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)