Atlanta Young Adult Mission - Nov. 24 - Dec. 1, 2002

Sunday, November 24,2002
Erik Johnson, Holy Family, Marietta, GA

What will I feel? When will I feel it? These two questions were on my mind as we went to sleep the night before we were to leave for Jamaica. They were also there the next morning when my wife and I arose dark and early to prepare to leave for the airport. After several weeks made busy by work deadlines, regular weekly commitments, and mission trip preparation, our group’s assembly at Hartsfield International Airport didn’t feel any more profound than any of the other activities in which we were involved. But this activity was different. It would last more than one week. It would take us to a part of the world to which we had not been. It would expose us to a culture of which we know little to nothing about. It would expose us to poverty which we had never personally experienced. We would be interacting in a very personal way with children who have handicaps and who’ve faced and continue to face challenges we could scarcely imagine. We’ve been told by friends and family that we’ll have a “great experience”. When will the gravity of our journey hit us? When will God shower us with emotions and insight which we’ve never felt or possessed before? It didn’t happen when we boarded the airplane in Atlanta. It didn’t happen when we first touched down on Jamaican soil at the airport in Montego Bay. There were some feelings of apprehension, nervousness, and excitement during the bus ride which delivered us to our new home away from home at the apostolate known as Sophie’s Place outside of Kingston, Jamaica. There were some of these feelings, but nothing ground shaking in scope. There were however feelings of something not expected. Feelings of comfort. Feelings of comfort brought on by some of the staff of Mustard Seed who cheerfully met a group of strangers at the airport to bring them to their new home for the next week. The comfort found in being surrounded by the majesty of God’s creation as seen in the sea and the mountains cradling Kingston. The comfort of a warm meal shared by a group of missionaries who’ve accepted you as family members for the coming days. The comfort brought on by the experience of being joyfully and eagerly embraced by a young girl named Laniece who, though she had every reason to be as unsure and scared of you as you might be of her, quite literally leapt into your arms to be held.

Cheryl Johnson, Holy Family, Marietta, GA
Sleep will be here very soon, and will be very appreciated! It has been a very long day! Very little sleep last night. Eleven hours of travel today. Nine hours without a meal. About the same amount of time without water if you forgot to fill up your water bottle in Atlanta. Witnessing poverty that many of us have never seen in person. But it hasn’t been all that bad. Gathering of 28 people who will spend the next 8 days together growing in so many ways. Witnessing the beauty of God’s creation in the color of the ocean, the majesty of the clouds, and the lushness of the mountains around Kingston. Enjoying a warm meal of rice, beans, and jerk chicken after many hours without a meal. Meeting some of the children at Sophie’s place, where we’ll be staying each night while we’re here. Staring with God and our fellow missionaries our fears, hopes, joys, laughter, and love. It has been a long, long day and God has been with us through it all. Now it’s the time to rest for tomorrow’s discoveries.

Monday, November 25, 2002
Mary Ellen Cenzalli, Christ The King, Atlanta, GA
Today was or first full day in Jamaica. I woke up to the sound of a rooster crowing (something we don’t have in Atlanta) and the wake up sounds of the children at Sophie’s Place having breakfast. This is where we are staying for the week. It is a compound of several small very colorful buildings and a chapel behind highly guarded walls all within the mountains of Kingston. Sophie’s Place is filled with children and caregivers, but mostly filled with the presence of Christ. We spent the day at Jerusalem, another apostolate on the other side of Kingston. This facility is home to over 100 children ranging in age from newborn to adults in their 30’s. These children are profoundly mentally and physically handicapped. We were given a tour of the facility and, were overwhelmed by the sight of all the children with twisted limbs and gaping mouths, some even tied to a chair to keep them from running away. Some of us were afraid of touching the children and weren’t sure how to approach them at first. It was hard to see beyond the wheelchairs, but the amazing smiles that appeared when you leaned down and caressed a cheek or held a hand, made all those obstacles vanish. The smiles reminded you that these children need love and affection, just like the rest of us. These children truly belong to God. And as orphans, He truly is their Father. These facilities were very different from what we are used to in the States and not what I expected. It is hard to see conditions that we would consider a hardship, but for them is a beautiful home that is a step above living alone on the street.

Adam Meyer, St. Ann's, Marietta, GA
Our first full day at Mustard Seed - what an experience! We (the guys) were awakened by off-key rendition of “Rise and shine and give God your glory, glory…” at about 6:30 this morning. After rounding up our personal gear and work materials we embarked on our bus ride to “Jerusalem,” another one of Mustard Seed’s facilities. The bus ride was interesting, we prayed the rosary while careening headlong into the Kingston rush hour in all its glory. Traffic laws were optional. After arriving at Jerusalem we took a quick tour of the facility to get the lay of the land before beginning our work project and playing with the kids. My first impression of the facility was that they are doing wonderful work all in the name of Christ. After finishing with our tour, we broke up into some work teams, those with medical skills went to the clinic, and the rest of us either began the building project or went to play with the kids. The building project for the week was to work on constructing a chicken coop. We began the project by leveling off the dirt so that a suitable concrete slap could be poured. This was difficult, but rewarding. A few of the older residents of the community even pitched in. They were so eager and joyful that they were able to set the tone for the day at the work project. As some of us were working on the chicken coop, others played with the kids, also a very rewarding experience. Even though the residents of Mustard Seed are in various states of physical and mental handicap, their joy for life shone through. I was personally struck by the ability of these kids to keep smiling amidst their abject poverty and station in life. It really gives you perspective on how to live for what’s important. The rest of the day was spent alternating between the work project and playing with the kids. In the evening we met as a group for Mass, dinner and Adoration.

Tuesday, November 26, 2002
Mary Alice Howard and Mary Ellen Cenzalli, Christ The King, Atlanta GA
Matt Barba, St. Theresa, Douglasville, GA

Today at Mustard Seed our missionaries had the privilege of continuing on the construction of a “chicken coop”. We finished leveling the ground and began to build the frame. Unfortunately we could only complete half the project as the funds to purchase the rest of the needed materials were delayed in a wire transfer somewhere between the US and Jamaica. At home, we would have borrowed the money or put it on a credit card. Yet here, the reality of every dollar counting sank when we were forced to delay finishing the chicken coop by a day. Playing with the children at “Jerusalem” was a satisfying and fulfilling experience that many of us were able to share. The smiles are so precious. We are continually humbled and reminded of the blessings in our lives that we have so often taken for granted. During the day, Fr. Kevin provided holy water, which was used to bless the children, care givers, and all of Jerusalem’s grounds. Many of the children understood the significance of the holy water and wanted a second blessing!

Today was a day of continuing to learn more about why we were called to be here. It is also beginning to dig deeper into our own spirituality as God’s unconditional love was revealed to us through the children. While the majority of the group was at Jerusalem! Mark, James and Kathleen were at My Father's House updating the website at ZincLink, Mustard Seed's Internet cafe, and playing with some of the children there.

Wednesday, November 27, 2002
Toby Flowers, St. Ann's, Marietta
Today was a long day. We all woke up at 6:30am and had mass at 7. We left for Jerusalem! but had a long drive there because we dropped a few people off at Mary's Child and at My Father's House. Once we arrived at Jerusalem! we began work immediately on the chicken coop, painting the clinic and playing with the kids. Several of the children at Dare To Care, a portion of Jerusalem dedicated to HIV positive children, had become infected with Scabies, requiring us to isolate them, do a thorough cleaning of the Dare to Care house and do a lot of praying that we all hadn't gotten infected as well. The Dare to Care kids are some of the most faith filled and joyful kids I have ever met. Towards the end of our workday, clouds rolled in and a hard, cooling rain poured down on us giving us more time to play with the kids. At the end of the day, back at Sophie's Place, we had dinner, then an awesome adoration and reconciliation session. We're all looking forward to our day off tomorrow. We are praying hard for our families and friends back home that will be celebrating Thanksgiving. We will be celebrating here in Jamaica. we have much to be thankful for.

Angie Suskay, St. Ann's, Marietta, GA
We arrived at Mary’s Child early in the morning. Mary’s Child is a home for unwed, pregnant teenagers. Presently, it houses 12 young women, aging from 11-18. The girls greeted us with skeptical smiles, but slowly began to open up, sharing their stories and asking us questions about pregnancy. The girls’ lives are intricate tales of heartache. Some were raped or pregnant from incest and all are fearful of the future and what it may hold for their babies. I spoke to a 16 year old that was leaving today. Her time was up at the home, most stay until their baby is 3-4 months old. She said that she is worried about where she is going to go and very sad that she had to leave the loving community that she has called home. All day long, I felt a bit helpless. The girls were polite, but it was difficult to get them to open up. I didn’t think that I had made progress until one of the girls asked me for my email address. The joy I felt was amazing and I suddenly got excited. We could keep in touch through her stay there and she could keep me up to date on Abigail, her daughter. The Zinc Link Internet Café was on the grounds and she has access to it. I am glad that I was able to spend time with all the beautiful teenagers of Mary’s Child. Each of them, special and each of them, striving to be a good mother and do the best they can. They are all courageous individuals and the time I spent with them and their children will always be treasured.

Mark Homer, Christ The King, Atlanta, GA
While the rest of the group worked at Jerusalem! and Mary's Child, Kathy, James and myself were at My Father's House updating this webite with the daily group journal entry. We had an awesome day. Just before lunch, right after we completed our "technical stuff", we joined the staff at My Father's House for prayers and lunch. We were treated to an amazing home cooked lunch of beef stew, rice and vegetables. After lunch, we spent a half hour or so in prayer in the new perpetual adoration chapel. After prayer, we had the rest of the afternoon to play with the children. Since there were only three of us, we were mobbed by children. The children at My Father's House have loads of energy and do they love to play! Especially popular today were the coloring books and the roll on coconut glitter. At roughly 5pm, we were picked up by the rest of the group on the way back to Sophie's place, ending our day.

Thursday, November 28, 2002
Jim Callea, Christ The King, Atlanta, GA
Monica Roe Berry, Christ The King, Atlanta GA

The Thanksgiving holiday began later than our normal workday for we all slept in to 7:30 am. Today was a day of fun we spent in search of the Son! We found Him at our breakfast as the Juice-Bar opened. James bought a round for Anne-Marie, Beth, & Cheryl, and warm banana bread was served. The day continued with a more-than-usually cramped bus ride to Mary’s Child for a brief tour and an opportunity to check out the soon-to-open apostolate for HIV kids called Matthew 25:40. We also took some time out to tour an 18th century Cathedral. Fr. Kevin gathered us around to point out various icons, symbols, art and architecture that is unique to us as Catholics, yet unifies us as Church. Several of us debated over who some of the nameless statues of saints might be (St. Ignatius? St. Vincent de Paul? How can you tell?). On the way across the street Joanne found Christ in a lady begging for a few dollars; Megan found Christ in a group of poor Jamaicans she stopped to chat with along the way. It was time for a group picture as the ladies mugged for the men in front of the Cathedral. We spent more time in prayer at the Cathedral and then continued onward. To the beach!

The entire group packed back into the bus and traveled over to a marina. We traveled to a little island, Lime Cay, via a short, fast, & wet boat ride. Instead of playing with the children, today was our time to ACT like children! The captain of our small rig that resembled “The Minnow” from Gilligan’s Island assured me that he was not the captain of the half-sunken boat parked next to us, and that it was destroyed in a hurricane rather than a three hour tour.

Shortly after arriving on the shore, it was time to find Jesus in Mass on the beach! In bare feet Father Kevin preached about the joy and the call to find Christ in recreation. The group seemed much more giggly than usual, more punchy than we had been all week, and you could really tell that we were bonding as a group. Many of us have been taking great leaps of faith all week, and it was great to watch everyone rejoice as we sang to some great amateur guitar music during mass. James, the MSC Volunteer Coordinator cooked us an authentic Jamaican lunch that was out of this world! Chicken, pork, rice, festivals and Ackee and Saltfish. We remembered our families back home and found Christ in the joy of sharing together a delicious home cooked meal.

The next few hours involved wading in the warm salty water, playing football on the beach, exploring the island and reading excerpts from “O” magazine. Several of the girls talked Fr. Kevin into taking a side job as a Catholic matchmaker. After watching the front half of a beautiful sunset it was time to go. We all went back to the marina on the bigger island to change. The girls, traveling in pairs, were most impressed by the running water, available toilet paper and cleanliness of the porcelain god facilities, which we had not experienced after 5 days in Jamaica. We then packed back into the overstuffed bus for the long 500-yard trek to our restaurant for Thanksgiving Dinner. (It took longer to pack the bus full of people than to drive there!) Our dinners ranged from jerk chicken to lobster with the sticky white rice and local beverage favorites: “Ting” soda and Red Stripe. Matt Barba led us all in a blessing over our meal while styling his turkey hat with much pride! It was a very unique, yet special Thanksgiving for us all and we look forward to coming home with a little bit of a tan! Finally, after a long, fun, and grace filled day recreating we returned to Sophie’s Place to perform our daily spiritual exercises. We gave our well wishes and thanks to Joanne & Lisa who need to return to New Jersey on Friday. They expressed their desire to remain and their joy in a wonderful week they spent loving the children and meeting new friends. The night came to a close and most headed to bed, for we all needed to wake up very, very on Friday. A few stragglers managed to squeeze in one more game of Uno. All in all, our day of fun was one that we shared and met Christ in the love and fellowship we shared with each other!

Friday, November 29, 2002
Chris Dehner, St. Ann's Marietta, GA
Beth Pailthorpe, St. Ann's Marietta, GA

This morning was our earliest morning yet. We rose at 4:00 AM in order to be at My Father’s House by 5:00 AM for adoration and mass with Father Gregory and the children there. Some of us continued to sleep on the bus, but Chris and Megan tried to pep us up with their dancing from the back row.

When we arrived, adoration had already started and we joined them. It was an amazing experience saying the rosary and celebrating mass with the children. Though their speech was unclear as they led us in the rosary, it was incredibly inspirational and beautiful. Afterwards Father Gregory presided over a wonderful mass. There was this one song that the children sang “Forget about yourself, concentrate on him, and worship him - Christ the Lord.” What an amazingly simple and effective prayer to honor God and humble ourselves.

After mass we took our team photograph, had our staple breakfast of PB&J, and prayed the liturgy of the hours with Father Gregory. Then our driver James led us on a tour of the apostolate. We visited with the children and toured Roots, the Christian radio station that is based there, where we were introduced to Kingston over the airwaves.

In keeping with the spirit of our trip, our plans changed a bit and we had to hold off our tour of the pottery and our purchasing of their goods until Saturday. No worries - a project awaited us to keep us occupied. We had to sort and inventory numerous boxes of expired medications. We were grateful for the work, especially since it was in an air-conditioned room (the first we have seen since our arrival here!). The project started out strong, but dwindled a bit as our early morning caught up with us and several missionaries napped on the floor and under the tables. Even when we’re tired, many hands make for light work, and we were able to pack up about 30 boxes of medications.

Everyone was awake for another wonderful lunch of soft drinks and the glorious beef patties that are definitely my favorite Jamaican dish so far! After lunch we said a sad farewell to two of our group - Lisa and Joanne - as they headed back to Hoboken, NJ. They did a spectacular job here and fit right into our eclectic group. We will not be quite complete without them.

After an afternoon rest, we headed back to Sophie’s Place. Our plans for this evening include a staff appreciation party for the caregivers and other staff of the apostolates here. We hung Christmas lights around the yard, blew up balloons, lit candles, and set up food, drinks, and gift bags. There was also a marvelous cake baked by the bakery at Sophie’s Place.

During the preparations we lost power and we learned that there was a power strike and that the power might not be turned back on for weeks. As we faced the thought of our last few nights here in the dark, we encountered an ant problem in some of the children’s sleeping cottages. And so, in the dark, we moved the sleeping children to another cottage and then gathered in the yard to pray and sing. A few minutes later, after we had gone upstairs to have our dinner, our prayers were answered when the lights came back on, and they have been on ever since. In that small miracle, we were reminded of the grace and power of our Lord, and that He is always watching over us.

The party went off without a hitch, and a great time was had by all! There was dancing and laughing and a few of the children even managed to keep their eyes open long enough to enjoy it with us.

We finally said goodbye to our guests, and headed upstairs for a cold shower (we’re ALMOST used to them now!) and an evening prayer gathering before bed. We have so much to be thankful for, today and every day of our lives. Perhaps our Thanksgiving too was on Jamaican time - a day late, but still a glorious feast.

Saturday, November 30, 2002
Cheryl Crescenti

After not seeing the children at Jerusalem for two days, we were greeted with a warm welcome. The children came running with open arms to welcome us back to the worksite. Today we would have to say our good byes to the children we have grown so attached to in so many ways. This would be our last full day here. Our three tasks were playing with the children, continuing work on the chicken coop, and assembling ten new wheelchairs.
The children loved singing worship and Christmas songs. Some sang with us and some just listened...no matter how our voices sounded the children LOVED IT anyway. In the midst of tropical Jamaica, we could tell Christmas was such a special time for them. Their song requests ranged from "Lord, I Lift Your Name On High" to such popular American favorites as "Jingle Bells". We enjoyed singing with them and learning about their faith which in turn strengthened our own.

Construction on the chicken coop continued as we began by carrying more wood to the site working together as a team with some of the older children. They loved to hammer with us and felt a huge sense of accomplishment with each nail. With each piece of wood added, you could see the structure of the coop starting to form. Excitement grew as the four walls were formed. We could see the fruits of our labor. We laid the groundwork for the completion of the coop. Soon the chickens would have a new home and the Mustard Seed Community would have another source of income and food from the eggs.

Once the wheelchairs were assembled some of the older children eagerly tried them out for us. In addition, two of the volunteer nurses brought out the younger children one at a time to try out the new chairs. Their smiles said it all, you could see the joy on their faces to have something new just for them.
Saying goodbye was an emotional time, but the children made it easier for us with their overflowing unconditional love that was shown through spontaneous hugs and smiles that said "I love you". After our sad goodbyes at Jerusalem, we went to My Father's Place to purchase pottery. The pottery helps to generate a small income for the apostolates. Then came another round of goodbyes to the children at My Father's Place. The " goodbyes" turned into "we will see you soon".
We then returned to Sophie's Place where we started out the evening with a spiritual activity. The rest of the evening was spent sorting through things we would leave behind and packing. We were sad, as this was our last night at Sophie's place together before an early morning departure.

Sunday, December 1, 2002
Kathleen Schiavo, St. Andrew's Parish, Roswell, GA

HOME! A word that I never thought that I would be so happy and so sad to hear. Today was our day to travel back to our real world of Atlanta. The day started out just like the six before it, getting up before the sun rose, maybe getting a cold shower, getting on the bus and praying the rosary together. But, this time we weren't going to Jerusalem or My Father's House or Mary's Child, we were going home. As we drove through the streets of Kingston one last time, I thought back over the last week and about our experiences. So many of us were touched in such different ways. A smile here or a laugh there, working on the chicken coop or putting together wheelchairs, everything we did, we did for the kids because they were the reason we were here. God's unconditional love shining so brightly through these children is something none of us will ever, ever forget. As a first-time missionary, some of my greatest joy came from seeing the kids remember not only the faces of the second or third time missionaries, but also, the kids remembering their names. I'm sure that you could ask any one of us who our favorite kids and what our favorite moments were and the answers would be completely different. But, one thing is for certain, the overall experience is something that will stay fresh in our hearts and minds for a very long time and is something that has bound the 28 of us together in a very unique and powerful way. We are all bound together in the name of Christ. Thank you for praying for us and supporting us in this wonderful work of a lifetime.