Thank you!
As we begin 2021, we would like to first thank you for your prayers and support for the mission. 2020 was a very difficult year for us all, but we were constantly amazed at the support of our donors and friends. Through you, God has blessed this mission greatly! As you read the stories below, we hope you see what your gifts have made possible. We long for the Covid-19 vaccine so we can return to in-person ministry in Jamaica.
What is the status of Covid in Jamaica?
Like here in the US, the Covid-19 pandemic can be described by its health effects, its economic effects, and its psychosocial effects. We hope to address these in the stories below.
Covid-19 infections:
The Jamaican government used the police and the military to actively quarantine the public and to forcibly relocate them to Covid-19 compounds. Working with the medical authorities, they were able to do contact tracing with testing. As a result, there have only been 313 deaths from Covid across the whole island. For awhile, the hospitals were severely stretched and there were periodic closings of certain towns and villages, but basic essentials could usually be obtained (if you had money).
Non-medical effects of Covid-19:
Schools:
Schools remain closed to in-person learning in Jamaica. They actually closed completely back in March 2020. In October (a month late), they opened for online education. Of course, on most days, no one could operate online or even use the cellular phone network because the cellular network and Internet services could not withstand the load. I would say most of the families did not have a device (computer, tablet, or smartphone) other than a simple cellphone. Then you might have multiple children sharing a cellphone or device at the same time, even if they were in different grades.
Can you imagine having 3 children of differing ages all listening to instruction over a phone?
Then, we heard that many children were having difficulty concentrating because they had inadequate breakfast in the morning. Most of us haven't experienced hunger, but I am told it is very difficult to think or concentrate (see one of our responses below).
All schools were expected to start back in-person instruction this month, but that did not happen.
Economy:
Jamaica as a whole is suffering. Its main source of income is remittances. Remittances are when someone in another country sends you money. That becomes harder when the worldwide economy has been hurt. The second is tourism. You can guess how tourism is faring. The third is probably farming, yet most sugar mills have closed. Tropicana and large fruit growers have moved to lands less affected by hurricanes.
What about Eastern Jamaica where we have our ministry/mission? This area is very poor and was largely dependent upon the sugar mills and sugar cane harvesting until most of the mills closed. Before that, Eastern Banana and Tropicana had banana plantations, but they left the island after Hurricanes Charlie (2004), Dennis and Emily (2005); then, Dean (2007) destroyed many crops. So, in recent years the schools have been a large part of the economy, directly or indirectly by employing teachers and school staff, by the small shops and stands selling to students, cookshops, bus companies, and by the many taxi drivers to take students to/from school. Obviously, all that has been gone since March 2020.
Since the sugar and fruit industry left, most of those workers have become small subsistence farmers. So, they are barely making it and are greatly dependent upon the weather. You would think farming in Jamaica would be easy. Almost any seed you throw on the ground will sprout and grow. There is usually plenty of sunshine, usually water, and rich soil. Weeds like it that way as well and so do the insect pests. (See Extremes)
Extremes
So, growing conditions in Jamaica can be great, except when they are not. In this past Summer, the farmers and their families were suffering from extreme drought. Then some rains came in early Fall and they were doing better, but the economy was so bad that there was no market for their crops that they could grow. Then, the floods!
The Floods
We support church ministries in three communities seen in the satellite photo below and a school ministry in the fourth. The churches are in Stokes Hall, Wheelerfield, and Rowlandsfield. The school is in Johnson Mountain. As you look at the map below, you see the Caribbean Sea to the right (East), a very fertile flat river valley with the Garden Plantain River coursing from West to East, and the beginning of mountains to the West with 7,402 feet Blue Mountain about 20 miles to the East and the origin of the river.
The photo below is taken from the Johnson Mountain school looking East (note Morant Point Lighthouse almost 9 miles away). So the hurricanes in 2004, 2005, and 2007 came from the East and destroyed the crops in this valley. Then this year, Hurricanes Zeta (mid-October) and Eta (early November), while not hitting Jamaica, caused severe mountain rains with flooding.
The photo below is taken down in the valley near Wheelerfield. Imagine the river now over the top of the sugar cane in the background. All crops were washed away except potatoes and those had to be removed from the mud rapidly to stop the rot.
So, needless to say, 2020 was not kind to Jamaica. They have had Covid-19, no schools, massive economic downturn, loss of crops due to drought, no market for crops, then massive loss due to floods.
Isaiahsixeight's response:
Churches:
Most churches are now meeting with reduced capacity, social distancing, and masks. Elderly and high-risk individuals are staying away. Some churches are using WhatsApp, Facebook, and even streaming services from a smartphone via Facebook Live. So, what can we do at a distance? Well, we are able to purchase telephone credit online for ministry leaders so they can use their phones as necessary to reach their flock.
Also, we have utilized 4 churches to be our partners in distributing food to the needy. Our process is to assess needs in the areas and inquire of the ministry leaders how many people need to be served in each area. Then, our ministry associates price the items in bulk quantities at wholesale food stores. Then, we fund the money to make the purchases and to deliver them to the churches or distribution points. The churches then sort the items, bag them, and deliver them to the needy in their communities. Some of the farmers and others in the community frequently also share local crops with the poor also.
Soup Kitchens:
We help support 2 soup kitchens. These operate much differently in Jamaica. Both operate out of Port Morant. One is supported by the Wesleyan Holiness Church and the other by Port Morant Methodist Church. Also, when we think of soup kitchens in the US, we generally think about a building where the poor (frequently homeless people) gather for a meal. These soup kitchens make the food and then deliver it. Probably the most common type of soup served is chicken foot soup. Chicken feet, necks, and backs are a main source of protein in the third world. At least in Jamaica, the diets are very low on protein, and as you can imagine, the foot of a chicken is not that rich in protein.
These soup kitchens can and do operate without us, but at times we are asked for help. Lately, because our donors have been so generous, we have been giving them more money which helps them buy more nutritious pieces of chicken and pork. So, when they can, they serve small plates of food instead of soup. The Wesleyan Holiness church cooks and delivers food to over 80 individuals as far as 10 miles away on Tuesday. The Port Morant Methodist church serves about 45 people in the same area on Saturdays.
This is a very effective way of stretching our money. For approximately $25 US, we can purchase the chicken and everything else will be supplied by the church members to feed a nice lunch to over 80 people.
Below is a one minute video of the Wesleyan Holiness soup kitchen. Our long-time friend and sister in Christ, Ms. Patsy Lindsay allows this to be done at her place or as they say in Jamaica, "in my yard". On this day, they are making traditional rice and beans (or peas), jerk chicken, and mixed vegetables. Everything is cooked on charcoal and is delicious.
The Children
As we mentioned above about the schools, they have not been in session since March 2020. We had heard reports that children were having a lot of difficulties. Not only were they having difficulty with remote learning, but we heard the children had even more difficulty concentrating because so many were hungry in the mornings. If you remember, several years ago, we started a feeding program for the Special Needs Program to provide breakfast 3 mornings per week. But, how can we help when they are not in school?
A very generous church provided our financial resources from their Christmas Angel Program. With that money, we arranged for teachers at two different church-related preschools/kindergartens to buy a small toy or school items for the children and then buy a bag of foods that are nutritious and kid-friendly for breakfast. Then, they got these items to the children ( see photos below).
We were anticipating the return of in-person instruction at these schools this month, but it was not allowed in some schools because social distancing could not be maintained. However, Ms. Hall in Stokes Hall, chose to restart because many of her students could not do remote learning because of a lack of a suitable device and/or the inability to access data. So, for her school, we allowed her some money for the required masks and face shields.
Further, since there is a lot of poverty and hunger in Stokes Hall, we are arranging to give the children a boiled egg every day.
In Memorial
On November 5, 2020, the mission lost a dear friend and sister in Christ, Ms. Jefa Hall. Jefa was a delightful person and a partner in ministry. She is the sister and housemate of Teacher Hortense Hall in Stokes Hall. We got to know Jefa through Hortense. Since Jefa was a seamstress, she helped us obtain school clothing for children several times. Jefa helped plant the church in Wheelerfield and was always eager to help us in the mission there. Even as we worked on replacing the siding on the Wheelerfield church in 2019, Jefa showed up eager to help and painted the trim work (see photo below). Jefa had an enlarged thyroid (goiter) which a few days prior to her death became painful and swollen. On the night of November 4, it was getting worse and greatly limited her breathing. Because Hurricane Eta was causing torrential rain and flooding in the area she delayed going to the hospital. She died in the early morning hours of November 5, 2020. Jefa was 58. She will be greatly missed by our mission, her community, and her church.
One of our dear friends there also suffered a tragedy. Kevan Dunn and his wife lost their one-year-old toddler son on October 14, 2020. Kevan is the brother of Pastor Richie Dunn (Stokes Hall), a good male Christian leader, and worked with us on Ester's house in 2018 and on the Wheelerfield Church in 2019. On the day of the death, Kevan and his wife were butchering and cleaning chickens when their toddler son fell into one of the buckets they were using to wash the chicken. The child drowned and later died in the hospital. See Kevan in the photo below.
Mrs. Ellie Collins, of Fayette, Alabama succumbed to Covid-19 on November 12, 2020. Mrs. Ellie was a very young 85. Mrs. Ellie traveled to Jamaica twice to be on Vacation Bible School teams in 2016 and 2018. Her death was a huge loss for the Fayette community and her church.
An Anniversary!
In a few weeks, it will be 25 years since I first went to Jamaica on a mission trip. My life would never be the same! God changed my life in ways I could not imagine and would have not normally have chosen. Over those years, my career goals vanished, as did my hobbies, and my health. However, God made a way for me to continue in this mission and blessed me more than I could ever imagine. A desire to go to Jamaica is something God put into me. I cannot explain it, even now after 56 trips there.
For many years, I struggled with whether I should be in a full-time mission there or not. All the great missionary models were full-time. However, over the years, I have seen missionaries in Jamaica and elsewhere who "burned out", had to come back for financial reasons, illness, or family illness. Now, I see the wisdom in God's design for me and Isaiahsixeight. Following His lead, we have been in a mission without burn-out for 25 years and the desire to be in the mission there is even stronger. Making friends and mission partners in Jamaica, as well as technological advances, have allowed us to be effective even over this great distance.
What about you? Not called to missions? Neither was I on the first several mission trips I took. I had no intention to be a missionary, even a part-time one. Take the step and go on a mission trip. Your life may never be the same.
To God be the Glory!
Thank You!
Thank you again for your prayers and support! It is so encouraging to receive support but it is also frustrating that we cannot be there in person to be in ministry and mission. I am extremely eager to get the Covid-19 vaccine and get back down to Jamaica.
Please continue to pray for the Jamaicans. While some of us can expect the vaccine in the next couple of months, I don't think the same will be true in Jamaica. Also, their economy will certainly take longer to recover. So, we expect we will be helping even more with feeding the poor and helping support some of the churches.
May God richly bless you and keep you safe!
Donnie Cantley, President of Isaiahsixeight