September Newsletter

This is a bit late, but we're posting it now anyways- You know what they say about being better late than not at all...



Dearest Friends and Family,

As I (Danya) write this letter, I am currently in Jamaica, sitting in my new home on the base. John remains in Pennsylvania until Saturday 19th of September tying up some maintenance projects on the house we lived in there. We joyfully reunite on that Saturday and prepare to go into our first staff term as a team that Monday. Meanwhile, here in Jamaica, I prepare to get into staff training this week where I will be learning all about the new students in our upcoming discipleship training school (DTS)and learning more about the various duties I will have around the base.

Our new place here on base is a nice one, and only small improvements and personal touches are needed to make it home, such as some fresh paint and our pictures on the wall. When I arrived on Saturday, I found that some wonderful friends had crept in and swept my floors and cleaned the countertops so it would be a warm welcome back!

As some of you may know, the base experienced some thefts this summer, a major one including the base bus. As transportation is now quite limited, it is clear to us that we must have some way of getting around as soon as possible, as public transportation in Jamaica is neither quite reliable nor safe. Yesterday, I found myself calling around for a ride to the grocery store and eventually was given one with the base mobilization car, used mainly for base business. Of course this is not something we can rely on as our main way of getting around. However, we have heard the good news about the government greatly reducing the tax on vehicles thus making it a great time for us to pursue one.( The Government was greatly benefitting from the near 100% import tax on vehicles, as all vehicles in Jamaica are imported. Now, vehicles will only cost about the same as the original sale price rather than double.) For our many friends wondering what our specific needs would be here in Jamaica, this is a most pressing one. In addition, our work with our home church in Kingston cannot be consistent until we have a way of making that eight-hour round trip every month.

Jamaica is so beautiful. Even the small shanties on the hillside and the street-side vendors are picturesque. Already I’ve been getting re-adjusted to the different way things work here. The two hour stay in the supermarket trying to figure out what a sensible price is to pay for flour and other groceries, the long, long lines, and the cashiers who look almost bored at your groceries scooting down the conveyor towards them. After grocery shopping, I went to grab some dinner-to-go and forgot that you have to allow yourself about twenty minutes for your jerk cheeseburger, and stay calm under the intense scrutiny of the servers who are far more interested in what you’re wearing than the bag they are supposed to be packing fries into! It has been a funny and interesting weekend, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of it so far.

Things work differently in Jamaica, and even the parts that aren’t so convenient just serve as awesome reminders that we are giving ourselves to a nation that needs what we have to offer. We are here for a season but we are going to be all here.

The prayer requests I would make at this time would include our continued safety as John and I are in our separate locations, and that God would give us grace to laugh at inconvenience, and to respond to every negative attitude and comment with a dignity and gentleness that makes people think twice about how they treat each other, and causes God to get all the glory.

For those of you interested in supporting us, we will attach a form which you may use and an address to which you may send your tax free support. You may also send checks to John Hess at the 95 Deer Run address on our contact sheet. I am still working on our online journal which our weekly updates will be made and will make you aware of the address once it is up and running. For those of you who would like to continue receiving newsletters, please send us your email addresses, as our newsletters will mainly be sent electronically. May God bless and keep you all!

Love and Blessings,

John and Danya Hess