Jamaica - Day 2

Today was an incredible day for me here in Jamaica. Spent the day with Chad from CCCD and we really clicked. We were in the van all day driving around but we had a ton of fun. He took me to a few of the different facilities they run here on the island. We also took a detour to YS Falls, where their short-term missions teams go on their day off. It was worth the drive. I am staying up in Mandeville tonight (it is about 10 degrees cooler up here) and will be back in Kingston tomorrow before the Chapel Pointe team arrives.

Kingston - Arrival

Here in Kingston now. Settled in after lunch, a quick trip to Port Royal (not much to see), a stop at the bank, a stop at the grocery store, and a tour of the NEST Children's home. Accommodations are nice. I was surprised by how different Jamaica is in spite of a common language (although English is a second language here, everyone speaks it). I must say there is a bit more culture shock here than I expected. I think that's tied to my misconception that since Jamaicans speak english they will act like Americans. That was not a good assumption. There is something strange about the way people interact and I am trying to put my finger on exactly what it is. One thing seems sure, nobody is really in a hurry, except for the fact that we got pulled over for running a yellow light on the way from the airport. That was interesting. Tomorrow I tour three CCCD locations. Hope to post some pictures too.

Kingston - Departure

When gearing up for a trip it’s always great to have some time with the fam before I leave. In this case I got to spend the last few days with my family in Wisconsin at a family reunion. We enjoyed the rustic setting of some cabins at Kickapoo Creek (don’t ask me how they got that name). It was great to see extended family and to float down the creek with the kids.

Now, it’s 6:40am and I’m sitting here at Gate B8 in Detroit Metro’s less-than-finest Smith Terminal. It’s always crazy for me to think that we drove nine and a half hours to get home from Wisconsin, but in a few minutes I’ll be flying through the sky, and then having lunch in Jamaica. It’s also crazy to think that this is just another day at the office, but this is what I do – and I love it. Special thanks to Randy, who got up at 4am to drive me to work this morning!

Next stop… Miami… then Kingston.