Blue Hair

Mt. Tabor

After a busy couple of weeks with school starting and then attending and helping with all the events for Mas John’s funeral I was in need of some rest and reflection time. So our retreat to Mt. Tabor couldn’t have been at a more perfect time! Mt. Tabor is one of Father Ho Long’s missions located near Mt. Friendship one of our missions. Father Ho Long is a man that started the religious order Missionaries of the Poor about 27 year years ago. His order consists of brothers and priests from Uganda, Kenya, Philippines, Haiti, India, and a few other countries. In Jamaica there are around 400 brothers and priests. Missionaries of the Poor has 5 or 6 missions which are homes for those who are neglected and cast off’s in the society. There are homes for adults with disabilities as well as homes for children with disabilities. Mt. Tabor has a home for boys with disabilities located below the retreat center and where the brothers live. Mt. Tabor also has a farm with pigs, rabbits, chickens, cows, goats, sheep, and donkeys. While we were on retreat we didn’t have an opportunity to visit the home but I spent some significant time on the farm…ill get back to those details later. We arrived Monday morning around 10:30ish and met Father John who is in charge at Mt. Tabor. Our rooms consisted of a big room with lots of bunk beds so we all had our own space…for the first time in two months I didn’t have to sleep on the top bunk. We met with Sister Maureen around 11 to discuss what our two day retreat would look like. Monday was to be used for prayer and personal reflection. Sister Maureen gave us some bible passages to read and pray over as well as to think about who you would be in each of the stories. We were to spend the day away from each other and really take some time for ourselves. We would meet back together that afternoon before dinner and when we came back we were supposed to bring something from nature back that was symbolic of our day. I spent the first few hours reading a few of the bible passages Sr. Maureen assigned and then I re-read the book of Ruth. Ruth was my confirmation name and when I took the name I was told that name and person’s story should embody who you are and who you strive to be. Ruth gave up her life to serve and care for her mother-in-law when Ruth’s husband died. She moved away from home and didn’t look to find a new husband; she instead stood by her mother-in-law to serve her. She was a self-less women. I chose the name Ruth for two reasons; one being the story but two because it was my grandmothers name and I see so much of her in me. She was always looking to help someone else out without complaint or compliment…just to do it. While I was reading the book I thought a lot about my grandmother and how much Aunt Daphe reminds me of her and Mas John reminded me so much of my grandfather…ironically his name was John too. I began to reflect on what the past week had meant to me and how much I hadn’t really processed during the week and it all kind of hit me at once. After re-reading the book of Ruth I wrote a few letters home and did a little journaling and then headed outside for a walk. Sister Maureen had told us that she wanted us to bring something back when we met later that day from nature that was symbolic of our day. As I was walking down the hill to visit the farm animals an orange and black butterfly flew by my face and as it flew by it reminded me of my grandmother. She always had butterflies up around her house and at her camp she had fake ones on the trees. I could feel her presence all around which brought an unbelievable comfort to me. I knew that even though I couldn’t catch the butterfly to bring it back that would be my symbol of my day. I got down to the farm yard and headed right over to the pig pen. I let myself into the gate not really knowing if I was supposed to or not. After reaching over a few of the fences I was startled my Brother Lawrence who came in to check in on the pigs. He let me take them out and sat with me for awhile while I played with them. He is from Kenya and has been here for about a year now taking classes and studying to be eventually he hopes a priest. He had been a teacher in Kenya but felt that this life was better suited for him. He stayed with me for awhile and then left for mid-afternoon prayer. I stayed with the pigs for about another hour! I made my way back up the hill to shower and finish my readings and a few more letters home. We gathered late in the afternoon before dinner to talk about the day and our experiences…it was really nice to hear from everyone but also to have had that time to ourselves. After dinner we gathered and talked a little more about prayer. The next morning I was up early for a run down Mt. Tabor. The run down wasn’t so bad, I did have to stop at one point to take off my shoes to cross a small stream but that was kind of a fun little adventure. The run back up was one of the hardest runs I have had here in Jamaica…basically the hill goes straight up for about a mile and a half. Our focus for the second day of retreat was focused on community. We had some personal time to journal and reflect on what it has been like living and community and how it can be improved as well as writing positive words or statements about those who I live with. Our goal was to try and develop a group goal kind of like our mission statements that we wrote during orientation. We didn’t actually get to the writing of the group goal but we got to all share about what we have learned, how we have grown, want to grow, and how to be present in community. Our retreat ended with mass and dinner with the brothers and Father John. For me the two days were restful and peaceful. I got a lot of time to reflect and I realized I really need to take more time to do that. I get so wrapped up in my days and I very often forget to process and reflect. It was nice to just have some “me” time as well…living in a 2 bedroom apartment doesn’t really allow for that so to be on my own was very, very pleasant. The brothers asked me to come back up and cook for them sometime which I am looking forward to do in the future but they also have a home for boys with disabilities that sits down below the retreat center which I visited on Friday (I’ll get to more of that in a bit).
We returned home Tuesday night and it was back to our missions Wednesday morning. I hadn’t been at school for over a week because I took the week before to be with Aunt Daphe. I was excited and anxious to be back at school. I decided to spend Wednesday and Thursday at school and the Friday I would go to Mt. Tabor. School was a challenge for the next two days and I left feeling discouraged and frustrated both days. I’m still not used to and I find the corporal punishment of kids very hard to witness and be around. I find the lack of praise to be hard and the devaluing to be discouraging. The kids were excited to see me which I was very excited about and they were excited that I would be opening the library. My favorite time out of the two days was when the library was open. Sometimes I take time to watch the small room full of kids looking through the shelves and reading alone or with each other. I appreciate that the teachers have allowed me to work in the classroom quite a bit. I have spent most of my time in the grade 2 & 3 classroom reading to the kids, giving spelling lessons, teach math, and work one-on-one with struggling students. It’s hard for me to have come from some really wonderful and supportive school classrooms to ones that are chaotic. I didn’t expect school to be easy and I anticipated a struggle…maybe not this much but I am learning and growing a lot from the experience.
Friday was a huge highlight for me. I headed up to Mt. Tabor early in the morning and met with Father John about my experiences of working with children with disabilities in the states. We walked down the hill to the home and I was greeted by a couple of boys and they lead me into the large porch where Brother James and all the other boys that live at the home were. We colored and hung out all morning; many of them fighting for my attention 2-3 of them trying to sit in my lap all at the same time. I was in my element and complete bliss all morning! There were lots of smiles and laughing…it turned around what had been a stressful week into one of the best days I have had in Jamaica yet. I helped feed one of the boys with Cerebral Palsy and helped clean-up after their lunch. Then the brothers and I had prayer for 15-20 minutes then we had lunch together. It was amazing…we talked about our homes and what it is like being an MOP. They had lots of questions for me and vice versa. After lunch I helped bath and dress the kids and spent a little more time hanging out with them then headed up to the farm to visit my pigs! Like I said it was one of the best days I have had here!

CanJam Camp Singing Video

I have finally figured out how to post videos so that they will upload! More videos from this year to come soon! Enjoy the kids singing at the summer camp we worked at!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjoM-CFCJno

I am blessed

It was been a very busy two weeks and I’m sorry to my followers that I haven’t updated sooner. The past two weeks have been busy with home visits, doing errands around Kingston, and a trip to Mandeville. Mas John came home from the hospital two Tuesday’s past. He had been there for a week because his breathing had been so bad. While at the hospital he got a slight skin tear and I was able to change his dressing a few times during some of my home visits. Aunt Daph is primary care giver at home and she does an amazing job while still trying to run a household. He doesn’t have one bed sore on him and she always meets any one of his requests. I had the opportunity last Monday to sit with him for about two hours while Aunt Daph was in Annato Bay picking up his medication. I stopped by for what I thought was going to be a brief visit to change Mas John’s dressing and to say hi. Once I realized Aunt Daph wasn’t there I decided to stay awhile longer so Patricia could go about her days work without continuing to check in with Mas John. I sat with him for about two hours and we talked for only about 45 minutes during those two hours but there was a sense of just “being” for both of us which is almost indescribable. Because breathing is so hard for him conversation is as well but he does alright. He shared with me how frustrated he gets when he isn’t able to see and help around the house. A man who once had many trades is stuck in his bed now. He doesn’t even like to go outside because he finds it so depressing to know what he once had. He reminds me a lot of my Grampie who was a hard- working man but as old age set in he was more and more unable to work around the house. Mas John said he was a carpenter, a wood-worker; he could lay cement and build a road. He never got a formal education in these skills but I find here you learn best from those in your family who have already mastered that trade. College and higher education wasn’t really an option back in that day. I think what struck me the most during my visit was when I was leaving Mas John called me back into his room after I had already said good-bye and asked when I was going to spend a whole day there with him. The comment really caught me off-guard; our conversation wasn’t anything deep or really insightful but as I said before I think it was just the presence of someone being there that was comforting for us both.
I also spent a full afternoon at Ioka’s house last week watching all the kids while Carolyn went to do a little school shopping for the children. I brought over coloring books and crayons for the kids to play with as well as biscuits for them to share. After coloring for awhile Stead called me outside to take pictures and video of them pretending to be in the Olympics. Usian Bolt and all the Jamaican athletes are a very big deal here to the people all over the island…the World Championships were huge and exciting. Some of the athletes are from Kingston and train there as well so it hits close to home for many I work with and serve. They ran races in there yard which isn’t a yard at home, it’s more of an uneven dirt path but oh man they make it work and they have a blast doing it. I’m really enjoying getting to know the kids in each of my different communities. Ioka’s mom has already asked me to tutor her in math so she can be ready for her GSAT test at the end of the year.
I saw Osheen last week as well for the first time in about three weeks! She was so excited and ran up into my arms! I took Ioka and her to the school library on Monday so I could see it and they could color! I feel as though I am becoming more and more of a familiar face in the community which is exciting!
I taught my first Sunday school class today and for never having taught it before it went very well! I had 8 kids there which is low because usually there are 20-30 kids in church but the small number was kind of a blessing considering it was my first class. For my first class we made name tags and the kids wrote there name on the front and then drew a picture of something they were thankful for on the back. The answered ranged from school, church, and family. Ioka’s answer was especially touching, “I am very thankful for a good friend like you Miss Sarah.I will always love you. I am thankful for God to give me a family. Miss Sarah I want to thank you for everything you have done for me and my family.”
On this past Wednesday all my housemates and I went to Boostamonte Children’s Hospital in Kingston and spent the afternoon playing with kids who were in the burn unit. When we first arrived and were getting approved for being there I sat down with a little girl who was full of energy and kept getting up to run around. We had brought crayons and paper and we began to color and talk. Latanya is six years old. She is mostly healed from her burn but her entire body is covered with scars. Her head, elbow, and upper thighs are still covered with dressings. I found out that she has been there for about two years which means that the burns were terribly bad. After coloring for a bit she climbed up on my shoulders and had me walk her around the compound and play hide and seek with Jared. After walking for about a half an hour we decided to sit down and rest which is where she fell asleep in my arms for about 30 minutes. It was so special and such an amazing moment for me. When it was time to go I carried her into her bed and laid her down but after about 5 minutes she had gotten up and come back outside and stood next to me. She definitely left a mark on my heart and I plan to make the hospital visit about once or twice a month.
School starts Monday and I really couldn’t be more excited and anxious. It seems as though I will be doing a lot of tutoring with literacy and reading for kids that are struggling.
Overall things are going well here…my house community is continually growing and learning from each other. I have learned a lot about myself and it’s only been a month and a half so far but I find myself very in tuned with my emotions and those around me. Continually taking in and remembering that we are all at different stages in this process. I’m happy with where and how things are going for me so far.

CanJam Camp 2009

What a busy, busy week I have had. This past week our PVI group teamed up with a group of college students to help run a summer camp for inner city kids in Kingston. This camp has existed for three years now and its goals are focused on introducing and teaching the kids about values and common respect within their community and the world. The camp has two different sites that are a few streets away from each other; Myrh Villa and Whitfield. I was originally signed up for Myrh Villa to work with the six year old and under kids but when we arrived Monday morning the Canadian group needed an extra person in Whitfield so I decided to go. My plan of working with the younger kids changed and I was assigned to work with the 12 year olds and up. I was so nervous!! Not having a lot of experience with this age group and being very intimidated with the group I was very unsure of what the week would bring. But I also knew that this could be a very good experience for me so I jumped into it! Our first morning started in a one room building and started with about 40-50 kids and by the end of our songs there were about 100 kids. It’s always more hot in downtown Kingston and the sun was beating down on the one room “club house.” The camp was set up with themes for each day of the week.
Monday: Game Show Day
Tuesday: Earth Day
Wednesday: Around the World Day
Thursday: Sports/Olympics Day
Friday: Field Trip to YS Falls
Saturday: Party!!!!
I think the overall theme that we all struggled with all week is the matter and concept of time. Nothing starts on time which can be a huge frustration when you have things that you would like to accomplish but also a blessing when you are enjoying the company around you and not feeling a rush to do the next thing. Our first activity Monday was to design name tags. Each person in the group was given a card to write their name and to draw something about themselves, something they like, don’t like, and something they would like to be. It was really interesting to see how long it took them. The kids in my group age 12+ just aren’t confident in themselves. They had a hard time coming up with things to describe themselves and even there likes and dislikes. I found that there was a need for consistent positive reinforcement. It was also really hard to get and keep their attention and I ran into this issue all week. It was frustrating feeling like I need to be tough and sometimes hard on the kids but if we didn’t say anything then we wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything this week. By Wednesday I had almost had it with our group but Andrea our community leader came by and spoke to the group…Andrew (my co-counselor) and I gave them the responsibility of organizing Saturday’s party and all that it entailed from the set-up to the performances. We put them into two groups and sent them to work and by lunch time at 12:00 they had finalized stuff for the party on Saturday. It’s hard to describe the feeling I had to actually see them positively communicating with each other and taking the activity seriously. I did find some relief early in the week during lunchtime and free play after lunch when we interacted with all the kids. The Canadians brought soccer balls, skipping ropes, and a few other toys. We filled the intersection and streets with kids playing and spending time together. The girls loved my hair because it is so different from theirs and according to them my hair is “so soft.” They enjoyed taking out my hair tie and braiding/playing with my hair. I found that I constantly had one of the little ones in my lap just looking for attention. I learned a lot of things this week. The older kids are definitely products of their environments and act out because of what they see at home. It is completely acceptable to them to hit and talk down to each other. It seems as though many of the kids once they are done breast feeding and can walk on their own are expected to survive sometimes without the comfort of a parents hug. Many of the little ones just want to be held and have some attention fully put onto them. When looking back on the week overall I had an absolute blast and it reminded me of how much I love being a camp counselor. For the week though the kids all got a meal, some fun activities, and some positive role models which might be lacking in their everyday life. In Friday we went to YS Falls which is a natural waterfall about three hours from our home in Stony Hill. We loaded up the buses around 7:00am and headed off. The buses in Jamaica have two seats on one side with a fold down seat attached to the two and then a single seat on the other side. We fit about 6 people across, which is a lot but hey…it’s Jamaica. I had a little girl sleep on my lap all the way there and on the way home she curled up in my lap slept the whole way home. The day was a blast and probably the least chaotic day that we had during camp. There was a pool for the kids to play in with water from the natural waterfall and the kids played for a few hours while we as counselors played and swam with them. Matt, Tracy and I went up to falls and took turns swinging from a rope swing into the falls. They also have zip-lining there and I hope when I have guests to take them there. As I said before the week was quite chaotic and we played a much larger role then we were anticipating but I had a blast. I was completely exhausted at the end of the day but a good exhausted.
Today was my first day back into my mission in a week for mass. Its crazy how much I missed being there and being around the people in my mission. What started off as a small group grew and by the end of mass it was quite full. I while we were singing some opening hymns and looked around the room. For a community that has so little there was an immense amount of joy and love in the air. That moment brought to mind an experience I had in Honduras and shared about while in Pittsburgh which was when I felt God’s love around me. I had experienced a very powerful experience in Honduras but this was completely different. I felt God’s love in the voices of the people. In every voice, tambourine tap, and clapping to the rhythm in that church. “If the Lord is keeping you, what you have to worry about” is a line sung often by Aunt Daphe and in church. I find it so true and really speaks to the people of Devon Pen...they believe the Lord keeps them in his heart and looks out for them…as long as they have life everything is alright. I find it’s the simple things that I’m learning so much from and absolutely loving it.

Week 3

I finally made it to Devon Pen on Friday after a long week of running errands and tying up loose ends. As I have said before everything in Jamaica takes a lot longer than in the states. Jamaicans love to have everything stamped and to have many letters of referral before approving you for anything. But as for now most everything is done that needs to be done for awhile. I picked up my passport from immigration on Thursday so I have officially become an immigrant of Jamaica! Crazy huh?!
I had a teachers meeting on Friday at 10:00AM in Devon Pen where I met all the teachers and got a feel for what my school days will look like. I will take some pictures of the school soon and post them but haven’t had a chance yet. After waiting for about an hour to get on a bus Jared and I finally caught a cab up to our missions. I arrived just a little after 10 to the meeting. I met all the teachers which are only 4 teachers and a principal. Miss Burrell will be the acting principal this year…she hasn’t been officially approved as principal yet but to my understanding she will be at some point this year. She told me that she would like to see a lot of open communication between myself and the teachers. Miss Style, Miss Reed, Mr. Davis, and Miss Wilson are the four teachers I will be working with this year. It seems as though I will be doing a lot of work with literacy and reading in the school. When children finish sixth grade they must take the GSAT which is a placement test that students take. There score determines which high school they are eligible to go to…the better the score the better the high school. Many children in the school once they fall behind can’t seem to get back on track and leave school not being able to read. I think it is going to be a very interesting year in school. I think it will be completely different and a challenge to get used to the differences and similarities that I see in the states but I’m excited about this challenge.
I spent the rest of the afternoon at Aunt Daphe’s just hanging out. It’s amazing how I have found comfort in a home of a stranger.

Photos

Aunt Daphe's House


Devon Pen


Oshine

View from my runs

Humbled

After mass at Immaculate Father Lucian, Ryan Peralto, and I drove up to Devon Pen for our 2nd of three masses that day. This was the first time I have ever gone with Father Lucian to a mission for mass. It was possibly one of the most humbling experiences I have ever had. The group in mass today was small but the way Father Lucian spoke to everyone during his homely was amazing. You could tell everything he was saying was genuine and meant to really inspire the people in Devon Pen. He spoke of coming together as a community and not to grieve God because when you do that you aren’t letting God into your life. He encouraged people to embrace God and to welcome him into his life. It was as though the community and the church brought so much life out of him…they brought that energy. On our way back to Stony Hill we stopped at Miss. Molly’s and Father Lucian blessed her house and said a blessing over her. You could tell by the look on her face and through her kind words how much it meant to her. We also made a stop at Aunt Daph’s house to deliver communion to Mas John. I listened as Mas John told Father Lucian how wonderful his wife Aunt Daph was and how much he appreciates all of her hard work. She goes through sleepless nights because he is up struggling to breathe or just can’t get comfortable. Then she is up early in the morning working to keep the house functioning with almost little complaint. Father Lucian listened with an open ear and open heart really understanding the whole struggle that the family is facing. It brought me to tears watching Father Lucian’s gentle hand feed Mas John the Eucharist. As we sat and drank juice with Aunt Daph in the living room after prayer I got to thinking how I can relieve some of their stress and struggles. They are really having a hard time making ends meet which is heart-breaking to hear and see. I talked with Father Lucian and Ryan Peralto on the way home about what can do maybe stay a night a week and help with the night care but that would be a huge commitment to one family. Ryan made a really great point that just being there and helping when I’m there would be huge. I hope to talk to Aunt Daph this week and get an idea of help they could use once and awhile around the house!
On Sunday as well I got to see Micheal a Jamaican take his final vows as a Passionist. I had met him while in Chicago at Discernment weekend. He was attending seminary school in Chicago at Catholic Theological Union. He and Ian another man in seminary school talked to us about life and Jamaica and kind of gave me my first taste of Jamaican life especially the church aspect. Many people attending the final vows mass including many other Passionists and the Archbishop of Kingston. I had met the Archbishop earlier in the week when he had us over for juice and to talk to us about his work in Jamaica. The whole ceremony was really incredible…the music, presentations, and that the celebration was in Jamaica.

Thank God For Life

It’s 7:00am on a Sunday morning and in about an hour we will head over to the Immaculate Conception church for our first of three masses today. Today is a little unusual because the third mass is for Brother Michael a Jamaican man who is taking for final vows. I really love Sundays for a number of reasons but the biggest is the people in Devon Pen. They are so honest and open with their relationship with God and church. One of the biggest things I have learned so far about the people in Devon Pen and I’m sure its universal for all the people in our missions is how much they value life. They truly value being alive. A hurricane could blow through their town and wipe out there home but they would still appreciate just being alive.
On Friday I had the opportunity of taking Charity up to Devon Pen with me to spend the day visiting families. We started in Friendship Gap visiting Miss Vera, her husband, and many grandchildren. It was my first time visiting with Mr. Davidson and I spent about 20 minutes sitting and talking with him. I am still having a hard time understanding Patois the language spoken in Jamaica other than English. Ioca’s uncle Chevy said later that day at the river, he would teach me. Mr. Davidson is a shut-in and doesn’t leave his home due to his really bad arthritis. He told me he used to work on a farm and that he was an incredibly hard worker. He can’t really walk anymore because of the arthritis and he said it’s so hard watching people walk by every day. He envies those who can still walk and work. He said it’s so hard to watch people who are capable of working not take advantage of that. After Miss Vera’s we headed down to Aunt Daph’s. Mas John was doing well and was very talkative which was wonderful and we had a really great conversation. Stopping by Aunt Daph’s is kind of like stopping and checking in at home. Aunt Daph helped me to track someone down in the mission who is going to build us two of our 6 dining room table chairs for our table at the apartment. We just got a dining room table but we don’t have any chairs so we thought what a great thing it would be if people in our mission could make them for us and we would pay them. Marvin will be making me two chairs which will be ready next weekend! I’m really excited about them. After Aunt Daph’s we walked down to the river to meet Ioca, Ava Ke, Junior, Chevy, Steve, and a few other children. I picked up Osheen on the way down to the river as well. We spent about an hour and a half at the river. Chevy asked me lots of questions about school and where I was from. He is in 8th grade and had lots and lots of questions. I’m having a lot of fun learning from everyone in Devon Pen but I especially enjoy learning from the children. Chevy and I talked about everything from fishing, to running, to school, to traveling. The kids played in the river swimming and catching small crayfish. I was taken a little a back but was also really moved after Osheen finished swimming she came and crawled up in my lap and just sat with me while I talked to people around me. She is Mommy’s 2nd youngest and starved for attention. It’s hard not to get caught up in wanting to provide for her. It would be really easy for me to make my focus Mommy and her kids but there are so many people in Devon Pen that have lots to offer. I guess I kind of consider it an accomplishment to be able to provide a small snack and some attention to Osheen that she doesn’t get at home.
I said to Father Lucian yesterday that I didn’t know when to expect when I came here but if I could have expected anything it would have looked exactly like this. There are struggles but there is also so much joy and smiles that I try to let that joy outweigh those struggles. Well I’m off to get ready for mass!

New Pictures

Kingston View from my room

Ya Man

Week two started yesterday and I am already feeling more at home in such a new place. It was nice to be back at mass and Devon Pen and have people know who I am and welcome me into their place of worship. Aunt Daph was there even though her husband was home sick. Also there were lots of children there that I had met earlier in the week so there were lots of familiar faces! My understanding is that my role in mass is to sit with the kids and keep them as quiet as possible and eventually I will start teaching Sunday school. After mass everyone stands around for about 15-20 minutes talking and such. I drove up to Devon Pen with William (who is two months away from being a deacon) and on our way home we piled about 12 kids into his car and drove them to friendship gap to cut off some of their walking.
The Devon Pen church is small…only about 10 pews and a few chairs set up in the back. When it has people in it, it tends to get hot! I found William homily very interesting as well…he really engages everyone in church and encourages their responses. I’m already catching on to some of the hymns so I can sing and clap along. While I was in Pittsburgh, Brother Paul gave a presentation on his life in Jamaica and he gave us a list of things that will let us know we have finally arrived and one of those things was that you won’t be standing so rigid in church and really get into the music. I’m still not completely comfortable but I find the music so engaging!
Most of the homes that I visit in Devon Pen are made of concrete, wood, sheets of metal, or a combination of some or all. They tend to consist of 1-3 rooms all together. The families usually consist of 5 or more so as you can imagine space is tight. Amazingly enough they make it work. I think what has taken be back the most is the over whelming amount of generosity. For people who have almost nothing they are the most giving. The other hard part is that it’s so rude to say no thank you if you’re offered something but you also know that food could feed a few. I take biscuits up with me to the missions and give them to the kids when we go to the river or out playing. Biscuits here are known as cookies and we got a large donation of them when we arrived. The roads to the homes are not paved…only the main roads are and it is quite a walk to many of them. The nature aspect up in the mission is beautiful but there is so much poverty in it.
On Tuesday I spent about 2 hours at Aunt Daph’s. I sat with Mas John for awhile talking and listening to him, Aunt Daph gave me some cornmeal porridge with bread and butter! Another first and I loved it. Her grandson Richard and I played games with some kids from Miss Vera’s and shared a mango together. I got to see Aunt Daph’s daughter Patricia kill chickens that they will sell to a local restaurant up the road. A lot of my visits are just sitting, talking and getting to know people. Aunt Daph is a great resource and I am looking forward to getting to know her and her family more this year!
Charity came on Tuesday as well which was really exciting! The family is coming together!

Life In Jamaica

I arrived in Jamaica on July 24th after staying in Philly the night before. I didn’t get to my hotel until 10pm on the 23rd so I went straight to bed only to be up at 3am the next morning! After a flight from Philly to Atlanta and Atlanta to Kingston I had finally arrived. Because I had been planning on this for about a year it was almost hard to believe I had finally arrived. I was supposed to fly in with Jared, Matt and Charity but because of complications with flights and passports I flew in by myself. Father Lucian, Sister Maureen, and Lauren (a current volunteer finishing up her final week) picked me up at the airport and we headed to Stony Hill, my new home. It’s hard to even describe what the sights were like driving through Kingston. The airport is located on a long peninsula so we had to drive through a lot of Kingston to get to our apartment. There were lots of street vendors selling local fruits, soda, juice, and an assortment of Jamaican goods. It felt like I was in a completely different world. It was about 85 or 90 degrees with lots of humidity so as soon as you get out of a building or car you begin to sweat. I was quiet on the way up to our apartment really taking it all in and kind of in shock not really knowing what to expect. Lauren seemed like such an expert and all I could think is how will I ever become accustomed to all the newness that lay around me. They pointed out land marks along the way but as I look back on it, all of it seemed a blur. We drove up a long road-Hillstone Heights which is where our apartment is and at the top we pulled in next to a large yellow apartment building. We unloaded the car and I brought my stuff up to my room that I will be sharing with Tracy and Charity. I didn’t unpack right away but I did get to spend the afternoon with a little boy named Jamal who was hanging around our house while his dad was working construction on an apartment in the back. It a situation that seemed so unknown I found comfort in just sitting and being with him. Lauren and I also talked for awhile about her experience over the year. She had lots of helpful advice and I would soon learn over the first week to take in everything Betsy and Lauren said…they knew it best…they had lived it for a year. We picked up Jared that evening and got him moved in as well. Matt flew in the next morning so then there was three!
My computer ran into issues on the way down so I have gone without a computer for a week and with so many new things happening this makes for a very long blog today. Sunday was church day we left around 8:15 and headed over to Immaculate Conception Church in Stony Hill for mass. The celebrant was Father Gaston. Mass in Jamaica is a big deal and can take awhile but I loved it. The music is much livelier and is more open and friendly. As new volunteers we were all welcomed in by Father Gaston and the community. Betsy and Lauren were also recognized for their outstanding work this year. Watching how effected Lauren and Betsy were by their community and the love that was poured out to them made me so excited for this coming year. You could see how much they had touched so many people throughout the year and that as new volunteers we have some very large shoes to fill! After that mass we headed to the rectory where I met Father Gaston who would take me up to Devon Pen…my mission for the year. I had found out on Friday when I arrived that Devon Pen would be my mission but I had no idea what it would look like. Lots of names were thrown at me but had no idea who the people were and what they would be like. While headed to the mission I was filled with lots of excitement and nerves. What would it be like, what would the people think of me, would they be welcoming or the opposite? We drove up Junction (a long twist-turny and dangerous road that leads to all of our missions). Mass was lively and long! It lasted about 2 hours but because it was so new and different I didn’t seem to notice much. After mass Father Gaston took me to Aunt Daph’s house to deliver communion to Mas John her husband who is very sick and can’t leave home. We sang some hymns and said a few prayers and Father Gaston anointed Mas John and delivered the Eucharist. It was really beautiful and was really grateful that he allowed me to be a part of it. I also soon learned that Aunt Daph would become kind of my segregate mother for the year in Devon Pen. She is widely known in the community and it well respected. She welcomed me with open arms into her home which was so wonderful and reassured me that this is right where I need to be.
Father Gaston brought me to Lorraine’s in Stony Hill after where a large meal had been prepared for us. Lorraine is on the formation team and will be a person that we can call or see any time for anything. She has lots of connections in the community and told us that she already considers us her children!
The week was busy but slow all at the same time. I am quickly learning that things that take only minutes in the United States can take all day here. We have already made two trips to the bank and need to go back for a third time to finalize things with our accounts. That is one of the many examples of things that seem to take forever!
On Tuesday afternoon Betsy took me up to Devon Pen where I finally got to see firsthand the homes id be visiting often this year. Devon Pen is made up of three sub-communities- Friendship Gap, Devon Pen, and Thomas field. In Friendship Gap I visit Aunt Daph, Miss Vera and all of her grand and great grand children, the Dunn’s and Miss Molly and her grandson Jordan. In Devon Pen I visit- Mommy and her many children, Miss. B, Winesome and her kids and in Thomasfield Ioca and her family. There are more people for me to get to know and introduce myself to but that will come in time and I have enough to keep me busy for a while. On Wednesday and Thursday I took the public bus up to the mission and spent the two days re-visiting families I had met previously. I’m feeling much more comfortable with the area. Taking the bus was interesting…sometimes there is standing room only and that standing room is right in front of an open door. I have been driving as well…in Jamaica they drive on the other side of the road and its completely different from driving in the United States.
Firsts Since I’ve been here:
· Pattie-Jamaican Favorite: dough with beef, chicken, cheese, or veggies in it
· Fruits: breadfruit, mangos, bananas, gynips, papaya, root, jelly coconut
· Acai and salt fish
· Curried Goat
· Red Stripe
· Appleton Rum
· Sweet Bun and Cheese
I’ll write more soon but this is a very long blog. I’ll give more details on what it looks like. I have posted a few new photos and plan to take more this week! Enjoy!

My Mission Statement

To serve the mission of the Passionists as I accompany those who are suffering, seek justice for those who are the most vulnerable, and collaborate with my communities to empower and inspire the people in our missions to be confident in their abilities. I will accomplish this by living each day with enthusiasm, patience, and selfless simplicity, in partnership with my communities. By placing my trust in God I will journey through all of my struggles and elations and develop a greater openness to, and understanding of, my faith.

Send Me On My Way

Dancing In the Fountain

Group Picture after Commissioning

The last few days of orientation were a whirlwind of activity and filled with many different emotions. Sunday was our official commissioning day. We had a mass where we were all anointed with oil and read our pledge to the passionists. We help create and plan the entire mass including our ritual. For our ritual Carolyn Payne painted the Passionist Volunteers International symbol on a large board and then we cut it into 10 pieces. At the mass our names were read as well as a gift we would bring with us to our sites and as we were called we placed our piece into the puzzle on a black board. The gift that i will bring is energy and all the other gifts were very fitting for each person. The other gifts were love (Charity), compassion (Matt), selflessness (Jared), understanding (Tracy), creativity (C.Payne), curiosity (Carolyn Plunkitt), openness (Jean), ingenuity (Jamie), and humor (Joanine). We also received our hand made passionist necklaces at mass which were presented by Father Lucian. The whole mass was amazing and really made it seem real that we would be leaving in less than a month for this incredible adventure. We had a reception after where families, associates, and the monastic

community were invited to! We had planned to go kayaking after the reception but it was raining hard so we hungout in Pittsburgh for a bit and got dinner then it was pretty quiet night for all of us.

Monday morning Father Lucian went over the Passionists Mission Statement with us and then we were given the rest of the day to work on our own personal mission statements. I was really excited to find out that our last two days would consist of working on our mission statements, having an exit interview with Father Lucian and Sister Maureen and really allow for us to have time for our own personal reflection. At this point we were all pretty worn out and tired from all the information we had been getting. I worked on my mission statement all Monday morning and part of the afternoon and was very excited with the finished product. It was a really interesting experience to write your own mission statement but i found it really helpful and fun to do. Monday afternoon and evening we had a retreat with Sister Maureen Kervick and this really allowed for more personal reflection time. She gave us a list of questions that we could reflect on. We could reflect on one or all of them but got about 45 minutes to go off on our own outside to sit and think. The question that stood out to me the most was "Where and when have you felt God's transforming love?" I thought for a long time about this question and the picture that kept coming to my mind was from when i was in Honduras. About mid-week when i was in Honduras this spring John and I went for a walk around the Ranch at Nuestros Pequenos Hermanos around 12am. As we were walking we talked about how our week was going, struggles we were having, and how we were processing. We ended up in front of the church were we sat on a platform with a statue of the man who started NPH and two children reaching up to him. Where we were sitting there was a gap between two trees and you could see off into the mountains where the stars and sky met these mountains. For a few moments we silent and it was then that i felt God all around us. It felt so safe and calm as though God had created this special place for all these children who have been abused and neglected...it was here that God was watching over them and all that come to the ranch. I shared this story when we came back together and my final thoughts were...i just felt so much love and peace at that moment. At the end of the retreat we had a Taize prayer service in the chapel. It is a prayer service that has a lot of music that is repetitive and its really a time just to "be". There are prayers read in between the songs and towards the end we did the washing of the feet to each other. Father Lucian washed someone from Honduras' feet and then someone from Honduras washed another person's feet that is going to Honduras...so on and so on until we moved onto Jamaica and the last person from Jamaica who had there feet washed washed Father Lucian. Washing of the feet is one of the most humbling experiences i have ever had. The lights we low and candles were lit. It was such a beautiful experience.

On Tuesday i finished up my one on ones with people in my group and had my exit interview which went very well. I was feeling in such a great place and really happy with how orientation. Sister Maureen and Father Lucian put so much effort into Orientation to make sure we have all we need to succeed. Tuesday night we went out to Station Square and ate at Bar Louie and after we went out to the water fountain. The fountain puts on a water show and plays music we danced the night away on the ledge together. We got soaking wet but it was a blast!

Wednesday morning we all got together to share our mission statements. Every one's really fit who they were and what there mission is for this next year. I loved that we were all so open and willing to share our vulnerabilities. Its hard to describe the experience other then amazing. Wednesday afternoon we had a closing ritual and then the monks had a BBQ for us. We spent time with them talking and sharing stories and then closed with a slide show that Jared made from pictures over the past three weeks of orientation. After packing up our things we went out for one last night of Karaoke at the Corner Cafe.

These past three weeks have been amazing. I feel as though i have already grown a lot in so many areas. I'm ready to be home for three weeks but i know that i will be ready to go on the 23rd!

Obama Election Celebration

Yesterday Sister Annette gave a presentation on Catholica Social Teaching and within the presenation she had really great media that she showed us. While we was talking about the seven themes of catholic social teaching which are...
Life and Dignity of the Human
Call to Family, Community, and Participation
Rights and Responsibilities
Option for the Poor and Vulnerable
The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers
Solidarity
Care for God’s Creation
While talking about the call to family, community and participation we talked about this past election and how it affected us on a global level and really people all over the world participated in this election. She showed us the following video which i found to be really inspiring:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3PszZbJf_0

Check it out!

This video was shown to us today during one of our Catholic Social Teaching Presentations check it out...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Us-TVg40ExM

Also check out this Playing for Change organization:
http://www.playingforchange.com/

An inspiring organization working to bring peace through music and people around the world!

Trip to West Virginia

It has been a very busy last week for me! On Saturday morning our group packed up headed to Wyoming County, West Virginia to spend 3 days working the Passionist Volunteer Domestic Program. We rented two mini vans and it was about a six hour drive to our site. When we arrived at the Glen Fork School (our site) we moved into our room. Nine of us girls would be sharing a room for a few days...just like a big slumber party!! We found out it wouldn't just be our group staying there, over the next couple of days volunteers would be moving in to spend anywhere from a week to the whole summer working with the program. We had the afternoon off so we spent it playing ultimate Frisbee and after dinner some intense basketball games. The next morning we had mass around 11 but it was a 20 minutes drive to get to the closest catholic church. Mass was held in a very small local church in Pineville. I think there is something so beautiful and intimate about sharing an experience like mass in such a small church. The passionist volunteers took up most of the space in the pews and community members filled in the edges. The local community was so warm and welcoming, anxious to know where we were all from and how we were enjoying our stay. After mass we headed back to our site and our afternoon was filled with information sessions and get-to-know-you activities. We got to meet a lot of the volunteers that had spent up to 18 summers working with this program. It ranged from one volunteer to entire families. I found it to be inspiring and exciting that so many generations can come together to work for a common goal. Sunday evening we had a commissioning into the program with prayer and songs as well as the anointing of hands and forehead. We also received our passionist volunteer necklace that had been hand cut by one of the volunteers. This sounds cliche but it was really amazing to see such passion for the program. We got to pick our job sites for the next day after the commissioning! I chose to work at a soccer camp the next day. There would be two sessions, one in the morning with young kids and older kids in the afternoon. I was so excited for this opportunity! Soccer Camp was an absolute blast on Monday. Joanine and i were the two PVI's that went to soccer camp and then other volunteers that would be staying a week or longer came as well. Our morning session was filled with lots of running away and just trying to keep the kids as active as possible. We did some drills but for the most part just played games like minnows and sharks as well as the blob! Our afternoon session was a little more intense because the kids were all headed into there freshmen year in high school. We did a lot of running and scrimmaging. By the end of the day i was exhausted but had a really great day! We packed up and headed back to our site. Monday evening our PVI group ran reflection. Six of us asked a person we had worked with that day if we could wash there feet during the reflection. All of them agreed and during reflection we first read the passage from the bible where Jesus washes his disciples feet. We then asked those six people to come up and we each washed there feet. After this we asked them to share what it was liked to be served and to have there feet washed and how that might relate to the service they provide during the day. There answers were amazing and humbling. They were son honored and touch that a group of young adults would do something like this. You could tell it really touched there hearts. I finished washing Zach's (a kid from soccer camp) feet and then got up to go back to my seat, as i sat down i noticed Jean washing Maryanne's feet. She did it with such grace and compassion...it literally brought tears to my eyes. Through this orientation process sometimes i take a step back and realize how lucky i am to be here and what wonderful people i am surrounded by. Its such a humbling and inspiring experience. We loaded up the vans Tuesday morning and headed back to Pittsburgh! We stopped at a national park and took some really amazing photos! They are posted on my Flickr account and the link is on an earlier blog!
Wednesday was back to more presentations. Robyn Ryan came to talk to us about theological reflection. He asked us before lunch to take sometime to write about a service experience we had before. What happened in it, who it involved and how it challenged us spiritually and with our faith. I chose an experience i had in South Dakota while installing a bunk bed in the last house on our last day. The house was just a trailer and falling apart. The room we were installing the bed in for a little boy wasn't cleaned out so that was our first task. While cleaning out the room the grandfather who owned the home went into a back room and when he came back out the smell of marijuana filled the small trailer home. Also one of his grandson's who was only about 8th or 9th grade age wise came out as well. You could plainly see that they were both high. This experience was extremely hard for me. I was filled with so many emotions--anger, sadness, frustration, and some hopelessness. When we got back into the truck to head back to our site i broke down in tears. I was challenged in so many ways with this experience and really questioned where God was in all of this. It is something that i still struggle with today but is also the reason i continue to serve and walk with those who are the most vulnerable with the hope that i can create change and justice. After sharing this experience with those i will be traveling to Jamaica with they were able to ask questions about my experience. It was a great activity for us because we will have to do that often when we are in Jamaica. We will be having lots of experiences and its so important to be able to process it with my home community. They all shared stories as well which gave me an even better understanding about who they are and how i can be a support to all of them. Our group as a whole that will be going to Jamaica has been really trying to make an effort to spend more time together and really get to know each other. Yesterday afternoon we all went out to lunch and then the girls and i had a girls afternoon walking Carson street window shopping and talking about our lives and our trip to Jamaica. On Wednesday Night we got gold pass tickets to Kennywood Amusement Park!!! Our night was filled with rollercoaster rides and other crazy rides! It was really a great night to be out with great people. Last night we had tickets to the Pittsburgh Pirates Baseball Game! Again just a really fun night with amazing people and even better the rain held off and the Pirates won!
We have presentations today on Catholic Social Teaching. Tomorrow there is a presentation on the Jamaican Experience (im really excited for this), and Sunday is our offical Commissioning into PVI!!! I really cant believe how quickly orientation has gone but it also makes me so excited and ready to head to Jamaica!!!!

Amazing Video

Carolyn from the Honduras group shared this video and i found it extremely moving and powerful...check it out!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01FE9cPXE3M

"We are prophets of a future not our own"

The past few days have been a flurry of information and activity. I really didn't think i would be learning as much as i have been while on orientation but it will make a transition into a new culture better. Monday was all about the History of the Passionists where we learned about there history and how we fit into the picture as passionist volunteers. Father Gerry, talked to us and shared about how the passionists were started by Paul of the Cross and his chrism which was based around the passion of Jesus. The passionists really believe in accompanying those who are the most vulnerable and oppressed. When listening to Father Gerry talk about the passionists and what there mission was i felt a huge connection in the sense that is exactly what i am looking for in my service. Its really about walking with those who are suffering and really making a personal connection with them. When reflecting of what i will be doing in Jamaica i think it will be so important to "walk" with those in the communities i work in and really try to understand there suffering. I have done lots of service projects with tangible results but i think the most "real" and true service is living in community and spending time with people to really get to know what there needs are. Father Gerry said to us today "let yourself fall into the hands of God." This quote really stood out to me because if you trust in God then he will guide you to where and what your should be doing. I feel such a strong sense of family when i am among the passionists. All the people i have interacted with here have been so welcoming and generous, they really take the time to get to know each of us volunteers and they listen. I am continually humbled by how much i am learning here. Father Rob talked with us on Monday afternoon and to start his presentation he took us outside to the cemetery on site and took us around to certain gravestones to tell us the stories of what some of these passionists had done on there missions. After his entire presentation he asked us what we were feeling and for me my thoughts were that I think it is so inspiring to follow in the foots steps of such incredible men that took risks and took the time to get to know themselves and what gifts they had. I think that as volunteers if we can do a fraction of what some of these men did we will have succeeded.
Yesterday we had a day full of presentations about Adult Development, two professors from Seton Hill came and spoke to us. It was all sociology based so of course it was right up my alley. The presentations were really focused on knowing ourselves and what makes us anxious and happy. Learning how to communicate feelings. I think it will be so important for us while living together as 5 people to be able to communicate and do it effectively. Last night Father Jim came and talked to us about some changes that will be happening for PVI after this year. After our year in Jamaica we will be changing sites from Stony Hill to Mandaville, Jamaica. There are many reasons for this but i think the thing that stuck out most to me were that we have missions to our international sites to empower people to be able to develop skills so that they can sustain and live in a less oppressed situation. I think it will be hard at the end of the year to say goodbye to communities and people we have worked with for seven years but it is also a time for us as volunteers during the year to really empower and inspire the communities that they can do things for themselves. We can help start projects that they can be the voice and force behind it. I really think its such and honor and exciting time for us as volunteers. I think as well as volunteers we need to make sure we here what needs the people of Stony Hill and neighboring communities have so that we can help empower them as best as possible. I know that while I'm in Jamaica i will get to do some teaching but the rest of it is all up in the air and i think that's so exciting. We will be assigned "missions" and they could consist of so many different possibilities.
I have been spending a lot of time getting to know the four other people i will be living with next year as well and those who will be in Honduras. We were asked to have 1 on 1's with each other to talk about things we like and dint like, living styles, and just things we think people should know about us. Since we only have three weeks its really important to give people as much information about yourself as possible so that when arriving in Jamaica we can be a support system to each other. It is going to be a huge change for each of us in many different ways and we will need to rely on each other for support. We all know there will be good days and bad days but knowing you have a support system in your house is essential. So needless to say they sure do keep us busy here, but we do get to have some fun. Last night we went to the Corner Cafe a bar that's about a stone throw away from the retreat center. Its a really small bar and there was all of us from PVI and about 5 locals. We basically took over the place, we sang Karaoke and danced till the late hours of the night. I cant even begin to explain for grateful i am to have this opportunity. I am surrounded by such and inspiring and great people. I have been laughing a lot and getting lots of time for reflection. I know that i am where I'm supposed to be.

Photos

This link will connect you to photos i have taken during orientation and while in Jamaica! Enjoy

http://www.flickr.com/photos/svickers2/

Days 1&2 of Orientation

This is day 2 in Pittsburgh and it already feels like we have been here for weeks. Our first evening consisted of quick introductions and recieving our schedules for the week. We are living at St. Paul of the Cross Retreat Center located up on a hill over looking the city of Pittsburgh. The retreat center has over 100 bedrooms and lots of rooms for meetings and presentations. There are Passionist Monks that live here as well and we see them often during the day and at meals. I have found so far with the Passionists that they are all so nice and welcoming which is part of there mission and lifestyle which i absolutely love! They have been so gracious with there home and have been so willing and eager to hear about where we have all come from and what brought us to the passionists! I was actually expecting to be staying in a small house and sharing rooms with other PVI participants. We all have our own rooms on the 3rd floor but we dont really spend a lot of time up here. Friday morning Carolyn (Honduras participant) and i got up around 7AM to go for a run down to Carson St. Carson St is a very popular street with lots of shops and resturants, the one catch for us is that it is down a very very large hill which meant we had to run back up it! Our first morning meeting consisted of talks around our energy entering orientation, hopes, stresses, and questions would like answered during these next three weeks. We went over things we would be doing over the next three weeks as well. We will be having lots of presentations on many different topics, we will have some group work which will consist of work within our group going to jamaica to talk about what it will mean to live and work together. From June 20th-23rd we will be traveling to PVI's domestic sight in West Virginia to work with the volunteers there. I am not really sure what specific work we will be doing but im really excited about it. Some fun things we have to look forward to are a trip to Kennywood Amusement Park and a baseball game at the Pittsburgh Pirates!!! Later on in the morning Father Lucieon, Sister Maureen, Amy, and Tricia all told us there "life stories" which consisted of growing up and what has brought them to where they are now. After lunch we all had to do the same thing and it was really an incredible experience. It put us all in such a vulnerable but yet safe situation to really open ourselves up to each other. We all have very different life stories which i think in itself has something to say. Not on of us of a like which is why we are unique and it isnt our place to judge others which i think will be a key value to take going into our year in Jamaica or Honduras. We have a recpetion hosted by the associates as well that evening! There was lots of food and drink for us! We mingled with all of the passionist associates who were eager to hear where we were from and what brought us to the associates! While at the reception i met a women name Palma, we shared where we were from and how we both got to the passionists. She has been involved for a long time but was very eager to hear about me! I told her about my experiences working with children with disabilites and things i had done in college. After i wonderful conversation she asked for my contact information so that she can keep up with all that i am involved in and where my career takes me. After the recpetion we went down to Carson St which is a popular street in Pittsburgh and we watched the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup. Fat Head's the bar we were at erupted with cheers and joys as those final seconds ticked down. We then headed outside to closed streets and lots of joyous celebrating! It was one of the most exciting things i have ever seen and an amazing amount of city pride! It was a great way for all of us to relax and have some fun together! On Saturday Sister Maureen talked to us and presented information on acculturation. We talked about our culture and what it will be like living and adjusting into a new culture. I know there are going to be many challenging moments adjusting and living in a new culture completely different from my own but i know how wonderful of an opportunity this is. I anticipate culture shock which will be difficult but i also know that i have four other roommates who will be there for support and visa versa. Im really loving getting to know everyone here and the group headed to jamaica seems amazing!

PVI Orientation

Today, i fly to Pittsburgh where i will have 3 weeks of Orientation with the Passionist Volunteers International!! I will be spending a year in Stony Hill, Jamaica serving in the local communities. The Passionists have two international sites one in Jamaica and the other in Honduras. I will be living with four other volunteers and we will be volunteering in a number of different ways: Teaching, coaching, working in after school programs, visiting the sick and shut-in, helping citizens get there birth certificates, ministry visits, and any other needs the local communities have. I really couldn't be more excited for the new adventure i am about to go on! I will be officially leaving for Jamaica July 24th 2009 and will return August 1st 2010. I don't really know what we will be doing during orientation the only confirmed plans as of now is going into the Appalachian region of Virginia to do some service work for a weekend! We will have an Offical Commissioning on the last sunday of the three weeks where 10 of us will offically become Passionist Volunteers. I am quite anxious and very excited for what these next three weeks will bring!