I usually stand back and watch the children at the “Deaf School” play soccer, but this time I jumped in.
There was a freedom that this group from Kentucky brought with them. I think it began with the leader’s son, Tristen. Tristen was born and soon after developed a severe case of meningitis, which was going to leave him deaf if something wasn’t done quickly. His father reacted and Tristen received a cochlear implant just in time to save some hearing. Now, after learning sign language he is bilingual and was a hit at the School for the Deaf where Mission Discovery does a lot of work throughout the year. Last night we all sat in a circle and shared what we would be taking home from this mission to Jamaica. Tristen shared his sadness about leaving his new friends. I am not sure I have ever seen that school light up the way that it did on this trip, and I hope to see that again one day, when Tristen and his new friends are reunited.
This group of adults showed love in a challenging way. They rallied around their youth in ways that I hope to learn from. This was a senior trip, but the adults outnumbered the high school seniors by at least 2 to 1, maybe even 3 to 1. The more I think about that, the more encouraged I am! It is so refreshing to see parents engaging with their kids and taking time out of their own lives to spend a week in the mountains of Jamaica with them. And it wasn’t just parents, but other leaders of the church as well. The love that these adults had for the students of their church was very obvious, and inspiring, and contagious.
I used to struggle to find God, but now I see Him everywhere. I saw him use the ordinary, for the extraordinary last week. We made an eternal impact on the Kingdom. This group took the love of Christ with them from Kentucky to Eden, Jamaica. They went global with this message, “God is crazy about us!” He is. He is crazy about His children. He has, and will continue, to do everything to have our love. He is the greatest pursuer… and that gives me peace.
Thank you to all who served on this trip. Aaron, Megan, Emily, and Shelby… I wish you the best in all of your new adventures. May you never forget what God did on Spring Break 2014, your senior year… and may you forever be covered by His mercies. I love you guys!
