Jamaica Update from Todd Johnson

Yo mon, what gwoin?? We had an amazing week at the Jamaican Deaf Village. We couldn’t have asked for a better trip. We were blessed to have smooth travels and no major injuries for the week. We continued working on a building that will be used to house nearly 100 guests and available to be rented by people in the local community for receptions or parties. Our days started at 7:00am and we would work for about 8 hours a day in the hot and humid conditions. The team was amazing! They never complained or whined about the work and did whatever was asked of them. We mixed cement, built forms, tore forms down, poured cement, cut rebar, cut wire, helped the electrician, laid cinder block and many more things. The work was exhausting but incredibly rewarding.

Every day, each of us took a turn at the “prayer chair” for 30 minutes. We would write in a journal and it was beautiful to be able to read the prayers of the team members. The greatest God moment was being able to see the Body of Christ at work. The team, along with some of the men from the village, was encouraging, helpful, and teachable and loved on each other on that construction site. We shared so many laughs and tears last week. We were truly modeling the church of Acts.

We also had an opportunity to visit an Infirmary (equivalent to a nursing home) that has horrible living conditions. It was a very shocking experience for the team but they handled it so well. They just loved on the people there and didn’t let the rough conditions prevent them from doing it. Wednesday afternoon, we visited a local children’s home and were able to play games with them and love on them. Overall, it was a life changing week for the team.

It was awesome to be able to watch the young adults love each other and live life together for a week. They reached out to the deaf community and tried to communicate the best they could. We all picked up some sign language and were able to use a pad and pen to talk with them if needed. This was my second year there and I continually fall more in love with the people and the ministry of CCCD. It was very hard for me to leave my friends and the work but I know that the Lord will allow me to go back and keep the relationships growing. Thank you CWC for allowing me to serve there. I have been blessed to serve in several countries but my heart is in Jamaica. God is at work there through CCCD and it is a blessing and honor to be a part of it.