update on many levels

Well folks, its that time again to update the old LJ... for anybody that thinks they might care...

Anywho, I got back from Jamaica on Thursday. We were doing a Bible School for some local children in Ocho Rios. The place we stayed in was freakin' awesome!!! Like, it was almost like an Italian Villa on a big hill, with a view of the ocean and a valley and all sorts of stuff. Anywho, the kids this year were very different from the kids in Mansfield Heights ( the VBS location in Jamaica last year). Um, its kind of hard how to explain that one.

Last year, we worked in a very poor neighborhood/area. People lived in shacks and very scant houses. The people are very rough to. Quick to fight or do things that aren't really good. Most of this comes from a lack of parent involvement, and lack of sufficient money. Its kind of like the Ghetto, but different in a way. This year, more of the kids were very well behaved and nice. It was less work to get to know them. I met this one 13 year old guy named Lavonda. He kind of sat off to the side while everybody did their thing. He eventually started playing 4 square with us, and had a lot of fun. I don't know how I've had an impact on him or Jamaica, but its all worth a try.

In other news about the trip, we had some major drama as a group. We had a group of 5 people, all from FHS but one, including my brother, that walked away from where we were staying. They went with a local who the owner of the house had known since he was 13, and our american/jamaican go between guy had known. They went with him to a pool hall about a mile and a quarter from the house. They told an adult they were leaving, but nobody went with them, and they were gone for like 2 hours. When they got back, after we FINALLY found them, we had a big group discussion about what to do with the 5. Technically, they should've been sent home, but since it was the FIRST whole day, it was ruled that they stay and do all the dishes and meal stuff for the week. In that discussion, the clique thing came up along with the he said/she said crap. I ABSOLUTELY DESPISE GOSSIP IN EVERY FORM. All this crap boiled over the top when it really wasn't an issue... It just added to the universal discomfort of a group and tension between the little groups...

VBS eventally became a release from all of that stuff. That and the pool at the house. Tragically however, the weather didn't look so hot for us. Hurricane Emily put an early end to our trip, sending us home this past Thursday, instead Today. Well, technically its yesterday, but who's counting minutes here... The flight back was incredible. There were storm clouds over Georgia, and they provided the broadest array of colors in the sky. You'd see huge pillars of clouds with orange and purple and white backgrounds and the sun lighting them in all different ways. I wish i had a good camera to take pictures of them...

Anywho, I'm back and semi tan... Whee- Call me...

Peace and Aloe Vera Gel

-Ben