Summer Missions in Jamaica - 2010

We have had a lot of interest from people wanting to go on one of our mission teams this summer. Because of that, we are offering three possible dates. Since the school year in Jamaica does end until the first of July, the first week will primarily be a work team. The other weeks will be after school has ended and we plan to do one or more vacation Bible schools.

Here are the dates:
Week 1 - June 5-12, 2010
Week 2 - July 3-10, 2010
Week 3 - July 10-17, 2010

Planned projects:
Week 1 - We plan to tear down an old Basic School and build a new one on the same site, making it slightly larger. This will be mostly carpentry work. The building will be made out of wood. An existing good foundation and concrete flooring will be reused. The additional floor space will be build with some concrete piers, then conventional floor joists and plywood floor. The place is Johnson Mountain. This work site has one of the most beautiful views in Jamaica. It is on the side of a mountain. You have an unobstructed view of the eastern end of Jamaica and you can see the lighthouse over 9 miles away. There are cool breezes up there, but the work site has few trees. There are flush toilets and water available. In addition to the schools, we will need to build a simple rainproof shelter over the free standing toilets. There is a soccer field just below the school and there should be ample time to play with local children in the afternoons. This is a larger project than some of our basic schools. If we don't finish that week - no problem mon, we can finish on one of the later weeks.

School

View

Weeks 2 and 3 - These weeks will not primarily be for building buildings, but for building Christian relationships. We plan to center the first week around our home area - there at Port Morant and specifically much around the Methodist church there. We would like to host a Vacation Bible School and simultaneously, be reaching out to the community in other ways. We are talking about cooking some soup and getting some of the older Jamaican children to accompany us as we deliver it to some of the elderly and sick. We also plan to feed the children lunch. We may also offer free food a few nights as we show movies there at the church. We expect some of our adults will go to help deliver some of the food to the poor and may find some need we can meet while we are there. If so, we hope to be flexible enough to meet those. We are thinking - minor repairs, buying a fan, etc. The 3rd week may be similar to the second week, but may be in another community. We may also need to finish up the Basic School from Week 1.

While the first week will be heavily geared toward manual labor, there is always need for people to just entertain the children, pass work materials, keep everyone hydrated, help coordinate food, etc. The second and third weeks could accommodate youth (with appropriate chaperones), teachers, cooks, VBS coordinators, and carpenters (not professional ones).


Vacation Bible School


Sick and elderly we serve

It will be hot - probably in the 90's during the day and lower 80's at night. We have a safe rental house there with fans, hot showers, cooking facilities, refrigerator, comfortable beds with mosquito nets, but no air conditioner.
The trip cost will be $1,200 US all inclusive. We will provide plane tickets, ground transportation, lodging, food, a sightseeing day, and building materials. You will need a valid passport.

The teams will be limited to 15 people per week. Please make your reservations soon. If accepted to be a part of these missions, you will need to reserve a spot and then make a deposit of $600 US 21 days prior to your departure date. Once plane tickets are purchased, your $600 is committed. If you cancel, you will have to negotiate with the airline for a refund. If you stay more than 7 days (only during the July 3-17, there will be an additional charge of $50 per day. People arriving or departing on a schedule (by special permission only)separate from the main team will incur an additional charge of $100 (unless it is a real emergency) .