"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.