5 Who is Apollos? Who is Paul? They are servants who helped you come to faith. Each did what the Lord gave him to do. 6 I planted, and Apollos watered, but God made it grow. 7 So neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is important because ⌊only⌋ God makes it grow.
I definitely missed someone while I was in Jamaica... namely my beautiful wife. Last year we had a picture of us taken right here. I thought it would be fun to get another one... I have an imaginary wife :)
The kids and I had a blast at he hotel the night before we flew. We enjoyed a long and silly dinner at Denny's and then slept for a couple of hours before greeting the morning with the grogginess that 3 am always engenders.
We actually landed early and thankfully Bob was there to meet us and whisk us away to Burger King and then some relaxation on the beach. It was a long day but a great day and I found sleep to be the faithful friend I remembered and didn't even see 9 pm.
The next morning we spent at the infirmary praying for and loving on the old and dying. Also they love to beat us at dominoes.
That afternoon we headed into the ghetto (Flankers) and finished painting and cleaning up the yard for an elderly woman. It amazed me how much trash there was to clean up. I really enjoyed seeing the dramatic change that we were able to bring to lady Sunshine's life.
The next day was church, the thing I really enjoy about church in Jamaica is the worship and how easy it is to feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Monday we started out painting for the family to the right (Tony, Antoinette and 4 kids). The house looked great but what God really transformed was the relationships in the family. It was great working with the kids and the Jamaicans. I put my portable speaker in my backpack and became very popular... 'come back music man'... it was a great time!
Another ministry we brought to the neighborhood was our version of V.B.S. We had a group prepared with Bible lessons and games and the kids although wild learned a lot and had a lot of fun!
After we finished up painting the house we took a day to go to some local orphanages. Unfortunately right after we were dropped off our bus broke down. Thankfully the driver saw it coming and it was already at the mechanics shop when it stopped working. That meant that we stayed at the orphanage a little longer than we expected and the rest of our day got derailed. But God knew what he was doing and it ended up being a really great day. We got to meet some new people and spent some quality time at a local park waiting for our bus to get fixed. We ended up bonding with some kids from the youth group who had come along with us for the ride. We played charades and other fun games and my friends Sunshine and Henry made me a Jamaican remedy for back pain. It was really fun and slimy :).
The next day we got back on our repaired bus and headed out to Westhaven a handicapped orphanage. This houses kids and adults who have been thrown away, literally, and relies heavily on volunteers and donations. It is always a pleasure to go and see the beautiful people there, they are usually smiling and eager to see you when you get off the bus. I remember lots of them from years past and it is fun to see them again.
Last year we started the tradition of going to a member of the church's house for dinner. This year I got to go to the Oban's house, which was very nice. I really enjoyed the fellowship and the meal was spectacular.
Monday came so quickly and the ten days we had spent there seemed like a blur. We gathered around in our circle and prayed for each other before loading back on the bus and heading off to the airport.
I have posted all the videos I took on the trip as well as a slide show that I made on YouTube. My user name is Caleb Robbins and my videos all start with the title Jamaica 2013. Feel free to check them out.
The highlight for me this year was getting to know the people that we work with on a much deeper level. I enjoyed hearing the stories of their lives and sharing their burdens with them through prayer. I was really touched by their love for us. They always want the best for us, they see the good we are trying to do and it touches them and they respond by making us back remedies :).
It's good to be back... I have had a wonderful reunion with my family. I missed my kids and wife so much and I'm glad that I had this week with Diane before she left to go be with her sister Lisa who just had her first baby.
Pray!
For the people of Jamaica that God will provide jobs for them and that their needs will be met both spiritually and physically.
For Diane to have a great week with her sister.
For me as I take care of the boys for a week on my own.
For me as I get ready for Sky Ranch (our big weekend away with the kids, I'm bringing the message) and start planning out the fall schedule.
Praise!
Home safe and filled up!
My back is getting much better... God is sustaining me in all the things he has given me to do!
I praise God for you and your faithful support! I couldn't do this without you!
Blessings to you all! Thanks for sending me to Jamaica and for keeping me in your prayers while my wife is away.
Caleb
f you want to support what I do a little or a lot, on a one time basis or a recurring basis, click on the tab "Supporting the Work" at the top of the page and search for Caleb Robbins and then click on Caleb and Diane Robbins. Diane is my beautiful wife and the mother of my three precious children Creed 6, Asher 4, and Liam 1.
