During the Summer of 2023, Truth Corps members visited Jamaica to help spread the gospel and host a vacation Bible school.  Here are some of their experiences, in their own words.

Truth Corps members: Sis. Sydney Pittman, Sis. Jane Kohlman, Bro. Okiemo Johnson, Bro. Judah Lange, Bro. Lorenzo Johnson, Bro. Erick Cervantes

Bro. Erick Cervantes (Los Angeles Ecclesia): The work in Jamaica continues. On the last Friday of T.C we held a public lecture at the May Pen Ecclesial hall and had gone out into the community to invite anyone willing to come, it is extremely difficult to get anyone in this world to set aside the cares of this world on a Friday night to come to “church”. I was praying for the LORD to please send just 1 person. During the public lecture the team was able to get about 5-6 people to show up to the small Ecclesia in May Pen. At first it looked like no one was coming, so when those first 2 people walked in (A woman and her son) it felt like we won the championship. It’s those small victories that make all time and effort spent worth, this also confirmed my faith once again, God is real, there truly is a living God who hears and is still calling those to his salvation. There are people of this world who want to get people to turn away from following God so we were able to stick it to the world and overcome. Yet there is still so much work to be done, “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few”. Through this years’ experience my faith in our LORD has been even more solidified and I realize how we all so desperately need to cling to the LORD. “Even so, Come, Lord Jesus”.

Sis. Jane Kohlman (Calgary Ecclesia): This year Truth Corps was smaller in size and shorter in length than in the past, but still action-packed and an incredible journey to be involved with. Joining the team for the latter week in Jamaica was a hoot. It was a remarkably spiritually uplifting experience to share the workload, the time, the meals, and the laughs with a group of like-minded people; all who share a love for the Gospel.

Getting to work with young minds in VBS, and joining them on their introduction to the gospel was a marvelous experience. We had many laughs, stories, questions, and of course, crafts. It was so wonderful to see our class size grow from the beginning of the week (only one student in our first youth class!) to far more at the end of it. God willing, that growth will spark new life and excitement into the May Pen Ecclesia, bringing more people in to share in the joy of knowing Christ.

Even in our time at home base, we got to spend many hours getting to know one another, and reveling in one another’s passion for the gospel. Our group was heavily supported by our remarkably giving hosts, the Johnsons who contributed a tremendous amount of work and effort, as well as much spiritual enrichment. It was such a joy to be a part of a household that is filled with a zealousness for our Heavenly Father.

By the end of the week, many lifelong friendships and bonds were made, as well as an overall sense of community within the team and the ecclesia. Human connection, being one of the greatest joys in life, is made all the greater when it is based on the word of God. Much communal and personal growth was gained, as brothers and sisters in Christ were brought into one another’s lives.

Bro. Lorenzo Johnson (May Pen, Jamaica): Being a part of Truth Corp has been a pretty amazing experience and I wholeheartedly am very happy that I made the decision to be a part of the Truth Corp. I first learnt about the Truth Corp in 2018 when Jamaica hosted Caribbean Camp and I noticed there was what seemed to be a meeting for a specific group of persons in the night after the events of the day were over and I asked about it. Then and there was when I learn about the Truth Corp and what they do and told myself I want to be a part of the Truth Corp someday. Here I am a couple years later an official member of the Truth Corp team.

Truth Corp experience was really fun and exciting from the beginning to the end. The team had so many parts to it and yet we gelled instantly. The chemistry of the team was instant and electric making all the interactions so easy and incredibly fun. The team had Brother David and Sister Cassie leading the charge initially who I am very familiar with being that I’ve spent so much time with them while they were here in Jamaica before. The additions to the team were Brother Dana who now lead the charge of this team and his daughter Sister Jane, Brother Eric, Brother Judah and Sister Sidney. They are all spectacular persons who I loved learning about throughout the course of the Truth Corp trip. We were all met up and excited to spread the Good News of the Kingdom of God to the community that surrounded the May Pen Ecclesia.

We spent the next couple weeks doing some canvassing/campaigning which essentially was walking through the neighboring communities spreading information about Christadelphian church and where the May Pen Ecclesia was located while encouraging them to come out attend the VBS that was being held and to attend a class that was headed by Brother Dana Kohlman (Calgary) with the topic being ” God Wants to Save Us from Ourselves”. It is good honest work to spread the Gospel doing true missionary work. We invited anyone we met on the streets and even spoke to those willing to meet us at their gate who were willing to listen to us as we spread the word of God and invited them to attend the May Pen Ecclesia.

The week of the VBS was fun thrilling work where the Truth Corp members broke into teams and taught to the children lessons that were written in the bible. These lessons were portrayed in a way that the children could understand and learn from it and even to take that new found knowledge into the world. The teachers and students had fun together as the week progressed smoothly.

I look forward to the next Truth Corp trip with exceeding excitement to be able to meet new persons of like faith and with the willingness to spread the Gospel to others and have fun in the process of doing so.