Sunday was a full day of ministry in Kingston. Our team played for worship and Pastor David preached the message in the morning. Our worship set was about 2 1/2 times the length that I’m used to but that was perfectly okay with me. There are so many talented musicians on our team that they are fun to play with and the worship times are the best part of the trip for me. We also did a Sunday School class after worship where we talked about the importance of daily time with God and how to best accomplish that.
After church, we had a wonderful meal at the pastor’s house with chicken, garlic shrimp, curry goat, fish, potatoes, rice and peas, and (surprisingly) macaroni and cheese. We got to rest for a couple of hours before going back to the church for more music training before the evening service. Despite only having a couple of days with our students, who had not played these instruments before, they were able to play two simple songs as a band during the service that night. They were so proud of themselves and it was fun to see.
I gave the message during the service that night after lots of singing and playing. Prior to the service starting, I had hit the wall. Two and a half days of the Jamaican heat and humidity with no air conditioning plus all the running around catches up to you. I was exhausted emotionally and physically and did not know how I was going to be able to speak coherently about anything, much less preach a meaningful message. But the team prayed with me and when it was time to talk, I felt very strong and was able to say what I wanted to say. God showed up and gave me the strength and I will have to trust him that the message had an impact.
Monday we leave Kingston and head for Montego Bay, where tonight we will begin a Vacation Bible School. On the way, we will stop by one of Jamaica’s biggest tourist attractions, the Dunn River Falls. The thing I am most looking forward to is having better access to wi-fi, since it is the only way to stay connected to my wife back home, and the fact that our sleeping quarters will have air-conditioning.
My view playing bass during worship Sunday morning.
