A little glips

Hi, I tried putting this video on with my other entry from Sunday's Christmas service but because I am so computer challenged I could not figure it out. Thanks to a little help from kirk I got it figured out (I hope) so you can view a little piece of the Christmas program. be blessed and be a blessing. -Erin-

Wishing you a Merry Christmas

Hello to all those I love. Merry Christmas. Days like these are harder and usually come with lots of tears, BUT God is here with me and is my constant comfort. Even though it is hard He reassures me this is indeed where He wants me and He always brings me through the days with many blessings and joys if I will open my eyes to see them. I love you. I miss you. Merry Christmas! Be blessed and be a blessing-Erin-

Church Christmas

The Shepard's/Wise Men/ Angels/ Mary, Joseph, Baby Jesus

Brianna and Michaela playing angels in the Christmas play Caleb playing baby Jesus

Erika (the grandma) explaining the Christmas Story to Nicole (the granddaughter) Cresmore and ?(sorry i can't remember her name) playing Mary and Joseph baby Caleb playing Jesus

Good Christmas Eve Morning Everyone! And Happy Birthday DAD! I pray that the Lord is blessing your day. Yesterday at church we had our big Christmas celebration. We had a special Christmas service with skits, special numbers (people signing songs), and the Christmas sermon. After church we all went up for food, fellowship, and games. It was a fantastic day full of Love and I was very thankful for the opportunity to spend it down here with my new friends and brothers and sisters in Christ. This week has definitely had its ups and downs emotionally since it is Christmas time and I am so far from family and friends but God is so good and a constant comfort. Watching the Christmas story told in sign language was a very powerful and a joy bringing experience I thanked God for. Be blessed and be a blessing-Erin-

Merry Christmas!

Hi Everyone. I pray that the Lord is blessing your Day. At the beginning of November I started taking pictures like crazy to get a Christmas card ready and sent out a month+ in advance so they would have a month to get here and then I could send them back with mom and dad when they came. BUT the pictures never came SO... I hate to say that this is how my Christmas cards will be sent out this year. If by some off chance my pictures do come (2,3,4, months late) I will send them out:) Keep looking up and smiling HUGE because GOD is always in complete control and I Love you. Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin_

The Paradox

The resort where we stayed Holiday Inn Sun Spree

Mom and Dad with the Christmas decorations

Hello All! I hope you are having a most Wonderful week in our LORD. I just finished having a nice long weekend with mom and dad in MoBay but it opened my eyes to a few things. It was a paradox for me I loved getting to see my mom and dad and have some time to relax after the craziness of the end of the term with the kids. At the same time I hated it I was not completely comfortable at the resort knowing what I know about Jamaica and I felt guilty because everything seemed so easy and unmotivating. It just opened my eyes once more to remind me that this world is not my home and now more then ever I feel like I will never be completely comfortable or feel 100% at home again (having lived both in the states and Jamaica) until I get to my Heavenly home. I also really missed the kids having been gone from them only a few days but also knowing that when I did return they would not be here to greet me. Having been around them everyday most of the day for the last 2 months and then they are gone. I feel somewhat lost without them constantly there. I was thankful for the opportunity to be with my parents, but then then when it came time to say goodbye I realized that it is going to be hard every time and more ripping will occur each time i get to spend time with those i love but then have to say goodbye again. I keep reminding myself it would not hurt so much if i was not so loved. Tons of friends and family sent things from the states and seeing it all was very humbling for me. I feel very unworthy of all their love and support but i also appreciate it more then they could ever imagine. Thank you to everyone for the cards/gifts/hugs/ and pictures. I split all the Christmas cards i got into 8 piles (one for each day before Christmas) and then that way i get to open some each day. Its a great pick me up as I start my day but on the other hand i lay out the ones for the next day on the table when i am done. All day they sit there and tempt me to open them and not wait until the next day! Once i did get home (back to CCCD KP) i did get a nice surprise Sashania was still here! her student visa had not come in so it was a great welcome home feeling down about leaving my family but getting a big hug from her when i got home. Things have settled back into its groove and I have started working again. All day yesterday I cleaned out the store room at the school ( and will continue to do so for the next week its a disaster!) I think its so funny how some of the ladies here get all worked up and they think everything is going to make you sick. You can't walk in the rain it will make you sick. Yesterday some of them came up while i was cleaning the storm room and where SHOCKED that i was cleaning without a dust mask! "You are going to get so sick cleaning in here without a dust mask!" I am happy to say I am doing and feeling just fine cleaning without a dust mask. So for the dust has not made me sick:) Ok I need to go get lunch so I can continue cleaning the store room. It still does not feel like Christmas, but I am thankful at the same time because then it helps me to keep the real focus of why we celebrate Christmas and that is Christ's birth. I am still waiting for my Christmas cards to arrive so i can send them out. They are coming (I think!?) it just might be February before you get them! Have a great rest of the week I love you so very very very much. be blessed and be a blessing. -Erin-

My Cup Runneth Over

Christmas Lunch/Party. Truitt giving me a big smile from the stroller!

The kids lined up singing (signing) the last song of the program

Miss Andrea leading the kids practicing for the Christmas program

S.T. and I on her last day of school here at C.C.C.D

Good Wednesday Afternoon Everyone! I pray that the Lord is blessing your day! What a fantastic day. A perfect way for me to end the term with the kids. Tropical Storm Olga is on her way but as of now the weather has still been nice for us just a little windy. This morning I got to watch the kids get ready for their Christmas program that I will miss since I will be with my parents in MoBay, then this afternoon was the big Christmas lunch/party for the kids and they had the dinning room decorated with lights and had a Christmas tree. The tables had colored cloths on them and center pieces the kids made. My heart is so full of JOY! I just can't stop smiling. I hate that this will be the last day I will get to spend with the kids for the next month, but am thankful for the Wonderful way this term has come to an end. Since the last 2 weeks have been mostly for the teachers to catch up with grading exams and doing evaluations the kids don't have much to do so I have been opening the library and printing off word searches and cross word puzzles for them to do and its so fun to watch them get so excited and to stay focused. I now have my regulars who check the library most mornings to see if the doors are open and if there are any new puzzles to try. So many blessing. God is so good. Please remember the kids as they will be traveling home this weekend for safety in travels and for safety on their break. Also my good friend Shashaina Thompson is moving to Arizona on Sat. and can use all the prayers she can get. Thanks and have a great week. Keep looking up and smiling HUGE because GOD is always in complete control and I Love you. Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-

Christmas Cookies

Jessica Stirring chocolate to dip the

peanut butter crackers in

Dennis and Collin trying to show Davia how to

roll out the sugar cookie dough

Keri observing to make sure they don't roll the dough to thin.

Good Monday Morning Everyone! I heard that you are all (for the most part) experiencing some very yucky winter weather. Here is the cold time as they call it but I am comfortable in short sleeves during the day and a hoodie at night. This weekend Keri had the great Idea of a way to reward those who had the cleanest dorms (one of her jobs is to inspect dorms to make sure the kids are keeping up with their chores a few times a week) So for the girls who had the perfect dorms they got to spend the afternoon making/decorating/eating Christmas cookies. It was a win win situation for all because then Keri and I got our Christmas cookies made and the kids cleaned up the mess too! Dennis and Colin (who seem to be attached to kirks hip) were up visiting when I brought up all the girls and of course they played the tough guy role not wanting to make Christmas cookies with the girls until we got started and then we could not keep them away from trying to instruct and take over the cookie cutting/baking/decorating process! What a great day! I wish you all a most Wonderful week. Keep looking up and smiling HUGE because GOD is always in complete control and I love you. Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-

Soul Care Day

This is the boys using my stomach as a trampline !

This is Cali

Danea and I being lazy on the beach

Good Morning Everyone! Exams are done and the preparation of the Christmas program in now underway. They have about a week to get 130+ kids organized into a big program of skits and songs sharing the Christmas story. Since I will not get to be here for the program ( I will be with my parents in MoBay) I am sitting here with Truitt while Keri and Drew are down trying to help in the organization process. This gives me some time to update my blog and I thought I would share some pictures of our Soul Care day on Monday. Monday morning we loaded up to take Cali (the girl visiting from Washington state) to the falls at Ocho Rios. Wow that is a crazy curvy drive and not at all pleasant for any normal person. BUT we made it 3 hours there and 3 hours back and getting to enjoy time at the beach and relax made it worth it. (Excedrin migraine helps too!). It was nice to have a day just to relax when all around the school the business continues as the term comes to an end. With this time off we finally had time to stop so I could get the Plattners Christmas picture taken. and over all just a fun day. Have a great week! I love you and Truitt is now telling me its time to get up. Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-

SLOW DOWN!

Hi everyone! Look how cute my little friend is! Progress report: we are now up to catching I would say around 20 mice, and so you would not think I was making up all these stories about mice I took a picture of one of our furry friends who was tempted by the peanut butter and got stuck on the glue paper! This week God has been slowing me down. The deaf have told me mulitple times you walk so fast you are always going, and I honestly didn't think much of it I just like to keep going if there are things to do. This past week the kids had exams all week and so my routine was thrown out the window since exams took presidence over everything else. Instead I was given the job of reconstructing and retyping report cards for the kids here and they don't simply have one report card they have 3 different ones. They have one for pre primary, primary, and vocational. Since I was the lucky one who they appointed the job to and I am computer dumb it took me a good 3 days of doing nothing but sitting at my computer working with both microsoft word and excel trying to get these report cards done. I would work with one program a while until I would get stuck and frustrated then move to the other program and repeat the process until finially I completed the report card in one of the programs. Cali is here visiting for a few weeks. She is a girl from Washington state. She has just graduated and is learning some sign so she wanted to come and visit for a few weeks. This is her first time in Jamaica and at CCCD so she has been tagging along with me when she is not helping Mrs. Jones. God is using Cali to help me with my hostessing. This has never been an area that I have felt like I did a very good job in so I feel like he is giving me practice before work team season hits and we will be doing nothing but hosting team after team after team! I am so excited to get ready to work with the work teams and to meet all those from all over who are here to serve God. Ok the kids should be out and about now so I need to go spend some time with them. I love you and miss you all. be blessed and be a blessing. -Erin