Gone 4G!

The Plattner's have gone 4G. 4G is broadband internet. Simply put, it is hopefully an internet upgrade from our ultra finicky internet. I dont know the extent that 4G is advertised in the states, but I am sure you are familiar with 3G. Well, 4G is just the next generation of that technology. This means that we are getting our internet wirelessly. Actually, we are just giving it a try, but so far it is working. This is supposed to have the potential to increase our internet speeds by 5x. We hope it works. When it comes to mobile technology, Jamaica is "on the ball." I think mobile coverage here may be better than it is in the states and the newest technologies are generally available. Digicel, Jamaicas largest mobile carrier, has done a great job of getting mobile technology to the masses. If you are interested, here is an interesting article from Forbes.com on Digicel's takeover of the mobile phone market.

Weeble-Wobble

Daisha is officially using walking as her primary mode of transportation! She is still about as steady as a weeble-wobble (do you remember weeble-wobbles?). She is very much like a weeble-wobble, but she does fall down (weeble-wobbles never fell down). Actually, she is the earliest walker of all of our kids. We think back and cant imagine. Truitt did not start crawling until he was 15 months and wasnt walking until 18 months. Daisha is 14 months old. She is beautiful. In the video, she is very sober and doing her little trademark sucking of her middle two fingers. Actually, in the context of sign language, she is doing the perfect, "I Love You" handshape to herself. Its adorable! She has a fun-loving personality with an electric smile. Congratulations Daisha on your successful passing of the crawling stage.

Normal Life

I can remember towards the end of our honeymoon coming home with the thought, "I am ready for normal life." Dont get me wrong, our honeymoon was sweet and we would take advantage of that type of trip again and again if we were able, but there is something sweet about doing normal life. Family time, work, routine, little things, etc. I thought that again the other day as we had to say goodbye to Kirk's brother's family. We thoroughly, and I mean thoroughly enjoyed our time with Kirk's brothers family, but you can only live that kind of life for so long. You can't live life on vacation, vacation has its place, but then it is time to get back to life. We were so thankful to have them visit and share a bit of our lives with them. We really feel like our time was blessed and now we give thanks!

Week in Review

Here is a little picture review of our week with the Clint Plattner family. As you can see, the kids loved hanging out and playing. No matter the activity, Tyler jumping off a water fall, Abrey swinging off the rope swing, playing at the hotel, just laughing together, we had a blessed time together.

Mr. Bent

Awhile back, I introduced Tashi Bent to you. She attended our sending church for 4 years as she got her degree at Taylor University. She went to school at CCCD and comes from a deaf family who are strong leaders in the Jamaican deaf community. Tashi's father passed away on Tuesday. I never really knew Mr. Bent. I had met him before, but he uses what they call "country sign," and so my interactions with him were fairly limited. But, we all know that we are known by our fruit and I was impressed by Mr. Bent. From my observations, he always seemed to be a thoughtful person who would then surprise you with a hearty laugh from a good joke. And, even more impressive, he demonstrated a love and commitment to his family. A faithful husband and loving father who led a Christian family. I know Tashi adored him and from working with his son, I know that his son respected him. I am praying for those kind of relationships with my kids. I desire for them to walk in Truth, for our family to enjoy spending time together, and for their respect. Mr. Bent had a brain tumor and knew that it was terminal. Lets try to say a prayer of comfort for the Bent family.

Plattner Family x2

Kirk's brother is visiting this weekend. There is a bit of chaos when the Kirk Plattner family meets the Clint Plattner family. 4 adults + 7 kids = a good time. The fellowship has been sweet, the laughs have been hearty, and the fun will be memorable. We are getting away to Montego Bay with them for the next couple of nights and they fly home on Wednesday. What a blessing!

No more Spanking!

Here is my conversation with Drew the other night. And, for setting, his words are all flowing in a rather nonchalant, matter-of-fact tone of voice.

Drew - "Dad, I need to go down to the shop to get some wood to make a sign."
Me - "Oh really, what are you making a sign for."
Drew - "for my bedroom."
Me - "ok, but what is the sign going to say."
Drew - "It will say 'Dad and Mom, no more spankings and time-outs"
Me- "But, what if you do something bad and really need a spanking"
Drew - "I will try hard to do better"
Me - "But what if you still make a mistake"
Drew - "Then we can just put an X through the sign"
Me - "What about Truitt, what if he needs a spanking"
Drew - "We can make another sign for Truitt that says "FREE SPANKINGS"

Buy my Shrimp!

Another good Blake story. Awhile back, we were traveling from Montego Bay to Mandeville. On the trip, you travel through an area called "Middle Quarters" which is "shrimp country." It is an area close to some brackish waters in which shrimp are easily harvested. The shrimp are called "peppered shrimp" as it is boiled with Jamaica's well beloved Scotch Bonnet Peppers. A friend of Blake's had asked him to stop and buy him some of the shrimp. Well, this was our first experience buying the shrimp. As soon as we stopped the car, we were swarmed by the ladies selling the shrimp. As you can see, there are at least the arms of 5 different ladies inside the car window pushing "stinky" shrimp in Blake's face. The lady in the middle is hilarious. She keeps replacing the shrimp in Blakes bag and being ultra pushy. We thought it was hilarious.

June/July Update

(A couple of pics from the "open day" in Savanna-La-Mar. The program was outside under the shade of a huge tree (1st picture) and it felt rather "biblical" catching a sermon in the great outdoors.)


June/July Plattner Family Update
Just today, Drew was “reading” to his brother from a book that was recounting the “itsy bitsy spider.” Drew broke into song, “The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout,” but then he followed that up with, “and the rains came down and the floods came up, the rains came down and the floods came up.” I think that is when he stopped wanting to say “and the house on the sand stood fast,” but he couldn’t figure out how that applied to “the sun coming up and drying up all of the rain.” I know, that is a pretty random story, but welcome to our months of June and July. Our June and July started with work teams and ended in a van full of our friends getting into a serious accident. In the middle was life as normal as well as a critical day of outreach to the deaf in an unchurched area of Jamaica. So, coming up with one thing that would be a sufficient introduction for this update felt impossible, until Drew summed it up perfectly. “The itsy bitsy spider climbed up the water spout and the rains came down and the floods came up.” And, we are left processing what it all means alongside our firm belief in the assurance that God is faithful. We know He is faithful, but there are times it just feels like we could make it easier on Him and easier on us if we were simply able to pack it up and go home. How is that for an introductory paragraph?

Our June did start out with work teams. We were blessed by some wonderful relationships and a very busy time of work and play. Our teams were one week on and one week off and so that took out some of the grind and allowed us to “gear up” for each week. The school year finished at the end of June. This involved classes wrapping up as well as graduation day. The following week was deaf camp that was directed by a team from the states. We also had a work team present and that raced us right into July. We hosted one more team, and then the brakes came on. July and August around the school are dead, very dead. It feels like a ghost town. The ministry is here for the kids and when there are no kids, the life is out of the campus. So, we will be anxiously awaiting the kids coming back in September.

Our deaf community has been praying for a long time for the startup of a deaf ministry in western Jamaica. Deaf churches in most parts of the world are scarce. In Jamaica, where travel is difficult, this makes regular Christian fellowship not even an option for the majority of the deaf population. So, a date was finally set for the first ministry activity in western Jamaica. On July 31st, two van loads of people traveled to a town named Savanna-La-Mar for an “open day.” This was simply a day of food and fellowship followed by a short program of testimonies and a message. There was a good turnout and everyone was excited. This is where the confusion comes into the story. On the way home, the front van got into a serious accident. Kirk was driving the second van and about 15 minutes of chaos ensued. The emergency vehicles were not coming and so we loaded up the most seriously injured into our van and headed for the hospital, which was probably a 30 minute drive. Upon reaching the hospital, things didn’t slow down as the van was full of deaf people and the medical staff needed help with interpreting. The chaos continued, but a miracle emerged. Slowly, more positive than expected reports kept coming from the doctors. By the middle of the next morning, all but three people were out of the hospital and we were rejoicing. Rejoicing but still confused and recovering from the shock of it all. The questions of why, why them, why not me, how, what if, etc. etc. continued. The day that started with such excitement with the outreach to a new area of Jamaica ended in a tragedy that really could have been a serious tragedy. But, it wasn’t and so we were also rejoicing. Similar to that itsy bitsy spider that almost got its house washed away on the sand but didn’t. We believe we witnessed a miracle and pray for continued healing for all involved as well as grace unto understanding His ways.

That will have to do it for June and July. I feel like we could have used a million different stories. It’s a shame that the slow months have updates of too much detail and in the busy months I try cramming two months into one update. Our family continues to experience abundant, abundant blessing. The kids have all be relatively healthy and enjoyed a summer of people and play. We continue to rejoice in the gift of our marriage and common calling and pray that our family can be used for His glory. We lose sight of the way in our confusion, but His grace has been consistent in calling us back to Himself. And, as I am sure the itsy-bitsy spider did, lets build our house on the Rock.

Picture Update

Picture Update
Click here for a few pictures of the kids from the month of July.

Another day, Another holiday

But, not just any holiday, today is Jamaica's Independence day. The day is typically celebrated at large gatherings on a beach or in some public area. There are not the fireworks that would typify an American celebration, but there will be a few parades. Jamaica is a proud country and they rightly make their independence day into a big celebration. Our celebration will be slightly more "low key" as we will be hanging around home and catching up on some long overdue projects. Happy Independence Day!


History

For a long time, Britain wished to unite its Caribbean territories. Though many larger territories, including Jamaica, had objections, the group was joined together with the capital on Trinidad in 1958. The new group became the Federation of the West Indies.

The Federation was created in January of that year, and elections were set for March. Perhaps not surprisingly, Jamaica's Norman Manley and Alexander Bustamante created the two main political parties involved in this election, as well. Bustamante led both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and the Democratic Labour Party of the West Indies (DLPWI). Manley led his People's National Party (PNP) and the West Indies Federal Labour Party (WIFLP).

The WIFLP took the majority of the Federation's seats, but Sir Grantley Adams from Barbados became the first Prime Minister. Though much work was done to make the Federation work, by 1961 Jamaica had put forth a referendum for its removal from the Federation. The removal was granted and the British Government agreed to discuss Jamaica's independence. The Federation fell apart the following year.

With Britain's willingness to discuss Jamaica's independence and dominion within the British Commonwealth of Nations, things proceeded quickly. Within a year a new constitution had been drafted, strongly based on Jamaica's current design, but with a number of changes reflective of other British dominion nations.

The date for Jamaica's independence was set as August 6, 1962, and the political parties on the island quickly went into full force. A new party, the People's Political Party (PPP) also came into being at this time.

On election day, more than 71 percent of the electorate turned out to vote, and the JLP earned a definitive majority once again. JLP filled 26 seats, and the PNP held 19. Though Jamaica's final Governor, Sir Kenneth Blackburne, took office as the first Governor-General, he was replaced just months later by Sir Clifford Campbell.

Jamaica celebrated its independence with large celebrations. On August 7, Princess Margaret of England opened the island's first session of Parliament on behalf of the Queen, completing the transfer of independence to Jamaica.

Emancipation Day (A History Lesson)

A picture of the placard on the Sam Sharpe Monument in Montego Bay

Yesterday, Jamaica celebrated Emancipation day. Actually Emancipation is on the 1st of August, but since that fell on a Sunday, they celebrated on Monday. Here is a bit of history.

If you have seen the movie "Amazing Grace" or know the story of William Wilburforce, you know that the English abolished the slave trade in 1807. But, while the slave trade was abolished, it didnt necessarily end the enslavement of all of those people already in Jamaica or any other of the English Colonies. So, on to Emancipation day. During the Christmas holiday of 1831, a large scale slave revolt known as the Baptist War broke. It was organised originally as a peaceful strike by Baptist minister Samuel Sharpe. The rebellion was suppressed by the militia of the Jamaican plantocracy and the British garrison ten days later in early 1832. Because the loss of property and life in the 1831 rebellion, the British Parliament held two inquiries. The results of these inquiries contributed greatly to the abolition of slavery with the Slavery Abolition Act 1833. The Slavery Abolition Act 1833 ended slavery in the British Empire on August 1, 1834. While the enslaved Africans in Jamaica received Emancipation on 1st of August 1834, they suffered in some cases far worse than during enslavement for the next 4 years under an unjust Apprenticeship System. So, the 1st of August, 1838 is considered the year of ‘full emancipation’.

The reality is, slavery is still an issue in many parts of the world. This is an issue that still demands our attention and prayer. If you are interested in learning more, follow the work of "International Justice Mission" as they work around the world for justice in the name of Jesus.

Accident Update!

Mostly good news. It has definitely been one of those situations in which it could have been so much worse. All but three people are out of the hospital. Yesterday morning, I went in to the hospital to help with transportation and was so relieved to be able to see the two that I thought were the worst leave the hospital. They were both sitting in the front and were trapped in the van for maybe 10 minutes after the accident. The others we knew had injuries to their arms and legs, but the two in the front were bleeding so badly and we didnt know the full extent of the problem with how they were trapped. We are giving thanks that there was no serious damage to their head besides deep cuts from the glass. It felt like a serious miracle to have seen the accident the night before and then to see them leaving the hospital the next morning. The ones remaining in the hospital had bad broken bones and will be waiting for surgery. We are slowly recovering as well, obviously we were not in the accident, but having witnessed it and having been in the chaos immediately following, it has been hard. Maybe later we will use this forum to debrief some of our experiences in the situation. It was a family affair as the kids were with us through the whole situation and they have been dealing with it so well. We are thankful and are continuing to pray for physical healing for all involved as well as the emotional trauma for the driver and the entire church.

Please Pray!

Yesterday, New Life Church of the Deaf hosted an "open day" of fellowship in Savanna-La Mar (SAV), a western Jamaican community with no deaf church. Last night, we were traveling back from SAV in two vans when the vehicle in front ran into the back of a dump truck that was parked in the our lane of traffic. It had broken down in the road and was left. It was dark, the truck had no lights, reflectors, or warnings on the road that it was parked in the road. The van was driven by the Damian Campbell, the pastor of New Life Church for the Deaf. His wife Felicia and another friend were in the front. They were injured pretty bad. It took a considerable amount of time to get them out of the front of the van as it was smashed in badly. We ran them to the hospital. They are continuing to get checked out and all are stable. It could have been so much worse and we continue to pray for their situations. The van had probably 14 people in it and almost all of them had bad cuts and bruises. They are getting released from the hospital slowly. Please pray with us and I will update again soon.