Holy Goosebumps

  In this humid tropical climate, goosebumps are a delicious rarity. But every now and then, I sprout a few. Maybe after a cold shower, or after unsuspectingly getting caught in a torrent of rain while out and about, or lately when the evening temperatures dip into the delightful 70's digits. Or sometimes they aren't temperature induced at all...like the time we sang at this children's home.....

The Dorothy Hopkin's Children's Home is home to around 40 mentally and physically handicapped children.  We went there to sing with some of the youth group that came to visit us. After singing a few songs for them, the children sang for us....
....children that really had all the "right" to not have anything to be happy about, sang and clapped and moved to the beat of their drums, till we all couldn't help but start tapping, clapping & singing with the music! Seriously, it was so amazing!! I wish so bad I could have videotaped them singing but, understandably, we weren't allowed to take pictures of the residents.
  Despite being either mentally or physically impaired, they sang with all their heart! Gnarled, twisted hands shook rattles to keep time and, even though many couldn't walk, they beat their skin drums with gusto! They may have been off key, but that didn't stop them from singing enthusiastically!
  A sweet, young girl with Down Syndrome, endeared herself to us all through her ever present smile and quick hugs! You simply couldn't help but fall in love with her!
 If you want goosebumps, try singing "I want us to be together in Heaven..." with a group like this. Many times when we sing this song, I sadly think that, unless there is a drastic life change in some of these people's lives, that won't be a reality. But, for this group, it was so exciting!
  Yes, they sat there with drool dripping off their chin, making random guttural noises and rhythmically rocking back and forth. Many of them were confined to chairs with useless limbs. Some were not able to see the beauties of this earth, and others were stuck with the mental capacity of a small child. BUT, one day that will change for them!
Useless limbs will be transformed as they run with abandon through aromatic fields of clover. Eyes, that never saw the light of day, will gaze in awe at splendor-filled mansions. Wheel chairs will be nonexistent as they hop and skip merrily down the streets of gold. Snotty noses and drool will be replaced with a heightened sense of smell as they stoop to smell the colorful fragrant flowers. And that river! So much fun to splash and play in!
They are the innocent among us, and will remain that way, till someday....they will run down those golden streets shouting...."IT'S ALL OURS!!!"

                                                                  I want us to be together in Heaven,

                                                             I want to walk down the streets of pure gold,

                                                           I want to run through the fields of green clover, 

                                                                                 See the mansions,

                                                                                 Smell the flowers,

                                                                      Hear the singing, "It's all ours!!"

                                                                          See the river gently flowing,

                                                                        Feel the gentle breezes blowing,

                                                                     I want us to be together in Heaven!!

                                                         Singing at the children's home

                                        This cross was formed by a cloud drifting past a tower.

   

                             This group was part of the youth group when we were youth
                           leaders and we had a great week reconnecting with them again!
Back row: Kendalyn Martin, Weston Shirk, Marilyn Martin, Jeremy Martin, Kendall Nolt, Kristi Zimmerman & Austin Weaver            Front row: Marlisa Shirk, Stacy Horst & Jana Good

                            Yes, guys can do dishes! And they were quite good at it!!:) We assigned 2
                              girls and 2 guys to help with kitchen duty...a group of 16 can make alot of
                             dirty dishes, but with many hands it can make the work light!...and fun:)

                         One of the first projects we had the group tackle was painting Rapheal &
                          Lillian's house. The previous group had started it but there were still
                         some rooms to finish. They are beyond pleased with their "new" blue house!

                             Stacy Horst & Jana Good with Lilliann...this lady lets an impression
                                    on everyone she meets. Someday I'm gonna write a book
                                     (or at least a blog post) about what all she's taught me....

                        This is their kitchen....we didn't get this room painted yet. All the floors
                         are bare unpainted concrete. They have no electric and very few necessities.

                          Rapheal enjoying the fun and laughter the group brought. Lilliann often
                        requests prayer for him that he could break free from his cocaine addiction.

                                      Prepping the front porch for paint...hard, dusty work!

                                   Lilliann had to come say good bye and thank the group once
                              again for all their hard work! She couldn't get done thanking them!:)

                    A retired, rusty freight ship rests peacefully in the blue waters of the Caribbean Sea...
                                   You will be viewing Grenada through the eyes of our visitors
                                     since I used quite a few pictures from their camera cards.

                       A slab of meat hanging in the meat market....doesn't it just make you want
                        to bite into a juicy burger? Especially one that's cooked rare, with the
                         red juices flowing....(this is why I ALWAYS want mine well done)

                We took the group to some different spots around the island...for the first time ever a
                 monkey was waiting for us, instead of us spending alot of time calling them and
                  trying to coax them out the trees for a banana. They formed a line, then held a
                  banana just out of its reach, so it had to travel over all their heads to get to the
                 last person. Oh the joy of stinky monkey feet in your hair.....or maybe the thrill
                  was more in the novelty:)

Some cute kids at the old airport....mama goat was not very happy that Chris was holding her baby!

                              Amazing beauty! With it being a small island, Grenada has many
                             picturesque points, surrounded by the crashing waves of the ocean.

                                     A colorful fishing boat rests in the peaceful waters of the
                                Caribbean Sea before heading out on its next fishing expedition....

Singing at the Poor House...I wish I could rename this government home for the handicapped. They might be poor in physical or mental health, but are far from being poor in spirit! I am always inspired to be "content in whatsoever state I am in" after visiting with these folks! I talked to one lady that was injured when Hurricane Ivan ripped through this small island in 2004, destroying or damaging 75%-90% of the island. A large beam fell on her legs and also hit her head. She is now confined to bed, unable to walk, but mentally is very sharp. "The joy of the Lord is my strength," she testifies, with a big smile on her face!

                                                     Stacy Horst brightening this lady's day!

 

                                                     Visiting with the folks after singing...

                        A smile and a handshake mean alot to those that can't ever get out of bed...

    Jana Good talking to the lady that was injured in the hurricane.  She is such a friendly lady and is always so glad to have someone to talk to!
 I can't imagine staring at the same wall for ten years. With the proper medical equipment, I am sure she could be gotten out of bed and be mobile with an electric scooter. She said back when they had a male nurse, he would lift her out of bed sometimes, but he doesn't work there anymore and no one else can lift her out. How badly I wanted to have access to an Arjo lift to get her out of bed and take her for a wheelchair ride out in the fresh air! She seemed so resigned and accepting of her lot in life though.

We took the group to Mt. Caramel Springs Sunday afternoon. It is a natural rock slide and a good place to cool off on a hot afternoon! We wear very old clothing to go down because, guaranteed, you will wear through at least one layer of clothes on your seat!:)

                   Rub-a-dub-dub, six guys in a tub....the water rushes down and creates a bubbling
                       hot tub in this hollowed out space in the rock....or in this case, a cold tub...

                                     If there was any mold growing behind your ears, the
                                      pressure from this waterfall should clean you off good....

                                                                Mt. Caramel Waterfalls

                            And what do you do when it's raining, you're in a time crunch and 6 girls
                             need to wash their hair? Take advantage of the atmosphere's shower, of
                             course!:) Carter was more than happy to lend a helping hand!

                                        And, of course, we don't want Frisky to feel left out!
                                  (Although, I'm sure he wouldn't have minded missing out:))
                                   Yes, that's my wash hanging in the rain.....thanks to a few
                                   sporadic rain showers, it's been hanging there for a few days.

                           Solitaire Dutch Blitz, Marilyn? (Ok, she was being very nice and sorting through
                            two decks of cards...thank you!:)) The guys played many games of Rook.....

       We are in charge of school chapel Monday mornings, every other month. Austin Weaver was
       kind enough to consent to taking charge of this week's chapel, which Chris greatly appreciated!

              After chapel at Laborie Mennonite School, we go to a local preschool to read a Bible
              Story and sing with the children. They have lots of energy and have a hard time sitting
                still! They are so cute though, and always want a big squeeze before we leave!

                                     Austin Weaver gets hands on training from Chris on how
                                     to peel a bread fruit for an upcoming pot of oil down.

 

                     Kitchen prep for a pot of oil down for supper. It usually takes a long time
                    to cut up all the vegetables for this pot, but many hands make the work light! 

                          One of the guy's projects was tearing down a shed at one location and
                          rebuilding it at another. Chris was very glad for their help because what
                           would have taken him days of labor, was done in a matter of hours.

                 The girls taught an art class at Laborie School. They made cute sheep faces out
                      of paper plates and cotton balls. Here Jana Good is teaching K and 1rst grade.

                                                    Marlisa Shirk teaching 3rd grade art

                                             Marilyn Martin teaching 4rth grade art class

Kaylah gets some visitors in her classroom:) I am so glad we decided to do the Abeka home school videos for her this year, although it is becoming somewhat of a challenge to keep her motivated and excited about learning. I know she can do it if she applies herself...therein lies the challenge....

           Weston Shirk is a very popular person...or is it because of the little gadget he's holding?:)

                  Every Thursday afternoon some of the staff plays "football" (soccer) with
                    the community children, as a way to interact and get to know them better.
                     Someone needs to mow this playing field...although usually
                     "mowing" around here is done with a weed-eater.

               Pancakes taste much better when Jana makes them in the shape of a smiley face!

Just chillin'....This is what happens when it's late...AND you decide to work ahead and make French toast for breakfast the next day....AND you are lacking sleep and getting crazy....AND decide to take the directions in the cook book literally...."cover and chill for 8 hours"...

                      And then, since we all felt a connection to Amelia Bedilia, Jana proceeds
                      to dig the book out of the stack and read it to the spell bound crowd....

After an amazing 8 days with this group, they headed back to the frozen tundra, from whence they came. What a great time reconnecting with them again! We were blessed with an amazing group of youth when we were youth leaders and they will remain our friends forever! We can have a great fun time and also many serious talks. When I look back to 4 years ago, when the scary question was asked, that left us quivering in our shoes...."Will you serve as youth leaders?"....it looked so scary. And overwhelming. And quite the commitment. And yes, it wasn't all sunshine and roses....and yes, we did miss out on alot of fun activities with our friends, and yes, it was a huge commitment...but I am so thankful we said yes.

                               A love note from Christi to Kaylah...."best sister so far??"....
                                 does she expect another sister someday or what???!!!!:()

                                       Another goosebump inducing evening......
This was a very exciting evening at our little Laborie Church! Shivoni, age 17, has counted the cost and committed her life to following Jesus. Before being baptized, she shared her moving testimony. She accepted Jesus at a one night crusade, rededicated her life later at a crusade, and has been an inspiration and witness to many.  With tears shimmering in her eyes, she shared about the opposition she's endured at school and from those close to her.  Shivani stands alone in her family and is going to college.  She faces questions, opposition, and ridicule.  Yet at the end of her testimony she declared, "I've decided to follow Jesus, and I will NEVER TURN BACK!"

                                  Kendall Fox and Thaddeus Richards baptizing Shivoni

                                                   This dog puts up with entirely too much!

          These two girls will quietly play doll for hours. Hannah is our very sweet, shy neighbor girl.

Chris made a bow for the children; now Kaylah wants to take up archery hunting when we move home...not sure how that's going to work since she loves animals and can't stand to see them in pain!

                                                          Adios folks...till the next time....