I went to The Salvation Army's school for the blind this morning. It is a sprawling campus covering almost 8 acres. Ages of the students range from 3 to 20 and they live at the school 10 months a year. The school is in excellent shape a teams from Canada have come regularly and have fixed the school up. I was amazed to see the students running around and running around me as if they could see me. They were preparing the field for sports day next week. They will have running races using rope to guide as well as playing cricket. The cricket ball makes a sound and they play by hearing, amazing. The school is the only school for the blind in the Caribbean, so there are students from many countries.
After the school for the blind, I went to the ARC. Yes they have an ARC here. There program has 8 men in it and can have a maximum of 12. A couple from Australia came about a year ago to get the ARC financially and programmly on track. He went to Miami and spent time at the ARC learning there system so to make the ARC in Kingston viable. He is working hard to open 5 to 7 more thrift stores on the island in the next year. He believes he can make the ARC profitable at the same time infusing capital in to other Salvation Army ministries. On the program side, an officer was brought in how has counseling experience who has made a tangible difference in the success of the men in the program. I would like to come back in a year and see how the ARC has changed.
I was taken around today by Captain Jonah, who is from the Dominican Republic. He is awaiting his work permit for St. Martins where he will be in charge of a corps. Being from the Dominican, we talked baseball and he asked me if I knew who Vladamir Guerrero was. Oh yea! We talked about the Angels and Nates and Davina's baseball teams.
Good day. Right now I am being updated about Nate and Davina's baseball games happening back home. I am stressed sitting here waiting for updates. I new a web cam at the park.
Grace and Peace,
Michael.
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Jamaica
Well I am on a new adventure to a part of the world I have never been. I am currently sitting in the home of the Castor's who are the leaders of The Salvation Army for the Caribbean. They were previously the second in charge for the DRC and where transferred here in the fall of last year. I am researching opportunities for a mission trip this summer to Kingston Jamaica partnering my church with our mother church in Tustin Ranch.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to tour three different ministries: two corps (churches)Rae Town & Allman Town and our training school for officers (pastors). The corps are in the heart of Kingston and the area was described as the ghetto by the corps officers (pastors). I agree. A very poor area with many, many need. Both corp operate a preschools that are in need of funding. They have space for more children but cannot afford more teachers so many children get turned away. There is a big literacy problem, so there is an effort to teach children how to read. The buildings are in decent shape and the Corps in Rae Town was in process of some fix ups. The work is being performed and paid for by people of the church. The corps officers have great hearts and big vision for their churches and need some partnering in order to make it happen.
I also visited the Training College when men and women spend two years being trained to become Salvation Army Officers (Pastors). The training principal and his wife are Canadians who only arrived here last year. The school was a disaster when they arrived, and with help from a large team from Canada the school was significantly fixed up. Turns out the training principal and his wife were the corps officers of my grandparents in Parie Sound, Ontario Canada. They new my uncle and my dad...small world. The Training School is in need of some IT help to aid in the education of the cadets (students).
I spent the evening visiting with the Castor's talking about church and politics.
I have taken only a few pictures thus far, but I do not have a way to down load them. I will do that when I get home.
Until later, Grace & Peace.
Michael.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to tour three different ministries: two corps (churches)Rae Town & Allman Town and our training school for officers (pastors). The corps are in the heart of Kingston and the area was described as the ghetto by the corps officers (pastors). I agree. A very poor area with many, many need. Both corp operate a preschools that are in need of funding. They have space for more children but cannot afford more teachers so many children get turned away. There is a big literacy problem, so there is an effort to teach children how to read. The buildings are in decent shape and the Corps in Rae Town was in process of some fix ups. The work is being performed and paid for by people of the church. The corps officers have great hearts and big vision for their churches and need some partnering in order to make it happen.
I also visited the Training College when men and women spend two years being trained to become Salvation Army Officers (Pastors). The training principal and his wife are Canadians who only arrived here last year. The school was a disaster when they arrived, and with help from a large team from Canada the school was significantly fixed up. Turns out the training principal and his wife were the corps officers of my grandparents in Parie Sound, Ontario Canada. They new my uncle and my dad...small world. The Training School is in need of some IT help to aid in the education of the cadets (students).
I spent the evening visiting with the Castor's talking about church and politics.
I have taken only a few pictures thus far, but I do not have a way to down load them. I will do that when I get home.
Until later, Grace & Peace.
Michael.
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