October

Rainy season has arrived in October, meaning that almost every day we get an hour or two of rain. Some days it is a gentle shower, and other days it is a downpour, creating rivers in the streets. It certainly makes the landscape green.

We have enjoyed working with, and getting to know Joe & Ellen Shetler. The jumped right into the work here, and already hosted a group this month.

We began October by welcoming Cynthia Miller back to JRM. Cynthia had served here several years ago, and came back to help us out for a couple of months. She has done a great job of fitting in and being part of the team here.

My parents came to visit for a little over a week in early October. It was good to have them here, and they enjoyed it, although I think they were ready for the cooler weather in the North. We made a trip with them to the Blue Mountains on the eastern end of Jamaica. It was a 5 hour trip, taking us across the island, through Kingston, and into the heights that are the Blue Mountains. The last 2.5 mile section of the road took us 30 minutes to travel. The views were spectacular, and the air was clean and cool.

We found ourselves mesmerized by the view, and it didn't take much additional activity to keep us content. The girls enjoyed playing with the rabbits, and playing games in the yard.

A neighbor brought his donkey over, and gave them all rides.

There was a caretaker who stays on site, and we were pleasantly surprised when we discovered that we had a cook as well. So, it truly was a vacation; we didn't even need to wash dishes. We enjoyed our meals on the patio with a fantastic view of Kingston.

When it was time to go to bed, we found ourselves once again, just wanting to look out the windows.

We went hiking a couple of times, visiting some local coffee farms. The berries turn red when they are ready to be harvested, then the bean inside is what gets roasted, and brewed into coffee.

We also visited a nursery where they start new coffee plants.

We saw a strange looking house built by former US Ambassador Peter King.

We had a wonderfully relaxing time, and would highly recommend the place we stayed.

We had more visitors in October as well. A group of Amber's friends surprised her for the weekend. We also hosted a group from Mt. View Nursing Home in Virginia. They helped us out with cleaning, and sprucing things up here at JRM. It was so nice to have things sparkly clean again. They also spent some time at Blossom Gardens, as well as the school at Mt. Pelier. We really enjoyed having them here and making new friends.

Loretta also had some friends visit over her birthday.

Her friends also took some family pictures for us.

Emma seems to enjoy the Frosty cones at Wendys.

We are looking forward to seeing some of you this month when we make a trip to Virginia for Audrey's (Carrie's sister) wedding. It will be a quick trip, then we get to celebrate Thanksgiving when we return.

Thanks so much for your interest in our lives!
Kevin

Sign of the month