Test Driving Theology

The team’s scripture verse for the day:  “My friends, if anyone is detected in a transgression, you who have received the Spirit should restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness. Take care that you yourselves are not tempted.  Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill^[b] the law of Christ.” – Galatians 6:1-2

The bus ride back down the mountain at the end of the day today was pretty quiet.  It was a combination of things:  1) pure exhaustion, and; 2) deep thinking.

But let’s start at the beginning:  Our day began as the previous two had.  We met in the hotel lobby in a circle before we loaded our buses and heard our scripture for the day and prayed together.  Then we began the 50 minute drive up the mountain.

It wa a good work day.  Hot, but that’s no longer a shock to us, but very productive.

• One team finished up a few loose ends on the new roof on cottage #3.  They also went back and finished up a couple of pieces on cottage #2’s flashing that had never been completed.
• Another crew began scraping and painting the giant container that serves as the tool shed for Mission Jamaica.
• Another team worked on picking up and moving all of the old shingles from Cottage #3 from the back of the cottage to a dump pile.
• A team finished installing and then painting shelving for the storage of hygiene and cleaning supplies in cottage #5.
• Another team mixed and poured a new section of concrete off of the porch outside of cottage 5.  This will allow for better flow of water away from the cottage.

And of course, there is the caregiving and love for the children of Westhaven.  Children were fed, bathed, dressed, rocked and played with.   Several of our team members probably logged several miles of walking up and down the center of Westhaven.

Midday, a short but pretty intense rain storm blew through the area.  While that might have slowed down some of the outside work for 20 minutes or so, the rain was cool and refreshing.

Around 3:15pm, after cleaning up, we departed from our final work day.  The team is physically exhausted, emotionally spent and full of great satisfaction.  We just were a part of the work of God’s Holy Spirit for the past 3 days.

After our return, the group cleaned up, grabbed a quick bite to eat and then we met at 6pm for devotions.  We sang together, debriefed our day, planned tomorrow and then had small group conversation.  Tonight we focused on what it is to “bear one another’s burdens.”  How do we do that?  And how can we better model our lives after Jesus, who bore the burden of sin and death, all the way to the cross and to resurrection.

It was a good, good day, and a good ending to the work week.  The next two days are going to be pretty relaxed.  We talked about taking this time as an opportunity to rest, and to process our experience here in Jamaica and at Westhaven together.  The key to any short-term mission experience is to integrate it into all aspects of our lives.

Thank you for your continued prayers!  We really appreciate them.

God’s blessings!
Pastor Todd