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Jamaica Missions Fall 2019

The Photo Above

Terry Fry and I were heading to our Bible Conference in Wheelerfield, having just crossed the Plantain Garden River in the middle of cane fields, when we started immediately yelling for Ewuan, our taxi driver, to find a spot to stop for us to take this photo. The beauty of God's Creation is in full display in this area, but so is human brokenness. The land in the foreground was once Eastern Banana Plantation, but the company left the island approximately 15 years ago. Then it became sugar cane land to support the sugar factory that is approximately one mile behind the camera. Last month, the sugar factory closed. Unemployment is extremely severe in this area and most men cut sugar cane a few month a year. Now even that is gone.

Over the last few years, our mission has greatly increased in Stokes Hall and Wheelerfield where many of the cane cutters live (which is ironic because on my first trip there in 1996, cane cutters came onto our bus waving machetes and threatening to kill us). We are also expecting to soon reach into the Duckenfield area, which is the factory town for the sugar factory.

People are hungry in these areas. There is no work and little hope. We might not be able to find jobs or food for these people, but we can speak of what we have started in the Wheelerfield community (see next article) and what that leads to - Hope in Jesus the Christ!

In Him we have Hope!

Men’s Bible Study in Wheelerfield

Work on Men's Bible Study site

Because there are so few Jamaican men in the churches, many years ago we saw the need to share the Gospel with them. So we sought them at gambling and drinking facilities.

Approximately 2 years ago, we felt the urging of the Holy Spirit to start a men’s Bible study. The Holy Spirit led us to Wheelerfield, an agricultural area near a church we built in 2011. Because Jamaican men tend to avoid churches, we chose to use a community center as the location. Men from the Bishop Creek Bible study in Pelham helped us fund this project and Jamaican men did most of the work.

The Bible study was difficult to get started, so Terry Fry and I went to Jamaica in September with the main purpose to do a men’s conference. We presented some videos, gave some talks, and we enlisted the help of local pastor Courtney Spence to help lead this. We had 22-28 men per night with a somewhat rotating crowd of approximately 40 men. There were 8 new professions of faith - Praise God!

Pastor Spence agreed to continue with this group on Wednesday nights. Please pray with us that the 8 new converts will continue to walk with Christ. There were approximately 6 other Christian men there, so please pray that these 14 men will remain committed to studying God's Word together and grow their faith.

We are in the initial planning for another men’s Bible conference in early 2020.

Vacation Bible School

VBS at Wheelerfield

Someone told me they were sorry that we had to cancel our Vacation Bible School team trip this summer. I told them not to be sorry; it was probably the best thing that could have happened. Why?

Well, I told some of the Jamaican ladies we know that we would support them if they would do VBS on their own. We gave them money so every child would have lunch every day. We got Audrey (our Jamaican associate) to gather for them materials we had left. In the end, we had VBS in 5 locations with an estimated 250 children and it cost us only about $750 US.

So, thanks to all our previous wonderful VBS teams, the Jamaican ladies now know how to do VBS. They just need much better support.

To that end, we are hoping to standardize a VBS program for Jamaica, get input from our leaders here in the states, then perhaps take a team down in the spring to train Jamaican ladies and also deliver the necessary supplies to them. Our goal is to have the Jamaicans ready to do VBS for themselves next summer.

This is a big step! John Piper once said: “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exist because worship doesn’t.” Well, if we have the locals leading their own children in Worship, then have we not reached a great milestone with VBS?

If we are blessed enough to have a VBS team wanting to go to Jamaica, we may let the team go to various locations to kickstart the VBS’s and then let the local believers take it from there..

Pastor Courtney Spence's recovery

Pastor Courtney Spence

Many of you have met Courtney and his family. Terry and I first met him in 2011. When we first met him, he was a very hard worker planting a big farm as well as raising pigs and goats. He shortly thereafter started preaching in a church. Then Satan attacked, and he had bad pain and other signs of infection related to a metal rod placed in his leg from a bad fracture many years ago. For the last 3-4 years, we have been encouraging him to get the proper diagnostic tests, send us x-rays, etc. Dr. Matt Davis, an orthopedic surgeon who has been to Jamaica twice, saw the x-rays and actually saw Courtney on one trip. There was no doubt Courtney needed the rod out. After helping him with diagnostic tests, x-rays, many trips to Kingston, antibiotics, crutches, and even helping buy the tool to remove the rod, he had the rod removed several months ago. He is now very close to completely healed, no more leg pain, and he is acquiring land to restart his farming.

Thank you all for your prayers! Nothing is easy in Jamaica.

Special Needs School

Special Education students displaying Angel Tree cards

We have been supporting the Special Needs School at Lyssons Primary School now for over 12 years. This has ranged from in class teaching aids to a major renovation and a new roof on the buildings. About 5 years ago, after learning how hunger was adversely affecting the students' ability to learn, we started a breakfast feeding program. On this recent trip, we expanded that program from 2 to 3 days per week.

We also found that the neoprene seals around the screws into the roof are failing, so we arranged the repair of the roof to stop some new leaks from forming.

Also, the Special Needs teachers have no access to a computer that they would use to gain access to Internet teaching resources. We were able to arrange for the purchase of a laptop that can be shared among the classes for this purpose.

The teachers are thrilled that the leaks have stopped, the children are getting fed another day, and they now have a laptop for the unit.

Miss Nunes' children's Bible study

Miss Nunes with children

Miss Nunes was the former director of the Special Education Unit at Lyssons. She is a wonderful Christian lady who can really teach children. A small team of us were able to watch her teach a few years ago and we were certainly impressed. She also frequently helps us with Vacation Bible School where she is a huge benefit. This Bible study was up to over 20 children, until it was interrupted by a land/building dispute. We were happy to learn that it has restarted, and we were eager to help support it financially.

Audrey and Tamaula

Audrey and her daughter, Tamaula, are our main ministry associates in Jamaica. The two of them help us identify projects, advise us, deliver aid on our behalf, and are in near constant ministry in the area.

They have had a couple of very rough years and are still struggling. We ask that you please pray for them!

Thank You!

Thank you for your prayers and support for the Isaiahsixeight Mission organization. What is listed above is only a fraction of what God has us doing in Jamaica. To God Be the Glory!

Isaiahsixeight | 1868 Southwood Rd. | Vestavia Hills, AL. 35216 | drcantley@gmail.com