(May 1, 2008) — We arrived at Flankers Primary and Junior High School in Montego Bay, Jamaica, to see the results of Miles Ahead volunteers’ many hours of repairing and painting the busy school during the week preceding the crusade. One of our greeters was Fredrico.
Fredrico, or “Rico,” had a shiny blue name badge on his khaki uniform. It read “Head Boy / F.P.& J.H.S.” Under his title of Head Boy, Rico wore a badge that said he was a Peer Counselor. The 14-year-old was the leader of his school in a rough neighborhood, for reasons that quickly became clear.
Rico was by nature a role model. His manner was dignified, even courtly. He looked at his adult visitors squarely in the eye, and said hello, softly, but with a slight grin. When asked if he was indeed Head Boy, the leader of the student body, he tipped his head a bit, gave a hint of a shrug, and said yes.
He reminded me of the school’s principal, Mr. Hugh Miller, another courtly person who has dedicated more than two decades of his life to Flankers School. Mr. Miller said the school is a home away from home to many of his more than 700 students, at times the safest place they have.
We didn’t have time to talk with Rico about his life, or his dreams. Did he look to Mr. Miller as a mentor? Perhaps. He reminded us of why Miles Ahead exists. Miles Ahead is focused on young people, on nurturing their potential and working with their communities to provide opportunities for spiritual growth for future leaders like Rico, the Head Boy of Flankers. It was an honor to meet him.
In the fifth chapter of the Gospel of Luke, the author recorded an account of extraordinary sacrifice by the friends of a paralyzed man. This group of men were determined to find help for their friend, even if it required great physical effort. When they couldn’t get near Jesus because of the crowds, they brazenly made a hole in the roof and lowered the ailing man down in front of Jesus. Jesus acknowledged their faith, and then healed the sick man (Luke 5:18-26).
During the week of community ministry prior to the Miles Ahead crusade events May 2 and 3 in Montego Bay, Jamaica, the medical team encountered numerous stories of suffering and sacrifice–and of lives saved. Here’s one example. Dr. John Clifford, an orthopedic specialist and one of the volunteer physicians on duty, takes up the tale.
Someone Finally Understood…
“On the first day of our mobile clinic [Tuesday, April 29] a man comes in with his brother in his arms, carrying him …. [The patient] had a stroke two months ago, and the brother had to carry him everywhere, to the bathroom, to his bed… anywhere he needs to go. He’s completely dependent upon his brother …
“I examined him and realized he had a dense right-side hemiplegia, which means he’s completely paralyzed on his right side, with a complete expressive aphasia. With expressive aphasia, you can understand everything that’s being said to you, but the center of your brain that controls your ability to express yourself is completely obliterated, so you can’t express yourself. You can’t write, you can’t sign and you can’t speak. You’re completely cut off from the world…
“My wife [Nanci Clifford] is a physical therapist, so we brought her over and she began to work with him. And she’s a huge prayer warrior too, so she prayed over him and with the family. She laid hands on him, and she also did therapy on him, so it was a fusion of traditional medicine and spiritual healing. As she was explaining to the family why he couldn’t talk to him, tears started streaming down his face. Someone finally understood…
“She worked over him a while and worked out some of his contractures, and prayed over him, and he was able to stand for the first time since his stroke…”
The improvement was wonderful for the stroke victim. But he still didn’t have any way of getting around. However, God wasn’t finished with the story yet… (To be continued…)
Monday, April 28: Members of the Miles Ahead medical team were at St. John’s Methodist Church in downtown Montego Bay, Jamaica, preparing the location for the launch of the free clinic tomorrow. Behind a door in the warren of rooms off the sanctuary, someone found an old walker. In pieces. They took note of it, and moved on.
On Tuesday night, team members were eating dinner together, sharing the day’s experiences. Someone brought up the story of the stroke victim, carried to the clinic by his brother. That’s when one of the doctors at St. John’s said they had found a walker. Maybe it could be fixed and given to the man, if he could be found again.
Each of the four medical clinic teams had assigned to them a MacGyver — a fix-anything guy. On Wednesday, April 30, Jeff Scranton refurbished the old walker, cobbling together spare screws and metal parts until it was sturdy enough to donate to a needy patient.
‘Stand Up! Stand Up!’
On Thursday, Sean Burgess, the director of the Miles Ahead medical outreach operations, dug through the clinic’s records and found the paralytic man’s name and address. He lived in a neighborhood known as Grandville, which had a reputation for being dangerous. Sean, with a local volunteer named Otis and the team’s local bus driver, found the address. The man and his brother lived in a shack behind what looked like a garage. Sean takes up the tale:
“We take the walker into the room, and start to explain to them how to use it. We also explain how it’s going to take time for the man to be able to walk again… The crippled man puts his hand on the walker, and the brother starts giving him instructions. …He kept saying ‘Stand up! Stand up!’ And [the man] stands up on his own power.
“And then the brother says, ‘Come to me! Come to me!’ And he gets behind the man and moves one leg forward and says ‘Come to me! Come to me!’ … You could hear the love of the brother in his voice; it wasn’t like he was demanding or angry. And then the man moves his leg, and then again, until he walks across the small room!
“And I said, ‘This usually takes three months, so be patient with him.’ And the brother said, ‘He can do it!’ He turned him around and had him walk back to the bed…”
Sean said he, Otis and the bus driver joined the brothers in prayer, and then left, amazed at what they had witnessed.
“That’s why we were doing what we did in Jamaica,” said Sean. “Miles Ahead Medical exists to bring the gospel and its message of the saving grace of Jesus Christ to a population that otherwise is lost, forgotten, and left to die.”
Postscript: John Clifford said his wife, Nanci, the physical therapist, thinks the man will regain some ability to walk on his own, and eventually he may learn to communicate in some fashion. Pray for him!
In the air somewhere over Southern California, 7:29 p.m. PDT, Sunday, May 4, 2008: We’re riding into the sunset. The western horizon glows a burnt orange. We’re on Jamaica Air flight 75 on our way from Montego Bay, Jamaica, to LAX, where we’ll catch a bus to San Diego. Most of the nearly 300 Miles Ahead volunteers are heading home too, or will be very soon. After months of planning for the Jamaica Crusade, they spent 10 jammed-packed days in MoBay working their tails off — and making a difference in people’s lives.
While it will be wonderful to be home again, I can’t get the images of Jamaica out of my mind…If you could view memories like a gallery of photographs you might see…
* The 30,000 Montego Bay residents on Friday, and then 45,000 on Saturday, dancing to the gospel reggae-rap music of Israel Houghton and Papa San and others during the crusade concerts… I can see one boy, I would guess about 10, swaying with tears running down his cheeks…
* A downtown church transformed into a Miles Ahead medical clinic, and about 200 of the 6,000 residents who took advantage of the four sites offering free medical care…I can see a toddler pulling herself up on the wheels of an old wheelchair; in it sits a smiling old man without legs waiting for his free prescription…
* Volunteers dripping with sweat as they sweep out a dank school lavatory whose broken toilets have no water…I can see the 900 students who now have a brightly lit, restroom painted cream, now with working commodes and stalls with doors…
* A troupe of junior high boys and girls, dancing in bright red plaid traditional costumes, celebrating their newly repainted school… I can see the warm and quiet principal handing Pastor Miles a plaque honoring Miles Ahead for the work done there.
* A thin, dignified older pastor leading a passionate worship service in an unfinished sanctuary… I can see peace on his face, even though it is scarred where robbers beat him, and I can watch him literally jump with joy on badly damaged legs…
There are so many more snapshot memories… It’s worth your time to flip through the wonderful (real) photographs taken by skillful volunteer Miles Ahead photographers at http://www.flickr.com/photos/milesaheadpics/sets/. (They have their own blog at http://www.therockphotographers.com/) And scroll through the iDo stories at http://old.milesahead.tv/category/jamaicaido/.
With such wonderful experiences it’s no wonder we’re leaving our hearts in Jamaica.
(Your MilesAhead.tv Jamaica crusade blogger wasn’t able to get back on to the Internet last night (Saturday). But here are some notes she made during the phenomenal evening at Dump Up Beach. Wish you were there!)
Music in Montego Bay
Saturday, May 3, 2008, Jamaica Crusade, 9:38 p.m. (Jamaica time)-–Jamaicans talk fast. Their musical accent and patois sometimes stretches my ability to understand. Okay, not sometimes; all the time. So when you put that way of communicating with reggae and rap, well, I confess I’m lost. But I had a great time listening to the music anyway! The performers were passionate and professonal, and the crowd loved them all.
Top Jamaican gospel superstars Omari and then Carlene Davis opened the evening, and Papa San closed it out. Papa San is wildly popular in Jamaica. Throughout his set, the crowd just throbbed, waving rags, flags and caps to every beat. In between was American Christian rapper TobyMac, who had the audience jumping too.
You have to understand the magnitude of the crowd. Picture an American football stadium full of people, all on their feet. (Of course, if it’s NFL, they already will be.) There are children and teens, adults and seniors. Now make the stadium flat, and jam the people together shoulder to shoulder — for four hours.
If music was playing, they were dancing, so it was a big, big dance party out there. Click here for a glimpse of the crowd last night (Saturday) http://docs.google.com/View?docid=dgsbbfz_594358zx26
Miles’ Message
Miles McPherson talked straight with the Jamaica Crusade crowd tonight. The topic of his message was “Sex in Paradise.” He told the Montego Bay audience that the evil one has a weapon he uses to destroy us. (No, the weapon isn’t sex… God invented sex!)
Pastor Miles said that when Adam and Eve were in the Garden, the devil told the woman if she did what God told her not to do, nothing would happen. “You will not die,” Satan lied.
The devil’s chief weapon is to convince us that there are no consequences to our action. He wants us to believe that we are in charge of our lives. Everytime we disobey God, the devil whispers in our conscience, You will not die.
“The devil is lying to you,” said Pastor Miles. “He doesn’t tell you the whole story. He only tells you what you want to hear.”
When it comes to sexual relations, Satan has perverted God’s plan, he said. God created a man and woman to become one. “What the media tells you is sex, God designed as oneness It’s symbolic of your spiritual oneness with God. It’s supposed to be a picture of the church,” he said.
He acknowledged that sometimes sin is fun “for a season.” But it doesn’t last, and it destroys. He reminded the crowd that one of the consequences to sex outside marriage is sexually transmitted diseases. For instance, the Caribbean has the second highest HIV prevalence rate, second to sub-Saharan Africa.
After Adam and Eve sinned, they hid from God. The fellowship they had had with the Creator was broken, and they were ashamed. They wanted to cover up their sin.
“Let me tell you,” said McPherson. “You cannot cover your sin with leaves. You cannot cover your sin with food. You cannot cover your sin with money. Let me tell you. You have to die to cover your sin. But there’s good news,” he said.
He said that the Bible says that all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The penalty of sin is death. But while we were all sinners, Jesus (”Everybody say JeSUS!”) died on the cross for our sins. He was buried and rose from the dead.
“He wants so bad to fill your heart with peace. He wants so bad to heal you of your addictions. He wants so bad for you to walk with him. And why don’t we? Because we hide from Him,” said Miles. “God asked Adam, you used to walk with me. Now you hide from me. Where are you?”
That’s the question everyone needs to answer, Miles said. “Where are you? Where are you going? God has exactly what you’re looking for. Eternal life. Let me give it to you. It’s free.”
Pastor Miles told the crowd all we have to do is A.B.C.: Admit that we’re a sinner; Believe that Jesus Christ is Lord and died and rose from the dead for us; and Confess our sin and be cleansed of unrighteousness.
Live from Montego Bay! Saturday, May 3, 2008, Jamaica Crusade, 6:58 p.m. (Jamaica time)– I am at Dump Up Beach, sitting in the Miles Ahead video land. (That’s what Josh, one of the tech guys, call it. It’s the command center for the production of the second night of the Jamaica Crusade, and it’s hopping! These guys are all truly talented and dedicated professionals and it has been fun to work alongside them.)
I am borrowing Eric’s station because I can’t find a wireless hotspot, and he’s so crucial to this operation I have only five minutes to log some impressions about how wonderful things are going so far. So here goes…
Last night the Montego Bay police estimated the crowd at more than 30,000. And it’s typical for the second night of an event like this to draw twice the number of the first night. There’s no way to tell how many people are out there right now on Dump Up Beach park listening to Carlene Davis and her group, but the ground is jumping!
Before the sun went down a few minutes ago, Team Faith made Montego Bay residents catch their breath, when the four motocross stars went airborne in freestyle performances. One rider, a 22-year-od from Oklahoma named Willy Watts, said he gave up riding when he became a Christian because it had overwhelmed his life. Then a few years later he picked it up again, with the goal of showing young people that God calls everyone of all talents. He just wants to glorify God in all he does, and boy does he make people gasp.
The night is perfect — balmy and breezy — and we’re having fun. I hope you’re watching the live stream. If not, you have to try to catch it when it’s posted later this week as a clip on MilesAhead.tv. More soon!
Early in this week, we were all reminded that one of the first commandments of this mission is, In All Things Be Flexible. If something can go wrong, it probably will (and has!). But how else are we to grow in our faith in a loving, detailed God, if we didn’t need to rely on him for those details?
There have been countless “opportunities” to learn this during the Miles Ahead Jamaica event this week. Just read some of the iDo blog entries, such as Rebekah Hsieh’s, or Steve Poppert’s story.
Even Pastor Miles had to be flexible yesterday (Friday), when the backed-up traffic on the main road around Dump Up Beach made it impossible for the van in which he was riding to the crusade to turn into the venue’s the parking lot. The driver had to inch along a jammed side road until he could find a place to turn the big vehicle around, and then maneuver his way back for a second try.
Remember, there are no coincidences in God’s economy.
Friday, May 2, 2008, 9:24 p.m. Jamaica time (Montego Bay,Jamaica) – Israel Houghton is playing, and everyone is dancing.
Everyone including the massive crowd packed into Dump Up Beach and stacked along the road outside the park; everyone including the stage crew, the security guards, and the waiters in the VIP tent — and even some of the VIPs. One song ends, and on its own the crowd starts to chant, “Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes Yes Lord,” “Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes Yes Lord,” “Yes Lord, Yes Lord, Yes Yes Lord” …
Yes yes, Lord. What an amazing afternoon and evening. Miles has invited Montego Bay to return Saturday night, when he will be speaking about sex and the Bible. By the end of Israel Houghton’s set, it sounds as if the entire Dump Up Beach has transformed into a massive choir. Out of the dark rises a unified voice of praise. The first night of Miles Ahead’s Jamaica Crusade ends on a heavenly note. Thank you, Jesus. Yes, Lord. Yes, Lord. Yes, yes, Lord.
Friday, May 2, 2008, 8:09 p.m. Jamaica time (Montego Bay, Jamaica) — Jesus’ disciples were out on a lake when a storm blew up, so severe that it threatened to capsize their boat and end their lives. Then they saw a figure moving toward them. Jesus was walkng on the water, coming to save them.
Miles McPherson is talking to a huge crowd (we’ll get a final estimate of the numbers by the end of the evening) at Dump Up Beach. He’s telling them that Jesus has come to rescue them from the sins dragging them down to hell. He’s saying that if they will take Jesus’ hand and let Him pull them up, they too can walk on water, and live a victorious life full of joy.
“You are like the disciples out in the boat in the lake with the storm coming out and they can’t handle it,” he says. “You can stay right where you’re at, and die and go to hell. The Bible says the wages of sin is death. Or you can accept that Jesus died for you, and walk on water.”
He reminds them that the evil one tries to convince us that whatever we’re putting in the place of God is no big deal. That sort of thinking is a trap. God has something better for us than anything we keep holding on to. Miles shared from his own life, telling the crowd that he had been a 24-year-old professional NFL football player sucked into a cocaine habit he knew was wrong. He kept hanging on to it, until one day he turned his life over to Jesus. God healed him of his addiction, and guided him into a new life.
“The Bible says trust. Action number 1 is to give your life to Jesus. Action number 2 is, start walking on water,” said Miles. “Come on, let’s pray. Give your life to Jesus now. Now is the day of salvation. You might not have another chance. Tonight is your moment. Turn to Jesus. He can help you weather any storm; he can help you walk on water.”
After the alter call, Miles invited people who had made a commitment to Jesus Christ to raise their hands. Thousands did. He told them to wait for volunteers to give them a book for new Christians.
Friday, May 2, 2008, 7:14 p.m. Jamaica time (Montego Bay,Jamaica) – Prodigal Son is blasting from the main stage. Dump Up Beach is jumping. It’s packed with rocking Jamaicans from the shore to the street, from the stage to the parking lot. Lord, let everyone You want to be here, be here.
Earlier, local leader the Rev. Conrad Pitkin introduced Robert Levy of Jamaica Broilers. Mr. Levy welcomed Miles McPherson and Miles Ahead to Montego Bay, and DJ Nicholas made the crowd roar. People continued to pour into the field at Dump Up Beach, tranforming it into a concert hall under Jamaican stars.
The event is part of an island-wide 50th anniversary celebration funded by the Jamaica Broilers Group, the region’s premier food manufacturer. Three major family-oriented festivals are being presented between April 26 and May 4. Andrew Palau addressed the Mandeville Festival April 26 and 27; and Miles McPherson will be at Montego Bay’s Dump Up Beach on May 2 and 3; and Luis Palau will be on the King’s House grounds in Kingston from on May 3 and 4.
