Sister Veronica Johnson picked up our group at the hotel and drove us the short distance to the Drapers Baptist Church. Again, being in the church where we have invested time and effort was an awesome experience. Though small in physical size, it was evident that God's Spirit would loom large in this church. The church has one large room for its sanctuary, and a couple of side rooms down a hallway that lead to the side entrance to the building. On the other side of the sanctuary there is a door that leads directly outside to a small cemetery. Both of these side doors remained open throughout the service. The windows had large metal louvers to let air in and out of the room, and overhead ceiling fans stirred the air in the room. The pews were single standing wood pews (seat and back), unattached from the floor. Carpet runners over tile floor lined the center aisle and an aisle after the third pew that ran from each side door to the other. A small Sunday School class was being led by one of the matriarchs of the church. The five children in the class listened intently, as I did.
As I sat in the room, I was reminded of the comfort and beauty in which we worship each week. Do we take that comfort for granted? I was also reminded how uncomfortable we become when it is either too hot or too cold in our buildings, or how we cringe when the sound system is not exactly right. These people are simply glad that they have a place to worship. Maybe we can take a few lessons from them at this point.
Sister Johnson asked us to join her with several others in the room which led to the pulpit. We sang "Spirit of the Living God" as we prepared ourselves for the service. We were then introduced to our worship leader for the day. The young lady was sixteen years old and a recent convert. To say that we were all impressed with this young lady would be an understatement. She handled herself throughout the service with remarkable presence and a servant's spirit. Her name was Sherry McKenzie. As the service began, we all knew that something special was in store for each of us.
The music throughout the service was captivating. The people sang with fervor that I have seldom heard. Their songs echoed their love for the Lord. It was contagious singing-I even sang out (and no one looked around at me). The singing was matched by several of the ladies with their tambourines, one gentleman with his maracas, and Sister Johnson on her drum. Ryan Wilson played along on the keyboard with amazing quality, even not knowing where the songs were taking us at times! Midway through the service Sister Ann Marie Shaw, our preacher for the day, led in a time of prayer. It was an overwhelming experience of worship for each of us to hear her pray. She led us all to the throne of grace. I was so proud of Barry and Linda and Ryan for their wonderful leadership in worship. I had the opportunity to bring greetings from our church, which I gladly did.
Aside from the wonderfully presented and excellently prepared sermon by Sister Shaw, there were two experiences in worship that will forever be etched in my mind. First, there was a time of tribute to fathers. Sister Johnson introduced a young boy, seven year old Deshaun Morris, who had asked her two weeks ago to read a tribute to his father. Though young in age, Deshaun spoke with clarity and expression far beyond his years. His words and his presentation touched me deeply. I asked him if he would allow me to write them down. He proudly handed them to me. Here they are:
Dad, you are the greatest
For showing me the way that I should go,
And teaching me the things that I should know
For helping me through the ups and downs
For being all that a Dad could be
Thanks! You mean the world to me
Happy Father's Day…I love you very, very much.
For showing me the way that I should go,
And teaching me the things that I should know
For helping me through the ups and downs
For being all that a Dad could be
Thanks! You mean the world to me
Happy Father's Day…I love you very, very much.
Powerful words. I only wish the boy's father would have been there to hear his son.
The other experience occurred when Ryan was performing his solo in the service. I was listening intently to him as he sang, "Give Me Jesus." It was beautiful. About thirty seconds into the song, I heard an awe-inspiring humming in perfect pitch with Ryan's words and tune; it was a Spirit-filled sound, deep and intensely moving. The humming continued throughout the song, not missing a measure or a pitch. I wondered how Ryan was able to produce the words and the humming at the same time-with the humming coming from behind me! I finally realized that an older gentlemen, who later introduced himself only as "Thompson," who was seated a few rows behind me, was humming while Ryan sang. It was a true experience of worship as the sounds blended so beautifully together from Ryan and Thompson.
The worship service ended at 12:20 p.m.-a little later than normal for us, but you have to also remember we started the service at 10:00 a.m. Little did any of us realize we had been worshipping almost two and one-half hours! We then enjoyed a time of fellowship with members of the congregation before we returned to the Port Antonio church for another feast prepared by the women of the church and our master chef "PaPa." I have enjoyed seeing the pleasure that my eating brings to PaPa. Today he prepared not only the regular jerk chicken, but also had prepared fried jerk chicken, as well as some grilled trout. The ladies had done an excellent job with all of the trimmings and we enjoyed the feast together.
Tonight, following a great supper prepared by our home chefs Ron and Elizabeth Chadwick, our young people presented their first concert of the week. While we ate our dinner, the rains came once again and they came with a force and vigor of a deluge-what we call in South Georgia a true "frog strangler." It was relentless and left all of us wondering if anyone would venture out on such an evening. Many of the congregants walk to church and those who drive have to brave the road situations, which are only exacerbated by the deluges of the last few days. The concert was to begin at 7:00 p.m., and it finally got underway at 7:30 p.m. Time is somewhat irrelevant here, but the rain only added to that complacency related to being "on time" in Jamaica. You all would have been very proud of each of our young people as they sang beautifully. The solos were tremendous, and the testimonies inspiring. We were all so pleased that so many young people from the Port Antonio church were at the concert. I know that seeing our young people and their "togetherness" and ministry only heightens their desire to follow that lead. Following the concert, we returned to the Palace for our evening devotions and prayers filled full with feelings of a good day of service and ministry in Jamaica.
My observations from today…
1. I may never get used to these roads and driving on the wrong side of the road. I asked Jeremy McClure to sit up front last night on the way home from the church and he agreed that the front seat gives a totally different vantage point in the driving experiences of Jamaica. It is harrowing!
2. The warmth and friendliness of these people continue to amaze me. There seems to be no strangers in their midst. We were made to feel so welcome, so important, so honored as we worshipped this morning in Jamaica.
3. Everyone needs to experience worship with our Jamaican friends here. It is a powerful experience to hear their songs, prayers, and messages. Their openness to God's Spirit is revealed fully in their response to His call to commune with Him. I was moved deeply as I sat and worshipped with this small congregation at Drapers today.
4. God's love knows no bounds! Enough said!!!
5. I continue to be impressed with our kids. Their energy level remains high. This has, thus far, been such a well planned trip, allowing them to be on mission, but also allowing them enough "down time" to develop deeper bonds with one another. It is good to see those bonds strengthening.
6. Seeing our kids "playing with" the Port Antonio kids has been a fun thing to watch. Children are children and the need to feel loved is universal. Our kids are showing true Christian love in their words and their actions. I am so proud of them!
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