A Miracle Mountain
Some miracles take time. In scripture, there are instant miracles such as water to wine or the healing of the blind. Other miracles are slower, such as the virgin birth, which took months, or the crossing of the Red Sea with some seven million people walking through the parted waters. In the case of Methuselah, whose name signifies "when he is dead it will come"; there was a miracle of longevity. (969 years). Nevertheless, it was a miracle!
There are miracles taking place in Jamaica. Many of them will take years to come to complete fruition. We must be patient. We must remember that this is Jamaica's first generation of people to live totally free of slavery and colonialism. Let's look at one of these miracles: "The Miracle of the Mountain."
Christ Community Churches of Jamaica have their main campus on a seven acre tropical mountain in Golden Grove. A little more than 5 years ago however, this was a barren mountain. Today it is the home of a church; a basic school; an elementary and high school academy; a small orphanage; a mission home; and two habitats for homeless families.
We had felt the call to plant a work in Jamaica over five years before. We had no idea of coming here to live. The plan was to start a school and then a church. After that, we planned to help sponsor missionaries who would come to oversee the mission. But, first we would have to find some available land in the area of Golden Grove. This was the place where we had brought several teen mission groups in the past to hold Bible Schools and other activities.
Winona and I made several flights to Jamaica to purchase in Golden Grove. The only available site was an acre of land in a gully between two mountains. It was potmarked and below the level of the little asphalt road that ran adjacent to the site. We inquired about the solitary acre and were informed that the owner lived in New York. We were given her number and made an offer for the land.
We did not like that seemingly worthless piece of real estate, but had no alternative. We were convinced that God wanted us to start a school and church in Golden Grove. The owner agreed to sell the property for a certain amount. We contacted an attorney to workout the transaction. We were told that we must wait for the documents in order to finalize the contract. We would need to come back to Jamaica a few months later.
A later trip to Jamaica proved fruitless. The lady had decided to raise the price of the land. We were told that we would have to wait until later when new papers would be ready for signatures. This happened three or four times! We were frustrated. We were weary with all the red-tape and endless hours of sitting in legal offices. Each time we were told that the next time would be the last. But each time, the price of the gully was raised. We persisited in prayer and faith believing the Lord would reward us if we would remain steadfast and obedient. We would soon see the rewards of our patience.
Then, it happened! We were part of a youth team from Christ Community Church in Sheridan, Indiana, who were to minister to several Jamaican Communities. After doing daily vacation bible schools and other projects, the team arrived in Golden Grove. Since there was no church or school, the team of over 20 teenagers and their chaperones were forced to sleep, side-by-side, on the floor in Pastor Mose's small house. During the night, sleep would be interrupted by an occasional rat running across the prostate of the American students. Intermittent screams would waken the entire household, followed by horror stories of gigantic rats jumping across faces and waiting for the beginning of a new day.
The next day the team hiked up the western slope of the mountain that protects the village of Golden Grove. On top of this hill, one can see the beautiful Caribbean Sea awash with white foam amidst blue-sky waters. Atop this mountain is a chalky, limestone cave. Some say that the ancient Arawak Indians, some of the earliest Jamaican natives, might have lived inside it.
After a few minutes of hiking, sightseeing, and meditation; we felt a powerful "urging" of the Holy Spirit to pray. We gathered the youth team and their leaders to a spot overlooking Golden Grove more than one thousand feet below. We were prompted to pray a prayer claiming a community and a property for the Lord. We all stretched our hands toward the village and the adjacent mountain that lies on the eastern side of the valley. We prayed in unison for God to give us "Our Mountain." We then praised Him for the answer that was to come. Then we climbed, cautiously, back down to our next mission appointment.
