Hey all, its been a while since we have updated you on our crazy life in Jamaica.  A lot has happened in the last while; we will try and fill you in as best as possible!

We have spent a lot of time at the basic school next to Operation Restoration school (seen in photos). The kids at this school go from grade 1-5.  Our team is split up when we arrive there, one person with each grade.  We help out as best as possible.  For me (Nathan), this includes spelling, colors, rhyming, some art...I had to draw...most of you know that I cant draw!  Its fun hanging out with my grade 5 class, and I know that the others have really enjoyed their classes as well.  It is exhausting work, there is constant noise, and the language barrier can pose a problem at times (the kids talk so fast, and all at the same time).  I know we are helping though, even if it seems that from day to day we are not making an impact.  These kids come from an area in which violence is everywhere, they don't get much attention, and they don't get much encouragement.  We are there to show them that they are loved, to encourage them and at times simply give them a smile or a hug.  I guess we are planting a seed in their lives, we need to trust that God can and will use that to impact their lives as they grow and mature. 
I want to mention another activity that happened that I really enjoyed!  One evening I was chatting with Robert and Patrick about driving, and how I was sure I could handle driving in this country...so...we got in the van, and Robert said that I was driving!  Awesome!  I got to drive a right hand drive, 5 speed manual van down town Kingston among the crazy Jamaican drivers.  That was a good time!  The speedometer does not work, so you just have to go the speed that you feel led to go at that specific time:)  That was a highlight for me!
I will now pass the computer on to Devon.
Stay sweet, Nathan.

Hello There.
The other day we went to the north side of the island. We took whats called a mini bus. It's about 8 feet longer then a 15 passenger van and holds about 50 people. It was a little packed. It took about an hour and a half and we got to Ocho Rios it cost us 320$ each which is about five CAN. We walked down the street and turned to go to a cafe and the woman - Nel - who we were getting a ride from ended up being right there so we got in the car, two in the trunk, and went up to the camp. Nel took us to the beach and left to do some stuff for about half an hour. We got offered weed twice one guy offered us about a pound for free. We told them we didn't smoke and then they tried to sell us anything else they could find. We swam in the Caribbean for the first time it was a really good time. We picked up some snacks and i don't know if anybody has blogged about strawberry melon juice from tropicanna but it's pretty much "freaking awesome" - Nathan. ( We had a hard time describing the awesomeness and Nathan put it simply) We played scrabble that night and went to bed around nine. The next day we worked with a mason named Lemon the girls did various things. It was a long good day. That night we went to bed at seven. It rained that night, a lot. We took the Knutsford express which is like a greyhound and cost 1200 a person which is about 15 CAN a person. That morning for breakfast we had ackee and saltfish. the fish was great but the ackee tasted alright but the texture was like a fruit gusher in the middle and eggs on the outside. That was our first trip to the North Side.
Yesterday Nathan and I saw a lizard inside and we decided we should catch it and throw it outside. We tore apart the living room and eventually caught the terrified lizard. We held him out on the deck where he preceded to jump about twelve feet down and we think he lived. It was a cool experience. We told our host of our victory and she said that they didn't usually bother the lizards because they didn't bother the people. Oh well.
Hand off to Landon. Devon


Hey there,
This is Landon. We are in the start of a day off waiting for the girls to come with Patrick to hang out with us today. Right now we are hanging some laundry that was much needed. Alright well I am trying to remember what has happened over the past few days. Nathan and Devon have basically covered what we did but I guess I can talk about the day trip. After getting back from helping out at the camp by Ocho Rios, we came back and got up early the next day and met at Operation Restoration to pick up around 40 teenagers from 13-17 years old. We got on to a small bus and drove two hours north to a place called Seville which is a famous historic point (we were in the house where Christopher Columbus chilled at after being marooned at sea by his crew!!!). So we got to this park/museum type deal and split everyone into groups for games. I was in charge of the one and only water game... this would not have been to bad if it wasnt POURING. long story short, no one was a real fan of my game which involved holding a basin of water on your teams feet while lying on your back. the tricky part was that you had to take off your socks while keeping it balanced. the look on nathans face when i told explained the game to his group was priceless because at that time there was a downpour.... haha. the day ended with capture the flag in the rain which was a blast!
Yesterday consisted of going to church, having lunch with our billets, the Walcotts. After hanging with the for the afternoon ( i enjoy talking football with their son who is a couple years older than me), we went to a restaraunt called the Ribkage, Needless to say we had ribs. Nathan, Devon, Patrick, and I decided to man up and have a full rack each. DE-FREAKING-LICIOUS! haha
well thats all i really have to say for now...
This is Landon saying goodbye from the deck in the sun.
p.s.
Biggest highlights: We swam in the ocean! and when we got back i got to play basketball with a ton of guys that Robert and Patrick know... total blast!

What a day, what a day!

Hello Everyone!
Enjoy the many pictures and the words from Landon soon... We have the only computer that can upload things. Talk about team work hey!

Last bug bite update was 2 for Jesselyn.. it is now 35! Please pray for her that she comes back in one piece. haha. They usually bite her at night while she is sleeping.. the rest of the team is doing well in that area though. Thanks!
God Bless!!
Jesselyn and Lisa

The School we spend our time at; hanging out at lunch, playing games; join the after school club..more games!!

The VAN!!!

Devon and Nathan with some friends!

One of the many sunsets

The view driving up the mountain to where the guys stay..

Some children at another school... (in a different building beside Operation Restoration..)

Patrick with a little friend!

Nathan drinking coconut water, nice and fresh!

Saturdays are lazy days

Hey there out there from way up here (our mountain abode). This is the guys giving you an update on what has happened in the past day. Yesterday was hectic to the max as we got up and headed back to Operation Restoration, this time to hang with the kids at the basic school (1-5). This group consisted of the cutest little kids you have ever seen and the next few hours were a blur of comments about us being white; ("Shiny Mon" was a common description for us) holding our hands, stroking our hair, and pulling us to the ground for piggyback rides and races. We were split up, the five of us, into different groups. One of us for each age group. I, Landon, took on the 4 year olds haha. It was absolutely nuts but i loved every minute of it. I got to help teach the class wherever I was needed. I was introduced as Uncle Landon (never been called that), the kids called me sir (never been called that either). After we stopped for lunch we headed out for a meeting again and discussed what we are planning for the camp. After some brainstorming we headed back to the school for an afternoon activity which takes place every friday. We played a bunch of different games varying from Uno to hide and seek to running for the sake of running (hard on us white people... especially in the sun) to the Jamaican version of checkers (called Jaff)which is easily better (Nathan is quite proud of beating a Jamaican at their own game haha).
At the end of the day, needless to say we were exhausted. It had been a full day so Robert and his crew decided to give us the evening off so we just watched a couple of movies along with some junk food. It was a good end to a busy day and a great start to a weekend.
Today was Saturday so we got up and made breakfast around 9:30 and hung out on our deck for a bit. Us guys decided that we were too white for life so we headed down to our pool in "our" country club and hit up the pool deck for some tanning and swimming. It was a very relaxing day and we ended it off with grabbing a cab and going down to the girls place for some dinner and Dutch Blitz (worst game ever).
Well this has been a relaxing day but I am about ready to crash so this is Landon saying farewell for the evening. Thanks for the prayers and God Bless
p.s.
We heard about the blizzard in Alberta... we feel for you :P

"there's white people waitin on you"

Hello from Landon and Devon! Today we went and hung out withthe kids at Operation Restoration school with the same kids from yesterday! It was
great hanging out and playing games with the kids. After that we went to Tastee's which is a Jamaican fast food restaurant and we had patties (Patricks fav food) and tomorrow will try the patties at a rival food chain for their patties. After lunch we had a meeting in which we planned our camping trip for the kids. We will be spending the camp on the north side of the island which is where all the nice mountains and beaches are. The weather was so hot during the day (plus 31 with high humidity) that we (Devon and Landon)had a near comatose nap on the couches in the girls billets living room. It was simply great. After that Robert and everybody picked us up and took us to the pier we hung out with locals and had a lot of laughs. We had a crazy drive up to our billets and ate soup. We went for a walk and saw a great view of the city. Goodnight and God bless thankyou got your prayers - Team Jamaica

We can't come up with a witty title...... (believe us... we have been trying..)

HELLO out there! From the Jamaican team....its Jesselyn and Lisa!!!! (whoo the crowd goes wild) haha.

hi.. its us... in Kingston, New Kingston to be specific, unlike the Beverly Hills where certain other people are staying.. who of which are enjoying an incredible view of the city lights.... we are happy and healthy drinking a nice BLACK CUP...(no sugar/cream added)...of Blue Mountain Coffee.. Lisa is drinking it, and she dosent even like coffee! its got nothing on Foldgers thats for sure!

We started the day at around 8am. our billet Rea, is like family already, and treats us as such :) she is 29 and works half time with the Fusion team here in Jamaica. (our contacts co-worker). The guys picked us up and had to eat their breakfast...which they couldnt finish...so we took a fork to it!... boiled banana, green yams, salt fish, potato, seasoned spinach, and a dumplin for dessert!

So far the bug bite count for Jesselyn is 2, Lisa 1, by a biting ant. luckily Jesselyns bits were misquitos. They only bite new blood.

...So After dodging cars, bikes, pedestrians, left, right and center, we got some new tires in our sweet as can be van we drive! We are not the drivers per say...that would take some practise..it is definatly a skill to drive on the streets of Kingston. Not to mention on the left side of the road.... haha.

WE GOT CELL PHONES TOO! haha. it is just for contacting with Robert and the guys.. but it was exciting,. haha..

Our main planned activity was to travel to Trenchtown (fun fact, Bob Marley spent some time here, and even wrote some songs about it...one of the roughest areas in the city.) We will be spending alot of time at a school called Operation Restoration Christian School during the childrens lunch break. We hung around there playing games and throwing the football around. The school is for children who have learning disabilities and behavioral issues. We go back tomorrow to help them with their studies..math, writing, etc..

In the afternoon we had a quick meeting with some of Roberts co-workers to plan a "mini camp" experience for some of the kids at the Trenchtown school... it is still in the works, but our team will be the counsellors and will help with games and hikes and campfires! Please pray for provision for the campsite we want to use. We are looking forward to this adventure!

Later on we went grocery shopping, then we got some food from the super market and got dropped off at home. Rea was at her night class, and Lisa and I decided to make some wraps for supper! So tasty! We ate these on the balcony and as we were looking out we heard a flutter... Lisa thought it was one of those croaching lizzards, but it was a BAT!!!!!!!!!!.. ya, we ate inside after that.. haha...

likkle more' (thats patois, which is the Jamaican language, for "Talk to you later")

love you all! and thanks for your prayers!!

JES and LIS

Nathan and Jesselyn waiting to leave from Edmonton

Flying 39, 000 ft...above the clouds!

Our last sleep before landing!

JAMAICA!! This picture we are travelling with Robert, who Lisa is talking to, and our new friends, Kavin on the left, and Patrick on the right...Patrick is driving as well!

Lisa's favorite tree so far!

Rea's deck, Jesselyn's favorite spot in Rea's apartment. 

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Roads/transportation

The food the guys had for breakfast!

We are here, and feeling very white:)

Hey all! Well, we arrived in Jamaica at 1:15p.m. Safe and sound! The myths are true, it's rediculously warm, humid, beautiful and overall awesome in this place! The driving is ridiculous! It seems they have 'evolved' beyond the need to follow traffic laws; swerving, dodging motorcycles and pedestrians is just a way of life, it's literally a game of inches! Today we were privileged enough to meet Robert (and two of his friends Patrick and Kevin) as well as the people that we are going to be staying with for the next week. They are all awesome! Robert said generally the higher class people live on the mountain sides surrounding Kingston, the middle class live near the base of the mountains and the lower class live in the city. The girls are staying with a lady in a nice section of town (middle class area)complete with a pool. Robert then proceeded to drive us guys virtually to the top of one of the mountains...yeah, you could say it's pretty nice around here; the sighns say we are north of Beverly Hills:).

Thanks for your prayers! God has kept us safe thus far.
Well keep you posted.
This is Nathan on behalf of team Jamaica, sighning off!

The final countdown...

Hey this is Landon again writing from home amidst the disorganized process I enjoy calling "packing". We have been getting last minute things done like getting our prescriptions and knowing when to meet. It has all come down to leaving in like.... 24 hours and 26 minutes!! We are all very excited to get going on our trip! We cant ask enough for your prayers, its such a help. Well I am going to go and finish my packing... or at least my attempt at it.

God Bless,

Team Jamaica