"Where there is love, there is pain."- Spanish Proverb

It wasn't long after I arrived in Jamaica that I fell in love with the well-known 4 brothers that live at Jerusalem! They are some of the most loving, patient, and self-less young men God has gifted to this world. All of them suffer from what appears to be some sort of genetic muscular dystrophy. The disease is the mildest in the eldest brother, Niron, and gets progressively more severe as you go down the line- next is Kemar, then Tavoy, and lastly Andrew. Their story is sad, but at the same time beautiful. Before they came to Mustard Seed they would be left alone for days at a time and Niron would drag his lifeless legs around, using only his upper body to bathe and feed his younger brothers. Mustard Seed learned about them probably 5 or 6 years ago and since then they have lived with us. All the brothers have difficulty communicating. If you spend enough time with Niron you can begin to understand him. Kemar is more difficult to understand, and the youngest brothers are nearly impossible to understand. However, when you bring them all together (the oldest lives in a different part of the home) they all sit around and chit chat, understanding everything each other is saying! It's so awesome! I have really fallen in love with them over the past 5 months. I often tell Chelsea that I don't know how I will leave Jamaica someday without taking them home. We always talk about the day when all the boys will be old enough to live together in a cottage at Jacob's Ladder. That dream, however, was crushed this past week when I went to work on Monday. I was devastated to learn that Tavoy had passed away over the weekend. The two youngest brothers have difficulty swallowing and Tavoy choked on Saturday afternoon and because he doesn't move much and cannot speak he stopped breathing without the caregiver noticing. He was rushed to the hospital, but was pronounced dead on arrival. Two other children have died in the past couple weeks as well. I wasn't close to either of them so their deaths did not affect me in the same way that Tavoy's has. I want to comfort his brothers, but I find it hard to be with them without crying. On my way to lunch today Niron called me over to him and said "Me wah go visit Andrew and Kemar. They only two left." as he held up two fingers. It broke my heart. Luckily I had regained my composure after lunch and wheeled him over to see his brother. He just held Andrew's hand and then I heard Kemar say "Tavoy died." and Niron simply said "I know." I was glad they were able to be together for awhile and chat. They are well aware of what has happened. It's obvious they are not as cheerful and are incredibly saddened by their brother dying.

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.

Remember Me?!

I can’t believe how long it’s been! I apologize for those of you who have been waiting for an update on my life here in Jamaica. Well, it’s been a little over 4 months since I arrived and at this point all the wild and crazy experiences have become a part of daily life. Once in awhile I stop and realize the roosters crowing when I get off the bus outside of work or the huge piles of trash burning on the side of the road were not normal to me 4 months ago, but now that’s all a part of everyday life! Before I go any further let me first explain part of why I have not written a blog in so long. About a month ago, I was sitting quietly on my couch with my computer in my lap just minding my own business when all of a sudden I heard a bang! I looked down on my keyboard and there was a lizard about the length of my hand! He scared me out of my mind and made me throw my computer onto our tiled floor! And shortly after my computer went black and didn’t turn back on until I was able to put a new hard drive in and now I have my computer back and can get on the internet again! Below is a picture of the killer lizard! Jamicans call them "croc lizards."

A lot of other things have happened in the past month or so too! For starters my mom and dad came to visit a couple weeks ago! I brought them around to all the children’s homes that I work at regularly and had them meet the children and staff. They rented a car (which my dad drove on the left side of the road with ease) and we drove a few hours through the southern part of the country toward the beach. I brought them to what is so far my favorite part of the island. It’s a little town called Treasure Beach on the southern coast. There are a few hotels and guests houses, but it’s a lot quieter than the other touristy parts of the island like Montego Bay and Negril. The people who live there are by far the most laid back Jamaicans I have come across and are usually very pleasant and polite with the few tourists that hear about and venture out to TB. We enjoyed a relaxing, but far too short weekend at the beach and sitting by the pool. I was sad to have them leave and to return the “real world” of city life and work, but it was so wonderful to have them here and give them a glimpse into my life here. Below is a picture taken at Treasure Beach. The sunsets are amazing!

The week after my parents returned home, my roommate and I packed our bags and headed to Mustard Seed’s apostalate in Moneague called Jacob’s Ladder. Jacob’s Ladder is still in the works, but when it is completed it will be home to over 400 residents and have a completely self-sustaining farm. Right now there are a little over 40 residents all who are over 18 and about 90% of them have a psychiatric disease. Many of the residents are schizophrenic. It’s a really overwhelming place for people who have not spent time around severely psychotic people (which I suppose would be the majority or people in the world!). But it’s also an incredibly peaceful place. There is so much wide open space and there are just dozens of little cottages that line the perimeter of the living area. The residents are really fun to be around as well. Some of them are always excited for visitors and crave one on one attention and Chelsea and I tried to give as much as we could. While there I did some training with the care givers, most of whom have no training at all in caring for psychiatric patients. So, there is a lot of work to be done there, but hopefully with time it will grow and become home to hundreds of deserving children. Below are some pictures I took on our ride back from Moneague. It's a really beautiful ride through the mountains!

Well, that’s what I have for now. The internet here has been touch and go, but hopefully I can work on writing a little more often. I will be heading home to the States the end of April for a couple weeks to get a visa for my last 6 months here. Luckily, I will be able to see some family and friends as well! I am very excited for a little taste of America! Hope all is well with all of you!