Day 6: Juliana Holloway and Molly Kepner

Haiiiii eryone it's Jul! Today was one of the hardest days in my opinion. We went back into Auldyr and carried rock for 4 hours. Yes, 11 pound me was hauling rock. Meeting new people and kids and showing the love of God among such a broken community has been a gift in itself. After finding out the news that the house for Cynthia (that we have been building for four days) was not approved it left us disappointed. And yet we realized that through all this hardship there was a purpose and that purpose was to meet these amazing people among the community and build relationships and learn from them. Seeing everyone in our group come together and pick each other up was so amazing. Each team member's strengths have been shown through multiple tasks and complications. Through every trial we have only grown stronger. In Auldyr I met amazing people including my cute little 3 year old friend MJ who is so so adorable. After a long day, we came back to the house to swim in the pool which ended the day nicely. We're excited to see what God has in store for us next here in our last few days. Peace n blessinz!!

-Juliana

Hello Fellow Americans, it's Molly (or Marley as my Jamaican friends pronounce it)! Today was both physically and emotionally taxing, but all in all today really displayed how wonderful our hosts, Jim and Penie are. Today we carried (what felt like) 900,000 pounds of rocks to the foundation of a house for a sweet mother of five, Cynthia. Later on we discovered the harsh truth that we will not be able to build the house on this foundation that not only we, but 22 other teams have worked tirelessly on. Honestly, it was heartbreaking to hear this news, but it really showed what Jim and Penie have to cope with on a regular basis. They put so much love and hard work into their ministry and sometimes it does not always work out the way they wished, but they never give up hope in God's plan. They are a real life example of continuous love and faith in God and they have taught me more in our four days then I ever could have imagined. I miss you all but I am really happy that I am here, I know it is where God wants me to be.

Love, 

   Marley

Day 5: Rachel Conover and Cole Trimble

Hey Guys, this is Rachel & Cole. This was a very eventful Monday! This morning we learned Molly is an expert when it comes to making pb&js but when it comes to Ryan he is completely incompetent. We spent another day working hard in Auldyer. The foundation is nearly complete and God willing Cynthia will be living in her long awaited home for her and her five children very soon. Despite burnt shoulders and many bug bites, our spirits are still high and we are loving every second here. We also worked with the children from the town of Auldyer and did our best to make this a special day for them, including carnival games and a short Bible lesson. For the most part the children were pretty well behaved but honestly it was a very exhausting day keeping them focused and on task. Towards the end of the day it began to rain thus ending our work. We were well rewarded with snorkeling in the Caribbean. The team enjoyed taking the GoPro under and getting some great shots. The rest of the day was spent recuperating with an incredible meal made by Rochelle. In conclusion It was another wonderful day in Jamaica and Rachel's eyebrows are much better than Joe's.

(Full disclosure, I have pants on in this picture.)

Day 4: Esther Cho

Happy Easter from the Esther Bunny herself!!! Today was another beautiful, rain free day in Jamaica. The day started off with Eggs McJamaica (basically a mcmuffin but about 826274728 times better). We celebrated Easter Sunday in Petersville. As soon as we stepped out of the vans we heard music spilling out of the church. Praise was pouring out of these people in more ways than just singing. Everyone was dancing and clapping and from the second you stepped in to the second you left all you felt was an overwhelming happiness that just made you smile. The congregation was the definition of spreading Christ's love and joy. We had two different Easter egg hunts after the service. One at the church for the children there and another back at the house for the family. We also took a trip to a beach nearby and I must say, Jamaica does not disappoint. Today was a very much needed day of rest and we are all thankful for it. Especially the boys who slept out on the roof last night (they claim they didn't sleep at all). Tomorrow we will be working at Auldyr again doing both construction and some Easter activities for the children in the town. We found out we still have about an inch more of foundation to build which is about 3 more truckfuls of rocks. Thank you all so much for the prayer you've given and we hope that you can pray more for our safety and stength. 

With lots of love from Jamaica,

Esther 

Day 3: Torie Friend

Hey everyone it's Torie. Day three in Jamaica! We went back to Auldayr to continue working on the foundation for a house Jim and Penie are building for a woman named Cynthia there. It was so much work but it felt so fulfilling. We certainly are coming home with tons of muscles. Some children in the town helped us by carrying rocks and giving them to us. There was this one boy who had to be no older than three and he would hand me rocks and when I said thank you he would quietly repeat what I said. He was adorable. We also went to a market on a scavenger hunt against each other in groups. I found out what a cho cho looks like and also met some interesting venders there. Day three was definately amazing.

-Torie Friend

Full disclosure, today may have been the hardest day I've ever worked in Jamaica, even on our past trips. I don't know what star we were orbiting today, but it was 2x hotter than the sun was yesterday - even for this country. As a group, we have faced some minor persecution from some of the townspeople, but it has been a wonderful opportunity to learn how to be redirected to a place in which we can better serve and love them. Tomorrow is Easter service in Petersburg. I speak for all of us when I say that we are looking forward to our day of rest.

-Joe Lombardo

Day 2: Christine Panagatopulous

Hello from Jamaica! Today we went to the town of Aulduyer to help finish filling the foundation for a woman named Cynthia's house. Half of the team went far into the woods to fill up the truck with rocks while the rest of the team stayed back and played with the kids. The kids were so excited to see us there and a lot of them helped us with our work instead of just playing. Once we brought the rocks back we carried them down a long path to Cynthia's plot. The path took us through the whole neighborhood and we were able to see the houses and talk to some of the people living there. The houses were small and the people were just sitting around, the need for Christ was evident. Cynthia's house is at the very back of the neighborhood on a cliff with a gorgeous view of the ocean and forest. The work was hard and the sun was hot but it felt good to be helping the people. The kids were so energetic and we had to end early because the were getting too crazy. Tomorrow we will be going to the same neighborhood to continue working, so please keep the children and people in the community in your prayers!

Day 1: Ryan Anderson

Hey Parentals, 

     To be brutally honest, we as a team are absolutely exhausted. The flight went well, and the ride up to Jim and Penie Koch's house was beautiful, yet we could feel a sense of brokenness and despair from the people of Jamaica. We ask that you would continue to send your supernatural prayer for us, that we would have love and discipline upon the kids of the ministry we're serving in tomorrow, that we would have radical faith in God's plan for us and most importantly, that we would make an impact in the lives of the Jamaican people. It's 8:15 p.m. right now, with a one hour difference between here and Jersey. Unfortunately, some of us were not able to connect to our parents because of the line being needed for ministry, but all of are hear safe in Whitehouse, Jamaica. We are so thankful for God's provision and faithfulness through getting us through security today in Jamaica, as the check in was quite a hassle. But we are here, ready to do whatever Christ calls us to do.

From a place that's 60 degrees warmer than where you are, 

Miss and love you fam, 

Ryan Anderson

Welcome to TKCS Jamaica 2015 Missions Trip!

Hello, and welcome to TKCS 2015 missions trip to Jamaica! I am Joe Lombardo. My wife Brianna and I are leading our second trip to the Caribbean. This time we are joined by 11 of Kings' finest high school students: Ryan Anderson, Matt Buchan, Esther Cho, Rachel Conover, Torie Friend, Juliana Holloway, Molly Kepner, Christine Panagotopulos, Matt Savarese, Cole Trimble, and Rachel Whitbeck

We will be staying with Jim and Penie Koch, missionaries stationed in Jamaica through Kingdom Builders Ministry. In our travels, we will be doing everything we can to serve the people of Whitehouse, Jamaica and its surrounding areas. Despite the glimpse that most of the Western World has at Jamaica, spots away from the resorts and major cities are very close to third-world. Everyday items that we expect to be in our homes are not readily available to the people. As a team, we will be assisting in home-building construction, as well as sharing supplies from the states (toiletries, toys, clothes) with hospitals, nursing homes, and children. While we have led this trip before, no two are alike, and we are very eager as a team to be instructed to serve and love these people in any way needed.

So, if you haven't already, be sure to add your email to the list for post updates from Brianna/I and the students. If the internet is as available as it was last time, we will hopefully be posting at least twice a day! Please be sure to keep this ministry in prayer through the days of our service. Thank you for your support!