#like making out with a guy in a bar. yummy. female Christ at least in the bottle smells like tabu or something i hope on skin its better

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my little perfume samples came yayyyyy

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Connected

Jamaica mission trip

Arrival - Connected

After several months of anticipation our group of 5 dads and 5 sons left Columbus, Ohio July 13 bound for a mission trip to Kingston, Jamaica.  We would be hosted by an organization called Mustard Seed Communities, based in the Kingston area.  MSC provides since 1978 housing, care, food and education for mostly disabled and abandoned children and adults, which today numbers nearly 600.  Your thoughts and prayers and generosity have moved me.  

This trip was the idea of me, Mark Sellers and my friend John Bruzzese.  We know each other through our sons Patrick (mine) and Michael (John’s) who played basketball at Bishop Watterson High School in Columbus.  Our sons are now high school seniors and John and I felt that a trip where the boys would serve others, through the love of Christ, would be memorable.  

Besides John and me and our two sons, the mission mates include Matt Niemiec and his son Zach; Brian Haney and son Liam; and Matt Ritchey and son Max.  All are from Columbus.  

As mission leaders John and I are often looked at as the ones responsible for making this trip happen. True, but John and I are merely the products of our connections, some we sought and many we didn’t, but that somehow through the grace of God came into our lives. Collectively those connections are the inspiration and guidance for this trip.  

First, my brother Brad. It was his former  college roommate Thad McGuire at Ohio State,who went on to get his MBA, then got into a management consulting, and several years later heard a calling to the priesthood.  Thad’s now a priest in the Phoenix diocese.  Thad recommended Mustard Seed Communities.  (The logo on the t-shirts that you see all of the mission team members wearing was designed by my daughter Hannah, a graphics design graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s DAAP college).  

Another connection of mine is Steve Gran.  Steve helped me get the mission bug three years ago when he asked me to join a team in Haiti.  

John had taken a mission trip to Monterey, Mexico years ago with his daughter in 2013.

Then of course there are the mission team members.  To explain how I am connected to all of them would take too long but suffice to say I am where I am in my faith life not because of conscious choice; but rather, because of many individuals who took me in, like a stray cat needing a home.  

Arriving at Mission House Gordon Town, Jamaica

We met our drivers and mission rep, Leroy at Norman Manley airport Saturday evening.  Leroy we would learn was the perfect host for mission groups. A jovial, easy going Jamaican, he quickly cut through anxiety and anticipation with jokes and offhand funny comments.  He butchered John’s last name ‘Bruzzesse’ for ten minutes (later, on purpose I think!). We made new connections with driver Webb and mission rep Tavares, whom we later heard Leroy call ‘the mayor’ because he seemed to know everyone everywhere we went.  

During the orientation the night we arrived Leroy proudly told us about singing the new Jamaican national anthem as a young boy once the country gained independence from Great Britain in 1962.  

The cook, Beckita, had a big pot of chicken soup with dumplings on the stove for us when we arrived. Someone commented that the stock tasted like it had been reducing all day, yummy.  

Day 1 Sunday

Day 2 highlights:

-      Get out of your comfort zone to grow and really live life.  

-      Provide compassion beyond borders.

-      Participate in life instead of anticipate.  

-      Never underestimate the power of physical touch to a physically and mentally disabled person

-      Be present.

Awoke to the sounds of one of the female staff singing God is the answer.  

Actually, I awoke all through the night to the sounds of Saturday night.  Motorbikes randomly whizzed by, someone at the bar across the street would shout something, or the music there would be kicked up a few levels when someone asked.  Everyone had the same experience.  Plus, since our mission house has no AC all the windows are open and we all sweated and rolled uncomfortably in 80 degree, high humid conditions.  

Outside my room is a mango tree bearing fruit.  

Tiara

After a group breakfast and prayer we went downstairs to see the residents.  Fair to say that seeing no child or young adult not in a wheelchair and all afflicted with physical and mental disabilities was eye opening for us all. Only one of the 15 or so residents could speak a single word.  This happened to be a little girl of 12 named Tiara.  She could not only speak but had a sharp wit and irascible personality that caused all of us to laugh very hard.  

Picture this young girl in a wheelchair telling my son Patrick to ‘get back here Patrick!’ soon after he left the conversation with her.  The first thing she asked me when I met her was ‘Do you have a coloring book?’ I did and she said, ‘go get it.’  Later she asked to play cards.  ‘What games do you know?’ I asked.  ‘Go fish’ she said.  I doubted this but she quickly added ‘Go get the cards.’  I did, and we ended playing a game of flash card to see which numbers or cards and suits she knew.  I put the cards we used on the bottom but when she got one right she’d say ‘Give me my 2’, or Give me my queen’.  Tiara made us all laugh very hard.  

Miss Rookwood and Rose were the night nurses, working a 5pm to 8am shift.  They asked us if we wanted to feed the staff and we all jumped in. This again was a bit nerve racking for many of us.  In our reflection time at the end of the day several mission mates commented that they were not used to communicating with someone who couldn’t talk and even react normally to them.  

Mass

Being Catholic we were all thrilled to know there was the St. Martin de Porres church a 1 minute walk from our mission house. This was special for our mission mate Max whose confirmation saint is this saint.  Liam and Zach and several dads were able to wheel several residents to the service.  Fr Graham resided, a young Jamaican priest celebrating his 10thanniversary as a priest.  Several moments stood out for us including:

-      Fr Graham’s homily about the Good Samaritan.  We are all called to love thy neighbor especially when it is uncomfortable.  

-      Compassion beyond borders.  This applies to both physical and other borders in our heads.  

-      At the beginning of mass Fr Graham announced ‘We are blessed to have guests from Columbia, Ohio.

-      At the end of the service we were asked to introduce ourselves.  They said they were blessed to have our presence and wished us well during our visit.  

Matthew 25:40

In addition to this bible verse - which we embraced as a theme for our team – it says ‘what you do for the least of my people you do for me’, Mustard Seed has a facility – called an apostolate – for mostly teenage boys that are HIV positive.  All of these young men were born with the virus from mothers that passed it to them.

We toured the facility where they live.  Zach and Patrick and Liam and Michael played several spirited games of soccer – football in Jamaica – and at times got schooled and at other times had flashes of brilliance. We treated the boys at the home to ice cream.  One guy kept coming back for 2nds, and 3rds, and 4ths until we finally had to say no. We were told to take no photos of these boys.  

Dad Brian had a terrific conversation with 4 of the boys at the home.  At first they wanted to see his phone, which he resisted but then used it to introduce the boys to his family pictures.  Brian developed some great credibility and trust quickly and got the boys to share with him their dreams and interests.  He asked them what they needed re: supplies for school. They were so forthcoming he ended up making a long list and is considering this as an eagle scout project for his son Liam.  These are some simple items like backpacks, paper, books, calculators, a protractor. I heard one young man say ‘we like to draw here’.