We leave Kingston tomorrow morning. The last few days have been busy workdays filled with emotional goodbye's. Tonight as we sat around the circle there were several stories of relationships that were built throughout the week. In some ways it feels as though we are just getting started and it's already time to go. Maybe God will lead us here again some day.

Pray for the team as they travel back to Chicago and then drive home to GR. It is a long travel day for them. It looks as though Fay won't interfere with our travel plans so that is a praise.

Thank you all for being a part of this team through prayer and support. We have definitely seen the hand of God this week.

We had a noisy night last night with lots of rain, thunder and wind. This morning we learned that tropical storm Faye was passing by!! There was a lot of rain, but it actually cooled things off for awhile. Hopefully this storm doesn't turn into a hurricane as it heads north towards the U.S. Pray that it doesn't interfere with our travels plans on Wednesday.

We managed to walk to church this morning in between down pours. Church was interesting (the service was nearly 2 1/2 hours long). It's always fun to see how other believers worship. They love to sing here and you can tell they are really singing from their heart!! Everyone in the congregation was eager to greet us and find out where we were from. The rain stopped long enough for us to walk home after the service too!!

We had Chinese for lunch and then headed over to the orphanage to give the kids their back packs. They were very excited and wanted to know who gave them the gifts. When they learned that some of the people weren't here that had bought the gifts, they asked how they could thank them. We told them we would do it for them. So thank you to everyone who donated supplies!!!

We have a busy day tomorrow with half of us going to the deaf school to do painting and manual labor and the other half going back to the orphanage to hang out with the kids and do some construction there. We appreciate all your prayers as we continue our work here!!!
- Sarah K.

We've been here in Kingston working with the less fortunate, but today we ventured over to the other side of the island to see the famous Dunns River Falls. Here's what one team member had to say...

Hey Mon! That's how they say Hi in Jamaica. So "Hey Mon" to all.
Wow what a day! We took an interesting ride up and over some mountain roads. You know the Lord has something more for us to do here since we survived that adventure. We ultimately ended up in Ocho Rios. It is definitely a tourist destination.
There we got to climb the Dunns River Falls. What a BLAST! There were huge rocks and boulders in the water. We had to climb on and over them. The water was very powerful. It was amazing how much water comes down the falls. It was never ending. It made me think of the Holy Spirit's power and how it is never ending if we are in a right relationship with Jesus. Of course, we went shopping too! That is a story in and of itself! If you love to barter..this is the place to come.
Tomorrow we will be experiencing church in Jamaica. We also plan on giving the children at the orphanage their back packs stuffed with toiletries and school supplies. Our group is organizing that as I type right now.
Please keep praying for both locations that we are working at. We will need help from God to complete the projects we have started.
- Becky K.

The CP team headed out again today and spent time at both the NEST children's home and at the CCCD (Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf). Both groups have faced the challenges of doing construction work without the convenience of a Home Depot around the corner. If you've never visited a lumber yard in another country then you might not understand. Kurt, one of the CP team members, can tell you all about it.

At CCCD the team continued to sand down concrete (pictured above) in order to prepare it for paint, and Dan and Kurt attempted to build cabinets. At the NEST, the group brought more games. Ladder Ball was an instant hit with a few of them (pictured below).

We have all come to realize that there is much more work to be done than we can do in this short visit. Pray that we will be productive and effective in building relationships and buildings while we are here.

Today was our first day of ministry here in Jamaica. The team split into two groups. Twelve traveled to the CCCD (Caribbean Christian Center for the Deaf) and worked extremely hard at sanding cement to prepare it for paint. Everyone on that team was really wiped out when they returned back to campus. The rest of us traveled to the Nest Children's Home where we scoped out a doorway project and hung out with the kids who were there. The team brought several different crafts for the kids to work on and they were busy all day playing games and making bracelets.

When we wrapped up our day Jill shared an exciting story about how God moved. As we were sitting with the kids, Jill mentioned to Major Scarlet that the team had brought down book bags with school supplies for each of the kids. Major Scarlet looked at her with some surprise and said, "I was lying in bed last night wondering how I was going to buy book bags and school supplies for the kids. I am here now waiting for the van to return so that I might go out and purchase those items because we needed them." What an exciting God moment. We have prayed that God would "go before us" on this trip and moments like that prove that He has answered that prayer.

What will happen tomorrow?

The Chapel Pointe team arrived safely today in Kingston, Jamaica. We enjoyed a crowded bus ride to campus and then a tasty chicken dinner. Everyone is excited about getting to work tomorrow and all that lies ahead this week. Keep them in your prayers and watch for more updates here.
- joe neill
Director, Simply Missions

On August 13-20 the Chapel Point Orphans Ministry Team, a group of twenty adults and students who are focused on serving orphans and other needy children around the world will will serve in Jamaica. This team will be doing work projects at the Salvation Army Nest Children's Home and at the Caribbean School of the Deaf in Kingston. Watch here for updates on how their ministry is going.