MOST Jamaica 2522

Tuesday morning began with a devotion from Tom using John 15:1-8.  We were reminded that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. Our daily dependence as Christians relies on our relationship with Him.  He prunes us as an act of love in order that we bear fruits of service for His kingdom.  We listened to the song "God Does" from the band Red Clay Strays. As we gathered at the worship center to prepare for service to others at the eyeglass clinic, it was very clear that we needed God.  We could gather information from the people who came through the door.  We could share the Good News of Christ with them through His story.  We could educate them on the importance of healthy habits for maintaining their eyes.  We could screen their distance and upclose vision capacities.  But at 9:30 am, we had no eyeglasses or sunglasses to distribute. God provided His support with others to walk beside us when we needed Him.  Volunteers from the congregati...

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 f...

We rose Sunday with renewed vigor after a good night's rest.  We gathered for our morning devotion under an almond tree, with a friendly woodpecker keeping a steady rhythm.  The open space and warm breezes, along with hot coffee, added joy to our Sunday morning. John led our song "Open the Eyes of My Heart, Lord".  Reading from 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, he reminded us about looking at our lives through God's lens as we participate at the station He posts us.  Like our flippers we use in our eye glass clinic, we can see better when we let him flip the lens. We traveled to St. Andrew's Lutheran Church for breakfast and worship.  We enjoyed the singing by the congregation.  Pastor Ite led us through the readings of the day that centered on the Good Shepherd from Luke 15:1-10.  The sermon on Christ seeking the lost one over staying with the other 99 inspired our continued prayer for sharing the Gospel with those that are lost. A neat moment was the sharing the ...

We left the parking lot of the church around 2 am, packed with ministry supplies, clean clothes, snacks, and excited hearts to serve in Jamaica.  Alysia spoke about our role of being that city on the hill from Matthew's Gospel, shining our light on our travels. Our flight from Detroit to Miami gave us time to grab some sleep.  We even got a call out from the pilot for the chocolates we brought the team.   We had a few corrections after we landed in Florida.  First, the ramp connecting to the jet to allow the passengers to deplane needed an adjustment.  Second, a gate change added more steps as we readied ourselves to fly to Kingston.  We kept our knees bent and rolled with the changes.  After all, we are on God's mission to share His love with others.  What are a few delays? We landed in Jamaica and quickly moved to the baggage area.  We gathered all of our packed bags and headed to customs for the last step of the process of entering th...

St. John's Lutheran Church in Adrian, Michigan will return to the mission field in 2025.  We are partnering again with MOST Ministries of Ann Arbor, Michigan to provide an eyeglass clinic in Jamaica during the week of September 13-20.   It is our first short-term mission trip to Jamaica.  The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod will also provide support for our mission team through their volunteer coordinator for Latin America & the Caribbean ministries.  The goal of the mission team is to provide eyeglasses and sunglasses to adults and children through the clinic.  About 1 in 6 Jamaicans struggle with basic needs, including eyecare.  We expect to conduct the clinic for four and one-half days.  We pray that our work with the community will be a blessing to the families in Jamaica.