October Jamaica Update

Plattner Family Update - October



“Don’t waste your life is not a catchphrase for me; it’s a cliff I walk beside every day with trembling.” When these words first jumped off of the screen of an article I was reading, I loved the dichotomy this idea presented. I quickly wrote the quote down to sit on it and as I learned from my dad, “to sleep on it.” After some considerable sleeping on this quote, it has only become more real to my life. Not the idea of “Don’t waste your life,” although I think that catchphrase holds its own merits. My thoughts regarding this phrase were transferred to our family’s catchphrase and I found myself asking if our catchphrase is anything more than just that, a catchphrase. For anyone who has read even one of our updates, you have noticed a consistent reference to God’s blessing on our life. We have come to see God ridiculous blessing on our life and are trying to understand our subsequent responsibility. So, for us the quote would read, “Blessed to be a blessing is not a catchphrase for me; it’s a cliff I walk beside everyday with trembling.” Our prayer is that we are walking deeper into this truth everyday. We feel the dichotomy. We know that our focus on this idea holds an inherent risk that we will become overly saturated with the idea and walk too close to the edge of the cliff such that we lose focus and fall off. Conversely, I think we feel the very natural tendency to step away from the risk of the edge of the cliff of blessing and take everything for granted. I think we all know from any experience in the mountains that beauty is most fully realized on the edge of the cliff with the full expanse in view. We know this is also true as we dance on the edge of the cliff of understanding the reality of God’s blessing on our life. We pray that the trembling keeps us on the edge of the cliff. Pursuing blessing, taking in the full beauty of the blessings, and using these blessings to encourage others to step to the edge of the cliff to share in this call of our Father. Please help us in our pursuit. We ask for accountability and that as a community we may press towards that mark of our high calling. To Him be the Glory.

Maybe we said this in the last update, but we have never been this “settled” in life since August of 2007. We have had 2 straight months of life in a “routine.” Ok, maybe we had a routine before as we found ourselves routinely moving every few months, but is not always a healthy routine. We have both really enjoyed having some semblance of consistency in our lives. We pray that we can maximize this blessing for His purposes. During the moving, we feel like we were able to meet the needs of the ministry that required our moving. We are thankful for that and now feel a similar call to use our consistency as a way to be a blessing to the ministry.

Keri continues to threaten to take a picture of me in my Jamaican farmer garb. Trust me, a picture of her would be twice as cute as she fulfills her daily roles, welcoming Drew home from school, teaching Truitt his ABC’s, and being a wonderful mother to Daisha. This is what we are doing. I am trying my best to be a Jamaican farmer as I work to put together a sustainable agriculture program for the school. What this looks like in a picture is a man wearing tall rubber boots with his pants tucked inside the boots, red hands from the dirt, and a machete in one hand. It is a funny picture, but I guess that is the cost of contextualizing our lives to the culture. Keri continues doing a great job with our kids, our home, and her teaching the little kids chapel for CCCD. What her picture lacks in humor is made up for in cuteness as she goes about her duties dressed in kindness, love, and joy. We praise the Lord for the sense of teamwork we can feel in our lives together.

The kids continue to do well. Drew is becoming more deaf everyday. For the most part, we are excited to see his growth and to see how much he loves school. On the other hand, it comes with some mixed feelings. It feels like he is growing up too fast. And, we are beginning to deal with “things he learned at school.” Other than Truitt being lonely when Drew is gone, Truitt is doing well. If you know him, you know that he is special. While he follows directions dutifully from his leader, he is his own man and has his own way of living life. Daisha continues to do well. We had her 4 month doctor appointment last week and the doctor was pleased with her progress. It was a funny feeling to go in and see her doctor again. We have kept her with the same doctor that managed her care in the hospital here in Jamaica. So, the last time we had seen her was when we rolled Daisha out of the special care nursery on the gurney at the Mandeville Hospital on June 18^th. We continue to be so thankful for His provision for our little girl. He has blessed our family in ways so far beyond our understanding.

We continue to try to learn what it means to live a life of faith. One of the profound ways that we have sensed our blessings has been through our struggles. I always forget what I have shared with who and in what forum, whether through the blog, reports, phone calls etc, but we have continued to pray for God’s direction in the future of our ministry. As a result of differences of opinion and administration, we have had our struggles in understanding God’s call remains for us to continue in Jamaica. We have continued to pray that He will be the lamp to our feet and a light to our path. The Lord has not opened any other doors at this time and so we remain in service here. We ask for your continued prayers for our understanding and sensitivity to God’s calling and direction for our lives. We again thank you for your support. The invitation remains open for anyone who wants to visit; just contact us let us know when you want to come. We also welcome your phone calls and emails in providing for us accountability and fellowship.

Love,

Kirk, Keri, Drew, Truitt, and Daisha