My week with Mustard Seed was easily the best week of my life
Name:
Mary
Apostolate:
Jacob's Ladder in Jamaica
My week with Mustard Seed was easily the best week of my life. From the first night I got there I knew leaving would be one of the hardest things I would ever do. I was rather nervous to go on this trip since I had never done anything like this and when I got there, there was about ten minutes where I didn’t know what to do with myself and I was a little uncomfortable. But then Lee-Chin and Demario came up gave me big hugs, sat with me, and talked with me and honestly my face hurt pretty badly from smiling that night.
I also met Tiara that night because she came up for mass that day and, wow, I love that girl so much. When I first saw her, she was sitting behind me in mass and we kept on making faces at each other then she asked me to sit next of her. I talked to her for and she told me I had pretty hair and then I asked her if we could be best friends forever and she agreed. I taught her how to do pinky promises! But unfortunately I found out shortly after that that I would not see her again that week because she lived at Sophie’s Place and, wow, was I a wreck. As I said goodbye to her, I was crying pretty badly especially after she told me that she loved me. As I was crying she said, “Don’t cry, laugh” in her sassy voice that made me sure she meant it as a command, not a question. It’s crazy how much I love that beautiful girl who I only knew for a few hours.
Between Lee-Chin’s overall adorableness, Elvis’s hugs and saying your name for the first time, Lorenzo’s beautiful laugh, Jason’s dancing and hair braiding skills, and when the kids at Jerusalem would call me Auntie Mary I had a pretty fantastic week that really inspired me and sparked my interest to work with those who have disabilities. I'd love to have more moments like when a resident tells you they love you for the first time, they run up to you and give you a huge hug, or when they would call your name without you asking them to! I really did not expect it to be as amazing as it was and I would 100% recommend it to anyone thinking about going because there is no way you could regret that amazing experience.