Hello Friends and Family!
This is our last update on the mission trip. It went by so quickly.
Monday, January 16, 2023
Monday was a busy day for us, we had a lot to squeeze in. As always, we started the day with the celebration of the Holy Mass. There is a lot to be thankful for! The missions team split up into two groups: one to finish off the painting and one to go to the schools and evangelize.
At Annotto Bay High School we met with the GEMS group, which stands for “Girls Empowered for a Mission of Self-Actualization”. The school principal, Ms. Trudy-Ann, started this group for the girls of the high school because she noticed that many of the young ladies lacked basic hygiene products, didn’t believe in themselves, they came from various backgrounds that made going to school difficult, and they did not have a support system. This group of young ladies meets for 30 minutes before the official start to school, and they spend it as a time of support and encouragement.
We loved meeting up with them. At first they were shy and didn’t want to speak about their individual selves. Mariela, a Frassati Missionary, volunteered to break the ice and share about herself first. She shared how school work came easy, but she always had a tough time making friends, and because of that school itself was hard because she didn’t have people around her that made her feel like she was supported. It was quiet in the room but a few of the GEMS girls nodded their heads in agreement. Almost the entire group of young ladies raised their hands when asked if they had ever felt lonely and again almost the entire room raised their hands when asked if they had ever had someone tell them that they weren’t any good/ they can’t do something. The questions were asked while their eyes were closed, so there was a feeling of being afraid to be “the only one who felt like this”. But we all have the same struggles, as women we all worry about hygiene, about our families, about school work and success. The last question that was asked was if they believed in themselves to achieve their dreams; every young lady raised up her hand high. These young ladies have big dreams! Many of them want to be soldiers, there were a few that said doctors and nurses, and one young lady smiled as she said she wanted to be a hairdresser!
We distributed small hygiene kits to the GEMS group. In the United States there isn’t much talk about how a young woman’s changing body can be a cause for her to stop going to school, the reality is that in many developing countries, like Jamaica, this is all too common. Young women do not have the supplies needed to accommodate this need, so they end up dropping out of school. The kits included feminine sanitary napkins, toothpaste and toothbrush, a chapstick, and a sequenced heart shaped keychain to remind each young lady that she is loved and beloved by God the Father. At the end of our meet-up we all sang along to the song “You Say” by Lauren Daigle.
Next we visited St. Theresa Basic School. The students there are in Pre-Kinder. It is adorable to see them all singing together and clapping their hands. We had a little evangelization moment showing them a picture of Jesus being baptized and a dove in the sky. The children pointed out the colors in the pictures, the bird, the waters, Jesus and John the Baptist. At the end of the visit the ukulele came out (again!) and Theresa led us in a song.
The last school we visited was May River Primary School. Our skits had to be improvised because half the team wasn’t with us since they were elsewhere painting. This was a pop quiz moment for all the missionaries to see if they paid attention to each other’s skits. We all had to fill in for each other and play out different character roles; it was different but the message of Jesus was the same. Jesus Christ is Alive! Jesus is the Way, the Truth, the Life! At the end we split up into three teams and had a dance off competition. These kids have some serious moves! It was decided that everyone was a winner.
The painting at Mount St. Joseph was finished. Brother Joachim, CFR even joked that he was pleasantly surprised that we were able to finish the painting on Monday and that the chapel actually looked nice. Everyone painted and got dirty at one point. However, Martin kept a tight ship on the missionaries finishing the job and having fun while doing so. A parishioner of the church (who went to Welcome Sunday and remembered us from last year’s mission) walked 30 minutes to come and help us. She knew we would be there on Monday morning and wanted to come say hello to the team. It was a great help to have her there because she was able to tell us exactly how to put back the furniture in its original location.
You might remember that our fundraising included the twenty foot shipping container. Through your generous donations we were able to hire local Jamaican workers to construct a concrete slab that would be able to support the container and local Jamaican workers will be hired to refurbish and paint the shipping container (this is a boost for the local economy). While on the ground our team didn’t do much hands-on work with the container, this is a great addition to the parish: it will be used as necessary storage for parish supplies and for a Food for the Poor distribution hub (which distributes food to the the people of Annotto Bay once a week).
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Our departure flight on Tuesday, January 17th got delayed but we made the best of it at the airport in Kingston. We even had time to have some delicious Jamaican beef patties for breakfast. The team arrived safely at JFK in the late afternoon.
We want to thank all of the missionaries: Irbania, Jake, Megan, Theresa, Lauren, Joseph, Mary, Mariela, Martin, Ingrid, and the youngest missionary Esperanza. We also want to thank all of our friends, families, and benefactors. This mission was all possible because of all of you; sharing of your time, your prayers, and your generous donations.
Please continue to keep the community of Annotto Bay, St. Theresa Parish, and Frassati Missions in your prayers. Know that we are praying for YOU!
God bless you! Verso l’alto!
Jamaica 2023 Mission Team
Frassati Missions
Frassati Missions 