Bammel Church of Christ

Even after a long day of travel the team greeted us with smiling faces and happy attitudes and are so excited to be here. They made it through customs and immigration in what seemed like record time. We headed over for this great group picture and then loaded the luggage truck and the bus and headed to our home for the week. On the way to UTC College the team was eager to hear about the island and the areas that we were passing from our bus driver Everton, he did a great job telling them about the area. We arrived at the college and the team got settled into the cottages and then headed to the cafeteria for dinner Our wonderful cook Francine had prepared a delicious meal of Baked BBQ Chicken, Brown Stew Beef, Rice and Peas and Bean Salad. The meal was enjoyed by all and I don't think anyone went away hungry. We had a short meeting a bit of a run down about what to expect, the team then got together to put their fans together in hopes that they will cool them down a bit tonight. The team is eager and ready to get to work this week and we are thrilled that they are here. I am convinced God is going to move in mighty ways with this team. Now its time for some rest and we are all praying for showers tomorrow, there is a drought on the island and water is scarce. On a lighter note we do have some that have already decided that they want to learn to speak "Jamaican" It was quite hysterical listening to their efforts during dinner tonight. We cant wait to share what God is going to be doing this week through this wonderful team.

Today the team worshiped with the Boulevard Baptist Church in Kingston. The service was 3 hours and the team really enjoyed the service. The choir was amazing, they had the team stand and the church gave them a warm welcome. They even had those with birthday's in July come forward to be honored and to have them be part of the choir for a song in front of the church. This was a fun experience for Brooke as her birthday is July 30th. The sermon was about using your gifts and talents for God as well as how God blesses each of us in unique ways. It was a home run message for the team as they came here to use their gifts and talents! After church we enjoyed a great hearty lunch and then went to the Children's home for a visit. We were not allowed to take picture there but let me tell you the team was a huge hit with the children. We had about 40 children with us today. The team shared fun songs with the kids, did some crafts, spent time building new friendships, painted finger nails, played soccer and passed footballs with all the kids. What a blast! Some of the team also visited the Tegwyn home for severally disabled and mentally challenged children. For some it was a little intimidating at first but let me tell you, they did a great job. Logan Owens was a natural with the children! You would think that he had been working with this type of disability his whole life, he did an amazing job! We concluded the night with a great devotional thought by Eric, sharing highlights of the day and how God moved in our midst. What an awesome day! Tomorrow the team will hit the road to share a VBS at the Rollington Primary School and then after that to begin a ton of renovations in 2 bathrooms and 3 classrooms. Pray for the team to get a good nights rest and to be refreshed in the morning. Everyone is doing great, drinking plenty of water and eating well.

Could it be Bob is still alive? Eric has an encounter with a church member as the team and church greeted one another. What a great opportunity to say hello and shake hands with fellow believers in another country.

Amy finds herself in a great and intense conversation with a couple children from the church today. The expressions leave us to wonder just a little of the topic of conversation. Whatever it was it looks like they all were enjoying it together.

Amy and Logan did a great job today leading VBS. They students were so attentive and loved VBS. Their shirts are completely covered in sweat, yes sweat it looks like they have had buckets of water dumped on themselves. . Boy was it HOT!!! :)

What a beautiful sight watching Michael be the hands and feet of Jesus. He was so intently singing This Little Light of Mine to this precious little boy. Beautiful blessing to witness his love for the children today during VBS.

The team started out with 105 and some trickled in during VBS. This picture shows about 1/2 of the children. They had a wonderful time making salvation bracelets today, singing songs and learning about Jesus in such a fun and exciting way. The team did a great job.

What a wonderful group of kids. They truly were the hands and feet of Jesus today. They worked so hard in the sweltering heat, without one complaint. Painting, removing old toilets, holding VBS and playing with and loving on the children.

Ethan came to breakfast this morning sporting the most awesome t-shirt! He said he found it on Amazon and he got it 2 days before the trip! Sweetest shirt!

Logan doing some final trim painting in the totally renovated restrooms! In all 4 classrooms, ceilings included, and 2 restrooms were completely painted this week!!

Maddyson having a little fun with some of the school girls. I am not really sure just what she is trying to be here, but it was a great shot of some of the fun and silliness that was going on. The children loved the team and really enjoyed the "hang out" time that they spent together.

Bammel now has many new plumbers in their midst. These guys tackled a very difficult project as the removed 7 old toilets and engineered a way to rework the plumbing to make all of the toilets work and fit properly. It was laborious work! Not an easy fix. Everyone needed to be chiseled out, cemented, and pipes had to be constructed to make everything fit right.

Kim and Bobby having a little fun as they paint and paint and paint! Tons of paint went up and totally transformed the classrooms. The teachers were so excited to visit the classroom as see the new and improved venue!! All the rooms were in major need of painting and this team did an amazing job and completed all the rooms in just 3 days.

Here is our group of children we had each day for VBS. This was students who were attending summer school classes. There ended up being over 120 each day.Plus many of the moms stayed around and enjoyed the program each day also.

As we wrapped up the week at the school we all gathered for a group picture. This is one of the renovated classrooms. Fresh paint floor to ceiling, new floor including new tiles. Thank you Bammel for providing such a huge blessing to Rollington Primary school.

After we finished our work at the school for the day, we took a ride to Port Royal and visited Fort Charles. This is an old battle station and museum. Tons of history from the pirate days and more. The team loved the tour and the sights at Port Royal. On the way back to the lodging facility we stopped by a roadside vendor and enjoyed a fresh coconut. The team was impressed and the machete wielding man who opened the Coconuts. Thursday, we will head to the North Coast for a little fun in the sun at Dolphins Cove and then out for a nice meal. ( No chicken or rice) I am sure the team will have a great day at the beach, snorkeling and swimming with sting rays and dolphins. It has been a great week for the team. Lots of hard work, great evening discussions and good food. VBS was a huge success as well. God was honored, glorified and lifted up! Many were introduced to Christ through Bible stories, memory verses and so much more.

What a great Rec day we all had. The team deserved this more than anyone could ever imagine. They all worked hard and deserved to have a day to play hard. 7 toilets replaced, 1.5 rooms tiled, 4 classrooms painted, two bathrooms painted and 3 days of VBS, not to mention all the extra time playing with the children at the school. God is truly present in the lives of this team. What a week if was sharing Jesus love.

After a great week, I know God was pleased at the ministry of the team and all they did in His name. But even with all of the awesome ministry with VBS, projects and relationships, Thursday during the teams recreation day was by far the best! Peyton gave his life to Christ and was baptized in the ocean! Eric had the honor of doing the baptism and the team welcomed a new brother in Christ! It was awesome to witness and after the baptism the team all broke out in song right there on the beach among the multitudes. Not only did we get to watch this but many bystanders also witnessed this eternal event. To God be the glory! The team has left the island as of today and they will be missed greatly.Thank you to all of you for a blessed week. Hope we get to do it again!