Merry Christmas!

Joy to the World!
Its a command (Matt 28:19-20). Its hope (Matt 11:5). Its abundant life (John 10:10). Its for everyone (Acts 13:47). Etc.

Luke 2:8-20 in Patois

Click this link "Luke 2:8-20"

Nov/Dec Plattner Family Update

News Flash: We are expecting our 3rd Baby! During this Christmas season as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior we are also celebrating the gift of a new child in our family. We are praising the Lord for His faithfulness and provision in the blessing of a child. It was not long ago that I was teaching in Sunday School on campus and encouraging the students to trust God with their futures. Today, my heart is challenged to trust Him with the future of our family as we expect the arrival of a new son or daughter. We pray for grace to be able to give our pregnancy and the arrival of our child to God our Provider. We also pray for grace that we can grow in our understanding of the ultimate blessing of God sending His son to Earth to save us from our sins. Rejoice! Rejoice! Rejoice!

Life in the States has been SLIGHTLY different than our life in Jamaica. We are experiencing 0 degree weather as opposed to 80 degree weather. Snow instead of a beach. And, icy plains instead of green mountains. But, we are cherishing our time with family and friends. The warmth of the Christmas season is refreshing as we have been able to connect with so many that we love. We have been busy moving back and forth from our parent’s house as well as a weekend trip to our church home in Leo, IN. The support that we continue to feel is humbling and we pray that we can understand and appreciate it as we should. Ultimately, while we miss our home and friends in Jamaica, we are making the most of our time in the States and refreshing ourselves for the work ahead as we return on December 31st.

Our family has been blessed! We are expecting our 3rd child during the middle of July. Drew is growing up and we are seeing it especially in his vocabulary. He remains our little worship leader and continues to hold almost daily church services for his faithful parishioner, his little brother. And, we are confident that he will be even more excited about another little sibling as soon as he realizes that the baby will be a 2nd faithful church goer for maybe the first year. Truitt, the little brother, continues to play his role of little brother very faithfully. He imitates everything that his brother does and wants to play with everything that his brother is playing with. We rejoice and give thanks to the Father for their growth, development, and health.

Lord willing, on December 31st, we will be making the trip back to Jamaica. We are excited to get back to our home, see friends, and begin the work. It has been refreshing to step away from our work and experience the rejuvenation that comes from resting in Him. While we have been busy, we feel like we have been able to again find some more clarity in our work and we pray for a smooth transition back to Jamaica. As we anticipate the New Year, may we remember the gift on Christmas that led to the cross on Good Friday, which brought us the Resurrection on Easter. As we celebrate this Christmas season, may we not leave out any part of the story, may we not hold back any piece of our heart, and may we Praise Him for He is worthy!

Piece of Paradise - Sweet Lips

"Absence makes the heart grow fonder" And this is true for us when we are in Jamaica thinking of our family and friends back in the states. And, this is true for us as we are in the states thinking of our "paradise" back in Jamaica. So, in absence of things to report about in Jamaica, I decided to reminisce about a funny experience that we had before we left. Weekly, the "fish truck" pulls into Knockpatrick to sell fish. The truck has a cooler in the back and it is full of fish. They park their truck and people go up to the cooler and rummage through the fish and pick out what they want. Then, the fish man scales the fish and bags them up. Not wanting to be left out of a good experience, I decided that I wanted to buy some fish but I am still not able to eat the fish's head as my fellow Jamaicans. So, I went to the fish man and asked for a fish that could be filleted. They all laughed at me for not being able to look into the eye of a fish on my plate. But, I was still buying afish and was willing to take on some shame in order to experience buying a fish from the fish truck. So, he picked out the biggest fish he had and said he would fillet it up for us. I asked what kind of fish it was and he told me it was called a "Sweet Lips," due to the fish's big lips. So, Keri and I got our "Sweet Lips" and she made a nice recipe and we enjoyed our fish. While there is no exciting ending to the story, we still get a laugh out of the whole experience as we ate our Sweet Lips. Here are some pics for your enjoyment.

Lots of Love in Leo

Our trip out to Leo has been blessed. We were able to get the kids to their Doctor and we feel so blessed for their good health. We appreciate our doctor very much and were very thankful that we could see him. On Friday night we were able to attend church caroling. On Saturday we were able to meet with our former foster daughter and we are thankful that she is doing as well as she is. It has been great to catch up with friends and we feel so much support from the Leo church. Sunday was the Christmas program and it was a blessing to be in Leo to see the kids presentation of the Christmas story. Now, back to Illinois for time with family.

I'm a Wanderer

From Switzerland, to Germany, back to Switzerland, through London, safely to Chicago, down to Princeville, and on to Leo. We have been on the move. We are giving thanks for traveling mercies as we now begin the holiday rush. The boys did great with their grandparents and we are so thankful for parents who do such a great job with our kids. They are not only active in their lives, but they always give support, offer to babysit, and who amazing love for our kids. We thank the Lord for our parents. We will hopefully be able to give some updates on the end of our trip and now our US travels. While we do not do support raising in the traditional sense, we certainly have a desire to show our appreciation to all who show us so much support. This is why we are out to Leo for the weekend and will hopefully connect with many people over the next couple of weeks. Praise the Lord!

Switzerland Day 4

Day 4 found us traveling back down near the Italian border. We visited a castle, had a picnic, and walked through several cool towns. It was cool to see a different part of Switzerland that feels like a different country. Here is a pic of our lunch, it was beautiful.

Switzerland Day 3 - The Date

Day 3 in Switzerland consisted of Keri and I traveling north to a town called schaufhausen. It was a beautiful day, we took a nice long walk, and had a picnic by a beautiful waterfall. After getting slightly lost, we made it back and cherished our time together. We certainly prayed about this trip before coming and one of the aspects of those prayers involved refreshment. We are giving praise that we are finding that refreshment in the midst of the long days traveling. The beauty of nature, the time we have had together, and the adventures we have shared have been refreshing and we ultimately find that refreshment in Him.

Cool Runnings Part Zwei

Not that we are Jamaican, but there is a part of us that does not feel very removed from our normal lives. So, as I got the opportunity to have a day skiing in Switzerland, I could not help but think of a Jamaican ski team. We got up early in the morning and traveled all the way down to the southern part of Switzerland on the border with Italy. The town is Zermatt and it is home of the Matterhorn, which is a big rock/mountain that just looks cool in general. It is the big pointy thing in the center/left of the picture above. Anyway, Kasey and Keri spent the day in the town of Zermatt having a ladies day out. This involved eating pasteries, shopping, eating lunch, shopping, eating snack, shopping, etc. They had a great day. Me on the other hand, had the opportunity to have a day of skiing. As you can see from the picture above, the panarama view was amazing, the skiing was perfect, and it was a great time to have a day in nature with the maker. It was a beautiful day, but needless to say we caught a nap on the train ride back.

Switzerland Day 1

We survived day 1 in Switzerland. We did an all day tour through several cities that have difficult names to pronounce. The majesty of creation was shouting at us all day. There is so much power in the beauty of creation and it is awesome to think of the variety in creation as we think of our beautiful home in Jamaica. It is shocking and we have had a great start to our week. We did post a few pictures and will expound on them later.

Life Happens

And Life Happens to have us in Switzerland. Keri's sister lives in Switzerland. It has been our desire to make the trip to visit sometime during their time in Switzerland. We know better than ever the blessing of visitors and we really wanted to get to see their lives in Switzerland. So, as life happens, we ended up planning a last minute trip. We started doing the math on when we could visit and realized that time may be running short. We obviously have no idea how long they will be staying in Switzerland, but we also know that time is not free for us often in our schedule. As we looked forward, we knew that we couldnt do it in the summer and we dont see ourselves with so much time next Winter and so our window of opportunity was getting smaller and smaller. So, for some reason we had planned extra time home this holiday season and we decided to use part of that time to visit Switzerland. We arrived safely today and praise the Lord for wonderful travels. We stopped in London for a layover and then got to Zurich this evening. We hope to do a couple of updates on our experiences here. We are already sensing the shock of the Lord having directed Keri and I to a very diferent world than Kasey and Daniel. We praise the Lord for his Faithfulness in providing for each of us. The picture above is us in the train station immediately after arriving.

Giving Thanks!

You can see pictures of our travels and Thanksgiving by clicking here.

We are giving Thanks! We had great flights home. The boys did great. The major problem came when the stewardess announced that Pepsi's now cost $2. Drew has always loved flying and one of his favorite things about flying is getting Pepsi in flight. (Because we let them have whatever they want for those few hours so that they are not screaming and bothering the other patrons.) Anyways, we had been priming Drew for flying and coaxing along his good attitude with promises of Pepsi on the airplane. So, when the stewardess made the fateful announcement, our hearts sunk. We were between a rock and a hard place. Or in other words, we were between a beautiful little boy craving a Pepsi he had been promised and a tightwad Plattner who would rather do many unpleasant things before he would spend $2 on a Pepsi. So, obviously, the Plattner won and we delayed his gratification until we reached the airport and we blessed him with his drink of brown goodness. Other than that little hiccup, we had good times. We also had a blessed thanksgiving with family and we have been enjoying the change in seasons. We are giving Thanks and we pray that it wont stop soon as we have so much to be Thankful for.

Lord Willing

Lord Willing, we will be making the trek to the states tomorrow. I think we are making the whole trip in one day for the first time with our kids. Due to early morning flights and not wanting such big days, in the past we have either stayed overnight in Chicago or Montego Bay to lessen the pain of travel. But, it is our plan to head out tomorrow morning from Knockpatrick, drive the 3 hours to the airport, fly to Charlotte, fly to Chicago, and then drive to Central Illinois. We are excited for the opportunity and trust our BIG day to Him.

"A Piece of Paradise" Jamaica Driving Part 2

Today, I went to the Jamaica "Dept. of Motor Vehicle" to try to get my drivers license. A funny thing about Jamaica drivers license is that they do not test people on the rules of the road, but how an engine works. Many people marvel at the crazy driving that typifies Jamaica, and I think I finally found the reason. Jamaica is more concerned that you understand that the crankshaft turns the camshaft rather than not to pass around a corner. They care that you know the difference between a standard and phillips screwdriver rather than not to stop in the middle of the road or turn without signaling. Anyway, needless to say, I did study for the test and I passed. But, also needless to say, I failed the driving test. It was ridiculous and I would be happy to tell you the whole story if you ask. My comfort and frustration came on the drive home when Mr. Lewis explained to me that they never pass you the first time, even if you "let off" money. So, I went into the test thinking that I might come out with a license when in reality there was not a chance of me actually passing the tests. Anyway, I will try again with a bit more humility as I try to seek the honor of a Jamaican drivers license.




The video is just a little clip of Keri's first time out driving on the Jamaican roads. She is now a pro on the roads and heads out regularly, but we had this video of her first voyage. She did a great job, but the guy at the end of the video did nearly lose his life. It was a funny moment and maybe I overreacted a bit. Enjoy!

"I have a coat on!"

Maybe God is preparing us for that bitter cold Midwest climate. This past week a cold front has come through and has left us with temperatures plunging into the upper 60's. Burrrrr. Yes, we find ourselves pulling out our sweatshirts and socks, shivering, and commenting how cold it is with our Jamaican friends. We admit that last year at this time we may have been mocking the Jamaican culture for not being able to endure this "cold" weather. We now realize that maybe we have just adjusted more to this culture than we would like to admit. I'm sure our weakened bodies will go into shock when we hit the frigid Chicago air on Wednesday night. (It's been 1.5 years since we've been in that winter air.) We'll see how the boys react to the hats, mittens, and coats. For now they've enjoyed pulling out the jackets and socks. When they were outside this afternoon, Drew noted to everyone who walked by that, "I have a toat (coat) on!" It was evident that he has not spent much time in the cold as he was so excited to wear a coat. He also kept repeating, "this is the toat (coat) I am going to wear in the snow," as he pointed to his light spring jacket. And then, someone explained to him about snowpants and he also reminded everyone that he was wearing his snow pants, pointing to his jeans. He has alot to learn, but he is excited and we are praying to see snow.

Anticipation!

Anticipation is a funny thing. Over the past week, there is no doubt that our trip back to the states is consuming our minds. It seems that all of our plans, all of our work, and all of our conversations surround going home. Anticipation has a funny way of refocusing life, rightly or wrongly, and slowing life down. While November 26th has come so fast, there are times that all of the planning and talking feels as if it were for naught. Anyways, all of that to say that we are excited for our trip back. Life has been slowing down as we are detaching from life here. There are things here that we are not excited to leaving. Alot actually. Leaving for a month feels like a long time when we think about our relationships here and being in the cold there. But, 6 months is a long time being away from our family and friends, our kids being away from their grandparents, and us being away from those who sent us here, the church. So, the anticipation will remain, we will make the most of our time remaining here and we will be excited to get on the plane next Wednesday, Lord Willing. And, ultimately, I think we can use the lessons we learn about anticipation and refocusing to help mature us in our Christian walk. There is no doubt that anticipation is supposed to reorganize our lives and change our perspective. This is the very reason that Jesus commanded us to "Watch and Pray." That is anticipation! That is reorganization! That is a change in perspective from our daily business to His daily business!

Just Another Example

In reference to our last post, here is a little example from today of our Drew growing up.

Growing UP!

Andrew William Plattner

Our little guy is growing UP! At the risk of sounding over dramatic and sentimental, I want to reflect a little bit about our first born. He is gentle, kind, slow, cautious, and affectionate. He has been this way from day one and we have relished his expressions of these endearing traits. Be it known, he is still all of those things. But, the little guy is growing up. We are beginning to see some real "boy" coming out in him as we find him catching bugs, climbing gates, and controlling his younger brother. He has begun saying funny things to get people to laugh. It is not uncommon to see him being as silly as can be. It is almost daily that he says something that makes you say, "where did that come from?" We see flashes of these things and we realize that he is growing up. Again, not that this is bad, we actually relish the sight of him developing, but there is something inside that is just a bit scared. We are daily trying to savor our time with Drew and we praise the Lord for His grace. Please dont sign me up for a session with the local psych, just pray with me that Drew can grow up to be a man who pursues God's glory.

Farewell Plattners

This morning, we dropped off the Chad Plattner family at the Montego Bay airport. This capped off a great couple of weeks. We took them all over the island as we spent a half a week at Knockpatrick, a week in Montego Bay, and another half week at Knockpatrick. We finished their visit strong as we went to Treasure Beach on Monday, we got packed up on Tuesday, and went to the falls on Wednesday. Ultimately, as we were recapping our time together our greatest memory will be the "time" that we shared. There continues to be something about being with someone, living along side them, working with them, eating with them, etc, that bonds you together. So, as we reminisced about the scary drives, the day at the beach, delivering the sea container, and all of the great memories, I think we will take away the strengthened relationship that developed as we lived life together, our family and theirs. We were blessed and we thank the Chad Plattner family for taking the TIME, the energy, the effort, the resources, and the love that it took to make this trip. We were blessed!

P.S. - The picture of Truitt was at the falls enjoying some watermelon. How it drips! How it Drips!

October Update

As previously stated, over the past year we have been confronted with the realities of poverty like never before. For some unknown reason, all of these realities as well as a renewed interest and understanding of our responsibility to the poor have collided over the past month. My radar was turned on as a result of listening to a series of messages about how the gospel relates to the poor. The sermons probed my prejudices towards the poor and contrasted Christ’s response to the poor in the Gospels. Next, in the midst of wrestling with the almost daily begging experienced in Jamaica, I read a verse in the Sermon on the Mount for what felt like the first time. Matthew 5:42 jumped off the page as Jesus instructs me to give to those who ask (beg), and don’t hold back from those who want to borrow. Jesus words for me were a far cry from my current practice of giving terse responses to begging, some positive and some negative. The reading of these verses was quickly followed up with several opportunities to meet the needs of the poor around me in ways that really challenged my heart. Thirdly, I was listening to another message that was not directly related to the poor but applied in my context. The sermon was just another “What Would Jesus Do” type sermon but with a little twist that made it feel very real. The question of the sermon was “What if Jesus lived in my house?” If Jesus lived in my house, how would he pursue ministry from my station in life? How would he interact with my neighbors? Where would He put His energies in my world? What would He do with my resources? It was this combination of events that has begun to again shake the dust off of my prejudices towards the poor. Having revisited this topic, I have been drawn back to the gospels for a further look at how Jesus dealt with the poor. Even a cursory look into the Gospels reveals a trend in which Jesus was never far from the poor. I have no other agenda than to share how the Lord has been working in our lives, but I lay that charge to your heart. Jesus offered harsh rebuke to the Pharisee’s in Luke 11:42 as they remain faithful in their tithe while ignoring true Justice and the Love of God. May our hearts continue to break with the things that break Jesus heart.
October ushered us back into our nomadic lifestyles. But, in the midst of our travels, we have been blessed beyond measure with visitors. On October 7th, Keri’s mom came in for a visit. We were able spend a few days with her at Knockpatrick and the boys loved having MeMaw at our house. That next weekend we traveled down to Montego Bay and Keri’s sister and brother-in-law arrived. Daniel and Kasey flew in on Saturday as we began a work team at Montego Bay. We spent the week in Montego Bay working with the team and sharing life with family. We had not seen Daniel and Kasey for one year as they left for their new lives in Switzerland the same day we began our new lives in Jamaica. We were humbled by their visit and relished the sweet fellowship. The next Saturday had Daniel and Kasey leaving, the work team leaving, and another work team coming. Our new team was from Peoria, IL and it was great having a hometown group. We had another wonderful week of fellowship and work. On the Friday of that week, Ted Hirstein and Mike Rassi came in for a weekend visit. They are both on the Apostolic Christian World Relief board that oversees the work in Jamaica. We were blessed with more great fellowship and encouragement from their visit. We spent the weekend back up in Knockpatrick. After their departure on Sunday, we began preparing for the arrival of the Chad Plattner family. On Tuesday, I made a trip down to Montego Bay to pick up Chad and Laura Lee and their 6 children. We began the Plattner adventure at Knockpatrick for the remainder of the week but headed off again to Montego Bay on Friday in anticipation of the arrival of a team on Saturday. While this completes our October, the adventure of travel, fellowship, and ministry continued.
Ultimately, we continue to reiterate the same mantra, “we are blessed and by His grace we are pursuing ways to bless others.” Through the visitors we have had, the work teams, and the millions of unforeseen graces we experience everyday, we remain in awe. In awe that we have been given the blood of Jesus to save us from our sin. In awe that He would use us as His hands and feet. In awe that He has given us life and life more abundant. In recognizing our own poverty of spirit in which we must pursue our relationship with Him, may we see the ways in which He wants us to pursue relationships with our “neighbors.”

A Piece of Paradise "Roadside Stands"

Roadside Stands

There is alot that could be written about this unique aspect of Jamaica, and so maybe I will cover more a different time. But, the other day, I ran past a Marlene's restaurant. When I saw the sign, I knew I had to get a picture. This establishment was like most in that the signage wasnt good, it looked pretty rough, and I was not about to try their chicken that has sat out warm all day. But, my Mom's name is Marlene and it is her passion to cook and serve people. I had always joked with her about starting a restaurant. Anyway, I think we can all agree to the hint of paradise that we get when we sit around a table of wonderful food with those we love. This picture took me back to some of those times and I thought it was worth sharing.

P.S. - We also know of the location of "Patsy's Place," and so check back for the picture in honor of Keri's mom.

Hurricane Paloma

As I write, Hurricane Paloma is making its way past the shores of Jamaica. Thankfully it is enough distance away that we are not expecting to feel much of it. We praise God that thus far, as hurricane season is ALMOST over (knock on wood), that we have not experienced much affects of any of the storms that have passed through the Caribbean. For those of you who know of my (Keri's) phobia of storms, you know that this is a huge sigh of relief for me! Of course maybe I should hold onto that sigh of relief for 2 1/2 weeks more!!

A whole lotta church

We have found a witness! One thing that the Plattner cousins have found in common is Church. Today, the kids were all caught outside with chairs lined up having church. They were singing songs and Jesse was preaching. I dont know if it is just in the blood or what, but the praises have been on. Above, Drew and Jubilee are enjoying the church service together and below is a little clip of Drew's daily ritual. As you can see, his little apprentice is coming along quite nicely. They love to praise together.

The Plattners visit the Plattners

On Tuesday night, I traveled down to Montego Bay to pick up the Chad Plattner Family. They are coming to visit for a couple of weeks and we have just begun the adventure. The Chad Plattner family consists of Chad (Patriarch), Laura Lee (Matriarch), Jesse (10 and wise), Javan (8 and inquisitive), Jared (6 and active), Jolene (5 and little matriarch), Jubilee (3 and happy), and Jonas (1 and squirt). We are excited to have them and you can check out the happenings from their perspective at The Plattner Ranch. I am sure that we will have some pictures up and stories from our time together. As far as our family is concerned, we remain in transition as we will return to MoBay this weekend for one more work team. I dont know if its keeping us young or making us old, but we rejoice at His goodness.

St. Paul Baptist

We enjoy work teams. But, not all teams are created equal. The St. Paul Baptist team from Peoria, IL was exceptional. They hit the ground with energy and passion. We thoroughly enjoyed this team as they worked well together, had some dynamic personalities, and lived their passion for Christ. Our good friend, Amy Blough, was in Montego Bay for the spring semester of last school year. This group is from Amy's church. It was great to hang out with Amy again for the week. We were aptly challenged to live life in the world and not of it, always pursuing a "salty" lifestyle. Praise the Lord!

"A Piece of Paradise"

Jamaica Driving





For those of you who have been to Jamaica before, you know about Jamaica driving. As Jamaicans travel around their paradise, they do it quickly. It is not just the speed at which they drive but the speed is added to narrow, curvy roads. It keeps us on our toes and it causes us to Praise the Lord for His protection after every trip to town. In reality, the driving is not as crazy as it seems as it feels that you are going faster than you really are. The speed limit in Jamaica is 50kmh on regular roads and 80kmh on a highway. This means that when we are squealing around corners, we are actually only going about 30mph. This picture was taken last week along a road and I am guessing that the vehicle was stripped by thieves, but we will save that issue for another "Piece of Paradise."

New Prospect Work Team

We moved down to MoBay last week to host some work teams. We are planning to be in MoBay for 3 weeks total with a break in the middle. It is good to be back in Montego Bay and spending time with our friends here. Last week, we were blessed with the opportunity to host a work team from near Atlanta, Georgia. The team was from New Prospect Methodist Church. Being a bit southern, we enjoyed some Southern style friendships as we always marvel at the interesting differences between work teams. The team did good work and we were blessed by their efforts on behalf of the school. But, after a whole week of work, I forgot to take a group picture. So, I posted some of the work pictures on our pictures page.

ONE WHOLE YEAR

On October 20th, 2007 we moved our little family to Jamaica. And, in case you havent heard, today is October 20th, 2008. That means that we have been in Jamaica for one year. Even after writing that I need to do the math again in my head to make sure it is right. We just cant believe it. One year ago today we were filled with many anxieties and excitements. Today, we are filled with many anxieties and excitements. Just different ones and actually we are thankful they are different because we would not be interested in going back and reliving our first month here. We can now sometimes laugh at our first days, but more than anything we are rejoicing that He carried us through. It is times like this that give us the opportunity to measure growth and we praise the Lord for growth in so many areas. While our sign language is still slow, we have improved so much. While we still feel so clumsy, we have grown in the Lord. While we still make lots of mistakes, I think we are making fewer. Growth is exciting in spite of growing pains. Thanks for your prayers and support over the past year. We are humbled and we rejoice. Praise the Lord!!

P.S. -- We had hoped to have a podcast posted to commemorate our anniversary but we will have to post it later.

4 Years of Bliss!

Kirk and Keri Plattner -- 10/17/2004
I grew up with a Dad and Mom who were in love and expressed love to each other. My life was "normed" with the understanding that God's design for marriage is not only attainable, but expected. Contrasting that to today, we are immersed in a cultural norm that places God's design for marriage out of reach, unattainable, and even unreasonable. The contrast and consequences between these polar opposites is stark beyond belief while simultaneously providing proof that makes it easy to believe that God's way is best. We are daily confronted by the pain, depression, and poverty of life and soul that is exhibited from ignoring God's way and refusing to live a life of purity and commitment. After four years of marriage, our life together grows sweeter and sweeter. Similar to the growth with the Bridegroom as the Bride, we priase the Lord that the Joy is in the Journey. While the honeymoon was sweet, we are discovering that living life together day in and day out is to be savored even more. As we have been blessed with children and have relished the Joy they bring, we are reminded that our children are His and we have been entrusted to raise them to fear Him. And, while we have been blessed with opportunities to travel, vacation, and even live in another part of the world, we are continually reminded that the sweetest times are found when we are mutually agreed that we are in the center of His will and serving Him. While the past 4 years have been immeasureably blessed with joy, we look forward with thankful hearts that we know Who is carrying us. While knowing that we are not promised anything, we walk on in excitement, praising Him as he upholds us and gives Grace that we may experience the Joy in the Journey.

Grandma Kaeb's Visit

Last Tuesday, we picked up Keri's mom at the airport. She spent the rest of the week with us at Knockpatrick and we celebrated Drew's birthday. We all loved having Grandma visiting but Drew and Truitt especially ate up all her love. Our kids being away from their Grandparents has always been one of the most difficult aspects of our move and so we always love seeing them connect. While we have been blessed by Skyping, there is no substitute for being together, reading books, laughing, and sharing life. We are so grateful that Mom Kaeb could come and the kids will be talking about our week until we get to fly back at the end of November. We praise the Lord for Grandma Kaeb and are thankful for a wonderful week of fellowship. There are more pictures up on our pictures page.

A Piece of Paradise #4

Shirley Cookies




We have found some wonderful little cookies that have been great snacks and have also managed to add a few pounds to our frame. These small packs of cookies cost about 50 cents and go great with coffee or for an afternoon pick me up. On your next trip to Jamaica, let us know and we will be sure to pick some up for you.

ACWR tour #2

On Monday, Chad, Erin, and I took another ACWR tour. The tour consisted of several ministries that ACWR already supports and several others that have specific interest to us. There are many fantastic ministries operating in Jamaica serving many different people groups. Erin did a great job of summarizing our trip on her blog and so to not be redundant, you can visit her blog if your are interested in the experience. Apostolic Christian World Relief has built many strong relationships on the island and has done a fantastic job locating and serving people on the island. One lady reminsced back to the old days, maybe 20 years ago, when ACWR representatives would come down to distribute aid. It was also interesting as the primary school we visited and ACWR has supported for many years is the school that Usain Bolt attended as a child. We visited the school and it was evident that they supported their alum as pictures and newspaper articles were posted everywhere. Anyway, it is a fantastic blessing to be able to represent so many people with giving hearts on behalf of the church.

Happy Birthday Keri!

Happy Birthday Keri!!!


29 years old!!

We rejoice at God's provision and it is at these milestones that we are reminded, we stop, and we give thanks. While we are "getting old," we are also seeking His grace to continue "Growing Young."

Look Out Michael Phelps

This is a pic of Truitt at the beach the other week. It was up on our picture page, but you must agree that it deserves some special attention.

Wrong Kind of Convert

Due to the large Apostolic influence and therefore many supporters from Illinois, it is not uncommon to see someone walking around supporting the Fighting Illini. Several of the boys at school have shirts that reminisce of Illinois championship run or just old shirts. Anyways, the other day I was walking by Delroy, the man who keeps the yard, and I asked if I could take a picture of his hat. The funny thought that maybe this is not the type of disciple I am supposed to be making went through my mind as I tried to explain to him that is where I went to school. Anyway, Go ILLINI!

September Update

September Update
On plattnerfamily.com we started a special segment called “A Piece of Paradise.” I had noticed on other blogs that many people had started these special segments with witty, alliterated titles. Not wanting our blog to be a step behind, we recently started documenting various “Jamaican” things that accentuated our lives in this tropical paradise. When brainstorming about potential topics to write about, my thoughts went to the truly beautiful things about Jamaica such as unique foods, rich culture, or the beauty. At the same time, my mind also went to the “funny” things about Jamaica that occasionally cause us to laugh, but can also push us to edge of tears. There are days that we stop and are shocked that we are being given the opportunity to experience a life here in Jamaica and sometimes the next day we ask why we are being asked to endure this tribulation. This tension is very real and presents us with a very similar comparison to our interaction with the real Paradise. Understanding that our eye has not seen nor has entered into the heart of man, there are times in which we sense those glimpses of paradise. It is those times that we realize that we are looking through a glass darkly, but we are making out an image on the other side and it is beautiful. These times present themselves as one of our kids expresses one of their first prayers, we experience the beauty of marriage as God designed it, or we feel the blessing of God on a ministry opportunity. It is in these times that we get a glimpse and celebrate. But, the converse is that there are times in which we can only see the darkness of the glass. Unfortunately, this darkness is just as real and also often rears its ugly head. This darkness is revealed through the lust of our flesh, the lust of our eye, and the pride of our lives. In this, we may laugh at our stupidity and failure to understand His Holiness, but it should push us to very necessary tears. Praise the Lord that we do not have to face the realities of these contrasting scenarios in the cyclical fashion in which they seem to readily present themselves, but we have an advocate. We have been given the opportunity to live life more abundantly and it is certainly His desire to reveal to us the beauty of His kingdom. So, as we each walk through our “paradise,” let us remember to be on the lookout for His blessing through the revelation of the beauty of the true Paradise.
We are ecstatic to announce that this past month in “paradise” has been the first “normal” month since our arrival. The month of September was filled with the boring life that we find so exciting. We didn’t have any teams, we stayed in our home for the whole month, and we didn’t get kicked off the island. While we did have a couple of months when we first arrived that had no teams, we are certainly not able to claim those months as normal. Life is not normal when life is not settled. We feel as settled as we want to feel and we have been just living life. I have been helping around the school being a driver, a teacher, a maintenance man, a consultant, etc. It has been very refreshing to feel a bit of normalcy and less anxiety about the weeks. Keri has been busy at home as well as helping out more regularly in the school. The “boring” nature of this month has been a piece of paradise that we cherish.
As previously mentioned, Keri came into this school year with a bit more experience and understanding of how to balance her ministries. She continues to be the best at ministering at home with Tweedle De and Tweedle Dum. Understanding that this is her primary ministry, Keri has also had a desire to get more involved with the kids at the school. The door opened up for her to begin working daily with a boy with severe autism. Erin has been blessing us again by watching our kids as Keri daily works on teaching this boy his colors, numbers, and sign language. She has also been busy taking her rotation in Sunday school and helping facilitate the deaf to take responsibility for teaching. This is a whole other story, but Keri and Pam Huber have done an excellent job leading in ways that the deaf are wanting to follow. As if all that isn’t enough, she is also balancing a new bible study that she has started with Erin and Pam for ladies at Knocpatrick and the Deaf village. This project is in its infancy but it is exciting to see the plans come to fruition. Please continue to remember Keri in prayer as she continues to balance life by His grace.
As we look to the future, life in paradise is not going to remain so “boring.” The month of October will return us back to our normal mode of transition. In a couple of weeks we will move back to Montego Bay for a week, then back to Knockpatrick for a week, then back to Montego Bay for 2 weeks, and then back to Knockpatrick. And, during that time we are anxiously awaiting visits from Keri’s mom, Keri’s sister and brother in law, as well as my brother Chad and his family. I guess we were not promised a “boring” life nor would we have it any other way as we continue to pursue the Joy in the Journey. Thank you for your support and prayers and remember that the invitation is open for your trip to Jamaica. We would love to show you around our paradise.

Keep on Keeping On,
Kirk, Keri, Drew, and Truitt.

www.plattnerfamily.com

"A Piece of Paradise" #3

A Day at the Beach!

A piece of paradise is found in the fact that dropping someone off at the airport is not just about driving to the airport, farewells, and driving home. Here in paradise, we still have to do the driving, we cherish the farewells, WE GO TO THE BEACH, and then we drive home. There are times that we forget that we are living on an island with beautiful beaches as we live up in the mountains. On Wednesday, we carried Elsie Eisenmann back to the airport and reminded ourselves that we are on an island. We took the opportunity to steal some family time at the beach after dropping Elsie at the airport. It was a beautiful day, the kids loved playing in the sand, and the water was refreshing. It was a great time and as we remember that day we come to more fully understand that paradise has much less to do with where you are and much more to do with who you are with. We give God thanks for the gift of our family and we pray that we can use this blessing to bless others.

Hebrews 13:1

Let brotherly love continue!

"A Piece of Paradise"

"Jamaican Patois"

"Is jus cause God did love de whole a wi why him sen him ONE Son fi come dead fi wi, so dat all a de people dem who believe seh Him real woan dead but wi live fieva". John 3:16


The official language of Jamaica is English, the official language of Jamaicans is Patois. Patois is "English," but is made up of phrases, chopped up words, and a mixture of words from other languages. It often happens that I can listen to two Jamaicans speaking Patois, which is English, and not understand a word they are saying. Since arriving, I have been working hard on learning Patois, but it is not easy. One of the big stories here lately is a local Bible society is attempting to translate the Bible into Patois. Above is a persons guess at how John 3:16 would read. A major problem with this endeavor is that Patois is not necessarily a written language and many Jamaicans cant write it or read it. Anyway, it is a very flavorful part of Jamaican culture and hopefully I will be able to impress people with my patois in a few years.

Podcast 18

A Tribute to Drew's 3rd Birthday!

ACWR tour

As an ACWR team, part of our job is to visit the many organizations that ACWR supports and to continually assess the needs around us. On Wednesday, we took our first leg of this tour. We started at New Beginnings International Training Center. This is a ministry to street boys. It is a small family oriented ministry that usually houses an average of 15 boys. They provide educational services and have an active agricultural program. The school is alive with vision but also is struggling through these difficult financial times. After leaving NBITC, we took a cross country route that led us to Maranatha Christian school for the deaf. This is a Mennonite based deaf school located in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica. It is a small school with about 22 students, but is located right in the heart of a large deaf community. We were excited to see the work going on at this school. Also, right next door to the school is a deaf church, one of 3 on the island. The church was built by the deaf and for the deaf. When this was being explained to us, the man who was telling us this was beaming with pride. It was moving to see his commitment to the church that they built. We were also able to take an older deaf friend of mine to his house and it was interesting to see how he lives. We hope to make several more trips around the island to continue the work of getting a temperature of the work going on here. It is a joy to see the passion for the Kingdom that is permeating this country and Lord Willing, this culture. You can see more pictures on our pictures page.

Help Me!

Here is a quick little video of Truitt in despair. With a small interruption from his brother, who is usually the antagonist, Truitt pleads for help. This has been a new tactic for T. that he uses daily as he finds himself in trouble. "Help Me" "Help Me" "Help Me"

Enjoy!

I wanna be like ......

Growing up, the mantra was "I wanna be like Mike." Now obviously time has passed and I am living in a different country, but boyhood aspirations are still strong. All of this week, I have been on what CCCD calls "administrator duty." This requires me to supervise dinner time and the play time after dinner. It was interesting this week as I was watching the kids it didnt take long for them to organize some races. These werent just any races, but these were races to determine who was most like Usain Bolt. So, the mantra has changed and Usain Bolt is the man every Jamaican boy wants to be. I quickly grabbed my phone and shot a quick video of one of the races. Enjoy!

Rain Rain

We are in the middle of rainy season and it has been rainy. We have gotten rain from Ike and it has been wet. In Jamaica, sometimes the roads get bad with the rain and today I was heading to the store and came upon some pretty deep water. About half way through I thought, I should be videoing this. I pulled out my phone and shot the video. Jamaicans love stories of stupid people thinking they can drive through water that is too deep and getting stuck, but our van pulled right through. Enjoy!

A Piece of Paradise

Having dove headlong into the blogosphere, I have noticed while perusing blogs that is is quite popular to have a weekly feature or some type of regular post with a slick title. Not wanting to be left behind as a second class blog, we decided to start a "probably not so regular" feature called "A Piece of Paradise." So here is our first installment.



Believe it or not, in paradise, food is not free. As a matter of fact, food not only costs money, but more often than not, it costs alot of money. With a couple of growing boys, we have deemed milk a necessity. Since arriving, we have been consuming milk, albeit conservatively, for breakfast, snacks, and for the boys meals. The grocery store generally gives us two choices. Powdered milk costs around $4 a gallon. The price of real milk is about $136 for 1 Liter. With about a 70:1 exchange rate, you math people will quickly calculate that into over $7 US a gallon. So, as you take your next gulp of the smooth white milk from your prarie farms jug, think of us in paradise.

Welcome Back Students!

Yesterday was the first official day back to school. The kids started arriving back on Monday and are still trickling in(some may not arrive till middle of the school year!). It's great to have life and energy back on campus. They give us a new energy as well! Drew is doing well getting involved after school. He enjoys going to the Library with the kids or doing outside activities. Our youngest student this year is a 4 y/o girl named Paris. It's exciting to see Drew try to communicate and interact with her as she is also a beginner at signing.
This morning we experienced some effects from tropical storm Hanna. This is a bit north of us. We are carefully following the lineup of storms behind Hanna.

3 Years Ago Today

3 Years ago tonight our little Drew was born. Wow! Yes I am going to say it again. Time Flies! Keri and I were reflecting the other night and were praising the Lord for His faithfulness. We have been given the encouragement so many times to cherish the moments because they go so fast. This is one of those times that we were assessing how we were doing. We both agreed that we can never cherish the moments to their fullest because we are so limited, but at the same time we rejoice at the moments we have shared in Drew's life. While it is going fast, by God's grace we feel like we are trying to capture them, cherish them, and give them back to Him in praise. We anticipate continued growth in this area and we pray that we can do the same with little Truitt. Drew is becoming quite the little man and we are so proud of him.

Happy Birthday Drew!!!!

Goodbye Gustav

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.

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

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.

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!

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.

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!!

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

Podcast 16

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

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.

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!