What a busy day! It was definitely a hard day physically as well as mentally.The day started of really early, 5:30 am to be exact! This morning we visited the Flankers Primary school. It was our first visit to any school so it was obvious that some were a bit nervous. Their schooling is very different from ours. Since Jamaica is a "christianized" country, christian values are enforced into every aspect of the lives of these people. For example, at the start of every school day, the kids would open with a devotional and praise time. We were able to participate in their school routine. We started out by comparing songs. We were quite surpised to find that they knew quite a deal more songs than we expected. This, of course, demonstrates how omnipresent Christinanity is in Jamaica. 
Daniel Shorten opened up with a story about Zachias and was followed by a skit concerning the topic at hand. We left the school with the Jamaican National anthem stuck in our heads.
Daniel Shorten opened up with a story about Zachias and was followed by a skit concerning the topic at hand. We left the school with the Jamaican National anthem stuck in our heads. We headed of for Westgate afterwards. We were greeted with brushes and paint, since the work available to us was painting the walls that were ready. 
It took us a bit of time to fully grasp the Jamaican customs concerning work and time management. We, as north americans, follow rigid schedules and rush work to complete it in time. Jamaicans, however, do not rush or put stress on following deadlines. They do what they do in their own time. With less work than we expected we finished quickly and headed out for lunch (many of us still have paint on their fingers :P). Lunch was good and refreshing as always.
It took us a bit of time to fully grasp the Jamaican customs concerning work and time management. We, as north americans, follow rigid schedules and rush work to complete it in time. Jamaicans, however, do not rush or put stress on following deadlines. They do what they do in their own time. With less work than we expected we finished quickly and headed out for lunch (many of us still have paint on their fingers :P). Lunch was good and refreshing as always.
We followed by visiting St.James Infirmary. Pulling into the driveaway, we were split between guys and girls to visit the two different buildings that were there. As we approached the building, John gave us a rundown of what to expect. It was followed by a much needed prayer for preparation. Going in was unlike anything we saw this trip. The men living there were in conditions that none of us saw before. The walls were lined with beds with sick people, of people that had suffered accidents and who were in incurable states. Talking to them completely changed our view of their situation. We soon came to realise that a lot of them had incredible faith in God. 
Their whole situation was pretty helpless and the whole time i was thinking to myself, what would happen to these guys if they had no hope of there being a better place, one with no suffering and weeping, these guys would have a pretty bleak future. It also made me realize how much us as Canadians have compared to them. We have one of the best healthcare systems in the world yet we still complain, while these guys are stuck in a badly maintained infirmary and no much treatment. After supper that night i was really comtemplating on my situation back home. Why did God give m so much when these guys here are suffering. What i got out from it though, is that even though they have little their faith in God is huge! It seems to show that the less we have, the more we rely and are thankful for God's love and mercy. I praise the lord for what he has given to me and how he opened my eyes to what really goes on in the world he created.
Their whole situation was pretty helpless and the whole time i was thinking to myself, what would happen to these guys if they had no hope of there being a better place, one with no suffering and weeping, these guys would have a pretty bleak future. It also made me realize how much us as Canadians have compared to them. We have one of the best healthcare systems in the world yet we still complain, while these guys are stuck in a badly maintained infirmary and no much treatment. After supper that night i was really comtemplating on my situation back home. Why did God give m so much when these guys here are suffering. What i got out from it though, is that even though they have little their faith in God is huge! It seems to show that the less we have, the more we rely and are thankful for God's love and mercy. I praise the lord for what he has given to me and how he opened my eyes to what really goes on in the world he created. Phil and David
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