Team Jamaica Day #5

(By Kerry Cyr)

When we went to breakfast we were all relived to have cereal. However, there is no dairy industry here so we had boxed milk, which thankfully tasted pretty much just like normal milk. We also had cinnamon dumplings and collared greens (the greens were gross).

After breakfast, those who were not ready for church got ready and the bus came to pick us up around 9:45 and took us to Mamby Park Baptist Church. Over the last day or so a few of us had prepared some things to share with the congregation there. When it came to our part of the service Todd introduced us and then Ben gave his testimony explaining how growing up in the church has affected his life. Then I gave my testimony (very similar to the one I gave at baccalaureate). Todd, Isaac, Meyer, Emily, Jacob, and Aliza had prepared a skit about prayer that followed the testimonies. The length of the service was about 2 .5 sweaty hours of sitting; much longer than most of us had ever experienced. When it was over we were served refreshments (fruit juice, chicken, rolls, and chocolate cake).

We returned to the hotel around 1:30 and ate lunch (a special father's day buffet). After lunch we had some down time. Some people took naps, some played games - dominoes and cards - and some just hung out. There was a thunder and lightning storm and it poured. When the rain stopped it was very humid.

At 5:30 we got back on the bus and headed to Bethel Baptist Church for a special children's drama night. The power there had gone out from the storm so none of the fans or lights were on. But when we all started singing the electricity thankfully came back on. The performances were so much fun to watch; there was singing, dancing, a dub poem (a mix between rapping, singing, and reciting), and a play called "Camp Can Do." There were two little girls (probably 4 years old) who sung a song together (SO CUTE!).

When it was over we once again returned to the hotel. Dinner was ready when we got there (chicken sandwiches). We had our group meeting during dinner and picked names from a hat for our journal write. We each wrote an encouraging letter to the person's whose name we picked.

Rook was a big hit tonight so most of us hung out in the conference room to play or watch before going to bed around midnight.