Mount Olivet Mission Trip – 12 to 16 May 2006

The Team:

Phillip (Slim) Vassell – Leader

Dudley Robinson, Edwin Matute, Shimar Harding

The primary purposes for the trip were to install a hot water heater, do plumbing in one of the dormitories, and to have fellowship with the boys.

The flight from Cayman to Kingston was delayed so that we did not arrive until 8:15 PM.  We had a quick and uneventful transition through Immigration and Customs.  We were met by Reverend Sully and others from Mount Olivet.  We stopped for a meal and then made a detour to drop off a staff member at Portmore, resulting in us not arriving at the Home until just after midnight.

We awoke at about 7:30 AM on Saturday.  After devotions led by Dudley we went to Mandeville for breakfast and to pick up the jack hammers to be used for digging out the walls.  This proved to be a long process!  The firm that agreed to rent the equipment to us decided that they needed the jack hammers for their own purposes!  We drove all over trying to find another source.  We eventually started on the water heater installation at 3:30 PM.

We had planned to have a bonfire on Saturday night but during the day the boys had two contingents of visitors, one from Cornwall Council of the United Church Women’s Fellowship which had about 30 members who brought gifts and lots of food.  The other was from Indiana, U.S.A.  They numbered about 15 and also brought food.  At 3:30 PM, the boys had to get ready to go to Mandeville for their Boys’ Brigade evening.  They did not return until after 6:00 PM so we decided that the boys had had enough activity and food for one day and so we postponed the bonfire.

By this time we had finished channeling half of the walls for the hot water heater piping, so we went to Walderston with Louis at about 8:30 PM for a supper of Jerk food.  We returned about midnight.  Incidentally, while we were getting ready for bed, we realised that if we were going to install the heater before we left we would have to focus on this task and would only be able to have time with the boys in our rest periods.

On Sunday, Edwin led our devotions and, after breakfast, we attended Church where we were welcomed as a team of Caymanians.  I informed the congregation that we were all from the same Church in Cayman but our origins were in four different countries (5 if you count Reverend Louis Sully, Acting Director of the Home) – Dudley from Grenada, Edwin from Honduras, Phillip from Jamaica, Louis from Haiti, and Shimar the only Caymanian on our team.  So, we were indeed a “United Nations” team!  The service lasted just under three hours but it was lively and there was a fellowship snack afterwards.

We continued to do the trenching of the walls before lunch and continued after the meal.  At 2:30 PM, I accompanied Louis to Kingston to pick up Malcolm Davies who was coming for a meeting at the Home on Monday.  We arrived back at 6:00 PM, in time to see the rest of the team just finishing the trenching.  The tools were then packed away and we had fellowship with the boys.  Edwin and Shimar then prepared the bonfire around which we had pizza, ice cream, and drinks.  This lasted from 8:30 PM to 12:30 AM.  We did not have a concert this time, but just “hung out” with the boys and some members of staff.  Very tired, we retired to bed!

Shimar led devotions on Monday morning at 7:15 AM.  After breakfast, at 8:00 AM, we had an early start on our project and made slow, but steady progress throughout the day.  We finally accomplished our task late in the evening.  As there was a problem with the electrical system (a new breaker was needed), we could not connect any power to the heater.  However, Luis undertook to attend to the electrical repair.

We took Louis to Mandeville to dinner at 8:30 PM because the meal at the Home was bun and cheese!  We had a grand time and Malcolm joined us.  When we arrived back the boys were ready for bed and so we did not have an opportunity to say a proper “goodbye”.

At about 12:30 AM, Tuesday, we installed the fixtures – chrome handles and shower heads, etc.  We then checked for leaks and there were none.  After that, we left the Home at 5:30 AM and we departed from Kingston at 9:20 AM.

Edwin took some photographs which we will put onto a CD for later viewing.

All the time that we were at the Home the boys never lacked attention, as there were always some visitors present.

Team members paid for their own fares and visa charges.  The cost to Mission Funds was C.I.$1,100.00, including $500.00 for the heater.  The Team raised C.I.$500.00 from a barbeque and C.I.$600.00 came from donations.

Phillip Vassel