'Do as the Jamaican's do' from Fr Joe

While in Jamaica, ‘Do as the Jamaican’s do’. I think that statement actually comes from some other place but, it works! In another culture – that is exactly what you must learn – do as they do, learn the culture, learn the people and adapt! Once you do that, then you can bring Jesus to the people!

In order to excel here in Jamaica, there are obstacles that present themselves on a regular basis and you have to adapt. One big one is the heat from the sun! So what do you do? Do as the Jamaican’s do - ignore it, stand in the shade, go about your business and cool off when you can!

How about this one? Doing as the Jamaicans do means that you eat hot, spicy foods! What do you do with the slow, intense burn from eating jerk chicken, made from Scotch Bonnet pepper's? You can't ignore that, you better just adapt and enjoy it! Scotch Bonnet’s are on the top of the chart as being the hottest pepper known to man. People eat them here in their food all the time, imagine that? Kids and adults alike! Scotch Bonnet peppers are so plentiful here that we have to pickle them! That is when the fun begins. At dinner, anyone who is brave enough to eat a whole spoonful of our pickled Scotch Bonnet peppers can earn $100 JD (Jamaica Dollars – that is equivalent to $1.00 US). A large sum! Don't be fooled, these kids line up for the chance to test the heat! (Most evenings, we have between 10-15 kids and adults at the dinner table)

So, what's happening here is this - mission work, receiving whomsoever comes to the door!
This last Sunday, we conducted ‘Sunday Service’ with about 15 people, all crammed into our little Chapel. After mass, we made a picnic lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and made the long walk to the seaside where we snorkeled and swam, Some of the older boys bring spear guns and try to spear fish for dinner! It is a good sport for the young men to satisfy their inquisitiveness, and gain confidence in a safe environment.

Aside from cooling off, our excursions with the kids really gives us the opportunity to teach these kids to go beyond what they have learned all their lives. Instead of just doing what the Jamaicans do, we teach them how to swim (most Jamaicans can’t swim!). Instead of just doing what the Jamaicans do when they have disagreements with one another, we teach them the Word of God and how to communicate and be respectful of each other.

And what I think is the most important of all, is to tell them that God is their friend. He is interested in them and wants to part of them and their lives. A relationship with God is not some ‘Glory, Hallelujah on Sunday, and do what you want come Monday’ type relationship but is a full life, a new spirit, breathing with new hope and opportunity. This is the Lord and Savior that these kids are meeting every time they come. They come, and they keep on coming, because our God is taking them beyond doing ‘Just what the Jamaicans do’!

GospelFest 2010

GospelFest 2010 was a whirlwind of activity as a small team of youth and adults travelled to Jamaica to minister to 350 youth & do 4 days of Vacation Bible School in 3 different locations!

The children were happy to see us especially the girls. Autumn, Lindsey, and Samantha. They were great. Autumn has a love for those children and a wonderful high energy level. Lindsey was the one behind the scenes with the costumes. She could be convinced to come out and teach her wonderful hip-hop dance routines. Sam got the attention of the older children. The other members of the team were Ed in the back as crowd control when he wasn’t playing Saint Peter. Ruth was on guitar and Alison on keyboard.
Even Terri and the Jamaican’s in the skits. Everyone was fed lunch and given a gift. Fr Paul told the kids that they are all princes and princesses in the royal family of God. The attempt was to get them to understand that they need to persevere in believing that Jesus loves them and although no one deserves anything from the Lord, those who accept Jesus as Lord are entitled to all of the blessings written in His Word. After the teaching, Joe, Leo, and Chris anointed everyone.

Molly’s Legacy

If you ever wanted an example of care and compassion, it was in Molly Suer, the star of Windsor Castle, Jamaica. People all over Jamaica remember Molly fondly, even though she passed away 2 years ago.
They all remember the kindness and compassion of this woman, who always had a pot on the stove and a warm meal for whoever stopped at her door. They remember how she opened her home to so many of Jamaica’s troubled teens, how she taught them and gave them the love of Christ. It never mattered how bad the kids were, Molly always opened her home to them.
You may not that this saintly woman struggled with cancer for years, and that she underwent almost 20 operations and that it took her 1 ½ hours to put on her clothes in the morning. What you do remember is her open arms.

Her legacy continues as we at the Community of the Crucified One, Jamaica, opens our doors and accept all who come, and do our best to be Ambassadors for Christ – just like Molly showed us.
To the team that came here, thank you. You planted seeds this week in the hearts of about 350 children and many adults. Pray that we have the chance and the ability to build on what you have done here this year.

A Note Br Chris

I would like to give a commentary on the mission here in Jamaica. There has been over 400 yrs of slavery on this Island. Most of the people that I have talked with seem to have a defeatist attitude mixed with feelings of not being valued or loved. That coupled with the poverty and the end result is anger, laziness, discouragement and disrespect. 12 yrs working at our local detention center made me aware of this problem. Some psych doc named it a “jail mentality”. I’m no shrink but it seems to be the diagnoses here as well.

The only way I know to fight this problem is to empower them, to increase their self respect, for them to feel loved and valued. The only way I know to do that is to introduce them to the word of God. So we feed the kids and try to be an example of a father figure they don’t have. We try to teach them a better way of settling their problems and how to treat each other as brothers and sisters in Christ.

Joe and Terri have been trying to do this for years. I hope I can be of some assistance for them. We could really use your prayers and your money. We are feeding 15-20 kids 3 meals a day. 5 or 10 dollars a month from everyone who gets this news letter will go a long way in paying for the food needed. In order to feed their minds we have to feed their stomachs. Please help us to keep this ministry going.