Everything is groovy here in Jamaica. The rainy season seems to have ended, and the vermin problem is greatly diminished. We are at 45 mice and 6 rats killed so far. 

On Friday in Mandeville, someone tried to pick my pocket. Man, those guys are good. I didn't realize what had happened until the man was gone. My friend Mahaliah said "Hey! Stop that something something something" in patois, and the man said "oh, hi Susan" and disappeared. Only after he was gone, and Mahaliah chewed me out for being careless did I realize he had his hand in my pocket. 

We spent a week doing ministry preparation. We now have a number of skits, songs, and dances that we have started performing in schools, churches and such. There is a professional poet/musician in my class who calls himself Nana Moses, and he leads a chant called "one love" with me and several others. It always draws enthusiastic applause, partly because Jamaicans love to see foreigners speaking patois. In one skit I play Satan, a role I enjoy immensely. 

This week of classes was evangelism week. One day we were all told to go door knocking down in Salmon Town (don't try to find it on a map, it's just a place with a church and 4 bars) and I was really nervous and uncomfortable. One lady said we should let her get back to doing laundry, but then a young farmer gave us 4 heads of cabbage. Finally, we visited an older widow and from the second she saw us she started picking fruit. By the time we left, she had given us a big bag of oranges, tangerines, lemons and limes. "Freely give, freely receive" she said. We made juice. 

Another group went out in Mandeville talking to people and a Rasta man overheard the conversation and became very vocal (as Rasta men can be at times). He said something about Bin Laden being better than America and a whole lot of other nonsense and actually made my friends look better. I personally overheard another shouted conversation between a Rastafarian and some other Jamaicans. At one point he said "Foolishness! What God is greater than I&I?" I haven't gotten very far in figuring out Rastafarian theology. 

I'm looking forward to the Christmas vacation. My friends Barb and Paul Jonusaitis are flying in from Illinois and we will explore the island a bit by rental car. It should be a blast. Apparently Christmas in Jamaica is a totally different experience, not to be missed. We have already been singing Christmas carols for weeks. Friday night all the students watched "Cool Runnings". What a great movie. 

Peace be the Journey, Chris