Missionaries of the Poor

My past week was spent in the metropolis of Kingston, Jamaica. It's a bustling, dirty city with a rich history from colonial times. There is a big problem of poverty and crime in the city, but it's ripe for the harvest and there is great need. I worked with two Catholic groups over during the week. One was from Acton, MA and the other from Carlsbad, MN. One thing I enjoyed about the week was everything I learned about the Catholic faith. My perspective on Catholicism is refreshed. I experienced my first mass and was able to experience a number of different liturgical traditions including prayers, hail mary's, rosary's, etc. Beyond that, the dedication that the brothers have at Missionaries of the Poor sure has had an impact on me. These young men spend their entire lives serving people and children who are physically and mentally disabled or have AIDS. There were three facilities where we served during the week: The Bethlehem Home (a home for mentally and phyisically disabled children); The Lord's Place (a home for elderly women and those with HIV / AIDS); and The Faith Centre (a home for elderly men). We assisted the brothers by helping with things like cleaning, bathing, dressing, and changing the residents. We also did cleaning and housekeeping during the week. It was an amazing experience. We stayed at the United Theological College of the West Indies this week. We also were able to help out the campus in the form of doing some painting and construction work. Reverend Trevor Edwards was our host, he's the VP of the college and used to be the general secretary of the JBU. It was great to work with him and develop what seems to be forming into a long term partnership. Today I sit in TGI Fridays in Kingston with my cousin Matt. We're catching a movie in Kingston tonight. I will travel north tomorrow and be in Montego Bay tomorrow night. I will fly home Tuesday with Emily for my cousin Dan's wedding.