Meet the Schippers

This is Tajay and he has nothing to do with the Schippers but I love this picture. He is one that is close to my heart. He loves to come and curl up on my lab after supper and just sit with me as we watch the kids play.

This is Dale and Barb Schippers from Michigan they are the work couple I am hosting here at KP for the week. They are a very sweet couple and I have been very blessed to meet them and to get to know them a little.
Have a great day. I love you. Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-

Hi Everyone! I hope you are having a great Wednesday afternoon. Last night i got to hang out with Drew and Truitt while there mom and dad, grandma and grandpa went out for a night. When we are alone Drew now likes to sign to me instead of talking.

Cressmore is our song leader at church. He is the one who learns the new songs and signs for the songs then teaches them to us. Drew LOVES to play "little cressmore" as he signs and sings songs for our entertainment. His favorite song "Holy Holy Holy" and he always ends his songs with an AMEN!

Celebrating 1st's

Truitt enjoying his birthday cake that he later had a major sugar high from he was all smiles and shakes!

Drew helping Truitt blow out his candle

Yesterday we got to celebrate Truitt's 1st Birthday. The celebration started in church. Every Sunday we sign (sing) happy birthday (and happy anniversary) to all those celebrating that week. I wish for all of you a most Fantastic week. I love you. Be blessed and be a blessing-Erin-

A Random Saturday

These are the keys i am now required to have on me at all times

These are the keys i started out with 3+ months ago when I arrived

Who needs a fly swatter when you have lizards to catch the bugs for you!

Saturday mornings the girls all get there hair combed out, washed, greased, then rebraided for the week. This week they chose to set up shop on the stairway that leads to my apt. This made it quite the challenge getting to and from my apt!

Have a great weekend I love you and miss you all! Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-

A few video clips

This is a little clip from Church on Sunday We had 2 work teams with us at new life deaf church and I was holding a very wiggly 8 mos old baby so please forgive me for the unsteadiness of the picture. and for all the random heads and hands you see :)

This is a few from the Dayton Christian School Every night they would do a skit and song for the kids as part of their ministry.

Meet Dayton Christian High School

Good Thursday Afternoon Everyone. My work team just left and I now have a few days to clean up and sort after them before a work couple comes to stay. God has been So good to me with this group. They are regulars that come every year so they were not as dependent on me freeing me up to catch up on all the things I have been neglecting for the past 3 weeks, and time to just enjoy myself and spend time with the team and the kids. I have a lot of prayer requests Satan seems to be hitting us hard right now at C.C.C.D. I don't know what I have already written or told many of you about but i will just list them. A student from C.C.C.D MoBay got Dengue fever and died recently Shamika Crooks I believe was her name. Lots of sicknesses going around and the chicken pox are making another round through the school, A teacher that just went on maternity leave lost her husband two weeks ago and they don't know why he got so sick. He was around 30. That leaves us without a teacher here and a serious need for one. Work Permits... we have hit a big stop as of round one the Hubers have been denied and the Plattners and I don't have a for sure answer but they are saying they are unsure about us because we have no experience in teaching the deaf. The excuses they are giving are very weak and we are now at plan B where we start to write letters, see who we know who knows somebody who knows somebody who can help us. We are hoping this is an opportunity from God to make new connections and relationships with the new government so that hopefully in the future we will have a good foundation with them to build on. Thank you for your prayers and support. Some days they are what truly gets me through. Have a great Day! Keep looking up and smiling HUGE because GOD is always in complete control and I Love You. Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-

Familiar Faces

Warren Kloter, Blake Widmer, Rachel Cook, Me, Jessica ?, Ionda Campbell

Praise the Lord for one night last week I was able to have a

social life with friends and people my own age!

Breaking and entering

The ants are every where!

Good Sunday Morning Everyone. I pray that the Lord is blessing your day. I feel guilty and am going to share. Yesterday I added breaking and entering onto my long list of experiences down here in Jamaica. And not only did I do it once but twice in one day! We have now started day 3 with no water, We have a good size work team here and also one of the Hardy boys and his family are staying in the hardy house for a week. So water is needed. Any way because of no water I had 3 bottled waters and that was it so I broke into kirk and keri's apt (since they are in MoBay) and took (with their permission) all the big tubs of water they had saved up (Praise the Lord they were thinking ahead). With this new supply of water I was able to do my dishes (and stop the ants from over taking my apt) and get some what clean. Later that night Nancy Snook (the team leader) and I broke into an office to get the projector so we could use it for the movie night with the kids. We had the key to the grate and the door but once we were inside the class room we did not have a key to the office (down here every door has at least one lock if not 2 or 3 that you have to get through and at times it can be very tricky since keys always seems to be missing) When we came to the final door we could not get it open but felt like we had come to far to stop so i was able to wiggle the glass slat in the window enough to slide a finger in and pop the lock allowing us to open the slats. We then had to go to the older boys asking the question I didn't want to know the answer too. Who knows how to break into a room? We found someone no problem who got in through a window got us the projector got out and put everything perfectly in place like we had never been there at all. Praise God it was a fun night with the kids watching movies with them is so much fun to see there faces and reactions and its a nice down time with them to just relax with them. Have a great rest of the weekend. Enjoy your Sabbath. Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-

More Ripping

I had to say goodbye to a friend today and of course there was more ripping and tears. I don't like leaving days they seem to be getting harder for me. And then when I stopped for a min. I relalized I need a soul care day so that is what I am doing. After I made sure the work team I was to be hosting didn't show up last night like they were supposed too. I started my soul care day by being lazy with the computer for a while. I went home to sleep for a few more hours (the nights have been very short) went for a nice walk to the post office to collect the mail that has been forgotten about for the last week. And now I am getting ready to head back to my apt. with my mail, my computer and be lazy and enjoy myself for the rest of the day doing whatever comes to mind as long as it doesn't involve water.(we still have none of that!). God is Good All the Time. Be blessed and be a blessing.-Erin-

This is the Jamaica I know and Love!

Good Friday Morning All! I pray that the Lord is blessing you day. I have been spoiled down here for the most part with electricity more often then not and starting each day with a hot shower. With in the past week or two we have had two (rather long) power outages were we end up eating by candle light and if at home i just go to bed because there is nothing more to do. Last night was one of those nights but GOD blessed it with great food and fellowship with friends. Once the power went out Rachel Cook (a teacher here with me) Blake Widmer and myself loaded up and headed over to JDV for a nice meal of chicken from bowls? (i think that's the name of it?) with the Hubers, Mark White (the managing director of C.C.C.D. on the u.s. side) Warren Kloter and Jessica (sorry i can't remember her last name) from Conn. We had a great time hanging out then talking and when the lights finally did end up coming on playing cards until we could not focus anymore we were so tired. Once I got home the grate was locked (even though i thought Ionda texted Kadene for me to tell her to leave it open) So i was locked out of the walk way that leads to my apt. At this point I had to become creative (since i don't have a key) and crawl over the railing very carefully walk along the ledge to get around the post and to the other side where i once again had to crawl over the railing and onto the walk way. Praise the Lord that I didn't fall! Then when I got home last night I didn't have any water... and when I woke up this morning i still didn't have any water. It hit me as I was walking back from the great house (after seeing if there was water up there) I realized how spoiled i have been with the consistency i have experienced so far. Praise God for the reminder that I need to be thankful for those blessings down here. The sun is shining and its a beautiful day. I Pray that the Lord is blessing yours. Be blessed and be a blessing. -Erin-

Praise Report

Good Wednesday Morning Everyone! (if it is not Wednesday morning please forgive me the nights have been very short recently:)) I just wanted to let you know Yesterday The Plattners and I drove into MoBay to the immigration office to apply for our passport extensions and it was NO PROBLEM! She looked at our ticket confirmations (for April 1) looked at when we arrived (Oct. 20) stamped and signed it and in 2 min. we were in and out. It was nice that it was so easy and at the same time frustrating that I drove 3 hours there for a 2 min. visit to drive 3 hours home. We did drop off Kirk and Keri and boys at the MoBay campus where they will be living and working for the next 3 months to help out with work teams. I will continue to play hostess here at KP and the Hubers are in charge over at JDV. Most of the guests are leaving today after the board meetings all day on Monday and Tuesday, the service of praise that was Sunday night, and then last night we had our 6 hour $2500 (J's) dinner banquet dinner to finish off the big celebration of the 50th anniversary. Its been great to see and hear stories from the founding missionaries of C.C.C.D. and previous missionaries. I love hearing their stories they give me so much hope. Yes things has changed but one thing that has not and never will is that GOD that we serve. That's all I can think of for now. Have a great week. I miss and love you all. be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-

MEET THE CSUN GROUP

Good Morning Everyone! Do the nights seem to be getting shorter and shorter or is it just me? After having a great meeting with the CSUN (california state university @ northridge) group last night I looked at my watch and it was midnight then i was welcomed home to 3 weeks worth of clean laundry piled on my bed that (praise the Lord) i was able to wash yesterday! The group left this morning and as we all sat together for breakfast at one big table socializing we ran out of room so i pulled a bench up at one end of the table and as I sat there i thought this is just like the coming together of one big family and that thought made my heart smile. Working with these colleges groups I have come to realize that they don't know each other all the well before they come down here. A leader sends out a mass email and who ever can come comes and the group is made so we all kind of get to know each other together. Because I was involved in so much traveling this week I didn't get to spend as much time as i would have liked getting to know everyone and I hate to say I didn't learn all their names either (sorry guys) but the time i did spend with them was Great and I love making those new connections. Today starts the 50th anniversary celebration week! I already feel completely spent, not having really stopped for the last 2 weeks (welcome to missionary life) But GOD is always in complete control I have no doubt in that and i know he will get me through (even if He has to drag me at times:). Have a great weekend I love you! Congrats Marty and Marti for your wedding day tomorrow. I'm praying for you and wish you all the best. Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-

A HUMBLING

Hello Everyone. I pray that GOD is blessing your day. SO another update the entire day after I accepted yet another job I just became more and more and more burdened by it. It so bad that I knew the next day I was going to have to go and talk to Mrs. d (the Principal) again and tell we have to work something different out i just don't have a peace. I really struggled with this because she is the one person who has been a rock and there for me every step of my stay here and she is the one person i hated letting down. It was completely my fault because I tried to take on this HUGE responsibility with out going to GOD first in prayer. so the next morning I crawled into her office poured out my heart and apologized for not talking to GOD first before I told her i would take the teachers place. She just let me cry on her shoulder then gave me the kick in the pants i needed scolding me for taking on to much when I know my own limit. She has been the one who has been hounding me to make sure i am not over doing it and then when i did over do it she was the one i had to let down and I sure don't like that. There was just no possible way i could teach full time along with being (soon) the sole hostess for the work teams while kirk and keri spend time in MoBay working with work teams. We got it all worked out and I will help as much as I can with the class but I still have my other responsibilities and my down time that is much needed. Also this has been a week of travels I have spent 3 of the 6 days this week traveling around the island (NOT FUN!) Wednesday Kirk and I went to MoBay to get our passports stamped for an extension (because our paper work is still not processed) so we get there they look at the dates of our immigration forms and tell us to come back on Monday! we were 5 days to soon! they can only stamp it the week before you are set to leave and we are okayed till the 18th of January. YES WE LOVE THE QUIRKS OF JAMAICA! We have also had a very interesting group from CSUN (California State University Northridge) they are a Major collage for the Deaf and Deaf Ed majors so the group is made up of the deaf, hard of hearing, interpreters, all amazing signers. so much so that the kids come up to me and tell me they sign so fast i don't understand what they are saying! They have been a great group to get to know VERY diverse. We didn't know were they stood in their beliefs so we tried to be the best example we could. Ok i am now late for our weekly meeting with the team to see what the highs and lows of the week are and what we as the hosts can do to better the experience. Have a great weekend. I love you and miss you very much. O for all you kingston goers YES! i am still meeting you there in march i would not miss it for the world. That was one of the dates I gave mrs d before the entire teacher thing. its the kids spring break so no problem mon:) I"m so excited. 50th week also starts tomorrow we are expecting 30-40 people to arrive tomorrow alone (plus all those coming later and who are already here) its gonna be great! I have loved hearing the stories and experiences but that's to share for another time. Be blessed and be a blessing. -Erin-

I JUST GOT A PROMOTION.....I THINK

Hello Everyone. So today I went from being a speech/language therapist/librarian/sub teacher 3 afternoons a week to a full teacher all day 5 days a week. AHHHHHH! God is really shaking things up for me I have just gotten the Library organized and ready to open it up and have fun with the kids and now I have already been forewarned that it will not stay that way and it kind of breaks my heart. I am also SO disappointed that I will not be working with the kids on speech and language therapy. Some are doing so good. And I will not be able to spend as much time with the work teams, But when the principal came to ask me... what could I say they lost a teacher to maternity leave and don't have any other options? This class I'm taking over the teacher is already gone I don't know what they have learned or what they are supposed to be learning... As I sit here and really think about it the questions just pile up. I must remember GOD is good and always in complete control so I just need to keep my focus on HIM and everything will be fine. Its crazy how I was just getting settled with what they had thrown me into when I first got here and now I will be doing something TOTALLY different. Ok thanks for letting me vent. Chad and Pam Huber and their family arrived safely yesterday and are now settling in at JDV. Kirk and I are headed into MoBay this week to get an extension stamp in our passports so we can stay longer. Prayers would be greatly appreciated in that area. I hope you are all having a most wonderful day I hear that its beautiful and 65 at home! Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-

Sharing God's Beauty

God's Promises Are New Every Morning

A beautiful rainbow God provided for us right over were we worked early and in the rain

This is dedication. on the last day of work the team got up early and started scraping in the rain so that they could finish and get as much painting done as possible! What great workers!

This is Ridiculous

So today I have officially locked my self out of every room I occupy here at C.C.C.D. I have locked myself out of my house (my bedroom and bathroom). I have locked myself out of my apartment all together. And now I have locked my self out of my office. Praise God for spare keys and Richard the maintenance man to come and open doors for me! Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-

OFF TO A GREAT START!

Kirk, Keri, and I with our New Years Eve balloons

The Work team from Cederville Collage in Ohio and Armondo

Good Morning Everyone. I have found that with work teams there is not much time for anything else and if there is you are to tired and sore to be motivated to do it! God is so good! Our first work team arrived early Sunday morning after a big whoops! Mr Jones and Mr. Lewis drove to Mo Bay sat. afternoon to pick up the work team that was to arrive at 5:45. About 7:30 we got a call back here at the school saying that while Mr Jones is in MoBay ready to pick them up the team flew into Kingston (a good 5-6 hour drive from MoBay). So at 8 o'clock Sat. night Kirk had to go with a hired driver to Kingston to pick up the work team. They ended up getting here around 12:30-1 Sunday morning. A very long day for them. The first day it took me a while to find my niche, I didn't know how much to jump in and how much to encourage them to try. There were things i would see that needed to be done or if I saw someone who needed help and there where girls sitting around I wanted to encourage them to jump in and go but at the same time i didn't want to push them to do something they were not comfortable with. After the morning session of feeling my way around things everything seemed to find its groove. So far we have been working on getting the area around the great house, and the hardy house fixed up to house people for the 50th Anniversary. Lots of filling in holes, sanding, painting, scraping. They are doing a great job. On Monday night after getting in on a New Years Eve service we joined the work team for a Party to welcome in the new year with games, food and fellowship. It was fun. But as soon as midnight hit we were all so tired and had to work the next day so we all quickly found our beds. God has blessed us with a great first work team and its been fun to get to know them as I have an opportunity to jump in a work with them. I am also thankful that we are starting off with easy jobs such as painting so that I don't have to worry about inexperience on my side. I hope you are all having a great week. I love you and miss you. Happy New Year! Be blessed and be a blessing -Erin-