Jamaica
Blessed Assurance, Mustard Seed Communities’ home for 33 children and adults with disabilities, laid directly in the treacherous path of Hurricane Melissa.
For 12 hours, the storm enveloped Montego Bay with unforgiving floods and howling wind––swallowing Blessed Assurance with it.
For a moment, it seemed as if Blessed Assurance might never again be the safe haven it had always been.
By a miracle, we are blessed to report all residents, caregivers, and staff made it through the storm safely.
Now, we face a new challenge: rebuilding this dear home.
Watch this video from Deacon Dalmas, Interim Administrator, to witness the hurricane’s devastation and how we ensured residents were safe:
When Hurricane Melissa made landfall in Jamaica as a Category 5 storm, the Mustard Seed family braced for the worst.
Winds howled, floodwaters rose, and one by one, communications across the island went silent. For a day, there was no word from Blessed Assurance.
With roads washed away and the area cut off, Blessed Assurance was MSC’s sole unreachable home after the Oct. 28 hurricane.
Inside the home, as rain poured and water surged across the home they loved so well, caregivers acted quickly to protect the residents. They carried each child and adult—many with significant physical and medical needs—to safety on the second floor of the mission house. From there, they watched as floodwaters swallowed the ground level, washing away furniture, medical supplies, and equipment.
For hours, they waited and prayed.
“It was intense,” said Rev. Deacon Louis Dalmas Agan, who stayed with the residents throughout the storm.
Never had I seen anything like it before. There was so much water and wind that when neighbors came to check on us the next day, they didn’t think we had survived.
By God’s grace, they had.
When the skies finally cleared, the home stood battered but still standing. The river that runs behind the property had overflowed, leaving debris and mud in its wake. Power lines lay tangled in the road, and broken water pipes cut off access to running water. But the caregivers—four of them, along with a cook and a security officer—never left.
In this video, come along with Deacon Dalmas as he checks in with each caregiver and staff member who never left the residents’ side throughout the storm.
For a day, dedicated staff cared for the residents with no electricity, limited food, and no way to reach the outside world.
Meanwhile, help was on the way.
Determined, MSC leaders trekked for miles through storm-ravaged roads to reach Blessed Assurance.
No obstacle was enough to keep our MSC family from reaching Blessed Assurance to ensure their safety.
Two Mustard Seed leaders, Fr. Ernest Chikwata, Mission Manager and Director of Spirituality, and Br. Bekezela Mapfidza, Mustard Seed Missionary, set out from Jacob’s Ladder determined to reach the Blessed Assurance community. They drove more than 100 kilometers through debris-strewn, flood-damaged roads until the way became completely impassable. Refusing to turn back, they continued on foot, walking nine miles through waterlogged terrain and washed-out paths, until at last, they arrived at Blessed Assurance.
“When we arrived, we saw the entire property had been underwater,” said Fr. Ernest. “Only the second floor had remained above the flood. But everyone, every single child and caregiver, was safe.”
Their relief was overwhelming.
Neighbors joined the effort to clean and salvage what little could be saved. Roads were partially cleared and limited power was restored through a generator, allowing the team to assess the damage.
Even as they work to recover, the challenges remain severe. The home faces shortages of food, clean water, and medical supplies. The surrounding community also struggles—shops are shuttered, homes destroyed, and many families displaced.
“As we walked through Montego Bay, we saw people heading in every direction,” said Br. Bekezela. “Some carried gas cans, others searched for food.
Despite everything, we give thanks that our residents and staff are safe and that we could reach them. It gives us strength to keep going.
One local man who met them on the road offered his own words: “This hurricane was worse than Gilbert. Seven times worse. It’s set the nation back fifty years.”
With residents safe and as Jamaica begins to heal, Mustard Seed Communities joins the nationwide effort to recover and rebuild in the wake of Hurricane Melissa.
Today, Blessed Assurance is no longer stranded, and all residents are accounted for. Now, we turn to recovery.
Cleanup and recovery continue as Mustard Seed teams across Jamaica work tirelessly to restore power, rebuild structures, and provide relief to every home affected by Hurricane Melissa.
“We thank God that all the children and staff across our homes are alive,” said Fr. Garvin Augustine, Executive Director of Mustard Seed Communities Jamaica. “But the situation in Montego Bay is dire.”
Across Jamaica, MSC is confronting a massive recovery effort, with both immediate and long-term needs. “We have about one million USD in repairs ahead of us. And that is in addition to the furniture, kitchen equipment, and other items that will need replacing. It is just amazing, the scale of what we have to do.”
Through it all, the spirit of Mustard Seed remains unshaken. The love, courage, and faith of our community have once again revealed what is possible when hope endures.
When the floodwaters could have taken everything, we say “Thank You, Lord” for leaving us with life, our miracle.
Help Us Rebuild
Interested in taking action to support vulnerable communities in Jamaica through recovery from Hurricane Melissa?