Footy footy football

Today was the big football tournament day at the community center in Steer Town. This is an awesome time to have Grace Community Center in the spotlight and to bring the community together for a fun event. Rumor has it there was a huge storm last night which I should have been up with all night having slept on the couch BUT missed entirely. There was still some remaining thunder and threats of rain at breakfast. Right around the same time I returned safely to my villa to pack my bag for the day, it started POURING. Not just a hard rain but there were gallons dumping down and had the villas floating in inches of water within minutes. Dusty checked the weather and it looked like there wouldn't be a change until around 12 so we decided to head to town to pick up nets, tarps for shade & run a few errands (ie: make mani/pedi appointments for next week) before we went up there. :] Fortunately we finished our errands and the rain was letting up around 10:30 so we went and gathered the troops to let the games begin. We're on island time so games didn't really begin until 12 but it was worth the wait. It was impossible to keep a straight face watching the kids/adults in the tournament pass the trophy table in awe. The Northland team was huddled up chanting "USA" while the Jamaicans were just going crazy. The sideline was filled with spectators including dozens of kids that wanted nothing more than to get their hands on some ready-to-play Americans. It was the hottest day here so far and there wasn't any shade near the field. I have some great videos of both Aaron coaching his team and his team winning the trophy! It was so exciting and holding in laughter wasn't an option. I've realized that I need to take on a more childlike view towards life after spending long hours watching them with bubbles, trophies and cardboard boxes.

We waited to see the youth finals & the first (and last) American team play before going to lunch sometime after 2. Pretty much everyone taking the 2nd lunch break with us was experiencing a little heat exhaustion/dehydration. I intended on going back to the field but as soon as we got back I saw that the bus had arrived from the airport! Michelle, JC, Fr. Ralph & 3 of the kids from the new team were here and I decided to stay back with them. After a little rest and catching up, we went back to Grace to get Cynthia and see the land for the new school. It's beautiful! Some of her family members were there and had spent the day cleaning the property and getting ready to start building. We still don't have the funds but we're praying and will continue praying for what He wants for the new school.

Cynthia has been far beyond grateful in seeing that she's loved, her students are loved and that we want to help her. Almost daily she's asking me if she can make me coconut drops, grizada or coconut cake. She wants so badly to give back and I've told her it isn't us, it's Him & to keep giving Him thanks. Today when she showed up at the tournament, she was for the first time since I've known her, not wearing the suit she wears to the school every day. She had on a summery outfit and I complimented her on her outfit and her necklace. When we went to drop her off after visiting the property, she asked us to wait so she could go get something. She came back and I saw that she had taken her necklace off to give me. She just put it on my neck and said "call you tomorrow." What a blessing.

For dinner I joined Michelle, JC & Ralph, Mikey & the few new team members for dinner at Evitas. I forgot how amazing the view is from up there. You can see all of Ocho Rios including the beach. Gorgeous! They almost killed Mikey by giving him bell peppers in his food even after the request to leave them out because he's allergic. Fortunately he ended up being okay and we got to meet Miss Evita herself! Although the restaurant was on complete and utter island time, it was deeeelicious and as always great to spend an evening with some of my favorite people I only see once a year!

Northland leaves in the morning and CHWC teams come in all afternoon followed by orientation in St Ann's Bay tomorrow night. Ready for another week! :-D

Thursday/Friday

Thursday was another busy day leaving little time to update but it was nothing short of amazing. Betty and I woke up and walked a few miles at 6am and followed up with 3 cups of blue mountain. After a failed attempt at waking the brain up, we went into town where I was assigned 5 of the team members from St Francis. This meant that I would be going into the market which is in the same category as the infirmary used to fit in.... avoided if avoidable. It's the shopaholic's nightmare. "Hey sweetie special price for pretty girl" "Special price for missionary" "Cheaper than burger king" "Come take a look in my k mart"... non... stop... Not only that but they suck the team members in so keeping track of 5 of them was nearly impossible. We were meeting the rest of the group for lunch at 11:45 and they were ready to go so we planned on showing up early to sit in the AC & sip on a cold drink. Turns out we weren't the only ones with that idea because the rest of the team was there early too. The plan was for Betty and I to try the new Greek restaurant but she stopped in and saw that the meat was uncooked and there wasn't power so we decided to meet with the group at Mothers. I haven't been there yet this year so my full house patty was better than usual :] After lunch we loaded the busses and headed to Dunns River Falls again. While we were in town I picked up a new book so I did my typical read & nap under the tree on the water. Once again, the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. While I was there, I met one of the employees and he's from Seville Heights. He wants to help with the community center so we'll see what happens with that!

After the falls we came back and I read poolside for a while before dinner. It was St. Francis' last night so I went to their last mass & reflection. I was amazed by the level of their conversation. They're all in high school and many of them were leaving a level of intellect that I haven't seen in most grown adults. One of their activities was to watch 2 of their team members throughout the week so they could speak about them on the last night. There were stories about seeing them shoeless after the infirmary after giving them away without telling anyone to stories about grown men selflessly sitting in mini chairs so they could make crafts with the kids. I've said it before but the last night is always my favorite time of reflection and seeing the growth and life-changes is nothing short of unbelievable.

Both St. Francis & Miss Betty left at 4:00 am so Gregory, Aaron, Mikey and myself dragged ourselves to the bus by 3:45 to say bye. At least I think that happened... it could very well have been a dream. It was hard to fall back asleep but after I was out, I was OUT until 7:30. This morning was like the Jamaican men + Katie version of Home Alone trying to get packed up and moved out. They were running around, I was packing and organizing what the team left behind and finally everything seemingly worked out when we moved all of our stuff to the new villas except that it was entirely empty. It was 8:10 and usually breakfast starts at 8. I assumed since everyone was missing they'd gone snorkeling this morning and breakfast was at 8:30. Finally we found someone who said everyone was down at the beach. I headed in that direction and eventually saw one of the coolest things I'd ever seen. Half of the team was waist-deep in the water and the others where cheering on the beach. I guess one girl had it on her heart to be baptized so after an open invitation and explanation of what they were agreeing to, 17 of them decided to join! Even the team leaders had never been baptized as adults and decided to do it. I, of course, sobbed like an infant but it was a perfect start to the day.

Today was Northland's free day so they had the same agenda that St. Francis had yesterday. I had the option of staying home but Dusty mentioned limeades and there was no way I was missing that. Today was a little different though because it's literally impossible to go into the market with Corinne and not buy something. She scopes out the cutest jewelry and honestly, 2 pairs of earrings + 2 bracelets for $16 is a steal. After the market and search for a wallet, Corinne & I met Dusty to have a limeade and catch the end of the soccer game. The 3 of us went to lunch at Passage to India... my favorite! I don't think I've ever had indian food in the states but it's my absolute favorite restaurant here (well... one of them). We finally had a chance to really catch up and I once again realized how blessed I am to have them in my life. We exchanged stories, talked about God's been using missionaries in different parts of the world and had a delicious lunch in the process!

We finished and met back up with the group just in time to take them to the falls. Today, Corinne and I just went and got the tickets to hand out then headed back to the villas for a beach filled afternoon. All 3 of us did some reading, I regained my nice rosy red complexion and I swam in the ocean, again. I'm finally willing to admit I'm still in love with it. Everyone goes through their own stages of grieving when it comes to being hurt by someone you love but I've let my guard down. I still search for sea urchins and other underwater critters but it's too perfect to pass up. :-P

There wasn't a second of my afternoon that was taken for granted. Sometimes you have to be conscious of your thoughts and really make a point to be grateful... not today. I was surrounded by people I love, on the beach with a good book in hand. Not to mention my heart is home and this beach is arguably the most incredible in the world.

Dusty & I had a meeting scheduled for 4:00 with Cynthia to talk about a new location for her school. She is undeniably one of the most dedicated teachers I've ever met. Well, principal AND teacher for that matter. Everything she does is from her heart. I know I mentioned in a previous blog that she worries so much about her students that she doesn't take care of her own needs. Today we really saw the raw, worn down, stressed, exhausted and burdened Cynthia that she's so good at putting aside to help others. Her husband is sick, she's losing students, lost her school and is carrying the weight of the world on her shoulders. You could just see the exhaustion in her eyes and the Lord's grace that rested upon her when she started to see that He's with her. She had already found a location for the new school and after figuring out a few logistics, the meeting was adjourned and the verdict is: IsleGo is going to build it! We'll know more Monday after Dusty, Gregory and I go see the land but the initial plan is to build it in sections- starting with one of the rooms of the school built just as the houses are. 10x14 at a time which is $2,000. We'll continuously add on as we gain funds and supplies but the finished school will have rooms for different grade levels as well as a kitchen and bathroom. We'll start trying to come up with money now and want to have the first room built right away so she can start registering kids for this coming school year. Speaking of kids, we have cash in hand for 7 sponsorships!! That's 7 little kids that wouldn't have been able to go to school. AMEN & thank God for these loving hearts & this plan that He's had all along.

After Cynthia listened to this, she finally just started laughing, crying, laughing some more and talking about the flowers she wanted to plant around the school. :) I feel so unbelievably blessed to be a part of all of this and seeing prayers answered before our eyes. Please continue to have Cynthia and her husband in your prayers, she needs the peace and rest in her heart. I'll have new news and an official plan for the school by Monday.

After our meeting we headed back to the villas for a hot shower and dinner. Shortly after dinner the power went out so I'm currently laying here in a room so dark I wouldn't be able to see my hand an inch from my face without the computer here. All I can hear is the team out in the darkness worshiping & the tree frogs going about their business... I'm hoping I can find my way to a bed but this couch may be my home for the night.

Tomorrow is the first official (I think...) Steer Town football (soccer) tournament!!! We have kids, adults, Americans, Jamaicans and trophies for the end of the day! The guys are putting up tarps for shade in the morning and games start by 10. If you couldn't tell, I'm a little excited about this. Also happening tomorrow is the arrival of my favorite CHWC staff members. Michelle, Fr. Ralph, JC- can't wait to see you! :-D

For those who have been asking: I spent some time with Chris and his daughter today and am going to his house tomorrow so I can take pictures of both the baby and the house if you want to see the progress. Sorry it's taken so long!

I realized today I'm almost half way through my time here this summer and am not ready to think about leaving...

Good night.

Beautiful souls

Today was St. Francis' last day at the worksite... these days are going by too fast! First of all, I woke up at 5:15 and couldn't fall back asleep which made the coffee a necessity this morning. The ladies also surprised us with fresh omelets with peppers and onions! They were wonderful. We combined with Northland again and it was HOT. It probably wasn't any different from the other days but with so many people at the site it doesn't leave much room for everybody to find a place in the shade. Everyone was exhausted from mixing cement from yesterday so it took a little bit to get them going but once they started, it was awesome! I can't believe how much they've gotten done this week. Word got out today that pineapple is my FAVORITE and I had some freshly cut pineapple hand delivered on ice. :-D It was deeeeelicious.

We had to leave Seville right at 12 to have a quick lunch so we could do everything we had to do this afternoon. We left right at 1 to head to the Seville basic school to play! The kids there are 3 or 4 and absolutely adorable. Some of the Northland team was there as well which kept the kids busy! They were walking around with fake glasses, crowns and jewelry. The boys from the teams and the boys from the school played football and bodies became jungle gyms. I adore these kids.

At 3 we left to go to the infirmary where I was greeted with HUGE smiles from Donovan and his "lady friend" Dolores. She isn't able to talk and can only see out of one eye but was absolutely adorable in her communication. She sat right next to Donovan's wheelchair and you could tell she clung on to everything he said and would just smile. At one point he was asking me about a DVD player and I could not for the life of me understand what he was asking for. There was another man there and they were both trying to tell me what they were talking about and all I could hear was "dpt pear." Without saying a word, only smiling, Dolores got up and went to get a stack of DVDs. They all laughed at me when I realized what they were saying! I talked with them for a while and went to find Ryan who wasn't feeling well. I hadn't seen his bed before but they put him in the corner so he could have a tv and cabinet to keep all of his things safe. I talked to Ryan for a looonggg time. Him and I have somehow become friends that act as if we've known each other for years. I sat back today on his bed and tried to look at the world through his eyes. He's smart, funny... no, hilarious, inquisitive and has full mental abilities. He's 22 years old and living in the infirmary. I looked ahead and saw a man rocking back and forth while occasionally hitting himself in the face. Kiddy-corner I saw a man who was entirely yellow and stick thin while the man to the foot of the bed was laying motionless and it was hard to tell whether or not he was breathing. I asked him if he has anybody to talk to there and he said, sarcastically of course, "do these people look like they're fun to talk to? No, I sit here and watch tv or play my games." I can't even begin to imagine what a typical day is like in his life or anybody's life for that matter. My eyes were really opened today and my heart broke. It's terrible that the infirmary exists in the first place- that people are put there to die but to imagine being only 22 years old. Ryan and I went back and forth with our favorite scripture, he showed me his new computer and some of the movies he has. We were about to play super mario bros but the team was already gathered and ready to leave. I think that Ryan's going to be one of the hardest things to leave when July rolls around.

Aside from the sad realizations, the infirmary today was one of my favorite experiences I've had since I started coming to Jamaica. The feeling of community and love that I felt there today was like nothing I've experienced before. The difficulty in communication and the laughs that came with it was more than refreshing. Donovan was having a hard time talking and breathing but when I was saying bye he put his hand to his chest and said "I really love you." My heart left there in an emotional wreck! I was beyond joyful having the loving relationships that have formed there but feeling so down about Ryan's situation. Keep him and everyone at the infirmary in your prayers...

Tomorrow's St. Francis' free day so it's back to town & Dunns River Falls... and I heard a rumor there's this new Greek restaurant in town for lunch with Betty ;)

Blessings

Never enough

Sometimes at the worksite it's easy to focus just on the construction site rather than focusing on the hungry/hopeless/struggling people around us. It's not at all a negative thing- it would be financially and physically difficult if not impossible to build a community center without our teams AND some of the people I'm the closest to are people I've met at worksites. The Grace Community Center has been unbelievable and I'd expect the same for Seville heights. It's just that for me personally, it doesn't have the "wow" aspect that you find when you're in the situations outside of the site. I love seeing the teams work together and can't wait to see how God's gonna use it in their community BUT it's days like today that I really walk away feeling changed. It was another food basket day and one that left me feeling as helpless as the people we were serving.

We started the morning with our grocery shopping and running a few errands before delivering the baskets. Mikey had a request for a food basket in Steer Town so we went back up by Grace. We pulled up and Workey was there! I hadn't seen him yet this year and after working side by side every day last year, it was an exciting reunion to say the least. I'm hoping I have time to catch up with him at some point this summer!

After our quick stop at Grace, we went up to the hills and found Jeff's house. Jeff's house was built by a team last summer so I didn't realize it until we got there but we'd met before. When I walked up he was laying on the floor of his 10x14 ft house. I told him we brought groceries for him and wanted to pray for him. Jeff just had 3 surgeries, lives by himself and has no work. He has no refrigerator and only a propane powered burner to cook with. His house was one of the cleanest I've seen and you could tell he's been taking goood care of it. After we prayed with him, he told us he was on the last of his propane and didn't know where the next of his anything would be coming from. Meaning food, propane... any necessities we need to live. He told us his situation and tears just filled his eyes. The whole team walked away silent, myself included. It was another moment where I realized that it's never going to be enough. No matter who we help, there's SO much need that it helps "just for now." I was thinking the same thing with Cynthia. We help with the students, the school and with what we have available to us (which still isn't much) but what does she eat when she goes home? Does she have a bed to sleep in? Most of the people we deliver food baskets to will feed multiple people... for now. What happens when the food runs out? How is it that these people (some of the happiest and grateful people I've ever met in my life) can go to bed starving and praying for their next bite of food when we throw away pounds of leftovers daily. I walked away from Jeffs house feeling like my heart was broken. We got on the bus and after spending the past few days with this team- I knew silence meant they were strongly affected by what we experienced. Finally I broke the silence and asked Mikey how much a propane tank costs. It's $25 and before anybody else could speak Fr. Robbie was to the front of the bus offering to pay for one. Fortunately, Jeff will be able to cook the food he has but it's unsettling feeling like these things are "just for now." I hate feeling like there's nothing more we can do when I want to give them the world and excess that we have. For many of them, it's a matter of having to figure out what's next for survival. A lot of praying and one blessing at a time, I suppose.

After Jeff's house, we went back to the worksite where the other half of our team and Northland were hard at work. I had a chance to talk with Dusty and the team in Haiti is doing great despite the enemy's effort to keep them away. The site for the recovery center wasn't ready so the team toured some of the destruction and visited an orphanage. My heart isn't ready for that...

When it was time to leave for lunch, we had our whole team back and went to Edna's house. Edna is a sweet old faithful lady living in Seville. She's a Sunday school teacher and has been extremely sick for the past 4 weeks leaving her stuck at home. We arrived shortly after her pastor, who was there to give her communion and prayer, was leaving. She requested that we pray for her health and wouldn't let anybody leave without a handshake and a thank you- she was more than grateful.

Lunch today was patties & world cup. I'm not sure when Jamaican's decided they were from Brasil but it sure made for an exciting match! Before the game was over we were headed to Seville's basic school to see some kids. We arrived after most of the kids had already gone home so we ended our day early. We've been back at the villas since 3:30 for some relaxation time to get ready for tomorrow's day of work/kids/infirmary. I got to video chat with my dad for a loong time, eat some fresh pineapple. :) I also noticed how some things that we have in abundance at home are like GOLD here. Miss Betty has the little crystal light packets and if there were words to explain how amazing they are here, I'd use them but there aren't. When we're going through so much water, flavor has never tasted so good. It's kind of like my kit kat binge last year... hah. The plan for tonight is to combine groups and have a BIG zumba class in the lot outside the villas! Perfect.

See ya later :]

Irie

Sorry for not updating yesterday! I was a little exhausted and went to bed before 10. Yesterday (the 13th) was another relaxing day. We woke up for breakfast and all went to the catholic church with St. Francis. Katie B and Brett will be happy to hear that there was a HUGE, black, terrifyingly fast mutterfly swooping around the church all morning. At first we thought it was a bird but no sirrey, mutterfly.

After church we headed back to the villas for lunch and another pool day! After a couple of hours at the pool, the new teams arrived around 2:30. I had some (not nearly enough) time to catch up with Dusty & Corinne and even got talked in to swimming in the ocean- no sea urchin encounters this time. It was an absolutely gorgeous (HOT) day and it was, as always, great to be reunited with the Coopers.

Last night ended with twilight zumba, an early shower and my pillow.

Today we were back at work. All 44 from Northland combined with the 16 from St. Francis at the worksite. Not only did we have the teams out there but Dusty, Corinne, Betty, the guys + 3 of our drivers and the locals in Seville were all helping at the site. It was insane! We had our bucket line going from the cement mixers to the pit-cappers, we had people digging and filling in the trench surrounding the center, we had people weeding out plants from the trench and other people filling in where they could. It's a really neat thing to see so many people coming together to serve one purpose. We even had David offer to buy 5 more shovels so we could have more people working at once. Nobody fainted, no sun poisoning (to my knowledge) just a whole lot of work done in one morning!

This afternoon we had a little extra time during lunch so I uploaded my first set of pictures and listened to the guys yelling about the soccer game. Around 3 we took off for Grace so the team could spend some time with the kiddos. Northland was there for a food basket & to take a walk with Red to his house and we were there to rile some things up. St Francis gathered as many kids as they could and had a big US vs JA soccer game- I didn't watch but I could probably guess who won. ;) I had some time with Jaymar (Aaron's little brother) and some of the other kids I've gotten to know. I also ate the best banana I've ever had in my life that grew right outside the center. Miss Betty even liked it and she doesn't eat ripe bananas!

This morning before breakfast, St Francis had a talk about what it means to be real. David read this from the "Velveteen Rabbit" and I thought it was something we should all think about so here it is:

What is REAL?" asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room. "Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?"

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real."

"Does it hurt?" asked the Rabbit.

"Sometimes," said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. "When you are Real you don't mind being hurt."

"Does it happen all at once, like being wound up," he asked, "or bit by bit?"

It doesn't happen all at once," said the Skin Horse. "You become. It takes a long time. That's why it doesn't happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in your joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand."

"I suppose you are real?" said the Rabbit. And then he wished he had not said it, for he thought the Skin Horse might be sensitive. But the Skin Horse only smiled.

There are some great things going on down here- many that cannot be explained, only felt. God's not being shy about showing up and leading us where He wants us to go and it feels good to be a part of his journey.

In one of the previous posts I mentioned Cynthia's 6 students who needed a sponsorship in order to go to school next year. Within minutes, God really put it on peoples' hearts to help these kids and not only did we have somebody offer to sponsor all 6 kids, but multiple others have asked for information on how to get involved. Anybody know knows me knows that He's given me a real passion for children and I'd love to see how far we can take this. I talked to Dusty and concluded for at least this coming school year, donations can be made at islego.com with "Child Sponsorship" in the details box OR checks can be made payable to IsleGo Missions Inc and sent to 550 Cidermill Place, Lake Mary, FL 32746.

Bed time. Another day of work/food baskets tomorrow- my favorite! Good night!

Meditation Day

Today was a pretty uneventful day as far as working went. I woke up, drank some coffee, ate some fruit (plantains included) and packed to move down the road. Notre Dame left at 10:30 and I was at the pool by 11. St Francis was at the worksite this morning so Betty and I had silence AND an entire pool to ourselves. Our day included but was not limited to: napping, floating, reading, beaching and chatting. St Francis came back and had a free afternoon so it was a little more crowded after lunch but that didn't stop me from putting on my headphones and taking a nap by the pool. Lunch today was hot dogs... I was in my own little heaven on earth. The day was spent regrouping and taking time to rest; physically and mentally.

After the morning/afternoon of bronzing, we had a delicious dinner followed by late night zumba. I thought very seriously about getting certified as an instructor because I want to bring this twilight zumba idea back home but I don't think the art would be perfected without the Jamaicans and the tropical scenery. The humidity adds a whole new element too- by the 2nd song you are dripping sweat from places you didn't know you could sweat. By the end of the hour, you look like you were freshly dunked in a pool. Either way, if I don't take anything else back with me... twilight zumba is where it's at.

Betty, Gregory and I shared post-zumba drinks and had a God talk. One of those talks where you know He's the one leading the conversation. It's always touching to see any of the guys pray or talk genuinely about the "Fada up habove." Greg told me about the Church of Christ here and how any other church he's been to seems bland compared to the 3 hour service there where you can feel the Holy Spirit throughout the entire service. I wasn't shocked to hear how much he loves it when he explained that there isn't just music then preaching... there's music then preaching then music then preaching then dancing with music and more preaching. Any church with music, dancing and the Holy Spirit sounds like an A+ church in my book. I want to make it there before I leave.

Like I said, pretty uneventful as far as work went but the rest was a blessing. Tomorrow we have church and then the Northland team gets here. Can't wait to see you Dusty & Corinne!! I have some mangos waiting for you :)

Gooood night!

June 11, 2010

Today was the last work day for the Notre Dame team and the first for St. Francis. We started the morning and had to say bye to Drew and Ted so they could go take the ACT back in Chicago but on the upside, Barbs drove them so I got to spend a little time with her! After breakfast and getting ready, we took off for Seville. All 16 members of St. Francis and the remaining 12 on our team worked harder than I've seen a team work in a while! They started right away pouring the sand, rocks, cement and water and started mixing. All 28 of them plus the Jamaicans made a bucket line to pass the heavy cement from the mixing ditch all the way up to the pit in order to cap it. Today was the only day we'd have that many people so after talking to Richard and the teams, we decided to haul until 12:30 to finish what we could with so many people. It was downright AWESOME to see two (mostly) high school teams come together to work so hard. I basically said "St Francis, meet Notre Dame. Notre Dame, meet St Francis" and didn't expect anything to happen. That's about the same time I looked back and saw them all shaking hands and introducing themselves to each other. Good stuff. They ended up getting through 1.5 loads of cement which is impressive for anyone, let alone a team made from a team exhausted on their last day and another exhausted from arriving late last night.

After work and lunch it was time for the infirmary. I don't tell many people this, but I REALLY don't like going there. As much as I've gained from the experience, I feel like my heart breaks every time I walk in that place. I cannot understand how people are rejected and sent somewhere to very literally rot away. I always pray for and with the team before we go but it's still difficult for me- I look up to those people beyond words who are blessed with a heart to handle it. Anyways, we were getting ready to go and I talked to the team about what they were going to see and prayed God would use them as vessels to speak to the people we'd encounter. Today may have been my 15th time going there but I still felt like it was the first. When we arrived and talked to the nurses, they were sent to the women's ward, the common area and finally the mens ward. I had beautiful conversations with the women outside of the sleeping room and wanted to stay there so I didn't have to face my fears. As the team continued through the infirmary, I lead/followed (not sure which..) and ended up in the common area. I was standing watching Char so comfortably walk up and hug anybody and everybody while I sat there with a lump in my throat trying to understand "why". I was looking for a comfortable situation and I'm sure by the way I was acting, nobody had a clue about the way I was feeling. I kept on thinking about Jesus and what he'd be doing and what I should be doing. I ended up going to pray with a few of the women who tried to talk to me but I couldn't understand anything they were saying.

I spent about 10 minutes talking with some of the women before I realized that there was a man in a wheelchair that had been staring at me and smiling for quite some time. I finally went up to him and asked what the deal was with his handsome smile and he responded with "You didn't come last year, Katie!" First I was thinking "yes I did..." but switched back to try to figure out how he knew my name and what he was talking about. Like the majority of people in the infirmary, it was hard to understand what he was saying but after some translating re-explaining, I go the just of it. This man, Donovan, remembered me from 2 years ago. He remembered me telling him I'd be back to see him. He said he wrote letters "to america" to try to find out where I went but he was so happy Katie was back. WOW. Then when I really thought about it and realized that last year I really didn't go to the infirmary. Every time the teams were going, I'd talk to them before they left but always ended up at a worksite or with the kids somewhere. Ok God, I hear you...

I also had a chance to meet Ryan. He's one of the many young people that are in there now. He's the most cynical young man I've ever met in my life and because of that my abs were hurting from laughing throughout our entire conversation. "Why do you have such a childish watch?" "So you've been coming here this long? You must be old. I'd guess at least 27." "Your necklace is so tight it's choking you..." He was laughing, I was laughing, I can imagine it was probably good for him to have some younger people to talk to. I sat and talked with Donovan and Ryan for a long time... long enough that the team was all waiting by the bus for me. I'll definitely be making more trips back to see Donovan and Ryan... and whoever else God's going to throw at me to teach me a lesson. ;) It truly was an amazing, powerful experience to yet again see the power of promise and love.

We stopped by Grace to see the kids for one last time before the team leaves in the morning and eventually made our way home for feast night! We had a little time before dinner so I sat in my lounge chair by the pool facing the ocean to spend a little QT with Chris Tomlin. It wasn't 10 minutes before Doretta came out and brought me some tea. When I asked how she was doing her response was "Blessed! More blessed today than usual, this weather is beautiful. Love you Katie!" She is one beautiful person. I absolutely love the new kitchen crew here. Not only is the food delicious but they're great ladies.

We had our big feast... jerk chicken, pork (pourk as Gregory would say) and every assortment of Jamaican food imaginable. Including chocolate cake for dessert. The team had mass so Gregory, Aaron and I headed down to the other villas for late night zumba. St Francis was a little hesitant at first but it didn't take long before they were out of the pool and getting down on the dance floor with us!

I talked to Char earlier today and asked if I could do a reflection with them tonight. I've spent plenty of time with them at the worksite and on the bus but I haven't had a chance to hear any of their meetings or reflections. We met after zumba and I gave them 4 options: kodak moment (mental picture they'll keep forever), tattoo (what has forever changed them), wow/ow or just something that truly stuck out to them. One of my favorite kodak moments was Garrett talking about looking at the poverty and something that had potential to be so sad but he saw the ocean in the background. He realized that no matter how bad things seem, there's always beauty and God's love surrounding you. There were more things said than I could ever write down here but it was WONDERFUL to hear how great their week was. We talked about post-missions and the "what's next." We stayed and chatted after the meeting and enjoyed every second of conversation.

I love you Notre Dame team and will miss you! Thank you for your positive attitudes, smiles and everything you taught me. Next year: same place... see you here!

Tomorrow I'm headed to Silver Palms to get ready for some new teams and the continuation of this journey...

Good night!

Proverbs 16:9