- Celine Dion
- Riding in a taxi going really fast on the left side of the road
- Handicapped children
- Canned beef stew
- Rihanna
- Headbands (these keep your hair looking somewhat decent after riding in several cabs going really fast with all the windows down)
- White rice mixed with anything (this includes spaghetti, canned beefstew, and all forms of chicken)
- Almost all reggae but most especially Etana, Tarrus Riley, and Jah Cure
- Grapenut ice cream
- Curried goat
- Being called Brownie (as opposed to whitie)
- Ting and Kola Champagne
- Many many fruits that only grow in extremely hot temperatures
Saturday, September 5, 2009
Things I've grown to love since moving to Jamaica:
Saturday, August 22, 2009
"I am blessed. Everyday of my life I am blessed."
I can't believe I have been here for nearly 10 months. The kids have started to realize that I will be leaving soon. Every day at least a few of them will ask "Auntie, you go foreign soon?" There are a few girls at the Dare to Care that know what month I am leaving and hold me tight everyday when I visit them and say "Auntie, October is too soon. You can't leave!" And I try and assure them that 2 months is still plenty of time, but I am realizing that before I know it the end of October will be here. But, as one of my co-workers said the other day, "once you come to Mustard Seed, you have to come back." And that will certainly be the case for me.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Day at the Beach!
Another volunteer and I with Claude, one of our older and by far wisest resident at Jerusalem. We spent awhile with him in the water. He was so so thankful. Loving the water!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Lloyd's Story
Monday, June 8, 2009
"Cause every little thing gonna be all right..."
Wednesday, March 25, 2009
This is a picture of Chelsea and I with all 4 brothers not too long ago. I am holding Tavoy.
Please keep Niron, Kemar, and Andrew in your thoughts and prayers. As well, as all the caregivers and staff who were close to not only Tavoy, but also Oliver and Jermaine, the two other residents who recently passed away.
In addition to these sad events, the Mustard Seed home where our youngest HIV children live burned down last week. Luckily all the children made it out safely. One of the caregivers grabbed the two immobile children and had to jump from the second floor. She broke her leg when she landed, but is recovering, and both the children are fine.
As you can see, it has been a difficult few weeks here. The night of the fire caretakers and staff from all over converged at the home, like any big family would, to be sure everyone was okay. At the end of the night everyone gathered for a prayer. Fr. Gregory began the prayer by singing the song "Thank you Lord." It reminded us all that we must be thankful no matter what and that the Lord is always watching over us. Everyone sang it loudly. So many Jamaicans have such a blind faith. They don't need to see God to know He is there. It is an inspiration to me during these difficult times.