A letter from Vicki Smith in Jamaica
November 24, 2008
Happy holidays from Jamaica,
I am sure this letter will find you very busy, just as we are here at Iona Prep School and Boscobel United Church. Programs are being practiced, dinners planned, tests given, and decorations displayed—all to signal the holiday season and ending of 2008.
This is the end of my time as a mission worker here in Jamaica. It has indeed been an experience of a lifetime. I have learned, seen, and heard much that not only has increased my knowledge of Jamaica, but also of mankind. The children and staff at Iona Preparatory School have taught me a great deal, and I have grown from it. The United Church in Jamaica and the Cayman Islands has been extremely supportive and leading. Joyce Williams and Rose Wedderburn are due my thanks and appreciation for their love and support.
Immanuel United Church, the church where I volunteered during my first year here, will always be dear to me for introducing me to church life in the Caribbean. The children of the choir and Sunday school at Immanuel inspired me and gave me insight to the life of a child here on the island. Of course, the Rev. Dr. Henroy Samuels, the pastor at Immanuel, nurtured and accompanied my walk not only at Immanuel but at Boscobel as well.
After my first year here I changed to Immanuel's sister church, Boscobel United in Boscobel. Here I found a church family I dread to leave in many ways. The adults as well as the children took me in and adopted me as part of their church family. The children allowed me to teach them Sunday school, vacation Bible school, choir, and recorder, and they loved me as I love them. The opportunity here is great, as there are many children at Boscobel.
The community of Tower Isle, the cab drivers I called on, the storekeepers and employees in Ocho Rios who cried and told me good-bye—I will miss all of them and their kindness and the laughs and good sales we have shared in my time here.
Iona teachers, the secretary and custodians, the parents that have supported me in every way, Immanuel and Boscobel church members and the community members—my extended Jamaican family—I will miss them all. The families who have made me part of their lives, travels, meals, tears and joy—I will miss them all.
I take with me souvenirs, gifts, and many photographs of my two years in Jamaica. But more importantly, I take memories and love and a blessed experience.
I wish for each of you a blessed and holy Christmas season and 2009.
In the belief that “With God all things are possible,”
Vicki
The 2008 Mission Yearbook for Prayer & Study, p. 266
