Jamaica has come to an end. All the blasting loud music, the constant smell of ganja, extremely friendly people, and sleepless nights in an eighty-five degree concrete building, has come to an end. I’ve never had better chicken in my whole life. Jamaica is full of love, unity, relationship, and a large community of amazing citizens. God has been so good to the community surrounding us during this time. 

God taught me so much in Jamaica. I learned more about my emotions, the way I’m perceived and looked at, the way I love others, the way I receive love, and the way I love God. Jamaica was a hard country for me, not because the living conditions were bad, but because of the season of refining and preparation for something that God is going to give to me. Though it's been difficult, I still find joy in the moments of refinement because I know that I am growing. Even though I struggle and experience new things that are not like what I have experienced at home, I have experienced a surreal peace in knowing that I am growing instead of lacking the will to grow. 

My favorite part of Jamaica was how everyone lived with a joy that came from what we think would be nothing. They don’t need a fancy car, a two-thousand square foot house, constant reassurance from God, but truly a faith that can only come from the Good News of the Gospel. It can be so easy to complain about our situations, our bills, our relationships, our education, the way we are treated, but forget that being joyful doesn’t come from these. It is a choice every day to be happy that we got another day with each other, another day to praise the Lord, another day to say I love you to somebody, another day to have morning coffee, another day to be able to walk, another day with a roof over my head. Every day we miss the big picture, the picture of Jesus giving us new life every day. The people of Jamaica have given me a great reminder of this life. The life that we take for granted. That was my favorite thing about Jamaica. 

During this time I got to take 3 days to go to Kingston before we left for Rome. It was my friends Andrew, Zion, Woods, and I. With such a small group of people, it was so amazing to go out and just have time with some of the dudes of the squad. We rented an Airbnb, got to ride five hours on a bus called the Knutsford Express, and got to have amazing conversations with each other. We didn’t really have any plans for this trip when we went out, so it was a lot more fun. We got to pray for people, encounter some crazy situations, eat good Jamexican food, and trust the Lord in every step. I have wanted another tattoo for a long time, so I asked Zion if he wanted to have a matching tattoo and we went and got a small cross tattoo above our ankles at a sketchy tattoo shop. The needles were clean, so don’t worry Mom. But it was super sketchy, and only thirty dollars which was awesome. We would walk the streets of downtown Kingston, spreading the name of God, praying for people, asking the Lord what to do next, and just learning more about Jamaican culture and music. We got to hangout with kids that were on a field trip and do kids ministry with them for two hours at the national heroes park. While we were there we got to pray over the teachers, talk to them about their faith, talk to the children about their faith, and just love them like Jesus did. 

I’m just overflowing with love and gratitude for everyone who has donated towards my trip so far. I know I talk a lot about the fun things, the crazy experiences, but I am truly only here to watch the kingdom of God grow. I’m not here for myself, not for others, not for relationships, and not even here to grow myself. The only reason I am here is because God died on the cross for our sins and saved us from eternal damnation. The only reason I am here is to spread the name of Jesus like wildfire and watch the kingdom unfold before my eyes. This being said, all the fun is just an addition to my one and only mission, to see God glorified on heaven and earth. I am so beyond blessed to have supporters and prayers that lift me up during the hard times. A specific prayer request right now would be courage so that I can spread the Gospel to others with no fear even when they don’t speak my language. 

Thank you for reading my Blog! I will have one coming out in a couple weeks summarizing Italy, so stay tuned! If the Lord is calling you to donate, I advise you to pray before giving financially, so that God will be glorified before me. I am currently 79% funded with 3,900$ left to raise! I would love to be fully funded before Christmas, so any help to reach that goal would be awesome. I LOVE EVERYONE SO MUCH AND THANK YOU FOR EVERYTHING! 

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