Today was Friday…our last day of work here in Jamaica. The team went to Mustard Seed’s new Apostolate, St. Anthony’s, to help make final renovations before its official blessing on November 18th. We saw some old MSC friends such as Peter, Brother Anthony, Nadia, and Mr. James. As promised, this was probably the most physically challenging day. We were given the tasks of digging a trench (18”x15”) for a new picket fence across the yard, digging out the foundation of two statues of St. Anthony and Mary with a Child, general cleanup of the entire landscape (rocks, logs, & concrete debris), and mowing the lawn. With lots of teamwork and the help of the girls from Mary’s Child, we completed all of our work.
Before we return to our lives in the hustle and bustle of New York City, there is one thing that we would like to remember. Work can be stopped for prayers but prayers should not be stopped for work. This is clearly a message that God wants us to bring home. During morning devotion at St. Anthony’s, Brother Anthony discussed how we find so much time for work but don’t seem to be able to make prayer the same priority. Kevin worked away from the group today at My Father’s House on the office computers and during midday devotion, Monsignor Gregory brought that same point, about 30 minutes away. He even requested that this message be posted throughout all of Mustard Seed Jamaica. When we return to New Jersey/New York, this is the message we want to bring home.
This trip puts your entire life in perspective. You look at the day-to-day stresses that we endure in the corporate world in a completely different light. TyTy, year after year, is content playing the “steal your nose and eat it game.” Dwight is happy when you hold his hand and show him your watch. The kids at Matthew 25:40 just want to jump on your back and spin around. The “Golden Girls” of Sophie’s Place just want you to sit with them for a short while and tell them how beautiful they look and they’ll smile for hours. Cedric is excited about being part of the team and pushing a wheel barrow. Monique wants someone to sit next to her. Akeem likes to show his powers as a ladies’ man….all it takes is one wag of the finger and the girls come flocking. What’s to stop us from being happy with the simple things and just being?
We will miss the kids. We will miss the sun. We will miss the unconditional love. We will miss building relationships. We will miss doing God's work in Jamaica. We will miss helping people. We will miss people smiling about what we're doing. We will miss making valuable lifelong relationships. We will miss the team. We will miss simplicity. But, we will take back with us the lessons that Mustard Seed has taught us this week. Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers are with the children, the caretakers, the inspirations, administrators, and employees of Mustard Seed Communities.
- Meaghan (Two Year Veteran) and Kevin (Six Year Veteran)
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