February Update

Plattner Family February Jamaica Update
It wasn’t anything big or extravagant, just a simple lunch date. For Valentines Day, Keri and I got out to our favorite little jerk joint in Mandeville. A casual place where we could sit outside, enjoy some time together, and celebrate the gift of love. While we were stuffing our face with the spicy goodness that is jerk pork, a rough looking lady sauntered up to our table and asked for $20 JA. This is not uncommon and it is only about the equivalence of a quarter and so we obliged. The lady then walked just a few feet away and sat on a little ledge surrounding the dining area. She continued asking a few people for money and watching the patrons eat. Then, in a move that suddenly brought a new dimension to our little celebration of love, she walked back a bit closer to us where she began going through a garbage can looking for leftover scraps. Its not supposed to go like this, in celebrating love you are not supposed to get confronted with decisions that cause you to question the depth of the love in your hearts. What does love look like in that situation? Let that settle on your heart as you consider what it means to celebrate love in extravagance in the face of such poverty. I am not even going to explain to you our response because I don’t want to give you a mental escape. This is not a guilt trip, it’s a reality that we ignore only at our own loss because as we know, it is more blessed to give than receive.

You know the thought, “boy, I think I have seen it all.” There comes a time that we have done something with enough repetition that we think we have seen it all. Well, we were shocked out of that foolishness as we welcomed our first work team from England. This was a great group of people who are from a very different context than our normal team. All of a sudden, we were looking at what we do and how we do it in new ways. The team was a part of an English government cultural experience program. They helped out in the mornings and played with the kids in the afternoon. It was good to gain a new perspective from the relationships we gained through that experience. The rest of February was filled with the activities of a normal month. We had opportunity to teach several times on the weekends at the school and at church. During the last week of February, we welcomed a team from Florida and were blessed by their visit. We continue to experience His faithfulness.

Last month, we alluded to the possibility of a change of plans regarding our return to the states. Lord Willing, we will be flying out of Jamaica on March 10th. This is about a month earlier than we expected, but we were asked to come represent Jamaica at an informational meeting for our sending organization on March 12th. So, rather than flying up and then back for 4 weeks and then back up, we have decided to stay in the states for a slightly extended time. We hope to use this time working for Apostolic Christian World Relief with some support work as well as using it for more time with family. Lord willing, we will be moving to the Leo, IN area for the birth of the baby around the beginning of April. We trust that this timing is of Him and that it is His chosen path for the sake of His name.

We would love to catch up with you while we are back. We may be slightly more limited in our mobility than in previous visits, but we would love to see if something could work out. Thanks so much for your continued love and support. Keep the Faith.

Love,
Kirk, Keri, Drew, Truitt, Daisha, and baby