PICTURES>>>>>>>>>>>>>

http://nbyouth.shutterfly.com/

Here is all the pictures that were taken while we were in Jamaica.  Sure hope you enjoy and thank you so much fro the support.

Jumping in the river can be more than you expected....

From the beginning....

Our church is called New Beginnings.  It is significant to me because Jesus is the only beginning any of us will ever need.  There are times that I question if I should even be a youth pastor, I mean how can you even be cool at 37, but it is in these moments like here in Jamaica that I see and feel Jesus change even me. As a youth pastor who sees time and relationships as a 24 hour, life time commitment, it is hard for me not to long for our youth to find New Beginnings.  Thank you to you who have invested in the lives of our youth.  A mission trip is never an easy, nor inexpensive endeavor, but I promise it is worth it.  Camps, retreats, food on Sunday nights is just part of the full picture.  Mission Trips are an essential part of the development of all Christians.  Even Jesus took the disciples on mission trips.  Our world shirks, our mind is expanded, and Jesus becomes real.  I hope their lives will be changed, that Wal-mart never looks the same, that they begin to see the needs around them daily. That something new begins in them that will impact the world around them.  We all need reminders of the blessings that we have, Jamaica helps me see that my problems, my issues have always been in the hands of a Savior that loves me more than I deserve.  So again I say thanks for allowing me personally the opportunity to see God work in the lives of our youth.  And I thank you for supporting our youth.   So I shed a tear and I say a prayer and I hold on to hope that from the beginning He is always faithful....

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love you tomorrow. YOU'RE ONLY A DAY AWAY.

Why hello there!

It is safe to say our time here at Jamaica has come to a bittersweet end and by all means, it was great. Many friends were made, hearts were touched, tummies were filled, songs were heard, and families WERE MISSED. Today was our last day with our churches at VBS and tonight is our last night at Chris Anns Resort at Tower Isle but man did we end it with a bang! There was even an extra amazing sunset tonight to tell us goodbye. I'm sitting here now listening to Chris sing some VBS songs and most of the crew is playing in the pool and I feel it is much needed to just breathe in deep, say a sweet word of thanks to Jesus and hurry up to my room to get a head start on packing. This week has been exciting, joyful, fun and interesting to say the least. Jamaica- you never cease to amaze me. North Carolina- we shall see you tomorrow (:


LOVE TO YOU ALL,
Hanna-Lee

p.s- we get to the airport at 10 tomorrow night. so those of you who tend to be kinda late, program that in your head as like 9:30 pm (;

Braids!!!!!!!

In the school that we traveled to, I met a few girls that I immediately had interest in.  Jacob and I talked to these girls about anything and everything the first day at the school.  Jacob mentioned something to the eldest of the girls about getting his hair braided and to our surprise they agreed.  After the Bible lesson a girl named Ofelia braided my hair. It took the girl roughly and hour to finish my complete head.  All the little girls sat in front and behind me and laughed the whole time while this 13 year old girl braided my hair.  She used silly bands to tie off the ends so it would not come undone and all the little girls called me a Christmas tree due to all the colors of the bands.  However, Jacob was very disappointed because his hair was not long enough to be braided.

Alex Harrell

Hello from Jamaica!

I have been trying to  think how I could possibly write all that is on my heart. It is a very unique place here. The weather is beautiful, and the people are so receiving of us. Daily we have reminders everywhere of how blessed we are in the USA, and how we take it so for granted. The churches we are at loudly praise the Lord and smile with the joy of the Lord. Their worship is up beat, and their hugs are genuine. We have enjoyed hospitality like no other place.
We went to a school today to do Vacation Bible school. It was a "new"school with an old look. The children were proud of their school, proud of their nation, and so many of them proud to be a Christian. Again, we have much we could learn from them.
As we sit at night sharing our "highs" and "lows" from the day, we all are so thankful for the many who helped us get here. Please continue to pray for us as we share with the children and adults who God has entrusted to us. May we make a difference for His Kingdom forever.
Love and hugs! Dianne

OUCH!!!

Hi everyone, it's Zach. I have had an extremely painful last couple of days. Monday my fellow missionaries and I were in a heated, ongoing tournament of chicken fight, and Sam was on my shoulders and Alex was on Jacobs. and for some odd reason that i am still completely unknown to me, Jacob decided that he was going to spear me with the top of his head, directly in my face. needles to say, I ended up with a swollen lip, bloody nose and a pretty good head ache. Tuesday while chasing a kid named Pedro, I slipped and my foot came through my shoe. I tore skin off my big toe and split my knee open. Ended up in the doctors office and got 5 stitches in my left knee. Umm...following the doctors office, Chris, Sam and I returned to the hotel and as I was sitting on the couch watching TV, I was stung in the neck by a bee. Wednesday, I got a chance to get to know some of the students in my class a lot better. Um i like that. Ummm.... I learned that one of the students I have, named Odre, has just graduated high school and plans to become a soldier. Also, jamaican boys tend to crush easily on pretty American girls. I believe I am done for now. Miss you all and we shall see you in just a few days!

Zachariah

Chris made me do this...

Hi MOM!

I never knew what to expect coming into this but I've found that Jamaica is simply amazing. I've never been any further than Florida and now I'm in another country. The people are so friendly and the environment is beautiful. This has been an absolutely incredible experience so far. The first 5 days went by pretty slow but now I feel like it's flying by. The kids I've met are adorable, I've fallen completely in love with every single one of them. (Mom, if you find a kid crawling out of my suitcase you'll know why.) It's insane to see how blessed they feel when I see how much less they have. Living in America has spoiled us all and lately I've felt pretty selfish for taking advantage of everything that's just handed to me, but at the same time I'm now so thankful for it. I try my best to teach the kids something new every day but it seems that they teach me more. I thank God for this opportunity and I also thank every single person who helped me get here. You guys are amazing. So many lives are being affected and even you (parents and friends) have had a hand in that.

Miss you all, can't wait to share this experience with you.

Amy Sapp.

Makin melodies in my heart!!!

Jamaica 'mon!! This trip has been amazing so far. Hangin out with everyone at the resort has been wonderful, whether its been swimming in the ocean or having worship and bible studies at night. Today was the second day of VBS for me at hopewell and it has been a once in a life time experience for sure! Me and Zach are having so much fun teaching our group more about God and developing relationships with them. Today was also a lot of fun because of the trip to the doctor for Zach with Chris. I am looking forward to what the rest of the week brings and hope to have a lot more great experiences! Miss my family and can't wait to see them!

-SAM BAKER

PS: Song time is my all time favorite! 

ZACH IS THE INJURED ONE!

Just to clairfy, Zach was chasing a little boy today and tripped and fell and split his knee open. He's doing fine after a trip to the doctor and 5 stitches!

PS: and just got stung by a bee...talk about a bad day!

Palm Trees, Coconuts, Kids, and Jesus

Greetings from Jamaica!!! I am having such a wonderful time here, I can't believe how I have grown in just a few short days.  So far, I have shopped in the market, which was definitely an experience.  I had a hard time telling them No thank you, I can't buy everything I see.....(sorry mom).  We went tubing and I jumped off a cliff into the river.  I have spent two days with the 10-12 year olds at Hopewell Baptist Church.  The first day, we had only 5 students, but the second day we had around 17.  I am having so much fun talking to them, playing with them, praying with them, and teaching them.  We sang songs, we danced, I played hide and seek, which is a little harder at my age compared to 10-12 year olds!!  The kids are eager to learn and are very smart.  They have probably taught me more than I have taught them to be honest.  I can't believe our time is almost over, I so want to come back and keep up with the kids I have met so far.  This has been an experience of a lifetime, and I am truly blessed to be a part of it. 

Megan Hardy :)

ONE LOVE keeps on spreading

Hey there family and friends!

Today was the 2nd day of VBS and by all means, I think we can all feel/tell it. I am EXHAUSTED. The attendance for our church went up, as expected and along with more kids came more heat! As some of you may know,  I am teaching the 7-9 year olds and it really is an interesting yet not easy group. Our kids have great hearts and TOOOOO much energy! Lindsay did the lesson today, which was way last minute for him but he really finished off well and I am so proud of him. It's great to see love, faith, and God's word growing in each and every one of these kids hearts. The church surprised us with a fabulous meal at the end which consisted of bbq chicken, pasta salad, and rice and beans. It was yummy! -oh and of course, the famous "jamaica juice" (: I took a much needed nap today right on jojo's bed and I'm pretty sure most of the other teammates slept a little as well due to all the exhaustion. - Well except for Chris and Sam and Zach who took a nice trip to the doctor! Dinner was great, as usual. We had salad, spaghetti, rice and chicken. And it was finished off with pineapple upside down cake. I have yet to eat dessert, since i'm not much of a sweets person, but everyone has done nothing but rave about it all!

I love this place and every day I feel that I am more and more amazed by its beauty. Homesick is definitely a feeling of mine but I am still so thankful to have had yet another opportunity to spread God's word in beautiful Jamaica. Church family- i miss you greatly. Family in general-  i miss you A TON. Ethan- i can't wait to see you. (guarantee you chris says something about this (; ) Hope everyone is having a great week! Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to work with all the children. Also keep us in your prayers for us going into the school and doing VBS starting tomorrow as well. Love you all <3

LOVE,
Hanna-Lee

First Day for VBS

   I went to Hopewell Church for the first day for VBS. I have pre-K to 6 years old. Never in my life did I think I would fall in love with these little kids in the first hour. Currie, Elisabeth, and I had five kids on the first day, not very much, however it was amazing to really bond with the small group. I cannot even think on how to spell the names of the children,I had a hard time just saying them, so I wont share there names, but I can share to you that they are sweet God loving kids. One of my highlights of the day was watching this small three year old kid hold her hand in prayer with her head bow to her chest and eyes closed shut, saying the Lords prayer perfectly. It was the sweetest thing I ever saw. It really touched me. I saw that we can make a difference for these kids, even the tiny one, who we look at and think that they don't understand. VBS on the first day has already made an impact for the kids in Jamaica. Im so excited to be down here and i'm excited each day to wake up to another God blessing day.
                                                                                                         Ashley McKenzie

I am a C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N

VBS Day 1

VERY HOT

Meet new faces, learned new songs, made new relationships!!!!

Can definitely tell God is at work in Grace Church.

Little kids have to much energy and can run for days.

Alex Harrell

PS: This is Chris sorry for no update on Sunday (yesterday), we have had some internet troubles here so I couldn't give you an update. Lindsay's blog is below too.

Amazing :D

Hey Everyone.

Jamaica is amazing! I 'm glad I had the opportunity to come here. This will be one of the best joys of my life. I've met a ton of kids and adults here and one thing they have in common is that that they show a special love towards you and that has taught me well. I have a couple of kids I already can tell I am going to miss when we leave. To the family that sponsored me for this trip I thank you greatly. I have become spiritually impacted already. God Bless you all.

-Lindsay Hankins

Mrs. D & Mrs. D's Tag Team Blog

What a wonderful time we had in Jamaica today! Started off with a wonderful buffet breakfast at a nearby restaurant Glen's. We had greens for breakfast!!! They were delicious! The festival dumplings were awesome. The High Mountain Coffee was out of this world. You will all probably guess who our Coffee Queen is......Yes, Mrs. Dianne. She was little disappointed when she realized the coffee had been put away while she was in deep conversation with the other mission group and their adventure in Costa Rica!!!!!! It's amazing to know that they help each other. They purchase their goods within their country, raise their own cattle for their beef, grow and crop their own veggies and produce their own eggs!! Walmart is a joke to them. Very proud and humble people.

Then we headed to the market to test our bargaining skills!!! Some of us did better than others!!!! But as Chris reminded us, if you paid more than what you thought you should, it was most likely helping those in greater need. We are learning that it's nothing for one to only make $50.00 in 2 weeks for their salary! This amazes me when I consider how wasteful I am when I think I'm "saving".

For lunch we had the patties that Hanna-Lee had raved over and back to the straw market.

Shortly after, we headed to White River for Tubing. A "victory" float (only Mrs. Dianne and I would understand why we chose the word Victory), and we all had lots of fun!!

Dinner at Glenn's then We headed back to the Resort for a refreshing worship service on the Ocean Front! Music, Prayer and testimonies!

I'm looking forward to worship service at Hopewell Church tomorrow!

I'm (Darrilyn) not sure who helped me on this trip (monetarily) but I am so thankful for you. Also to my prayer warriors, God Bless you!!! Muah! (That's a Kiss!!)

Mrs. Dianne and Darrilyn

jamaican me crazy!

So today we ate a wonderful breakfast as usual from the restaurant across the street from our resort. We went to the straw market in town which is a huge flea market type thing with all the locals trying to sell merchandise to make money for food, rent, clothes ect. and let me tell you.. it was very intense. you had people from all different directions wanting you to visit their "shop" (a little cave, room, thingy) that had basically the same stuff as other "shops" and you could bargain down the prices. mostly they had bracelets, purses, shirts, wood carvings, and a couple other things.. and unfortunately i spent.. 200 dollars american. but the good thing is, i didn't get suckered into stuff i didn't need. i bargained but the problem was that i'm just a shopaholic and bought the whole dang market.. oh well. i like my stuff and it helped the people selling, pay rent! After the market we went tubbing down a river! it was AMAZING. we stopped at one spot and jumped off into the river, which was a good jump and scared me to death. we had a worship service later that night to thank god and praise him for our wonderful time here and for our excitement in the upcoming week with vbs!

okay, im done with my novel now.. haha but i still have to add that we had delicious beef and chicken patties that everyone loves.. especially Hanna-Lee! EXCEPT for me, ew. (:

<3 megan

Oops I did it Again.

I did a backflip today. Well, to say I did a backflip......I tried, but was unsuccessful. But I think tomorrow I'll actually make it all the way around and into the water. In all truth, Jamaica is awesome. The flight was fun, chill time at Ft. Lauderdale was fun too, definitely recommend Nathan's burgers!! Once we got to Jamaica, customs was a breeze, which was great for Chris considering we got through without any trouble from the customs ladies. Since we've gotten to the resort, the majority of our time has been swimming, and if u looked at the picture which you sorta have to, we find a nice jumping spot too. We're all preparing for the experience that we've been give. We can change lives this week, and pray that we can let God be our guidance as we follow in his steps and share the importance of him in our lives and how we can show others how much he means to us! Hope it's raining!!

---Aaron

1st day in Jamaica

Today was our first day in JAMAICA and it was amazing. We have been jumping off the big rocks into crystal blue water, swimming in the pool, and exploring about around our hotel. We also visited the jerk center for lunch! Just finished swimming and are hanging out as the sun sets under the porch with Megan, Hanna- Lee, and Chris. Great day and looking forward to tomorrow!

p.s. Hanna- Lee says my name is ..."C to the U to the Double R- I- E

Touchdown.....

Well we have landed on the Island. After 4:30am start and 5-hour layover we finally landed in Jamaica, where we were greeted by my good friend Richard Davis. Richard has been driving church groups for about 10 years now. It is a relationship that I look forward to renewing every time I land. After about a 2-hour bus ride we stopped and let the group eat at Jerk Center. A Jerk Center is like a barbeque restaurant. It is an authentic Jamaican experience. We finally arrived at our hotel about 7:00pm, Jamaican time (8:00pm for you, they don’t do daylight savings). Today is Friday June 8 and we will begin the process of getting ready for VBS and await the arrival of the other teams. Please continue to pray for the youth as they adjust to Jamaican heat, lifestyle, people and homesickness. My prayer is change. We all need change. Change only given to us by Jesus who working in us will help us see the world that is beyond our desires to take it for ourselves. Pray we live open.

Thanks

Chris

PS : More to come later

Jamaica 2011 ... Here we go...

Hello!!!! Here we go again count down to life on the island. I hope you will take time to comment and follow us as we reach beyond ourselves. Thank you for your support and love.