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Another year, another mission trip. July 11th was circled on our calendars from the start of the year, and after months of planning and putting things together, the day had finally arrived. The group of six was extremely excited because without much deliberation we have agreed to bypass the "tourist" stuff we usually do in the days and use the time for mission purposes. We agreed that we would hold 4 days - Monday to Thursday - of Vacation Bible School (VBS), this in addition to nightly pre-service ministry meetings for women and five nights of services. We had a packed agenda. I would be on the island for 12 days; a week in St. Bess and the rest of the time primarily in Kingston.
The 10:00 a.m. Air Canada flight from Toronto to Montego Bay was on time, however, after boarding, our plane sat on the tarmac for an hour because of rain, lightening, and the required rebooting of one of the plane's computers. The flight itself was quite the ordeal, with intermittent announcements from the captain about the bumpy ride we were experiencing due to the turbulent weather. I thought it was good preparation for driving on some of the roads in Jamaica! I wasn't at all surprised that when we finally touched down on the runway in Mo-Bay just about everyone on-board applauded. It was relief mixed with appreciation
We went through immigration and customs without much of a delay. Kudos to the agents at both places for keeping things moving
Unlike last year, there were clear signs pointing to the custom agents manning the "Nothing to Declare" lines I really missed the singing ladies in their national costumes welcoming people to Jamaica, and hope that the authorities bring that tradition back. It seems an integral part of the come-to-Jamaica experience. BTW, is there a bigger scam than having to leave the luggage cart just before the exit, and then having to pay the Red Caps US$1 (or equivalent) per bag to take them 50 feet??? The guy we got swung 10 pieces on his trolley and we were by the curb in about 2 minutes for J$1,000. I know they have to make a living but it still seems like a scam to me...
Once outside, gosh, the heat! It didn't take long to spot Mark, our driver from last year, and the host minister, Pastor Dave, and after exchanging pleasantries and getting our fill of Juici patties
, we were on our way. The drive to Southfield in St. Bess was a lot better than I remembered it being last year, and but for one stop to get SIM cards and phones for team members who needed them, the two hour travel was uneventful. We loved staying at the Ocean Breeze hotel in '08, so we opted to go back there. Mr. Miller and Dianne are gracious hosts and they were as delighted to have us back as we were to be there.
Not much had changed at the hotel. More of last year's pics here
After check-in, it was back to another favorite place, the Jamaican-Chinese restaurant in Junction It had been a year, but much to my amazement the co-owner remembered what I had ordered then - chicken chop suey with fried rice on the side and a bottle of water! Talk about having the memory of an elephant As she was pregnant last year, we had a chance to visit with her adorable baby girl. It felt like a family reunion, and with meals for seven costing about CAN$60, we were happy.
Picture from '08 trip
We were tired and we still had a 9:00 p.m. briefing, so we took a pass on any after dinner treats and headed back to the hotel. There, I stood on the balcony listening to the sound of the waters rippling with the cool wind that was blowing. I could hardly wait for our week to get started, but right now as I looked across the sea into the blackness of the night, it felt good to be home.
The 10:00 a.m. Air Canada flight from Toronto to Montego Bay was on time, however, after boarding, our plane sat on the tarmac for an hour because of rain, lightening, and the required rebooting of one of the plane's computers. The flight itself was quite the ordeal, with intermittent announcements from the captain about the bumpy ride we were experiencing due to the turbulent weather. I thought it was good preparation for driving on some of the roads in Jamaica! I wasn't at all surprised that when we finally touched down on the runway in Mo-Bay just about everyone on-board applauded. It was relief mixed with appreciation
We went through immigration and customs without much of a delay. Kudos to the agents at both places for keeping things moving
Unlike last year, there were clear signs pointing to the custom agents manning the "Nothing to Declare" lines I really missed the singing ladies in their national costumes welcoming people to Jamaica, and hope that the authorities bring that tradition back. It seems an integral part of the come-to-Jamaica experience. BTW, is there a bigger scam than having to leave the luggage cart just before the exit, and then having to pay the Red Caps US$1 (or equivalent) per bag to take them 50 feet??? The guy we got swung 10 pieces on his trolley and we were by the curb in about 2 minutes for J$1,000. I know they have to make a living but it still seems like a scam to me...Once outside, gosh, the heat! It didn't take long to spot Mark, our driver from last year, and the host minister, Pastor Dave, and after exchanging pleasantries and getting our fill of Juici patties
, we were on our way. The drive to Southfield in St. Bess was a lot better than I remembered it being last year, and but for one stop to get SIM cards and phones for team members who needed them, the two hour travel was uneventful. We loved staying at the Ocean Breeze hotel in '08, so we opted to go back there. Mr. Miller and Dianne are gracious hosts and they were as delighted to have us back as we were to be there. Not much had changed at the hotel. More of last year's pics here
After check-in, it was back to another favorite place, the Jamaican-Chinese restaurant in Junction
It had been a year, but much to my amazement the co-owner remembered what I had ordered then - chicken chop suey with fried rice on the side and a bottle of water! Talk about having the memory of an elephant As she was pregnant last year, we had a chance to visit with her adorable baby girl. It felt like a family reunion, and with meals for seven costing about CAN$60, we were happy.Picture from '08 trip
We were tired and we still had a 9:00 p.m. briefing, so we took a pass on any after dinner treats and headed back to the hotel. There, I stood on the balcony listening to the sound of the waters rippling with the cool wind that was blowing. I could hardly wait for our week to get started, but right now as I looked across the sea into the blackness of the night, it felt good to be home.
I hear it's good though.
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