Thanksgiving

It seemed different to celebrate Thanksgiving in a warm climate. We enjoyed a beautiful sunny day. Jamaica does not officially celebrate Thanksgiving although most people are aware of the holiday. We kept the school children home and we had a feast for lunch.

After lunch, we took Carrie to the airport. Her family surprised her earlier in the week by buying a ticket to fly her and Emma to Virginia for the weekend. Most of her family was gathered there for Thanksgiving. We were sad to see her leave, but we were happy that she got to go.

In the afternoon, the aunties did a craft with some of the children.

Towards evening we built a fire, then after dark we sat around it and sang while Sam played the guitar. It was a wonderful way to end a memorable day.

Earlier in the week we had some last minute guests. On Tuesday afternoon a local pastor called about bringing a group up to JRM in the evening. It was a group from the Dallas, TX area. They sang some songs with the children, then brought in a clown/balloon artist. She was the best balloon artist I have ever seen, and the children loved it.

Also on Tuesday we said goodbye to Jen Martin. She volunteered here at JRM for the past 3 months, helping as an auntie. She returned to her home in Waterloo, Ontario. Thanks Jen for being part of the team!

We had another farewell on Wednesday. A little child in our care was placed with a family for adoption. We will miss the little guy, but we are grateful for a good Christian home for him.

The rain started on Friday. It was rainy and cloudy for 4 straight days. This was not just drizzle rain, it was downpour after thunderstorm after downpour. It was even worse on the eastern part of Jamaica, where they had quite a bit of flooding. We are happy to back to sunny weather again.

We had another unexpected guest on Friday when the CDA Monitoring Officer stopped by for her monthly visit. It turned out to be uneventful. Around dusk the power went out for a while, so we had a candle light dinner.

Justin Smith arrived on Saturday to visit for a week. He is from Pennsylvania and seems to be here mostly to visit Rose. :)

Sign of the week:
A meat shop called "Every Little Thing"
I think I will pass, thank you very much!

May your week be filled with the peace of Christ, especially as you go through this Christmas season!
Kevin