God the Creator, man the steward

Our morning at the hotel started with local Jamaica breakfast foods including callaloo and saltfish, hominy, porridge, dumplings, yams, green bananas, and tropical juices.  It also include an American product:  Starbucks.

Keith led the morning devotion using the song "The Truth" by Megan Woods.  It truly sent tears to our eyes as we realized how much God our Father loves us so much.  It reminded us that the people of Kingston that we came to serve also have that same Father who wants a relationship with them.

We left in the morning on two vans to visit the Creighton Estate, home of Blue Mountain Coffee.  Our expert for the day, Alton, provided a presentation about the role of coffee in history, government, religion, economics, and social systems.  We were challenged on our understandings about coffee beans, growth of coffee habitats, and how to properly taste coffee.  Alton is a steward of his own sustainable farm, providing us with insights into the factors necessary to a successful harvest of coffee.  As we finished our tour, we continued our conversation about the important of equitable opportunities of producers and consumers in the exchange of an important staple in most of the world's diets.  A few bags of Blue Mountain coffee were purchased by our team to test our skills at brewing Jamaican coffee at home.



We traveled for lunch to nearby Strawberry Hill, a famous resort owned by music producer Chris Blackwell of Island Records, whose work with musicians included Bob Marley.  The restored buildings, following Hurricane Gilbert's destruction, include guest cottages, a restaurant, and a museum of artifacts associated with recording artists Blackwell produced.  We enjoyed lunch choices of jambalaya, burgers, and sandwiches.  We toured the well-maintained grounds at the resort, with beautiful vistas in the Blue Mountain range.





The final stop on our cultural excursion took us to Holywell Recreation Area.  This nature park is located near the UNESCO World Heritage Site, noted for its diverse vegetation, including some species of plants only found in Jamaica.  Many team members took the Oatley Mountain Trail to view the park and the surrounding areas from several overlooks.





The travel to and from the Blue Mountain area utilized narrow, curvy roads that our two drivers navigated professionally.  In Jamaica, drivers are on the right hand side of the vehicle driving on the left-hand side of the road.  We agreed that this driving environment was much different than the rolling plains of Lenawee.


We returned to Kingston for dinner at Dragon Court Chinese restaurant.  Erin ordered a variety of dishes for our table to enjoy family style.  Waiters brought bowls of chicken, beef, noodles, vegetables, and rice to our table.  Between the hikes, tours, and ride up and down the hills, we shared our experiences with some enjoyable comfort food.

Our evening meeting centered on adjusting our clinic plans, as our supplies have not been released.  We plan to run the clinic with limited stations, including vision testing.  Stan led the devotion from Luke 9:51-62, emphasizing our desire to follow Jesus without distractions.  The bluegrass version of the song "Gospel Plow" was sung, reminding us to hold on and focus on Jesus.

We saw many examples of God's wonderful creation:  plants for food and drink, hills and valleys to enjoy.  We saw how man has chosen to steward the resources:  prosperous fields, scenic trails, and vehicles and roads for travels.  Of course, not all of man's intentions have flourished.  After all, we are His Creation that can be distracted and lose our way.  We are reminded He loves us so much that He sent His best to rescue us.  We pray that we keep our focus on the mission in front of us.









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