Saturday~Perrytown Outreach

This morning got started off a little earlier than usual being that we had team photos. Then we hopped on the transportation and went to TC. A crew got off there to go work on Ms. Margery' s house and another crew went in to work on the sound system being installed in the center.
At Ms. Margery' s house the frame for the shower went up and the roofing went on. The walls have yet to be completed.
Inside the center the speaker in the kitchen went up and is working. The speaker in the dorm room was repaired and another speaker for the dorm was started on. While working on the speakers God blessed me with fellowship with some of the students.
The rest of the team went up to Perrytown for a Childrens Ministry. At the school the team handed out gifts to the children and ministered to them. All reports I heard said that it was a blessing to be there at the school.
At 12 o'clock the teams at TC went out to lunch at the BK lounge(Burger King). Then everyone met back up at the market. This place was insane! Hundreds of people were sitting at little stands they had set up and they were selling stuff they had made themselves or bought. A lot of the stores had the same thing as the store right next to them. The most fun part of the market was the bartering. The face off between buyer and seller occasionally came to a stalemate or a transaction was made.
After the market everyone hopped on the bus and we went back to TC for the street meeting. On one side of the street there was speakers and music and on the other side stood the people of TC and the team, the people of God. As all the random people we will never see again walked by they watched us praise Almighty God and some walked on without a thought, but some stopped and God blessed us with the chance to pray with a stranger, to spread the Good News we have been blessed with, to bless another. During this time of worship we were all challenged to find a member of TC and pray with them about anything they needed. Then we were fed a dinner of jerk chicken, peas, and rice. After dinner we just chilled at TC and prayed with the students until we hopped on the bus and traveled back to the villa.
By the grace of God we have been given another day to live, to share Christ's Love and Life with others, and to serve. Leviticus 6:13(ESV) says this: "Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it shall not go out." Today this verse is saying to us that whatever our purpose is in life that we need to keep going and not give up the fight. We are in a battle of more than we can sense. All we can do is trust in God, be obedient to what He says to us, and know that He will pull us through.

Prayer Requests:

• Safety for all team members
• Courage to reach out to others
• The students at Teen Challenge
• Safe travel on Jamaica roads
• Time for all jobs to get done
• Time to spend with God!!!

~ Mason Small


My great friend Mason blessed me with writing the blog for today and tonight and I have to say he did an amazing job! There was a circumstance tonight which one student was dismissed from the program, and many of us felt great compassion and love for this man. We decided to hit the streets searching for this man. We were all tired and ready for bed, but we knew that we were to go out and encourage him. The six of us pull up to were we expect him to be, and a man comes out of the woods from no where and we inquired whether he knew where this certain person was, and he replied that he did not. As the conversation continued he shed light from an outsider's point of view of how TC could be more loving and accepting to those in the community. After this great time with Mike Johnson we all decided it was time to get home, we didn't know where this man was and it was time to get to bed. Our plans are not as God's plans! As we were pulling out of the parking lot to head home stood in front of us stood who we were looking for. If the timing had been any other thing than from God this would not have happened. On the way there we were discussing what we would do if we found him, what would we say, and what if we don't find him. Mr. Sam Paynter kept reminding me that if it is in God's plan it WILL happen. And it did. We talked for over an hour just trying to be an encouragement and lift him up. We determined that God has a greater purpose. God holds the right to test faith, and He will. One of the last things he said to us was, "I'll see you in church in the morning"

What an encouragement that a man who has been beaten up, rejected, put down, he is remaining strong in God to stick it through to see the greater purpose. God is truly doing amazing things here in Jamaica during these eight days. God is not only working in the hearts of those we are serving, but he is working in the hearts of our team. Barriers that have been up for decades are being not only broken, but destroyed and carried away. God has a purpose and a plan for everything. everything.

God Bless
- Kolby Dukes -