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Summer 2008 Newsletter
• Mission to Jamaica (PDF)

Report on Jamaica Mission
Sis Sarah Cheetham

Browse a gallery of photos from this trip:

The two and a half weeks that I spent in Jamaica was the most laborious and most exhausting time of my life. But I can also report that the time I spent in Jamaica was the most rewarding, life altering, spiritually uplifting, fulfilling and most unforgettable time that I have ever spent. From the moment that we arrived in Jamaica to the moment that we left, our time was well spent in preaching the word of God and spreading the good news of His soon coming kingdom. From May 14th to the 31st, two dynamic and enthusiastic groups of Bible students inhabited the missionary flat in the wonderful town of Port Maria. For the first nine days I was blessed to be accompanied by Phil Sweeny, Peter Clausen, Maggie Schlageter, Emery Chiles, Joshua Lea, Erin Lea, and Jessica Sweeny. Jessica and I were blessed with an equally amazing group for the remaining nine days which included Gray Walker, Drew Walker, Sami Itani, Kristyn Griffin, and Ruth Shivkumar. In addition, we were all extremely blessed with the presence of Brother Milton Clarke, who we could not have accomplished anything without. Brother Milton, the only brother in the Port Maria ecclesia, helped us with all of the plans and arrangements, drove us around in his van, guided us through his country, and taught us so unbelievably much.

As I mentioned before, our time spent in Jamaica was never wasted. In the mornings, around 8:15 AM we would typically go down to the public schools and give morning Bible devotions for the entire student body. These devotions, usually running for about twenty minutes, included group singing, a short skit, a discussion of the lessons that could be derived from the skits, followed by a closing prayer. We discussed various topics such as “Esther”, “The Armor of God”, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego”, and “Col. 3:23”. It was amazing to be welcomed into the public schools to discuss the principles that God lays out for us in the Bible. It also gave us the opportunity to spread the word about the Vacation Bible School that we would be holding throughout our stay.

For the first few nights, before the Vacation Bible School started, we would congregate under a tent that was set up in a neighborhood field where we would lead passionate musical worship to our heavenly Father as well as give public lectures for all attendees. Brother Peter Clausen did an amazing job playing the keyboard for the musical portion and Brother Phil Sweeny provided very thought-provoking and uplifting classes. By doing these programs we were able to get to know a lot of the neighborhood residents and really spread the word about what we would be doing during our stay.

It was under this same tent that we held our Saturday Bible Study Day, which was led by Brother Phil on the subject of the Beatitudes. We were able to spread the word about the study day by leafleting throughout the town and just by sheer word of mouth. In addition to an abundance of singing, we also offered adult and children classes, and lunch and dinner. While Brother Phil was giving adult classes, the children were taken to a different area where we were able to give lessons about Bible characters such as David and Noah. We were able to make the stories come to life through the use of skits and we reiterated the lessons through the use of various games, activities and crafts. The study day was certainly a success.

During the afternoons we could usually be found in the flat entertaining a variety of guests and preparing for the Vacation Bible School. People were always coming and going throughout the day. Getting to spend casual time with people allowed for great one-on-one Bible discussions and personal conversations, a lot of opportunities to give Bible and baptism classes, many chances to do group Bible readings and just an opportunity to fellowship and build relationships one with another. That is also when the ladies would teach us how to make authentic Jamaican food.

After public school let out, anywhere from forty to sixty children would join us at the ecclesia to participate in the Vacation Bible School. Running from about five o’clock to ten o’clock, we would engage the children in an abundance of musical praise, Biblical skits, lessons, games, arts and crafts and fellowship. The children seemed really excited to participate and I believe that they were able to get a lot out of the program. For the first week our topic was “Children of the Bible” and talked about characters such as Joseph, Moses, and Samuel. The second week’s topics were “The Kingdom of God on Earth” and “The Miracles of Jesus”. While all of this was going on, the adults would congregate in our flat to have Bible classes and discussions led by the brothers. There were about fifteen attendees at the adult classes, including Sandra Reid and Mildred Bishop who were recently baptized on June 15th, 2008.

It is certainly difficult to put together a synopsis of our trip to Jamaica. There is a plethora of detail that I could not even begin to describe. There are so many things that happened, so many memories that were made, so many amazing experiences that I had, so many feelings and emotions that I felt, so many astonishing things that I saw, I cannot even begin to explain them. Even though I only spent a mere two and a half weeks in Port Maria, my perspective on most everything has changed. I realize the amazing blessings that God has given us. I have come home with a fresh zeal to worship our Lord and to help prepare people for the coming of His kingdom.

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		Summer 2008 Newsletter • Mission to Jamaica (PDF) Report on Jamaica Mission Sis Sarah Cheetham Browse a gallery of photos from this trip: The two and a half weeks that I spent in Jamaica was the most laborious and most exhausting time of my life. But I can also report that the time I spent in Jamaica was the most rewarding, life altering, spiritually uplifting, fulfilling and most unforgettable time that I have ever spent. From the moment that we arrived in Jamaica to the moment that we left, our time was well spent in preaching the word of God and spreading the good news of His soon coming kingdom. From May 14th to the 31st, two dynamic and enthusiastic groups of Bible students inhabited the missionary flat in the wonderful town of Port Maria. For the first nine days I was blessed to be accompanied by Phil Sweeny, Peter Clausen, Maggie Schlageter, Emery Chiles, Joshua Lea, Erin Lea, and Jessica Sweeny. Jessica and I were blessed with an equally amazing group for the remaining nine days which included Gray Walker, Drew Walker, Sami Itani, Kristyn Griffin, and Ruth Shivkumar. In addition, we were all extremely blessed with the presence of Brother Milton Clarke, who we could not have accomplished anything without. Brother Milton, the only brother in the Port Maria ecclesia, helped us with all of the plans and arrangements, drove us around in his van, guided us through his country, and taught us so unbelievably much. As I mentioned before, our time spent in Jamaica was never wasted. In the mornings, around 8:15 AM we would typically go down to the public schools and give morning Bible devotions for the entire student body. These devotions, usually running for about twenty minutes, included group singing, a short skit, a discussion of the lessons that could be derived from the skits, followed by a closing prayer. We discussed various topics such as “Esther”, “The Armor of God”, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego”, and “Col. 3:23”. It was amazing to be welcomed into the public schools to discuss the principles that God lays out for us in the Bible. It also gave us the opportunity to spread the word about the Vacation Bible School that we would be holding throughout our stay. For the first few nights, before the Vacation Bible School started, we would congregate under a tent that was set up in a neighborhood field where we would lead passionate musical worship to our heavenly Father as well as give public lectures for all attendees. Brother Peter Clausen did an amazing job playing the keyboard for the musical portion and Brother Phil Sweeny provided very thought-provoking and uplifting classes. By doing these programs we were able to get to know a lot of the neighborhood residents and really spread the word about what we would be doing during our stay. It was under this same tent that we held our Saturday Bible Study Day, which was led by Brother Phil on the subject of the Beatitudes. We were able to spread the word about the study day by leafleting throughout the town and just by sheer word of mouth. In addition to an abundance of singing, we also offered adult and children classes, and lunch and dinner. While Brother Phil was giving adult classes, the children were taken to a different area where we were able to give lessons about Bible characters such as David and Noah. We were able to make the stories come to life through the use of skits and we reiterated the lessons through the use of various games, activities and crafts. The study day was certainly a success. During the afternoons we could usually be found in the flat entertaining a variety of guests and preparing for the Vacation Bible School. People were always coming and going throughout the day. Getting to spend casual time with people allowed for great one-on-one Bible discussions and personal conversations, a lot of opportunities to give Bible and baptism classes, many chances to do group Bible readings and just an opportunity to fellowship and build relationships one with another. That is also when the ladies would teach us how to make authentic Jamaican food. After public school let out, anywhere from forty to sixty children would join us at the ecclesia to participate in the Vacation Bible School. Running from about five o’clock to ten o’clock, we would engage the children in an abundance of musical praise, Biblical skits, lessons, games, arts and crafts and fellowship. The children seemed really excited to participate and I believe that they were able to get a lot out of the program. For the first week our topic was “Children of the Bible” and talked about characters such as Joseph, Moses, and Samuel. The second week’s topics were “The Kingdom of God on Earth” and “The Miracles of Jesus”. While all of this was going on, the adults would congregate in our flat to have Bible classes and discussions led by the brothers. There were about fifteen attendees at the adult classes, including Sandra Reid and Mildred Bishop who were recently baptized on June 15th, 2008. It is certainly difficult to put together a synopsis of our trip to Jamaica. There is a plethora of detail that I could not even begin to describe. There are so many things that happened, so many memories that were made, so many amazing experiences that I had, so many feelings and emotions that I felt, so many astonishing things that I saw, I cannot even begin to explain them. Even though I only spent a mere two and a half weeks in Port Maria, my perspective on most everything has changed. I realize the amazing blessings that God has given us. I have come home with a fresh zeal to worship our Lord and to help prepare people for the coming of His kingdom.