What's, Why's, and Who's

Today we completed our measuring task with the 20 wheelchair-bound children at Sophie's Place, a quaint cottage-like "village" snuggled in the Blue Mountains of German Town parish in Kingston.  Many of the children were excited for all the commotion and attention, and we did not disappoint.  Suzanne measured; Cecilia and Melissa took observational and measurement notes; Meaghan chatted up the children in our "waiting room"; Kevin transcribed forms and fixed the internet access at Sophie's; Smidgen read to the children who were not being measured; I transferred the children from their chairs to the measuring table, and took pictures and videos that will be sent to the wheelchair organization for optimal outfitting.

We then had a quick lunch and headed to Mary's Child--a Mustard Seed apostolate dedicated to teen girls who are pregnant or new mothers (some as young as 14).  There we chatted with the girls, saw the progress on the grounds from last year (where we spent a day), and of course spent the bulk of the time holding the babies.  Kevin's baby simply would not smile, and he tried in vain to get her to crack (though, multiple times she started toward a cry, and after a simple "No" from him she went back to her even expression).  The rest of us held, smiled at, and talked to the babies we held.  It was incredibly peaceful.

Our week here in Jamaica is always filled with a lot of What's.  And A LOT of What's at that---as a group of "only" 7 people, we got a large amount of work completed: we measured 96 children so that they could be outfitted with a wheelchair made specifically for each of them; we fed children so that they were nourished each day; we played so that both us and the children could laugh and enjoy life; we cleaned a storage room so that various construction projects at Jerusalem! could be supplied efficiently; we shared meals and jokes and conversation with Mr. Smith, Miss Lillieth, Natalia, Deleene, and many caregivers so that we helped their workday be a little brighter...we spent hours with one another as a group--me, Kevin, Smidgen (aka Jordan), Meaghan, Suzanne, Cecilia, and Melissa--so that we bonded and could focus our collective efforts on the children, both this week and when we get back to the United States; and we prayed so that God would hear our requests on behalf of the children, caregivers, staff and volunteers of Mustard Seed.

What isn't captured very well here is our Why--why do we make time for these children each year?; why do we leave the comforts of our homes and routines? etc.

This year, fortunately, it's filled with a lot of Who's.  96 Who's, to be exact.

These are the people who, by the time we see them again, will have a customized wheelchair.  Many of them *live* in their wheelchairs, so this will give them a new "home" designed so that they can experience their surroundings as fully as possible, and do so as comfortably as possible.

While we did not do as much "construction" this trip as in years past, we helped build homes for 96 children.  NINETY-SIX CHILDREN.  This is nothing short of amazing.  We will all remember this when we wake up this and every Monday morning, commute to work, and get back to our routines.

It's creeping up on 11:00pm, and Kevin is still converting the measurement sheets to electronic form, so I'm going to go help him.  See many of you soon!  Thank you for following us and keeping us in your thoughts and prayers all week.

~ Andrew (6th Year)

Rise and Shine

"Wake up everybody, it's 3am"...

That's how our Thursday morning began. Sunrise service was uplifting and it was great to see the children again at My Father's House. Our early morning transitioned into a relaxing day at the beach; filled with good food, laughs and most importantly, great company. After departing the beach, it felt great to stop by Mathew 25:40 to visit the kids. It's such an unexplainable feeling to see how happy and excited the kids have been all week, each time we arrive to spend time with them.

Although our time in Jamaica is slowly coming to an end, my experience here will never be forgotten.

Melissa (1st year)

Worry-free Wednesday

Today we got to return to Jerusalem. Since the team completed our task of measuring the kids at this location ahead of schedule, we returned to Hoboken Cares roots.....physical labor with Miss Lillieth and Mr Smith.  Over the years, these two have become family to me as have many the Mustard Seed staff. It's not always easy to have people in your life that you see once a year and it seems like old times immediately at the first handshake.  Thank you both for always making us feel welcome.  Thank you also to Leroy, Kevin (K-JAM), Natalia, and all of the staff at Sophie's place among others.  You will always be family in my book.

We also had the pleasure of celebrating my sonsor son's 9th birthday. Auntie Clovel threw a party like only Martha's House and Dare to Care can. We love these kids so much and it was such an honor to celebrate his birthday with them.  Thank you to Auntie Clovel and her staff for watching out for these kids. They are becoming such great young men and women right before our eyes and it is all due to the love and devotion of these fine people that treat this children and raise them as their own. I'm worry free this Wednesday because I know my sponsor son and his friends are in such great hands. 

~ Kevin (7th Year)

Better Together

One of the things that has always impressed me most about the Hoboken Cares team is how well we work together as a team in Jamaica. No matter how big or small our team is, whether we are twenty people, thirteen or just seven, there does not seem to be a job that is too big. It doesn't matter how many people have been on the team before or how many are experiencing Jamaica for the first time, we always find a way to come together to form a plan to tackle the project at hand in the most efficient way possible.

Our project for the week is to measure a total of about 100 residents for new wheelchairs. In just two days we have been able to complete about 75% of the project. This would not have been possible if the seven of us, plus our honorary team members, Zamaney and Parisa (two of Mustard Seeds long-term volunteers) could not come together to form two groups to divide and conquer the huge task in front of us. Each person has their specific job, but is always willing to jump in to help in any way.

We also could not accomplish everything that we have so far without the amazing collaboration from the caregivers and therapists who know the residents best. Working with them on this project this week has made me think about how they too are a team. Our team comes together to work for these seven days, but these caregivers are a team every day. They come together to provide the best possible care for our kids. Every year, I am continually impressed by the hard work and dedication that they give day in and day out.

This year, I have also been struck by how much the residents who are able work together with the caregivers to assist the others in their community. Whether it's Chrissagaye, Mary and Donovan carrying laundry between cottages at Sophie's Place, or Monique making sure there is a pillow under Akeem's head, or Samayah looking out for the younger kids at Dare to Care and Martha's house, everyone works together to take care of their Mustard Seed family. One thing is certain, we are all better together in Jamaica.

~ Meaghan (4th year)

Physical Therapy 101

Our main project while we are in Jamaica this year is not physically demanding or challenging like we have been used to in past years, yet it is a very important one to the wheelchair bound residences of Mustard Seed and all who love them.

Today was spent at My Fathers House, Day One of a week-long measuring project that will start the process of fitting residents for their customized wheelchairs. We split our team into two groups, each having a measurer, a note taker- going through all possible customized options & needs of the individual with the caregivers, a videographer/ photographer to relay the additional thousand words back to the fabricators of these customized chairs, and someone to help the caregiver keep the kids as calm & relaxed as possible throughout. It wasn't until we were going through this process in conjunction with speaking to their caregivers that I really understood that their current chairs, which are mostly second-hand, really do not fit the needs of their very unique body shapes and disabilities/abilities, thus hindering them in many ways.  These new chairs , which are essentially their individual 'homes', will allow for more mobility, interaction, comfort and rehabilitation. That thought puts a huge smile on my face, as I am sure it does for everyone else who has had any interaction with these great kids & young adults.

After measuring all the residents we enjoyed a game of wheelchair football [ American style:) ] with some of the boys. Devon, who takes a little bit longer to warm up, lit up as soon as he saw the football. He has a great throwing arm and is able to propel himself pretty fast with his feet. Ty Ty, when not uncontrollably laughing at Kevin and Andrew fighting for the ball, was awesome at protecting the ball as we raced him down the courtyard to get a touchdown. Marcus and Ramon went from being bystanders to players. Marcus was giving Devon some extra pointers on throwing the ball, while Ramon was pretty quick and kept stealing the ball. Dwight enjoyed watching all the activity from his front row seat. It was nice to see boys just being boys. We were no longer focusing on their disabilities -- rather on all their great abilities.

~ Suzanne (4th year)

Understanding the Spectrum

So we have made it through our second day and were able to do a pretty great amount of activities: going to mass in the morning, learning how to take measurements for wheelchairs for the kids, visiting the children at Matthew 25:40 (for a few minutes), ice cream and more playing with kids from Sophie's Place.

Towards the end of the day, as we were playing at Sophie's Place, a beautiful rainbow broke out across the sky. As Smidgen said, "It was the full ROY G BIV". And it brought to light a great number of the spectrums we have already experienced from this trip. From seeing a kid go from running back and forth and fighting to giving affection to one of the other residents in a calm gentle manner, you can see the the daily spectrum of emotions the caretakers go through every day.

As we process our emotions on this trip we also see the beginning of a spectrum begin to appear in us with our experience, from the feeling of frustration when you don't know how to help, to being overtaken with joy as you watch two residents hold hands during mass.

And as some of us return for our third, fourth or seventh time, we also address the spectrum we have experienced year to year, seeing kids grow, faces change, and how we changed through each experience.

The trip gives you the ability to see so many spectrums. And those spectrums create such a significant experience for everyone. This trip truly has such an affect, from the people we meet, the children we work with, and clearly within each one of us.

~ Cecelia (1st year)

The Bellyflop

It's no secret that the days we experience in Jamaica are worlds away from what we are used to in our daily lives. As the team reflected tonight after our first day in Jamaica, we talked about how each of us has adjusted into the trip this year. Some of us have been in "Jamaica mode" for weeks, some still feel not fully adjusted. There are times in Jamaica that we aren't just leaning in or testing out something new or uncomfortable. No matter if this is a first trip, or another trip for a multiple-year veteran -- we take a full-on bellyflop into the week and deal with twists an turns as they come.

We were able to enjoy most of the day at Sophie's place today and spend a lot of time with the kids here. We held dance parties, read books and we got to help with the care takers' daily tasks with the kids. At the end of the day it turns out the 2012 HobokenCares Team has successfully made this bellyflop into what we now consider "home".

~ Jordan