The first few days of being here at St. Kitts have flown by. We arrived on Monday afternoon after a long day of travel. We had to be at the airport at 3am! Big thanks to my little brother for taking us to the airport after we spent the night there.
We arrived on Monday, got our bearings as best as we could, and then we essentially were baptized by fire into the VBS. There are three different vacation bible schools that our group was helping at around the island, and our group was taken to a village called Cayon. We knew it would be busy, but as soon as we got there we realized there is going to be more than the 100 or so kids that they told us would be there, and we ended up having 240 kids each day in a really small church. It was essentially chaos and we didn’t have any idea on how to effectively manage that many kids with only 8 students, so we just did the best we could, we hung out with the kids, and tried to be an example of Jesus to them. It is always weird when Americans go somewhere and teach or preach because I think there is an idea in the locals mind that we don’t care, or that we are just going to make ourselves feel better by doing the work. Either way it was a blessing, and I got to teach like 5 times. I don’t really get nervous teaching youth group aged kids, but when I have to teach a 5 year old the story of Jesus, I get a little intimidated. I remember seeing on someone’s facebook post that Einstein said that if you can’t explain a concept or something to a 5 year old, them maybe you don’t really understand it at all. Funny I taught a sermon with that concept just last Sunday not thinking it would apply to me in such a fast time frame, but sure enough God took me and put me in that situation, and I feel like it went pretty well. it is just hard to keep their attention for a while.
In our afternoons we have several work projects and we break up our groups and go to various places around the island. We are painting houses, schools, park walls, power washing stuff, picking up trash, installing swing sets, and several other things around the island. Yesterday our group was able to go down to a local park and paint these walls. The park is super run down, there is graffiti everywhere, and even some misspelled curse words on some of the walls. Kids come in and out of the park, and adults to as well, except the adults are smoking weed on the benches. There is a bar across from the park and we were allowed to buy drinks (pop—not beer). So several times I went in there, and it smelled as bad as a Snoop Dog concert. I swear there must have been like half a dozen guys just smoking weed. Kinda weird to be in that environment, but I guess when left to our own flesh its what will happen. 
I feel like we are up against an enemy here on the island that only wants to steal, kill and destroy. The kids are extremely violent. I think I saw like 4 kids punch their buddies or I guess enemy in the face, like a real deal punch. The kids constantly wrestle and fight while taunting each other. Most of the smaller kids swear pretty frequently. One kid had a t-shirt that said South Beach Mix in 3 different lines, and the S, E, and X were highlighted as they went across the back of the shirt. And this kid was like 5 years old.
Most people know the future of the island is dependent on the kids, and if there is a destroying of anything that is good or pure, what is this place going to be like, and will anyone even want to come to St. Kitts.
We had a chance to drive up to this point yesterday that overlooks both the Caribbean and the Atlantic. We had to drive to the “other” side of the island. The “other” side actually has dogs that are actual breeds and on leashes. No goats roaming, and you can’t tell there is a decent amount of money. The Marriot is over here, and that is the one hotel that most tourists stay at. In fact when we see anyone on the island, they assume we are staying there. What a neat testimony to share with these kids that we are not here to vacation, but to serve and be an example of Jesus to an island that desperately needs the Lord.
Pray for us today, we are going to the beach. Lets see what this sun is all about. Either way that water is going to be amazing. I have been sticky and sweating all week.
Praise Jesus that we can serve and swim after a week of long work. Biblical!
