Sunday Fun Day

Today started for many of us with our first sip of the famous Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee with sweet cream (sweetened condensed milk). For others it started with catching up on some sleep after yesterday's 4:00 AM wake up call. But for all of us, the day really began with Sunday mass in the local community.

The first thing that struck most of us when mass started was the clapping and singing. From the first moment, the way the community worshiped was passionate and engaged. Soon Michael was dancing in the aisle and Teri was moving to the beat, all before the end of the opening procession. Even Laura, Akiem, and Tekeisha- the kids from Sophie's Place that came along- were clapping and singing in their own way! Most of us agree the community felt like family and it was obvious they wanted to be there...they wanted to be praying...and they wanted to celebrate God. What an amazing way to start the day! And since tomorrow is All Souls Day, we even got to experience a really cool tradition at the church where they did a blessing of the graves in the cemetery on the hillside behind the church.

After mass we headed back to Sophie's to change out of our church clothes and a grab a quick bite to eat. Then it was off to Mary's Child- a home for teenage girls who are pregnant and have nowhere else to go. The average age of the girls at Mary's Child is 13. What a blessing that this place exists to not only give the girls a place to live, but also to teach them how to be mother's at such a young age. They learn how to care for their babies, but they also learn basic life skills like cooking, sewing, and how to use computers.

Despite the blessing of this place, the reality of its existence struck our group hard. It was a tough place to visit for most of us because the girls seemed unsure around us. Their babies have changed their lives forever and they are still processing that. And for most of us, it is a reality that we can't truly comprehend, and ours is a reality they don't know either. We live in two different worlds and one hour together is not enough time to bridge that distance. Still there were moments of connection like watching Nisha cradle one of the small babies while his mother looked on.

After Mary's Child, we got to go back and play with the boys at Matthew: 25:40. And believe it or not, they had even more energy than yesterday. This time we were armed with balloon animals, bubbles, and lots of sweeties! Some of the best moments were watching four of the boys attack Francesco with balloon swords, seeing Jordan and Kasey blow bubbles with Fabian, and watching Julie play the whole time with Oshane, who cannot walk. There were a lot of smiles and laughter ruled the day!

Our Sunday Fun Day even included an unexpected treat! We got to stop by the Devon House, Jamaica's famous ice cream shop, for some delicious ice cream. More smiles all around! And then it was back to Sophie's Place for a few more hours with the kids. By the time we got back the kids were very relaxed. It was truly awesome to watch Carla sit and hold Courtney while he stared up at her and then fell asleep. And to watch Suzanne rub the backs of the littlest ones while they slept reminded me how important those simple moments really are. When all is said and done it is all about love, and that is something we all experienced in a lot of ways today.

So Sunday Fun Day is coming to an end as we get ready for a week full of hard work. Tomorrow we head to Jerusalem to meet the kids from Dare to Care and to get started on helping to build the new Martha's House. Until tomorrow...

~ Michael (the co-leader known as mom)