For just over a week in November -- Thanksgiving week in the United States -- it was my privilege to be part of a 17-member team sent out by HOPE worldwide - Central Jersey Chapter to Jamaica. Although mission in Brazil remains my first calling and priority, Jamaica is not far behind.
In the not-so-distant past HOPE worldwide had a strong presence and ministry to the poor in Jamaica, especially through a clinic. Last December the clinic closes due to insufficient funds on the part of the international organization, and there has been some question about what the future holds. There is a certain expectation that through the efforts of the Central Jersey Chapter there will be both more volunteer mission trips and greater involvement from Jamaican-based volunteers.
Our group this past week was the first of what we hope will be many to head to Jamaica to help out. In many ways it was really a calibration trip, measuring the opportunities to serve and sorting out the best way forward. That makes repeat volunteers all the more important for the knowledge they've gained and can utilize in further trips.
Our main focus over our few days of service was loving and caring for children in a "place of safety." This location is a sort of foster home, supported by the Jamaican government, that takes in both children without parents (true orphans) as well as those whose parents have lost custody for a period of time due to alleged abuse, neglect or incarceration.
At this children's home we really mostly held and played with small children who rarely receive much individual attention. The staff is caring and provides for the children, but with so many children (around 60) it is difficult for them to do much more than feed, bathe and clothe the little ones. Our role was to provide semi-structured social interaction...and a lot of hugs.
Although we were originally to spend four days at the home, we ended up going on Friday as well. Shortly after we left the facility on Thursday night there was a fire in the adolescent girls' dorm. The fire brigade responded quickly but in the chaos several girls fled and a few of the small children were missing for a few hours. All the preschoolers were eventually returned, and it seems that one in particular was the motivation of the fire. Some girls set the blaze to create a distraction so that they could remove a baby from the nursery and take him to his mother. They grabbed the wrong kid, though, and brought him back later.
In order to be there for the children and staff, we dropped our plans to go site-seeing and went back for a fourth day at the home. We're all very glad we did. It was a chance to see the children again and also to show our solidarity with the staff.
It it my hope that next year I'll be able to return to Jamaica and further assist in the efforts of HOPE worldwide to minister to the poor and marginalized in that country.
Related news (videos):
GLENHOPE FACILITY GIRLS MISSING
FIRE DEPT SCOLDS GLENHOPE FACILITY MANAGEMENT
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