Monday

I don't even know where to begin. Today was the first day of work and it was incredible. This team is more proactive & motivated than ever! They have been impressing me more and more each day which is unusual since I knew 5 of them before this trip.

This morning started with the blessing of the hands. We went down towards the water and as much as the wind was blowing & the waves were roaring there was an underlying sense of peace. We went through the blessing and listened to "Hands and Feet" by Audio Adrenaline. It was an inspiring way to start the day as everybody was going out to start building a house for this family. Jeffery took the team to the site and we headed into town to exchange money and pick some things up from Ochie. There was a cruise ship in today so downtown was crazy with Jamaicans & people from the ship. After everything was done in town, I went back to the villa to get organized and prepare for the afternoon. When the bus pulled up outside the villa all I could hear was their enthusiasm and you could hear the smiles on their faces. We talked over lunch about their morning and how much they accomplished both with building relationships as well as with building the house. Although this house is different and they didn't have to put any floorboards in, the amount of work they finished in one morning was unbelievable! They had all four walls up (without the plywood which was already painted) and were starting on the roof. Nobody on this team was hesitant in stepping in and doing anything they could to help get the house built.

The original plan for the afternoon was to pay the hardware bill and go to the worksite with the team but Dave's been sick and we all decided that he needed antibiotics- but he wanted to work on the house. We tried to go to the pharmacy the other day and have them write us a prescription but apparently you have to see a doctor to get medication around here. After paying the hardware bill, I went on a mission to find some antibiotics. We don't need to go into details but after a couple of hours, Aaron and I returned to the worksite with not only antibiotics but allergy medicine and headache medicine! Nothing is impossible.

Once I arrived at the worksite I was in even more disbelief at what they'd accomplished. I pulled up and saw Joey and Heather playing with the kids, my dad and brother holding down plywood that was having the middle cut out of it for a window, Mike hammering nail after nail after nail and of course Dave was on the roof with Gregory! Not only that but Daphne and Uncle were both there working, Butch was working harder than I'd ever seen, Chris was directing the group that was fixing a wall up to the window and there were kids everywhere trying to get their hands on a hammer and nails. Nicole lives right across the street and since she had an IsleGo house built for her last summer, she wanted to come help in any way she could. It. Was. Awesome. I had several moments where I just had to sit back and look at all of these people who are so close to my heart working together to finish this house.

As much as there's such raw joy in a day like today, there's also a deep sadness when you realize the amount of need. I've talked about it before and I'm sure I'll talk about it again but no matter how much you are capable of doing, it's like there's never enough. Just today, I had a close friend ask for materials so she could make pillows to sell, a close friend had a brother pass away and needs money for the funeral and we're constantly surrounded by people that are homeless, starving and looking for any help they can find... just to survive. I need to keep reminding myself that it's God's plan, not mine and he'll provide. I just wish it was possible to help everybody and I didn't ever have to say "I'm sorry, I wish I could". I wish I could go to bed every night knowing that everybody else had a bed to sleep in and that everybody knew where their next meal was coming from. One starfish at a time I suppose...


When the day was done, the house is done with the exception of the last tedious details. The windows need to be screwed in, the doors need to be put on and the inside needs to be painted. It may take all day but they'll definitely finish it and help the family move in tomorrow! We came home to a deeelicious beef stew with rice and veggies. Dorette is the ultimate best, I want to bring her home with me and/or live in this villa forever. She also has a way of making me smile every morning when I ask her how she's doing and her answer is "abundantly blessed." Absolutely love her.

I think one of the coolest parts about today was starting the day knowing that Dave, Gregory and Aaron were all sick. I was worried about all of them working and the possibility of them getting more sick and wearing themselves out for tomorrow. When I showed up this afternoon and saw Gregory and Dave smiling ear to ear hammering nails on the roof I couldn't help but smile myself. These people are amazing.

It's been a great few days here and I can't wait to see what else God reveals throughout the week. Thank you for your prayers- we're all feeling the blessings pouring down!