Conflict resolution has often been resolved with the fist instead of mediation. Many have gone through the school system but are not fully literate. Some homes don't allow for ownership of things. Lack of trust is an ongoing issue. Growing up without parents or a support system is a lonely road.
Back to the December trip.....with just 36 hours remaining before our team was to return to Los Angeles, our young men and Great Love volunteers gathered in worship and lifted up heartfelt prayers that we could find a place for them to live. My small faith was met with a Big and Loving God. Rev. Andy came to breakfast the next morning and told us of a local resident Joyce Powell, who had a vacant home that was damaged during Hurricane Ivan. It needed allot of work, with holes in the floors and the roof, rotted windows and vines weaving in and out of the living areas. No Problem Mon! It had 3 bedrooms and a little cottage out back. The lease to own home had come right on time and was a godsend for our Brothers in need. We took a leap of faith and signed the lease. Local volunteers, the boys and our subsequent Great Love teams were willing laborers to make this house a livable home in the months following.
The boys voted on the name of their group and declared it Brother's United. Work began and funds were raised to buy supplies and fix the roof and floor. It was an exciting time.
Great Love invested in appliances, furniture, bunk beds, a punching bag and all the basics needed for the guys to move in. Some of the guys moved right in and lived at the house with tarps serving as their roof, and used a lantern for their light. They got used to stepping over the holes in the floors, just grateful for the shelter that God provided.
The Brothers United painted their house the colors of the Jamaican flag. Local Jamaican volunteers lent their time and talents as well. Andy McDonald served as a guidance counsellor and home's director though he lived off site.
The Great Love Brothers United House provided shelter from the storms of life. It was a season where a young man learned what it took to get employed, learned to save money, some learned to cook, share chores and food, go to school, live in community, and transition into adulthood with a hand up.
Though some embraced the ideals and code of conduct that they drew up and agreed on, others continued with an institutionalized mindset, waiting for handouts, not understanding how to self initiate.
Life choices.... all your life.......choices.
The property sat on 3 1/4 acres with banana, bread-fruit, ackee and citrus. There is always something planted in the field. Sometimes harvested before it was harvest time.
The Brothers were asked to: find employment, contribute to the gas for cooking, water, food and power. They were asked to commit to living in community with respect, attending house meetings, attending a church of their choice and setting educational goals are a part of this new journey. Great Love sponsored the rent and staple food of things like rice, peas and porriage.
The brothers built a dog proof chicken coop. They did a great job. Broiler chicks mature every 6 weeks. The brothers ate some of the chickens and attempted to sell the rest to buy more broilers. On one trip, they invited me to help them slaughter the chicken's but I didn't have the stomach to go down that road. This exercise in raising, butchering and selling chickens to buy more only worked to a point. Without a teacher/missionary living on the site, sometimes hunger and lack of self control, made for early butchering of the chicken's and tempers would fly.
The young men of Brothers United and our Brothers at large, are learning to have a voice and define their dreams and hopes.
"God loves us as we are not as we should
be for we'll never be as we should be" brennan manning
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