Minutes by Minute

I've on an impulse decided to blog about my time in Puerto Rico this week. We'll see if I can keep it up. I was telling a couple of our other staff that it feels strange... It's been about ten years since i've been on a mission trip where i'm more 'along for the ride' and don't know a lot about where I am or what's going on. Almost a decade ago was my last such experience- which happened in Belize, and I was a college student. I can't remember what I felt at the time. I just know what I feel now. I feel a sense of freedom- not being the 'one in charge' for my experience here. I'm assisting Kevin- one of our trip leaders who also oversees our ministry throughout Puerto Rico. He picked me up, chauffeured me around town today, and brought me to our lodging site. He's now off picking up other staff and plans to have a meeting with me and other leaders tonight to adequately prepare us for our team arriving tomorrow. My first impres...

As you likely know, i've spent a good amount of time over the past 8 years serving in Jamaica. I typically spend a few months of the year on the island helping guide our ministry and leading short term mission teams. Jamaica is such a small country but is literally packed full of awesomeness. I am beginning a series of blog posts that will highlight some of my favorites of Jamaica. These will be communities, people, restaurants, beaches, churches, etc. I hope this gives you a further look into my heart for Jamaica and the uniqueness of the island. That's right- taxis. They're everywhere in Jamaica. If you haven't had a chance to ride one, you need to. The shocking / awesome thing about Jamaican taxis is their affordability. We're not talking private taxi rides, we're talking the taxis that are part of the island's public transportation system. It essentially is comprised of large buses (in the city of Kingston and maybe a few in MoBay), smaller buses (priv...

Jamaican Highlights- William Knibb Memorial Baptist Church As you likely know, i've spent a good amount of time over the past 8 years serving in Jamaica. I typically spend a few months of the year on the island helping guide our ministry and leading short term mission teams. Jamaica is such a small country but is literally packed full of awesomeness. I am beginning a series of blog posts that will highlight some of my favorites of Jamaica. These will be communities, restaurants, beaches, churches, etc. I hope this gives you a further look into my heart for Jamaica and the uniqueness of the island. William Knibb was an english missionary to Jamaica who is well known for his work of freeing African slaves. First working closely with Thomas Burchell and James Phillipo at a school mission in Kingston, Knibb moved around the island a few times before he landed in Falmouth in 1830. When he arrived, the church congregation numbered about 600. By the mid 1840's, Knibb's congre...

Jamaican Highlights As you likely know, i've spent a good amount of time over the past 8 years serving in Jamaica. I typically spend a few months of the year on the island helping guide our ministry and leading short term mission teams. Jamaica is such a small country but is literally packed full of awesomeness. I am beginning a series of blog posts that will highlight some of my favorites of Jamaica. These will be communities, restaurants, beaches, churches, etc. I hope this gives you a further look into my heart for Jamaica and the uniqueness of the island. Boston Bay Jerk! Boston Bay is on the far northeastern coast of Jamaica. For those who know Jamaica well, it's past Port Antonio. This is over a four hour drive from MoBay and a few hours from Kingston as well. This part of the island is known for a few things... rain, natural beauty, the only surfing spot in Jamaica, and the island's BEST jerk. That's right! They host a jerk festival each year, during wh...

Jamaican Highlights As you likely know, i've spent a good amount of time over the past 8 years serving in Jamaica. I typically spend a few months of the year on the island helping guide our ministry and leading short term mission teams. Jamaica is such a small country but is literally packed full of awesomeness. I am beginning a series of blog posts that will highlight some of my favotires of Jamaica. These will be communities, restaurants, beaches, churches, etc. I hope this gives you a further look into my heart for Jamaica and the uniqueness of the island. Balaclava Since 2009 our organization has served in Balaclava. I was able to lead the first mission trip effort (with Mitchell Christian School, SD). Thinking back to that first effort, I recall our team staying at a house in town and helping with the construction of a church office and computer center, which is now actively being used. Balaclava is such a beautiful area. It's a very small town in St. Elizabeth, ...

It's Monday night in Jamaica. I'm leading a team that screams PPM. They're a multi-cultural church from Anniston Alabama. They're led by a pastor from Panama and his wife who is from the Dominican Republic. They didn't skip a beat when they showed up for a four hour 7am church service on Sunday morning with the Holy Ghost knocking people to the floor. No culture shock, just worshipping with the body of Christ- their brother's and sister's in Jamaica. Just a quick testimony to let you know that God really is at work in Jamaica right now. Were conducting a community health clinic in an inner city community. We have three local Jamaican doctors who are Christians who are leading the effort, and the team is doing amazing. Today, five people responded to the gospel presentation at the clinic! Many cool stories. However, one stuck out. A lady in her mid 70's came in being guided by the hand of her teenage daughter to get looked at. She was practically blind. V...

Wow- it's been way too long since i've blogged...  I've been involved in short term mission work and local church ministry for about ten years now, dating back to when I was finishing high school. It's safe to say that my worldview has really expanded during this time. As I work with teams, prepare groups to serve, and lead trips on the ground, I have the opportunity to serve alongside many different church leaders. One of my favorite things to do, and in my opinion one of the most important aspects of my job in serving with PPM, is to dig into and analyze the intentions of the team. Early on in the preparation process I'm asking a lot of questions of the group leader... Why are you taking this short term mission trip? What are you hoping to accomplish, on a spiritual level? What does success look like for you and your team? How do you feel you'll measure that? What is your philosophy of missions and model of missions within your church? It's alw...