For our Day of Fun we rented Kayaks! This day was much needed after the draining week we had. Peter and I started out in one, but by the end of our venture, Doug and Peter were pulling Anna and I. Yay for boys. I got to do a little more snorkeling too. We had a blast. It was so great for our group to just have fun and take in the week. We ate lunch at Skinny Legs, but we were all about to fall asleep afterwards. We headed back to Cinnamon for our last afternoon of beach time. We ate another marvelous dinner at Banana Deck. Meal time has been really special on this trip. The quality time for the group has been great. It is marvelous how living life alongside people for 24 hours a day, for 8 days in a row creates such a special bond that we will all always share.
I was in much anticipation of this night all week. I was nervous about the emotional struggle to let go an era of John and Rene’,St John trips, and it was also Anna’s last night in the ministry. It was not an easy night and will not be easy for a while, however, to my surprise, the night was filled with hope, peace, and joy. I was so overwhelmed by the strength that God gave me to look forward with optimism. Even though sadness, I was comforted by the faithfulness in the Lord. We each took turns praying with each other one on one. It was extremely powerful to be lifted in prayer by some of the most incredible and genuine people I know, and to get the opportunity to lift them up as well. As I sat on the beach watching everyone, I was reminded again how blessed I am and undeserving of all of it. Everything will be ok. I truly believe God is with us always and His plan will prevail..no matter what that is and even when we don’t understand it.
Favorite moments of Day 8
Anna and I being pulled by Doug and Peter in our Kayak
All the boys saying the Pledge of Allegiance to my flag towel
Seeing Anna get attacked my seagulls
LGNIU !!?
Prayer time on the beach
Rene - Day of Fun
After getting to “sleep in” until 7 a.m. Doug, John and I headed to Starfish market to round up breakfast for everyone and meet back for the great day of fun. And great day of fun it was. I truly believe the power boats were unavailable for a reason and that our group connected so much more with the kayaking.
We headed out from Cinnamon and kayaked around to Maho and then out to Mary’s Point to cross over to Whistling Cay. The water was beautiful, the water not too choppy and the wind—well, it could have been worse. John and I had a great time—by far the funniest times of the day were when we tied up the “kayak train” to our kayak and pulled three other kayaks, as well as when we pulled Troy back in the single kayak at the end of the trip. (Ok so maybe it was funnier that Jared almost had his finger snapped off by a turtle—but that’s not important.) Most of us snorkeled and all of us were extremely tired by the end of the trip.
We returned to Cinnamon around 2 and the loaded Jeeps!!! to eat lunch at Skinny’s in Coral Bay. Let’s just say it’s a good thing kayaking was before lunch because I ate so much I needed a nap once we returned to the beach. It was a fabulous day capped off with dinner at Banana Deck, followed by great group prayer time on the beach. This truly has been the best group ever and I’m sad to see the week coming to an end.
We headed out from Cinnamon and kayaked around to Maho and then out to Mary’s Point to cross over to Whistling Cay. The water was beautiful, the water not too choppy and the wind—well, it could have been worse. John and I had a great time—by far the funniest times of the day were when we tied up the “kayak train” to our kayak and pulled three other kayaks, as well as when we pulled Troy back in the single kayak at the end of the trip. (Ok so maybe it was funnier that Jared almost had his finger snapped off by a turtle—but that’s not important.) Most of us snorkeled and all of us were extremely tired by the end of the trip.
We returned to Cinnamon around 2 and the loaded Jeeps!!! to eat lunch at Skinny’s in Coral Bay. Let’s just say it’s a good thing kayaking was before lunch because I ate so much I needed a nap once we returned to the beach. It was a fabulous day capped off with dinner at Banana Deck, followed by great group prayer time on the beach. This truly has been the best group ever and I’m sad to see the week coming to an end.
Anna - Day of Fun
Today was our day of fun! We originally had planned to rent a few boats and to go boating out into maybe the British Virgin Islands, but things were too expensive, so we decided against that. Instead, we rented two-person kayaks, and kayaked around the island. Doug and I teamed up together, and we did a good job for a while. Holly and Peter were teamed together, and the four of us decided to hook our boats together and switch off who would row. I made the comment to Holly jokingly about making the boys row in the first boat and we could just sit back and relax. Peter and Doug said they would totally be up for that, so the rest of the time, Holly and I sat back in the back kayak and sunbathed, as the boys rowed the front kayak. It was fabulous. Holly and I talked about how blessed we have felt by the boys on this trip, because as much as we insisted on helping, they told us just to sit back and relax. I’m very thankful for Doug and Peter and their willingness to row for us. It was such a great experience, and I got some sun, which is always a plus. After kayaking, we went to lunch at Skinny Legs in Coral Bay, and then all came back to the beach to hang out for awhile. The boys got the great idea to use our leftover food by throwing it at the birds that were at the beach, therefore making at least 25 birds come swarming around them. It was hilarious, until they started throwing the bread towards all of the girls. I was not a fan of that! It was funny, but I just don’t really like birds swarming towards me.
Tonight was a wonderful last night. We ate at the Banana Deck, and it was fabulous. Then we went to the beach for a special time of prayer and reflection. John had each of us pray for each other, individually, starting with the boys praying over a girl. It was so moving to hear my name lifted in prayer by each person on this trip. They shared their hearts, and it was awesome to hear the things they thanked God for noticing about me this week. I felt truly blessed. Then John brought everyone over to where I was sitting, and each person placed a hand on me and prayed specifically for me as I am leaving the college ministry. Just to hear my name lifted in prayer again and to hear the things such as peace, understanding, and a Godly man to enter my life prayed over me was such a moving and unforgettable experience. Sitting on the beach with 12 incredible people praying over just you is such an incredible experience, and I’m so thankful I was given the opportunity to experience that. God truly has blessed my life in ways that I cannot express, and He has continually reminded me this trip of His awesome timing and plan for my life. I must trust in what He is doing, because He really does have my best interests at heart.
Not only was tonight my last night in the college ministry, but it was also John and Rene’s. They have impacted this ministry more than they could ever imagine. I personally have felt truly blessed by the way they have taken me in and have been there for me as a family, when I’m so far from home. They give so much of their time to the college students they interact with, and they both make sure we feel completely comfortable and welcomed. I know that God has some awesome things planned for their family, and I’m excited to see how they follow God’s plan and His leading in their family’s life. And I know for sure that I will continue to see them and will continue to get the opportunity to spend time with them, which I am extremely thankful for.
Tonight was a wonderful last night. We ate at the Banana Deck, and it was fabulous. Then we went to the beach for a special time of prayer and reflection. John had each of us pray for each other, individually, starting with the boys praying over a girl. It was so moving to hear my name lifted in prayer by each person on this trip. They shared their hearts, and it was awesome to hear the things they thanked God for noticing about me this week. I felt truly blessed. Then John brought everyone over to where I was sitting, and each person placed a hand on me and prayed specifically for me as I am leaving the college ministry. Just to hear my name lifted in prayer again and to hear the things such as peace, understanding, and a Godly man to enter my life prayed over me was such a moving and unforgettable experience. Sitting on the beach with 12 incredible people praying over just you is such an incredible experience, and I’m so thankful I was given the opportunity to experience that. God truly has blessed my life in ways that I cannot express, and He has continually reminded me this trip of His awesome timing and plan for my life. I must trust in what He is doing, because He really does have my best interests at heart.
Not only was tonight my last night in the college ministry, but it was also John and Rene’s. They have impacted this ministry more than they could ever imagine. I personally have felt truly blessed by the way they have taken me in and have been there for me as a family, when I’m so far from home. They give so much of their time to the college students they interact with, and they both make sure we feel completely comfortable and welcomed. I know that God has some awesome things planned for their family, and I’m excited to see how they follow God’s plan and His leading in their family’s life. And I know for sure that I will continue to see them and will continue to get the opportunity to spend time with them, which I am extremely thankful for.
Jared - Day of Fun
Day of fun – otherwise known as the day of extreme fatigue. Today we rented kayaks and went out to Whistler’s Cay, a tiny tiny little island of land a little ways out from St. John. Kayaking was fun but tiresome. When we got out there Peter Kyle Troy and I went snorkeling. We didn’t make it quite around the cay and realized we were out of time so we took a cut-through on the land to go back to where everyone else was. At the same time that we took the cut through, John and Doug kayaked around the whole island looking for us and barely missed us. We were exhausted from snorkeling so far and then we had to get back in the boats and kayak back to Cinnamon. It was so much fun but extremely exhausting! I touched a Sea Turtle today, which apparently is illegal. Anyway, I dove down and touched his shell and he spun around really fast towards me and scared me half to death, and I swam as fast as I could to the surface, it was pretty funny to see, or so I am told. It was very fun and I am really tired and looking forward to going home. I know that some people are really torn up about this being the last trip to St. John and leaving, but I feel really at peace about the whole thing. I’m not worried at all.
Allie - Day of Fun
Day of fun!!! I woke up at 7 thinking that I should be somewhere…then realizing that I had nowhere to be for at least two hours I went back to sleep. When I finally got up, I went to the beach for my Bible study. I was reading in 2 Samuel, where David is thanking God for His deliverance. It was so interesting, I read David’s last words and his last advice. Then we ate breakfast at the campsite and headed to the Kayaking shack. After getting instructed about where to go and how to row, we headed out! Jared and I shared a kayak, he was in the back so I think that means he did most of the work. It was really hard because it was so windy, but it was absolutely gorgeous. When we all met up at a resting point, I jokingly told Kyle that he should pull us for a bit. He said, “okay!” Haha, so we tied our kayak to his, and Kyle pulled Jared and I. Then Julie and Hunter attached to the back of us….then Troy and Steph, too…then Rene and John decided they should pull all of us and help Kyle out. So we all lay back and enjoyed the ride.
I decided then and there that I loved kayaking.
When we got to another resting point, we all got out and snorkeled. We saw a sea turtle, which Jared dove down to touch and it lunged to bite his hand off. We also saw a nurse shark, which was pretty cool. We finally made it to the island, where a few people snorkeled and some of us walked around and laid out in the sun. We eventually paddled back, which was super super hard, but definitely worth it. We then headed to Skinny Legs, which was absolutely delicious. I got to call my little sister Sarah and wish her a happy birthday . Then we headed back to Cinnamon to chill and relax. I fell asleep. Banana Deck is where we headed for dinner, and it was wonderful.
I decided then and there that I loved kayaking.
When we got to another resting point, we all got out and snorkeled. We saw a sea turtle, which Jared dove down to touch and it lunged to bite his hand off. We also saw a nurse shark, which was pretty cool. We finally made it to the island, where a few people snorkeled and some of us walked around and laid out in the sun. We eventually paddled back, which was super super hard, but definitely worth it. We then headed to Skinny Legs, which was absolutely delicious. I got to call my little sister Sarah and wish her a happy birthday . Then we headed back to Cinnamon to chill and relax. I fell asleep. Banana Deck is where we headed for dinner, and it was wonderful.
Steph - Day of Fun
Today was absolutely the most wonderful way to end an absolutely wonderful trip. We were supposed to wake up at 9, but the fans turned off at 7 sooo that’s when I woke up haha. But it was really nice because when I finally rolled out of bed around 730 I made my way down to the beach just because I couldn’t sleep any longer in the sauna our tent had become and me and Julie got a chance to talk for a longgg time! It was so great to just sit there and talk and for her to really open up to me about her and her boyfriend and just to be able to let her feel comfortable enough with me to allow me to be someone that would listen to her and try to give her some feedback. After that everyone slowly woke up and came down to the beach and then it was time to head back and get some breakfast, change, and then start our amazing day of fun! We headed to the kayaks and split up in pairs and were off to the different beaches to get to snorkel. Me and Troy were paired up and it was nice to get to talk to him about what all he’s gone through in life and to get to know one another a little bit better. Once we got to another beach we got to go snorkel and we saw a shark again and a turtle. I love snorkeling, it’s so much fun and so peaceful. After that we kayaked to another beach, but it was all rocks this time. All the girls decided to stay and layout on the beach and wait for the guys while they attempted to go around the island and snorkel some more. It was so relaxing just sitting and watching everything and taking in this beautiful scenery we got to experience. John got back with Doug and they decided to go out and look for the guys. They came back and couldn’t find them so we were a bit worried but they finally found them and got to hear the story of how they got caught up in a big group of jellyfish and they all kind of freaked out haha. After we found them me and kyle rode back together. It was great to get to just talk with him as well and get to know more about him too. Today was just a day full of great conversation and I feel so lucky to have gotten to have that time with a couple of people today. We made it back to the place we rented from and then it was time to go to lunch. We went to Skinny Leg’s and it was DELICIOUS. I don’t know what it was but it just hit the spot. We got the best pina colada’s I have EVER had in my life, o my gosh they were good. After that we decided that we would just go back to Cinnamon and relax on the beach before it was time for dinner. I got to take a quick nap on the beach and that was awesome. And then it was time for LGNIU. After that feeling of freedom haha it was time to get ready and go to dinner. We went to this place called Banana something (can’t remember the whole thing, whatever it was it was probably my favorite meal, even though every meal has been FANTASTIC). I got this jerked mahi mahi and it was the best fish I have ever had. Then we got to have desert and me and Peter split key lime pie but I think I ate all of it and then some people got this thing called Banana Cheesecake Xanga and it was soooo good. Then after dinner me and Julie got to ride back to camp with Scott, which was so random, but looking back it was awesome! We stopped at a look off just to sit there and wait for a bit, but it turned into a great opportunity for Julie to be able to open up about everything going on in her little head and Scott was great at comforting her. It was a special moment to me and brought us all closer together. After that we headed back to camp and it was time for our final beach time. This time it was extra special. We got to sit down and pray with each person in the group. As a group we all got to pray over Anna and for her coming year. I have loved so much getting to know each and every one of these people and this week has truly changed my life. They’ve shown me what real godly and loving and true friends really are and I can’t thank them enough for that. I am the luckiest person in the world to have been able to experience a week like this with these 13 amazing people. It was exactly what I’ve been needing, and now I’ve already been thinking of ways to come back, wether it be for Spring Break, my honemoon, or to come back with a group and help out with the kids again. I don’t know what will happen but there’s something inside of me that tells me that it’s not over yet. It’s a time of change for everyone and it’s not bad. It’s just hard sometimes to think about like, well what’s next, what’s going to happen. But this week has taught me that if you just give it all to god and rest in knowing that he is always in control, that it will all work out the way its meant to and that it’s ok to wonder, but we need to know that he’s in control and that we need to be ok with it no matter what it be. Once again I’m so thankful and blessed for this week and I can’t wait to see what’s to come.
Stephanie Tuttle
Stephanie Tuttle
Hunter - Day of Fun
Saturday was wonderful. We got up early to kayak to an island across from the bay. It was so much fun. My partner was Julie. I had the privilege of getting to know her better on this trip. When we finished, we went to Skinnys for lunch. It’s a great place for just a burger and coke. We spent the rest of the after at our campground swimming and laying out. Banana Deck was the place for dinner tonight. I got my favorite seafood of St. John, grilled mahi mahi. What great fellowship we had eating outside during our last night on the island. When we arrived back at camp, we sat on the beach to discuss the week and pray for each student. What a powerful moment. Sorry to be short. I have to catch a flight! Blessings.
Doug - Day of Fun
Well it’s all over. Today was a bittersweet day. On one hand it was the day of fun and we all had a blast kayaking around, but on the other hand, we’re leaving in the morning and no one really knows if or when we will be back. The other tough thing to deal with is John and Rene’ stepping down. They have been unbelievable leaders for so many college students, and will be missed dearly.
Kayaking was fun, but for me the best part of the day came after dark, when we all went down to the beach for our final meeting as a group. Before a single word was spoken, emotions were running all over the place. John had the girls sit down spread out on the beach and had a guy sit in front of a girl, and then after praying for each other, the guys would move down to the next girl…the speed dating of prayer if you will. It was awesome, and so powerful! I think a lot of times we forget the power of prayer, but you could completely feel God’s presence on that beach. After we had finished praying for each other the guys paired up with guys and the girls with girls so we could pray for each other again. What a group of guys! I am going to miss St. John, but even more so, I am going to miss spending so much time with this amazing group. I hope all of our relationships continue to grow and strengthen, and that we would never forget all that has happened on this beautiful island. God is good!
Kayaking was fun, but for me the best part of the day came after dark, when we all went down to the beach for our final meeting as a group. Before a single word was spoken, emotions were running all over the place. John had the girls sit down spread out on the beach and had a guy sit in front of a girl, and then after praying for each other, the guys would move down to the next girl…the speed dating of prayer if you will. It was awesome, and so powerful! I think a lot of times we forget the power of prayer, but you could completely feel God’s presence on that beach. After we had finished praying for each other the guys paired up with guys and the girls with girls so we could pray for each other again. What a group of guys! I am going to miss St. John, but even more so, I am going to miss spending so much time with this amazing group. I hope all of our relationships continue to grow and strengthen, and that we would never forget all that has happened on this beautiful island. God is good!
Julie - Day of Fun
Today was the Great Day of Fun!!! Although we could’ve slept in until 9, I was too excited and woke up at 7. Since everyone else was asleep, I went to walk on the beach. It was so peaceful because I was the only one out there and the sun had just come up. I just walked up and down the shore and talked to God. It’s not every day that I get to talk to God at the beach you know : ). A little while later, Stephanie came out to the beach too. She also had woken up early, so we sat and talked. We just talked about school and what was to come in the fall for both of us. We talked about how we would try and seek God this fall and what actions we would take in order to follow His plan for our lives. I felt like we really got to connect and that made me happy.
But as soon as John came out to tell us that it was time for kyacking, we were ready to go! I have never been kayaking before, but I was excited about the new experience. I was partners with Hunter Moss. I’d say we did alright considering neither of us had done it before. But it definitely was a workout! We paddled all the way to an island near our beach where we saw this really cool old schoolhouse building that had probably been there for centuries. Some of the group went snorkeling there, but I stayed on the island with some of the girls and we just had a fun time hanging out and talking. When we finished kayaking, we drove to this great little burger place on the other side of the island called Skinny Legs. It was really good, and kind of a nice change from the seafood we’d been having. We headed back to Cinnamon Bay after lunch just to hang out on the beach. Kyle decided to try and open another coconut, so I was more than willing to try and help. We finally opened it and of course it was delicious.
Dinner was at the Banana Deck, where we met our friend Scott. I remembered going there last year and really liking it. After dinner, Stephanie and rode back to the campsite with Scott and had a really good time just joking around, listening to music, and talking. When we got to the campsite, we had our last group meeting which really just consisted of each of us pairing off and praying for each other. It was a very emotional time for me because by then, I felt like I had really grown closer to everybody in our group. I also felt that we were all very intent on becoming the men and women that God wants us to be and supporting each other in that pursuit. I cannot think of a more calming way to spend my last evening in Cinnamon Bay. Tomorrow, we will all head home with the confidence that what God has revealed to each of us this week can only be used to reassure us as we continue to grow spiritually.
But as soon as John came out to tell us that it was time for kyacking, we were ready to go! I have never been kayaking before, but I was excited about the new experience. I was partners with Hunter Moss. I’d say we did alright considering neither of us had done it before. But it definitely was a workout! We paddled all the way to an island near our beach where we saw this really cool old schoolhouse building that had probably been there for centuries. Some of the group went snorkeling there, but I stayed on the island with some of the girls and we just had a fun time hanging out and talking. When we finished kayaking, we drove to this great little burger place on the other side of the island called Skinny Legs. It was really good, and kind of a nice change from the seafood we’d been having. We headed back to Cinnamon Bay after lunch just to hang out on the beach. Kyle decided to try and open another coconut, so I was more than willing to try and help. We finally opened it and of course it was delicious.
Dinner was at the Banana Deck, where we met our friend Scott. I remembered going there last year and really liking it. After dinner, Stephanie and rode back to the campsite with Scott and had a really good time just joking around, listening to music, and talking. When we got to the campsite, we had our last group meeting which really just consisted of each of us pairing off and praying for each other. It was a very emotional time for me because by then, I felt like I had really grown closer to everybody in our group. I also felt that we were all very intent on becoming the men and women that God wants us to be and supporting each other in that pursuit. I cannot think of a more calming way to spend my last evening in Cinnamon Bay. Tomorrow, we will all head home with the confidence that what God has revealed to each of us this week can only be used to reassure us as we continue to grow spiritually.
Troy - Day of Fun
We started the day wit some ocean kayaking and some great snorkeling followed by lunch at a place called skinny legs (possibly named after Allie) where I had a great burger. Followed by some awesome beach time. After the beach we all got cleaned up for a nice dinner. Scoot came to dinner and we got to say good buy to him, he is a great man that scoot. We had a meeting like usual but then we had an amazing prayer time. I got to put my arm around ever member of this team and pray for them. It was my favorite part of the week. It gave me a chance to tell the people on this trip how amazing they are. I have had the great privilege os spending this week with some of the most passionate young men I have ever met. There passion for god is so inspiring. And they girls on this trip after spending a week with them its amazing how much they love and trust god. They have such a heart to serve. To me there is nothing more beautiful then a girl who truly loves god and truly lives to serve him. And because of that the girls on this trip are some of the most beautiful in the world. I am so glad I was here this week and so glad I had the time for this prayer time.
Rene - Day 7
Although it was a somewhat difficult day—many goodbyes were said—it was probably one of my favorite days thus far. Today was all about food, in a sense.
Our group shared lunch with several kids from VBS who have been coming since we started having VBS 7 years ago. I really enjoyed that—I always feel a stronger sense of connection when sharing a meal with someone.
After we cleaned up the church our group headed back to Cinnamon Bay to change and hit the beach. I took a nap. A much needed nap. And much to my liking, we were invited to a family’s house for dinner and all I had to do was throw on a cover up and head out. I call it a great day when you can wear your swimsuit well into the evening—like oh, say, 10 p.m. But I digress. The food was wonderful (thanks Scott) as was the company. It was good to fellowship with other believers and to hear about what God is doing in and through their lives. After reconnecting with old friends and making some new ones, we headed back to the camp to call it a day. Tomorrow is the great day of fun.
Our group shared lunch with several kids from VBS who have been coming since we started having VBS 7 years ago. I really enjoyed that—I always feel a stronger sense of connection when sharing a meal with someone.
After we cleaned up the church our group headed back to Cinnamon Bay to change and hit the beach. I took a nap. A much needed nap. And much to my liking, we were invited to a family’s house for dinner and all I had to do was throw on a cover up and head out. I call it a great day when you can wear your swimsuit well into the evening—like oh, say, 10 p.m. But I digress. The food was wonderful (thanks Scott) as was the company. It was good to fellowship with other believers and to hear about what God is doing in and through their lives. After reconnecting with old friends and making some new ones, we headed back to the camp to call it a day. Tomorrow is the great day of fun.
Doug - Day 7
Today was the last day of VBS and it was hard. The music and teaching and playing was all easy, and great! Knowing we had to say goodbye to the kids…not so much. We have had an amazing team this week! Not a single person was just “here”. Everyone had a role, and filled that role perfectly! Of course I am going to miss the kids, and this beautiful island, but if I have to leave, I am glad I get to leave it on these terms: the kids had a blast, our team had a blast, St. John will still be here if and when we come back!
Tonight we were blessed to have dinner at the house of some of the kids who attended VBS. We had a great time hanging out with them, and with each other. Dinner was great, swimming in their pool was better, and getting to see those kids one last time this trip was awesome.
Once again, a great nightly meeting! I love our group, every single member of it. I love their passion for Christ, and for spreading his name!
Day of Fun tomorrow!
Tonight we were blessed to have dinner at the house of some of the kids who attended VBS. We had a great time hanging out with them, and with each other. Dinner was great, swimming in their pool was better, and getting to see those kids one last time this trip was awesome.
Once again, a great nightly meeting! I love our group, every single member of it. I love their passion for Christ, and for spreading his name!
Day of Fun tomorrow!
Hunter - Day 7
I’m continually amazed how God has been present this week. I’ve served with some amazing individuals. The last day of VBS was a sad but joyous to look back at what we accomplished. The love shown through these kids was evident in all this group did. We awoke this morning after a much needed night of rest. Before VBS started, John gathered everyone into the sanctuary for our morning meeting. Doug played several songs to lead us in worship. Everybody was sleepy and still trying wake up. As we sang, John came around to every student and prayed for them. I was overcome with such conviction and emotion as Doug played Amazing Grace. It was only by God’s Amazing Grace that I was able to participate on this trip. John prayed with me. The words he used to describe me were very honoring. He lifted each one of us up with thanksgiving and honesty. I felt very blessed and honored to have been part of this ministry. We started the day’s activities like any every other, playing with the kids on the blacktop. I looked over my leader book every second to retain information, because I was leading today’s lesson. The lesson went very well; even though, the children hardly paid attention. I kept trying to remind myself that someone was listening. I’m reminded of an old song that says, “if I could touch somebody my living would not be in vain”. I’m thankful for my incredible friends that supported me through it all. We had lunch with a couple of kids who’ve been to our VBS since our first trip to the island seven years ago. Beach time followed VBS. It was very refreshing after a long morning of loving on kids. As stated before, I’ve served with some unbelievably people I’ve ever had the privilege of serving with. Most, I’ve known for a long time, except one. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed getting to know Stephanie Tuttle a lot more. She’s about the only one I’ve known the shortest. We both have shared some great conversations together. She’s very spiritual mature. I thank the good Lord for sending her my way. Tomorrow is the day of FUN. Who knows what it will hold. Blessings.
Julie - Day 7
I could not believe it was already the last day of VBS. It felt like just yesterday we were meeting all of the kids for the first time. I was exhausted when woke up, but by the time we got to the church to begin our own worship time, I felt somehow rejuvenated. We did something new that morning in worship. Instead of just singing songs as a group, we sang a couple songs continuously while John walked around to each of us and held our head in his hands and prayed over us. Watching everyone as they were being prayed for really made me feel like John and Rene not only cared for us because they have been leading the college ministry for so many years, but that they love us as they would their own children. That was a very special time for me.
I felt like the last day of VBS was a great success. Even though most of us were quite exhausted from the week’s work, we pulled together as a group and showed the kids God’s love to our fullest extent. At the end of VBS, we invited a few of the older kids to eat sandwiches with us. We had a fun time just joking around with them as well as each other. We then went back to the campsite to hang out and snorkel until dinner. I went snorkeling out to the little island just off of the beach of our campsite with Holly and Doug. It was really fun, but on the way back we decided to race to shore. I began to pull out in front of them, or so I thought. I was feeling really good about myself until I came up from the water to see where I was in regards to the shore and saw that the waves that day had caused me to drift far to the left and I was neither in the lead nor anywhere near the shore! Panic-stricken, I began to swim back to the right towards the shore, but after about a minute, my legs cramped up because I had been swimming my fastest the whole time. I got really scared because I was still in the deep part where I couldn’t touch and I didn’t seem to have enough energy to get back. In an effort to stay afloat as I felt myself sinking, I kicked off my flippers because I couldn’t kick anymore and I felt that they were weighing me down. Then, in a last minute effort to paddle with my arms and float the rest of the way back to shore, I prayed. Somehow I got back to shore where I just kind of collapsed in the shallow water. Of course, it didn’t seem right that I my flippers weren’t on. Holly and Doug had been back to shore for awhile, but they couldn’t see me when I was having trouble. When I got back to shore, they offered to go look for my flippers, but they were nowhere to be found. It was okay though, I was just happy to be back. Lesson learned: constantly be checking the direction you’re swimming on days when there are waves.
Tonight we had the pleasure of going to the house of some of the kids we had at VBS this week for dinner. The kids’ names were Jessica and Christian and they were in the younger group of kids. We had a great time eating with them and just fellowshipping with each other and the other adults there. After we ate, the kids invited us to go swimming with them in their pool and as soon as we got in, the kids all cannon-balled in as well. The guys in our group took turns throwing the kids high into the air which they absolutely loved. At one point, the dog jumped in and began swimming around and coming up behind people and scaring them. I’m so glad we had that time to just hang out with the kids a little bit more before heading home. It was a great way to end the day.
I felt like the last day of VBS was a great success. Even though most of us were quite exhausted from the week’s work, we pulled together as a group and showed the kids God’s love to our fullest extent. At the end of VBS, we invited a few of the older kids to eat sandwiches with us. We had a fun time just joking around with them as well as each other. We then went back to the campsite to hang out and snorkel until dinner. I went snorkeling out to the little island just off of the beach of our campsite with Holly and Doug. It was really fun, but on the way back we decided to race to shore. I began to pull out in front of them, or so I thought. I was feeling really good about myself until I came up from the water to see where I was in regards to the shore and saw that the waves that day had caused me to drift far to the left and I was neither in the lead nor anywhere near the shore! Panic-stricken, I began to swim back to the right towards the shore, but after about a minute, my legs cramped up because I had been swimming my fastest the whole time. I got really scared because I was still in the deep part where I couldn’t touch and I didn’t seem to have enough energy to get back. In an effort to stay afloat as I felt myself sinking, I kicked off my flippers because I couldn’t kick anymore and I felt that they were weighing me down. Then, in a last minute effort to paddle with my arms and float the rest of the way back to shore, I prayed. Somehow I got back to shore where I just kind of collapsed in the shallow water. Of course, it didn’t seem right that I my flippers weren’t on. Holly and Doug had been back to shore for awhile, but they couldn’t see me when I was having trouble. When I got back to shore, they offered to go look for my flippers, but they were nowhere to be found. It was okay though, I was just happy to be back. Lesson learned: constantly be checking the direction you’re swimming on days when there are waves.
Tonight we had the pleasure of going to the house of some of the kids we had at VBS this week for dinner. The kids’ names were Jessica and Christian and they were in the younger group of kids. We had a great time eating with them and just fellowshipping with each other and the other adults there. After we ate, the kids invited us to go swimming with them in their pool and as soon as we got in, the kids all cannon-balled in as well. The guys in our group took turns throwing the kids high into the air which they absolutely loved. At one point, the dog jumped in and began swimming around and coming up behind people and scaring them. I’m so glad we had that time to just hang out with the kids a little bit more before heading home. It was a great way to end the day.
Steph - Day 7
Today was our last day of VBS. It’s been seriously the best week of my life. It was very bittersweet when it all wound down today. The schedule for the day from 9-12 was the same as always but the ending was much different. We ended and as I looked around we all just seemed kind of down. I know Holly and Anna especially were down. The one thing I did appreciate by watching them was seeing what a heart they had for those kids and the love they have for St. John. We finished up and got to eat lunch with Kenesia, Shawana, Tyler, Othniel, Kevaughn, and Kemuel. It was really nice to sit down and share a meal with them. Afterwards we all kind of hung around for a while and cleaned everything up and were ready to go and get some time on the beach. While we waited to leave I got to hangout with Kenesia and all of them and that was really neat for me. They made me feel very loved and comfortable this week and I thank them so much for that. Kevaughn came up to me and his first question was,”So you’ll be back next year, right?” I was at a loss of words and just said yeah, well, maybe, probably, I’m not sure. Ah it was hard to know what to say because after doing this once, I am more than ready to go back. I just feel like it’s unfinished and that we need to go back. Who knows what the future holds, but I’ll find peace in whatever God has in store. We sat around as they kept trying to think of jokes and stuff and were asking me to be friends with them on facebook, and that they had looked for me on facebook but thought my last name was Turtle so they couldn’t find me which I thought was funny and sweet. After we said our good byes we headed back to go to the beach for a bit before we went over to this lady’s house that had 3 children in VBS this past week. We all hung out on the beach for a bit when we got back and then threw on a cover up and were off to have a BBQ. We got there and the house was on this beautiful patch of land and they had this awesome pool and it was just great in general to be in a house considering we had been on camping grounds all week. It was just a really cool setting, the inside had a couple of questionable statues and pictures haha but it was really pretty. Everyone was so sweet and nice there and it was fun to see a couple of the younger kids again. Everyone has just gotten so much closer and we get along as a whole so well. I love the feeling and sense of togetherness today has had to me and its been great. After dinner we went outside and got to swim around and hangout with everyone and that was fun. They guys kept throwing the kids around and they seemed to love every second of it. Afterwards we were about to leave and another comment was made about us coming back next year. That was probably the 5th or 6th time someone had mentioned that and none of us know how to respond except for, “yeah, see ya next year.” We got back to camp and it was off to our group time on the beach again. Once again it’s just really cool to be able to recap on the day and even though it was a bittersweet one, it was amazing just as the whole week has been. It couldn’t have gone better and I thank god everyday for blessing me with the opportunity to come down here. Now it’s time to rest up and get up for our day of fun! I’m so excited and I think it’s a well deserved little break and I thank god for us to be able to sit back tomorrow and look at the beautiful place he’s created for us to be able to enjoy.
Stephanie Tuttle
Stephanie Tuttle
Anna - Day 7
Today was the last day of VBS. I can’t believe it is already over. I’ve had so much fun with the kids, singing, dancing, playing, and just hanging out. I’ve really enjoyed getting to lead the VBS songs with Holly and getting to watch the kids participate. I’m sad to be done, because I know I will miss the kids lots and lots. Many of them have impacted me and taught me things about children I didn’t really think about before. Just smiling and giving a hug to a child can truly brighten his or her entire attitude. I know that many came to Christ this week, and I want to continue praying for these children. Lots of awesome conversations with us and with parents have occurred, and I’m excited about what the Lord has planned for each of the kids we interacted with this week.
Tonight we went to the house of one of the families we’ve been interacted with this week at VBS. Jessica and Cristian were both in the younger kids class, and it was fun to go to their house to spend time with them after a long week. Some of the other kids from VBS were there too, and they were just fun to hang out with. We got to swim in their outdoor pool, which was really relaxing, until all of the kids came in. But that’s ok. It was good to get to say goodbye to those kids differently, because most of the ones that were there, I grew to know and love during VBS. It was so sweet of the families to cook us dinner and to have us over to their home. We really appreciated everything they had done for us, and they said they had really appreciated everything we had done for their kids the past week. It was a great ending to a last day of VBS.
Speaking of lasts, as I’ve sort of touched on before, this is my last college trip/ my last event as a “college” kid. This morning during our team worship time before VBS, John took the time to individually pray over each of us. For some reason it just hit me that I will no longer be a part of this ministry after this trip, and I lost it. Haha. Lots of tears, but I think it was something I was needing to let go of sometime this trip. John prayed for me as I venture into new things and that I will continue to seek the Lord in all I do. I’ve truly been blessed by John and Rene, this trip, and this ministry in general. We still have another full day here, which is good!
Today I was also blessed by three different beach walks I had. Rene and I took a walk along the beach this afternoon and just talked about future plans and what that looks like. It was good to just talk one-on-one with her, and I’m blessed by her investment in my life. Holly and I then went later in the afternoon, and it was good just to check on each other and know that both of us were doing well. Doug and I went on a walk tonight before our group meeting, and it was good just to talk about things that were going on and our favorite memories from this trip. I’m truly blessed by the friends I have on this trip, because they each know when to step in and make sure things are going well. God has filled my heart with lots of love and joy for the people on this trip, and it’s been great to hang out with each of them this week.
Tonight we went to the house of one of the families we’ve been interacted with this week at VBS. Jessica and Cristian were both in the younger kids class, and it was fun to go to their house to spend time with them after a long week. Some of the other kids from VBS were there too, and they were just fun to hang out with. We got to swim in their outdoor pool, which was really relaxing, until all of the kids came in. But that’s ok. It was good to get to say goodbye to those kids differently, because most of the ones that were there, I grew to know and love during VBS. It was so sweet of the families to cook us dinner and to have us over to their home. We really appreciated everything they had done for us, and they said they had really appreciated everything we had done for their kids the past week. It was a great ending to a last day of VBS.
Speaking of lasts, as I’ve sort of touched on before, this is my last college trip/ my last event as a “college” kid. This morning during our team worship time before VBS, John took the time to individually pray over each of us. For some reason it just hit me that I will no longer be a part of this ministry after this trip, and I lost it. Haha. Lots of tears, but I think it was something I was needing to let go of sometime this trip. John prayed for me as I venture into new things and that I will continue to seek the Lord in all I do. I’ve truly been blessed by John and Rene, this trip, and this ministry in general. We still have another full day here, which is good!
Today I was also blessed by three different beach walks I had. Rene and I took a walk along the beach this afternoon and just talked about future plans and what that looks like. It was good to just talk one-on-one with her, and I’m blessed by her investment in my life. Holly and I then went later in the afternoon, and it was good just to check on each other and know that both of us were doing well. Doug and I went on a walk tonight before our group meeting, and it was good just to talk about things that were going on and our favorite memories from this trip. I’m truly blessed by the friends I have on this trip, because they each know when to step in and make sure things are going well. God has filled my heart with lots of love and joy for the people on this trip, and it’s been great to hang out with each of them this week.
Kyle - Day 7
As we close out our last day of VBS I find myself saddened. It has been a pretty long and tiring week but I have really enjoyed the time I have been able to spend with the kids and our group. Today was pretty special for us because a group of about 6 of the youth ate lunch with us at the church. I didn’t really know them all that well, but it was pretty cool to see the interaction between them and people that have come back year after year. We went back to our camp site for a while after lunch and just spent a couple hours enjoying the beach before we went to dinner at one of the kids houses. One of the boy’s parents from the youth named Christian invited us over for a relaxing swim and dinner. Although the pool was very relaxing, it was also short lived. About 5 or 6 of the kids from the youth came splashing into the pool. What we thought would be a time to relax and enjoy the night turned into another day of VBS. It was actually pretty fun though being able to rough house with some of the boys and just enjoy the last little bit of time we had with the.
Allie - Day 7
Last Day of VBS…but what a day to go out on. The kids loved it, they memorized their verses and sang the songs and did all the motions and took pictures with us and hugged us all goodbye. It was really emotional for some, but I was happy with what God had done through us on this trip. We ate lunch with the Bailey’s, which was so so fun. Then we cleaned everything up, put it all away, and left for some shopping!
Unfortunately, when I took my wallet out to pay for what I wanted, I realized that there was nothing in it. Someone had cleaned it out. The worst part of it was that the only time my backpack was unattended was during VBS. But I guess whoever took it needed it more than I did! Luckily Jared was with me, and he cheered me up and bought what I had with me. It’s a bummer, but it happens. Oh well!
After shopping we headed to the beach; I was so glad to have that time to relax and wind down. That night for dinner we got to go to Cristian and Jessica’s house, two of the kids who go to VBS regularly with us. Their house was ridiculous. We swam in their pool, played with their kids, and ate awesome barbecue. The kids were so crazy, they actually behaved better for us during VBS! It was fun to be around them for a last night though. The boys had fun throwing the kids around in the pool, and the kids just loved climbing all over them.
The night ended fairly early, with the idea of not having to wake up until 9 in the morning. Oh my goodness what a sleep, I’m so excited.
Unfortunately, when I took my wallet out to pay for what I wanted, I realized that there was nothing in it. Someone had cleaned it out. The worst part of it was that the only time my backpack was unattended was during VBS. But I guess whoever took it needed it more than I did! Luckily Jared was with me, and he cheered me up and bought what I had with me. It’s a bummer, but it happens. Oh well!
After shopping we headed to the beach; I was so glad to have that time to relax and wind down. That night for dinner we got to go to Cristian and Jessica’s house, two of the kids who go to VBS regularly with us. Their house was ridiculous. We swam in their pool, played with their kids, and ate awesome barbecue. The kids were so crazy, they actually behaved better for us during VBS! It was fun to be around them for a last night though. The boys had fun throwing the kids around in the pool, and the kids just loved climbing all over them.
The night ended fairly early, with the idea of not having to wake up until 9 in the morning. Oh my goodness what a sleep, I’m so excited.
Holly - Day 7
Friday
Lots of hugs got me through today. Sometimes that is really all you need. I had an extremely difficult time with the last day of VBS. Over the past four years, I have really gotten to know many of the kids. My day began when Mekala ran up to me with one of her friends that she had brought. She gave me a big hug and then whispered to her friend, “This is her. This is Holly.” I was so touched by this moment and it made me believe that I had made a difference..and even if she was the only one- it meant something to her that I was here this week. All day long, people on the island were talking about how much they appreciate our consistency and how they can’t wait to see us next year. I know that change is needed, and happening whether I like it or not, but the people here have truly been impacted by our group. As much as I have loved serving and giving here, this island has impacted me too. Each year I have come, this week has challenged, surprised, and changed me in one way or another. I am a totally different person than I was four years ago when I first came. Peter said it perfectly, “I am not sure I am done with this island yet, and I am not sure that it is done with me.” I feel the exact same way.
This week I have begun to realize a few of my priorities that need to change when I return home. I am still sorting through some of that.
We ate dinner with some of the families from VBS. It was such a blessing to spend time in a home and fellowship with them and each other. The kids were out of control..which was hilarious. They kept us fully entertained during dinner and afterwards when we went swimming! Amazing how just getting the chance to play this week has been so reviving.
I got the opportunity to spend some time with just John and Rene’, which I was very grateful for after such an emotional day. They have influenced me in so many ways. Not only did they welcome me with open arms from the first time I met them, they have been a consistent part of my college experience. I know that I always have them to call when I need something and they created a group that people like me can return to when we are home from school. I just can’t put into words how much it means to me that they would love us all so much to give such an abundance of their time, energy, and love for the past 12 years.
Favorite moments of Day 7
John praying over us each before VBS
Snorkeling with Doug and Julie
Walk on beach with Anna
Late night beach talk with Anna and Peter
Shopping and smoothies
Last time we sang Boomerang Express
Lots of hugs got me through today. Sometimes that is really all you need. I had an extremely difficult time with the last day of VBS. Over the past four years, I have really gotten to know many of the kids. My day began when Mekala ran up to me with one of her friends that she had brought. She gave me a big hug and then whispered to her friend, “This is her. This is Holly.” I was so touched by this moment and it made me believe that I had made a difference..and even if she was the only one- it meant something to her that I was here this week. All day long, people on the island were talking about how much they appreciate our consistency and how they can’t wait to see us next year. I know that change is needed, and happening whether I like it or not, but the people here have truly been impacted by our group. As much as I have loved serving and giving here, this island has impacted me too. Each year I have come, this week has challenged, surprised, and changed me in one way or another. I am a totally different person than I was four years ago when I first came. Peter said it perfectly, “I am not sure I am done with this island yet, and I am not sure that it is done with me.” I feel the exact same way.
This week I have begun to realize a few of my priorities that need to change when I return home. I am still sorting through some of that.
We ate dinner with some of the families from VBS. It was such a blessing to spend time in a home and fellowship with them and each other. The kids were out of control..which was hilarious. They kept us fully entertained during dinner and afterwards when we went swimming! Amazing how just getting the chance to play this week has been so reviving.
I got the opportunity to spend some time with just John and Rene’, which I was very grateful for after such an emotional day. They have influenced me in so many ways. Not only did they welcome me with open arms from the first time I met them, they have been a consistent part of my college experience. I know that I always have them to call when I need something and they created a group that people like me can return to when we are home from school. I just can’t put into words how much it means to me that they would love us all so much to give such an abundance of their time, energy, and love for the past 12 years.
Favorite moments of Day 7
John praying over us each before VBS
Snorkeling with Doug and Julie
Walk on beach with Anna
Late night beach talk with Anna and Peter
Shopping and smoothies
Last time we sang Boomerang Express
Jared - Day 7
Today was the last day of VBS, and it was a great day! Troy taught the big kids group and I was very proud of him. Troy is one of my best friends and I have had the great pleasure of growing up with him and also watching him grow. We had a great time, and had lunch with some of the kids afterwards. In the afternoon we got to go shopping for a little bit and then go hang out at the beach. I don’t know why, but I was in a weird mood today. I have had a great week and it has all gone very well. I guess God has been challenging me and growing me through this trip and I am having to deal with – and this sounds silly because I have been teaching this stupid VBS like 3 times already – but I have to come to terms with the fact that I can in fact do all things through Christ who strengthens me. Sometimes I get these ideas of what God is going to do in my life and it scares me, but I need to have courage and run head-first into whatever it is He shows me. This week has been great and I am looking forward to a relaxing day of fun and getting home!
Troy - Day 7
Day 7
Today was are last dAY of vbs. I expected to have a sense of completion but instead I am left with a sense of unfinished work. I am going to be back on this island. After vbs I prayed over different parts of the church and just fealty really called to come back to this island. I don’t know if it will be with the college ministry or not but I have to come back there is still to much work to do on this island. I am so thankful to have been on this e people on this trip are such an amazing group of people that I will woefully inadequate sometimes but I am so glad I got to be a part of this amazing team. I will be never be the same after this trip. I am motivated to try harder by the group I am here with. And I can’t wait for another opportunity to serve.
Today was are last dAY of vbs. I expected to have a sense of completion but instead I am left with a sense of unfinished work. I am going to be back on this island. After vbs I prayed over different parts of the church and just fealty really called to come back to this island. I don’t know if it will be with the college ministry or not but I have to come back there is still to much work to do on this island. I am so thankful to have been on this e people on this trip are such an amazing group of people that I will woefully inadequate sometimes but I am so glad I got to be a part of this amazing team. I will be never be the same after this trip. I am motivated to try harder by the group I am here with. And I can’t wait for another opportunity to serve.
Jared - Day 6
This week if flying by! I can’t believe after today there is only one more day of VBS! We were sitting at lunch today and this lady who was with us who prayed for our last day of VBS tomorrow and I was like “WOAH! Dang! There’s only one day of VBS left!?”
Anyway, today was awesome, per the trend of awesomeness that has emerged this week… Jeff was gone today which took away some awesomeness, but we still survived. Julie taught our group this morning at VBS and she did a great job! During craft time I went around doing card tricks for some of the kids and they eventually called me demon-possessed when I levitated in the hallway, although I assured them I was not. Then Devon spent the rest of the afternoon standing in the spots I stood in when I levitated just closing his eyes and then opening them and asking if he was levitating!
Today we ate lunch with the lieutenant governor – well not even him but his assistants – at the Westin. Lunch there was amazing as usual and we then had to, sadly, continue painting after the amazing lunch. I really enjoyed painting. As I wrote yesterday, there is just something cleansing and refreshing about hard work, and today was definitely hard work. It was pretty much all ladder work, and I was very thankful that I got to do some work today. After we finished up the painting we headed back to the camp site and myself and a few of the guys went out to the ocean to wash off the paint and we got to witness a wedding on the beach, it was pretty cool. John and Peter swam out and got in their wedding pictures while Troy and Doug wrestled in the water 100 feet away, it was how everyone would want their romantic St. John wedding.
Tonight at Coral Bay Baptist worship was awesome. Steph shared her testimony and it was really interesting! I didn’t know her story before tonight and I’m really thankful that I got to hear it. John delivered a great sermon and we ate dinner tonight at Island Blues.
Allie just betrayed me!!!
She picked up my train whistle out of my backpack and threw it to Holly! This betrayal will not go unanswered. Mark my words!!!!!!!!
P.S. For all of you who are confused, all the guys this week have been blowing the train whistles every time we hear the words “Boomerang Express”, and its driving the girls crazy, Holly and Anna in particular. Well, I thought Allie was on my, i.e. the guys side, but apparently she defected and now we have to make up lost ground, i.e. lost whistle.
Anyway, today was awesome, per the trend of awesomeness that has emerged this week… Jeff was gone today which took away some awesomeness, but we still survived. Julie taught our group this morning at VBS and she did a great job! During craft time I went around doing card tricks for some of the kids and they eventually called me demon-possessed when I levitated in the hallway, although I assured them I was not. Then Devon spent the rest of the afternoon standing in the spots I stood in when I levitated just closing his eyes and then opening them and asking if he was levitating!
Today we ate lunch with the lieutenant governor – well not even him but his assistants – at the Westin. Lunch there was amazing as usual and we then had to, sadly, continue painting after the amazing lunch. I really enjoyed painting. As I wrote yesterday, there is just something cleansing and refreshing about hard work, and today was definitely hard work. It was pretty much all ladder work, and I was very thankful that I got to do some work today. After we finished up the painting we headed back to the camp site and myself and a few of the guys went out to the ocean to wash off the paint and we got to witness a wedding on the beach, it was pretty cool. John and Peter swam out and got in their wedding pictures while Troy and Doug wrestled in the water 100 feet away, it was how everyone would want their romantic St. John wedding.
Tonight at Coral Bay Baptist worship was awesome. Steph shared her testimony and it was really interesting! I didn’t know her story before tonight and I’m really thankful that I got to hear it. John delivered a great sermon and we ate dinner tonight at Island Blues.
Allie just betrayed me!!!
She picked up my train whistle out of my backpack and threw it to Holly! This betrayal will not go unanswered. Mark my words!!!!!!!!
P.S. For all of you who are confused, all the guys this week have been blowing the train whistles every time we hear the words “Boomerang Express”, and its driving the girls crazy, Holly and Anna in particular. Well, I thought Allie was on my, i.e. the guys side, but apparently she defected and now we have to make up lost ground, i.e. lost whistle.
Julie - Day 6
The morning was quite interesting, as it began when I awoke to find a spider crawling on my arm! Then we went to the church to have a group worship time together before all the kids got there. John encouraged us to continue to be energetic and love on the kids, especially the ones that misbehaved and frustrated us. I needed to hear those words because I can definitely admit that there have been a few kids that have driven me nuts this week.
Today in the older kids’ group, it was my day to teach the lesson which was about serving. I told them the story found in John 21 about Jesus speaking to Peter and the other fishermen and telling them to cast their nets again even though they had been fishing all day and hadn’t caught anything. After they were obedient, their nets were so full that they couldn’t even lift them! When they sailed into the shore, Jesus was waiting for them there and had prepared breakfast for them. This is when Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him (Jesus). Every time that Peter answered, “Yes, Lord. You know I love you,” Jesus gave him a command such as feeding His lambs or sheparding His sheep. I explained to the kids that Jesus was trying to give Peter examples of how he could serve because he loved Jesus and Jesus had first served them. I really liked teaching this lesson because one of the verses in the passage reminded me how I should be serving as a college student. John 21:18 says, “Now when you were young, you went and did as you pleased. But as you grow old, you will start to let others direct your paths and you seek to serve them”. It is a reminder that as we grow spiritually as well as physically, we will gradually think less and less about our own needs, and more about the needs of others around us. It is the example that Jesus set for us by coming to us as a man and serving on this earth, even though He did not need to.
After VBS, we had a wonderful lunch at the Westin Resort, followed by painting the finishing touches on the Recreation Center. It looked great when we were done. The evening was spent at Coral Bay Baptist Church where we led the music and John preached possibly his last sermon in St. John. It didn’t really occur to me at the time, but I started thinking about how happy and proud he must be to have had seven consecutive years to come to this beautiful island and invest in the people here. It makes me hope that I can make a connection like that somewhere in the world where I can go and serve annually and build relationships like he has on this island. I was also very proud of Stephanie tonight because she gave her testimony for the first time, and the other girls and I had prayed for her before we got there. It was extra special for me to see her say it in front of this congregation because it was at this same church that I gave my testimony for the first time last year. We ate dinner after the service at this little place on the river called Island Blues. There was live music playing when we got there which gave us the idea that someone in our group should go up there with our guitar and play something. So naturally, Doug said he would do it. When we had finished eating, he went up to the stage and played a few country songs. Of course all the people at the bar loudly sang along and our group applauded. It was an experience I will never forget. The day ended with our group meeting on the beach and a few stayed afterwards to swim in the ocean until about midnight. It was so peaceful, and we just floated around and laughed and told stories. Then, it was to bed for me to get ready for the final day of VBS : ( .
Today in the older kids’ group, it was my day to teach the lesson which was about serving. I told them the story found in John 21 about Jesus speaking to Peter and the other fishermen and telling them to cast their nets again even though they had been fishing all day and hadn’t caught anything. After they were obedient, their nets were so full that they couldn’t even lift them! When they sailed into the shore, Jesus was waiting for them there and had prepared breakfast for them. This is when Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved Him (Jesus). Every time that Peter answered, “Yes, Lord. You know I love you,” Jesus gave him a command such as feeding His lambs or sheparding His sheep. I explained to the kids that Jesus was trying to give Peter examples of how he could serve because he loved Jesus and Jesus had first served them. I really liked teaching this lesson because one of the verses in the passage reminded me how I should be serving as a college student. John 21:18 says, “Now when you were young, you went and did as you pleased. But as you grow old, you will start to let others direct your paths and you seek to serve them”. It is a reminder that as we grow spiritually as well as physically, we will gradually think less and less about our own needs, and more about the needs of others around us. It is the example that Jesus set for us by coming to us as a man and serving on this earth, even though He did not need to.
After VBS, we had a wonderful lunch at the Westin Resort, followed by painting the finishing touches on the Recreation Center. It looked great when we were done. The evening was spent at Coral Bay Baptist Church where we led the music and John preached possibly his last sermon in St. John. It didn’t really occur to me at the time, but I started thinking about how happy and proud he must be to have had seven consecutive years to come to this beautiful island and invest in the people here. It makes me hope that I can make a connection like that somewhere in the world where I can go and serve annually and build relationships like he has on this island. I was also very proud of Stephanie tonight because she gave her testimony for the first time, and the other girls and I had prayed for her before we got there. It was extra special for me to see her say it in front of this congregation because it was at this same church that I gave my testimony for the first time last year. We ate dinner after the service at this little place on the river called Island Blues. There was live music playing when we got there which gave us the idea that someone in our group should go up there with our guitar and play something. So naturally, Doug said he would do it. When we had finished eating, he went up to the stage and played a few country songs. Of course all the people at the bar loudly sang along and our group applauded. It was an experience I will never forget. The day ended with our group meeting on the beach and a few stayed afterwards to swim in the ocean until about midnight. It was so peaceful, and we just floated around and laughed and told stories. Then, it was to bed for me to get ready for the final day of VBS : ( .
Troy - Day 6
Today was are first day with out Jeff which was sad. We had vbs this morning and the kids where crazy but still so lovable. In the afternoon we finished up are service project it felt so good to complete it. It really gave me a sense of accomplishment. After that a quick trip to the ocean where we witnessed a beautiful beach wedding we showered and headed off to worship and the first church ever started in the Caribbean. It was amazing doug leading worship was so powerfully and anan and holly sounded so good with the music they did. John gave another great sermon but sadly his last as collage minister. I am really going to miss him after worship we stopped at this little dive bar restaurant bar call island blues. Happened to be open mike night so after some encouragement from the group doug went open and sang4 songs that sounded like pure country gold. He is so talented I fully expect tobe buying his album some day. After that it was back to the beach for group meeting always one of my favorite parts of the day. Aftr that we swam. It fealt good in the ocean at night. Torti told a story we had a giant group hug in the ocean and snag hacuna matata. It was such a great day today I r]felt closer to the group then ever before. Its realy starting to feal like I am apart of something special . I feal so blessed to be here with such an amazing group of people. I am so excited to see the amazing places god takes this incredible group of peoplr.
Doug - Day 6
This morning we did our usual breakfast and group worship time, and as usual it was great. After worship time we had VBS. I am working with the older kids group and there is one little girl named Shevon who has an awesome passion for God. Every day we introduce a memory verse to the kids that they are supposed to have memorized by the end of the day. By the time we have left large group to go to our small groups, Shevon has had the verse memorized perfectly and is eager to tell it to anyone who will listen. It is so awesome!
We finished painting today, and the Parks and Rec. building looks great! We have such a great team of workers!
Later tonight we led a worship service at Calvary Baptist Church and it was a truly worshipful experience. The previous two worship services this week have been good, but the worship service tonight was completely unlike the others. Tonight it felt so much more like we were worshipping with them, rather than putting on a worship service for them. The congregation was so into it, which in turn made us all really into it. It was great!
After the service we went to dinner…where it happened to be open mic night. After we finished eating the owner of the place announced over the microphone that it was open mic night and that anyone who wanted to play should come on up…and so after our group started chanting DOUG! DOUG! DOUG! Etc... and the rest of the restaurant chanted DOUG? DOUG? DOUG? etc…I got up there. Sitting up there with a guitar and a microphone was great. It was so much fun, and to have our group and the rest of the place really into it was awesome. I love music!
Another awesome group meeting on the beach, and a night swim in the ocean, and it was off to bed. Tomorrow is the last day of VBS and I have very mixed emotions about it. On one hand, I am glad that hard work is paying off and on the other hand I am sad to see it go and to have to say goodbye to the kids. That however is tomorrow, so lets worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.
We finished painting today, and the Parks and Rec. building looks great! We have such a great team of workers!
Later tonight we led a worship service at Calvary Baptist Church and it was a truly worshipful experience. The previous two worship services this week have been good, but the worship service tonight was completely unlike the others. Tonight it felt so much more like we were worshipping with them, rather than putting on a worship service for them. The congregation was so into it, which in turn made us all really into it. It was great!
After the service we went to dinner…where it happened to be open mic night. After we finished eating the owner of the place announced over the microphone that it was open mic night and that anyone who wanted to play should come on up…and so after our group started chanting DOUG! DOUG! DOUG! Etc... and the rest of the restaurant chanted DOUG? DOUG? DOUG? etc…I got up there. Sitting up there with a guitar and a microphone was great. It was so much fun, and to have our group and the rest of the place really into it was awesome. I love music!
Another awesome group meeting on the beach, and a night swim in the ocean, and it was off to bed. Tomorrow is the last day of VBS and I have very mixed emotions about it. On one hand, I am glad that hard work is paying off and on the other hand I am sad to see it go and to have to say goodbye to the kids. That however is tomorrow, so lets worry about tomorrow, tomorrow.
Allie - Day 6
Woke up late today, so jumped in for a quick shower and sped off to VBS! Despite the quick wake up, the day went so smoothly. I love love love these kids that come hang out with us, they are so precious. Kaleya was a handful today, as always. We promised her a treat if she behaved the whole day…which she didn’t do…but she got a treat anyway J
Peter did an awesome job teaching, the kids actually listened again! I spent a lot of time chasing after Kaleya, learning her songs that go something like this:
“What’s that? That’s a fish.
What’s that? That’s a fish.
What’s that? That’s a fish!
I love fish.”
Needless to say, I learned an awesome song. Then she taught me some ballerina dance moves. We drew sunflower kittens (whatever those are) with sidewalk chalk, too. We had fun, the kids listened, and as far as I know they are coming back tomorrow!
We ate lunch at the Weston, went back and painted a little bit more, which was tedious but we finished! Good news. After we painted, we went back and showered, then headed to Coral Bay Baptist Church to lead the church service. Worship was awesome tonight; the church worshipped with us instead of us putting on a show for them. I enjoyed it very much. However, this particular church is not air conditioned….so I think some of us in the back almost fell asleep. But not due to John’s sermon, which was awesome as always.
Girl jeep on the way back!! Ah, I love the girl jeep. Me, Holly, Anna, Steph, and Julie jam out to some old school Will Smith, N’sync, Destiny’s Child….you know, the good stuff. We had our usual meeting on the beach, then everyone jumped in the ocean for a night swim. I had to be convinced to dunk under the water, considering it was absolutely freezing in the water…that was such a bad plan. I shivered for most of the time we were in there, but it’s okay, it was an experience J Kyle told us a bedtime story while we were out there, and then we had a group ocean hug, haha. I love this group, we really are a family.
Last day of VBS is tomorrow….I’m sad, yes, but mostly anticipating what opportunities await us.
Peter did an awesome job teaching, the kids actually listened again! I spent a lot of time chasing after Kaleya, learning her songs that go something like this:
“What’s that? That’s a fish.
What’s that? That’s a fish.
What’s that? That’s a fish!
I love fish.”
Needless to say, I learned an awesome song. Then she taught me some ballerina dance moves. We drew sunflower kittens (whatever those are) with sidewalk chalk, too. We had fun, the kids listened, and as far as I know they are coming back tomorrow!
We ate lunch at the Weston, went back and painted a little bit more, which was tedious but we finished! Good news. After we painted, we went back and showered, then headed to Coral Bay Baptist Church to lead the church service. Worship was awesome tonight; the church worshipped with us instead of us putting on a show for them. I enjoyed it very much. However, this particular church is not air conditioned….so I think some of us in the back almost fell asleep. But not due to John’s sermon, which was awesome as always.
Girl jeep on the way back!! Ah, I love the girl jeep. Me, Holly, Anna, Steph, and Julie jam out to some old school Will Smith, N’sync, Destiny’s Child….you know, the good stuff. We had our usual meeting on the beach, then everyone jumped in the ocean for a night swim. I had to be convinced to dunk under the water, considering it was absolutely freezing in the water…that was such a bad plan. I shivered for most of the time we were in there, but it’s okay, it was an experience J Kyle told us a bedtime story while we were out there, and then we had a group ocean hug, haha. I love this group, we really are a family.
Last day of VBS is tomorrow….I’m sad, yes, but mostly anticipating what opportunities await us.
Holly - Day 6
I got a little frustrated today at VBS. I hate getting frustrated. I got frustrated with a couple of the unruly children and with myself for not being better at entertaining/keeping their attention and for not being more patient. Pray that God blesses us and them in our last day of VBS tomorrow. I will be really sad to leave them knowing that it will probably be the last time I’ll ever see them. I want to give as much as I possibly can on our last day with them. I know I just need to trust that God has used us to plant some seeds and show them even a glimpse of the love of Christ. Doug did a fabulous job stepping up to help lead morning VBS worship with us. We missed Jeff all day of course..but we are taking Koala Jeff with us everywhere we go . I was SO proud of Stephanie giving her testimony tonight. I know she was a little nervous doing it for the first time, but she spoke beautifully and I know God used her story to impact us all. I was so proud!! I also just want to reiterate how incredible each person on this trip is. I have enjoyed the girls so much, even though we are outnumbered, and the boys are so great. They are all such gentlemen. Anna and I were talking about how wonderful it is being around such Godly men. They are hard to come by these days, and having such good friends that are guys as an example of what we should be looking for gives us hope that they still exist. We had dinner at Island Blues, overlooking the water. Doug is practically famous now. As dinner came to a close, the guy in charge of open mike night asked if anyone wanted to sing, and of course, our group started chanting, “Doug! Doug! Doug!” The rest of the restaurant then proceeded to shout, “Doug! Doug! Doug!” So, he went up and performed a few songs. He has so much talent and I know he will continue to use it to glorify God. We were all proud of him and had a blast! We needed the night with another group meeting and night swim : ) Kyle told us an awesome bedtime story, which we get to hear the sequel to tomorrow!
Favorite moments in Day 6
Four square
Stealing away the boys whistles (The boys have decided to blow their train whistles every time anyone says “Boomerang Express”) …even though they found them again : (
Singing “Begin with Me” with Anna and Doug on guitar
Praying with all the girls on our jeep ride
Hearing Steph give her testimony
Finishing the painting at the Parks and Rec Center- quality time with Peter and Kyle while I was holding their ladder, seeing the team work together to finish the job, and playing 2 truths and a lie..I like to learn new things about people!
Westin- delicious food and air conditioning
Girls jeep!! YAY JEEPS!
Story time with Kyle
Doug singing at open mike night
Group hug- ha awkward but hilarious
Favorite moments in Day 6
Four square
Stealing away the boys whistles (The boys have decided to blow their train whistles every time anyone says “Boomerang Express”) …even though they found them again : (
Singing “Begin with Me” with Anna and Doug on guitar
Praying with all the girls on our jeep ride
Hearing Steph give her testimony
Finishing the painting at the Parks and Rec Center- quality time with Peter and Kyle while I was holding their ladder, seeing the team work together to finish the job, and playing 2 truths and a lie..I like to learn new things about people!
Westin- delicious food and air conditioning
Girls jeep!! YAY JEEPS!
Story time with Kyle
Doug singing at open mike night
Group hug- ha awkward but hilarious
Kyle - Day 6
Today was basically like all the other days this week but with a few differences. In the morning we had our VBS of course and it went pretty much like all the other days, between playing games with kids, teaching them lessons about the Bible, and just plain loving on them. After VBS though we were privileged to eat lunch at The Westin with the Lieutenant Governor of St John. We went over to The Westin (which had AC) and when we got there they had prepared a buffet for us. The food was absolutely awesome but it made us so tired from being full and completely cooled off. Our rest had to be short lived though as we had to go back to our project site and finish up a little bit of painting. The rest of the painting didn’t take all that long considering we only had the top trim of the building left to do. When we finished we went back to our site to clean up so that we could go to one last service at a church that is the sister church of the one we have been going to all week. It was a pretty awesome experience because when we worship with this church we actually felt like we were worshiping with the church rather than just putting on a show for them. John’s sermon was once again awesome and I just thank God for giving him such great things to say to everyone. After service we went out to eat at a Restaurant called Island Blues. It was a lot of fun but the best part was when Doug went up and sang at the open mike for about 4 songs. We had a lot of fun watching him perform for us and watch as everyone else there enjoyed themselves. When we got back to the camp site we had our meeting on the beach like usual but after this a few of us decided to take a night swim. It was pretty cold but at the same time it was a lot of fun just relaxing and hanging out with each other. Today was an awesome day and I thank God for allowing everything to run so smoothly. I pray that as we go about our day tomorrow on our last day that we really get through to the kids and show them what it’s like to be a Christian.
Hunter - Day 6
Today was planned to be longer than usual. VBS in the morning…Lunch at the Westin (A resort)…finish painting the parks and recreation building…evening service at Calvary Baptist… and dinner. VBS flew by rather quickly. The kids seemed to be more “rowdy” than usual. Peter really stepped up and knocked his lesson out of the park. He’s always willing to do things that may be out of his comfort zone. After VBS, we had lunch provided for us by the Lieutenant Governor of the Virgin Islands for our painting on the island. It was held at the Westin, the local resort for tourist to be secluded from the rest of the island. We ate the best cinnamon apple pie that I’ve ever had. We finished eating and headed to complete our project of painting. Only trim and high ladder worked was left for us. Tonight, we were responsible for the evening service at Calvary Baptist in Coral Bay. The service was very inspiring to say the least. Doug led an incredible time of worship followed by John’s final sermon/lesson given as the College Minister of Brentwood Baptist. I didn’t realize it until later at dinner. He preached the best I’ve ever heard of him. The next few days will be extremely tough for me and others. A new chapter in the college ministry is about to begin. Dinner was perfect. We stopped at a local burger restaurant and grill set off of the pier. As we ate, the water provided a great backdrop to another great day. Doug was even asking to play his guitar on the stage. I realize tonight the memories do not last forever. Please continue to pray for us. Friday and Saturday will primarily be focused on the group itself. We will spend a lot of time together. It’s finally touching base with me that John and Rene will no longer apart of Brentwood College. They hold a very special place in my heart. Blessings.
Anna - Day 6
Today has been the 4th day of VBS. I’ve really enjoyed getting to lead the VBS songs with Holly. “Workin’ On My Serve” was the song for today, and it’s my favorite song, so I was really excited to get to sing it today with the kids. I loved watching all of the kids dance and sing along with us. It’s so much fun to sing at the top of our lungs, praising Jesus, even if the kids we are working with aren’t really thinking of this as worship. I love seeing their joy and happiness as they sing with us. I’m truly blessed to be able to do watch them from the stage and to see each of the kids’ faces as we sing together. I can’t believe tomorrow is our last day of VBS. As tiring as it has been and as frustrating as the kids are at times, I know that I’m going to be really sad to leave and to finish VBS. I truly hope that the kids continue to let God work in their lives and that they continue to look for ways to serve the Lord and share their faith with the people they are around.
Today we had lunch at the Westin to honor our work we are doing in the community. It was fabulous! We had lots and lots of vegetables, which was a blessing. Haha. The food was wonderful and the company was wonderful. I loved lunch, and it was a much needed restful and relaxing time. We finished painting today after lunch. The building really looks great, and it’s exciting to drive by and know that we worked hard to paint it. Holly and I were on brush cleaning service today, which gave us a chance just to talk about the day, which was much needed. I very much enjoy our conversations.
Tonight we led worship at Calvary Baptist at Coral Bay. I truly enjoyed worshipping with the people of this church. They just gave their all during the worship, and it was wonderful to sing and worship with this group of believers. There were lots of cute kids there tonight too, and I now have quite a few more pictures on my camera, taken by a few of the kids. Haha. It was fun just to hang out with them and to laugh with them.
After the worship service, we went to Island Blues, a local bar in Coral Bay for dinner. I got a crab cake sandwich, which was really tasty. It was open mic night at the bar, and Doug was coaxed to play. He ended up singing 4 songs, representing Nashville country singers well! Haha. It was fun to hear him play and to cheer loud for him. Our group was really supportive, which has been a normal thing on this trip. Later we had our meeting on the beach again, and then most of us went for a night swim. We had a great time just hanging out in the water, especially our huge group hug. I’ve truly enjoyed our time together, and I’m excited about the last couple of days here to hang out with each other.
Today we had lunch at the Westin to honor our work we are doing in the community. It was fabulous! We had lots and lots of vegetables, which was a blessing. Haha. The food was wonderful and the company was wonderful. I loved lunch, and it was a much needed restful and relaxing time. We finished painting today after lunch. The building really looks great, and it’s exciting to drive by and know that we worked hard to paint it. Holly and I were on brush cleaning service today, which gave us a chance just to talk about the day, which was much needed. I very much enjoy our conversations.
Tonight we led worship at Calvary Baptist at Coral Bay. I truly enjoyed worshipping with the people of this church. They just gave their all during the worship, and it was wonderful to sing and worship with this group of believers. There were lots of cute kids there tonight too, and I now have quite a few more pictures on my camera, taken by a few of the kids. Haha. It was fun just to hang out with them and to laugh with them.
After the worship service, we went to Island Blues, a local bar in Coral Bay for dinner. I got a crab cake sandwich, which was really tasty. It was open mic night at the bar, and Doug was coaxed to play. He ended up singing 4 songs, representing Nashville country singers well! Haha. It was fun to hear him play and to cheer loud for him. Our group was really supportive, which has been a normal thing on this trip. Later we had our meeting on the beach again, and then most of us went for a night swim. We had a great time just hanging out in the water, especially our huge group hug. I’ve truly enjoyed our time together, and I’m excited about the last couple of days here to hang out with each other.
Steph - Day 6
Well I finally got to give my testimony! It was such a relief to finally get to share it and that people actually seemed to enjoy it. I don’t even remember what I said haha. All I know is that I kept looking out and catching eye contact with 3 women in particular and I felt so comfortable up there which was unexpected for me. I’m not the best public speaker so I was pretty nervous about it. On the way to church Holly took the time to get all the girls to pray for me individually that it would go well and for God to give me the words to say and feel comfortable. It meant a lot and I really appreciated how great that made me feel. Overall today was just awesome. Same routine all over again. We had VBS and then finished up the painting and the rec center looks great! We got washed up and went to the other church and had the service, I did my testimony and it was off to dinner. At dinner doug ended up going on stage for open mic night and sang a couple of times. He did amazing! We were all cheering and the people kept asking for more! I finally got to talk to my mom and dad and that was really great to finally talk to them and also my sister. After dinner we headed back and had our circle/ meeting time on the beach with everyone and once again that was great having the recap of the day with everyone as always. Afterwards we had our night swim and that was fun. We had a big group hug which was pretty cool to have everyone just love on each other haha. But overall today was amazing. I feel so relieved to have gotten to share my testimony finally and I’m not nervous anymore and I’m just looking forward to tomorrow’s last day of VBS. I can’t believe tomorrow’s Friday, this week has gone by way to fast! It’s been one of the best weeks of my life and I know when I come home I’ll have a new perspective on a lot of things. I truly feel like I’ve changed coming here and it’s a great feeling! I can’t wait to see what the rest of the week brings!
Stephanie Tuttle
Stephanie Tuttle
Rene - Day 6
Thursday was a great day. My favorite day of the entire week so far. VBS went well, the students were in their usual greatness and did a great job with the children. Church was awesome. To save from boring you with verbosity, I’m just going to list a few highlights of today/from other days of the week that I’ve neglected to mention:
Each night we hook up the BBC college ministry power grid…..aka the extension cords that have made sleeping in 80 degree humid weather that is St. John that much more bearable.
Each night we also “borrow” several of the “mattresses” from neighboring tents. Our airmatress promptly went flat the very first night when I had the pleasure of enjoying a sleepless and uncomfortable nights sleep. I use the term “mattress” loosely because they are more like the two inch thick mats that preschoolers use at naptime at school.
We finally finished painting and oh was that sweet relief. Not only was the entire building in the full glory of the sun, but it was a metal building that reflected all that glorious sun. Lets just say it has been scorching hot painting and it was such a great sense of accomplishment to finish.
I did not like my “movie star” assignment with the “what movie star would most likely play you” game the students played while painting. Bonnie Hunt, really? Lets just say I’m boycotting that choice but have unsuccessfully come up with an alternative and I’m currently taking suggestions. Good suggestions, that is.
I’m continually amazed by the talent in this group. Anna, Holly, Doug and Jared did an awesome job of leading the music for the church service. John delivered a great sermon and I’m so proud of Steph for sharing her testimony. Many other students have been or currently are in her situation and it was refreshing to hear her story. She did a great job!!
Dinner was at Island Blues and lets just say it involved good food, good fellowship and good entertainment—provided by our own Doug Doug Dougie (as Celia Tate would say). He was a little nervous at first by did a great job at open mic night—and even got an offer for playing there next week. I do think his mama (and precious girlfriend) would be upset it that happened….
I miss my kids terribly and had a rough time talking with them because they started crying and then I started crying. There’s only so many times I can hear “mama can you come get me” and not have my heart break…..
All in all it was a great day and I’m anxious about tomorrow because it is our last day—in many ways. More to follow on that. Love to all. Know your kids are being cared for like they are my own. I often say the Lord didn’t bless me with a biological son because I have so many of them in the college ministry. I’m sad the week is coming to an end but look forward to each new day.
Each night we hook up the BBC college ministry power grid…..aka the extension cords that have made sleeping in 80 degree humid weather that is St. John that much more bearable.
Each night we also “borrow” several of the “mattresses” from neighboring tents. Our airmatress promptly went flat the very first night when I had the pleasure of enjoying a sleepless and uncomfortable nights sleep. I use the term “mattress” loosely because they are more like the two inch thick mats that preschoolers use at naptime at school.
We finally finished painting and oh was that sweet relief. Not only was the entire building in the full glory of the sun, but it was a metal building that reflected all that glorious sun. Lets just say it has been scorching hot painting and it was such a great sense of accomplishment to finish.
I did not like my “movie star” assignment with the “what movie star would most likely play you” game the students played while painting. Bonnie Hunt, really? Lets just say I’m boycotting that choice but have unsuccessfully come up with an alternative and I’m currently taking suggestions. Good suggestions, that is.
I’m continually amazed by the talent in this group. Anna, Holly, Doug and Jared did an awesome job of leading the music for the church service. John delivered a great sermon and I’m so proud of Steph for sharing her testimony. Many other students have been or currently are in her situation and it was refreshing to hear her story. She did a great job!!
Dinner was at Island Blues and lets just say it involved good food, good fellowship and good entertainment—provided by our own Doug Doug Dougie (as Celia Tate would say). He was a little nervous at first by did a great job at open mic night—and even got an offer for playing there next week. I do think his mama (and precious girlfriend) would be upset it that happened….
I miss my kids terribly and had a rough time talking with them because they started crying and then I started crying. There’s only so many times I can hear “mama can you come get me” and not have my heart break…..
All in all it was a great day and I’m anxious about tomorrow because it is our last day—in many ways. More to follow on that. Love to all. Know your kids are being cared for like they are my own. I often say the Lord didn’t bless me with a biological son because I have so many of them in the college ministry. I’m sad the week is coming to an end but look forward to each new day.
Kyle - Day 5
Wednesday has been the most tiring day of our week so far, but at the same time it has also been the most rewarding. Our day started out like every other day: getting dressed, going to the church and having our meeting/worship time, breakfast, and then VBS with the kids; but today something pretty awesome happened. We had planned for today to be our day to present the plan of salvation, so we did as planned. At the end of the lesson we had about 3 kids wanting to talk to us about Jesus and wanting to know more. Rene directed a young boy named Ronald my direction because he wanted to talk to a boy. Ronald told me that he had heard the salvation story before but wasn’t sure if he was a Christian or not. So I took him outside and talked to him and told him what it meant to be a Christian and how he could become one. He said he wanted to accept Jesus, so I prayed for him and then let him pray after me. After we prayed and he accepted Christ into his heart I took him inside and read him a few verses from the Bible. Before we went back out to recreation I told him he could have my Bible because he said he didn’t have one. At first he didn’t want to take it because he said his grandmother was going to get him one when she got the money. I told him that I had used the same Bible when I was younger and that I had another one so that he could take mine. When I told him this his face filled with joy and gladly took it with him. When we finished VBS we went back over to our project site to do some more painting. We stayed there for a couple hours, but still fell short of finishing. After painting we went back to the camp site to clean up before church. We had about an hour so most of us decided to walk over to the ocean for a little bit. While there Peter knocked down a coconut for us to eat. John worked on it for a while to get it open and once we did Peter, Jared, Julie, John, Jeff, and I drank the milk and ate the meat together. The coconut was absolutely delicious and so refreshing, and about an hour later we were at the church. Holly, Jeff, Jared, Doug, and Anna did an awesome job with the songs and with leading worship. John spoke about kindness after worship and a time of prayer. John did an awesome job with his sermon, even though he was speaking to the church; us students also took a lot away from it. When we got back to camp we had our meeting out on the beach like normal and talked about what was going on with our days. Since Jeff will be leaving in the morning we all decided to have a time to talk about Jeff and how he has impacted all of us individually. It was a great time being able to tell Jeff how much we loved him and how much he has meant to us over the past years. Like I said at the beginning, the day was very long and tiresome but at the same time it was very rewarding and just overall beautiful. It was awesome seeing Ronald talk about Christ and accept him, and then seeing him filled with joy when I gave him my Bible. I pray that we can see some of the same things in the next few days as we continue to talk with the kids
Julie - Day 5
I really enjoyed VBS today. Since today was the day that we were teaching the plan of salvation, we all started out the day by going into our classrooms and praying that the kids would be attentive and really hear the message we were trying to convey to them.
Then, when we went out to the playground to hang out with the kids until worship, I ended up finding Kaleya again. I sat and talked to her about Jesus and how He wanted to be her friend and take care of her. Her response to me was that she didn’t want her mother to die. I asked her what she meant by this and she told me that her mother had died already. I told her that I was very sorry to hear that, but I also told her that if her mother was friends with Jesus, that He was keeping her safe and that she was safe with Him in heaven. I told Kaleya that Jesus wanted to be her friend too and that she could talk to Him anywhere at any time. When I asked her if she wanted to talk to Jesus right now, she looked confused. “Is He here?” she asked. “Yes,” I replied. “Well is He over there?” she asked as she pointed across the playground. “Yes, He is over there too,” I told her, “He is so powerful that He can be anywhere at any time!” She didn’t seem to understand that, but then she questioned my statement by saying, “You mean like a grown-up?” I laughed slightly as I told her, “Even more powerful than a grown-up.” She said she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to talk to Jesus yet, but I told her that was okay. I just reminded her that whenever she was ready, she could simply close her eyes and talk to Him. She seemed to like that idea. We didn’t have any further conversation on the matter, but I have continued to pray for her and would encourage anyone who is reading this to do the same.
At the end of the day, we had three kids accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. It really touched my heart to walk around the church and see my friends in this college group praying with and talking to kids about what it means to become a Christian. After VBS, we headed to the community center to paint. We made more progress by the end of the day, but we still have a little more to do before the building is completed. Then, after we left the community center, I experienced one of my favorite things about St. John: eating a handpicked coconut. We had a little time on the beach before it was time for Wednesday night service, and while we were out there, Peter used a nearby branch to knock a coconut out of one of the trees that was on the shore at our campsite. It took John about 20 minutes to tear through the tough husk and break the shell, but it was totally worth it. There’s nothing like the taste of real coconut milk right off the tree. After that little treat, we had a night service at Cruz Bay Baptist Church and John preached about reaching out to people and not waiting around for the next person to do it. It was a great message not only for us college kids, but for the people at the church. Then we went to dinner at Morgan’s Mango and it was delicious. Our day ended with a group meeting on the beach where we all sat around Jeff and prayed for him because he was leaving the next day. I found that to be very powerful as I listened to each of us give him encouragement and praise for the Godly man that he has become. Then, it was off to bed to rest up for another blessed day.
Then, when we went out to the playground to hang out with the kids until worship, I ended up finding Kaleya again. I sat and talked to her about Jesus and how He wanted to be her friend and take care of her. Her response to me was that she didn’t want her mother to die. I asked her what she meant by this and she told me that her mother had died already. I told her that I was very sorry to hear that, but I also told her that if her mother was friends with Jesus, that He was keeping her safe and that she was safe with Him in heaven. I told Kaleya that Jesus wanted to be her friend too and that she could talk to Him anywhere at any time. When I asked her if she wanted to talk to Jesus right now, she looked confused. “Is He here?” she asked. “Yes,” I replied. “Well is He over there?” she asked as she pointed across the playground. “Yes, He is over there too,” I told her, “He is so powerful that He can be anywhere at any time!” She didn’t seem to understand that, but then she questioned my statement by saying, “You mean like a grown-up?” I laughed slightly as I told her, “Even more powerful than a grown-up.” She said she wasn’t quite sure if she wanted to talk to Jesus yet, but I told her that was okay. I just reminded her that whenever she was ready, she could simply close her eyes and talk to Him. She seemed to like that idea. We didn’t have any further conversation on the matter, but I have continued to pray for her and would encourage anyone who is reading this to do the same.
At the end of the day, we had three kids accept Christ as their Lord and Savior. It really touched my heart to walk around the church and see my friends in this college group praying with and talking to kids about what it means to become a Christian. After VBS, we headed to the community center to paint. We made more progress by the end of the day, but we still have a little more to do before the building is completed. Then, after we left the community center, I experienced one of my favorite things about St. John: eating a handpicked coconut. We had a little time on the beach before it was time for Wednesday night service, and while we were out there, Peter used a nearby branch to knock a coconut out of one of the trees that was on the shore at our campsite. It took John about 20 minutes to tear through the tough husk and break the shell, but it was totally worth it. There’s nothing like the taste of real coconut milk right off the tree. After that little treat, we had a night service at Cruz Bay Baptist Church and John preached about reaching out to people and not waiting around for the next person to do it. It was a great message not only for us college kids, but for the people at the church. Then we went to dinner at Morgan’s Mango and it was delicious. Our day ended with a group meeting on the beach where we all sat around Jeff and prayed for him because he was leaving the next day. I found that to be very powerful as I listened to each of us give him encouragement and praise for the Godly man that he has become. Then, it was off to bed to rest up for another blessed day.
Stephanie - Day 5
Today ended up being another success! Same routine, woke up 630, got to the church by around 730, had worship in the church this time which I really enjoyed, ate some wonderful breakfast, and me and Allie helped check in all of the kids. I love being there when they first show up just because they all look so happy and excited to be here again. We had the bible story and Jeff taught the day was Confess Him. He did such a great job and they all seemed to listen great! Shevon is one little girl that amazes me everyday with her ability to memorize the verse so easily every single time she hears a new one. VBS ended up all going great once again and then it was time for lunch again, which was also very delicious. We got changed and were off to paint some more of the rec center. A couple of us went ahead in one car and began painting over some things and painting the trim. I got to talk to Holly about my testimony and kind of run through it, and realized it was about 30 minutes long and should only be about 5-6 sooo I’m going to have to do the short version haha. But it meant a lot for her to sit there and listen while I held her ladder and she painted. I then decided to call my mom because I could’ve sworn today was August 4th which is her birthday, but once I called her and she said it had been yesterday and today was the 5th I felt just about aweful for mixing up the days haha. She was very understanding which meant a lot haha. But it was so good to hear her voice for the first time in 5 days! Everyone sang happy be-lated birthday to her and I think she really enjoyed that because she’s the one that always calls and sings to EVERYONE when it’s’ they’re birthday, so why not return the favor even if it is a day late haha. We painted till about 430 or so and headed back to get ready for the church service. We immediately went down to the beach and got in the ocean to wash off all of the paint that had attached itself to us, today there was A LOT. Then we got ready and headed to the church. I was pretty nervous about giving my testimony and probably didn’t talk at all on the way to church because I kept trying to think about how I was going to shorten it. We got to the church and when I saw some of the kids there that had been at VBS, it was a great feeling to see them smile and wave to me and feel comfortable. We sang some songs and had a time or prayer by a couple of people. And then Jared gave his testimony, and he did a great job with it. Then Allie looked back and whispered that I wasn’t going to be giving mine tonight but tomorrow now. So I was a bit relieved, but I kind of wanted to just get it over with, but now I have more time to think of how to shorten it. After him, the guys got up and lead some more music and it was probably the funniest thing that’s happened in my mind so far. We were all singing but the timing between us southerners and the people that live here was really off so it sounded all different and all of us could barely contain our laughter haha you kind of had to be there. Then John got up and gave a sermon on kindness, he did such a great job and it was a very strong and appropriate message for the time being I thought. After that it was off to this Mango something Restaurant. It was probably my favorite meal so far, the Mahi was amazing! We had great conversations at our end of the table it made me feel great to feel a part of this group that’s known each other for so long and I’ve only known for a couple of months. After dinner we headed back to camp to have our nightly meeting on the beach. This time we had a special time for Jeff since he would be leaving in the morning to head back home for work. It was really a special time and then it was John’s turn to pray and he added the humor by praying for him a godly woman and for one that wanted to have sex, a lot, haha it was hilarious. And now it’s time to go to bed again and start again tomorrow. So far I couldn’t be happier to be here. Today I thought a lot about how when I got baptized I was 13 and didn’t really have a strong meaning behind it and just did it because I thought that was what was supposed to come next. Today I realized that I think it’s time that I should think about rededicating my life to him sometime in the near future. It just feels like the next step for me in my walk with him, so we’ll see what he brings.
Stephanie Tuttle
Stephanie Tuttle
Holly - Day 5
Today was the day we presented the plan of salvation to the children. I was completely in awe of how I had their attention throughout the entire story and ABC’s of becoming a Christian. Yesterday, they were pretty hyper, so I was a little worried because I was teaching today. I knew that the gospel was the most important thing that they could ever hear, so I really didn’t want to mess it up. I was so thankful that I felt like God spoke through me. The words I said were not my own. We had two children in the younger group that are now our brother and sister of Christ. Kyle got to pray with Ronald, and I got the opportunity to talk to Jayda. It was the first time I had ever gotten to pray that prayer with someone. She had a lot of questions, so we talked about those and I reviewed what we talked about in the lesson and took her through a lot of verses in Romans. I felt so humbled and blessed by this moment. Painting went great again. Our team lead another worship service at Cruz Bay. I love seeing our team work together always, but it is really a lot of fun to have members of our group leading together in worship. Doug and Jeff lead the music wonderfully, even if it was to a little different rhythm that most of the church was used to. Jared gave his testimony and spoke very eloquently about how his faith in Jesus has continued to grow as he figures out his specific place in this world. It was very inspiring. John rocked out another sermon and reminded us that WE are the SOMEONE that other people in this world might need to show the love of Christ to. After a FABULOUS dinner at Morgan’s Mango, my favorite dinner place on the island, we had another team meeting on the beach and prayer time for Jeff. Jeff has truly been such a significant figure to our group this year. It was like saying by to one of the family. I am very thankful he still got to come on the trip at all though. His humble leadership qualities bring the whole group together, and the Godliness he portrays in his actions and words rubs off on everyone. His sense of humor kept us laughing and his consistency is a personality trait that not many people have. He will be truly missed in the college ministry and on the remainder of this trip. Kyle, or outback Steve, told us girls a bedtime story before bed..haha and I think he is going to try again tomorrow. I really have also appreciated his sense of humor, work ethic, and friendship on this trip.
Favorite moments in Day 5
Conversation and prayer of salvation with Jayda
Prayer time for Jeff
Water run with Anna
Special music in worship service with Anna, Doug, Jeff, and Jared
Morgan’s Mango coconut shrimp!
Bedtime story
Laughing in general
Favorite moments in Day 5
Conversation and prayer of salvation with Jayda
Prayer time for Jeff
Water run with Anna
Special music in worship service with Anna, Doug, Jeff, and Jared
Morgan’s Mango coconut shrimp!
Bedtime story
Laughing in general
Anna - Day 5
Today was the third day of VBS. Traditionally this day is known as the “salvation” day, because the story of salvation is presented clearly to the children. Our kids were great today. They listened to the story, participated in the activities, and did just a great job. We prayed in our rooms before we started today, and I really think that helped to put our team in the right mind set. I’m so glad the kids listened so well. We had a few that made first time decisions for Christ today, which is so awesome! I feel so blessed to be given the opportunity to share Christ’s love with these kids, and it’s so exciting to see them actually get it! I’m excited to have new brothers and sisters in Christ today.
Today we also worked more on the painting job. Everyone is doing such a great job helping each other out and making sure everyone is encouraged. I’m so happy to get to hang out with these people and to serve the community together. I got to have some alone time today while painting, which was much needed. Don’t get me wrong… I love to hang out with the people on this trip, but sometimes I just need my alone time. It was great to just paint and think and just have some quiet.
We led another worship service tonight at Cruz Bay. It has been just great to worship with the church family again. They are so appreciative of us coming to sing and lead in worship with them. I’m glad we got the opportunity to worship with them again tonight.
Tonight we ate at Morgan’s Mango!! I was so excited! The coconut shrimp there is something that I have been looking forward to all summer. It was just fabulous, and our time of fellowship was wonderful, too. I love that we laugh so much when we eat together. Laughter is just a good refresher after a long day, and I have truly enjoyed our dinner times together.
Tonight was Jeff’s last night with us. It has been so great to have him on our team this summer. He is such a blessing to have with our group, and I’m so glad he got the opportunity to serve with us this week. We had a wonderful time of prayer and encouragement for Jeff tonight on the beach, and it was great to be a part of. It’s weird to think that both of us will be done with the college ministry when we get back from St. John. I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store for us as we go into our “big kid” jobs and new opportunities in life.
Today we also worked more on the painting job. Everyone is doing such a great job helping each other out and making sure everyone is encouraged. I’m so happy to get to hang out with these people and to serve the community together. I got to have some alone time today while painting, which was much needed. Don’t get me wrong… I love to hang out with the people on this trip, but sometimes I just need my alone time. It was great to just paint and think and just have some quiet.
We led another worship service tonight at Cruz Bay. It has been just great to worship with the church family again. They are so appreciative of us coming to sing and lead in worship with them. I’m glad we got the opportunity to worship with them again tonight.
Tonight we ate at Morgan’s Mango!! I was so excited! The coconut shrimp there is something that I have been looking forward to all summer. It was just fabulous, and our time of fellowship was wonderful, too. I love that we laugh so much when we eat together. Laughter is just a good refresher after a long day, and I have truly enjoyed our dinner times together.
Tonight was Jeff’s last night with us. It has been so great to have him on our team this summer. He is such a blessing to have with our group, and I’m so glad he got the opportunity to serve with us this week. We had a wonderful time of prayer and encouragement for Jeff tonight on the beach, and it was great to be a part of. It’s weird to think that both of us will be done with the college ministry when we get back from St. John. I’m excited to see what the Lord has in store for us as we go into our “big kid” jobs and new opportunities in life.
Peter - Day 5
Today we got to see the fruit of our labors in a very tangible way. Today was the day that we presented the plan of salvation during VBS and afterwards we had three kids become Christians. After painting in the afternoon we came back to the church to lead another awesome worship service
Hunter - Day 5
Well, we’re half way done with VBS at Cruz Bay Baptist. God showed up in a big. Holly delivered a very simple but powerful message of Salvation to the kids in our class. A total of 3 kids accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. I will not share their individual stories, but look at some of the other student’s journal entries. God provided a way for each child to hear and be impacted by our VBS. After lunch, we headed straight to the parks and recreation to paint again. There’s very little to be done, but everyone will return tomorrow to redo some trim and paint high atop building under the roof. We returned to Cruz Bay in the evening to lead prayer meeting with the congregation. The service flowed very smoothly. Probably the best service in two years, I have been coming to the island. Doug and Jeff led the service in song. Jared shared his testimony followed by Holly and Anna’s special music. The best part of the day for me was dinner. We ate at my favorite place on the island, Morgano’s Mango. I’ve looked forward to this place since we left last year. The grilled mahi mahi is phenomenal!!!!!! A very touching moment of the day was the group meeting on the beach. Everyone shared three words that described the day. Almost everyone mentioned Jeff Venable. He will be leaving us on Thursday to fulfill a job obligation. Further, he will be leaving the college ministry after this trip. We gather around and laid hands on him to pray. Jeff Venable is a great Man of God. He truly knows how to make someone feel special. Maybe, a quiet leader, but a loud voice for Jesus Christ. Thank you, Jeff. Keep praying for us this week. About this time, we become tired while performing VBS and other duties on this trip. Blessings.
Troy - Day 5
Today was day a great day. We had vbs in the morning And spent the afternoon painting again. It feels great to be here serving. We saw some kids come to Christ which makes it an amazing day. I got to spend a little time on the beach and listen to a truly great sermon buy john. But the highlight of this week is getting to spend the week with such an amazing group of people. I really don’t think they understand how highly I think of these people but they are truly amazing and I am so thankful that I got to spend this week with them.
Jared - Day 5
Today was a great day. This is the day we presented the plan of salvation to the kids. Jeff did an incredible job of teaching the lesson for the older kids, and Holly, as I heard, did a really good job for the younger kids. In the older kids class we passed out decision cards, and all but three of our kids were already Christians. One did not want to talk to anyone, and two (who were brothers) marked that they wanted to talk to someone. Jeff and Doug talked to one of them, and I talked to Gervon. He said his mother made he and his brother accept Christ a few weeks ago and he didn’t want to do it. I explained to him that he needs to obey and honor his parents, but this is a decision only he can make. We went through the Romans Road and before we were even done he told me that he had made up his mind – he wanted to be a Christian. This is always a blessing and an honor to be able to experience, and I am very grateful that God allowed me to lead this young man to Christ. This afternoon I finally got an opportunity to paint! I always love painting, and I was very grateful that I got to get on a ladder and paint today. There’s something refreshing and very good about doing hard, sweaty work. I really enjoy it. Later tonight at the church service at Cruz Bay I had asked John if I could share my testimony, so I did that and I really enjoyed that. I had not shared it in St. John the three years that I had gone until tonight, and that went really well I thought. Note to self: spit gum out before speaking in front of people. All through my testimony I was shifting it around and trying to put it under my tongue or in my check and it was just really awkward… haha Also, during the worship time we were all dying laughing for various reasons… someone sang “fart” instead of “heart”, I couldn’t read John’s lips while I was on the stage, the congregation sang at a different tempo, John couldn’t pronounce the guy’s name in his sermon, it was just a really funny night, and I laughed really hard! For dinner we went to Morgan’s Mango which is always amazing, and we had our meeting on the beach which was a great ending to a great day. I can’t believe this trip is over half way over… Thank you Jesus for this opportunity.
Allie - Day 5
I laughed so hard I cried today, on multiple occasions. Today was such a blast.
VBS today included the ABC’s of salvation, so we were really excited, but also pretty anxious about the weight of what we were about to teach. We met in our classroom as a group and prayed over what would be said for the day. Holly was teaching; she has already taught VBS this year back in Brentwood, so I think she was pretty confident about what she had to say. I was expecting the kids to act like they had acted every other day so far: rambunctious and wild. But they sat still and listened attentively, interacting with Holly and answering all her questions…it was ridiculous, I was so surprised! After the talk, we had several kids who wanted to become Christians. It was such an awesome experience to walk by and see Jared talking to Gervon, Kyle talking to Ronald, and Holly talking to Jayda about becoming a Christian. Thank God for what He did in those kids hearts today! And who knows what kind of lives they are living, and what homes they are going back to. God’s word never returns empty, so even if we didn’t get to see the fruits of it, seeds were planted today.
We painted the Parks and Rec building again today-most of the painting we have left is just trim at the top, and we only have three ladders, so there wasn’t much that all of us could do. After we worked for a few hours, we left and jumped in the ocean to wash off a little of the paint. One of my “laughing until tears” moments happened out there with everyone. I was doubled over I was laughing so hard. I love that feeling.
Later that night we held the service at Cruz Bay. Doug, Jeff, and Jared led our music by playing guitar and playing the drum. Apparently, we sing our songs faster than the congregation at Cruz Bay usually sings them. We were so out of rhythm with each other, I could not stop laughing. Our guys were trying to slow down, then speed up, then stay on tempo…I was crying in my pew trying to keep singing the words. Jared got to give his testimony tonight, too. It was awesome to see him up behind a pulpit in front of a congregation, talking about his faith. It fit him very well, I was really really proud of him.
John’s message was so good tonight, too! Earlier that day he had asked us how to pronounce a person’s name in the Bible, Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. I told him how to pronounce it because I had studied it not too long ago. Then later when he got up to say it in front of the church, it came out sounding something like “mifeebosho.” I let out a huge “HA!” in the middle of him talking, I was so embarrassed! Luckily they laughed about it. We ate at Morgan’s Mango and ended the night with a meeting on the beach. We woke up a few times during the night to a torrential downpour, which was definitely amplified by the tarps covering our tents. Once again I was reminded of how powerful the Lord is, but also how safe I was under His careful eye.
Thank goodness that my Lord is a God who sees.
VBS today included the ABC’s of salvation, so we were really excited, but also pretty anxious about the weight of what we were about to teach. We met in our classroom as a group and prayed over what would be said for the day. Holly was teaching; she has already taught VBS this year back in Brentwood, so I think she was pretty confident about what she had to say. I was expecting the kids to act like they had acted every other day so far: rambunctious and wild. But they sat still and listened attentively, interacting with Holly and answering all her questions…it was ridiculous, I was so surprised! After the talk, we had several kids who wanted to become Christians. It was such an awesome experience to walk by and see Jared talking to Gervon, Kyle talking to Ronald, and Holly talking to Jayda about becoming a Christian. Thank God for what He did in those kids hearts today! And who knows what kind of lives they are living, and what homes they are going back to. God’s word never returns empty, so even if we didn’t get to see the fruits of it, seeds were planted today.
We painted the Parks and Rec building again today-most of the painting we have left is just trim at the top, and we only have three ladders, so there wasn’t much that all of us could do. After we worked for a few hours, we left and jumped in the ocean to wash off a little of the paint. One of my “laughing until tears” moments happened out there with everyone. I was doubled over I was laughing so hard. I love that feeling.
Later that night we held the service at Cruz Bay. Doug, Jeff, and Jared led our music by playing guitar and playing the drum. Apparently, we sing our songs faster than the congregation at Cruz Bay usually sings them. We were so out of rhythm with each other, I could not stop laughing. Our guys were trying to slow down, then speed up, then stay on tempo…I was crying in my pew trying to keep singing the words. Jared got to give his testimony tonight, too. It was awesome to see him up behind a pulpit in front of a congregation, talking about his faith. It fit him very well, I was really really proud of him.
John’s message was so good tonight, too! Earlier that day he had asked us how to pronounce a person’s name in the Bible, Jonathan’s son Mephibosheth. I told him how to pronounce it because I had studied it not too long ago. Then later when he got up to say it in front of the church, it came out sounding something like “mifeebosho.” I let out a huge “HA!” in the middle of him talking, I was so embarrassed! Luckily they laughed about it. We ate at Morgan’s Mango and ended the night with a meeting on the beach. We woke up a few times during the night to a torrential downpour, which was definitely amplified by the tarps covering our tents. Once again I was reminded of how powerful the Lord is, but also how safe I was under His careful eye.
Thank goodness that my Lord is a God who sees.
Rene - Day 5
Wednesday was an amazing day for both VBS and the group. We have seen incremental attendance increases thus far, with 21 on Monday, 26 on Tuesday and 30 on Wednesday. And each day we continue to get new kids. Today was especially anticipated because the group was doing an intentional lesson on salvation. Yes, you can present the gospel to these kids at any point, but today’s lesson was intentional and part of the curriculum and the college group was so excited! Both groups did an excellent job of telling the specifics of becoming a Christian and true to form, created a card at the spur of the moment to go over with each individual to see where they were spiritually. This resulted in at least three professions of faith!!! Praise the Lord! It was very exciting to see these kids come to the Lord and also exciting because some of our college students had never led anyone to the Lord before now.
Painting was a bit more tedious today—and I’m not one for the tedious sort of tasks so it was a stretch for me. The tediousness was at least offset by being able to laugh and cut up with Julie, Doug, Holly and Jeff. We thought we would be finished with painting on Wednesday, but there is just so much detail and trim work that requires being high on the ladder and there’s just only some much you can accomplish with only two ladders that reach what you need. It was a lesson in patience.
The church service at Cruz Bay was led by our group. John delivered an excellent sermon and Jeff, Doug, Holly and Anna did a wonderful job with the music. I enjoyed learning a bit more about Jared when he gave his testimony. I felt like a proud mom as the students did their thing with leading the service. I’m just so proud of how they work together to accomplish things for the Lord. It really is a blessing to be a part of this group!
Our group time Wednesday was by far my favorite. Again, I enjoyed hearing about how everyone else saw the day unfold. At the end, we spent some time lifting up Jeff in prayer because he was leaving on Thursday to head back early to keep his part of a work commitment….IN HAWAII! And Jeff just graduated and will be moving on to other ministry opportunities to be a part of. We had the wonderful opportunity to pray over and for Jeff—it was so neat to hear his friends speak words of encouragement and special memories they have with him. It was truly a blessing to have Jeff a part of the college ministry—he brought such talent, humor, accountability and the wonderful gift of relating to all kinds of people and making them feel welcome. Jeff, thanks for all you’ve done and we pray for all God’s blessings in your life!!
Painting was a bit more tedious today—and I’m not one for the tedious sort of tasks so it was a stretch for me. The tediousness was at least offset by being able to laugh and cut up with Julie, Doug, Holly and Jeff. We thought we would be finished with painting on Wednesday, but there is just so much detail and trim work that requires being high on the ladder and there’s just only some much you can accomplish with only two ladders that reach what you need. It was a lesson in patience.
The church service at Cruz Bay was led by our group. John delivered an excellent sermon and Jeff, Doug, Holly and Anna did a wonderful job with the music. I enjoyed learning a bit more about Jared when he gave his testimony. I felt like a proud mom as the students did their thing with leading the service. I’m just so proud of how they work together to accomplish things for the Lord. It really is a blessing to be a part of this group!
Our group time Wednesday was by far my favorite. Again, I enjoyed hearing about how everyone else saw the day unfold. At the end, we spent some time lifting up Jeff in prayer because he was leaving on Thursday to head back early to keep his part of a work commitment….IN HAWAII! And Jeff just graduated and will be moving on to other ministry opportunities to be a part of. We had the wonderful opportunity to pray over and for Jeff—it was so neat to hear his friends speak words of encouragement and special memories they have with him. It was truly a blessing to have Jeff a part of the college ministry—he brought such talent, humor, accountability and the wonderful gift of relating to all kinds of people and making them feel welcome. Jeff, thanks for all you’ve done and we pray for all God’s blessings in your life!!
Doug - Day 5
We woke up this morning knowing it was going to be a long day. After our group’s morning worship at the church we had breakfast and began VBS. Once again Jeff led the silly songs and was hilarious, and Anna and Holly led the VBS songs and did great, and all of the members of our group sang and played along while the kids enjoyed worship. Today we were teaching on salvation and introducing the plan of salvation to the kids. Jeff did a phenomenal job with our group, helping one of the kids in our group come to Christ!
After VBS we went back to the Parks and Rec. center and worked on our painting job. We have it almost completely done! We’re going back tomorrow to do some touch work around the trim, but our group is filled with hard workers making this building a piece of cake. It really was awesome to see how eager everyone was to help, and how as soon as someone would finish the job they were doing, they were immediately asking what else needed to be done, and what else they could do.
Following that we drove back to the campsite, threw on out bathing suits and went out to the beach for a quick swim before church. We had a blast all hanging out in the ocean just relaxing and spending time with each other, even if it wasn’t for very long. Peter was selected from the group to go get a coconut for us, from a nearby tree. We all watched from the water as he walked up on the beach and over to the tree. He stood there for a minute and we were all waiting on him to climb up, until he reached down and picked up a stick that had to have been twenty feet tall, and after several swings he finally got the coconut down. It was hilarious/awesome.
After the swim we all got quick showers changed and went to church. We led the service there once again, and it was…hilarious. John had a phenomenal sermon, and Jared did a great job with his testimony, Jeff and I however had a little more trouble leading the songs. Who was at fault is unknown, but the fact is that Jeff and I were on one rhythm together, and the congregation was on a couple different rhythms…so it was awful. Jeff and I, as well as many other members from our group were doing all that we could do keep from laughing hysterically.
We had another great meeting on the beach, but this one was a little bit sad, as we had to say goodbye to Jeff. Jeff was an incredible help and support on this trip. His enthusiasm and willingness to serve was unbelievable, and he never seemed to let that energy level down. He will surely be missed by the kids here on the island, and I know I speak for everyone in the group when I say we will miss him as well.
After VBS we went back to the Parks and Rec. center and worked on our painting job. We have it almost completely done! We’re going back tomorrow to do some touch work around the trim, but our group is filled with hard workers making this building a piece of cake. It really was awesome to see how eager everyone was to help, and how as soon as someone would finish the job they were doing, they were immediately asking what else needed to be done, and what else they could do.
Following that we drove back to the campsite, threw on out bathing suits and went out to the beach for a quick swim before church. We had a blast all hanging out in the ocean just relaxing and spending time with each other, even if it wasn’t for very long. Peter was selected from the group to go get a coconut for us, from a nearby tree. We all watched from the water as he walked up on the beach and over to the tree. He stood there for a minute and we were all waiting on him to climb up, until he reached down and picked up a stick that had to have been twenty feet tall, and after several swings he finally got the coconut down. It was hilarious/awesome.
After the swim we all got quick showers changed and went to church. We led the service there once again, and it was…hilarious. John had a phenomenal sermon, and Jared did a great job with his testimony, Jeff and I however had a little more trouble leading the songs. Who was at fault is unknown, but the fact is that Jeff and I were on one rhythm together, and the congregation was on a couple different rhythms…so it was awful. Jeff and I, as well as many other members from our group were doing all that we could do keep from laughing hysterically.
We had another great meeting on the beach, but this one was a little bit sad, as we had to say goodbye to Jeff. Jeff was an incredible help and support on this trip. His enthusiasm and willingness to serve was unbelievable, and he never seemed to let that energy level down. He will surely be missed by the kids here on the island, and I know I speak for everyone in the group when I say we will miss him as well.
Kyle - Day 5
Wednesday has been the most tiring day of our week so far, but at the same time it has also been the most rewarding. Our day started out like every other day: getting dressed, going to the church and having our meeting/worship time, breakfast, and then VBS with the kids; but today something pretty awesome happened. We had planned for today to be our day to present the plan of salvation, so we did as planned. At the end of the lesson we had about 3 kids wanting to talk to us about Jesus and wanting to know more. Rene directed a young boy named Ronald my direction because he wanted to talk to a boy. Ronald told me that he had heard the salvation story before but wasn’t sure if he was a Christian or not. So I took him outside and talked to him and told him what it meant to be a Christian and how he could become one. He said he wanted to accept Jesus, so I prayed for him and then let him pray after me. After we prayed and he accepted Christ into his heart I took him inside and read him a few verses from the Bible. Before we went back out to recreation I told him he could have my Bible because he said he didn’t have one. At first he didn’t want to take it because he said his grandmother was going to get him one when she got the money. I told him that I had used the same Bible when I was younger and that I had another one so that he could take mine. When I told him this his face filled with joy and gladly took it with him. When we finished VBS we went back over to our project site to do some more painting. We stayed there for a couple hours, but still fell short of finishing. After painting we went back to the camp site to clean up before church. We had about an hour so most of us decided to walk over to the ocean for a little bit. While there Peter knocked down a coconut for us to eat. John worked on it for a while to get it open and once we did Peter, Jared, Julie, John, Jeff, and I drank the milk and ate the meat together. The coconut was absolutely delicious and so refreshing, and about an hour later we were at the church. Holly, Jeff, Jared, Doug, and Anna did an awesome job with the songs and with leading worship. John spoke about kindness after worship and a time of prayer. John did an awesome job with his sermon, even though he was speaking to the church; us students also took a lot away from it. When we got back to camp we had our meeting out on the beach like normal and talked about what was going on with our days. Since Jeff will be leaving in the morning we all decided to have a time to talk about Jeff and how he has impacted all of us individually. It was a great time being able to tell Jeff how much we loved him and how much he has meant to us over the past years. Like I said at the beginning, the day was very long and tiresome but at the same time it was very rewarding and just overall beautiful. It was awesome seeing Ronald talk about Christ and accept him, and then seeing him filled with joy when I gave him my Bible. I pray that we can see some of the same things in the next few days as we continue to talk with the kids
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