I don't know what this is...

Keri and I both noticed this brown oily substance running down our walls or making puddles in our windows after Gustav came through. I don't know if moisture gets into these walls and pushes out this brown oily substance or what makes it appear. I do know this... I don't really enjoy this new discovery... I do think this helps explain the brown stains that show up on my walls, and why they keep coming back after I bleach them weekly and tried painting over them. Yet these brown stains persist and refuse to stay away. I have a feeling that from now on whenever there is rain or lots of moisture in the air (so all the time...) The brown stains will start to grow. I guess this is just another blessing I get to live with here the country I love! Blessings!

Gustav

This Is What The Library Looked Like After My Hurricane Proofing

I Will Have To See Later How It Made Out During The Storm.

Stuffing Plastic Bags Around the Windows To Keep Water Out

(I still had A Wet Bathroom Floor This A.M. But Not As Bad As Previous Storms)

Yesterday Afternoons Clouds

Today's Rains

The Night Sky Last Night Before The Storm Fully Hit

I am happy to say all is well... Gustav has come and is just about gone. It hit about 1-2 ish this morning and I guess it was not even considered a hurricane because the winds where about 9 mph short of being a hurricane. I didn't get much sleep last night... it sounded like Niagara falls was outside my window. Power was out until about noon today then there were spurts of power outages through the day, but for the most part I would say we all came through it wonderfully well. The weather still seems to be sporadic going from completely calm to strong winds and rain then back to calmness. Through this storm there has been lots of down time to just sit back in Awe of God and His Power! Hopefully this gives answers to all those email I got checking up on me! Thanks for keeping tabs on me. Have a great night.

Be blessed and be a blessing
Erin

Random Updates

So this Morning Kirk informed me Gustav is getting stronger and is now moving toward us! I'm kinda excited to experience my first hurricane (my mind may change later as I am actually experiencing it). As I sit here and watch the weather channel they just keep saying watch out Jamaica! We are under a hurricane WARNING. So we shall see what happens. I got the call from Mrs. deMercado (the principal) to go and start covering up as much as possible. And I was planning on doing laundry today. Looks like my plans are being changed for me.

I ask for prayers for my friends Sheldon and Rachel Burket as they are flying back to the states tomorrow to attend college again in GA. They have become such a constant in my life, a strong, wonderful example to all those around them. I have come to truly respect and love them and they will be missed greatly. Please pray for their safety as they travel and wisdom and a calming peace about them as they adjust to American living again.

I am also supposed to play interpreter for Felicia (good friend and pastor's wife) tomorrow as she has a lunch interview with Goshen College from Indiana. From what little I know as of now I think she is going to start teaching a class for them. I don't know if this will be via the Internet or how this will work but if you could pray for me and clearness in my signs and full understanding so I can properly convey the message that would be great. Thanks so much and have a great day. Time to go cover the school!

I love you

Be blessed and be a blessing

Erin

My day with the creatures

So the campus is mostly empty and Spike (the dog here at cccd kp) must be getting lonely because she (yes we have a female dog named spike) has started following me around all the time. Sometimes I feel bad for her so if she lays at my feet I will "pet" her with my shoe (She has so many ticks, fleas, and other bugs I don't usually touch her unless I am going right home to wash my hands.) During the day I keep my kitchen door open to let light in and this afternoon/early evening when I walked into my kitchen there she was laying on my kitchen floor! So I quickly shooed her out then check the floor for ticks, cleaned for fleas and any other crawly thing she brought in with her.

Then later tonight I walked over to use the copy machine in the office and as I was walking back through my kitchen door a lizard lost its stickiness and landed right on my face! NOT COOL! That is why I always make sure my room is lizard free before I go to bed because I don't want any of them losing their stickiness while I am sleeping and having them landing in my face (or really any part of me).

Okay that's my good story for the day. I need to get to bed so I can be up at 5 for another work day at Kingston tomorrow! Have a great Night. I love you

Be blessed and be a blessing

Erin

SUCCESS!

I am happy to say that after 10 months of living here in JA I have FINALLY found a chocolate chip cookie recipe that didn't flop on me. I have tried TONS of different cc cookie recipes here with all of them flopping on me and then I would usually just dump the rest of the dough into a cupcake pan so they would have some (even if very little) thickness. Then today I found a recipe and the cookies turned out like... COOKIES! Yay! I was so excited. Have a great day!

A few days in Kingston

Just when we thought work team season was over Chad, Kirk and I drove down to Kingston to spend a few days working with a volunteer group from Michigan who was willing to come and serve at our Kingston Campus.

The Michigan team giving us the thumbs up after a hard days work

One of the ladies I worked with pulling down the door jam to disassemble.

My first day was spent mostly working with ladies in the old little girls dorm that was flooded beneath at least 2 inches of water (that I have a suspicion was mixed with a lot of urine from the strong smell we worked with). Our first task was to take down a kitchen that had been constructed... unscrewing walls, then taking off the top board, studs, then finally using a crow bar to lift of the wet yucky soft wood that was connected to the floor.

The floor and floor boards sitting in nasty urine water.

After the room was taken apart we then took the kid's wardrobe, and a cabinet to clean up, repaint, and make some repairs such as adding backs to them and re laminating the cupboard top. The second day I spent gluing white boards to ply wood so Kirk could frame them up, and from there went to gluing and putting together laminate on vanity tops that some of the work team guys made for the new little girls dorm. This team did great and a lot was accomplished, but there is still a lot of work that needs to be done before the kids come back on Sept 1st. Lots of painting and the floor needs to be tiled. If you could please pray for a well done and speedy completion that would be great. Have a great Night. I love you.

Be blessed and be a blessing

Erin

Meet the Steele Creek Team

This is the Steele Creek Team from North Carolina. Our last work team of the season and what a great work team to end the season with. They were a small group which is always nice it makes things more personal and you get to know every ones name and a little bit about them. This team spent their week giving the outside of the school and dorms a face lift with a new coat of paint. Now the school/dorm area looks bright, clean, and ready to welcome back the kiddos on Sept. 1st. The Plattners and I now have a few weeks off before the kids come back with no definite plans of things to do so... I guess we will just have to see what comes our way. I hope you enjoy your weekend. The sun is shining and its a beautiful day.

Be blessed and be a blessing

Erin

My Day Of...

FOLDING!

Towels
Sheets

Pillow Cases

Wash Cloths

With Work Teams The Fun Is Never Done!

My Hero...

Here he comes to save the day!
Truitt coming to chase away the bugs that settle on my door step

The tricky little leaf bug kept jumping away so it would not be hit with

my slipper. Its good Truitt had his handy fire truck to zoom

around and chase the bugs away!

Its been a slow day. We are waiting for the arrival of our last work team for the season they should be arriving at any time. Please pray for a good week as we are finishing up this season. Have a great week. I love you

Be blessed and be a blessing

Erin

How Great Thou Art

This was a special number in church a while ago that I really enjoyed and so I am posting it so you can enjoy it too. This is Pastor Damion and his wife Felicia. This week Pastor Damion is in the states and this morning before we started our service we stopped, all held hands, and took the opportunity to lift him up in prayer. It was 11:30 our time but 12:30 where he was at and that was the time he was supposed to be preaching. What a boost and great reminder of the power of the praying church. It also made my heart smile as I thought WOW! this is what I have people doing for me back in the states. Thank you to all of my prayer warriors out there. I love and appreciate you more then I could ever express. Have a great Sabbath.

Be blessed and be a blessing

Erin

Meet the Ward Team

This is the Ward team from Michigan. They are a great group that have been coming for a few years now. This week they are doing both VBS in Mandeville and working construction here at KP. They also took a group to Kingston on Tues. to help work a day at the School there. Please pray for their leader Jared as last night he spiked a fever and got sick with what they believe is some infection. If you could please pray for healing that would be great. Have a great day.

Be blessed and be a blessing

Erin

Happy Independence Day!

Wishing You a Happy Jamaican Independence Day!
I love you!
Be blessed and be a blessing
Erin (Danae& Pheobe)

The New Apt. After the Leo Team!

This is a little video tour of my apt. After the Leo team came in and did so much helping me to make a speedy/smooth transition. Thanks again Leo team. Have a great day

Be blessed and be a blessing

Erin

Meet the Leo Team

This week we were blessed by an Amazing group from Leo. This was a random team (as they stated many times) that God placed together to come and serve with us for the past week. They got a lot accomplished finishing the pouring of the roof/floor on the clinic and starting to build up the walls to the second story. They also had the "goal" of getting me into my new place by the end of the week, and they did great! I can sit and write to you now from the comfort of my living room. This team blessed me in so many ways, not only in there fellowship, but in helping me so much to make a smooth transition from the bottom of the hill up to the top of the hill. Thanks to them my apt was cleaned out, painted, shelves got shelf paper applied, an Internet connection was put in, shelves were built into the bathroom, and I'm sure there is more. Last night after having our end of the week share time with the group it was so NICE to be able to walk out the door from the great house and right into my door and not have to walk all by myself back down to the bottom of the hill. THANKS TO EVERYONE ON THE LEO TEAM YOU ARE APPRECIATED MORE THEN I COULD EVER EXPRESS!
Have a great weekend!
Be blessed and be a blessing
Erin