Jamaica Mission Pictures
These are some of my new friends from Ellerslie Gardens in Spanish Town, Jamaica.
The children loved having their pictures made. After a picture was taken they'd all shout, "see me dat, see me dat!" and crowd around the camera. This was moving as I realized most of these children did not have access to a mirror. This was one of the rare occassions they got to see what they looked like. Yet none of these children showed any glimpses of self-conciousness. There is much we can learn from the children at Ellerslie Gardens.
Most of these children had little than the clothes on their back, few didn't even have that. The lucky ones maybe had one toy. Two young girls proudly showed us their toy cell phones and a few of the boys had a ball they kicked in a nearby field. Yet dispite having little these were some of the richest children I have ever been around. They were filled with joy. Another 'Mother Teressa' named Pearl works for Food for the Poor serving in this community. The children greatly respected her. She had them recite their country's pledge and sing their national anthem. This is a feat I bet many of our American children couldn't even do so well. Yet they were so proud to show us a bit of their heritage. This was simply amazing and very moving.
We stayed in a functioning convent with real nuns! I thought this was really neat. The place was beautiful and very peaceful. The presence of God was strong there. I must share one funny thing about this place. All of our meals were cooked by the nuns at the convent, this was some of the spiciest food I've ever had in my life. I never imagined I'd eat the spiciest food of my life in a convent cooked by a nun. My images are being stretched. The food was great and I was grateful for the opportunity to try new things and flavors, including goat which glowed florescent green. It actually wasn't so bad. It was fun to eat some of the things the locals enjoy.
Speaking of food, this was a Food for the Poor mission. We had the privilege of serving the homeless breakfast. For most there, this was their only meal of the day. I was impressed that although most of these people had nothing, they still had manners par to many people I see here in the states. Everything was 'miss' and 'thank you'. It was obvious that these people were litterally starving, yet each waited patiently for their turn to recieve food and hot tea. This was very humbling to me for the next time I'm complaining of hunger.
This is a good friend Miriam. I met her while we were serving breakfast. She has been at this homeless shelter for 11 years. She didn't speak much but her expressions said it all.
I asked Miriam if I could take her picture. Once I did, I showed her the picture and told her she was beautiful. She looked at me, eyes wide, as if that was the first time she had ever heard those words. The humbling part is, it very well might have been the first time she has known she was beautiful. I love Miriam and wish I could tell her she was beautiful everyday. She is one of the most beautiful people I have ever seen.
We visited a home for children who were rejected and basically dumped because they were not normal. Here is one of our group members, Craig, praying for a beautiful little girl whose smile would light up even the darkest room.
Ahhh and Chicken Foot, he was our comic relief in the midst of all this heartache we were seeing. This man, called Chicken Foot, was filled with the joy of the Lord more than any person I've every known. He is blind but he has a keen sense of touch. He loved to play a game with anyone near him. This is his game: he'd grab your arm and slowly tap it while counting one...two...THREE!!! On three the person he was touching was supposed to scream as if they were very surprised. This sent Chicken Foot into hysterics. The louder the reaction, the harder Chicken Foot laughed. His laugh was more contagious than any laugh I've ever heard. We laughed good long and hard that morning with Chicken Foot and are better because of it. Chicken Foot plays this game all day, everyday. This is his life, this is his gift: laughter.
This is Evelyn. She works at the Goldenage Home. She is with people who cannot care for themselves all day and every day. She is a selfless servant doing very hard work bathing, feeding and caring for elderly and mentaly dissabled people. She greated us with a spring in her step and a smile on her face. When I asked her if I could take her picture she said I could only if I let her sing for me first. I sat beside her on the bench and we had church! She sang one of the most beautiful songs I'd ever heard about serving God with joy. Her life was her song. I want to make mine this song as well.
posted by Kellie # 4:23 PM
