Podcast 17
Thanks for the thoughts and prayers. From our place, all is well. I have not spent much time outside as it has continued to rain hard all day, but we came through well and from first glance it looks like everything is alright. The rain and wind have continued, but our electricity came back and we are thankful. The storm went just south of us around midnight-2am. The wind and rain was heavy and thankfully we only had a bit of water in our place. We rejoice, we remember Haiti, and we pray for those who remain in the path of this storm.
Friday, August 29, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
August Update
August Update
When I go to say goodnight to my boys, my heart commonly floods with emotions of love. One of the most common phrases that comes in the midst of all of the other gushy things we say to kids as they go to sleep is, “you are my best buddy.” This was great for the first 17 months of fatherhood, but then came another little buddy. The thought still commonly comes to my mind, but when the other one is in the room, I stop and think twice not wanting to ever get in the habit of expressing favoritism. I do love Drew and Truitt the same and I love them for who they are, BUT they are different. Drew is my best little buddy as I relate to his gentle winsome spirit that thrives on hugs and playing tackle. And, Truitt is my best little buddy as his quirky little independent spirit with a touch of melting smile steals my heart. It has always felt wrong as I stopped myself from expressing my pure “favoritism” to my best buddies but I could never find words to reconcile this dilemma. The other night I was listening to someone discussing this subject and all of those thoughts were finally put in order. I have come to understand that this is not a logical contradiction, but just that there are no English words to properly put these feelings in perspective. The speaker was explaining God’s Abba heart for us in this same sort of way. It seems more understandable as we put it in the context of an omniscient being, but I believe that these feelings can make the jump to mortality. God loves us supremely, to the extent that we should not be ashamed to claim ourselves as favored sons and daughters. His favoritism may similarly be placed in our quirky faith or our winsome passion for worship as His heart draws us to the place where his favored children give Him glory in the way he desires glory. Similarly, God’s heart yearns for the nations and for all the people of the world to give Him glory. This glory is not homogenous either; Jamaicans certainly express God’s glory in very different ways from Americans. It is Gods heart for His favored nations, all nations, to give Him glory. We not just equals, we are above equals as a result of being purchased, we are favored. Again, I don’t think the word favored does this concept justice as it tends towards some type of superiority and I have not been able to come up with an English word to understand our being loved supremely, equally, and specially. But, I believe it and also believe that we can apply this truth to our lives. Now, I have been freed to say to Drew as I put him to bed, “you are my best buddy,” and to Truitt, “you are my best buddy.” And, I can relish the day that they ask me how they can both be my best buddy and I will have the opportunity to express God’s unfailing, special, unique, supreme love for them, for me, for Jamaica, for America, and to the ends of the Earth all at the same time.
The month of August has been another month of transition as we said goodbye to our last work team and we returned to “normal” life here in Jamaica. This is an exciting transition for us as it is a very different aspect to our ministry. We have enjoyed working along side our Jamaican friends as we support the school. Kirk has taken several trips to Kingston to assist in preparing that campus for the start of school. We had the opportunity to attend a deaf leadership seminar that was aimed to rally leaders to action in the deaf church of Jamaica. It has been exciting to be a part of each of these endeavors as we begin seeing more and more clearly how our roles could develop here in Jamaica. It feels funny to still be talking about our ministry roles developing as we have been here for 10 months already, but we have come to understand this more clearly as well. Similarly to most people who might inquire about our ministry, we would have assumed that our roles would be clear 10 months into this adventure. But, as can only be understood by having experienced it, there is a “whole heap” of things that need to be taken into account when switching cultures and languages. I am afraid that we understood this in our heads as we arrived, but now we understand it better in reality. We underestimated the harsh realities of culture and language learning as we had set our expectations to high regarding how soon we could start “ministry.” But we rejoice as we sense the Lord working all things together.
The boys continue to make our days and ruin our days almost simultaneously. They have been doing great but can become quite a handful. It is exciting to see them begin playing together more and more, but as we all know, playing together also brings fighting together. Truitt has been walking more and more and we have been encouraged by his improving skills. Walking has recently become his main mode of transportation and this has helped as it allows him to go outside more often as he does not need to crawl in the dirt. Drew continues to mature and will be having his 3rd birthday next week. He understands what birthdays are all about and is excited to get presents and is most excited about getting ice cream. Our good friends, Tim and Christa Wiegand, are planning on visiting this coming weekend and helping us in celebrating Drew’s birthday. As stated earlier, our boys are such a joy and words fail us as we try to give our God thanks for these blessings.
As I say often, I cannot believe August is nearly through. The summer has flown by and the school year is starting again on September 1st. We are excited to have the kids back on campus and begin that aspect of our ministry again. Ultimately, the past month has probably been our best month in Jamaica in regards to our level of comfort. We pray that we can continue to say that month after month as we continue to grow into our new lives here. Life here is certainly not without its bumps, struggles, and confusion, but we give those things up to Him and march on. We pray that this letter finds you recognizing God’s blessings as you pursue being a blessing. Thank you for your love and support.
Blessed and Highly Favored,
Kirk, Keri, Drew, and Truitt
When I go to say goodnight to my boys, my heart commonly floods with emotions of love. One of the most common phrases that comes in the midst of all of the other gushy things we say to kids as they go to sleep is, “you are my best buddy.” This was great for the first 17 months of fatherhood, but then came another little buddy. The thought still commonly comes to my mind, but when the other one is in the room, I stop and think twice not wanting to ever get in the habit of expressing favoritism. I do love Drew and Truitt the same and I love them for who they are, BUT they are different. Drew is my best little buddy as I relate to his gentle winsome spirit that thrives on hugs and playing tackle. And, Truitt is my best little buddy as his quirky little independent spirit with a touch of melting smile steals my heart. It has always felt wrong as I stopped myself from expressing my pure “favoritism” to my best buddies but I could never find words to reconcile this dilemma. The other night I was listening to someone discussing this subject and all of those thoughts were finally put in order. I have come to understand that this is not a logical contradiction, but just that there are no English words to properly put these feelings in perspective. The speaker was explaining God’s Abba heart for us in this same sort of way. It seems more understandable as we put it in the context of an omniscient being, but I believe that these feelings can make the jump to mortality. God loves us supremely, to the extent that we should not be ashamed to claim ourselves as favored sons and daughters. His favoritism may similarly be placed in our quirky faith or our winsome passion for worship as His heart draws us to the place where his favored children give Him glory in the way he desires glory. Similarly, God’s heart yearns for the nations and for all the people of the world to give Him glory. This glory is not homogenous either; Jamaicans certainly express God’s glory in very different ways from Americans. It is Gods heart for His favored nations, all nations, to give Him glory. We not just equals, we are above equals as a result of being purchased, we are favored. Again, I don’t think the word favored does this concept justice as it tends towards some type of superiority and I have not been able to come up with an English word to understand our being loved supremely, equally, and specially. But, I believe it and also believe that we can apply this truth to our lives. Now, I have been freed to say to Drew as I put him to bed, “you are my best buddy,” and to Truitt, “you are my best buddy.” And, I can relish the day that they ask me how they can both be my best buddy and I will have the opportunity to express God’s unfailing, special, unique, supreme love for them, for me, for Jamaica, for America, and to the ends of the Earth all at the same time.
The month of August has been another month of transition as we said goodbye to our last work team and we returned to “normal” life here in Jamaica. This is an exciting transition for us as it is a very different aspect to our ministry. We have enjoyed working along side our Jamaican friends as we support the school. Kirk has taken several trips to Kingston to assist in preparing that campus for the start of school. We had the opportunity to attend a deaf leadership seminar that was aimed to rally leaders to action in the deaf church of Jamaica. It has been exciting to be a part of each of these endeavors as we begin seeing more and more clearly how our roles could develop here in Jamaica. It feels funny to still be talking about our ministry roles developing as we have been here for 10 months already, but we have come to understand this more clearly as well. Similarly to most people who might inquire about our ministry, we would have assumed that our roles would be clear 10 months into this adventure. But, as can only be understood by having experienced it, there is a “whole heap” of things that need to be taken into account when switching cultures and languages. I am afraid that we understood this in our heads as we arrived, but now we understand it better in reality. We underestimated the harsh realities of culture and language learning as we had set our expectations to high regarding how soon we could start “ministry.” But we rejoice as we sense the Lord working all things together.
The boys continue to make our days and ruin our days almost simultaneously. They have been doing great but can become quite a handful. It is exciting to see them begin playing together more and more, but as we all know, playing together also brings fighting together. Truitt has been walking more and more and we have been encouraged by his improving skills. Walking has recently become his main mode of transportation and this has helped as it allows him to go outside more often as he does not need to crawl in the dirt. Drew continues to mature and will be having his 3rd birthday next week. He understands what birthdays are all about and is excited to get presents and is most excited about getting ice cream. Our good friends, Tim and Christa Wiegand, are planning on visiting this coming weekend and helping us in celebrating Drew’s birthday. As stated earlier, our boys are such a joy and words fail us as we try to give our God thanks for these blessings.
As I say often, I cannot believe August is nearly through. The summer has flown by and the school year is starting again on September 1st. We are excited to have the kids back on campus and begin that aspect of our ministry again. Ultimately, the past month has probably been our best month in Jamaica in regards to our level of comfort. We pray that we can continue to say that month after month as we continue to grow into our new lives here. Life here is certainly not without its bumps, struggles, and confusion, but we give those things up to Him and march on. We pray that this letter finds you recognizing God’s blessings as you pursue being a blessing. Thank you for your love and support.
Blessed and Highly Favored,
Kirk, Keri, Drew, and Truitt
Gustav again
I guess we do not tell storms where or how to go. After hitting Haiti, Gustav slowed down and turned south towards Jamaica. We are preparing for a day of getting everything ready for the storm. We are thankful that we have good people all around us who can help us understand what we need to do and what not. In the grocery store yesterday, while we were still assuming that it was just going to be a brush by a Tropical Storm, an old lady gave some ever some common unsolicited advise. She said,"did you guys pick up all your canned food, I feel sorry for you if this is your first time." I went on to assure her that we had good people watching out for us. Ultimately, it is our Father in whom we will place our trust and we commit this day to Him. This is the day that the Lord has made, Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Gustav
Here he comes. We are waiting for our first Hurricane brush by this year. Gustav has turned into a Hurricane and we are learning alot about tropical weather. We mourn with Haiti as we fear what all of the repercussions will be with all of the wind and water. We will try to report our experience with Gustav.
Blessings!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
The Wesley Brothers
Preaching and Singing remain a favorite activity at the Plattner household. It is typically done with a Bible in hand, preferably a little Gideon New Testament, and is also done at higher volumes. It is a joy to "go to church" everyday and hear multiple messages a day. Enjoy.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Ahhh, PIZZA!
We continue to celebrate with our Jamaican neighbors the continued victories of Usain Bolt! We are amused as we observe the pride of the Jamaican culture.
We are enjoying 2 weeks now with no work teams and preparing for the students to return to campus. A part of this preparation began yesterday with a yearly tradition for the Knockpatrick campus. They start their preparations for the school year with a prayer meeting with all staff. Kirk was able to participate in this unique experience going from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. What a great way to begin the school year!
On Monday and Tuesday Kirk, Chad, and Erin went to the Kingston campus to help them prepare for the school year. Kingston is always in need of the extra help so Kirk has been taking our teams a day out of almost every week to go down there and give them an extra lift.
This weekend we look forward to a leadership camp hosted by New Life Church For The Deaf. The two other deaf churches on the island with also attend. We hope this weekend will bring spiritual growth to the deaf community of Jamaica.
A very special thanks to the Leo team that brought us down pepperoni, sausage, and cheese! We had a GREAT supper last night!!
We are enjoying 2 weeks now with no work teams and preparing for the students to return to campus. A part of this preparation began yesterday with a yearly tradition for the Knockpatrick campus. They start their preparations for the school year with a prayer meeting with all staff. Kirk was able to participate in this unique experience going from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. What a great way to begin the school year!
On Monday and Tuesday Kirk, Chad, and Erin went to the Kingston campus to help them prepare for the school year. Kingston is always in need of the extra help so Kirk has been taking our teams a day out of almost every week to go down there and give them an extra lift.
This weekend we look forward to a leadership camp hosted by New Life Church For The Deaf. The two other deaf churches on the island with also attend. We hope this weekend will bring spiritual growth to the deaf community of Jamaica.
A very special thanks to the Leo team that brought us down pepperoni, sausage, and cheese! We had a GREAT supper last night!!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Fay and Usain
They are hardly a match made in heaven, but they are the News here in Jamaica
Yesterday morning, we were informed by Jamaican friends that Tyson Gay did not make the 100m final and that the Jamaicans were going to take Gold. Not long after mentioning that, we read on the internet that Usain Bolt won the 100m. Jamaicans love the Olympics. This morning, 3 Jamaicans got Gold, Silver, and Bronze in the womens 100m. These victories have Jamaican really celebrating.
Last night, Fay blew by. The Tropical Storm did not get too close to Jamaica, but we did feel her effects. It rained pretty hard and has remained overcast all day. We keep our eyes peeled to the satellite. It sure feels different as we now watch these storm warnings not just as bits of news, but because of its potential affect on our lives. While we praise the Lord for being spared of worse weather, we are aware of the effect it had on Hispaniola and its potential effects on States.
Blessings
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
The King and His Loyal Subject
Just a quick video of the boys. They are becoming quite the pair. I maybe wouldnt go as far as Batman and Robin, but more like ummmm, well, uhhh Drew and Truitt -- Be Blessed
Monday, August 11, 2008
Funny Blog about Truitt
Check out Erin Davis's blog entry about Truitt dated 8/11/08. He is becoming quite the little man as he talks more and shows more of his unique personality.
Sunday, August 10, 2008
Goodbye Ward Evangelical
We just finished a great week with Ward Evangelical from Detroit. This was mostly a high school team and they were alot of fun. The leaders were well organized and it made for a good week. The past couple of teams have been taking one day to go to Kingston to help out on that campus. The Kingston campus needs lots of work and is very run down. Kingston is largely a forgotten campus that does not get the teams or resources that the other campuses receive. The teams have been very willing to go down to Kingston to work and we have been very thankful for that. After dropping off the Ward team, we did not have to pick up another team and so we have had a day off. Our next and final team for Knockpatrick will come on Monday. While we love teams, we are getting fatigued going 7 days/week. We hope that things will slow down some and we are looking forward to a little bit more family time. We are so thankful for the teams we have had and their willingness to serve CCCD.
Welcome to the NEW plattnerfamily.com
New and Improved (35% more free)
After much deliberation, consultation, and debate, the board of plattnerfamily.com has unanimously decided to change to a new venue. While we have enjoyed our time being created and managed by iWeb, we have determined that it is time to part ways. The creativity and freedom provided by iWeb was a blessing, but the ease of updating was a problem. With our move to "blogger," we hope to be able to update more regularly. Both of us on the board at plattnerfamily.com want to continue to update consistently for the sake of our own journaling as well as for those of you who stop and read. Thank you for stopping to check in at plattnerfamily.com and we continue to welcome your thoughts and suggestions. We hope to continue to share our journey with anyone who is interested. God Bless!
After much deliberation, consultation, and debate, the board of plattnerfamily.com has unanimously decided to change to a new venue. While we have enjoyed our time being created and managed by iWeb, we have determined that it is time to part ways. The creativity and freedom provided by iWeb was a blessing, but the ease of updating was a problem. With our move to "blogger," we hope to be able to update more regularly. Both of us on the board at plattnerfamily.com want to continue to update consistently for the sake of our own journaling as well as for those of you who stop and read. Thank you for stopping to check in at plattnerfamily.com and we continue to welcome your thoughts and suggestions. We hope to continue to share our journey with anyone who is interested. God Bless!
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