Oh Gutav, you awful thing

Oh Gustav, you awful thing.

I spent the day in bed Sunday after the storm, sickened with sadness and heartbreak. The day begins with mass at 8:30 at Immaculate and I am already sort of poopy (yes, that is the technical term) and then I am told I cannot go to Devon Pen (my primary mission) because the roads are too bad. So I think, "oh okay...a few trees are down" and I decide to go to King Weston instead with Lauren. Lauren drives up because she is more familiar with the roads and King Weston is the mission that is farthest up in the mountains with the worst roads. On a good day, it would take us about and hour and fifteen minutes to get up to the church, but with road damage from a storm, we have no idea what we are driving into.

We are still on Junction, the main road to the North Coast of the island. So we figure that it is surely clear because it is heavily traveled. Out of nowhere, as we turn the bend, we see the two lane road merge into 1 lane because half the road has collapsed into the river. It is now a week and a half later, and half the road is still gone. ( I will put up pictures soon)

Ok...so we continue on, a little startled at the fact that we just saw half a road vanished into the raging river below. We ask at the halfway mark, where we turn off the main road, if it is clear up to the church. "Yah mon, roads clear. Blessed up". So we continue on, cautiously maneuvering the van up this already horrendous road, now converted into dirt, rocks and debris from landslides, broken walls, and debris being carried down the road that I am sure resembled a river during the storm. A few times I was sure we were going to get stuck in the mud. I could picture it already- the two of us and a bunch of Jamaican men behind the van in our Sunday's best, pushing the van out of the mud.



I count six broken telephone poles so far and we are only half way there. Some with the wires laid out on the ground for us to drive over, some wires hanging to hit the van as we passed underneath. King Weston did not get power or water until a week after the storm.

Around every corner, my jaw drops lower and my sighs grow sadder. This is awful. Thank God it wasn't a stronger hurricane. These poor people. Men with shovels- old men, young men, children, digging out the road. A bulldozer easing some of the work. Mud and rock everywhere, as we heard from the road the usual friendly remarks... "Yah mon!', "Blessed up", "Wagwam", and "alright" (well, lets not forget the ever present "WHITEY" hahaha)

We were close, about three quarters of the way there and we came to a stop. A landslide had taken out a shop on the corner and then crumbled into a family's home. Thank God the family was safe, but all of their possessions were destroyed. The woman told us how grateful she was for her and her sons safety. "No man, we're alright...at least we have our life".

At least we have our life...

That sure is gratitude. And that surely put me in bed the rest of the day. We had to turn around because the road was blocked. We went back to our safe place, with all of my things, and certainly my life, to a comfortable bed, with food, electricity and water (even though it was unsafe to drink) and I went to bed. I kept mulling that woman's remark over in my mind. Was I as grateful as she?

I later realized what I was feeling was grave concern and hopelessness. The people here have become my life. They are stealing my heart every chance they get and they have done a wonderful job at becoming my family away from home already. Previous to this year, I had only been on service trips to help strangers who have suffered from loss, tragedy, poverty and/or injustice. These experiences have been priceless for me, but I did not have an emotional attachment to those I was serving. Now, the people who I am encountering every day are no longer strangers. When I tried to call Aunt Daph in Devon Pen the day after the storm and did not get an answer, I was severely concerned. She has opened her loving arms to me every single time I visit her. She has taught me how to cook several Jamaican dishes, has showed me around, and she has accepted me into her home without hesitation. When I called her and she did not answer, I wanted to immediately drive to her house to check on her and fix any problem present. But I couldn't. The roads were blocked. There was no way for me to help her if she needed me. And I couldn't even get a hold of her to ask.

Thankfully, for the most part, most people experienced incredible water damage, which is manageable. I was able to visit Wednesday after the storm and bring up some water for the people. But I just keep thinking about that family with the landslide in King Weston and say to myself, well thank God they have their life....and thank God I have mine.

Since then I have started school, which is absolutely amazing. The kids are energetic, curious, honest and FUN! They love to play, sing, and dance and I keep imagining them as little theatrical wonders. I helped to teach the first grade class, which was wonderful and played football at recess, all the while building tons of relationships and establishing trust with their innocent minds and hearts. I am going to really enjoy school and am excited to love them, care for them and teach them all that I can.