WestHaven&HopeHospice
After another beautiful, haawwt sunrise, the team was ready for day 3 of serving. We had the amazing opportunity to go back to West Haven's to visit the familiar faces there. Immediately upon arrival, two boys with warm smiles greeted us as we entered their home. It was hard to imagine being able to top a day like our first visit, but returning to see those children had surpassed any expectations that we had on the day. Kids were automatically drawn to the team members who they had made relationships with the previous day. Smiles, hugs and laughter were being passed around the entire playground, and it was great to see everyone so comfortably interacting with each other. It did make leaving a lot harder though, after spending more time building into the new friendships. We sang more songs, helped the workers feed everyone lunch, then were on our way to the Hope Hospice.
The Hope Hospice is a home for about 20 adults who need a lot of care due to different types of diseases and ailments. We were able to spend the afternoon visiting and singing with the patients there, as well as receiving encouragement and advice from them. The team learnt today how to let the Holy Spirit guide them in situations where they are unsure of what to do or say. That He will provide the wisdom and strength for them as they face new challenges. Some were as well encouraged by the fact that even though some of the patients are forced to just lie in bed all day, they remain faithful and in close relationship with the Lord. One man had stated his new occupation became praying for others and the world around him, and our friend Mr. Whitey taught us about God's love. He told us that no matter what this life brings you, it is impossible to have nothing when you have Jesus in your heart. Mr.Whitey and all the patients at the Hope Hospice were living examples of this.
Respect.
Kerstyn
P.S. here are a few short testimonies of what some team members have experienced so far!
Today was an incredible day for the team and myself as we went back to West Haven Children’s Home, and visited the children that we met on Wednesday. Seeing the smiles and joy on the faces of the kids as they saw us again, and the smiles that came to the faces of the team as the kids remembered them was a highlight of my day. The way Christ showed me the value in the lives of everyone, even the most unfortunate, through these two visits to West Haven was more than I could have ever asked for. We also visited Hope Hospice, and the stories of the lives of those elderly people were quite extraordinary. Meeting 62-year-old Mr. White, a man that has been bed-ridden for the last 9 years was an eye opener. The love for Christ that Mr. White had was a lesson for all of us as we listened to him teach us to love all like Christ loved, unconditionally and never-ending. When our trip to the Hope Hospice was coming to a close, we all made a final visit to a little, sweet old lady named Cynthia, who blessed our entire team and prayed for our team as our service here in Jamaica continues. What I learned from both Mr. White and Cynthia, was to love, trust, and obey Christ no matter the circumstance.
-Zachary Bertram
My experience with Blossom Garden was super rad. When we got there we didn’t know what to expect. We were soon taken in to where the babies were, and as the team quickly picked up every baby in sight, there weren’t any left for me to hold. It wasn’t until Hannah had placed a baby on me that I realized holding babies could be really cool. I then sat with baby Sarah on the swing until she fell asleep on me, something she hadn’t done with anyone else before. It was awesome! #YOLOswag4Jesus
-Reese Sutherland
