Highlights

Rather than trying to write about everything, I will try to cover some highlights from the past few weeks.

Someone dropped off some puppies one afternoon, but the guys working on the addition took them home, much to our girls disappointment.

 

While we were in Ohio, one of the children went to the hospital to have adenoids removed and tubes put in the ears. Going to the hospital here is not quite the same as in the states. After we had the surgery scheduled we needed to visit the hospital to get registered and do some bloodwork. This meant getting to the hospital around 9am. At the door, you were searched and your bags were checked before you were let inside. Then it was like stepping back in time. The nurses all wore little caps pinned in their hair, and I didn't see any computers anywhere (notice the stack of files on the desk in the picture below). The floor we were on consisted of a large waiting area/courtyard surrounded by "clinics."

The clinics were things like ENT, orthopedic, radiology, ob/gyn, etc. The first step was to go to the registration area where they would review your paperwork and give you a number. When your number was called, you gave them your information/paperwork and they would create a paper file and give you a little slip of paper. You would take the slip of paper back to your clinic and wait there. Then, when it was your turn, you were called into the clinic, where of course, you sat in the waiting area until it was your turn to see the doctor. After the blood draw was done, we had to take it to the lab ourselves. There they told us that it was wrong and they had missed one sample. We went back up to the clinic where they proceeded to stick the child again. We took the sample back to the lab, and they said the doctor put the sample in the wrong color tube and they couldn't use it. They agreed it would be cruel to take another draw and said they would just do two tests instead of three. We finally left the hospital around 12:30pm having our registration completed. We were in Ohio over the time of the surgery and hospital stay, but the reports were that things went well. The surgery has been a tremendous blessing for the child. Hearing and speech are noticeably improved, which leads to more overall happiness.

We recently said goodbye to Andrea Troyer. She served at JRM for 19 months and will be missed. Her parents, Wayne and Betty, were here for several days and traveled home with her.

Someone dropped off some puppies one afternoon, but the guys working on the addition took them home, much to our girls disappointment.

 

We welcomed two new aunties to our team as well. Nicki Beachy of Circleville, OH and Becca Graber of Sugarcreek, OH joined us (picture coming soon). We are slowly moving the Buckeye State to Jamaica. :)

This past weekend, Sierra came down with what we think was chikungunya. It is a virus that is spread by mosquitoes. Symptoms include fever, nausea, achy joints, and rash. Since it is a virus, there is not much to do until it has run its course. There are recommended medicines to help deal with the fever and pain, but nothing to stop the virus. She had fever for only several days, but she has remained weakened and sore for almost a week. Those who have had it say they don't wish it on their worst enemies.

Unfortunately, Sierra missed a birthday party some of our family attended on Saturday. It was for a child of one of our missionary friends. We have really enjoyed connecting with several other missionary families who are serving with other organizations here in Jamaica. Since this family will be in the USA for Christmas, their daughter wanted to have a Christmas themed birthday party.

One of these mothers has started a ballet class for this group of girls on Tuesday evenings. Our girls have absolutely loved it, and also enjoy being with their new friends.

Chloe enjoys finding and playing with slugs, snails, frogs, lizards, or any other creature she can catch.

Sign of the week:

 These signs were posted all over our porch one day. We were all on edge...

Thank you so much for the notes, cards, and prayers you have sent our way over the past few weeks. It has been such an encouragement for us to know that so many people care.

Some things to pray for:
-Teamwork as we complete the staff changeover
-Helping the children feel secure during all the staff changes
-Our family as we continue to grieve the loss of a Dad and Grandpa

Thanks for caring!
Kevin

Unexpected Changes

It has been a few weeks since we have updated this blog. Much has happened since then, to say the least.

On Saturday September 20, we were awakened around 5:45AM to a ringing phone. It was Carrie's family calling to say that her father was in the hospital and things were not looking good. As the news was sinking in, we received a call around 6:15 saying that he had passed away. It was quite shocking. He was seemingly healthy and active; and only 60 years old. This was the statement from the family:
On Saturday morning, September 20, Dad woke up around 4:00 AM feeling weak, dizzy, and short of breath. Mom and Josh called the ambulance which took Dad to Dublin Methodist Hospital. Shortly after arriving at the hospital, Dad went into cardiac arrest and was not able to breathe on his own or sustain his pulse. The doctors worked on him for over 2 hours, doing all they could to revive him. Soon after 7:00, Dad passed into eternity.

(Below is the obituary as well as a link to watch the funeral service)

Side note: 7AM in Ohio is 6AM in Jamaica. Jamaica does not change for daylight savings time, so in the winter, we will be same as Eastern Time.

We quickly started making plans to leave for Ohio. We tried to call a travel agent but it was too early on a Saturday morning. I went online and found 6 tickets for 3:30PM that day for a reasonable price so we bought them. We made arrangements here for our absence and left for the airport around 1PM. It is such a blessing to have Floyd and Ellen here. We were able to leave at such short notice and knew that things here would be taken care of. It also speaks to the team of staff we have here as well.

We had 2+ hours in Atlanta, so we had a good American dinner.

Around 12:30AM Sunday morning, we arrived back at the farmhouse we vacated just 2 months ago. Never did we dream that we would be back so soon.

The next few days were a blur of family, friends, visitation, funeral, tears, and hugs.

The funeral was on Tuesday. We spent some time singing in the evening after the funeral. We had precious family time the rest of the week. It was simply amazing how the community supported us not only emotionally, but also physically with food, gifts, and anything we needed (even a few things we didn't need-like doughnuts).

The weather was absolutely perfect all week, and we spent a lot of time outside.

Der Dutchman hosted the family one evening for dinner.

It was a hard week, but it was a week filled with family memories that we will always remember. It was hard to say goodbye again, but early Sunday morning (Sept. 28), we were at the airport again.

A failed selfie during our layover in Orlando.

We arrived home in time for a late lunch. We walked into our house to this display.

Although it has been hard, we realize how many friends we are blessed with. We know that God's grace is sufficient, even when it doesn't seem like it. You have all been so caring and supportive of us! Within 2 days of us being in Ohio, our airline tickets were covered - Thank you so much! It did feel like we were coming home when we walked into the house here in Jamaica. The first week felt like we were starting over here in some ways, but we made it through. We really appreciate all the cards, notes, prayers, gifts, food, and support you have poured out to us over the past few weeks. Please continue to keep us in your prayers as we grieve and heal.
God bless!
Kevin


OBITUARY
MARK O. GINGERICH, age 60 of Plain City, OH and more recently residing in Manassas, VA, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, September 20, 2014. Mark was born January 23, 1954 to Verna Gingerich and the late Ora J. Gingerich. He was married for 37 years to Rhoda (Yoder) Gingerich. Mark and Rhoda served with Choice Books in Virginia for the past two years. Mark had a wide diversity of interests and things he enjoyed, including farming, history, helping and serving others, socializing with people, following sports, cracking jokes and line-liners, holding his grandchildren, giving bear hugs and singing a song for any occasion. In addition to his wife and mother, Mark is survived by seven children: Eric (Monica) Gingerich and children Justin, Angel, MaKayla and Lailaa of Plain City; Emily (Phil) Mast and children Sandra, Sara, Ariana and Taiten of Manassas, VA; Carrie (Kevin) Stutzman and children, Sierra, Jasmine, Chloe, Olivia and Emma of Montego Bay, Jamaica; Marcus (Andrea) Gingerich and son Bennett of Plain City; Zachary (Allison) Gingerich of Plain City; Joshua Gingerich of Plain City; Audrey Gingerich of Manassas, VA. He is also survived by three brothers, Paul, Marvin and Sam (Kathy) and four sisters, Emma (Monroe) Miller, Betty (Mark) Hostetler, Becky (Ron) Headings, and Veronica (Randy) Mast.

Link to watch the funeral service: http://havenfellowship.sermon.net/sermons/main/20196251

School Starts...again!

This is our first week of homeschool for Sierra, Jasmine, and Chloe. They have been waiting (somewhat) patiently, and begging to "just do a lesson or two" ever since the JRM children started school. I made sure to get those statements on video for future use. This past Monday (yesterday) was their first day, and they are loving it so far. They do miss Plainview and all their friends there, but they think it is so great to do homeschooling.

"Miss Tammie" Weaver arrived last Wednesday. She is from Apple Creek, Ohio, and will be the teacher, as well as a helper for whatever Carrie needs.

Carrie got some preschool books for Olivia, so she continues to think that she is just as old as her sisters, if not a little more mature (her opinion).

 Emma keeps getting more teeth, and is still constantly smiling. She is starting to take steps, and can walk several feet (no pun intended) at a time.

We delayed the start of school since Tammie's sister was married just the weekend before she arrived here. She had a surprise on Friday when the newly married couple came to JRM on a scooter. They were honeymooning on the island, and took time to stop in to see her.

She was able to spend several hours with them. The afternoon rain didn't seem to dampen their spirits even if they got a little wet.

We spent some time with the Brown family again last week. On Tuesday we met them for a game night at the place they are staying. On Saturday, they joined us at the beach in the afternoon, then this evening (Tuesday), we did another game night. This adoption was approved 9 weeks ago, but they are still waiting on US approval so they can go home. Join us in praying that they would all be able to home this week.

On Sunday we had another visit from our monitoring officer. Supposedly she visits only once per month, but it was only a little over 2 weeks since she was here last. It was not the ideal way to spend a Sunday afternoon, although her list of items for us to remedy was short.

We have also started sending some volunteers to Blossom Gardens. This is a childrens' home that is run by CDA. We are only going with two volunteers, two days per week at this point.

The room addition is progressing nicely. They are currently covering the outside, and it should be ready for paint soon.

I continue to spend lots of time on the road. On Monday - Friday, I spend a minimum of 3-4 hours of each day on the road. It does give me more opportunities to take pictures of signs...

Sign(s) of the week:
This one is my personal favorite. The taxi drivers who are asked what it means say that they don't know. My interpretation is: Merge, then yield emphatically!!!

Keep praying for us. It seems each day brings something different (sometimes challenges). We need lots of wisdom, and we realize how little we have on our own. Thanks for taking the time to be interested in what is happening here.
Thanks also for your financial support, we couldn't be here without it.
As they say here, "All di bes!"
Kevin

Rainy Season

The first week of school (JRM children) went well. There were tears several days when I dropped off the children, but by the end of the week they were doing fine.

I thought this might be a good week to tell you about our "normal schedule."

Every weekday morning we have staff devotions with the aunties at 7am. Three days a week the yard man comes to work, so I get him started before I take the JRM children to school. I am usually leaving around 7:30 with the school children, then return home anytime from 8:30-? depending on traffic and how many errands/stops I have after I drop them off. On Tuesday & Wednesday I pick up Ms. Cynthia, who does some cleaning and cooks up a fabulous Jamaican meal for our Wednesday evening dinner.

I am usually back on the road soon after lunch. The pickup time for the school children is 1:30-2:30, so sometimes I will do some errands before that. What errands? Today I stopped at 3 hardware stores (before one of them had what I was looking for), CDA twice to pick up paperwork, and the post office. It seems there is always something to buy, pick up, drop off, someone to talk to, etc.

Our evening schedules varies as well. Monday, Tuesday, and Friday evenings are usually open, meaning our family is eating separately and we are doing our own thing. Wednesday evening we have a staff night. We enjoy an authentic Jamaican meal, then we usually have a Bible study type of activity together.

Thursday evening is "Auntie's Night Out." Starting at 5:30, we take care of the children, giving them supper, as well as putting them to bed.

We have been taking a day off on Saturday, and usually that means some kind of family activity for us.

We meet at 9:45am on Sunday morning to have a prayer, then go to church. We eat lunch together, and we meet again in the evening for a meal and another staff night. We have been trying to have more "family night" type of activities on Sunday evening. Once the staff changeover is complete, we will do some training sessions in the evenings.

Every other week, we make a 45 minute trip up the mountain to Mt. Pelier to pay the teachers at the school that JRM supports. Besides being a taxi and errand boy, other things I do during the day include (but are not limited to) office work (bookkeeping, CDA paperwork, monthly records), maintenance/repairs (plumbing, pool maintenance, trim bushes, fix fans, etc.), and whatever else comes up during the day.

Hopefully, that gives you a rough idea of my days, although the schedule is treated like a rough draft, it can change from week to week, day to day.

This week we received another child, a baby boy. Since I cannot give many details of age, etc., I will say that he is sitting by himself, but not yet crawling. He seems to be very happy and contented.

We had a lazy day on Saturday, then met the Brown family for dinner at a Chinese restaurant. Carrie took some coloring books and activities for the kids, so we could sit and chat for a while after dinner.

Our church here has started AWANA on Sundays from 4-6pm, so I took our girls and some neighbor children this week. AWANA is a program where they earn points for memorizing verses, bringing a friend, being on time, playing games, bringing their Bible, etc. They loved it, so I am sure we will be taking them some more.

It seems that rainy season has started. We still have sunny days, but it is not unusual for it to be cloudy for half the day. We have some rain most days; some days it will rain for several hours at a time. Usually the rain will start early afternoon and be done by late afternoon/early evening. We have been getting some gorgeous sunsets after the rain stops. It also helps cool things down. We are chilly this evening with the breeze (although it is still 75º).

I don't have many pictures of our week, but I did take some pictures when we were grocery shopping.

Pickled Pig's Tail

Goat head and belly

Chicken feet

Anyone hungry?

The room addition is moving along nicely. The roof is being poured and is almost done. The workers were here for 14 hours on Saturday trying to get it done. The concrete is all mixed by hand and bucketed up to the top to be poured.

Sign of the week:

Thanks for being interested in our journey, and being part of our lives!
We love you and miss you!
Kevin

Surprise!

It was the last week before school starts in Jamaica, so that kept us from getting bored last week. On Monday we had orientation with the three JRM school children at their new school. They are attending a Christian preschool in MoBay. In Jamaica it seems they send children to school as soon as possible. The first age group they call 2+. It it typically 3 year olds, but I have heard of children as young as 1 1/2 going to school. We (JRM) are only sending the older children this year. We do "school" here with the younger ones. Sierra, Jasmine, and Chloe are wishing for their school to start soon. We will probably start our homeschool on September 15.

Carrie & Ellen did some shopping for school uniforms, and Ellen sewed the skirts for the girls. There were also doctors visits and shoe shopping to do. I went to several stores to gather all the school books. The school gives a list for each student, then they need to buy and bring the school books (workbooks) along.

On Wednesday we had an airport run. Jen Martin from the Kitchener area of Ontario joined us on a short term basis. She will be helping out with childcare or wherever needed most. We are excited to have her join our team! (I don't have a picture yet)

The surprise came on Thursday late afternoon when the Monitoring Officer (think inspector) from CDA made an un-announced visit. She makes visits as often as once per month; some are announced and some are un-announced. Since we have nothing to hide and do things the right way, things went smoothly, and it was a good visit. We did change our plans last minute, and had Aunties' night out on Friday instead of Thursday.

Our family spent Saturday in Ocho Rios with the Brown family. They are still on the island waiting for a US visa for their new daughter, so we try to meet up with them regularly. The weather was unusual in that it was cloudy all day. It is the first day since we are here that we didn't see the sun all day. It did make it very pleasant to be outside. It is amazing that 85º and cloudy can feel chilly! We started the day in the craft market. After lunch we found a park with a playground and some fish ponds. The kids really enjoyed that and we let them play for quite a while. We then stopped at a small water falls that Dustin knew about. We just parked beside the road and hiked down about 50 steps. It was amazing! It is a very miniature version of Dunns River Falls.

About halfway back home we stopped at the Ultimate Jerk Center for some great jerk chicken. We had a great time connecting with the Browns, and it was a very relaxing day for us.

On Sunday after lunch, we said goodbye to a long time resident of JRM. We "graduated" one of the boys to another group home. It was sad to say goodbye, but we are excited about what his new home has to offer him.

Yesterday (Sept. 1) was the first day of school for the JRM children, and everyone was excited! Sierra, Jasmine, and Chloe were up before 6am asking if it was time to go yet.

The sign of the week comes from the park we visited on Saturday. I must say that it is the first park I have ever visited where hair braiding is strictly forbidden.

Have a blessed week!
Kevin