan whirring above my head, it struck me that I had it good. As I heard the rattle of the jackhammer up on the hill and the occasional clatter of pick and shovel, my only discomfort was that if I ran out of diet Pepsi, I had to go all the way up the hill to get more. Little did I know that, on Thursday, three hours of compressed misery which Andrew later called the Jamaican Death March would completely counteract the preceding three days of comparative ease.

Someone (probably John) got the bright idea that we should go on a hike up the mountain which towered above the village. (Actually, I didn't think it towered until we got closer to the top - and saw a plane flying below us.) Mike, one of the missionaries, told us that he had no desire to see what was up the mountain, and would not be joining us. I should have listened to him. Anyway, he knew someone who lived "up there" who would be glad to lead us on a pleasant stroll up the hill. Our guide, a 62 year old man, said that it would take about a half hour to get to the top.

I suppose I should pause here to state the obvious: there were no other 62 year old Jamaicans in our group. As a result, it took a little longer to go up the mountain and return. One and a half grueling hours of vertical hiking, to be exact. If it weren't for the coaching from John and the prayers and encouragement (and a hiking stick) from Brad, a young man from the Philadelphia group, I would probably still be up on that mountain.

Barbed wire and charging bulls notwithstanding, we did finally make it back. Drenched in sweat and breathing raggedly, I collapsed in a grateful heap. As I sat there in the dining hall, waiting for my legs to regain their feeling so I could eat my (late) dinner, I realized that John and my other brothers and sisters in Christ had just seen me at my most vulnerable. I don't know that there has ever been another time in my life where I had to so completely depend on others. There was no room for pride, and believe me - I was humbled. Perhaps this is a better way to explain it: there was never a time where I was more aware of my dependence on others. As physically isolated as I was during the work week from everyone else, I was never really alone. Gayle Knight told me that she had been praying for my aching knees and elbows ever since I fell on the hill. I have since found out that there were many praying that I would be able to repair the office computer.

In stark contrast to last year's trip, here there was much more autonomy (or so I thought) - and yet, God still chose to show me that He will not allow His work to be done in a vacuum. After having been to the top of a mountain, the irony struck me: God had forced me, twice, to my knees. From that vantage point, my view of Him was much clearer.

Lansdale, PA team arrives safely home...

Some of you may know that we worked alongside a group from Lansdale PCA . They had a later flight - and they were delayed due to all the cancelled flights out of Jamaica. They finally got home late last night!

Come to think of it, we never posted the fact that the Aisquith team got home on Saturday afternoon. Oops!

Our last work day...

Three more pictures - and that's all until Saturday. By the way, we have a jackhammer and the office computer is now working.

Allison and Beth

Carrie and Dan

Norah, re-hydrating

Halfway there!

It's hard to believe, but we're halfway through this trip. Please pray that we find parts for the jackhammer, which broke yesterday, and for the computer (the server) in the office, which we are also trying to fix.

Here are some pictures from the worksite today, as well as two from the cookout.

Gayle, bending steel

Ray and Larry breaking rocks

Mary, Larry, and Ashley

Some of the group at the cookout

Baking bread over and open fire

Beautiful Jamaican sunset

More from Jamaica...

We told you about the flooding yesterday, but didn't show you any pictures.

Here's one: Flooded Road

There are quite a few more pictures of our time at the orphanage, too:

Allison and her new friend

John and his passenger

Let go of my leg! (Ken)

Josh in the grass, waiting for his doggy friends.

Here are a few at the work site. They are digging trenches, two feet deep - mostly through rock, which is why Larry has a jackhammer.

Larry, working with a jackhammer

Lauren, painted

Kayleigh, chiseling a window frame

You want me to work where? (Carolyn)

Finally...pictures!

I have to work really fast because this internet connection is quite flaky.

We've been busy the past couple of days. The ride from the airport took almost three hours, due to flooding from Hurricaine Dennis.

We visited an orphanage run by the Salvation Army. One little kid named Michael really tugged at my heart. He was either burned, or had some sort of skin disease. I wanted to take him home with me!

Shannon at the Orphanage
Michael - A Little Kid at the Orphanage
Gayle, Kayleigh and Ashley at the Airport
On the Bus
Andrew Just Loves Dramamine
Some of the Team at the Airport
Josh and Kayleigh Play Chess