News Zone

News Zone

News Update From Mustard Seed Communities (Posted July 27th 2002)

Saturday, July 20th, 2002
Heather Phillips, Christ the King, Atlanta, GA

The morning started out rough - we had to be at the airport at 6 a.m. Our first challenge came early when Heather's passport didn't show up before the trip and she discovered that her birth certificate did not have a raised seal. She was the last to check-in while we all prayed in the corner that she would make it through. It was a success.

The flight was uneventful ... with an hour layover in Montego Bay. Now it was time to go through the immigration check and once again we were all worried that Heather might not make it through. Both Heather and Kristen ended up getting hassled, but eventually were allowed to get in. Thus began the long process of customs. Once we all got our boxes through, it was time to load up the truck and head to Sophie's Place... our home for the next 9 days. Some of us rode on the back of the truck with the boxes. The sun felt great. We were all surprised to realize that the weather was not that much different than in Atlanta. The ocean water was very clear. But it didn't take long to see how much poverty is in Kingston. Beauty and poverty all mixed together... kind of a strange combination. We passed through the middle of Kingston on our way. Lots of people standing outside the shops/bars. Goats wandering around on the streets. Tiny houses. Sophie's Place is up in the hills. Once again, a strange mixture of beauty and poverty. We finally arrived and immediately began to unload. We worked hard going through all of the boxes and sorting the things we needed. The rest would go to the donations facility at the main center for Mustard Seed - My Father's House. Before long, we were all dying of thirst. Thus begins the challenge of trying to hydrate ourselves all week. The weather may not be different than Atlanta, but none of us are used to living in it with no air conditioning. After we settled in, we had dinner... chicken and rice soup (better get used to that)! After dinner, we came together to pray our Novena. Then we played a "Get to Know You" game plus we each drew a name for a our secret prayer partner.

At bedtime, we had to once again step out of our comfort zones. The water for the toilets and shower comes from a tank atop the building. We can turn the water on for 45 minutes in the evening and 45 minutes in the morning. There are 2 pressures: on and off. And 1 temperature: cool. Of course, we don't think we'll mind the cool shower after a long, hot, unair-conditioned day. We made it!

Time to turn the lights off...

Sunday, July 21st, 2002
Dawn Stark, St. Thomas the Apostle, Smyrna, GA

We had many great experiences today. We were able to sleep in until 8:00 a.m. this morning. We played with the children that stay here at Sophie's Place before we headed off to 10:30 mass.

We celebrated mass at St. Pius X church. It was an amazing experience. The music was very upbeat and moving. It was interesting that the gospel reading was about the parable of the Mustard Seed. After mass the band stayed and had a jam session for us, playing songs including our favorite Bob Marley tunes. We had lunch under a pavilion on the church grounds.

After lunch, we had the afternoon to play with the children at Sophie's Place. There are about 30 children who stay here. They have various disabilities and all but two are confined to wheelchairs. We were able to get them out of their chairs and play with them. We played music, blew bubbles, played with balloons and shared stories with them. We spent about 4 hours just hanging out and sharing our love with these children.

In the evening, we did some team building activities. Matt Gardner came up with the idea to drill everyone with 15 questions so we learned a lot about each other. We shared a lot about each other. We shared a lot of laughter as well. We ate dinner while Mike Judge questioned each of us about why we decided to come on this trip. Our spiritual activity was learning about our patron saint, St. Therese of Lisieux. James Ragsdale did an awesome job providing us with knowledge about this faith filled woman.

It was a tiring day both physically and mentally, so most of us headed to bed after the activity.

We're having a great time so far. The weather is beautiful and not as hot as most of us expected. I guess once you're sweaty, you get used to the heat. We sleep with open windows with no screens and get a cool breeze in the evening. We have a limited water supply so we have 45 minutes in the morning and in the evening to shower. It's definitely different from what we are all used to and comfortable with, but we are learning quickly to put our selfish ways aside in order to serve God.

Monday, July 22nd, 2002
James Ragsdale, St. Vincent de Paul, Dallas, GA

We woke up fresh and early at 5:45 a.m. this morning. Well, at least the early part! After showering and getting ready we gathered at 6:45 a.m. for our first daily mass with Fr. Theodore and Fr. Richard. During mass our voices started out as small, almost as individuals, (almost asleep), but it did not take long for us to be a loud joyous chorus. We were also powered by a great homily!

After mass we gathered our things to prepare for our tour of the apostolates. By 9 a.m., we were at My Father's House. At My Father's House, Fr Gregory welcomed us and provided us insight and reassurance. He pointed out that while our work on building/painting was important, this work was minor compared to the needs of playing with the children (with open hearts). I was greatly looking forward to being among His little children.

At My Father's House, we toured the various ministries, including the print room, pottery area, the Zinc Link internet cafe and the radio station (96.1 Roots). This appeared as a great window to the world and as a vocal insight to the local community. We also got to tour and meet the kids. After the tour we got to interact. I was quickly drawn to one girl named Diandra to whom I spent almost my entire time there singing and caressing her head and arms. The words of the song seemed to come from my heart and soul equally. I even prayed for Mary and Jesus Christ to lessen her suffering and told her that soon she would be blessed by being sent directly to our Mother Mary's lap at Our Father's side. I said that knowing she was there would make me strive to get there. She has hydrocephalus, where her skull did not fuse as a baby so her brain continued to grow. The fluids and her brain did not develop normally, yet she was so beautiful.

On the bus ride to the next apostolate, we were entertained by a Mike Judge production using several puppets to sing the parts to "Summer Loving" and "We Go Together."

What joy vibrated with my now extended family. We arrived at Mary's Child at 11:20 a.m., where young teenage girls are expecting babies. Here they are provided with food, shelter, and spirituality. They are required to practice devotions and stick to the rules. They also are encouraged to learn a trade which may include finishing school. The school that they attend allows them to bring their kids with them where they could visit and nurse them at the breaks.

At Mary's Child, we got to see another internet cafe, where we got a lot more of an idea of the great service it provides. We also met Matthew whose mother Alicia gave us a tour of the dorms and kids. Ernetta Brown told us of the great work being done.

By the way, the Zinc Link brings the internet, a window to the world, to the inner city, where a child from the streets can access the internet for $50 Jamaica dollars (app. $1US) or adult can for $150 Jamaica dollars (app. $3US). Next we got a tour of Trinity Cathedral at the Jesuit Center at St. George's university. At this beautiful cathedral, we went to reflect on the day so far, while also appreciating the beauty of the location, including several saint statues. After taking pictures, I kneeled and prayed for the kids and thanked God for all He's given to us so far. Before completing, I asked for St. Therese of Liseux help with a fear my heart is dealing with. Upon raising my head, my eyes opened on a statue in the corner that we had not noticed yet. It was St. Therese of Liseux. Was this a comforting sign or a coincidence? I did have joy showing her to others.

Upon our arrival at 2:10 pm at Jerusalem, another apostolate, we got to eat lunch. Jamaican beef patties, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with Pepsi or optional champagne cola. Yum! At Jerusalem, Nadine gave us a tour of the site that at one time had been a leper colony. When seeing the alter area, Nadine pointed out that the children and staff are required to spend two hours a day in devotion. It reminded me of what Fr. Gregory pointed out: that the main reason the children might be here is to pray for the world.

While at Jerusalem, I got to play with the children of Dare to Care. I passed out the bubbles and stickers but more importantly shared my love through music and sound effects. I also got to speak to a local apostle in one of the physically disabled, a great man named Claude. He taught me a lot this day including a direct wind into the faith such as St. Theresa's. He sang "Jesus Loves Me" and then he talked about how we need to love each other and avoid trouble when it comes. When I told him he was like Peter, he sang of the glory of St. Peter, the sign of the cross and the apostles' great work. I am closer to faith and heaven today due to his face, words, and deeds.

As for dinner, we were invited to Finton Kilbride's group of 30 teens from Canada who are spending 2-4 weeks serving kids at various teaching centers in Jamaica. They are awesome, venturing out to serve people of the world at such an early age. Wow! We had a great dinner with great comradeship and food. Upon returning to Sophie's Place for the night, we ran to the showers at 9 p.m. so we could gather at 9:45 p.m. for our nightly spiritual meeting. Mark Homer led the session where we wrote our questions/reflections on paper, placed them in a box and picked them out randomly among us to read and discuss. The night went quite well with some casualties to sleep. Yet, we ministered to concerns about physical and spiritual discomfort with the kids. While being insightful, I believe we came away as a stronger family and better as individuals, servants ready to serve the kids in whom we helped.

At conclusion, we said our novena including our concerns and wishes for the forthcoming days. We turned in at almost midnight.

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2002
Matt Gardner, Christ the King, Atlanta, GA

What can I say - starting the day with mass puts the right focus on
what is ahead. The singing at 6:45 a.m. mass is getting better each day - or we are getting used to it.

Our initial meeting at My Fathers House with Br. Garvin was fantastic. Br. Garvin is a real blessing to MSC, and it's always fortunate to get the chance to meet with him. We encountered our first "less than happy" moment when the group split up - half heading to Jerusalem and the other half staying at Mahoe Dr. It was the 1st split since we came together on Saturday and it really felt strange. It made our coming together on the afternoon that much more special.

Our work at Jerusalem was varied, but, lucky for us, it involved a lot of playing with the kids! We had one group painting a staff room, another group painting the window trim on the church and a third hauling trash and treasure alike. Of course, each task was not without it's unique experience. Wasps, rats, and geckos all decided to make an appearance along with a few chickens and sheep. Nadine, a care-giver, was kind enough to sing for us and the children (watch for the music video on MSC productions!).

The day was capped off with an open-air truck ride back to Mahoe Dr. in a rain shower. Funny - rain feels really different at 45 mph - but as refreshing as we'd hoped.

When we arrived at Mahoe we unwound by taking turns smashing concrete with a sledge hammer. What a release!

The variety of the day set the tone for what to expect the rest of the week...anything and everything, and all things in between.

Peace, God bless, and thank you for your prayers!

Tuesday, July 23rd, 2002
Mark Homer, Christ the King, Atlanta, GA

Tuesday morning began early with daily mass. After mass, we split into two groups. One group headed off to Jerusalem for a day of painting and playing with children and the other group went to My Father's House to do some work around the community.

The group that went to My Father's House was the smaller of the two groups. Their job was to clean out a garage to make room for a new thrift store and to knock down a concrete wall to create space for a repair garage. This group had a blast and a workout with the sledgehammer. After several sing a longs, we finally knocked down the last of the wall. In between projects, we played with the children of My Father's House.

At the end of the day, both groups met up at My Fathers House and went back to Sophie's Place for dinner, a much needed shower and a nightly spiritual activity. Tonight was reconciliation night. After an inspiring talk on confession by Fr. Richard and Amy Melear, the group made their confessions and reflected upon the day's activities. Then, off to bed.

Wednesday, July 24th, 2002
Carla Heinsch, St. Michael the Archangel, Woodstock, GA

Today our group started the day gathering for mass at 6:30 AM to worship together at Sophie's Place. And while we made a joyful noise unto the Lord, we were usually not on key. Fr. Richard did an awesome job with our homily, and then we were off and running for the day. While we were waiting on the bus, a few of us went down where the children were having a chapel service. The caregivers sing and praise and do daily prayers. It was neat to see the children get into it with flailing arms in dance, praise, and smiles all around. When the bus arrived we piled into the seats and folding chairs and were off. We dropped half of the group at My Father's House and a brief layover to visit with the children there, we drove over to Jerusalem (a different compound in the suburbs of Kingston). It is odd to see such a combination of beauty in the land and poverty in the people.

At Jerusalem we were assigned to finished the projects that the other group started the day before. Matt, Mark, Heather, Amy, and Missy went to the containers to further organize all the donation and move contents from the bottom to the top. Despite the sauna-like temperatures and a few broken window panes (thanks to Mark) it was a job well done. Kasia and Alan finished painting one of the rooms. Kristen and I were assigned to paint the chapel's windows. They were having their weekly prayer service inside. It was neat to meet the locals and listen to their praising and prayers. They even said prayers for us. I must say that my first ever painting project was a success. After a break for lunch, we were off to play with the children. Kristen and I found ourselves together feeding some of the children, an amazing and humbling experience. Over my shoulder, Missy and Mark were having so much fun playing with sock puppets, while Shawn was having a ball-throwing game with several children. After a couple of hours we finished up our painting project so we hopped in back of the truck and headed back to Sophie's Place (home). I went to hang out with the kids and help with feeding. Dinner was served. Imagine... rice, beans, and peas, and stew-like stuff. We ended the evening with prayers and finding our child-like faith.

It is funny being here. Everyday, I have gone through the emotions from happiness, sympathy, sadness, and joy. So many of these children have touched me with their smiles, their peace, and their joy. They have given me so much more than I will give to them. I never realized how very blessed I am in my life.

Wednesday, July 24th, 2002
Kelly Hidalgo, Transfiguration, Marietta, GA

We celebrated mass in the early morning together with a wonderful charge from Father Richard to "just be" and let the Holy Spirit work through us as Jeremiah did. Then our teams separated to Jerusalem and My Father's House.

At My Father's House, we were blessed to have the opportunity to celebrate mass with the children. Pre-mass activities included a spirited rendition of "This Little Light of Mine" and other songs in which the children participated. After mass, we all spent time playing with the children and photographing them for the family-tree wall. Being able to meet every child and learn his or her name was such a blessing.

Then we tackled the "manly" project of loading the truck with old, rusty materials - some heavy and large (hence, reason number one for the tetanus shot). Our most interesting object to load was a large, 600-pound, thick wire coil. Who knows what it was used for, but with good teamwork and direction from Father Richard, it was successfully loaded. Our final project was finishing an altar cloth with children's hand prints. Some of the kids had the opportunity to leave a white handprint on a blue cloth used to create an altar cloth for an Atlanta church. Then we had more quality time with the children.

Finally, we met up with our long lost friends from Jerusalem. We shared a fun-filled night of stories that made us laugh and then played like children. We did finger-painting, coloring, and molding Play-Doh together in order to remember our child-like faith.

God bless all of you and your support. Remember the child inside you.

Thursday, July 25th, 2002
Maria Kaczperski, St. John the Evangelist, Hapeville, GA

Today was our beach day! We got to sleep in until 7 a.m. because the bus was committed to picking us up at 8 a.m. We were still waiting at 10:30 a.m. ... this is Jamaica time, mon! Waiting time was filled with writing affirmations, playing cards, and getting money out from the Bank of Maria for lunch, dinner and maybe a Red Stripe or Ting.

We arrived at the pier by noon and proceeded to wait some more for the boat. The ride was like a very wet roller coaster. Matt entertained us, sporting his snorkel goggles. Even Mr. Whiskers, the sock puppet, joined in the fun, getting wet and holding up his arms while the waves moved us up and down. We arrived at the small Lime Cay (pronounced Key) Island at 1 p.m. and several of us took no time at all to jump into the clear, blue, WARM water. Quite different that the cool/cold showers back at Sophie's Place!

Mass on the beach was a treat, celebrating the Eucharist in God's natural setting. Fr. Theodore's homily reflected on the transient nature of all things on the beach -- sand castles, trees, even concrete shelters. This proved so on target as part of the concrete shelter where our lunch was served fell right into Missy's plateful of food! Our volunteer coordinator, James, cooked a delicious and spicy lunch of jerk chicken, festival, aki with salt fish, plantains and bread fruit.

We then split into several groups: those who jumped right back into the water (without waiting the 45-minute rule!); those who went on a walk around the island (entire circumference of the island can be walked in 15 minutes); those who headed off to the tiny island bar (Red Stripes at $1.20); and a couple of us who crashed headfirst into the sand for a much needed nap. Our boat came back at EXACTLY 4:30 ... but we weren't ready, mon. We all took our sweet time gathering back together. We finally left after 5 p.m. on an even more exciting and wet boat ride since the water had gotten even more choppy. Fortunately we all made it back and proceeded to wait for the water to be turned on but it never happened ... Port Royale's water had been shut off!

We proceeded all salty and sticky (and stinky and stanky) to Gloria's Rendezvous for a magnificent feast of shrimp, lobster, chicken (for non-seafood lovers, Lisa and Maria), fried fish, curry goat (Kasia chickened out!) and the completely intact steamed fish with the heads still on! Amy had clearly stated that she would only eat protein things that were unrecognizable ... but the fish was definitely a fish. She screamed and laughed while Missy chopped off their heads under a napkin ... Missy and James had no problem at all eating all the discarded parts including innards and eyeballs. Yuk!

We met Sister Cecilia at a table next to ours. She is originally from Jamaica but now works in Alabama as a school principal. Mike offered some Young Adult Ministry help for a weekend project when we get back home.

We had an uneventful and peaceful ride back home (we were all zonked from the sun) and arrived at 9 p.m. Just when we thought we were all going to bed, Nick, Mike and Matt dressed up in white one-piece hooded and footed clean-guard outfits that made them look like a cross between Pentium men and Q-tips. We laughed so hard it hurt. Finally it was time for sleep for some very strange dreams.

Friday, July 26th, 2002
Lisa Coleman, St. Ann's, Marietta, GA

This morning, the alarms woke us up at 7 a.m.. We had our usual morning routine of eating breakfast, filling water bottles, showering, reflecting in personal journals, writing in other Young Adults' Affirmation Journals, and playing with the children before the bus arrived. We didn't have morning mass until later in the afternoon though.

James picked us up around 9 a.m., and we were off to My Father's House. The group prayed the daily Rosary as we made our way down the curvy and narrow road. The drivers here amaze me as they pass other cars SO closely without causing accidents.

We arrived at My Father's House where we had several activities to choose from. Kelly had some of us finish taking pictures of the children to tape onto the painted tree on one of the inside walls. When it was finished, the tree was covered with the kids' beautiful faces with their name and birth date under their photo. We also had a chance to browse in the pottery shop while Blossom, a very nice Jamaican woman who works here, helped us. She accepted American money and credit cards (one American dollar equals 47 Jamaican dollars right now). The pottery sales benefit Mustard Seed. Mr. Whiskers, our sock puppet, got his picture taken by a beautiful plate that Karen purchased. Some of us also had the chance to worship the Lord with the children and the caregivers in a daily prayer service. Songs were exchanged by all. We also had some time to play with the children. It is wonderful to see their smiles as we sing and clap their hands together or even as we just hold them. I need to learn some more songs ("Itsy Bitsy Spider" and "If you know that Jesus Loves You" - to the tune of "If You're Happy and You Know It" - just doesn't cut it :)).

Our visit was cut short, and we left around 11:30 to go back to Sophie's Place to get ready for the Staff Appreciation Party we throwing in the evening. Balloons were blown, chocolate chip chocolate brownies were baked and party bags were stuffed as others washed chairs and placed them outside around tables. Jerome, one of the children living at Sophie's Place, helped wash the chairs as he sat in his wheelchair.

We had mass with Father Richard around 2:30 p.m. which was immediately followed by Adoration. The group signed up for personal time to spend with the Blessed Sacrament.

The guests (various staff members from Jerusalem and My Father's House) started arriving by busload around 6:30 p.m., and entertainment was provided by Mike instead of our absent DJ. There was a Star Search competition among the staff members (gospel and reggae music), the Young Adult missionaries ("Light The Fire"), and the famous Nadine, one of the nurses at Jerusalem ("Killing Me Softly"). We served our guests a traditional Jamaican meal: rice and peas, curried goat, jerk chicken, and salad. The party ended after Nick gave a short speech thanking the Mustard Seed Staff for their generous care of the children.

After cleaning up, eating our own spaghetti dinner, and showering, our group ended the evening at Sophie's Place with the nightly spiritual activity. Amy passed out photographs of the Mustard Seed children and we discussed the brokenness in these children and compared this to our personal brokenness.

Most of us went to bed around 11:30 p.m. as others (Mark) scrambled to finish writing in Affirmation Journals and describe the friendships that have been created and the faith that has been strengthened. Rice-and-Peas, a dog that stays at Sophie's Place, and his friends didn't wake us up at night with their usual nightly barking.

It is hard to believe tomorrow is our last day to visit Jerusalem and My Father's House to work and play with the children.

Saturday, July 27th, 2002
Missy Gibson, Christ the King, Atlanta, GA
Amy Melear, St. Ann's, Marietta, GA

Well, it's our last full day and we've already been moving and shaking!!! Several missionaries brought in the morning by staying up and writing in the affirmation books and talking about the experiences. It was about 3 a.m. before I made it to bed. Wake up call was at 7 a.m. Once again the bus was a little late (Jamaica time). Breakfast, affirmations and refreshing showers kept us all occupied.

We took off for Jerusalem with the usual routine -- the daily Rosary and plenty of gazing out the window. The back of the bus is definitely an interesting ride especially since there isn't a seat back there! Just folding metal chairs ... and with every turn you manage to slide a couple of inches left or right. This is not the place for motion sensitive folks. Once we arrived at Jerusalem, the whole team helped load up the truck full of materials headed for the dump. Seven lucky missionaries headed to the local dump: Amy, Shawn, Kristen, Mark, Allen, Heather and Fr. Richard. We rode in the back of the truck on top of the trash that we had just loaded. The ride was approximately 20 minutes and took us through some of the poorer sections of town. As we tried to keep our balance we took turns taking pictures of the random goats and cows that were walking through the streets. When we pulled up to the dump, three men ran after the truck and jumped on the back. Amy Melear turned to Heather Phillips and asked "Should we be concerned?" They rode with us to the dump and then jumped off and started rummaging through the mountains of trash looking for various items. The dump had cows and birds all over it that were feeding off the trash. There were approximately twenty people that were going through the trash. I am not sure if they work there or live there. It may be both. We quickly threw all of the stuff off the truck. We didn't even need to get off the back since we just threw it over the edge. As we finished the three men that had hitched a ride jumped back on with their aluminum and we discovered that the truck was stuck. A few men placed random clothes under the wheel and after awhile we were on our way back to Jerusalem. What an eye opening experience that was!

The rest of us that didn't go to the dump split up and went to play either under the pavilion or to Dare to Care! This is by far my favorite part of each day. I (Missy) went to Dare to Care first. One of the little boys I met last year, Alex, came running for the door when he saw us coming in. He sat with me and blew bubbles. I got to play with Kimberly as well. She is such a bright young lady. After about an hour (it seemed like only minutes) I decided to head back to the pavilion area. Danny, Dawn, Angela, Matt and Cathy all had a blast playing catch, reading and running about with the children of Dare to Care. When it was time to go I thought it would be easy, but Alex came up and hugged me and wouldn't let go and began to cry ... I am overwhelmed at the generous gift of love given by the children. Alex told me he loved me -- I responded in kind.

I cannot imagine not being in love with the children. That makes coming home a little more difficult again!

Once I got to the pavilion I sat and talked to Claude and one of the caregivers, Nadine. It was a quiet time. The gang from the dump came back and I got to play with the hand puppets again ... Mark Homer and I love the three little pigs but only two could be found today. It is so much fun seeing the children smile! While sitting with Claude, I spent a lot of time watching the interactions of others with the children. I marvel at how comfortable everyone looks sharing special moments with God's little angels. Soon it was time for lunch. Patties once again, but this time we had the choice of chicken, vegetable, beef, or meatloaf. The vegetable patties were so tasty. We ate lunch and had just a few minutes to say goodbye before boarding the bus and heading over to My Father's House. I went into the chapel for a little alone time and found that I had a good idea. A few others came in after me to pray ... a prayer of thanksgiving for the many blessings this trip has provided.

I'm sitting in air-conditioning right this second, typing at Zinc Link -- the internet cafe at My Father's House. I'll have more to add as the day is only just begun... We'll be playing here and going to Mass with the children at 4 p.m. Then it's back to Sophie's Place for dinner and our final night together...

Sunday, July 28th, 2002

We're heading back home! Our flight should arrive at 12:40 p.m. at Hartsfield airport. See you at there or at mass at 5:30 p.m. at Christ the King Cathedral. Thanks again to all our friends and family.

The whole group.
The whole group at My Father's House.